Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 82: Reforming the Armed Forces

With the four of them left in the council room, the atmosphere turned serious.

"Your Imperial Majesty, may I ask why you specifically asked for me to stay?" Berthier asked.

"Marshal Berthier," Napoleon II said his name. "I must say that I do admire your accomplishment when you worked with my father. Like how you organized his military before you head out to war. As for the reason why I asked you, I have something to discuss about the military. Since you are the Minister of Defense, I figured that it’s best that I get your insights about my idea and suggestions that I am going to implement to our armed forces. Please take a seat."

Berthier inclined his head and pulled out a chair. He sat, spine straight, hands resting on his knees rather than the table.

Napoleon II remained standing for a moment longer, then moved back to the head of the table and sat as well. Charles took his place slightly behind and to the right, notebook already in hand. Armand leaned against the edge of the table, arms crossed, eyes fixed on Berthier.

"This isn’t a formal briefing," Napoleon II said. "So I’ll speak plainly."

Berthier nodded. "That’s preferable."

"I’m sure you and I had discussed the state of our military with my father. Like how concerned you are about the needle guns of the British and their navy powered by steam."

"I do remember that," Berthier recalled. "You were sounding confident, like your father. But I do hope that you have a plan to back it up. And I hope that today you’ll reveal it."

"Of course I will reveal it but before we get into the weaponry and warships, I’m thinking of something else. The foundation."

"Foundation?" Berthier repeated, tilting his head to the side.

"That’s right. We have an active troops of about 150,000 men with a huge potential for calling up reserves. And those men are divided into corps, and those corps are divided among the Marshal of the Empire. Granted, my father’s marshals, like you, are splendidly brilliant in war but I imagine that in future wars, having different marshals with its own different doctrine would be ineffective. Which is why we have to reform the military from the ground up."

"What are you suggesting?" Berthier asked.

Napoleon II didn’t answer immediately. He rested both hands flat on the table, fingers spread, as if anchoring the thought in place.

"Unified combatant commands," Napoleon II said.

Berthier blinked once. "Explain."

"Right now," Napoleon II went on, "a marshal commands his corps because it is his. Another marshal commands his because it is theirs. When their operations overlap, we argue. When they fail, no one owns the failure."

Berthier nodded slowly. "You want clear responsibility."

"I want one man responsible for one theater," Napoleon II said.

He reached forward and tapped the table once.

"France will be divided into theaters of operation. Each theater will have a single commander. Army. Navy assets assigned to him. Logistics attached to him. He answers directly to me."

Berthier frowned, thinking. "So not a corps-based command."

"Corps remain," Napoleon II said. "They just stop being the highest authority. So now, how does it work?

Napoleon II leaned back slightly. "Simple."

Berthier waited.

"We stop slicing the army into personal fiefdoms," Napoleon II said. "Instead, we draw three lines on the map."

"Northern Command," Napoleon II continued. "Everything north and east. The Rhine. The Low Countries. The German frontier. That’s where continental wars begin, so that’s where the heaviest forces stay."

Berthier nodded. "One commander?"

"One," Napoleon II said. "Every corps stationed there answers to him. Fortresses. River flotillas. Supply depots. If something moves north, it reports to Northern Command."

"And the west?" Berthier asked.

"Western Command," Napoleon II said. "The Atlantic coast. Ports. Shipyards. Coastal defenses. Any expedition that sails west or needs naval protection starts there."

Armand folded his arms tighter. "So Britain is their problem."

"Yes," Napoleon II said. "One man watching the coast. One man blamed if it fails."

Berthier exhaled slowly. "And the south."

"Southern Command," Napoleon II said. "Italy. The Mediterranean coast. The Alps. Any war that crosses mountains or needs ships in the south goes through them. And get this, it can be reorganized at any time depending on the state of the empire. We can even merge those three and make it into a single entity. European command. But that’s when our empire is big. Like when we have colonies in Africa, we will have African Command, Indo-Pacific Command, South American Command, North American Command, Central Asia Command. Do you understand the implication of this?"

"I do...so you have an imperialistic ambition?" Berthier said.

"What civilized nation aren’t?" Napoleon II laughed. "Like I promised to my father, I’m going to make a stable, strong, and prosperous empire. An empire where the sun never sets. Okay, setting that aside. Now that we have a unified command, we have to establish a new body within the Ministry of Defense. And that is the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

"What about it?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"It’s a council. Nothing more."

"And its purpose?" Berthier asked.

"To argue before wars begin," Napoleon II said. "So commanders don’t argue once men are already dying."

Berthier let out a short breath. "Who sits on it?"

"The heads of the services," Napoleon II replied. "Chief of the Army. Chief of the Navy. Chief of the National Guard, Chief of the Coast Guard."

"And these men," Berthier said, "do not command in the field."

"They cannot," Napoleon II said. "The moment they take field command, they leave the council."

Berthier nodded faintly. "So prestige without power huh."

"Influence without authority," Napoleon II corrected. "They advise me, and they don’t issue orders. In times of war, they’ll be the ones talking to me."

’I understand, what about the others?"

"As for the others," Napoleon II stroked his chin. "Unified command combatants and Joint Chief of Staffs. There’s only one more thing."

Berthier watched him. "And that is?"

Napoleon II dropped his hand from his chin. "The services themselves."

Berthier’s brow creased. "Meaning?"

"The Army and the Navy stop pretending they are wars," Napoleon II said. "They become what they actually are. Institutions."

"The Army," Napoleon II went on, "is where officers are made. Trained. Promoted. Disciplined. Same with the Navy. Careers begin there. Careers end there."

"And the commands?" Berthier asked.

"They borrow," Napoleon II said. "They don’t own it."

Berthier tilted his head slightly. "Explain that."

"A man is born an army officer or a naval officer," Napoleon II said. "That never changes. Even when he’s assigned to Northern Command or Southern Command, his career still belongs to his service. His promotion, pension, future—you know what I mean."

"So the commands don’t build loyalty," Berthier said.

"They build results," Napoleon II replied. "Loyalty stays with the institution."

Berthier nodded once. "That prevents commanders from building private followings."

Napoleon II nodded.

"And the Chiefs?" Berthier asked. "Army and Navy."

"They run their houses," Napoleon II said. "Training standards. Organization. Equipment. Discipline. They make sure that when a command asks for ten thousand men, it gets ten thousand men who can actually fight."

"And they answer to the Joint Chiefs," Berthier said.

"They sit on it," Napoleon II corrected. "They argue there. But when it comes to their services, they answer to me."

Berthier exhaled slowly. "So... the Army raises soldiers. The Navy raises sailors. The commands fight wars. The council advises. And you decide."

"Yes."

Berthier was quiet for a long moment. Then he gave a small nod. "That closes the loop."

"I want you to work on it now under my authority," Napoleon II said. "I want nominees for each post. Army. Navy. Guard. Coast. And I want names for the three commands."

"When do you need it?"

"Before the end of the year," Napoleon II said.