Chapter 895 The conflict between the War Department and the General Staff
In this way, a vigorous military reform triggered by military plans began at the General Staff Headquarters and gradually expanded to the entire army.
The General Staff, the Ministry of War, the Governor-General of Algeria, and the major military regions have all been involved in this torrent of reforms initiated by Chief of General Staff Niel.
As Minister of War, Wayan immediately went to the General Staff after receiving the reform policy submitted by the General Staff.
General Wayan, who entered the General Staff Headquarters, angrily asked the staff officers who stayed behind at the General Staff Headquarters where their Chief of General Staff was now.
Looking at the unkind staff officer, he cautiously told Minister Vaillant that Chief Niel had led a group of new staff officers to the General Staff to inspect the Capital Military District (also known as the Seine Province Military District), which would probably take place in the afternoon.
to come back.
"Afternoon, right?" Minister Wayan snorted coldly, and said to the staff member without concealing his hostility: "When Niel comes back, tell him immediately! I, Minister of War Wayan, have something I want to talk to him about!
Ask him to come to the War Department as soon as possible after returning to the General Staff Headquarters!
have you understood?"
"I understand!" the staff officer responded to Wayang in a low voice. At this time, he did not dare to offend Minister Wayang.
"Okay! I'm going back first!" After Minister Wayan finished speaking, he left the General Staff Building without any delay.
At 5 o'clock in the afternoon that day, French Chief of General Staff Niet and a group of staff members from the General Staff Headquarters returned to the General Staff Headquarters.
The remaining general staff staff hurriedly ran to Chief of General Staff Niel and told Chief of General Staff Niel in detail about the arrival of Minister Vayan at the General Staff Headquarters.
"What was Minister Wayan's expression like at that time? Angry, dissatisfied, or..." Chief of General Staff Niel asked the staff member unhurriedly.
"Minister Wayan acted extremely angry after entering the General Staff Headquarters! When he spoke, his dissatisfaction with you was revealed in his words!" the staff member responded to Chief of General Staff Niel.
"Okay! I understand!" Chief of General Staff Nier patted the staff officer's shoulder and said kindly, "Thank you for blocking this time for me!"
"Your Excellency, Chief of the General Staff, Minister Wayan asked you to go to the Ministry of War immediately after returning to the General Staff Headquarters!" the staff officer continued to say to Niel.
Chief of General Staff Niel glanced at the "new generation" of staff officers following him. Each of them was an elite selected from the major military regions and entered the staff headquarters to study. They can be said to be the seed players of France.
However, at this moment, almost every staff officer had a look of fear and uneasiness on their face.
Niel knew that he could not go to the War Department immediately.
Otherwise, his prestige as the chief of general staff among the staff will plummet.
When that time comes, let alone promoting the reform of the entire army, even promoting the reform of the General Staff Headquarters will be a dream.
So, Niel responded to the staff with a relaxed look: "No rush! I still want to take them to have a meal!"
After that, Niel led his staff to the canteen for dinner.
Facing Niel, who showed no signs of panic, the new staff officers at the General Staff Headquarters also relaxed.
After the meal was over, it was already 6:30 in the morning, and Niel shook hands with the new staff officers one by one.
After bidding farewell to all the staff officers, Niel ordered the secretary of the General Staff to prepare a carriage for him, and he was going to the Ministry of War.
Soon, a carriage stopped in front of the General Staff Building, and Chief Niel rode the carriage towards the Ministry of War in the city center.
After half an hour of running around, the carriage stopped at the gate of the Ministry of War.
Niel got off the carriage and looked at the War Department in front of him, which was on the same floor as the General Staff. A dejected smile appeared on his lips. He knew that after entering the War Department, he would inevitably encounter "difficulties" from War Minister Vayan.
However, Niel would never change his mind about what he reported to Wayan because of Wayan's "making things difficult".
When Niel entered the gate of the Ministry of War, the two soldiers guarding the gate quickly saluted Niel, Chief of General Staff. Niel also returned the salute to the soldiers with a stern expression and asked in a low voice: "Minister Vaillant?"
Be inside!”
The soldier guarding the door of the Ministry of War also responded to Niel in a low voice: "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, Minister Wayan is still in the office!"
"I know! You've worked hard!" Niel nodded and encouraged him.
Immediately afterwards, Niel stepped into the door of the War Department.
When Niel entered the lobby on the first floor of the War Department, the clerks and directors walking on the first floor of the War Department...immediately turned their attention to Niel.
With a kind smile on Niel's face, he asked everyone present if anyone could take him to Minister Wayan's office.
After a while, the Secretary of State of the Ministry of War appeared in front of Niel.
