Napoleon's Letter from Home

What the soldiers of the Champagne Legion envied even more than the food itself was that the officers of the Royal Guard Legion were eating with the soldiers!

Even the food in their bowls was exactly the same as that of the soldiers.

They were all muttering to themselves:

"These are officers worthy of service and respect. Compared to them, the officers of the Champagne Legion only see themselves as livestock capable of firing guns."

Then, to their shock, they saw that His Crown Prince was also eating food from the pot with a Royal Guard Legion soldiers!

"Hmm, this soup tastes good." Joseph dipped a piece of bread in the red broth and then put it in his mouth. The Tomato soup, with its slightly spicy flavor, tasted a lot like Borscht.

Lefebvre nodded and said:

"Yes, Your Highness, this is the soldiers' favorite food besides meat."

The staff officer beside him continued:

"Thanks to Tomato sauce! God, who was the genius who invented this? Fresh Tomato taste absolutely amazing."

The brilliant inventor Joseph ignored this comment and turned to glance at Napoleon, who was engrossed in eating.

"Captain Bonaparte, are you getting used to life in the Royal Guard Legion?"

The latter was startled, quickly put down the food, and snapped to attention.

"I'm used to it, Your Highness. Everything is fine!"

"Uh, you don't need to be so tense." Joseph thought to himself, "We'll be working together again in the future, so this constant tension won't do."

He suddenly noticed Napoleon's eyes and asked in confusion:

Why are your eyes so bloodshot? Haven't you been getting enough rest?

Napoleon certainly didn't get enough rest. For more than two months after arriving at the Royal Guard Legion, he was working like crazy to "catch up." Being an unyielding person, he only slept five or six hours a day.

"No, it's nothing, Your Highness. Thank you for your concern."

The legionary staff officer turned to Joseph and said:

"Your Highness, Captain Bonaparte is working very hard; he has already completed several basic assessments since joining the legion."

Joseph nodded approvingly to Napoleon, then launched into small talk:

"By the way, after leaving Troyes, you'll be heading to Verdun."

The legion strategist asked in surprise:

"Your Highness, it seems there aren't any legions there that require assessment?"

"This isn't an assessment," Joseph said. "It's going to be war. War against a truly powerful enemy."

Excitement immediately gleamed in the eyes of the surrounding officers and soldiers—according to the Royal Guard Legion ' system, fighting meant military merit and honor, which in turn meant promotion.

There was also the envy and respect from family and neighbors.

This is thanks to the effective work of the Military Affairs Department.

The homes of meritorious soldiers are bombarded with military bands, banners, flowers, and bonuses. Coupled with three consecutive days of publicizing their deeds in the neighborhood, these soldiers immediately become local heroes.

When they returned home, the sense of pride and honor they felt was even better than a promotion.

"Your Highness, who are we going to fight?" a company commander asked immediately.

"It's not certain yet, but there should be Prussia among them."

Upon hearing that they would be able to fight against a proper Europe army, everyone immediately became eager and ready to give it a try.

They had previously defeated the Algiers and Albanian Army, and the Montcalm Legion, but those victories were not enough to prove their strength.

If we can defeat the Prussia on the battlefield, who will dare to question the Royal Guard Legion's record?

Speaking of war, Joseph suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Lefebvre:

"Major, has the latest ' Compact Horse Artillery Carriage ' arrived yet?"

The latter shook his head. "It wasn't there when we left Paris, Your Highness. However, the Ordnance Factory had already sent the Training Manual, saying they would arrive within a week."

Joseph sighed; it was still a little late. He instructed:

"Then let's transport the Horse Artillery Carriage directly to Verdun. You all need to practice operating them diligently there; the time before the war starts may not be long."

Upon hearing the term "Horse Artillery Carriage," Napoleon became intrigued and asked the corps staff officer beside him:

"My lord, what new equipment did His Highness just mention?"

"Oh, it's a kind of fast-moving artillery vehicle. You'll see when you get to Versailles." The legionary staff officer looked down on the Corsica; discrimination against outsiders was common in this era, especially from a "country bumpkin" on a remote island.

Napoleon wanted to ask more questions, but then he saw the army staff officer and the Crown Prince talking about training, and he couldn't get a word in edgewise. He was so anxious that he felt like dozens of cats were scratching at him.

If we want to see that Horse Artillery Carriage, we'll inevitably miss the next gathering of the Corsican Restoration Organization; perhaps Speaker Paoli will give some new instructions...

But the new equipment related to cannons is equally attractive...

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, unsure of what to do, the legion's postman arrived in Troyes the next morning.

This was the most exciting moment for all the soldiers. The few Wooden Box brought by the postman contained messages from their families, loved ones, or friends, serving as their only connection to the outside Military Camp.

After the crowd of people collecting their letters had gradually dispersed, Napoleon approached the two postmen and gave them his name.

"Napoleon Bonaparte. Do you have any news for me?"

A tall postman picked up the logbook and searched by the alphabetical index of names, then pulled a letter from the second Wooden Box and handed it to him:

"There's a letter for you. It's from Joseph Bonaparte. Oh, what a unique surname. Is he your father or brother?"

"He is my eldest brother."

Napoleon gave a casual reply, took the letter, quickly returned to his tent, and then eagerly opened it to read.

In the letter, the elder brother first inquired, as was customary, about Napoleon's recent situation in the army. Then, in an excited tone, he told him that last month, by chance, he had been selected by the Assistant to the Minister of Commerce to become an Assistant in the negotiating office.

Because there is an urgent need for staff, there is no need to pay for this position yourself; the monthly salary is 65 Livre, plus a considerable allowance.

Napoleon smiled happily; this was far better than the struggling business his brother had been running. With this stable income, he no longer had to deal with the enormous debt the family was in alone.

Joseph Bonaparte's government position was naturally arranged for him by Bayei at Joseph's behest. Corsica have a very strong sense of family, and after Napoleon's father died, his eldest brother became like a father to him. Napoleon also listened to his brother very much.

Therefore, Joseph arranged for Napoleon's elder brother to be placed in the France bureaucracy. As the latter rose through the ranks, he would eventually be influenced by his position. At that point, even if Napoleon wanted to restore Corsica, his elder brother would not allow it.

Napoleon continued looking down, where Joseph Bonaparte told him that when he sent the letter, he had already left Paris with the Minister of Commerce to attend an important trade negotiation in Bavaria.