Make France Great Again-Chapter 172 Chief of Staff Saint Arno

Jerome Bonaparte, of course, understood that a complete integration of the President’s Military Secretariat with the Ministry of War would lead some people to choose opposition.

However, he didn’t care at all about the opposition of those idle military bureaucrats at the Ministry of War; cleansing the Ministry of War had already become a necessary task in Jerome Bonaparte’s mind.

Those unwilling to follow Jerome Bonaparte’s steps could leave with Louis Philippe.

"Eliminate those who should be eliminated! Arrest those who should be arrested! I refuse to believe they are completely spotless; you just need to exploit their flaws!" Jerome Bonaparte sneered as he spoke to General Reniao.

"Yes!" General Reniao responded diligently.

"By the way! After Brigadier General Conrobel stepped down, he recommended someone to me who will assist you in managing the Ministry of War!" Jerome Bonaparte calmly stripped Minister Reniao of the power to appoint the Secretary of State.

General Reniao showed a hint of surprise; could it be that the President didn’t trust him?

Nevertheless, he chose to follow Jerome Bonaparte’s orders.

"It’s not that I don’t trust you, but because of the Minister’s own personality...I assure you, the new Secretary of State will follow your instructions!" To prevent any misunderstanding, Jerome Bonaparte explained.

"Mr. President, I would like to know who will serve as the Secretary of State for the Ministry of War!" Minister Reniao inquired softly.

"General Saint Arno!" Jerome Bonaparte immediately responded: "He will soon arrive in Paris and then serve as my aide."

After conversing with Minister Reniao for a while, Minister Reniao left.

...

On October 30, after nearly a month of waiting.

Wardley finally returned to Paris with General Saint Arno and two captains accompanying him.

They were arranged by Percy into different rooms, waiting for an audience with Jerome Bonaparte.

"Nothing happened on the way back, right?" Jerome Bonaparte asked the weary-looking Wardley in the study.

"Your Majesty, no!" Wardley replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

He didn’t want to tell Jerome Bonaparte that he had almost faced imprisonment due to certain reasons, which might be significant to him but were negligible matters to the President. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Even though he could have the President arrest all those people, it would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and the President’s affection for everyone would diminish with their repeated demands.

"Hmm!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and continued, "Where are General Saint Arno and Captain Mine now?"

"Your Majesty, I have settled them in the reception room! They are ready for your audience at any time!" Wardley cautiously inquired again, "Should I call them over to meet you?"

"No need!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head and said, "Let’s go! Take me to meet them!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Under Wardley’s guidance, Jerome Bonaparte first arrived at the reception room where Saint Arno was located.

The door of the reception room slowly opened, and as it did, Jerome Bonaparte took a glance inside, seeing General Saint Arno from outside the door.

At this moment, General Saint Arno was sitting upright on a chair.

He had gray hair, with each strand slightly curled, giving the impression of a mild ionic perm from later times, and a not very thick walrus mustache hung by his lips. His face was dignified, his brows furrowed, giving a cautious yet reliable impression.

Perhaps due to fighting in Algeria, General Saint Arno’s skin was darker compared to the average person, although not as dark as the "fellow netizens" Jerome Bonaparte had seen in later internet images.

Even though Saint Arno had traveled a long way from Algeria, his spirit remained high, showing no signs of fatigue from the journey.

Compared to the long-battling General Saint Arno, Wardley seemed somewhat lacking.

Due to Jerome Bonaparte’s appearance being somewhat similar to Emperor Napoleon, General Saint Arno also heard many pieces of news from Paris in the colonies, which allowed him to recognize Jerome Bonaparte as the President at first sight.

"Mr. President!" General Saint Arno hurriedly got up to greet Jerome Bonaparte.

"General, please sit down!" Jerome Bonaparte gestured with his hand for the General to sit.

The General, whose seat was suspended in mid-air, had no choice but to obey Jerome Bonaparte’s command and sit down.

Jerome Bonaparte quickly walked to Saint Arno’s side and took a seat.

A servant placed two cups of coffee on the round table in front of them.

"Please, don’t stand on ceremony, General!" Jerome Bonaparte gestured once more inviting General Saint Arno to enjoy the coffee.

"Yes!" Saint Arno took a sip of coffee and swallowed it.

