Today Is a Good Day

Joseph's eyes lit up at once, but to be safe, he continued asking, "Do you know anything else about him?"

Diboa felt somewhat depressed. I'm the one being commended today, aren't I? Why has His Highness been asking about Alexander all this time...

Still, he answered patiently, "Your Highness, he comes from an aristocratic military family. He is skilled at drawing, quick-witted, and capable of enduring hardship. He also fought in the United States with Count Rochambeau. He made the operational deployment map for the Battle of Yorktown."

Upon hearing that he was skilled at drawing and had taken part in the American War of Independence, Joseph could completely confirm it. This was the historically renowned little nanny at Napoleon's side, the Chief of Staff of the Army, Marshal Berthier, who had followed Napoleon from Italy all the way to Tsarist Russia and earned countless merits.

Of course, the future Marshal was still merely an ordinary Major, making a living under some mediocre military noble.

Joseph knew that if he wanted to rebuild France, he had to hold the military firmly in his own hands!

Yet at present, military power was controlled by the great aristocratic class.

France was still in a transitional period from a feudal military system to a modern one. Its army was somewhat like the private troops of the provincial warlords at the end of the Ming Dynasty—the garrisons of each province were funded and trained by provincial finances and local great nobles.

The army's equipment and combat effectiveness depended entirely on how much the local area invested. Naturally, according to the principle that whoever paid the money called the shots, only the local military nobles could command those troops.

This could be seen from the names of the French military units at the time—the Flanders Brigade, Soissons Infantry Regiment, Bordeaux Brigade, and so on. They were all named after places, which had once been the fiefs of great lords.

Therefore, if the King wanted to mobilize troops, he had to watch the military nobles' expressions. In peaceful and prosperous times, the nobles would naturally cooperate more readily, but if the situation became turbulent, that would be another matter altogether.

For example, at present, France's great aristocratic class did not have a particularly harmonious relationship with the King.

During the French Great Revolution in history, Louis XVI claimed to have summoned twenty regiments to protect the King, but not a single soldier entered Paris before he was chopped down.

During that period, only the Swiss Mercenaries he supported with his private funds, along with a small number of Personal Guards at his side, remained completely loyal to the King. Other than them, he could not even command the Paris Guard stationed right beneath his nose.

One had to know that although the Paris citizens attacking the Bastille had guns, before a solid fortress more than ten meters high, they could only sigh in despair from afar. In the end, it was only because the Paris Guard dragged in cannon to lend their support that the prison governor, de Launay, had no choice but to surrender.

Thus, although the royal family now appeared to hold great power and boundless glory, the great aristocratic class had long since joined forces with the emerging capitalist groups, gradually clutching military, judicial, economic, public-opinion, and other powers in their own hands.

Among them, royal power had been hollowed out most severely in the military and economic spheres.

At present, the great aristocrats and capitalist groups had not yet coordinated their interests, and the lingering majesty of royal power remained, which was why superficial calm could still be maintained. But once an opportunity such as the Estates-General appeared, these people would immediately stir up wind and rain.

Therefore, controlling military power had always been what Joseph valued most.

It was only that his political foundation was still too weak. He was not yet capable of reaching into the military nobles' bowls, and seizing military power was destined to be a long and exceedingly difficult process.

Of course, Joseph had a complete plan of his own. In fact, the Paris Police Academy was the first hidden stake he had driven into military power.

In the concepts of people in this era, the Police were basically nothing more than a group of thugs hired by the government. They could never amount to much, and that gave Joseph room to lay hands on an institution of violence.

With the Police Academy as a foothold, he could use it as a foundation to begin building a core force that obeyed only him.

It was only one sentence when spoken, but once put into practice, it became a tangled mess with a thousand threads and ten thousand knots.

First, he needed money. An army was a gold-devouring beast. Fortunately, he now had the Paris Angel Company. It was still far from enough to feed that gold-devouring beast, but it could at least provide the initial start-up funds.

Second came equipment—advanced weapons capable of crushing every opponent. Joseph had the greatest confidence in this point. (To be continued in the next page)

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The equipment technology in his mind could absolutely crush this era. He only needed to find a way to manufacture it.

Lastly, and most crucially, there were people—military talent. This included high-quality soldiers and outstanding commanders, especially the latter. A good general could even determine the outcome of an entire battle!

Berthier was precisely such an outstanding officer. It could be said that without his assistance, even Napoleon's achievements might have been far less dazzling.

A perfect opportunity to establish contact with Berthier was right before him. Joseph definitely could not let it slip away!

Just as he was about to draw more information about the Chief of Staff from Diboa, he heard someone beside him cough twice. Turning his head, he saw Eman repeatedly signaling to him with his eyes, and only then did he remember that the commendation ceremony was still underway.

He could only walk helplessly toward Lieutenant Foucaud and offer the Artillery Company commander a few words of encouragement before moving on to the next person.

The young Cavalry Company commander immediately straightened his already ramrod-stiff back even further. Ever since learning some of the hidden secrets behind the situation in the Netherlands, he had deeply admired this youthful Crown Prince.

Joseph smiled at him. Ever since hearing that this officer's surname was Davout, he had harbored a trace of expectation.

Following custom, he first praised Davout's cavalry for fighting bravely, then impatiently asked, "Lieutenant Davout, did anyone in your family ever serve in the Imperial Guards?"

Davout nodded in surprise. "Yes, Your Highness. My father once served as a company commander in the Royal Cavalry Regiment."

Joseph's eyes brightened several degrees. "Do you have a relative named Nikola?"

Davout was even more surprised. "Your Highness, do you know my younger brother?"

"Nikola is your younger brother?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Louis-Nicolas d'Avout is my biological younger brother."

Joseph was overjoyed. What kind of good day is today? I've actually run into the equivalent of winning the grand prize twice in a row!

Nikola Davout!

The Iron Marshal!

One of the three strongest tiger generals under Napoleon, a superlative military genius.

Winning against greater numbers was commonplace for him, and he repeatedly turned the tide of battle through his own strength alone.

A man whom Napoleon had called France's purest glory!

If he let this one slip past him, he would never forgive himself!

Joseph stepped half a pace forward and asked, "Where is your younger brother serving now?"

"Your Highness, Nikola is still attending Military Academy. He will not graduate until next year."

He had not graduated yet... Joseph felt slightly regretful, but on second thought, that was good as well. He could first secure his brother, then bring Nikola directly over to his side once he graduated. It would be easier to build trust that way.

When the entire commendation ceremony ended, the officers who had earned merit bid farewell to the King and Queen. When they came before Joseph, he suddenly held back Diboa and André Davout, using the excuse that he wanted to hear about the fierce fighting on the Dutch Battlefield, and dragged the two of them to the square outside Versailles Palace.

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