French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 122: The Use of Personnel (Seeking first subscription, collection, and continued reading)

"Send Mr. Simon to Lyon. He is a moderate Republican with high prestige among Republicans. Sending him to make contact will greatly increase the success rate."

During wartime, the Minister of Education is essentially a figurehead. Apart from a few matters related to public opinion that have some relevance to him, the rest of his power is completely unrelated to the wartime situation.

Simon, who had thought he would be the mascot until the end of the war, was stunned when he was named. He really didn't expect Thiers to recommend him.

Unlike the financial elites who possess capital, are adept at playing both sides, and are skilled at manipulating both sides, Simon and others are essentially politicians. For politicians, the extent of their power is heavily influenced by which factions they choose.

Simon and his group had worked so hard to get to their positions, so naturally they didn't want the government to collapse easily. If they relied on their original identities, even if they managed to escape, it would be difficult for them to board the new ship of the Republic.

Most likely, he will remain out of the public eye for a year or two before becoming a member of parliament again, and then have another chance to join the cabinet.

This kind of journey, retracing one's steps, takes at least four or five years, and there's no guarantee of getting the opportunity.

Everyone present was a seasoned veteran of the political arena, and one of the reasons they chose to gamble by joining Eugène's cabinet was that they didn't want to wait any longer.

The Republicans in Paris had been defeated, and even if the Southern Republicans later succeeded in overthrowing the imperial government, it would be difficult for those of them who had cultivated their political careers in the North to squeeze into the cabinet composed of Southern Republicans.

The conflict between the North and South in France is not as intense as in Italy, but it is still a real issue of developmental disparities.

Rather than gambling on their future and securing a position in a Southern Republican government, they'd rather seize the real power in the cabinet right now. It's all a gamble anyway, so what's the difference?

"I can go to Lyon, but I need some guarantees. I want to go as a full representative of the new government, not in a personal capacity."

Knowing that his political career was already half-tied to the empire, Simon did not refuse Thiers's proposal. Simon was quite confident about his trip.

Putting everything else aside, letting the Empire wear down the Prussians is exactly what the Republicans want to see.

With the Empire's propaganda, news of Republican President Troch's treason had reached the South. The Southern Republicans were similarly affected by public opinion; in this situation, allowing the Empire to wage war against the Prussians again, and if the Empire were to lose, would boost the Republicans' reputation.

The Empire and the Republican Party are like two ends of a scale; it's either one side is higher than the other, or the other is higher than the other.

Currently, in terms of French public opinion and even military strength, the situation has once again become one of imperial superiority and republican inferiority.

Simon was confident precisely because he understood this underlying logic, since most of the upper and middle classes in France, except for officials like himself who were gambling on the empire, probably did not have a good outlook on it.

Just as no one thought Prussia could defeat France when the Empire first declared war, now few people believe that France can defeat Prussia.

"That's not a problem at all. I can sign a letter of appointment for you, appointing Minister Simon as the Imperial Envoy to Lyon, with full authority over negotiations with Lyon."

Without the ability to read minds, and unaware of the multitude of thoughts Simon was pondering, Eugene readily nodded and delegated the authority.

Against the backdrop of national unity against the enemy (the War of Resistance), Eugène believed that the Republicans present were aware of the pressure from public opinion and that they would not be foolish enough to go to the South and establish their own independent territory again.

The empire has stabilized the situation in the North. If the South wants to overthrow the North, the only way is through a large-scale armed rebellion. But it is clear that at this time, not many people will support the Republican Party in fighting a civil war.

Rather, Eugène encouraged the Republicans to do this; if the Republicans dared to do it, they would be pushing the French people into the arms of the empire.

"Well, Eugène has given it a lot of thought too. Almost everyone present is brainstorming, and Thiers, who is also thinking, but is considering candidates, spoke up again."

...As for Marseille, I suggested that I go there myself. I have some connections with the president of the Marseille Chamber of Commerce, and I should be able to reach some results.

If someone dares to volunteer, then it's probably more than just a casual relationship. After all, this kind of thing is related to their own political achievements, and it would be very embarrassing if they volunteered but couldn't get the job done.

Since Thiers was confident, that was all the better, and Eugene decisively chose to let them go.

"Alright, then I'll leave Marseille to Mr. Thiers."

They discussed a number of other topics, mainly the integration of southern forces to fight against Prussia, and the establishment of the Royal Army in Tours-Orléans.

There are plenty of people in Paris, but Paris also needs to maintain its own factories and transportation operations. If people are constantly being drawn from Paris, the city can't withstand this kind of blood-draining behavior.

Therefore, expanding the source of recruits is of paramount importance. Since the south is out of the question, we can only consider the relatively stable west.

Soldiers from Brittany and other places are also being recruited. These soldiers from further away will all first travel by train to the Orleans military camp. There, they will be joined by local recruits from Orleans and other places for training until they are fully trained before considering whether to go to the battlefield.

It is estimated that, if the first batch of new recruits are not rushed to the battlefield, it will be at least mid-October before we can see the new recruits from the west joining the battlefield.

It's troublesome, but mobilizing elsewhere is even slower, so Eugene can only try to make the best use of the limited manpower he has.

Therefore, after the cabinet meeting, Eugène specifically kept Pierre, Dremar, Schneider, and others behind for an in-depth discussion on military issues.

The Paris Legion was officially designated as 12 men, but in reality, Eugène openly and secretly increased its size to 14.

To bolster combat strength, Eugene has decided to take some police and military police units with combat experience with him to the front lines.

That means the number of Paris Legion troops on the front lines could easily exceed 15, which goes without saying.

Leaving behind Parisian officers such as Drema and Pierre, as well as Schneider, who would be in charge of logistics, Eugène wanted to discuss the issue of the Civil Defense Corps.

This newly established military force lacks any visual appeal, purely because of its weak military strength, and unlike the Paris Legion, which Eugène personally oversaw and thus had a certain level of loyalty.

An investigation revealed that nearly 1 members of the Civil Defense Corps changed their names and became the National Guard in connection with the Paris attacks.

"The formation of the Civil Defense Corps still needs to continue, and I intend to appoint you as the corps commander of the Civil Defense Corps."

The military strength of the Civil Defense Regiment is completely inconsistent with that of the front-line troops, so it certainly cannot be directly incorporated into the Paris Legion. An overly bloated legion is also not a good thing.

Eugene wanted to form a civil defense force of about 1000 people per battalion, with 120 to 150 battalions, totaling about 15 people.

This military force, roughly equal in number to that of Paris, can be used for second-line operations, logistical support, and other purposes.

The highest organizational unit is three armies, each commanded by a major general, which is perfect for promoting Drema. Drema and Eugène are quite familiar with each other, and he trusts them with confidence.