Make France Great Again
Chapter 211 Bonaparte’s Precious Item

Prince Monfort vividly recounted to Jerome Bonaparte his "heroic deeds" during the First Empire, as if the era was just over 30 years ago and Jerome Bonaparte didn’t know his unreliable father’s nature, the "heroic deeds" in Prince Monfort’s mouth might have become reality.

Despite most of these so-called heroic deeds being concocted by Prince Monfort himself, Jerome Bonaparte also dared not contradict his overly indulgent father.

Old people love to boast, and Jerome Bonaparte couldn’t possibly deprive his father of the joy of bragging.

"Mmh, mhm, aha!" Jerome Bonaparte could only perfunctorily respond in his usual manner, occasionally nodding in agreement with Prince Monfort.

Getting more enthusiastic as he spoke, Prince Monfort even openly "rebuked" Jerome Bonaparte: "My son, you should trust your family more! Outsiders will always be outsiders; they might be tempted to betray you! Your family will never betray you!"

Prince Monfort’s words carried a hint of complaint, and Jerome Bonaparte admitted that his regard for the Bonaparte Clan’s members was far less than that of his historical cousin.

During his cousin’s term as President of France, some Bonaparte clan members held high positions and sought wealth through power, while others were layabouts, and his cousin won the allegiance of other Bonaparte clan members through generosity.

But now, as President of France, most Bonaparte clan members gained no benefits; instead, facing Jerome Bonaparte’s rebukes for incompetence, some collateral members trying to gain wealth and parliament seats through him were even kicked out of France, and the entire Bonaparte clan’s support for Jerome Bonaparte was far less than for his cousin.

Nonetheless, every coin has two sides; while there are drawbacks, there are also benefits. Under Jerome Bonaparte’s "guidance," every Bonaparte clan member is advancing towards a 996 and 007 work ethic, and some negative news about the Bonaparte clan is also gradually decreasing.

"Father!" Jerome Bonaparte collected his smile, put on a forbidding look, and coldly said, "What do you think I should do to make them satisfied?"

"Of course, give your family more trust, and let them be more involved in your affairs!" Hearing the shift in Jerome Bonaparte’s emotion, Prince Monfort’s attitude also turned pleading.

"Hmph!" Jerome Bonaparte sneered and spoke sternly, "I have already given them opportunities, but what about them? How did they pay me back? I merely assigned them simple tasks, yet they made excuses, and worse, they caused big troubles for me to clean up!

Father, how can I confidently employ such a family member! If they had even half of Mornay’s talent, I wouldn’t need to employ some so-called ’outsiders’ from your perspective!

What have those so-called family members actually contributed to the Bonaparte family? I only asked them to contribute a portion of the family funds back then, yet they hesitated and were unwilling!"

Regarding those layabouts, Jerome Bonaparte would certainly not show any courtesy.

Jerome Bonaparte’s storm-like reprimand left Prince Monfort stunned and unable to rebut.

"But... but they are your brothers after all!" Prince Monfort quietly retorted to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Those so-called brothers merely treat the family’s honor as a chip to be discarded at any time; their dedication to the family affairs doesn’t even compare to that of those who are loyal to us outsiders! A person who doesn’t value the family’s honor naturally won’t be valued by the family!" Jerome Bonaparte declared resolutely, "As the leader of the Bonaparte family, I will never allow someone who enjoys the benefits brought by the family without contributing to emerge!"

"You’re right!" The authoritarian Jerome Bonaparte forced Prince Monfort to agree with his viewpoint.

On one side was his own son, and on the other were distant relatives begging for favors.

Monfort understood which side he should stand on.

"What about me? My child, I have always supported your cause!" Prince Monfort decided to shift his goal from seeking benefits for the Bonaparte family to seeking benefits for himself.

"Father? What more do you want?" Jerome Bonaparte said calmly, "I have already agreed for my elder brother and nephew to enter France, and your Marshal’s Staff will be awarded soon. What else are you dissatisfied with!"

"My dear son! I know you want to establish an army of your own, to become your capable assistant and achieve great things for the Bonaparte family!" Prince Monfort subtly hinted to Jerome Bonaparte.

"That’s right!" An unnatural expression flashed across Jerome Bonaparte’s face.

Could my overly indulgent father be thinking... that would be absolutely terrible!

As Jerome Bonaparte speculated if his overly indulgent father was hinting, Prince Monfort’s next words directly confirmed his suspicion.

"I believe I can help you with this matter!" Prince Monfort’s voice carried a note of solemnity, as if every word was carefully deliberated before leaving his mouth.

