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Dibowa felt a bit gloomy, as if he were the one being commended today, yet the Crown Prince kept asking about Alexander…

Nevertheless, he patiently answered, “Your Highness, he comes from a military family and excels at mapping. He is quick-witted and can endure hardship. He also fought in America under Count Rochambeau, and the battle plan for Yorktown was created by him.”

Hearing about his skill in mapping and participation in the American Revolution, Joseph could fully confirm that this man was the historically renowned Napoleon’s “personal aide,” Chief of Staff of the Army, who followed Napoleon from Italy to Russia, accumulating numerous accomplishments, Marshal Bertier.

Of course, the future marshal was currently just a mere major, scraping a living under some mediocre military noble.

Joseph knew that to reorganize France, the military had to be firmly in his control!

However, it was the great nobility that controlled the French military power at that time.

France was still in the transitional period from feudal to modern military systems, where the military resembled the private armies of regional commanders during the late Ming dynasty—with local finances and nobility responsible for funding and training the stationed troops in each province.

The equipment and combat effectiveness of the army depended entirely on the local investment. Naturally, following the principle of “he who pays calls the shots,” only local military nobles could command these troops.

This was evident from the names of the military units at the time—Flander Regiment, Souvanson Infantry Regiment, Bordeaux Regiment, etc.—all named after places, which were former domains of great lords.

Thus, if the King wished to mobilize the army, he had to regard the military nobility. In times of peace, the nobility would generally cooperate, but if there was any turmoil, that would be a different matter.

For instance, the relationship between the great nobles and the King was not harmonious at the moment.

During the reign of Louis XVI, it was claimed that he had summoned the manpower of 20 regiments to support the monarchy, but until his execution, not a single soldier had marched into Paris.

In that period, only the Swiss mercenaries and a few personal guards—both funded privately by the King—remained completely loyal. Apart from them, even the French Guards stationed right under his nose were beyond his command.

Keep in mind, the Parisians who attacked the Bastille, though armed, could only sigh at the formidable stronghold towering over ten meters high. In the end, it was the French Guards dragging cannons to the scene that forced Governor Launay to surrender unwillingly.

Hence, despite the Royal Family seeming powerful and glorious, the great noble class and the emerging Capital Group had already joined forces, slowly taking control of the military, judiciary, economy, and public opinion.

Among these, the King’s power in military and economic matters had been the most severely undermined.

Currently, the great nobles and Capital Group had not yet coordinated their interests, and it was the residual influence of the monarchy that maintained a facade of tranquility; but once an opportunity like the Estates-General arose, these individuals would soon stir up trouble.

So, controlling military power had always been Joseph’s top priority.

However, his political foundation was still too weak to reach into the military nobility’s bowl and seize military power, a process that was destined to be long and extremely difficult.

Of course, Joseph had his own comprehensive plan for this, and the Paris Police Academy was in fact the first covert move he had made in the military realm.

In the mindset of that era’s people, the police were essentially a gang hired by the government and not considered a significant force, which gave Joseph the opportunity to influence the violent institution.

With the police academy as a foothold, he could begin to build a loyal lineage of troops that would obey him absolutely.

This venture might be summed up in a single sentence, but it involved a myriad of complexities.

First and foremost was the need for money—military forces are a gold-consuming behemoth. Fortunately, he now had the Paris Angel Company; although far from feeding the gold-consuming beast, he could still come up with initial startup funding.

Next was equipment—there had to be advanced weapons that could overwhelm all opponents. Joseph was most confident about this, as he knew the equipment technology in his mind was absolutely capable of crushing this era, it just needed to be manufactured.

Last, and most crucial, was the people, the military talent. This included high-quality soldiers and excellent commanders, particularly the latter, as a good general could even determine the victory or defeat of a battlefield!

And Marshal Bertier was precisely such an outstanding officer. It could be said that without his assistance, Napoleon’s military achievements might have been far less impressive.

Right now, there was an excellent opportunity to establish a connection with Marshal Bertier, and Joseph definitely could not miss it!

As he was about to further inquire from Dibowa about the Chief of Staff, he heard someone coughing twice beside him. Turning his head, he saw Eman incessantly signaling to him with his eyes, and Joseph then remembered that they were in the middle of an award ceremony.

He could only walk helplessly towards Lieutenant Fouquet and spoke a few encouraging words to this artillery company commander before continuing to the next person.

The young cavalry company commander immediately straightened his back even more. Ever since he learned about some hidden facts behind the situation in the Netherlands, his admiration for the teenage Crown Prince had grown immensely.

Joseph smiled at him, and ever since he heard that this officer’s surname was “Davout,” he had been filled with anticipation.

After first praising Lieutenant Davout for leading the cavalry in valiant combat, he couldn’t wait to ask, “Lieutenant Davout, has anyone in your family served in the Imperial Guard?”

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

Joseph’s eyes 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 Davout, is my younger brother.”

Joseph was overjoyed inside. What a lucky day was this? To come across two jackpots in a row!

Nicolas Davout!

Iron Marshal!

One of the strongest of Napoleon’s top three generals, a supreme military genius.

For him, winning against greater numbers was routine, and he had reversed the course of battles many times on his own.

The man whom Napoleon hailed as “France’s purest glory!”

If he missed this opportunity, he would never forgive himself!

Joseph stepped forward and asked, “Where is your brother serving now?”

“Your Highness, Nicolas is still at the military academy; he won’t graduate until next year.”

Not yet graduated, huh… Joseph was slightly disappointed, but then he thought it was better this way. Now to hold on to his brother, and once he graduated, bring him straight here to build trust more easily.

After the award ceremony concluded, the group of meritorious officers bid farewell to the King and Queen. When they came before Joseph, he suddenly held back Dibowa and André Davout, using the excuse of wanting to “hear them talk about the intense battles on the Dutch front,” and took the two to the square outside the Palace of Versailles.