I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 54: "Academy Police"

On the podium at the police academy, Joseph, dressed in a brand-new blue and white Paris Police uniform, smiled warmly at the instructors and cadets before him. He spoke loudly, "First of all, congratulations to all of you! You are about to become honorable police officers of France!

"Yes, right now, almost everyone looks down on, or even despises, the police, but trust me, that history ends with you!

"The police of France will be a sacred profession, protecting the people, maintaining order, and fighting crime.

"From now on, you will be respected by everyone, praised, and adored. Young women will compete to marry you."

After boosting their morale, Joseph moved on to the main point: "I am very pleased to be your principal.

"Once a principal, always a principal!

"Remember this: no matter what difficulties you face or what hardships you encounter, your principal will always stand firmly behind you, supporting you forever!

"Even after you graduate and leave the Paris Police Academy, and even when you are too old to continue as a police officer, this school will always be an unbreakable bond between us!"

The crowd below was overwhelmed with excitement, feeling that being admitted to the Paris Police Academy was truly a blessing. If it weren't for the discipline, someone would have already shouted, "Long live the principal!"

Joseph raised his hand and declared, "The Paris Police Academy officially begins classes today!"

All the instructors and cadets saluted in unison and responded loudly, "Yes, sir!"

Then, Paris Police Chief Besançon stepped onto the podium and announced, "Prince, please appoint the new police commissioners for the Paris Police Department."

Immediately, over ten individuals in police uniforms, led by Alden, came to the center of the podium, standing tall and proud in a neat row.

This ceremony was arranged by Besançon, and Joseph mentally praised his subordinate.

Although the positions had already been decided, this ceremony made it clear to everyone that their positions were granted by the Prince, and they should remember whom they were serving.

Joseph received a bronze badge and cufflinks, both engraved with a sword, from Besançon. These represented the rank of Second Police Superintendent, which he then awarded to each of the newly appointed police commissioners.

After the appointments were completed, the academy instructors led the police officers, who were there for routine training, in a drill performance for the Prince, marking the end of the ceremony.

As the cadets dispersed in an orderly manner, Joseph accompanied Chief Education Officer Friant on a tour of the newly established police academy, with other police department officials following closely behind.

Besançon intentionally lagged behind a few steps and signaled to a square-faced police commissioner, who quickly approached.

Besançon frowned and asked in a low voice, "Why haven't you acted on that matter yet?"

"Chief, I was ready two days ago," the square-faced officer quickly explained. "But then someone from the 'Daily Affairs Squad' said they had a better plan."

"Oh?"

The square-faced officer quickly explained the new plan, and Besançon smiled. "Those guys really know their tricks. This is a good plan."

The square-faced officer grinned, "I thought so too. This way, we can teach those damned banks a good lesson without leaving any evidence. So I had them prepare again."

Besançon nodded in satisfaction, "Good. Act quickly."

"Yes, sir!"

As Joseph toured the academy, he silently shook his head. The facilities were extremely rudimentary, with the dormitories clearly being converted from old slum buildings. The training ground, though flat, was just a wide-open space with nothing on it—probably only suitable for drills and running.

But this was understandable, given that the academy had only been under construction for less than a month.

Still, this was his prestigious academy—his Paris Police Academy. It couldn't be this shabby! Especially now that he had some money, it had to be built to the highest standards!

Joseph pointed at the run-down dormitories and said to Friant, "All of those buildings need to be replaced with new ones that can accommodate at least 2,000 people. Every room should have a fireplace, and the bathrooms should have flush toilets."

Then he looked at the training ground, "Make sure you have plenty of training equipment—climbing frames, rope ladders, obstacle courses, sandpits, mud pits—there must be more than just drills..."

When they reached the academy's armory, Joseph frowned even more, "Why are there only riot batons, swords, and spears? Where are the muskets?"

Friant looked a bit sheepish, "Your Highness, didn't you just use these to restore order in the Saint-Antoine district..."

Joseph sighed, "That was just a necessity at the time. With proper training, muskets are definitely more effective!

"Make a note: Purchase 500 muskets, the new ones made by Charleville.

"Stock up on gunpowder and lead bullets, too. From now on, every student will do live-fire practice ten times every three days. The elite class will practice at least eight times a day."

Friant nodded in surprise, thinking that the amount of firearms training here would far exceed even that of elite military units.

But Joseph wasn't done, "Buy some horses, too—let's start with 50, and hire a horse trainer. Every member of the elite class needs to learn to ride. Those with talent can even be trained in cavalry charges and formations."

Friant was now numb to it all—fine, whatever you say, Your Highness. Just the 50 military horses alone will cost over 30,000 livres.

After touring the entire academy, Joseph smacked his lips with slight disappointment and shook his head, "The area is a bit small."

Friant was about to mention that the academy had two hectares of land, enough for any kind of training, when he heard the Prince mumbling, "Even with reduced gunpowder, we'd still need a cannon to hit the city center from here."

This time, it wasn't just Friant—every police official who heard the Prince's words felt their hearts skip a beat. Did he mean that he wanted the police to practice using cannons?!

Joseph thought for a moment and instructed Friant, "Look around Paris for a larger piece of land and buy it.

"Build something like a military camp there, with defensive barricades and the like. I'll get some cannons... Oh, do any of you know how to operate cannons?"

Friant and the others exchanged glances and all shook their heads.

Joseph said, "Well, it's a good thing that Dubois is an artillery officer. We can have him teach. Hmm, for now, this will do for the early stages..."

Louvre District, Paris.

At Laville Bank's largest branch in Paris.

A group of men wearing blue and white police uniforms but sporting a roguish demeanor swaggered into the bank, carrying riot batons and shields.

A bank clerk quickly approached with a smile, "Officers, how can I assist you?"

"No assistance needed. It's you who needs us," a fat police officer growled, his voice gruff. "We received a tip that a gang of robbers plans to hit this place today!"

As soon as he spoke, the bank's customers—whether they were making deposits or arranging transfers—reacted like startled birds. They quickly abandoned whatever they were doing and fled the bank without looking back.

The fat officer signaled to his subordinates, "Go, guard the door! Search everyone who comes in—don't let a single robber slip through!"

"Yes, sir!"

(End of Chapter)

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