The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 261

Chapter 261: The Marquis of Wellesley's Journey to Morocco

The officers in the room lit up with joy upon hearing the news.

Previously, the matters of the General Staff were beyond most of their understanding, and many had dismissed it as merely a means for the Crown Prince to consolidate military power. Consequently, they felt little emotional investment in the announcement.

However, the honor and significance of the royal title bestowed upon their corps were universally clear to them.

Though they had privately referred to themselves as the Crown Prince's Guard Corps, that title had been merely a personal designation by His Highness. Now, however, they held an official royal title, signed and sealed by His Majesty the King!

This represented Versailles’ recognition of the Berthier Corps and the cadets, cementing their place as the elite of the military.

The thought of other ordinary units envying their royal insignia to the point of drooling filled the officers with immense satisfaction.

They were also well aware that as a royal corps, their benefits and treatment would rise significantly. Of course, these perks were merely secondary...

The officers all stood up straight with a resounding cry: "Long live His Majesty the King!"

Lefebvre was the first to speak: "Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince! The corps’ loyalty shall always belong to you!"

The rest of the corps immediately followed, shouting in unison: "Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince! The corps’ loyalty shall always belong to you!"

Indeed, they knew that without the Crown Prince, most of them would still be languishing in some obscure unit, far from any prospect of glory, let alone a royal title.

Everything they had now was given to them by His Highness. How could they not feel grateful?

Joseph responded with a gentle smile and nod, motioning for everyone to sit. He offered some words of encouragement before officially ending the meeting.

After the other officers had left, Berthier approached Joseph, an apologetic expression on his face. "Your Highness, the recruitment of noble officers that you instructed earlier has not gone smoothly. There are rumors that some officers have formed a 'coalition' to resist the Guard Corps."

Joseph knew that while many hereditary noble officers were indeed incompetent, they could not all be dismissed outright. Even among Napoleon’s marshals, several came from old noble families and were exceptionally capable.

Additionally, the Guard Corps was currently in dire need of mid-level officers.

Previously, when the corps was smaller, this issue was not apparent. Now that Joseph planned to rapidly expand the new army, the shortage of mid-level officers had become a pressing problem. While junior officers could be trained at the Paris Police Academy, mid-level officers required substantial combat experience.

Building up this experience would take considerable time, and the Guard Corps, having been established for only a short while, lacked the opportunity to develop enough mid-level officers.

Recruiting some enlightened noble officers and giving them minimal training could expedite the development of the corps’ combat effectiveness.

Joseph was also not arrogant enough to believe that France's vast network of military academies could be replaced by a single Paris Police Academy under his command.

Thus, integrating existing military academies remained vital.

These academies were still largely dominated by hereditary noble officers. While closing some ineffective schools was necessary, gaining the support of hereditary officers was crucial to securing sufficient teaching staff.

Joseph frowned slightly. Based on Berthier’s report, it seemed the resistance from noble officers was stronger than expected.

This was understandable. After all, Joseph’s reforms to the officer system had disrupted their "iron rice bowl." While they dared not openly oppose him following their passive role during the last rebellion, covert acts of resistance were harder to prevent.

Joseph had initially thought that improving compensation would attract a considerable number of noble officers. He had not anticipated their unexpected "solidarity."

Berthier hesitated before suggesting, "Your Highness, should we consider raising the salary for officer recruitment further?"

Joseph immediately shook his head. "No."

Raising the salaries of these hereditary officers too much would inevitably provoke dissatisfaction among civilian and minor noble officers.

How could they be integrated effectively? Joseph fell into deep thought...

...

North Africa

In the Moroccan royal city of Meknes, the British Foreign Secretary, the Marquis of Wellesley, looked back at the towering city walls and the robust black guards standing solemnly on either side of the gate. He turned to the British Consul to Morocco beside him. "What a magnificent city. What do you think, Baron Green?"

The short, middle-aged man nodded. "Yes, Your Lordship. At least among the Maghreb nations, this is the largest and most prosperous city."

"That’s why it alone has the strength to restrain the adventurers in Versailles," Wellesley said, climbing back into the carriage with Baron Green. They headed toward the royal palace.

The Foreign Secretary glanced at the black cavalry escorting them and muttered, "Their sultan has a peculiar preference. I mean, they clearly have soldiers who are more pleasing to the eye."

Baron Green explained, "A hundred years ago, Sultan Ismail used an army of 20,000 black slave soldiers, known as the ‘Mujahideen Corps,’ to defeat coastal opposition and establish the Alaouite dynasty. Since then, their royal guards have been exclusively composed of black soldiers."

"Very well," Wellesley shrugged. "Whether they’re black slaves or Arabs, as long as they’re effective on the battlefield. Oh, I recall our Colonel Hyde Parker was once defeated by them."

He referred to an incident during the Seven Years' War when British naval captain Hyde Parker insulted the Sultan of Morocco, only to be captured by the Moroccan navy—a faction of Barbary pirates. The British paid 200,000 silver coins to ransom him.

Since then, the British had been reluctant to provoke this powerful nation on Africa’s northwestern coast.

"Do you think Touus will accept your proposal?" Baron Green seized the opportunity to bring up the main topic. "I mean, the land west of Walsenis is quite substantial."

The "Touus" he mentioned was Sükri Ali Touus, the Dey of Algiers. The primary purpose of their visit to Morocco was to "broker" an alliance between Algiers and Morocco.

"He has no choice," Wellesley said confidently. "Their divan will ensure his compliance."

Baron Green softly corrected him, "That’s a 'divan,' which differs significantly from a traditional parliament."

As they spoke, the carriage came to a stop.

This time, the welcoming party was no longer composed of the black guards Wellesley disliked, but rather a light-brown-skinned Berber official.

The palace official bowed respectfully to them. "Honored guests, the great Sultan awaits your presence."

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