The news of Colonel Conrobel becoming the aide to President Jerome Bonaparte quickly spread throughout Paris via the Bonaparte Newspaper.
The Parisians began to be intrigued by this colonel, favored by the Prince President. To satisfy the gossip needs of the Parisians, the Bonaparte Newspaper in subsequent issues focused on "digging deep" into Colonel Conrobel’s life and deeds. Under its writers’ pen, one story after another, written in a folktale style, became popular in the Parisian circle.
The Parisians were surprised to discover such a "bold general" in France. Rumors of Jerome Bonaparte’s "discerning eye" for talents began to spread in Paris. Aide Conrobel became the "military star" of Paris, while Jerome Bonaparte also became truly known as the "little Napoleon."
This grassroots-level promotion further increased Jerome Bonaparte’s popularity, linking him to Emperor Napoleon, making it easier for Parisians to accept changes, lowering the threshold for future coups.
After all, the enthusiasm of Parisians for revolution fades away with each "revolution" and subsequent "failure."
Not to mention that the people of the Seine Province have gradually become accustomed to the coming and going of the military.
If the presence of soldiers were missing, they might feel unaccustomed.
Compared to the wild speculations of the Parisian citizens, the officers attending that banquet clearly understood "what really happened."
In their eyes, Conrobel was the first person to "eat the crab."
With their mouths, the officers condemned Conrobel, accusing him of ingratiatingly currying favor with Jerome Bonaparte to become a sycophant, while in their hearts, they could not help but envy Conrobel for obtaining such a good opportunity.
Under Jerome Bonaparte’s policy of spending lavishly, more and more people leaned towards the Elysee Palace in hopes of gaining power.
A warm wind dispersed the cold wave of January and February, also easing the tense atmosphere in Paris.
Despite the passing of the vernal equinox, the weather in Paris remained slightly cool.
As Parisians gradually took off their winter coats, they added an extra layer of jackets over their inner clothes.
Jerome Bonaparte was no exception. After taking off his slightly bulky outerwear, he donned a black fitted frock coat, paired with maroon Kile trousers and black leather shoes, looking like an upper-class bourgeois gentleman.
At this moment, he was sitting in the study of the Elysee Palace, with the burly but slightly balding Colonel Conrobel in a blue National Guard uniform standing beside Jerome Bonaparte. Opposite him sat the French Minister of War, Liu Eri.
Jerome Bonaparte introduced the adjacent Conrobel to Liu Eri, "Minister Liu Eri, this is my aide, Colonel Conrobel!"
Upon hearing Jerome Bonaparte introduce him, Conrobel stood even straighter.
"Not bad! Like a seasoned soldier!" Liu Eri nodded in satisfaction and extended an olive branch to Conrobel, saying, "What do you think? Interested in visiting our Ministry of War!"
Conrobel did not respond to Minister Liu Eri, understanding that the reason he could receive an olive branch from the Minister of War was due to President Jerome Bonaparte. The gap between a colonel and a Minister of War was like that between an ordinary person and a millionaire. Unless summoned by the Ministry of War, an ordinary colonel would have few chances to meet the Minister of War.
As for determining excellence from posture, that was just a pleasantry from Liu Eri.
If standing straight could gain the Minister of War’s favor, Conrobel believed many would train day and night to approach the Minister of War.
Once trained, the Minister of War would have likely been transferred long before.
Conrobel’s silence led to an awkward situation.
Seeing the atmosphere tense, Jerome Bonaparte quickly said, "How could one refuse? Minister Liu Eri, I recall your Ministry of War is still lacking a Secretary of State, correct?"
"We..." Liu Eri, who initially wanted to say there was no shortage, quickly changed his tone and nodded, saying, "Yes! The Ministry of War currently lacks a responsible and daring Secretary of State!"
Then Liu Eri looked at Conrobel again and said, "We need someone like Conrobel to take the role!"
"Conrobel!" Jerome Bonaparte called out.
After a long silence, Conrobel finally spoke again, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
"I wonder if you are interested in becoming the Secretary of State for the Ministry of War! It would also be a form of training for you."
Since Liu Eri gave Jerome Bonaparte an opportunity to influence the Ministry of War, Jerome Bonaparte could not let it slip by, subtly conveying his intention to control the Ministry of War to Conrobel.
Having been in the army for over a decade, Conrobel clearly understood Jerome Bonaparte’s meaning, immediately expressing his willingness, "I am willing to follow the orders of Mr. President and Minister to hone myself in the Ministry of War!"
"The Ministry of War welcomes soldiers like you who are willing to take action!" Liu Eri smiled at Conrobel.
Then, turning his gaze to Jerome Bonaparte, he lamented, "I’ve had enough of those military personnel in the Ministry of War who only hold positions without doing anything. Rather than calling them soldiers, it’s better to call them politicians."
"Calm down, Minister!" Jerome Bonaparte pressed down with his right hand, saying, "The operation of the military cannot do without the bureaucracy, and of course, cannot do without those who dare to fight! A military without bureaucratic planning and logistics will only fall into chaos before war. Similarly, an army without a fighting spirit cannot win battles. We must learn to combine both, allowing them to organize logistics efficiently and possess combat strength!"
"Mr. President, this is really difficult!" Liu Eri complained, then changed his tone to praise, "Only the Emperor and those marshals around him could balance both traits!"
"Minister, since there is a gap between us and the specific marshals, why don’t we use an effective system to compensate for individual intelligence." Jerome Bonaparte crossed his hands on the table, "Sometimes, a mature system is more important than individual genius commanders! After all, genius commanders are rare, while a mature system can run steadily."
"Mr. President, what should I do?" Minister Liu Eri asked, displaying a reluctance to learn.
"The Ministry of War should plan responsibilities and duties, where some should handle politically-related work, while others focus on military work. Political personnel should not meddle in military work, or there would be laymen guiding experts, the same applies to those in political work."