Make France Great Again

"That's right! The minister often stayed in the office all night to deal with documents. Every time he let us take a step first, and then handled the rest of the work by himself. Sometimes we didn't take a break for several days, and then we became accustomed to it. !"

The Secretary of State's words were filled with respect, and it seemed that the minister appointed by Jerome Bonaparte had won the unanimous approval of the Admiralty in a very short time.

In the relatively closed Admiralty, a half-succumbed to the role of Secretary of the Navy cannot afford to coordinate the entire department, which requires both an iron fist and an attitude of leading by example.

Jean-Étienne Theodore Dicko, who was born in a merchant family in the Bordeaux province, inherited the family business when he became an adult and became a shipyard owner in his port city. During his career as a merchant, he accumulated A lot of wealth, but also established a certain prestige locally.

In France, any businessman with prestige would choose a political path. Dicko seized the opportunity to become a member of the Bordeaux department during the revolutionary turmoil of 1848, and then threw himself into the political circles of Paris.

As a deco who has no clear political beliefs, he first joined the republican faction, then turned to the party of order after June, and then after Jerome Bonaparte was elected president of the Republic, he resolutely pressed on Jerome Bonaparte, He believed that with the connections of the Bonaparte family, as long as Bonaparte did not make a decisive mistake, it would be very smooth.

Of course, what really decided Dicko to become a minister was the resignation incident in October last year. After Jerome Bonaparte resolutely dismissed members of Odilon Barrot’s cabinet, Jerome suffered from the lack of a qualified navy minister. Mr. Bonaparte began to look for a candidate to replace the Admiralty from within Bonaparte. Mr. Dicko's shipowner status was selected by Jerome Bonaparte. Originally used as a transitional period, he also rose to the top. Secretary of the Navy.

"Haven't you complained that the Secretary of the Navy I chose for you is not someone in your system?" Jerome Bonaparte and the Secretary of State for the Navy sat on the navy blue cushioned sofa with great interest inquired.

The Secretary of State smiled and did not speak. Seeing this, Jerome Bonaparte encouraged: "Don't worry! I will not tell your ministers, nor will I trouble you! I just want to know!"

Then he swore an oath: "I pledge it in the name of the Bonaparte family!"

At the end of the aristocracy of the 19th century, it was also a harsh oath to use the name of the family as a guarantee, especially for a family as "prestigious" (not in the eyes of the royal family) as the Bonaparte family.

"Actually... there is nothing that can't be said!" After hesitating for a moment, the Secretary of State reorganized the language and said: "When you gave the order to make Minister Dicko the leader of our navy, we did have some doubts in our hearts. Some people Think the Republic has abandoned the Navy and some jobs are starting to stall!

When the minister took office, he set an example and asked us to keep pace with his work, and the entire department ran at a high speed under his leadership, even the previous minister was not as resolute as he was. "

"Are you tired?" Jerome Bonaparte then asked.

The Secretary of State nodded and replied, "I did feel very tired at first, but after a long time, I can gradually strengthen the pace of the minister."

Immediately after a pause, the Secretary of State looked at Jerome Bonaparte earnestly and said: "The Minister told us before he took office that France should not only build a world-class army, but also build a parallel with the army. Only in this way can we ensure the interests of France and maintain the peace of the French region, this is our mission!"

"That's right!" Jerome Bonaparte couldn't help but rely a little more on Dicko: "We must form a globalized navy, so as to be more conducive to France to safeguard our own interests! The reason why I came here today!"

Just as Jerome Bonaparte spoke in a low voice, there was movement from the desk of the Minister's Office. Jerome Bonaparte and the Secretary of State simultaneously lowered their gazes to the desk of the Minister's Office.

At this time, Dicko was waking up from the haze, he yawned and stretched.

When he got up from his chair, he suddenly realized that the people sitting on the sofa were not the president and his secretary of state.

