Flowers, Swords and France

Of course, Ciel could not know about the private meeting between Charlotte and Ezreal at this time. He would never have imagined that Charlotte would actually make such a major entrustment to her "brother" after a lot of entanglement and worries.

Because he was busy with his career all day long and didn't care much about Charlotte, he didn't notice the anxiety and sorrow that had accumulated in Charlotte's heart during these days, and he had no time to notice it.

How long can the temporary stability obtained by reluctantly concealing and deceiving last?

He didn't understand, maybe even deliberately didn't want to.

At this moment, Charles was still dedicating all his energy to carrying out vital conspiracy activities with his accomplices. For this event, he has staked all his bets, including his future, so there is absolutely no room for failure.

After entering the War Department for several months, Charles finally felt that he had touched the mottled veins of the surface of this giant tree under the dim sky. In order to unlock this old skin and see its core hidden within, he recruited General Saint-Arnaud as a woodcutter to assist him in this work.

And the 'friend' he discovered in the War Department, Viscount Alex de Lautrec, pointed out a pattern for cutting the trunk of the tree.

There is no doubt that when the sword slowly cuts along these lines, the hope of glory and power will eventually fall into the hands of him and his comrades...

"Mr. Minister, how did your conversation with Mr. Castlelare go?"

In the gloomy candlelight in the office of the Secretary of War, Charles looked at the Secretary of War whom he had recommended.

"Oh. The conversation went more smoothly than expected." General Saint-Arnaud shrugged exaggeratedly. "I originally thought that man would at least hesitate for a moment. Unexpectedly, he was even more impatient than me! As soon as I told him I agreed to his suggestion, and he immediately agreed to work for the president. He was even more anxious than me! I see, this guy has been thinking about finding an opportunity to climb up again, and he encountered such a rare opportunity. , Naturally, I don’t want to let it go at all.”

"This is not too surprising." Charles smiled, "If he can really do it, it doesn't matter if we fulfill his wish."

"Of course, that's what I asked for!" the general replied immediately. "I feel relieved when he says that."

Mr. Louis-Casslair is Viscount Lautrec's immediate boss and the director of the Investigation Division of the Personnel Department. He recently passed his subordinates. He expressed to the Minister his intention to surrender and contribute to the cause of President Louis Bonaparte.

And he only had one condition - that is, the minister should exclude his other colleagues at the same level and let him replace his boss. Under the original circumstances, his boss, General Vero, director of the Personnel Department, would not retire in two or three years, and he was not at the forefront of the succession competition. Therefore, in order to get the coveted position of director, he must find some other way to achieve his goal in a curved way.

Wanting to do whatever it takes to get promoted is a very common reason, but it is convincing enough.

In fact, Charles and the general like this kind of person. Because if you are ambitious, you will have a goal. If you have a goal, you will be easy to bribe. Those who have no desires or desires will be troublesome.

"Then how are you going to deal with General Willow? That old guy is not a good person." Charles thought of a question. "I tried to contact him before, but he didn't respond to me at all."

to be honest. If the general himself was willing to cooperate, Charles and the minister would not have to go to such great lengths to find a successor for him. The general seemed to have no interest in politics at all and was unwilling to get involved in partisan struggles. All I want is a peaceful transition into retirement.

"We have to be tough for such a tough guy. My friend, you are good at everything, but sometimes you are too gentle. Those of us who have been shot will not be like this. Look at what I plan... I I will tell him that I am grateful for his many years of service to the country, but that he needs a rest now , time is passing, and generations need to be replaced." General Saint Arnaud said his plan without mercy, "Of course, if he cooperates enough, I can give him a medal and a generous salary. Annuity. If he has other requirements, I can satisfy them appropriately..."

"If he doesn't cooperate..." Ciel looked at the other person tentatively.

"Then I will let him understand that General Saint-Arnaud is never easy to mess with!" The minister raised his right hand and clenched it tightly into a fist. "Then I will force him to retire. He is here After working in the ministry for so many years, can't I find any mistakes? "I don't believe it."

"That's it!" Infected by the general's firm attitude, Charles couldn't help but nod in approval, "As long as you have this determination, even if he doesn't make any mistakes, we can still find out for him!"

"Now you should believe that I am indeed a very suitable candidate?" The minister smiled teasingly at Charles, "I hope I haven't disappointed you yet."

"Of course not." Charles stood up, and then bowed to the other party, "Sir, I can confirm that recommending you to the president is one of my most correct decisions."

This is true.

Ciel was very satisfied with the minister's performance, and any remaining worries disappeared with his recent tough yet tactful performance.

It seems that history has given him the right guidance.

Next, the two people discussed how to cooperate with each other, and then Charles left the minister's office leisurely.

When he returned to his office, his secretary suddenly told him that someone had just come to see him.

