Joseph escorted Fanny back home, and the old Marquis couldn't help but wonder why they had returned so early.
Then Joseph informed them that he would leave Paris the next day and go back to Toulon temporarily.
"Oh? Monsieur Bonaparte, why go to the countryside like Toulon? Paris isn't what it used to be," the old Marquis exclaimed in surprise.
Joseph was well aware that regional prejudice was a universal phenomenon, present throughout the world and throughout history. Just as in the future, the citizens of the imperial capital of East Big Eat Nation saw all other regions as "backwater," and for the city dwellers of all great cities, every other place was considered the countryside. To most Parisians, except Paris itself, everywhere else in France, whether Lyon or Marseille, was both "backwater" and the countryside. The common people there were all country bumpkins, and even the nobility was no exception. A viscount living in Paris was considered nobler than a count living in the provinces. Some people would rather die of poverty in Paris than go to the "provincial countryside."
"It's work-related. After all, I am still a soldier," Joseph replied.
"Ah, there's no helping it then," the old Marquis sighed. "I wonder when peace will come. So, do you plan to come back to Paris often?"
"Yes, I will come to Paris regularly," Joseph replied, casting a glance at Fanny.
"That's good. Young people always want to venture out. It's nice that you remember to come back, unlike that scoundrel, Armand, who only writes letters but never returns."
After a few more words, Joseph bid farewell and left. Fanny accompanied him to the door, and when Joseph saw there was no one around, he embraced Fanny and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"What are you doing? Father might see us..." Fanny blushed and weakly protested, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"Your voice is too low; your father won't hear," Joseph said, kissing her again. Fanny made feeble attempts to resist, but she couldn't use too much force. She wanted to say something but was silenced by his lips. She reluctantly allowed him to take some liberties.
After a while, they separated.
"It's your fault; my father could have seen us," Fanny said.
Joseph just smiled.
"Promise to write to me often and don't forget about me..."
"Mm..."
"And visit often..."
"All right."
"By the way, you mentioned some documents you wanted to give me?"
"Tomorrow morning, I'll send them over with someone. He's a well-connected person; if you have any difficult matters, you can seek his assistance."
Fanny sensed Joseph's hesitation when he mentioned this person and asked, "Who is he? Is he your friend?"
"Friend? No, he and I aren't friends; we're just partners. His name is Fouché, and he's quite powerful, even dangerous. But don't worry; his danger is related to politics and has nothing to do with you."
"But, isn't he a danger to you? How can you say it has nothing to do with me?"
"Ah, at least for now, he and we are on the same side, and his danger doesn't target me," Joseph said, reaching out to touch Fanny's cheek. "I'll give you things that aren't very important. Take your time; there's no rush. We won't need these things for quite a few years, at least in the short term."
"Mm..."
Joseph kissed Fanny again and then boarded the carriage.
Fanny watched the carriage disappear at the street corner, closed the door, and returned to the living room. She heard the old Marquis calling her, "Fanny, come over..."
Early the next morning, Joseph met up with Fouché as planned at his residence. Joseph handed a small bag to Fouché, and it felt quite heavy.
"Genuine 'Bonaparte Melons,' a total of twenty pieces," Joseph said. "Do you want to count them?"
"No need," Fouché replied.
"Alright, let's go visit Fanny together, so you can meet her. When I'm not in Paris, I'll need you to take care of many things," Joseph said.
The two of them got into a carriage and soon arrived at their destination. Joseph and Fouché both got out, and Joseph knocked on the door, which was promptly answered. Fanny appeared before Joseph.
With an outsider present, both Fanny and Joseph maintained the utmost politeness. Joseph introduced Fouché to Fanny and handed her a handbag, saying, "Take your time with this; there's no rush."
After a few more words, Joseph bid his farewell and left. However, he didn't leave Paris immediately; he first visited the War Department.
Inside the War Department, Carnot was troubled by the issue of military pay. France had conscripted nearly a million troops, resulting in substantial expenses. While Robespierre was still around, they managed to ensure the army's supplies, by any means necessary. Now, with the newly established Consulate, even that guarantee was becoming challenging. Although, on paper, they allocated several times more funds to the military, the disbursements were all in promissory notes.
Carnot had to make do, reallocating resources. The troops that weren't engaged in battle had to endure and the ones on less critical fronts had to be patient, with the priority given to the armies fighting in the north.
Even so, the military supply situation remained challenging.
Without military representatives, the quality of military supplies became uncontrollable, leading to widespread complaints among the soldiers. For instance, some bayonets produced in certain arsenals had skipped essential heat treatment processes to cut costs, and the materials used were subpar. Some bayonets could be bent by hand, but at least they could be straightened with a foot. Others, while not as easily bent, broke after just a few thrusts in training. However, some even had a positive side: they couldn't be bent at all, but during training, they broke so easily that one could assume they didn't need any maintenance.
Then there were muskets that exploded due to poor craftsmanship and "little melons" that exploded unpredictably due to fuse issues. Apart from General Jourdan's encounter with the one that exploded instantly, there were cases where "little melons" thrown from French positions to Austrian positions lay on the ground smoking but didn't detonate. They continued to emit smoke until French troops charged across and they exploded.
However, considering the technology behind items like "little melons" was no longer a well-kept secret, with so many knowledgeable people, sooner or later, the French would be the only ones using counterfeit and inferior products. That was a worrisome prospect.
So, when Joseph arrived, Carnot said, "Joseph, why are you still in Paris? You need to return to Toulon and establish a reliable weapons factory for me. At the very least, produce a batch of dependable 'little melons'! It's unbelievable! We need to act quickly, or the north might not hold much longer!"
"Is it that serious?" Joseph asked. "We have a much larger number of troops than they do."
"That's only on paper," Carnot replied. "Right now, we're short on funds, and we have even fewer troops we can use!"
"What's more, tell Napoleon that starting next month, his troops' pay will be reduced," Carnot added.
"Good Lord, how much are you cutting it by?" Joseph hurriedly asked.
"One-third of the current amount," Carnot said.
"Are you trying to starve our troops? Lazar, this tiny amount won't even feed a bird! With this little money, not to mention training, we won't even have enough for meals! Other armies might endure hardship, but we can't undermine the foundation of our own troops, can we?" Joseph argued.
"Other armies that are not on the front lines are being cut to a quarter of the previous amount or even lower," Carnot explained. "We're running out of money."
"Lazar, this will destroy our troops' morale. High morale is one of our army's most crucial advantages. If we lose that, a single nation like France won't be able to stand against almost all of Europe," Joseph said, frowning.
"You're right, you're right; you make a valid point. But I'm not God. I can't just say, 'Let there be money,' and suddenly we have money. Keeping one-third of the pay is the best I can do," Carnot said.
Joseph sighed and said, "Lazar, if that's the case, we'll have to figure it out ourselves. Remember, the army is an institution of force with weapons in hand. They aren't like regular people; they won't endure hunger quietly. If it comes to that, and we don't act appropriately, our troops might turn into marauders."
"That's absolutely unacceptable," Carnot said.
"Lazar, what if we launch an attack on Italy from the south?" Joseph suddenly suggested. "Even if the troops go mad, let them do so on someone else's territory."
"Do you want our army to become like Genghis Khan's nomads?" Carnot asked.
"No, no, we won't become nomads. We'll go to Italy to fight the oppressors and distribute the land," Joseph clarified.