"President!!!" Minister Dicko looked at the president who appeared in his office with his mouth open in surprise.

"Minister Dicko, good morning!" Jerome Bonaparte greeted Dicko with a kind expression.

Upon seeing this, Minister Dicko hurried to the side of Jerome Bonaparte: "When did you come here!"

Jerome Bonaparte took out his pocket watch and glanced at the time, it was already around 8:30.

"About half an hour ago!"

"Why didn't you wake me up when your Excellency the President came in?" Dicko's tough face showed a hint of sullenness. He angrily scolded the Secretary of State with a slap in the face, but did not elect Jerome Bonaparte as an outsider. .

"I didn't let him wake you up!" Jerome Bonaparte hurriedly cleared the siege when he saw this. He patted Dicko on the shoulder and said earnestly: "Minister Dicko, the matters of the Admiralty are indeed important, but the health It's also very important!"

"Your Excellency, I'm fine!" Dicko's slightly puffy face showed a flattering expression.

"Minister Dicko, you still have to serve the government for a long time! You can't be sloppy about your health!" Jerome Bonaparte "scolded" Dicko with a stern face.

"I see!" Dicko understands that this is the president's concern for him, and ordinary people would not have such concern at all.

"Minister Dicko, there is still a long way to go, don't be in a hurry!" Jerome Bonaparte softened his tone.

"Yes!" Minister Dicko resolutely admitted his "mistake", and then turned the conversation and asked: "Your Excellency, why didn't you notify the Admiralty in advance, so that we can be prepared!"

"If I had notified in advance, I'm afraid I wouldn't have seen this scene!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Dicko in a teasing tone.

Upon seeing this, the Secretary of State also left the Office of the Secretary of the Navy with interest.

After all, the president is here to meet the minister, who is just a secretary of state.

After the Secretary of State left, Jérôme Bonaparte invited Dick to sit down and asked, "How does it feel to be a minister? Did you encounter any difficulties?"

"Your Excellency, the Admiralty is of one mind. We have followed the President's orders without encountering any difficulties!" Minister Dicko immediately expressed his position to Jerome Bonaparte.

"I know!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded.

After the two chatted for a while, Jerome Bonaparte gradually extended the topic to the construction of the navy and the **** of warships.

"If we have an army of 100,000 people logging in in the Near East, can the naval **** formation support it as soon as possible!" Jerome Bonaparte asked Minister Dicko what he thought about supplies in the Near East.

"Mr. President, my point of view is that the navy is completely possible to complete the **** mission, and I have confidence in our fleet!" Dicko first expressed his unswerving position, and then revealed his hidden worries: "In terms of supplies, the navy has I am afraid it will be difficult for the ships to complete this operation!"

"How much additional budget do I need?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Dicko directly.

"It's not about the budget!" Dicko said to Jérôme Bonaparte after thinking for a few seconds: "I personally think that too many transport ships produced by the navy may cause the transport ships to be unable to handle in the later period of the war, and we should appropriately allocate it to the private sector. Transport! At this point, I think the Admiralty should have an agency that can coordinate with civilian ships!"

In order to prevent Jerome Bonaparte's suspicions, Dicko tried to speak very euphemistically.

"You mean to coordinate and mobilize civilian ships to complete the supply task during the war?" Jerome Bonaparte said to Minister Dicko.

"That's right!" Dick nodded and explained to Jerome Bonaparte: "This can save unnecessary expenses and boost the French economy."

"This question, you try to do it first! If you have any questions, you can report it to me at any time!" Jerome Bonaparte continued to Dicko: "Any questions?"

"We don't have enough iron for our ships..." Minister Dicko made a request to Jérôme Bonaparte.

"Iron?" Jerome Bonaparte suddenly remembered that the reason why he came here was not to understand the ironclad problem: "By the way, I heard that you have already studied a new type of warship! I don't know, Is the news true?"

