Chapter 245: Assimilation
Marquis Luckner froze at Joseph's words. After all, they had just recently used the excuse of "refusing to quell the unrest" to pressure the royal family.
But then, Joseph shifted the conversation:
"I've heard you were planning to form an 'Alliance Front'?"
Marquis Luckner immediately broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that Marquis Saint-Véran must have spilled everything. He quickly waved his hands in denial, "No, no, that was just..."
Joseph raised his hand to interrupt, "His Majesty is very displeased with your negligence in allowing the unrest in Auvergne to continue. And your secret collaboration with other officers to influence royal decisions is a serious offense."
Although Marquis Luckner was initially startled, he quickly picked up on the difference in Joseph's tone—His Majesty had only labeled his actions as "negligence" and a "serious offense," implying there was still room for negotiation.
He gritted his teeth and adopted a sincere tone, "I am willing to accept any punishment for my mistakes."
Joseph nodded, "First, you must personally go to Versailles and apologize to His Majesty."
Seeing the Marquis' face pale, Joseph added, "Don't worry, you won't be stripped of your position."
Relieved, the Marquis quickly nodded, "I will follow your instructions, Your Highness, and make haste to see His Majesty and offer my heartfelt apologies!"
Joseph continued, "Secondly, the Auvergne Regiment must adopt a new officer selection and promotion system. In short, this means giving commoners the opportunity to rise to officer positions, and promotions will no longer require payment."
Marquis Luckner, understanding the implications, cautiously asked, "Your Highness, does this mean I will still command the Auvergne Regiment?"
"Yes, as long as you strictly enforce the new officer system and accept the command of the General Staff, you will remain the regiment's commander," Joseph replied.
Joseph had a clear plan for the military: he did not intend to rely on these old regiments for combat. Instead, he would identify and recruit talented individuals to join the Imperial Guard. The existing regiments could remain, as they would be too intimidated after this reprimand to cause further trouble.
As long as the military aristocracy accepted commoners as officers, within a few years, capable commoners and lower nobles would become the backbone of the army. Of course, the General Staff would need to strictly monitor and verify officer promotions.
By retaining the positions of these military nobles, the resistance to these changes would be minimized. Once the royal family fully controlled the military, it would be easy to deal with these nobles as needed.
The old Marquis, overjoyed, eagerly pledged, "Rest assured, Your Highness, military discipline and order have always run in my blood!" He then cautiously asked, "Your Highness, what is this 'General Staff'?"
"Oh, it's a new department that will be established to help His Majesty formulate battle plans and manage troop deployments," Joseph explained. "Additionally, your regiment will undergo a restructuring, eliminating all empty positions and downsizing according to actual troop numbers.
"From now on, military pay will be issued directly by the General Staff, including your own salary. Weapons and equipment will also be centrally purchased and distributed by the General Staff. This way, you won't have to worry about the regiment's expenses anymore. Of course, this also means you will no longer need to withhold any military taxes or funds."
Marquis Luckner sighed inwardly; this essentially meant the loss of his financial control. But considering he had retained his command, he figured he could find other ways to make money in the future, so he reluctantly agreed, "Understood, Your Highness."
What Joseph didn't tell him was that the Gendarmerie would also be reorganized, with officers drawn from commoners or lower nobles. This would make it much harder for military officers to engage in corruption in the future.
Seeing that the conversation had gone smoothly, Joseph didn't waste any more time. He declined the Marquis' invitation to a banquet and set off directly for the next regiment's station.
Over the following days, he would replicate this process with all the major garrisons in the western and southern regions.
After Joseph's carriage left, and while Marquis Luckner was still bowing to see him off, Joseph suddenly remarked, "Oh, by the way, Marquis, I heard your granddaughter is engaged to the Duke of Chartres?"
The Duke of Chartres was the son of Duke Orléans.
Marquis Luckner's mind raced. Realizing that Duke Orléans was the ringleader who had tried to blackmail the royal family, he didn't hesitate for a moment: "Your Highness, that's just a rumor, nothing more. In fact, my second granddaughter has already decided to enter a convent."
Joseph silently applauded the old man's decisiveness—he would rather send his granddaughter to a convent than be associated with Duke Orléans.
The Imperial Guard made almost no stops as they continued westward.
However, Joseph hadn't expected that, just three days after leaving Auvergne, he would encounter several of the generals from "the list" on the road.
(End of Chapter)
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