Jerome Bonaparte quietly enjoyed the heartfelt applause from the soldiers of the Guard Army. After a moment, he gestured for them to stop with his hand.

Standing beside him, Louis Feldbu spoke excitedly to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, on behalf of all the soldiers in Senegal, I thank you for your recognition!"

"General Feldbu, I have said that you are fighting for the living space of 35 million French people!

Your actions are carried out under the recognition of the entire French nation!" Jerome Bonaparte continued generously, "And I am not only the Emperor of the Empire, but also a part of the 35 million French.

Naturally, I will, like other French people, sincerely acknowledge the efforts you and your soldiers have made for the French nation!"

Louis Feldbu’s eyes moistened slightly; it was the first time since he took office as Governor of Senegal that he felt the taste of understanding.

During his days in Senegal, the officers under him had quite a few criticisms of Louis Feldbu’s orders to massacre villages and tribes. Some officers with a leaning towards Republicanism believed that France should assimilate the indigenous people of Senegal through culture and inclusivity, making them French, rather than resorting to massacre.

Although under Louis Feldbu’s strong pressure, those Republican-minded officers still followed his orders to kill, there was still some criticism of Louis Feldbu within the Governor’s Mansion of Senegal.

This criticism was not only present in Senegal but was also directly reported by Republican officers to Paris.

Some Republican representatives gently criticized Louis Feldbu’s actions in Bourbon Palace.

(More radical criticism came from some radical workers’ newspapers, but their criticism could not be voiced in Bourbon Palace or even published in the newspapers.)

Amidst the dual criticisms from the Governor’s Mansion and Paris, Louis Feldbu pushed forward France’s bloody expansion in Senegal with a strong will.

The Emperor’s understanding was particularly important to Louis Feldbu.

Upon hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s praises, Louis Feldbu’s anxious heart finally eased a bit!

"Your Majesty, may I be allowed to relay what you just said to me to every soldier in the Governor’s Mansion of Senegal after I return?

I believe that after hearing your praises, the soldiers of Senegal will surely build the land of Senegal with even more enthusiasm!" Louis Feldbu said with a hint of flattery in his voice.

Beside him, André von Beichu noticed that Louis Feldbu seemed to want to take over his "job," and he quickly chimed in to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, I believe that your recent speech can be used as an imperial document to be distributed to all colonies. I believe that every colonial governor will deeply understand your thoughts after hearing your speech and thus convey your will!"

André von Beichu’s flattery made Jerome Bonaparte feel a hint of shame internally.

To maintain his humble image, Jerome Bonaparte cleared his throat and spoke to André von Beichu, "Secretary Beichu, I need to criticize you!"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to accept your criticism!" André von Beichu straightened his body and responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Secretary Beichu, whatever we do, we must maintain an attitude of seeking truth from facts! Was my recent speech good?" Jerome Bonaparte deliberately paused, then praised himself, "Perhaps it was good, but I know that such a speech can never be distributed as an imperial document to all the colonies!

Your recent speech clearly did not conform to the spirit of seeking truth from facts!"

"Your Majesty, I realize my mistake!" André von Beichu adopted a humble and accepting attitude; he understood that the Emperor was not truly criticizing him, but rather acknowledging his recent speech.

If the Emperor truly wanted to criticize him, he would not tell him where he went wrong but would directly remove him from all his positions.

Louis Feldbu did not see through the double act of Jerome Bonaparte and André von Beichu.

In order to find an ally in the court, Louis Feldbu decided to share some of the heat with André von Beichu.

"Your Majesty!" Louis Feldbu respectfully said to Jerome Bonaparte.

"General Feldbu, what do you wish to say?" Jerome Bonaparte maintained a kindly demeanor as he asked Louis Feldbu.

"Please allow me to dare to criticize you for a moment!" Louis Feldbu said earnestly.

Upon hearing this, those around him showed expressions of surprise.

Throughout the Empire, aside from Achille Fuld and a few other ministers, no one had ever dared to criticize the Emperor.

For a colonial governor as bold as Louis Feldbu, it was unprecedented.

"General Feldbu, speak your mind!" Jerome Bonaparte still maintained a relaxed demeanor, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, as he "exhorted," "I will certainly humbly accept your criticism!"

