On this ordinary afternoon, Charles was in the military port of Toulon to see the advance troops of the expeditionary force leave France, and at this time bid farewell to his grandfather. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info Nature.2

The number of the advance force was not very large, only a few thousand, and it was obviously impossible for them to directly fight the Russians, but they were only sent to the territory of Turkey first, and then assembled little by little, until the number reached the point where the commander-in-chief thought that they could directly engage in battle, and then they would cross the sea from Turkey and attack the predetermined battlefield.

As the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, Marshal Tréville decided to go to Turkey with the advance force himself, personally direct the deployment of the troops, control the specific situation of each force, and lay the foundation for the next battle.

Charles was determined to use all his efforts to create the best conditions for him, knowing that the war was no longer just a few cold pages in the history books, but would be the culmination of his grandfather's personal life and a glorious page in the history of the Tréville family.

With the patience and reserve that he has cultivated over the years, he has well hidden the attachment and excitement in his heart, grandpa has left, everything has been on the final track, and now is the time to complete the plan with a calm and realistic attitude, and no emotional interference is allowed.

After bidding farewell to the expeditionary force, the Lord of the Admiralty invited Charles to lunch, to which Charles readily agreed.

Because Marshal Treville was a highly decorated veteran, and because Charles had a very good attitude towards the navy, His Excellency the Admiral had a good impression of both Trevill's grandparents and grandchildren, and he treated them with respect, while making every effort to ensure the marshal's living conditions at sea.

As a military port, Toulon is actually the territory of the navy, so His Excellency the Minister is like a Turkish emperor here, and Charles himself is not trivial, and no one will question the two ministers.

There was originally a club for naval officers in the military port, with all the furnishings and food, but the Admiral did not want to dine with Charles there, so he invited Charles to dine on a pleasure boat moored in the harbor, and Charles of course followed him on the cruise.

After the departure of the advance force of the expeditionary force, the sea returned to its previous calm, although there was still some noise in the military port, but after the yacht left the shore, everything had fallen into silence, except for the neighing of the seabirds in the sky, only the soft murmur of the sea breeze blowing on the people. As far as the eye can see, the blue sea and the sky are connected together, and the boundaries are blurred.

Charles stood on the deck with a wine glass in hand, admiring the beauty of the south. He had spent his previous life in the Inner 6, and in this life he had been around Paris, knowing almost nothing about the sea and not much of a love for it, but he did not refuse to enjoy the southern sea and the sun.

The sea breeze mixed with a hint of salty smell made him slightly dislike, but the smell of the delicacies believed it, and nearby, the musician played the violin to accompany the two ministers' meals, and the soft sound of music made Charles feel even more relaxed.

After the continuous tension, he suddenly became so leisurely, which made him feel a little strange, if it weren't for the fact that he had just watched his grandfather and the expeditionary force leave, I am afraid he would have thought that this was a vacation.

"Ah, after so long in Paris, I almost forgot that I grew up by the sea." Admiral Jean Dieck: "I've been here once, and it would be a pity if I stayed on top of 6 lands!" Isn't it much more comfortable to dine like this? ”

"I also think it's a nice treat." Charles smiled, then picked up his glass and drank it. "However, fortunately, the wind is not strong today, otherwise I am afraid that I will be a little seasick when I shake......"

In the distance, Charles could see the vague figures of several small naval warships, but they seemed to be deliberately trying to create a quiet space for the two ministers to talk, and they kept enough distance all the time.

It seemed obvious that the Admiralty Minister wanted to create a private space to have a good conversation with Charles.

What exactly is he trying to talk about? Charles couldn't help but be a little curious, but he didn't ask anything, and politely enjoyed his meal, waiting for the other party to take the initiative to speak.

"I forgot you're one of the six! But you're young and strong, so you won't get seasick even if you shake a little, right? Admiral Jean-Dicot laughed, "Don't you find it funny?" We are in this blue desert, and all of a sudden we are cut off from the rest of the world, and the government, the budget, the army, the war, all at once seem to have lost its meaning...... We can get along as individuals, not as ministers—and that's why I don't entertain you in the always talkative officers' clubs......"

Finally I can't help it...... Charles chuckled inwardly.

"So, what do you want to say to me in a private capacity?" He put down his glass, then asked unhurriedly.

"Actually, I've got a favor that I could ask you to help me with." Now the Minister of the Navy stopped going around in circles, and looked at him directly with blazing eyes, "Charles, we have a big favor, I'm afraid I have to ask you to help......

Charles was a little troubled in his heart, the other party was a high-ranking minister as a minister, and it was definitely not trivial that he couldn't solve it himself and had to come to ask for help from him, and then the problem of solving it could be imagined and made him feel tricky.

