Make France Great Again-Chapter 797 - 788: Coal and Steel Community

"Minister of Montauban... no, Governor of Montauban! Thank you for the contributions you made to the Empire while serving as Minister of War! I hope you can continue to shine for the Empire as you take on your new role!"

As Jerome Bonaparte finished speaking, the invited generals around him began to applaud.

Amidst thunderous applause, Jerome Bonaparte personally adorned the Governor of Montauban with the Fourth-level Knight’s Medal and sash.

After Jerome Bonaparte placed the medal on him, the Governor of Montauban immediately saluted and replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not fail to live up to your expectations! I will govern Algeria well for you and for France!"

"I look forward to your report!" Jerome Bonaparte encouraged, patting Montauban on the shoulder.

After the award ceremony ended, the Governor of Montauban and the invited generals left the Tuileries Palace.

General Vayan was then called into a room by Jerome Bonaparte, who wanted to have a personal conversation with him before he took office.

"Vayan, have a seat!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Vayan.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Vayan sat on the sofa opposite Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte then tossed the cigarettes he had specially prepared on the coffee table to Vayan, "I know you like this, have a smoke!"

"Yes!"

Vayan skillfully lit the cigarette with a flint and held it in his mouth, then respectfully took one from the cigarette box and handed it to Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte took the cigarette and then lit it.

After a while, the area around the sofa was enveloped in smoke.

The first cigarette quickly finished, and during this time, neither of them spoke. Jerome Bonaparte reached out to General Vayan again and said, "Give me another one!"

General Vayan once again handed him a cigarette and also lit one for himself.

When the second cigarette was smoked halfway through, Jerome Bonaparte finally spoke to General Vayan, "Vayan, you’ve been serving as my adjutant for some time now, haven’t you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" General Vayan nodded and replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "A little over a year ago, I had the good fortune of being promoted by you to serve as Your Majesty’s adjutant!"

"This time, I’m promoting you to Minister of War! I hope you won’t hold it against me!" Jerome Bonaparte said with the hand holding the cigarette tapping lightly in the crystal ashtray.

"Your Majesty, how could I?" Vayan shook his head and responded to Jerome Bonaparte, "I am truly grateful that you are promoting me to Minister of War!"

"Is that so?" Jerome Bonaparte chuckled softly at first; then, with a serious face, he said to Vayan, "Vayan, I don’t care what mindset you have when you take office, but I hope you can take the position of Minister of War seriously.

Although the current Minister of War has lost a significant portion of powers, he still wields considerable influence over the military.

A good Minister of War can significantly enhance a nation’s military strength, while one who just goes with the flow will see it decline.

The reason I’ve promoted you to Minister of War is partly due to my trust in your capabilities, and secondly because you are a commander from the Tuileries Palace, whom I trust more than other generals!"

"Your Majesty, thank you for your trust in me!" Vayan replied to Jerome Bonaparte with a hint of joy in his voice.

To be told "I trust you more" by His Majesty the Emperor directly, Vayan believed his future couldn’t be too bad: the position of Minister of War was destined to be just a platform, not a terminus.

"Especially recently, after I proposed military reforms to the Legislative Corps and they passed, the Minister of War has become even more crucial, so you must cooperate with Chief of Staff Nie’er to fully implement the reserve system (or, to be precise, the semi-reserve system) in France!" Jerome Bonaparte instructed General Vayan.

"I will definitely cooperate well with Chief of Staff Nie’er!" General Vayan assured Jerome Bonaparte.

"And while cooperating, don’t just always give in! If Nie’er steps out of line in certain areas, you need to report it to me in a timely manner! Do you understand?" Jerome Bonaparte said to Nie’er once more.

Although Jerome Bonaparte had given the General Staff Department command authority in military orders, he also wanted to draw a red line in military administration.

Otherwise, if the military administration and military orders get mixed together, the General Staff Department would turn into the former Ministry of War... or rather, an enhanced version of it.

Jerome Bonaparte never forgot the lessons from the German Second Empire.

"Your Majesty, I will always keep it in mind!" General Vayan promised Jerome Bonaparte.

"Alright! Vayan, that’s all I have to say!" Jerome Bonaparte extinguished the cigarette butt and placed it in the ashtray.