The State Secretary first bowed to Jerome Bonaparte, and then responded to Jerome Bonaparte: "Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, please come with me!"
Under the leadership of the State Secretary, Niel came to the door of General Wayan's office.
"Dongdongdong!"
Accompanied by three dull knocks on the door, Minister Wayang's slightly hoarse voice came from the other end of the office, "Who?"
"Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff Niel has arrived!" the State Secretary solemnly said to Minister Vaillant in the room through the crack in the door.
After a moment of silence in the room, Minister Wayang's voice came out again, "The door is unlocked, Chief of Staff Niel, if you feel you have a clear conscience, then come in!"
After hearing the response in the room, the State Secretary, on behalf of Minister Wayan, showed an apologetic expression to General Niel and then bowed.
Niel shook his head, and then the State Secretary waved his hand.
The State Secretary turned to leave. Niel held the door handle, took a gentle breath, turned the door handle and entered the room.
At this moment, Minister Wayang in the room looked at Niel who entered the room expressionlessly, and said with a slightly sarcastic expression, "Chief of General Staff Niel, I didn't expect you to dare to come in!"
"Minister Wayang, I have a clear conscience, why don't I dare to come in?
Niel said to Minister Wa with a blank expression.
"What a person with a clear conscience!" Minister Wayan laughed angrily, clapped his hands and said to Niel in a mocking tone, "I don't understand how Chief Niel can have a clear conscience!"
"Minister Vaillant, are there any flaws in the military reform document I submitted to you?" Niel asked Minister Vaillant in return, "Is every sentence in it a defect that exists in our army?"
General Wayang's expression froze, and after a while, he replied: "The content pointed out in your document is indeed the shortcomings of our army today!"
"Then I have nothing to feel guilty about!" Niel said with a strong tone.
"But have you considered His Majesty!" Minister Wayan scolded Niel, "Not to mention other reform plans, let's take your talk of abolishing the cavalry force as an example. Do you know how many cavalry there are in our country?
?”
"86,000 people!" Niel replied without thinking.
"This is only the number of cavalry troops, not including those responsible for the logistics of the cavalry troops!
If all these are included, there are at least about 100,000 people.
You abolished half of the cavalry with a wave of your hand, and changed the functions of the remaining half of the cavalry!
If you go back and forth, our entire cavalry unit will probably be wasted in your hands!
It’s not like you don’t know what kind of people can join the cavalry force!
By doing this, aren't you causing trouble to His Majesty the Emperor?" Minister Wayan scolded Niel.
After Niel quietly listened to Minister Wayan's remarks, he smiled and said to Minister Wayan: "Minister Wayan, I would like to ask what is the role of the current cavalry force?"
"Of course it will be used as the main force for confrontation!" Wayang responded without thinking.
"Main force confrontation! Can our cavalry really be able to undertake such a difficult task? Take the Crimean War as an example. You should know something about the capabilities of the Cossack cavalry. However, in the Crimean War, the Cossack cavalry had nothing but
Apart from interfering with the army's supply lines, does it have any other functions?" Niel asked Minister Wayan again.
Minister Wayan recalled that in the post-war summary after the Crimean War, it was clearly stated that the role of the Cossack cavalry in normal warfare can be said to be better than nothing.
You must know that those Cossack cavalry were called the White God of Death during the Napoleonic Wars.
However, on the Crimean battlefield, the Miner rifle used actual actions to completely let those white gods of death know how terrifying it was.
"The failure of the Cossack cavalry does not mean the failure of the French cavalry!" Minister Vaillant tried to argue.
"Let's do this! Minister Vayan, you take out the hardest armor of the cavalry, and I'll shoot it with a Mauser rifle!"
We just need to see the final result!" Niel decided to use the most intuitive example to determine success or failure.
"Okay!" Minister Wayan nodded and said to Niel, and then secretly made up his mind to prepare a set of breastplates that could not be penetrated by Mauser rifles, so that he would have reason to veto Niel's "kill"
Cavalry Thoughts.
(In fact, regardless of whether the Mauser rifle penetrated it or not, Minister Wayan lost!)
Immediately afterwards, Minister Vaillant asked Niel why he wanted to change the existing tactical system. The cluster tactical system currently used by France was obtained after the Crimean War.
Niel told Minister Vaillant that because of the emergence of Mauser rifles, they had to change their existing tactical system.
Because the current tactical system they use is based on the premise of muzzle-loading guns.
The tactical system of breech-loaded guns with a faster rate of fire should no longer be a cluster system.
The French army should choose a tactical system that can perfectly utilize the characteristics of the breech-loading gun.