"How are you going to help me?" Jerome Bonaparte’s mouth twitched slightly, having already guessed what his father was going to say next.

"I can help you command this army!" Prince Monfort made no effort to hide his "ambition" to lead the army.

"Father, you currently don’t hold any military rank!" Jerome Bonaparte gently refused his father’s wish to command the army.

Not everyone is a military genius like Emperor Napoleon.

Even Jerome Bonaparte himself, who understands future warfare models, still needs the assistance of the General Staff. Letting his wayward father command the army would be a nightmare for the French Army.

"Didn’t you say you would help me get the Marshal’s Staff?" Prince Monfort showed a cunning smile.

"Don’t tell me that your aim to become a Marshal of France is just to better command the army!" Jerome Bonaparte said with a frown.

"That’s just one reason!" Prince Monfort fervently analyzed: "I am a Marshal of France; please hand over the command to me. No one would say anything; the military can’t object, as I am the oldest general in the army. Politicians have nothing to say, for I am your father; it’s simple. The Assembly won’t have anything to say; it’s within your power! The soldiers will cheer, ’I am called Napoleon; please trust me’! Your appointed Changarnier is just an ungrateful wolf; replacing him with me would be the best choice!"

If he didn’t consider his father’s character, his suggestion could indeed be considered, but his father’s character doomed him to not be a strict Commander-in-Chief. A commander without a firm stance couldn’t help him complete the coup.

Jerome Bonaparte didn’t want, when the coup was near, his father to abandon his post and flee like he did back in Westphalia.

The coup itself is a risky venture. He couldn’t dare bet his future on the premise that his father wouldn’t run away early.

"No! I can’t give you command of the army!" Jerome Bonaparte resolutely rejected his father’s unrealistic idea: "The son holding the government, and the father holding the military is the greatest challenge to the Assembly. At this time, I cannot overly provoke the Assembly’s bottom line."

"The Assembly won’t interfere too much with the army!" Prince Monfort argued with Jerome Bonaparte.

"Father, we can’t excessively provoke the Assembly! Otherwise, Changarnier is very likely to join forces with the Assembly! Then, our situation will be very difficult!" Jerome Bonaparte decided to exaggerate the threat of Changarnier collaborating with the Legislative Assembly.

No one knows Prince Monfort better than he does. His father is essentially a person with weak willpower, who subconsciously chooses to retreat at the first sign of trouble.

As expected by Jerome Bonaparte, Prince Monfort, upon hearing that Changarnier might cooperate with the Legislative Assembly against them, instinctively complained that Jerome Bonaparte shouldn’t have rashly appointed Changarnier as the Commander-in-Chief of Seine Province.

Jerome Bonaparte smiled slightly and didn’t argue with Prince Monfort, understanding that his father was opting to retreat once again.

"In that case, I can only wait for the opportunity!" Prince Monfort sighed with regret, then reminded Jerome Bonaparte to ensure the Marshal rank was executed.

"I’ll definitely urge the Minister of War soon!" Jerome Bonaparte casually replied.

"Then I won’t disturb you!" Prince Monfort stood and said to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Let me see you off!" Jerome Bonaparte, relieved to be rid of Prince Monfort’s pestering, stood and escorted his father to the door.

"Mr. Percy, the study room door is open!" Wardley on the ground floor quickly reminded Percy upon seeing it.

Percy looked up and saw Jerome Bonaparte and Prince Monfort walk out of the study: "Understood!"

After Jerome Bonaparte saw Prince Monfort off in the carriage returning to the Elysee Palace, Percy approached Jerome Bonaparte with the Marshal promotion list in hand.

"Only one?" Jerome Bonaparte pointed to Prince Monfort’s name on the Marshal list.

"Yes, Your Majesty, only one!" Percy replied respectfully.

"Alright! Have Minister Renio start preparations for Prince Monfort’s promotion ceremony! By the way, do we have any newspapers from London?"

Having dealt with his father’s "mess", Jerome Bonaparte had no mood for an outing and decided to see what the London "counterparts" had to say.

In matters concerning France, Britain has always been far ahead in Europe.

"I’ll go get them for you!" Percy responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"If my memory serves me correctly, the organization of foreign newspapers is handled by Director Mokar, right? Let him bring the newspapers over!" Jerome Bonaparte subtly hinted to Percy not to get too involved in the Elysee Palace.

"Yes!"

Percy’s face briefly showed a hint of disappointment, but it quickly dissipated.