Vayan also threw his cigarette into the ashtray, stood up, and saluted Jerome Bonaparte.

Next, Jerome Bonaparte ordered General Vayan to report to the Ministry of War.

...

A few days later, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Valerovsky, brought two pieces of news to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Duke of Warsaw, Maximilian, has invited you to attend the coronation ceremony in Warsaw in October!" Valerovsky handed the telegram from Vienna to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Alright! I understand!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and replied to Valerovsky, "Inform them that I, along with my wife, Empress Augusta, will arrive on time! What is the next piece of news?"

Valerovsky immediately reported the next news to Jerome Bonaparte, "On the Belgian front, we are informed that their Crown Prince Leopold and the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, Philip, will arrive in Paris in two days!"

Jerome Bonaparte stroked his chin and replied to Valerovsky, "Tell the Belgian side that we are very much looking forward to their visit!"

"Yes!" Valerovsky nodded in response.

"Is there any other news?" Jerome Bonaparte inquired of Valerovsky once again.

Valerovsky shook his head and replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, there is currently no other news!"

"Hmm! Thank you for making the trip!" Jerome Bonaparte subtly issued a dismissal.

Shortly after Valerovsky left, the Sardinian Ambassador appeared in Jerome Bonaparte’s study, also bringing a reply from Cavour.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Cavour specifically instructed me to inform you that, after careful consideration, the Kingdom of Sardinia has decided to forgo your suggestion! Sardinia’s national strength is not comparable with France, and we lack the capacity to expend resources on endless colonial activities." The Sardinian Ambassador apologetically said to Jerome Bonaparte, "Nevertheless, we are very grateful for Your Majesty’s suggestion!"

"It’s alright!" Jerome Bonaparte felt slightly disappointed in his heart, "I respect the choice of the Kingdom of Sardinia!"

Such a good scapegoat, it’s a pity they didn’t take the bait.

"However, regarding the labor agreement! Our Prime Minister has agreed to your request!" The Sardinian Ambassador quickly reported the good news to Jerome Bonaparte, "The Prime Minister mentioned in the telegram that Your Majesty can have as many workers as you want! Sardinia can provide as many laborers as needed!"

"Very well!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and responded to the Sardinian Ambassador, "You can discuss this matter with the Colonial Department! But you will have to wait for a while! Since the Minister of Colonial Department is still on the way back to Paris!"

"Your Majesty, we can wait!" the Sardinian Ambassador quickly replied.

Subsequently, the Sardinian Ambassador left the Tuileries Palace.

...

Two days passed quickly, and Belgian Crown Prince Leopold and Minister of Agriculture and Commerce Philip arrived in Paris by train.

This time Jerome Bonaparte did not personally greet them but sent Mokar to do so.

When Crown Prince Leopold arrived at the Tuileries Palace, Jerome Bonaparte and Empress Augusta were already waiting in the hall.

"Welcome once again to the Tuileries Palace!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Crown Prince Leopold.

"Your Majesty, thank you very much for your reception!" Leopold respectfully bowed to Jerome Bonaparte.

Then, Jerome Bonaparte, Duress (Minister of Agriculture and Commerce), Leopold, and Philip entered a room inside the Tuileries Palace for discussions.

"Leopold, are you willing to establish a coal and steel community alliance with France?" As soon as they entered the room, Jerome Bonaparte frankly asked Leopold.

"Your Majesty, if we form this alliance with France, what benefits will we receive?" Leopold counter-questioned Jerome Bonaparte.

"A market with a population of over 30 million!" Jerome Bonaparte straightforwardly replied to Leopold, "I suppose you are aware that France has very scarce coal resources, therefore we need the coal from the Belgian region! In addition, there are some enterprises in our country with immature technology, and Belgium can take advantage of them to capture their market!"

"What is the charter for the coal and steel alliance cooperation?" Leopold asked Jerome Bonaparte again.

"I plan to establish a unified organization between France and Belgium, which will control the coal and steel price market of both countries, prevent vicious competition, and maintain price stability between the two countries! In the later stage, this organization will also consider incorporating the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sardinia into this community!"