The Fox of France - Chapter 142 (Patreon)

Lucien carefully absorbed the ink from his plan document with blotting paper, then reread the entire plan thoroughly from start to finish. Satisfied with his work, he muttered to himself, "This should do. At the very least, there won't be any glaring absurdities to catch the eye. It may be a bit verbose with numerous adjectives and adverbs, making the text seem less concise, but the meaning is clear and precise. I believe it should pass muster with Joseph."

Sitting there, he closed his eyes and imagined Joseph, wide-eyed and searching for flaws throughout the paper but ultimately finding nothing, leaving him disappointed. Lucien found immense satisfaction in that mental image.

"Let's call it a day!" Lucien said. "If Joseph manages to find any issues, I'll... I'll do Louis's math homework for him!"

With that, Lucien opened his eyes, stood up, stretched with a long yawn, and extinguished the candles on his desk, preparing to share a night of rest with his beloved pillow. However, to his surprise, he noticed the faint light of dawn seeping through the curtains. Soon after, he heard the wake-up call from the training ground across the street.

"Damn!" Lucien exclaimed. He knew that Joseph would soon come knocking on his door, summoning him for their morning run.

"Health is the capital of the revolution, and running is the most effective way to keep fit," Joseph always said, both to himself and to his brother. Back in Paris, they used to join their fellow students at the training grounds of the "Paris Military School" every morning for a run. The students in that school may have been somewhat lax in other respects, but they took their running exercises seriously. The school believed that good running ability was the most important quality for the French military. Even after coming here, Joseph would drag Lucien to the training grounds for their daily three-kilometer run.

Thanks to this regular exercise, Lucien had developed impressive long-distance running skills. If our army were to suffer a defeat on the battlefield, he could bolt and leave most pursuers in the dust. As for Joseph, well, if one day he was visiting Fanny in Paris, and news suddenly arrived that Robespierre had come back to life, Joseph could probably run all the way from Paris to the New World without breaking a sweat.

His chance for a peaceful night with his beloved pillow had vanished. Lucien started counting in his mind, "1, 2, 3..." He was certain that Joseph would appear at his door before he reached twenty.

As expected, when he reached fifteen, there came a knocking on his door. "Lucien, get up, it's time for our run!" Joseph's voice called.

Lucien opened the door, glanced at Joseph, and said, "Let's go."

However, Joseph stopped and asked, "What time did you go to sleep last night?"

"What's it to you?"

"Have you been up all night?" Joseph looked at Lucien. "Your eyes remind me of some animal."

"What animal?" Lucien rubbed his eyes.

"A raccoon, of course, the kind with dark circles around the eyes that Stephen Girard mentioned. We used to say that when we got a better ship, we could transport some animals never seen before by people for exhibition... Did you work on this plan all night?"

"How did you know?"

"I can see the satisfaction in your eyes. Well, you should eat something first, then come back and take a nap. As for the run, we can catch up later tonight... By the way, let me see your plan," Joseph said, furrowing his brow. After all, this was his brother, not one of those programmers who could be replaced if they messed up.

Lucien had slept through the morning, even missing lunch. It wasn't until his stomach grumbled in protest that he reluctantly rose from bed and left his room.

He decided to head to the cafeteria and order a light meal. After all, as the chief secretary, he still had some privileges.

After filling his stomach and enjoying a nice meal, Lucien thought about his plan and then made his way to Joseph's office.

Pushing the door open, he found Joseph sitting comfortably at his desk, sipping coffee with a smile on his face, and a book lying in front of him.

"What are you reading, Joseph?" Lucien approached.

"Oh, nothing much. I pulled out 'Don Quixote' and read it again," Joseph said with a smile.

"You have time for this?" Lucien was somewhat surprised.

"I normally wouldn't, but now that you're helping, I do." Joseph replied.

Lucien's face showed some concern, and Joseph added, "Well, Lucien, it means you're ready to take on more responsibilities with me and Napoleon. Now that you've had enough rest, right?"

"Yeah."

"First, don't work late into the night anymore. It shortens your shelf life – makes you age faster. The three of us brothers have to carry on for decades. Even from a short-term perspective, it's uneconomical because the fatigue from staying up late requires even longer rest to recover. Of course, it's an exception if you have a brilliant idea. Well, from the look of you, you seem to have recovered nicely, right?"

"Completely recovered..." Lucien stretched his arms and legs. He was about to boast about his physical condition when he suddenly realized that if he did, Joseph might say something like, "Good, there's an important and challenging task for you," and he'd be trapped. So he stopped himself mid-sentence.

Joseph, however, didn't notice his brother's internal thoughts and continued, "Since you're taking over this matter, we'll need you well-rested. What time do you go to sleep? Is it late?"

Lucien replied, "I usually go to sleep late but not last night."

Joseph noted, "That's good. Now, I want to talk about your plan. It's clear you've got a lot of bright ideas..."

In Joseph's view, Lucien's plan had a shining aspect in the way it analyzed problems from the fundamental level. Lucien first pointed out that the underground order was fundamentally no different from the above-ground order. Both were based on violence, and this violence was the foundation of their rules. The reason the underground order existed was that the above-ground order's power was insufficient, and there were places it couldn't reach. This created opportunities for underground factions. Establishing an underground order meant having a violent organization.

