Flowers, Swords and France

As the snow in the countryside and the city began to melt, the weather had reached the coldest time of the year. The winter wind howled throughout the city, causing this usually bustling city to fall into a kind of silence. ,

The sky was dark, as if it was going to snow again. Pedestrians wore heavy coats and walked quickly through the streets to avoid the pain of snow again.

And in this lonely city, a group of people in military uniforms walked through the streets, moving forward slowly. Unlike other pedestrians, their steps were very steady, and they had the uniformity brought by being accustomed to a disciplined life. They formed a small team, and even their steps were very synchronized. It didn't look like they were walking, but rather like they were being inspected.

What was even more unusual was that the faces of these soldiers were very young, and they all had the kind of passion that had not been worn away by the world.

And the leader was looking ahead with a sharp gaze. He looked a little older, close to 30 years old, and his skin was a little dark due to the sun and rain. His expression was very calm, even a little humble, but there was a kind of unquestionable firmness that was unique to officers. He was wearing a blue military coat like the soldiers behind him. The uniform made his figure look very straight and full of vigor. They all looked serious, as if they were participating in a long expedition.

In this way, in the cold winter wind, this group of people kept walking forward with the silence that was unique to soldiers, causing many pedestrians to stop and watch curiously, wondering what big thing had happened in the capital.

The footsteps of this group of soldiers. They slowed down until they came to St. Michael Square where the Ministry of Railways was located.

Then. In the curious face of the gatekeeper, the leading officer walked in front of the gatekeeper. Then he greeted him kindly. "Hello, I am Major Lucien Leflair. I am here today to await your orders."

……………………

In the lobby of the office building of the Ministry of Railways, the current Minister of Railways, Count Dillion, looked at the group of soldiers standing respectfully in front of him with a smile.

Because the matter was of great importance, many officials of the Ministry of Railways also stood beside him to welcome the group of people.

Many of these people already knew one thing - that is, Major Lucien Leflair, who led the team today, was the son-in-law of the Count.

Because of this. They couldn't help but look at the group of soldiers with a little more affection.

"Major Leflair, you are here earlier than we thought." The Count came forward as soon as he saw them, and then shook Lucien's hand, "I hope we can leave a good impression on you."

"Mr. Minister, I am very grateful for your reception." Lucien was not joking with his father-in-law. He first stood at attention and saluted the Count, and then shook the Count's hand respectfully, "Please send me as you would treat ordinary employees. I am very honored to come to your department to learn."

While shaking his father-in-law's hand, he calmly looked at the office building of the Ministry of Railways, which is famous for its luxury.

Although the sky outside was gloomy, the crystal chandeliers hanging in the lobby and the golden wall lamps made the lights brilliant. It was as bright as day. In the middle of the wall hung a large national flag, and on the side walls hung various maps, as well as railway layout operation diagrams and branch organization tables of various regions. Just walk around the wall, and you can almost see the basic situation of the ministry at a glance. Even the floor was made of high-grade stone. There was a thick red carpet on it.

Although these arrangements were a bit tacky, they undoubtedly showed sufficient financial resources. It was a bit like a high-end hotel rather than a government department.

It really lived up to its reputation. How much money had been spent on just one lobby! Lucien thought to himself.

What he didn't know was that this fancy arrangement was carefully arranged by Charles when he was still working in the Ministry of Railways. The purpose was to let every employee know how powerful their department was and to let every visitor know that this department was rich and powerful.

In this luxurious environment, under the gaze of his father-in-law and a large group of officials from the Ministry of Railways, Lucien suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, and his usually straight waist was also a little loose.

To be honest, in his heart, being in a simple military camp and commanding hundreds of his men was much more comfortable than being in such a high-end house and being scrutinized by a group of middle-aged officials.

He was not the only one who thought so. The group of young people behind him were also very uncomfortable and seemed to be even more at a loss than him.

These young officers who had just graduated from the military academy and whose faces were still very immature did not know how brilliant their future would be, so they were just secretly distressed about getting a hard job that could not be refused.

