A Roumanian military decoration for long and loyal service for officers was founded in June 1872, in silver for eighteen, and in gold for twenty-five years' service. The oval medal was to be worn with a blue ribbon, bordered with yellow. A similar medal in silver, to which a pension of 300 francs was added, was struck for the benefit of non-commissioned officers who had served as such with credit for twelve years. Late in September 1872, 11,000 men were assembled in a bivouac at Baneassa, north of Bucharest, to take part in manœuvres near Tirgoveschte. A series of engagements was practised over a deeply intersected and wooded country, and gave the artillery in particular an opportunity of distinguishing itself. At the close of the exercises Prince Charles presented the first medals for good conduct to a number of deserving non-commissioned officers. In reply to the Prince's inquiry as to the best method of spending the 8,000,000 francs voted by the Chamber for either barracks or fortifications, Count von Moltke replied, in the spring of 1874, that he could not understand the Roumanian desire for a large standing army, as a peace strength of 10,000 men, to be increased to 25,000 men in war, would be ample, as their only task was to maintain order at home. Roumania was in the happy situation of not requiring an army at all, and could employ the vast sums which military establishments required elsewhere in furthering the progress of the country. "How happy should we be, if we were not forced to keep up so large an army, and could employ the hundreds of millions for other purposes!" He declared, on the other hand, that a Landwehr system would be of excellent service in educating and disciplining the nation. A longer report from the General Staff advocated the contrary view: "In the event of a war with Turkey it would appear most suitable for the Roumanian army to concentrate at Bucharest or near the Danube, to oppose invasion at that point, and to stop or delay the hostile advance. "Turkey will make use of the Varna-Rustchuk railway to effect the concentration of her forces, and will attempt to cross the Danube near Rustchuk, making Bucharest her first objective.... If the Roumanian army is assembled at the commencement of the war in a fortified camp near the Carpathians instead of near the Danube, it might easily happen that the enemy would seize the opportunity of raiding the exposed capital.... "It would be better to avoid delusion and the expenditure of large sums on projects from which the country can expect neither safety nor utility. The army is the support of the State, and in Roumania, where so many possibilities have to be considered, the training and care of the army is of paramount importance."