This seeker turned out to be Mr. de Treveau, the director in charge of armaments and weapons management.

Charles was slightly surprised, and calmly sorted out the remaining documents he had to deal with, and then asked his secretary to call him in.

Whatever he wanted to say, he didn't care now.

The director came in quickly.

Then, what Ciel didn't expect was. As soon as he entered, he bowed deeply to Charles.

"Mr. de Treville, I have good news for you."

"Oh? What's the good news? Mr. de Trival?" Charles looked at the other party curiously.

"We now have some idea of ​​what you discussed with us, sir," replied Mr. de Triveau.

His shriveled and wrinkled face was now full of smiles, but this forced smile made people feel uncomfortable no matter how they looked at it.

Ciel was still looking at him, waiting for his explanation.

"After careful consideration of the issues regarding the use of army weapons that you mentioned before, we feel that for the further development of army equipment, we should consider introducing excellent external ordnance..." With this ugly smile, De - Mr. Trevor continued in a respectful tone, "Although there was a lot of resistance. But at my insistence, everyone has decided to try out the new gun you mentioned before. If it does have excellent performance, I think, We can include it in the next army equipment procurement scope... until it is finally deployed on a large scale."

His tone was very impassioned, as if he was clearly saying, "As long as you want it, no matter what happens to this gun, we will find a way to get it in."

Such a drastic change in attitude surprised Ciel.

"Didn't you object to this before?"

"I didn't fully understand what you said before, but later we understood how hard you have worked for the development of the country and the army." The other party's answer was very direct. There was no trace of embarrassment, it was as if he was telling the truth, "We believe that this kind of painstaking effort is very valuable. It cannot be easily attacked."

"Oh, that's right!"

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

The reason that prompted them to change their minds so quickly was certainly not because they felt Ciel's painstaking efforts. But now I am frightened by the unexpected situation, that's all.

After a while. M. de Trival raised his head and looked at Charles.

"Sir, if you think the conditions permit, we can arrange personnel to conduct experiments in the next few days." Although he seemed calm, there was an unnoticeable anxiety and tension in his eyes, "Look..."

As if echoing the anxiety he felt at this moment, Ciel smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad that you can understand my painstaking efforts, sir. Let's get it done as soon as possible. But if you are pressed for time, we can postpone it for a while... I still have many important things to do now, so I won't let this matter go for now. No rush.”

"No, no need to delay! We have time now, and we can start the process immediately. After all, it is a matter that is beneficial to the country, so it should not be delayed..." Mr. de Triveau quickly agreed. "Don't worry, these matters are our specialty. We can handle them according to the procedures ourselves and won't waste much of your time..."

Then, he looked at Charles carefully, "Sir, if that's the case...then you won't take it to heart? I'm sorry, before...our attitude may have been a bit harsh before, but that's not ours. I mean, we admire you as a politician who is passionate about the country.”

"No, of course not. How could I care about such a trivial matter...?" Charles shook his head and said that he would not care about the previous quarrel. "By the way, the Marquis de Trevaux told you Have you ever experienced that?"

Then, Ciel made a gesture with his thumb, index finger, and middle finger together to represent a kickback.

"That thing...that thing was just a joke made by my cousin. You must not take it seriously!" De Trivo shook his head hurriedly, "You misunderstood us. When we were arguing with you, we started from the beginning. We only serve the interests of the country and the army, and have never thought of seeking personal gain... It is precisely because of this that we changed our minds..."

"No, that's not what I meant. What I want to say is..." Charles waved his hand, and then deliberately lowered his voice, "That matter is still valid, and I can meet your needs according to the number originally promised."

"Sir?" De Triveau looked at Charles in surprise, not knowing what he meant.

Ciel was still smiling, "I have said many times, I come here to work, I hope to make friends with everyone, not to make grudges."

After hearing this answer, De Trivo was stunned for a moment, and then he kept looking at Charles, trying to see his true meaning from his face.

But Ciel's friendly smile remained unchanged.

"Sir, don't worry, we will definitely take care of it for you!" As if he sensed Charles' sincerity, De Trivoux beamed with joy, "It's my honor to be your friend!"

"Oh, it's my honor as well."

Charles also smiled and answered.

Then, he stretched out his hand and shook it with the other party.

Either don't do it, or do it to the end. Since he has made up his mind before, he will get rid of the other party no matter what this person does next. Now he is just temporarily stabilizing the other party just to make his plan go smoothly. When the matter is completed... he will never let him go, and he and his people must be wiped out.

Looking at his back as he left, Charles thought calmly. (To be continued...)

ps: ... Recently, due to work problems, the update is not very stable, which is helpless...

Try to write more on weekends...

Also, thank Qingkong and Ashui for the reward~~