The battlefield full of glory and fire, the wilderness and even the desert full of danger that they had imagined were suddenly replaced by this completely unfamiliar environment. In this environment, the tactics and military skills they had learned before seemed to be completely useless. This gap between ideal and reality made almost everyone deeply doubt whether they had come to the wrong place.

It only took a moment for the sophisticated Count Dilion to see through the minds of these young people, but he did not tell the truth. He just shook Lucien's hand again, "Lucien, it seems that your subordinates are a little tired. "You must have traveled a lot, why don't you take a rest first?"

This implicit reminder made Lucien suddenly wake up from the feeling of discomfort when he first arrived, and he completely remembered how important the task that Charles wanted him to undertake.

"No, we are all soldiers and we don't need excessive rest. You don't have to worry."

While answering the minister, he turned back and looked at his subordinates with stern eyes.

Under his gaze, these non-commissioned officers quickly lost their previous relaxed mood and once again returned to their proper demeanor as soldiers.

"Oh? Are we required to arrange work when we first arrive? This really puts us in a bit of a dilemma..." The minister sighed with regret, then waved his hand and summoned his secretary, "The things that were entrusted to those people, they Has it been done?"

"The Railway Bureau and the Telegraph Bureau have already informed you in advance, Your Excellency." The secretary replied respectfully, "They have allocated special manpower and are ready to receive and train students at any time."

"Very good." After hearing the secretary's reply, Count Dilion nodded with satisfaction, and then looked at Lucien again, "Lucien, if you insist, then we will start now. We treat you here It is completely open and you can study in it at will... I wish you all the best."

"Thank you, Your Excellency." Lucien quickly bowed to the minister.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Well, I still have some things to do here, so see you first." The minister nodded, then pointed to his secretary, "He will be responsible for your reception. If you have any questions, just tell him directly. "

After saying that, he left the hall and returned to his other schedules. The other officials also dispersed, and the hall suddenly fell into silence again.

And just when the secretary was about to take these people to their respective departments, Lucien suddenly whispered a few words to the secretary, and then left knowingly.

Lucien took this opportunity to give a final lecture to his subordinates.

"Listen, maybe you still can't believe what a great opportunity you have got." He walked in front of this group of respectful young people and glanced at them one by one. His stern eyes made everyone afraid to interact with them. Looking at each other, "But, I can tell you that I have been ordered to have full authority to deal with you, and I will use the general The standards within the team strictly require you. If you slack off in your next work, it will be equivalent to dereliction of duty on the battlefield. I will observe the performance of each of you impartially. If you have any Anyone who thinks they can be lazy will mean the end of their entire future!"

"I understand!" Everyone hurriedly stood at attention.

"Just understand." Lucien nodded, and then warned again, "Although the Minister just said that everything is open to us, whether you can learn something or not depends on you. I hope you can put aside that This senseless frustration, complete the task seriously, master Master the knowledge and skills you should master, and only in this way can you be entrusted with important tasks in the future - yes, I want to tell you, as long as you can perform to my satisfaction, you will be able to be better than your classmates in the future. The future is bright, I will never lie!”

His words aroused a lot of suspicious looks, but he didn't want to explain more.

"In addition, I want to tell you something special. In an emergency, as a precaution, you will get an order," Lucien said unhurriedly with a solemn expression. "After receiving the order, You will have to take over the operation of the railroad and telegraph systems."

Even with strict restrictions, these words caused a huge commotion among this group of young non-commissioned officers.

"Sir...doesn't this...doesn't it mean..." A young non-commissioned officer seemed to have noticed the meaning behind this order, so he looked at Lucien rather uneasily, "Doesn't this mean a military takeover?"

It took a lot of effort for him to swallow the word "military coup" in his mouth.

"If you think so, then yes." After a moment of silence, Lucien replied. "So, you must step up and master this knowledge so as not to be in a hurry when things come to a close. Do you understand?!" (To be continued...)