But the two of them are now in a relationship, and Charles also needs to be friendly with His Excellency the minister now, and it is indeed difficult to refuse each other.

"Please, if I can help, I'll do my best." After hesitating for a moment, Charles had no choice but to agree vaguely. "Of course, my abilities are also limited, and I can't guarantee that your wishes will come true......"

"You are the youngest and most promising talent in our country, and now you are already famous in Europe, and there are really not many things in the world where you are helpless." After Charles agreed, the minister was obviously in a good mood, so he took the initiative to compliment Charles, "And in this matter, I'm afraid you are the most favorable candidate......

Charles stopped talking, waiting for the other to unravel the mystery.

"When you were in the 6th Army Headquarters, you urged the 6th Army to establish its own brand-new command system, and then urged Your Majesty to establish the 6th Army General Staff, so that the 6th Army has a special organization to study and command future wars, which is admittedly a wise move, and we have all felt the benefits now." His Excellency the Minister began with the deeds of Shire, and said slowly, "After all these years of practice and discussion, we believe that the Navy also needs to establish such an internal organization, so that our Navy can also achieve a precise and scientific command system with a more active and efficient attitude......

"Oh?" Although His Excellency was very subtle, Charles immediately understood what he meant. "That means you're going to create a staff similar structure within the Navy as well?"

"Yes, that's what we want to do." The minister nodded, "And we think the sooner the better." ”

Charles thought about it, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with this, after all, it was indeed a military need, and he had no reason to stop it.

"If you want to do that, of course you can try, I don't have any objections."

"I appreciate your support, but ...... It doesn't make much sense for us to just make an empty shelf of staff, we need to select capable and intelligent young officers for relevant training, but most importantly, we want to expand the authority of this body so that it can truly achieve full command of the navy. His Excellency continued, "And that's what I'm asking you to help with - didn't you have the 6th Army stationed in your ministry before?" I think...... It is necessary for our Navy to do the same. ”

No wonder he entertained himself so much...... Charles sneered inwardly.

"You don't have to worry, we have the same reason as the 6th Army, both to better fulfill the tasks of this division. They need railroads, and we need merchant ships, after all, we need to call up merchant ships to serve the navy's strategy at any time......" Seeing that Charles did not answer, the minister was afraid that he would be angry, so he immediately explained, "Of course, please rest assured, we will never interfere in your daily work. ”

Charles still didn't answer immediately, but his mind was thinking.

In his position, of course, he wants to be as undisturbed as possible, and this requirement is naturally not to his liking. However, in the case that the 6th Army already has a precedent, there are really not many good reasons for the Navy to make such a request. Besides, this may indeed be necessary, after all, the Ministry of Transportation in his hands is now in charge of running on the sea.

"If you want to send some young officers to the Empire to familiarize yourself with the maritime conditions of the Empire, I have no objection......" After a moment of silence, he finally agreed, "but they had better talk less and do more, and not bring in the way of the sea." ”

"It's great that you're able to put your country first!" Seeing Charles speak so well, Minister Jean-Dico was overjoyed. "Don't worry, these boys will never interfere with your or your subordinates' normal work, they will only assist you, or observe the records."

The establishment of a naval staff and the inclusion of the Empire's maritime undertakings under the jurisdiction and monitoring of this staff have always been the voice of the navy, and the soldiers certainly want their own power group to grow larger and larger, and as the Minister of the Navy, he is motivated enough to work for the voice of his subordinates.

However, he also knew that Minister Trevier was a powerful minister and had always been extremely trusted by His Majesty, and if he did not nod his head, this idea would not be realized, so he had to lower his posture and plead with Charles. He was still a little apprehensive just now, but fortunately, the other party was so reasonable, and he agreed with just a little groaning, which also made the minister's heart full of gratitude.

In that case, it was time for him to return the favor, he looked up at the blue sky, leaned back in his chair stretched, and lowered his voice.

"Charles, I know that you are a practical person, and my verbal gratitude to you is not necessarily a thing, and it just so happens that I am too, and I don't like to fool people with empty words—you will see the real gratitude of the Navy."

Then, he continued to himself, "You know, Your Majesty intends to greatly expand the navy and build a fleet that is second to none, and that means that we will greatly expand the manufacture of warships. We have already planned, taking advantage of the war in the past two years, to build several national shipyards in one go, to be the world's top! This means that we will be very different from the past...... It can even be said that our navy has also become one of the largest enterprises in the empire. ”

The fact that the state itself became the largest entrepreneur was nothing new to a modern state - since the Middle Ages, there had been almost no cessation of wars in Europe, and in order to win the wars, or at least to keep themselves from being conquered by foreign enemies, they each established their own armies and supply systems directly under the state.