However, the underground order had its unique characteristics. Its violence was distinct from the above-ground order's violence in terms of usage. It had to be covert, small-scale, and easy to use. This violence organization had to be different from the military, the primary violence organization on the surface. However, in some aspects, it had similarities with the police. Lucien believed that he didn't have enough knowledge to specify the differences, but he suggested Joseph consult experts in the field when dealing with this matter. He pointed out that technological advancements would affect both underground and surface violence, suggesting that the institute conduct targeted research, which he called "Civil Arms Research."

Of course, developing specialized weapons for their limited underground organization wasn't cost-effective. Lucien recommended selling these weapons outside of France. Both Poland and North America were good markets for France. Poland was France's ally, while North America was a weak country located nearby. So selling weapons there could weaken it and affect France's rival, Great Britain. However, it had to be approached with care. The weapons had to be in compliance with international law, and they had to take care of the local French citizens. By creating a company, the FFL Corporation, this could be accomplished. The FFL Corporation would operate out of North America and Poland, while the FFL College would manage the education and training.

Moreover, Joseph's newly established secret service, the BRI, would be in charge of security affairs in France. As the central region would have the highest level of risk, Joseph had previously arranged for the largest and most powerful part of the BRI to be stationed there. He also made use of the British network. In the end, Lucien recommended that Joseph organize some sort of unified and specialized force.

In summary, Lucien's plan focused on creating a research institute for underground and surface violence. It aimed to use technological advancements to provide suitable violence organizations for the underground, with the sale of surplus weapons in France's favor. This entire network was a comprehensive scheme, and with the establishment of the Central Security Bureau, Joseph could integrate the enforcement of law, making it highly efficient. This was Lucien's idea.

Joseph couldn't help but nod in agreement, "Lucien, your ideas are quite inspiring. So you've been sleeping in peace for most of the night, which is a good thing, as you have enough rest. Napoleon asked me to talk to you about this because you're a secretary of the Central Committee now."

Lucien felt proud and pleased with his brother's trust. He said, "No problem. I'll work harder."

"Good. Your pay will also go up," Joseph said.

Lucien blinked. His salary was going up, and it made him rather pleased. In that case, he was willing to dedicate himself to the work.

"Your plan still has some flaws," Joseph pointed out.

"What flaws?"

"Your plan doesn't touch on the underground political landscape. We need to know more about it."

"I agree. I'm not qualified to talk about this," Lucien admitted.

Joseph explained, "For this reason, you'll have to study this for the next few months. You can't know too much about it."

Lucien nodded. "I will."

Joseph continued, "You also didn't think about the organizations that are currently in charge of security. What will they think when they learn of your idea? The police will become the Central Security Bureau, and that's a direct impact on them."

Lucien felt somewhat dumb, as he had indeed neglected this aspect.

Joseph patted Lucien on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, you can think about this for a while. In the future, the BRI and the Central Security Bureau will be our underground organizations. As a security agent, your first duty is to act with precision. When your command is properly executed and successful, your organization will have great prestige and grow even stronger."

"Precision, prestige, strength. I understand," Lucien replied.

Joseph then began discussing the details of the plan. They were almost done when Napoleon entered the room.

"Joseph, what's the matter?" Napoleon asked.

"Lucien wants to take on a little more responsibility," Joseph said.

Napoleon smiled and said, "That's great. He's the best choice for the Central Security Bureau and has the support of the Central Committee. He knows more about underground organizations and their operations than anyone else."

Lucien could only smile awkwardly in response.

Then, Napoleon asked, "Where's the plan?"

Joseph handed it to him, and Napoleon carefully read through it, asking for clarification on certain points.

After a while, Napoleon said, "The surface and underground orders are linked. If we create a large organization and recruit too many members from the underground, the surface order may attack us. At the same time, the underground may become stronger and make its move. It's a dangerous situation, as both sides might target us."

Joseph and Lucien nodded in agreement.

Napoleon continued, "The most dangerous part of this plan is the FFL Corporation and the FFL College. There might be powerful forces that intend to make a move here. After all, we are weakening the military monopoly. Of course, France has also gotten more powerful, so this kind of operation could be carried out."

He handed the plan back to Lucien and said, "You've got talent, and you're a secretary now. You'll have to learn quickly. As for the rest of the plan, don't rush it. To take that step, we'll need to gather more talent. Let's start by forming the Central Security Bureau."

After he left, Joseph patted Lucien's shoulder and said, "I hope you'll be able to meet Napoleon's expectations and do a good job."

"Don't worry, I'll do my best," Lucien replied.

Joseph looked at the plans on the table and said, "This will be quite a headache for you."

As Joseph spoke, Lucien noticed the volume on the table. He wondered if he should pick it up and read it, but since Joseph didn't suggest it, he decided against it.

Lucien left Joseph's office. While walking down the corridor, he considered the responsibilities that lay ahead. Lucien had grown and matured in the underground order, and now he was becoming an integral part of its new structure. He was excited about the future, eager to face the challenges that lay ahead, and determined to contribute to his brothers' cause.

The Central Security Bureau, the FFL Corporation, and the FFL College were set to become essential components of this ambitious plan to reshape the underground and the surface order. The future was uncertain, but Lucien was ready to face it with dedication, precision, and a clear vision.

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