The summer afternoon light streamed through the windows of Fontainebleau Palace, evenly casting upon Jerome Bonaparte, making him appear particularly sacred and solemn, forming a stark contrast to Marshal Canrobert, who sat opposite him, uneasy.

For Jerome Bonaparte, Canrobert’s resignation as Commander of the Imperial Guard was both unexpected and yet somewhat understandable.

Just like Canrobert’s self-assessment, he was a leader who was indecisive and needed a push from behind when faced with major decisions.

A position like Commander of the Imperial Guard, which requires subjective judgment at critical moments, was not very suitable for someone with Canrobert’s personality.

However, the timing of Canrobert’s resignation request seemed too coincidental, causing Jerome Bonaparte to immediately suspect that Canrobert had caught wind of something.

Nevertheless, Jerome Bonaparte quickly dismissed this thought.

The idea of replacing Canrobert had only recently come to mind, and it was just this morning that he had discussed with Countess Lacroix about replacing Canrobert with her husband.

In terms of timing, Canrobert couldn’t possibly have known about it.

Therefore, Canrobert’s choice to resign was most likely his own decision.

Although Jerome Bonaparte also wanted to replace Canrobert, he made a gesture to retain Canrobert to prevent him from thinking that he had long intended to replace him.

"Marshal Canrobert, you should know that the role of Commander of the Imperial Guard requires not just a decisive leader, but a loyal and reliable one!

Because it represents the last line of defense for the French Empire to deter exposure of Paris.

Once Paris is occupied by rioters, the Imperial Guard stationed near Paris needs to conduct a large-scale suppression, thereby eliminating the source of the uprising!

If the commander of the Imperial Guard chooses to betray the Empire and join the rebellion, the entire Empire would be doomed!" Jerome Bonaparte sternly rebuked Canrobert, "Marshal Canrobert, in my heart, your loyalty far surpasses that of the majority of French generals!

My trust in you also exceeds that of other generals, and now you intend to betray my trust, what do you expect me to do with you!"

Hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s rebuke, Canrobert fearfully responded to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, my loyalty to the Empire has not changed from the beginning, and I do not intend to betray your trust!

Precisely because I do not wish to betray your trust, I have chosen to voluntarily resign from the position of Commander of the Imperial Guard!

This position is somewhat unsuitable for me.

If Your Majesty insists on me taking the position, then I am willing to obey your command and continue to serve!"

Jerome Bonaparte did not reply to Canrobert immediately; he was silent for a few seconds and then sighed to himself.

Sitting directly opposite Jerome Bonaparte, Canrobert, seeing Jerome Bonaparte’s demeanor, felt his heart leap into his throat, and he regretted bringing up his resignation to the Emperor at this time.

I should have waited a little longer!

Canrobert thought to himself, increasingly afraid that his voluntary resignation might lead to being alienated by the Emperor.

Just as Canrobert was extremely anxious, Jerome Bonaparte gently lifted his head and responded to Canrobert, "Marshal Canrobert, I understand your thoughts now!

Since you are unwilling to serve as Commander of the Imperial Guard, I won’t force you to take the position.

However, after you leave the role of Commander, do you have any other plans?"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to follow your arrangement!" Canrobert humbly replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Jerome Bonaparte quickly thought of Canrobert’s next assignment.

"What do you think of the position of Governor of Algeria?" Jerome Bonaparte proposed a role to Canrobert.

"Your Majesty, isn’t this position currently held by General Montauban?" Canrobert responded to Jerome Bonaparte with some hesitation.

"I intend to transfer General Montauban from Algeria to the Indochina Region, making him the highest authority there!" Jerome Bonaparte explained to Canrobert, "After General Montauban leaves, you will take over as Governor of the Algeria region!"

"Your Majesty, wouldn’t General MacMahon have any objections?" Canrobert quietly reminded Jerome Bonaparte, "General MacMahon has always been General Montauban’s most capable assistant, and he is also the most suitable candidate for Governor of Algeria!"

Jerome Bonaparte again tapped the floor with the scepter in his hand, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone, "The Empire’s military appointments have always been conferred after deliberations by the Ministry of War. When did it become possible to grant them privately!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Canrobert replied to Jerome Bonaparte with his head lowered.