Minister Dicko showed a surprised look, as if to say how did you know, President, he nodded and acknowledged what Jérôme Bonaparte said: "That's right! We plan to build a fleet of iron sheets in batches. , This kind of fleet can effectively defend the enemy's coastal defense artillery, and at the same time, it can also effectively defend in close combat."

With that said, Minister Dicko put a stack of documents in the office on Jerome Bonaparte's face, with a proud expression on his face: "This is our latest fleet blueprint!"

Jerome Bonaparte picked up the first sheet of the document and watched it. A large number of Latin numerals were marked on the drawing, and the lower right corner of each numeral had the corresponding name written in French.

In terms of style, it should be a kind of small gunboat.

Jerome Bonaparte pointed to the gunboat pattern on the blueprint and asked Dicko: "Have the things on the blueprint been tested?"

"Not yet..." Minister Dicko replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Not tested... Not tested..." Jerome Bonaparte muttered in a low voice as he flipped through the information.

Minister Dicko looked at Jérôme Bonaparte nervously, for fear that the President would accidentally reject what he had worked so hard to find out.

When Jerome Bonaparte looked at the gun emplacements of the gunboat. Jerome Bonaparte suddenly discovered that even this ironclad ship, which was at the forefront of the times, was still a semi-finished product. She still used a full-pass artillery deck in the first half of the 19th century. This greatly reduces the combat effectiveness of the ironclad.

Jerome Bonaparte, a half ironclad enthusiast, pointed to the main guns on both sides on the blueprint and suggested to Dicko: "Mr. Minister, you can make certain adjustments to the positions of the main guns and move them around. To the center of the battleship! In this way, we can strengthen the defense of the fleet as much as possible and improve the survivability of our fleet."

The method used by Jérôme Bonaparte was the central battery method later used by the British designer Edward Reed.

Minister Dick seems to be moved, increasing the survival rate of the fleet is indeed an attractive option, but he still has some concerns: "This may cost our firepower!"

"Firepower doesn't depend on the number of naval guns!" Jerome Friction explained to Dicko: "Besides, every outstanding naval personnel is an indispensable resource. I would rather sacrifice some firepower to improve their return. The possibility of home!"

Ten years of army, one hundred years of navy, every marine power needs a lot of accumulation.

There is no ship that can be rebuilt, and the crew may collapse without inheritance.

Jerome Bonaparte, who has experienced it once, understands too much the pain of having a boat and no one. In the case of the United States, the first industrial power in the later generations, with a large fleet, their artillery hit rate in the early stage is still terrible.

Without the help of Britain and their policies, America would never have become a true naval power in a short period of time.

Jérôme Bonaparte's "concern" for naval practitioners warmed Dicot's heart, and he believed that the president was indeed as willing to work hard for the construction of the French navy as he was.

"I have to work **** the choice of the steam engine! Every fleet must be the pride of France!" Jerome Bonaparte then ordered.

"Yes!" Minister Dicko responded.

"You have to take a step forward~www.NovelMTL.com~ After the successful experiment, a gunboat like this will need to be expanded! The main fleet of the French fleet can be replaced by this one!" Jerome Bonaparte continued Encourage the Admiralty: "Tell me if anything is missing..."

"Actually, there are still some small problems!" said Jerome Bonaparte, Minister of the 3G Section.

"What's the problem?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Dicko.

Dicko told Jerome Bonaparte about the lack of skilled workers in the state-built shipyard, and Jerome Bonaparte immediately said that a group of workers would be dispatched to work in the state-built shipyard.

"Yes, President!" Minister Dicko responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

After encouraging Minister Dicko, Jerome Bonaparte asked Minister Dicko: "Mr. Minister, I actually want to trouble you with something!"

"Please say it!" Minister Dicko said humbly, knowing that it was just the President's polite words.

Jerome Bonaparte told the situation of Marquis Allais to the Minister's Office, and told him all the naval affairs that Marquis Allais had talked about with him.