Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

The Dutch Prime Minister Schmelpenink, who was in a meeting with key cabinet members, suddenly stood up from his chair in shock: “Tell me the details.”

The officer placed the battlefield report on his desk and said, “General Bronckhorst was defeated by the nobility rebels west of Utrecht.

“Currently, the rebels have surrounded the Utrecht fortress. The general requests that Congress send reinforcements as soon as possible; otherwise… he can hold out for at most two months.”

Utrecht is the southern gateway to Amsterdam. If it falls, Amsterdam will be in grave danger.

Cold sweat was already forming on Schmelpenink’s forehead.

Since taking office, he, the Prime Minister, had been facing all sorts of crises, and now even the capital was at risk—his predecessor Gogel was quickly ousted after surrendering to the Flemish Republic. Schmelpenink’s “Dutch People’s Party” won the elections.

However, as soon as he took office, the former Stadtholder William V gathered the old nobility in The Hague to start a rebellion.

Well, William V’s own words were “expel the rebels.”

This time, the Nobility Army, under the banner of “recapturing the homeland occupied by foreign invading forces,” gained considerable support, resulting in successive retreats of the Congress Army.

Schmelpenink instinctively looked towards the head of the “Mobilization Committee,” Walckenaer: “How many soldiers do we have left?”

The latter, with his head lowered, replied, “Approximately, 1,000, Your Excellency, the Prime Minister.”

“This is far from enough,” the Dutch Prime Minister shook his head. “Immediately carry out conscription…”

He stopped halfway. Amsterdam had already gone through three rounds of conscription, and if they conscripted again, it might spark public unrest.

The room fell silent for a moment, and Finance Minister Gogel cautiously suggested, “If we could redeploy General Dandels’ forces to Utrecht, there is hope to defeat the rebels.”

Schmelpenink glared at him in frustration: “You know that’s impossible!”

Dandels’ corps is guarding against Flemish invasion along the Val River. The latter has been heavily stationed in Nijmegen.

Gogel continued, “Perhaps, we could ask France for help.

“The Palace of Versailles holds significant influence over the Flemish. As long as we can get their assurance, there would be no need to worry about the Flemish…”

“Ask the French for help? My God, we just had a war with them.”

“That was the doing of the Patriot Party,” Gogel said, “and they have long since fallen. We must at least give it a try.”

Seeing that no one else could come up with a better solution, Schmelpenink sighed heavily: “Alright, I will go to Paris. Now, we need to discuss how to persuade the French.”

…

Paris.

The Palace of Versailles.

Fouche, somewhat clumsily, was making marks on the map while reporting to Joseph: “Your Highness, according to the latest information we have obtained, the Prussian Army is massing heavily in Silesia.

“The Breslau Fortress has been reinforced to about 40,000 men.

“There are also over 30,000 troops in the north at Gwozdziec.

“Moreover, the Poznan region has begun collecting grain and horses.

“It can be confirmed that the Prussians are preparing to launch a war near Legnica.”

Joseph was somewhat surprised but only nodded slightly:

“Prussia indeed needs a war now to alleviate domestic problems. However, I thought they would take action around Westphalia, not directly choose Silesia.”

Fouche said, “William II probably believes that Austria, entangled in domestic rebellion, will choose to back down.”

Joseph asked, “Then how many troops does Austria have in Legnica?”

“No more than 6,000, Your Highness.”

Joseph slightly furrowed his brow.

A garrison of 6,000 facing 70,000 Prussian soldiers might not even hold for a week.

If Austria, already weakened, suffers another defeat in Silesia, it might collapse entirely.

This does not align with France’s interests.

As it might cause the Prussian-Austrian War to erupt half a century sooner.

Historically, after that war, Prussia became the sole hegemon in the Germanic region, quickly integrating 21 small states, laying the foundation for German unification.

Eventually leading to the Franco-Prussian War. Napoleon III lamented his abdication, and France’s rapid ascent was interrupted.

Looking at the current European situation, maintaining strategic balance between Prussia and Austria is what France most desires.

While these two giants repeatedly clash, France could take advantage and ally with the small Germanic states until the tide of national awakening passed, after which German reunification would become difficult.

Fouche finished speaking about Silesia and then bowed and exited.

Joseph, meanwhile, stared at the map, lost in thought.

Austria indeed couldn’t mobilize a large force in a short time; should France send troops to help?

Not to mention the vast military expenditure, the French soldiers, having just engaged in a fierce battle with Austria, might be very resistant.

It indeed posed a bit of a dilemma.

He pondered for a long time without finding a solution, suddenly noticing the extremely irregular military symbols drawn on the map, shaking his head. Their level wasn’t even as good as his own.

Fouche had not undergone formal military training, which inevitably led to shortcomings in military intelligence.

Moreover, as France’s sphere of influence in Europe expanded, the pressure on intelligence work would also increase, and relying solely on the Intelligence Bureau might lead to a situation where they couldn’t focus on every front.

It seemed necessary to establish a separate institution specializing in military intelligence apart from the Intelligence Bureau.

Afterwards, the Intelligence Bureau could focus on domestic affairs, while the “Military Intelligence Bureau” would primarily focus on international matters, mirroring the division of labor between the FBI and CIA in later-century America.

It could also fulfill the promise previously made to Count Robel, the head of the Secret Police. He had been waiting for the opportunity to be elevated to the position of heading an independent intelligence department.

Afterwards, the Secret Police could be directly integrated into the Intelligence Bureau—using this opportunity to eliminate the majority of useless individuals occupying the Secret Police department.

Count Robel would become the head of the “Military Intelligence Bureau,” but given his capabilities, he could only hold a nominal post. A deputy would need to be chosen to handle the actual tasks.

Speaking of “clear division of responsibility,” Joseph was reminded that currently, France’s government institutions were still using the century-old “King-Minister” system, which could not meet the increasingly complex and refined management needs of the industrial era.

For instance, the Finance Minister had one assistant, a large group of clerks, secretaries, and advisors.

Everyone’s specific roles depended entirely on the minister’s orders, overlapping significantly in their responsibilities, while many important tasks were neglected.

In contrast, a later-century Ministry of Finance would be divided into fiscal policy management, budget management, debt management, international financial management, accounting management, even with departments for confidentiality and public affairs.

Their roles would be distinctly defined, managing scientifically and efficiently.

With France having fought its way to a relatively stable situation at present, and the Royal Family’s prestige at an all-time high, it was indeed the perfect time to reform government institutions.

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