Although Jerome Bonaparte’s demeanor was relaxed, those familiar with the Emperor’s micro-expressions understood that the Emperor’s mood was certainly not good at this moment.

As the monarch of a nation, the Emperor could accept criticism, but not in public!

Criticizing the Emperor in public was akin to slapping him in the face and then asking if it felt good.

No Emperor, regardless of how broad-minded, could endure such "humiliation."

An invisible gunpowder ignited in the air, just waiting for Louis Feldbu’s criticism to end before the gunpowder exploded.

However, Louis Feldbu’s next words dispelled the hint of gunpowder in the air.

He spoke confidently to Jerome Bonaparte, "I think you are being too harsh on Secretary Beiqiu! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

I believe your recent speech could be distributed unaltered as an official imperial document to governors and soldiers nationwide, to make them understand who they are fighting for!"

After hearing Louis Feldbu’s words, Jerome Bonaparte’s smile became more sincere than before.

"General Feldbu, how come you are not being realistic either!" Jerome Bonaparte gently criticized Louis Feldbu.

"Your Majesty, I believe that distributing your speech as a document to the colonies for everyone to study is truly being realistic!" Louis Feldbu argued to Jerome Bonaparte.

André von Beichu, who witnessed the entire exchange, showed a slightly amazed expression, and his evaluation of Louis Feldbu elevated again, as he had never thought someone could flatter the monarch so smoothly.

This fellow might serve as my ally!

André von Beichu thought to himself.

As a newly appointed secretary, André von Beichu had not yet established his own influence and was currently just a member of the Empress Faction.

The reason Beichu joined the Empress Faction was his German heritage.

Currently, nearly all officials and nobles of German descent at the court, except for the founding Elders of the Empire, are part of Empress Augusta’s faction, gathering around Empress Augusta and Crown Prince Friedrich, forming a significant force within the Empire.

Recruiting Louis Feldbu to become a member of the Empress Faction and making him an ally to André von Beichu in the military was also a good choice.

After all, with Beichu’s resources, he could hardly attract the empire’s "Young Turks" (referring to Trocch, MacMahon, Bazan, and others); he could only attract some mid-level generals in the empire.

A General like Louis Feldbu is exactly the type Beichu needs to win over.

Given time, Beichu believed Louis Feldbu would be no less than the "Young Turks."

With this thought, André von Beichu gave a friendly smile to Louis Feldbu.

Louis Feldbu naturally understood the meaning behind the smile, and immediately decided he would visit Beichu’s residence while still in Paris.

Although they had never met before, the two quickly reached a preliminary cooperation agreement after a brief exchange of glances.

Naturally, the small interaction between Louis Feldbu and André von Beichu did not escape the eyes of Jerome Bonaparte.

When it came to the behavior of ministers forming factions and groups, Jerome Bonaparte had always adopted a tacit approval, even encouraging approach.

As long as the struggle between groups did not escalate to partisan strife, Jerome Bonaparte would turn a blind eye to it.

Moderate strife among ministers could help consolidate Jerome Bonaparte’s power.

After all, the Emperor was the source of all authority.

"Since General Feldbu has said so, you can handle it as you see fit!" Jerome Bonaparte ambiguously gave instructions to Beichu.

"At your command!" Beichu immediately replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

Subsequently, Louis Feldbu gradually shifted the topic to the Mauser Rifle.

Louis Feldbu first praised the performance of the Mauser Rifle lavishly, and then asked Jerome Bonaparte if the troops in Senegal could be equipped with Mauser Rifles.

"If our army could have such an excellent rifle, the French Nation’s expansion speed would significantly accelerate!" Louis Feldbu said to Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte deliberately feigned a conflicted silence, then after a while, he spoke to Louis Feldbu, "General Feldbu, this rifle is currently equipped only with elite troops.

Its performance is still under development!"

"Your Majesty, nothing tests a rifle’s performance like war!" Louis Feldbu responded to Jerome Bonaparte, "Based on my many years of military experience, this rifle is already excellent enough to be equipped across all armed forces!"

"Since General Feldbu praises it so highly, then it would be rather dull of me to disagree!

However, I hope you will use it cautiously!

To prevent it from falling into the hands of certain hostile nations!"