I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 116: The Terrifying Administrative Efficiency

Inside the Police Academy training ground, a cadet quickly approached Joseph and the others to report the situation outside.

"Baron Bessonval?" Joseph raised an eyebrow upon hearing the name.

This was none other than the commander of the French Guards, the same man who, during the storming of the Bastille, not only failed to intervene but instead moved his troops to the Champ de Mars outside the city.

It would have been one thing if he had just stood by and watched, but he went further by sending a team of artillerymen to assist in bombarding the Bastille. His troops regularly resupplied at the Palais-Royal, indicating that he was likely aligned with the Orléans faction. It was no wonder Louis XVI struggled to maintain control over Paris with someone like him in charge.

Joseph had every intention of replacing Bessonval, but for now, he needed to keep the military aristocracy on his side, so he had held off on taking action.

However, since Bessonval had come knocking on his door, there was no need to be overly courteous.

…

A short while later, Frient came out to greet Bessonval, lifting his hat in a salute.

"You must be General Bessonval? A pleasure to meet you. My name is Frient, and I'm the Dean of the Paris Police Academy. How can I assist you?"

Bessonval sat upright on his horse, nodding slightly as he pointed his riding crop towards the training ground. "Why do I hear cannon fire coming from here?"

"Cannon fire?" Following the Police Academy's "Secrecy Protocol," Frient smiled politely and said, "Ah, we're holding a ceremony to mark the completion of an examination. The cannon fire is part of the celebration."

Bessonval blinked, unimpressed. "I'm asking why there are cannons in a Police Academy training ground!"

"General, there's no law prohibiting a police academy from having cannons, is there?" Frient responded confidently.

Bessonval paused. That was true—after all, police academies were a new concept, so there were no existing laws covering such specifics.

He frowned. "Why did you purchase cannons?"

"To maintain public order, of course," Frient replied matter-of-factly.

"You need cannons to maintain public order?" Bessonval's eyes narrowed.

Frient nodded. "General Bessonval, do you recall the barricades that rioters set up during the 'Flour War' a few years ago? Even the troops sent to suppress the unrest couldn't breach those barriers. We believe that if something similar happens in Paris again, cannons will be necessary to restore order."

"If a riot breaks out, it won't be up to the police to handle it," Bessonval sneered, "And speaking of riots, the mob besieged the High Court for days last month, and I didn't see any police daring to intervene."

Frient looked genuinely shocked. "General, those protesters were demanding justice for the heinous acts of Vézinet. Are you saying they should have been suppressed?"

"You…" Bessonval was at a loss for words. Public opinion had already branded Vézinet as the epitome of evil, and anyone who sided against the protesters was in for a public relations nightmare.

Glaring at Frient, Bessonval raised his hand haughtily. "Step aside. A person of importance will be visiting soon, and I must ensure this area's safety. I'm going in to inspect."

Frient didn't budge, smiling slightly. "I'm afraid that's not possible, General, unless you have orders from His Majesty or the police prefect."

Bessonval had never considered the police worthy of his attention. He glanced at his aides, signaling them with his eyes.

Several aides stepped forward to seize Frient, but before they could act, the sound of marching footsteps came from the direction of the training ground. Moments later, over thirty cadets jogged out in formation.

The leading cadet shouted a series of commands, and the group quickly formed two lines, raising their muskets to aim at Bessonval.

His face instantly stiffened. He had always expected deference from the police superintendent, but here was a mere academy official daring to aim guns at him.

"You! You will regret this insolence!" Bessonval snarled, pulling his horse's reins and retreating in a huff.

Joseph, however, didn't dwell on this minor episode. After all, the Police Academy was technically under the jurisdiction of the City Hall, and Bessonval wouldn't dare do anything reckless.

…

Northeastern France, Lorraine Province.

Governor Marquis de Latour reviewed a document in his hands, frowning as he asked his assistant, "Charles, isn't this the order I sent to Maurice just two days ago?"

"Oh, sir, it's right here," the assistant pointed out a line of small text. "Viscount Lenifer thought there might be a conflict with the conscription orders from the year before last, so he wanted your confirmation."

Latour frowned again. "Is there a conflict?"

"Uh, I don't believe so…"

Latour nodded and signed the document, ready to hand it over to his assistant when an official hurried into the office and bowed. "My lord, a message just arrived from Versailles."

"What's it about?"

"Apparently, it's an urgent request for you to immediately send people to count potatoes and arrange for their transport."

"Potatoes?" Latour asked, puzzled. "Maurice just returned the potato procurement order to me."

"The message says that Viscount Valran sent people to start purchasing them. His men arrived at noon and are waiting outside."

Latour ordered Valran's man to be brought in, and after a brief exchange, learned that Valran had been instructed to start purchasing potatoes five days ago. Over a million pounds had already been stockpiled at the docks, waiting to be counted and loaded onto ships.

Latour hurriedly began drafting documents to check, sign, and send to the appropriate sub-governors.

He also prepared a separate report to send back to Versailles, explaining that the original plans had been halted and replaced due to a change in orders, with merchants stepping in to assist.

Valran's man, following his master's instructions, used money to expedite the process and followed the paperwork through every step.

According to the standard administrative procedures of France at the time, the governor's main responsibility was to relay and sign off on documents, passing orders from Versailles down to the sub-governors.

The sub-governors would then verify the orders, and if they found any issues, the documents would be sent back for revision. If everything was in order, the sub-governors would determine which local officials would be in charge, allocate funds, and oversee the actual execution.

Of course, if any local officials found problems with the orders, they could also send them back for confirmation…

Based on Lorraine Province's current administrative efficiency, they were only halfway through the first step, and it would likely take another four or five days before they could even begin the procurement process. Meanwhile, the merchants that Mirabeau had found had already collected over a million pounds of potatoes, with more on the way.

As for the transportation of the potatoes, Mirabeau's friends had already arranged for carts and ships. Otherwise, the governor would have had to spend even more time slowly assembling the necessary resources.

Yet, despite all this preparation, it still took three full days to dispatch officials to count the potatoes—something the merchants couldn't do on their own. Without official verification, they couldn't receive payment for the potatoes.

Once the counting was completed and the potatoes were finally loaded onto ships, another day had passed.

By then, there were only about twenty days left until the usual spring planting season in France, making it almost certain that the southernmost provinces wouldn't have time to plant their potatoes.

The first batch of ships, loaded with potatoes, set off down the Orne River towards the distant city of Bordeaux.

(End of Chapter)

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