After Saint Arno completely swallowed, Jerome Bonaparte finally spoke: "General, I have heard about you from Colonel Troche! I wonder if you are willing to serve France and me!"

"Of course!" Saint Arno replied decisively with a trembling voice: "Mr. President... thank you for thinking of this old soldier... I will repay your trust with all my ability!"

"General, trust is not something to be spoken of lightly!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Saint Arno with a smile: "General, as far as I know, you have many colleagues in the Ministry of War. If they interfere with the building of the nation, what would you do..."

"I will firmly execute the orders you give me!" General Saint Arno said resolutely to Jerome Bonaparte: "A soldier who cannot fully carry out the President’s orders is not a true soldier! In my view, it is the soldier’s duty to execute orders; those who can’t decisively carry out orders do not deserve to be called soldiers! Such people do not deserve to be in the army, and even if they are my friends, I will not hesitate to remove them!"

After receiving the President’s letter from Wardley, General Saint Arno already knew this was an opportunity he had to firmly grasp.

For a soldier who has been in decline for many years, every opportunity must be cherished. His time no longer allows him to wait.

Whoever dares to block his way forward, he will crush them without hesitation.

Not to mention former colleagues, even his closest friends would be no exception.

Jerome Bonaparte discerned the determination and the ambition hidden within from General Saint Arno’s words. He needed someone like General Saint Arno to help him complete the final step of his coup.

"General, I believe you have every potential to become the Minister of War!" Jerome Bonaparte first encouraged General Saint Arno, then showed a regretful expression and said to General Saint Arno: "Unfortunately, General Reniao is already the Minister of War. Can I ask you to condescend to take the position of Secretary of State!"

"Of course!" For Saint Arno, the position itself was not of primary importance; what mattered was maintaining a friendship with the President.

"General Saint Arno, you will take over all the duties of Brigadier General Conrobel. While serving as aide-de-camp and Secretary of State, you will also shoulder the responsibilities of the Military Secretariat! Currently, the Military Secretariat is seamlessly liaising with the Ministry of War. I hope you can work with Minister Reniao to bridge the gap between the Military Secretariat and the Ministry of War!" Jerome Bonaparte said seriously to Saint Arno: "I do not want there to be major issues during the liaison process between the Ministry of War and the Military Secretariat!"

"I assure you, there will not be any issues!" General Saint Arno bowed to Jerome Bonaparte and responded firmly: "If any errors occur, I will voluntarily resign!"

"Good! I trust you!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded slightly, satisfied with Saint Arno’s decisive attitude, believing that Saint Arno would put in his best effort to carry out the tasks assigned to him.

To motivate General Saint Arno, Jerome Bonaparte revealed a piece of information to him: "General, I can tell you that the responsibility of the Military Secretariat will be to designate future combat plans and actions. Once the Ministry of War stabilizes completely, I will strip it of all functions related to war and integrate them into the Military Secretariat! By then, the Military Secretariat will become the highest institution controlling the military in France. You could also call it the General Staff, and you will become the Chief of Staff of the Army!"

"Chief of Staff?!" The promise of Jerome Bonaparte made the blood in Saint Arno’s body nearly boil. He remembered Berthier, Emperor Napoleon’s Chief of Staff. Since Mr. President said that the General Staff would become the commanding agency of the entire military, then his power as Chief of Staff might be even greater than Berthier’s.

I will be remembered in history!

Saint Arno shouted madly in his heart.

Jerome Bonaparte caught every expression on Saint Arno’s face. He patted Saint Arno on the shoulder and said: "That’s right! By then, you will be the highest commander of the entire army!"

"No! You are the highest commander of the army!" Saint Arno humbly bowed to Jerome Bonaparte: "The Emperor founded the army, and as his nephew, you rightfully should hold the power of highest command! I will crush all enemies for you!"

After conversing with General Saint Arno for nearly an hour, Jerome Bonaparte briefly explained the political changes in Paris and the issues he had to face before temporarily parting with Saint Arno.

After leaving Saint Arno’s room, Jerome Bonaparte arrived at another door, where he was about to meet Captain Mine, who had brought the breech-loading gun to its pinnacle.

Follow current novℯls on f(r)eewebnov𝒆l