To Charles' delight and regret, not a single official questioned why he had placed the Authority of the Eastern Region in Strasbourg, on the border, after Jean Calvert had questioned the decision to place the Authority of the southern region of the railway system in Lyon...... Read the latest and most complete novels

He said that he was happy because he would not have to go through the trouble of explaining his decision; He said he regretted it because of the insensitivity of these officials to the public interest.

It is inconceivable that Charles now finds Charles so careless in the public interest when they are not in violation—what if both the minister and the charr decide at will? So how much damage will these decisions cause to state property......

But no one took it to heart, and everyone just took the above decision as an unquestionable will.

In fact, Charles's arrangement does have its own deep considerations.

He intended to build Strasbourg into an eastern railway junction, and then use this junction as a fulcrum to arrange the inevitable future war against Prussia-Germany.

Only by preparing in advance can we avoid a tragedy like the one that befell Napoleon III in history.

After France's decisive defeat to Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War in 187o, losing the European hegemony of his dreams, poor Emperor Napoleon III was forced into exile in England, where he recalled that nightmare as follows:

He and his military advisers were aware of Prussia's potential superiority. He had hoped to counteract this advantage by a quick attack on South Germany and forcing it to remain neutral. and relied on the initial victories to secure his alliance with Austria and Italy.

To achieve this, he intends to concentrate 150,000 people in Metz (in Lorraine), 1o in Strasbourg and 50,000 in Chalons (in the Reims region). The first two rapidly concentrated armies were then expected to cross the Rhine near Karlsluhe and rush directly into the German hinterland, while Chalon's 50,000 men were to advance toward Metz. to counter any movement of the enemy to the flanks and rear of the attacking army.

But upon arrival in Metz, the Emperor's current military plan immediately came to naught. He now has only 10,000 people there, and 40,000 in Strasbourg. In Chalon, not even a single unit. Secondly, the army did not have the most necessary items for the march: backpacks, tents, marching pots and lunch boxes, and even ammunition could not be adequately replenished. And on the opposite side of this army was the hundreds of thousands of German soldiers who poured in like a tidal wave.

Since then. The emperor realized that he had lost control of the one that had been born later. It was not until he surrendered to William I in Sedan that fate never favored this once lucky man again.

After the tide receded, people realized that the Second Empire, which seemed to be a powerful empire, had been swimming naked, which was certainly laughable.

For a moment, his thoughts seemed to float out of this room, and drifted to the empty plains of Western Europe, to the era that began with Napoleon and ended with Hitler, and the era when all nation-states formed the whole people to fight each other. And the wilderness where millions of armies have stepped through.

In his past life, he had only seen this patch of wilderness where there were no longer traces of bomb craters and artillery fire during his travels. and the cemeteries where these soldiers are buried in every village. At that time, he often stopped in the middle of it, wandering over the wilderness, imagining the grandeur of that era.

Now, however, he is qualified to depict this spectacle on his own, preparing for a fateful decisive battle between one country and another, calmly preparing for the spectacular expedition of a million-strong army in the future, as if he were staying in front of a chessboard and gently moving the pieces one by one. And now no one knew what he was planning, and no one could even stop him from doing it.

In order to achieve this qiē, in order to finish this game of chess, it is necessary to hold this country in the palm of your hand, whether with the help of others but with your own hands, Charles said to himself again in his heart.

Fantasy fiction does not describe a more terrible magic than the human "state", driven by the "state", millions of young people, who abandon their biological instincts for survival and charge into a fierce artillery fire, even if it is meaningless and doomed to their death.

A man draws a line on a map with a pencil that can be erased at any time, and tens of thousands of young people have to die for it—is there more terrible magic in the world?

I will

This kind of reverie made him feel intoxicated in an instant.

What does it feel like? What a miracle!

It's a pity that his youthful reverie obviously didn't resonate with this group of gray-headed and listless officials.