Then, Jerome Bonaparte shifted his tone and said to Canrobert, "However! General MacMahon’s influence in Algeria is indeed significant. I will transfer him along with you when you are reassigned to Montauban!

This way, it should not significantly affect your subsequent work in Algeria!"

Upon hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s response, Canrobert’s face immediately showed a touched expression, feeling even more guilty towards Jerome Bonaparte.

To reciprocate Jerome Bonaparte’s unwavering trust in him, Canrobert subtly inquired if there were any tasks he needed to undertake in Algeria.

"At the beginning of the year, Minister Fuld reported that the revenue and expenditure of the Algerian region were seriously imbalanced, and many expenditures were not very transparent, causing the Ministry of Finance to express great dissatisfaction with Algeria!

I hope that during your term as Governor of Algeria, you can curb this phenomenon of financial imbalance as much as possible!" Jerome Bonaparte paused and then continued, "Of course, expecting you to completely curb it is an impossible task. What I mean is that being able to quietly restrain some unreasonable expenses would be sufficient!"

Canrobert naturally understood Jerome Bonaparte’s implied meaning.

The Emperor simply felt that Algeria’s expenditures were excessively large and wanted to reduce them within a certain range.

Based on Canrobert’s understanding of Algeria, the main expenditures in the region were at the military level.

Due to the inland areas of Algeria being desert regions, there were many small tribes who often went to coastal cities to disturb the public order of Algeria.

In order to gain enough military merit, the French Army naturally wouldn’t let these small tribes go, and much of the expenditures were aimed at attacking the scattered tribes in Algeria’s inland.

However, since these tribes were hidden deep in the Algerian desert, this often resulted in the French Army returning empty-handed on many occasions.

Thus, the disparity between the French Army’s gains and expenditures became quite large.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured! I will do my utmost!" Canrobert promised Jerome Bonaparte.

"Also, do not overly suppress the military; at appropriate times, they can be given some freedom (allowing them to carry out small-scale military operations in the Algerian interior)!" Jerome Bonaparte subtly advised Canrobert, "However, the number of troops mobilized each time shouldn’t be too many; maintaining a small-scale force of 2,000 to 3,000 for sweeps would suffice!"

"Understood!" Canrobert nodded his head, replying to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Oh, and one more thing!" Jerome Bonaparte suddenly thought of something and reminded Canrobert again, "During your tenure as Governor of Algeria, do not forget to expand the area of cotton cultivation!

Within two years, the price of cotton will skyrocket!

By then, Algeria will be able to achieve a certain degree of self-sufficiency through the cotton industry!"

Canrobert carefully committed every word spoken by the Emperor to memory, even though he had no idea where the Emperor had learned that the price of cotton would rise in two years, it didn’t prevent him from obeying the Emperor’s orders.

Based on Canrobert’s many years of understanding the Emperor, the Emperor would never enforce any policy without full confidence.

In other words, every policy the Emperor implemented was correct, and even if some policies did not yield immediate results, they would prove their validity from a long-term perspective.

After all, the Emperor had proven himself countless times through his actions.

Moreover, even if Canrobert executed the Emperor’s erroneous decisions, it wouldn’t matter, as the Emperor had always been very tolerant to those who faithfully carried out his orders.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured! Once I become the Governor of Algeria, I will certainly act according to your instructions!" Canrobert reassured Jerome Bonaparte once again.

Then, Jerome Bonaparte routinely inquired Canrobert if he had any recommendations for the position after he left as the Commander of the Imperial Guard.

After a brief moment of thought, Canrobert recommended Marshal Pelissier (the Marshal who rose during the Crimean War) to Jerome Bonaparte.

In terms of qualifications, Pelissier was indeed suitable for the role of Commander of the Imperial Guard.

However, considering Pelissier had reached a ceiling in terms of promotion, Jerome Bonaparte could not guarantee that Pelissier would strive for the Empire during critical times. Additionally, Jerome Bonaparte personally preferred General MacMahon, so he politely declined Canrobert’s recommendation on the grounds of Pelissier’s age.

Canrobert immediately understood that the Emperor already had someone in mind, so he did not strongly argue for Marshal Pelissier. Instead, he recommended some mid-level officers whom he had discovered to be talented during his time in the Imperial Guard.