The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 260

Chapter 260: The Royal Guard Corps

Joseph recalled that, historically, the Duke of Orléans had been sent to the guillotine by the Jacobin Club.

It was unexpected that a prominent member of the Jacobin Club was now assisting his son in a legal case. The irony of it all was difficult to ignore.

Desmoulins praised him again: “You… you are so re… renowned in the legal field. A case this big, and they still… still turned to you for the defense.”

Robespierre’s record of legal victories in recent years was exceptionally high. Notably, a few years ago, he successfully defended Mr. Vezinier, who had been prosecuted for installing a lightning rod. That victory overturned a series of previous rulings, earning Robespierre fame throughout France. Historically, this accomplishment also led to his election as a representative of the Estates-General.

Robespierre smiled modestly. “I am merely one of the Duke of Chartres’ lawyers.”

Joseph thought for a moment and suddenly interjected: “Mr. Robespierre, do you believe the Duke of Chartres should inherit the Duke of Orléans’ estate?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Robespierre nodded. “The Duke of Orléans perished during the uprisings. His legitimate heir is entitled to the inheritance.”

“Have you not heard about his alleged treason?”

Robespierre replied solemnly, “Your Highness, you are aware that Versailles often breeds such political conspiracies. I do not believe the Duke of Orléans would…”

Joseph signaled to Eymond with a smile: “Return to the High Court.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

An hour later, in the archives of the High Court, Robespierre flipped through the thick dossiers. His face turned pale, and his teeth clenched audibly.

As an experienced lawyer, he could easily discern that these pieces of evidence were unlikely to be forged. The Crown Prince had mentioned that there was more evidence stored in the evidence room, but Robespierre felt there was no need to see any further.

Even without the allegations of the Duke of Orléans colluding with the British, channeling massive investments from French banks into British industries, or inciting the nobility to refuse loans to the government, the final charge alone was damning. He had allegedly orchestrated the Malet brothers’ murders to coerce the Minister of the Interior into maliciously reallocating grain reserves, which led to a famine and widespread riots across most of France. Such deeds were enough to condemn him to hell!

Robespierre felt dizzy, realizing he had been deceived by a conspirator for so many years like a fool. And now, he was supposed to help his son fight for an inheritance…

When he emerged from the High Court, visibly disheartened, he saw the Crown Prince waiting for him and immediately said gravely, “Your Highness, I now know what must be done!”

“Oh?” Joseph replied. “You should join the Bureau of Public Investigation to bring people like the Duke of Orléans to justice as soon as possible.”

Desmoulins nodded vigorously beside him. “I… I also hope you’ll jo… join the Bureau.”

“Thank you for your trust. I will give it serious consideration.” Robespierre, looking dazed, bowed and prepared to take his leave.

Joseph suddenly recalled something and asked quickly, “By the way, have you seen the Duke of Chartres’ estate records?”

Since they were going to contest the inheritance, the lawyer would first need to know the assets involved.

Robespierre nodded. “Yes, Your Highness, I have seen them.”

“Can you tell me the total value of the inheritance?”

After a brief hesitation, Robespierre replied in a low voice, “Excluding villas and real estate, roughly 60 million livres.”

Joseph’s eyes immediately lit up. This was a windfall!

After accounting for expenses from police reforms, there would still be 50 million left. Adding in the value of the fixed properties—ah, the Duke of Orléans’ real estate holdings were extensive—there would be sufficient funds for tax reforms and to kickstart industrial development.

Robespierre added firmly, “Your Highness, I will not allow someone who oppressed the poor to have their way.”

With that, he took his leave.

Desmoulins, noticing his friend’s troubled expression, quickly bowed to Joseph and hurried after him.

Joseph reentered his carriage and headed for the Paris Police Academy.

...

An hour and a half later, the carriage stopped in front of the academy’s administrative building. Joseph avoided disturbing the cadets who were training and first attended a lecture on tactical command. Afterward, he convened a meeting with Berthier, Froyent, and other officers.

“I believe you’ve all heard by now,” Joseph addressed the officers seated along the long table. “According to the military reform plan, we will establish a General Staff Department.

“Once the General Staff is fully operational, it will replace the Minister of War in planning and coordinating overall wartime strategy. The Minister of War will only handle final approvals.”

The officers were visibly surprised. They had initially assumed the General Staff would function like regimental staff, merely assisting the Minister of War in decision-making. They had not expected it to become the main operational command body.

Joseph continued, “General Berthier has already compiled the responsibilities and requirements of the General Staff into a manual. He will now explain the details to everyone. Please study the new operational model under the General Staff carefully.”

Of course, while the compilation was credited to Berthier, the core framework was provided by Joseph. With Joseph’s guidance, Berthier—historically recognized as the father of the General Staff concept—had brought this department to life six years earlier than its historical debut, and in a much more refined form.

Berthier bowed to Joseph and motioned for the orderlies to distribute the General Staff Functions and Requirements manual. “The General Staff will primarily be responsible for studying all aspects of warfare and devising plans for troop movements and combat operations.

“This will also include mobilization and campaign implementation plans.

“Per the Crown Prince’s directives, the General Staff will also oversee logistics, cartography, daily training, and military exercises.”

In this era, the outcome of a war depended heavily on the personal experience and even intuition of commanders. This created enormous uncertainty.

Even a military genius like Frederick II could make mistakes. A single error by a commander could result in heavy casualties or even the failure of an entire campaign.

The General Staff system, on the other hand, relied on the expertise of a large body of staff officers to collectively draft operational plans. This minimized the chances of errors, representing an advanced command system far ahead of its time.

This model, introduced by Berthier, would later showcase its power during the Franco-Prussian War. It could be argued that the Prussian victory over France owed much to the Chief of Staff, Moltke.

After Berthier’s presentation, Joseph addressed the group again: “The Cabinet will soon approve the proposal to establish the General Staff.

“General Berthier will temporarily assume the position of Second Chief of Staff.”

In history, Berthier had served as Napoleon’s Chief of Staff. Compared to commanding troops, he was far more suited to this role.

At the moment, however, Berthier’s rank was only brigadier general, so he could only serve as the “Deputy Chief of Staff” for now. Since there was no Chief of Staff yet, the department was effectively under his leadership.

Joseph concluded, “Additionally, Her Majesty the Queen has approved the renaming of Berthier’s corps to the ‘Royal Guard First Corps,’ and the police cadets will form the ‘Royal Guard Second Corps.’”

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