"In the text, His Excellency seems to want to set up an equipment management bureau to be responsible for the procurement and management of railway equipment......," Jean-Calvert's voice changed back to that calm tone, "Isn't it too big to set up a land management bureau in addition?" ”

"It's because it's a big deal, so we're going to talk to everyone......" Charles had retreated from the world of reverie to the real world, smiling as he looked at the officials in front of him who were sitting precariously and with stern expressions, "In order to make our ministry an effective institution, we must do our best to complete these institutional structures and changes, which are extremely important for our future work." ”

"But...... Sir, from the attitude of you and His Excellency the Minister, we do not see much trace of 'consultation'. Jean Calvert replied coldly, "You seem to have thrown us a fait accompli, and told us to accept it at once and do it without reservation...... There is no doubt that, as the head of the Ministry, we should carry out the will of His Excellency the Minister. But how can we cooperate with the will of His Excellency the Minister in such an arbitrary manner? If something goes wrong, who is responsible? ”

With his sudden accusations. The entire conference room fell into dead silence in an instant, and the officials looked at each other, unable to understand what was happening. as a bureaucrat of the government. Calvert's public accusations against colleagues and even ministers in departmental meetings are rare, not to mention, dangerous.

Charles did not speak, but looked at Jean Calvert with a frown, as if he had been taken aback by the sudden attack, and Jean Calvert looked at the officials next to him, who had just woken up from a dream. Then they echoed each other's words - of course, some of them hesitated for a moment, so their words were a little sparse. It has greatly reduced the momentum of this faction.

"It's really hard to make a hasty decision......

"We also need to discuss the right person......

"Your Excellency the Minister can't attend yet, or we'll wait for him to come over and decide, right?"

Charles listened to the clamor of the group without saying a word, while calmly observing that those were echoing Jean-Calvert, who wisely chose to be neutral.

By the time I feel like it's almost there. Charles finally spoke. Then his first words were directed at the already stunned clerk.

"What are you doing here? Hurry up and make a note for me, and write down everyone's words! When the meeting is over, bring me all the records, and I'll review them myself and sign them! ”

His words made the entire conference room stagnant again. The clerk was stunned for a moment, and then forced by Charles's stern gaze, he had to pick up the pen again. Quickly recorded it.

It is also not permissible for everyone to be afraid, according to the habits of the government. The minutes of the meeting, which usually omit the heated arguments and record only the important ones, were ordered by the Secretary of State to record them all, apparently as a basis for future retaliation - no one would believe that if he had obtained the records, he would not have given them to the minister.

Thinking of this, Calvert's comrades couldn't help but weaken most of their momentum, and their clamor stopped, for fear that they would become the main object of the minister's grudge in the future. None of them could have imagined that Monsieur de Treville, who seemed to offend no one in a peaceful manner, would suddenly behave in such a vicious manner.

Then, after winning the first battle, Charles turned his attention to the secretary general, Jean Calvert.

It seemed that Jean Calvert had no fear, but Jean-Calvert did not show the slightest fear.

"Sir, I am not entirely opposed to His Excellency the Minister and your ideas...... his face remained calm, "but I think you need to involve more of our experienced officials in discussing strategy. We must be able to give you and you enough support......"

Charles understood that he still wanted to put these things off until the political situation changed and the two nobles left, and then they would be the officials who were in charge of themselves. So, he didn't want to drink the other party's nonsense at all.

"Let me tell you, we're going to put this reform into place right away. Right away! I will need to see the results in a few days, and any delay is against the will of His Excellency the Minister, and if anyone dares to do so, he will be responsible for the consequences. ”

From ancient times to the present, the word "self-responsibility" has been the most lethal word for officials, and even Jean Calvert can't help but feel a little worried.

"But......" His face couldn't help but become ugly, and he couldn't care about the recorder anymore, "Aren't you a strong man like this?" How can it be changed in a few days? ”

"That's not my concern, sir." Charles replied with a sneer.

The two men glared.

After a few moments, it seemed clear that the minister's will could no longer be turned around, and Jean Calvert planned to attack from the side.

"Isn't it a false public interest that you intend to appoint a supplier for the Equipment Administration, sir?" (To be continued......)

ps: Thank you for the yang tip of the book club diving

Thank you for your encouragement and comfort, you don't have to force yourself so hard as a student......

I've been in a really bad mood lately, and I don't know how to get out.

Well, let it be.

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