Chapter 48 Today Is a Good Day

Joseph's eyes lit up immediately, but to be on the safe side, he continued to ask: "Do you know anything else about him?"

Dubois was a little depressed, as if I was the one who was rewarded today, why did His Highness keep asking about Alexander...

However, he still patiently answered: "Your Highness, he comes from a military family, is good at drawing, has a flexible mind, and is very hardworking. He also fought in the United States with Count Rochambeau, and the battle deployment map of the Battle of Yorktown was made by him."

Hearing that he was good at drawing and participated in the American War of Independence, Joseph was completely sure that this person was the famous "personal nanny" of Emperor Napoleon in history, the Chief of the Army General Staff, who followed Emperor Napoleon from Italy to Tsarist Russia and made countless contributions to Marshal Berthier.

Of course, the future Marshal is still just an ordinary major, working for a mediocre military noble.

Joseph knew that if he wanted to reorganize France, the army must be firmly in his hands!

However, it is the great aristocracy that now controls the French military power.

France is still in the transition period from feudal military system to modern military system. The army is a bit like the private soldiers of the late Ming Dynasty - the garrisons in each province are supported and trained by the provincial finances and local nobles.

The equipment and combat effectiveness of the army depend on the local investment. Of course, based on the principle of who pays, who makes the decision, only the local military nobles can command this army.

This can be seen from the names of the French army at this time - Flanders Brigade, Soissons Infantry Regiment, Bordeaux Brigade, etc., are all named after places, which are the fiefs of the former great lords.

Therefore, if the king wants to mobilize the army, he has to look at the eyes of the military nobles. In times of peace and prosperity, the nobles will naturally be more cooperative, but if the situation is a little turbulent, that's another story.

For example, at present, the relationship between the French nobles and the king is not very harmonious.

During the French Revolution, Louis XVI claimed to have mobilized 20 regiments of troops to serve the king, but until he was killed, no soldiers entered Paris.

During this period, only the Swiss mercenary regiments and a small number of personal guards supported by Louis XVI with his private money were completely loyal to the king. Apart from that, he could not even command the French Guards stationed under his nose.

You know, although the Paris citizens who attacked the Bastille at that time had guns, they could only sigh in despair in the face of the solid fortress more than ten meters high. In the end, it was because the French Guards dragged cannons to help that the warden Loné surrendered helplessly.

Therefore, the royal family now seems to be in power and has unlimited glory, but in fact the great aristocracy has already united with the emerging capital groups to gradually grasp the power of military, judicial, economic, public opinion and other aspects in their own hands.

Among them, the royal power was most seriously hollowed out in the military and economic fields.

At present, the great nobles and the capital groups have not yet coordinated their interests, and the residual power of the king is still there, which has maintained the surface calm, but when the opportunity like the three-level conference appears, these guys will immediately stir up trouble.

Therefore, controlling military power has always been the most important thing for Joseph.

However, his current political foundation is still too weak, and he is still unable to reach out to the bowl of the military nobles. Seizing military power is destined to be a long and very difficult process.

Of course, Joseph also has his own set of plans for this. In fact, the Paris Police Academy is the first hidden stake he laid in military power.

In the minds of people in this era, the police are basically a group of gangsters hired by the government, and they can't become a big climate at all, which gives Joseph room to get involved in violent institutions.

With the foothold of the police academy, he can use it as a basis to start building a direct force that absolutely obeys his orders.

This matter is just a sentence, but it is a lot of things to do.

First of all, you have to have money, the army is a gold-eating beast. Fortunately, he now has the Paris Angel Company. Although it is still far from feeding the money-eating beast, the initial start-up funds can still be taken out.

The second is equipment. There must be advanced weapons that overwhelm all opponents. Joseph is most confident about this. The equipment technology in his mind can definitely crush this era. He just needs to find a way to manufacture it.

Finally, and most importantly, it is people, military talents. Including high-quality soldiers and excellent commanders, especially the latter. A good general can even determine the victory or defeat of a battle!

And Berthier is such an excellent officer. It can be said that without his assistance, the record of the emperor may be much bleaker.

There is a good opportunity to connect with Berthier in front of him, and Joseph must not miss it!

He was about to ask Dubois for some news about the Chief of Staff, when he heard someone cough twice. He turned around and saw Emman winking at him, and then he remembered that the award ceremony was still being held.

He had no choice but to walk to Lieutenant Foucault, said some encouraging words to the artillery commander, and then continued to walk to the next one.

The young cavalry captain immediately straightened his straight back. Ever since he learned some secrets behind the situation in the Netherlands, he has been admiring the young prince.

Joseph smiled at him. He had been expecting something since he heard the officer's last name was "Davout".

He praised Davout for his bravery in leading the cavalry, and then asked impatiently, "Lieutenant Davout, has anyone in your family served in the Imperial Guard?"

Davout nodded in surprise: "Yes, Your Highness, my father was a captain in the Royal Cavalry."

Joseph's eyes suddenly brightened: "Do you have a relative named 'Nicolas'?"

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

"Nicolas is your brother?"

"Yes, Your Highness, Louis Nicolas de Davout, my brother."

Joseph was overjoyed. What good day is today? I won the lottery twice in a row!

Nicolas Davout!

Iron Marshal!

One of the three strongest generals under Emperor Napoleon, a super military genius.

Winning with fewer troops is a common thing for him, and he has turned the tide of the battle many times by his own strength.

The man who was evaluated by Emperor Napoleon as "the purest glory of France"!

If I miss this, I will never forgive myself!

Joseph took a half step forward and asked, "Where is your brother serving now?"

"Your Highness, Nicholas is still in military school and will graduate next year."

He hasn't graduated yet... Joseph felt a little regretful, but then he thought it was better. He would hold his brother first and bring him to him directly after graduation, which would make it easier to build trust.

After the entire commendation ceremony was over, the meritorious officers said goodbye to the king and queen. When they came to Joseph, he suddenly held Dubois and Andre Davout, and dragged them to the square outside the Palace of Versailles on the pretext of "listening to them talk about the fierce battle situation on the Dutch battlefield."

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