Chapter 304: Letter From the Emperor (Extra Chapter for Checking in on the 500th Floor)

Chapter 305: Get the emperor’s family letter (check in for the 500th floor)

More than the food itself, what made the soldiers of the Champagne Corps envious was that the officers of the Guards Corps actually ate with the soldiers!

Even the food in the bowl looks exactly like the soldiers.

They all muttered in their hearts:

"This is an officer worthy of serving and worthy of respect. In comparison, those officers of the Champagne Legion just regard themselves as animals that can shoot."

Then, they were shocked to see that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was also gathering with a group of soldiers from the Guards Corps, eating food from the pot!

"Well, this soup tastes good." Joseph dipped the bread into the red soup and put it in his mouth. Tomato soup with a hint of spiciness, tastes a lot like borscht.

Lefebvre nodded and said:

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

The staff officer on the side continued:

"It's all about ketchup. Oh my god, who invented this thing? Fresh tomatoes taste amazing."

The genius inventor Joseph did not take advantage of this, and turned to glance at Napoleon who was busy eating:

"Captain Buwanaba, are you still used to the life of the Guards?"

The latter was startled, quickly put down the food, and stood at attention with a snap:

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

"Well, you don't have to be so nervous." Joseph thought to himself that the two of us would still have to cooperate in the future, and we couldn't be so tense all the time.

He suddenly noticed Napoleon's eyes and said doubtfully:

"Why are your eyes so bloodshot? You haven't rested, okay?"

Napoleon really didn't get a good rest. He spent more than two months in the Guards Corps working hard to "make up lessons". He had a personality that refused to admit defeat and only slept five or six hours a day.

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

The army staff officer turned to Joseph and said:

"Your Highness, Captain Buwanaba has worked very hard. He has completed several basic assessments since he came to the legion."

Joseph nodded approvingly to Napoleon, and then started chatting mode:

"By the way, after leaving Troyes, you will rush to Verdun."

The legion staff officer was surprised and said:

"Your Highness, it seems there are no legions that need to be assessed?"

"It's not an assessment," Joseph said, "We're going to fight. Fighting against a truly powerful enemy."

The eyes of the surrounding officers and soldiers immediately flashed with excitement - according to the system of the Guards Corps, fighting means military merit and honor, which also means promotion.

There is also the envy and reverence of family members and neighbors.

This is due to the effective work of the Ministry of Military Affairs.

The homes of officers and soldiers who have made meritorious deeds will experience a "bombing" with military bands, banners, flowers and bonuses. Coupled with the fact that they have publicized their meritorious deeds in the neighborhood for three consecutive days, the officers and soldiers who made meritorious deeds will immediately become heroes in the neighborhood.

When they return home, the feeling of pride and honor is simply better than being promoted.

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

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

When everyone heard that they could fight against serious European armies, they were immediately gearing up and eager to give it a try.

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

If the Prussians could be defeated on the battlefield, who would dare to question the validity of the Guards Corps' record?

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

"Mr. Major, has the latest 'compact gun carriage' arrived?"

The latter shook his head: "It wasn't there when we left Paris, Your Highness. But at that time, the ordnance factory had already sent the training manual, saying it would arrive within a week."

Joseph breathed a sigh of relief, but it was still a little late. He warned:

"Then just transport the mounted artillery carriage directly to Verdun. You should hurry up and practice operations there. There may not be much time before the war starts."

When Napoleon heard the word "mounted on a gun carriage", he suddenly became interested and asked the legionary staff officer on the side:

"Sir, what new equipment was your Highness just talking about?"

"Oh, it's a fast-moving gun carriage. You'll know it when you get to Versailles." The army staff looked down upon this Corsican. Discrimination against foreigners was very common in this era, let alone a small border island. The "bumpkin" who came up.

Napoleon wanted to ask more questions, but when he saw the army staff and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince talking about training, he couldn't say anything for a while, and his heart was as anxious as if it were being scratched by dozens of cats.

If you want to see the gun carriage, you will definitely miss the next gathering of the Corsican Restoration Organization. Maybe Speaker Pauli will have some new instructions...

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

Just when he was in a dilemma and didn't know how to make a choice, early the next morning, the legion's postman came to Troyes.

This is the most exciting moment for all the soldiers. The few wooden boxes brought by the postman contain news about their family members, lovers or friends. They are the only way between them and the military camp.

After the crowd receiving the letters dispersed, Napoleon walked up to the two postmen and gave his name:

"Napoleon Bouwanaba. Do you have my letter?"

A tall postman picked up the record book and searched according to the alphabetical index of the name, then took out a letter from the second wooden box and handed it to him:

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

"It's my eldest brother."

Napoleon answered casually, took the letter and quickly returned to his tent, and then couldn't wait to open it and read it.

In the letter, the eldest brother first asked Napoleon about his recent situation in the army as usual. Then, he told him in an excited tone that by chance last month, he was selected by the assistant to the Minister of Commerce and became an assistant in the negotiation office.

Because he was in urgent need of people, he didn't need to pay for this position himself. The monthly salary was 65 livres, and there was a considerable allowance.

Napoleon smiled happily, which was much better than the half-dead business run by his brother before. With this stable salary income, he finally didn't have to deal with the huge debt at home alone.

Joseph Buwanaba's government position was naturally arranged by Bailey at Joseph's request. Corsicans have a strong sense of family. After Napoleon's father died, his eldest brother was like a father to him. Napoleon also listened to his elder brother very much.

So Joseph arranged Napoleon's elder brother into the French bureaucracy first. As the latter continued to be promoted, sooner or later, "the butt determines the head". At that time, even if Napoleon wanted to restore Corsica, his elder brother would not agree.

Napoleon continued to look down, and Joseph Buvanaba told him that when he sent this letter, he had already left Paris with the Minister of Commerce and went to Bavaria to participate in an important trade negotiation.