Especially after entering the age of gunpowder, all countries have shown a huge number of standing armies, in order to equip such an army, to participate in various wars on the European big 6, each country has exhibited a huge military industrial system for itself, and only the system requires a huge amount of funds, so many times can only be invested and operated by the country itself, France's muskets and artillery and even warships, a large part of which is manufactured by state-owned enterprises.

And when His Majesty the Emperor is determined to build his own naval fleet on an unprecedented scale, it is conceivable that this will make the navy have huge resources in its hands and become a huge interest group.

"Congratulations." Charles smiled and congratulated the other.

"Congratulations to us." The minister laughed again, "In these new naval enterprises, we need a group of commercial talents to help us operate, and we need to work closely with the shipping federation you created, so if you can, I would like you to appoint some people as the managers and directors of these enterprises, and I think that the talents you send will definitely help us to achieve the smooth expansion of the navy......"

Charles was even more surprised, you know, this is really very generous.

Although His Excellency the Minister is only talking about a part of the management personnel, and the dominant power is definitely still in the hands of the Navy, it also means that the Charr can infiltrate the system of the Navy, and judging from His Excellency's cherishing of the Navy, this is really not a condition that will be given to others easily.

Either way, the generosity is amazing.

"You...... What else do you need from me? Charles didn't want to pretend to excuse himself, and he asked bluntly, "I just said that if I can do it, I will do my best." ”

"Don't be so nervous, Charles, we're friends, we can't just talk about interests." With a smile still on his face, the minister stood up and stretched out in the bow of the pleasure boat against the gentle sea breeze, "Actually, I am also a public and private person, after all, you have a lot of people from the industrial community, and they are the ones who can help us realize our plan the most, and this is not purely to please you. Of course...... We also hope that you will thus become a strong ally of our Navy and contribute to the position of our Navy......"

Just now, you still said that you don't talk about interests between friends, and now you immediately say that you want to help with things...... Charles chuckled inwardly.

But it doesn't matter, since the other party has shown sincerity, he should also be positive. "Tell me, what else do you want me to do?"

"It's up to you to do it." His Excellency walked up to Charles's side, and then patted him on the shoulder, "Out of the need to clarify the powers and responsibilities, but also out of the need for command efficiency, we hope to have a more high-ranking naval officer next to your grandfather to help him command the navy." We are glad to accept the command of your grandfather, Field Marshal Trevier, but his orders are taken only as orders conveyed by the Commander-in-Chief through a naval officer, and not as orders of a field marshal of the 6th Army. We must let the Navy General Staff exercise overall command over the Navy, and we do not allow or need other forces to participate in the interference, because the Sixth Army is equal to us, and we do not accept their command. And only in this way can we maximize the power of the navy and at the same time cooperate with all the actions of the commander-in-chief, right? ”

Although the rhetoric of His Excellency is vague, the core of his Excellency's bold remarks is very clear, that is, it clearly states that the command of the Navy cannot be interfered with by the command system of the Sixth Army, and that it must reflect the independence of the Navy, that is, the Minister believes that the Naval Staff Department established by him is the only effective command organ of the Navy.

While this may not seem like a surprise, it is not a common occurrence in today's European Big 6. All European countries are essentially countries of the 6th Army, although each country has a navy, but the scale is extremely small, whether it is the establishment or budget can not be compared with the 6th Army, and in the command system, it is often under the jurisdiction of the generals of the 6th Army, not to mention a country like France that has been deeply influenced by the 6th Army.

This can also be seen from the great ambition within the navy, which is to take the opportunity to become an independent military collective in one fell swoop and compete with the 6th Army.

"This question...... It's a little strange...... I'm afraid that such a professional issue will need to be discussed for a long time, so let's leave it to the experts to discuss, right? "Charles felt that he should not interfere in this kind of conflict between the branches of the military, so he replied conservatively." If there is a conclusion, I can support it then. ”

"Time waits for no one! Mr! The Chancellor graciously picked up the bottle and poured a glass of wine from the glass in front of Charles, "If we want a great navy, we should follow the example of the British, build a fleet as good as they do, and then use the navy as they do." The navy will be the strongest support of His Majesty the Emperor and the entire empire, Paris is uncertain, but the sea is eternal. The British only have the Royal Navy, but not the Royal 6th Army, aren't they......? ”

In other words, he wants to take advantage of this opportunity to directly make the navy an independent force in the hands of His Majesty the Emperor, and no longer be held back by any of the 6th Army.

Charles understood exactly what the minister meant.

This system of 6 navies being divided and then containing each other was reflected in the original historical German Empire and the Japanese Empire, especially the German Empire, where the entire navy was outside the military system of the empire and could almost be regarded as Kaiser Wilhelm's private army.

I really didn't expect to see this scene in advance.

For the sake of the interests and status of the navy, His Excellency the Minister really spared no effort and spared no expense. He smiled bitterly in his heart.