French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 101 finally returns to the plot with Eugène.

Chapter 102: Eugene finally returns to the plot (Please subscribe for the first time)

The fighting continued intermittently in front of the Tuileries Palace.

Due to the excessive division of troops, the Republican Army, though reduced to just over ten thousand men, was still launching a desperate attack on the Tuileries Palace under Blanqui's command.

Blanqui knew this was their last chance. If they couldn't capture the Tuileries Palace before the cavalry division arrived, they would have to accept defeat.

This newly formed republic will also become the shortest-lived republic in French history, bar none.

"Citizens, charge!"

Unable to accept this fact, Blanqui, wanting to make one last desperate attempt, brandished his pistol and hysterically shouted at the exhausted soldiers who no longer wanted to fight.

"As long as we storm the Tuileries Palace, we still have hope. Don't give up, for the Republic!"

At Blanqui's command, the Republican soldiers launched another charge toward the main gate of the Tuileries Palace.

They were met with a barrage of bullets from the Mitrayoz machine guns, but this time they didn't have to pay the price of a few hundred men. The Self-Defense Forces had already seen and experienced this firsthand.

After the dozen or so soldiers at the forefront were shot and fell to the ground, the self-defense forces, who were already running slowly forward, immediately turned around and retreated back into their defensive line.

The French people were indeed highly enthusiastic about the revolution, but that doesn't mean they were fools; they were later subjected to a siege by the Republican Party and the Royalist Party.

At that time, many French people, whose emotions were even more intense, came to terms with reality and chose to succumb to the violence that was resorted to.

Just when the battle reached another stalemate, with neither side able to break through from the outside nor attacking from the inside, three cannon shots rang out from behind the Self-Defense Forces, drawing everyone's attention.

As Blanki looked up, three green flares exploded in the night sky, illuminating the entire battlefield.

Unlike Blanqui, whose expression shifted from confusion to terror, Pietre, who was directing the battle from the rooftop,

When Euren and the others saw the signal flare, their faces all showed excitement.

Seeing that the plan was actually going well, the police commissioner instinctively clenched his fist and cheered loudly.

"It's a success! Commander Drema actually succeeded!"

Pietri glanced at Eugène beside him and found that Eugène was also looking at him. Knowing what Eugène wanted to do, he immediately waved his hand.

"Inform all garrison troops to cease fire and prepare to receive His Highness."

"Yes."

Upon receiving the order, the adjutant turned and jogged down to relay Pietri's command.

Following orders from their superiors, the police guards at the Tuileries Palace ceased firing, and the gunfire behind the palace walls abruptly stopped.

Without the suppressive firepower of the Tuileries Palace, and with the Self-Defense Forces beaten so badly they couldn't even lift their heads, the demoralized Self-Defense Forces had no one to rise up and fight back.

This caused the Tuileries Palace to fall silent, an awkward silence that fell over what was supposed to be a battlefield, once the fighting ceased.

For a moment, people on both sides could hear the evening wind rustling through the tricolor flags or imperial flags, along with the groans of wounded soldiers that echoed throughout the battlefield.

This left the Self-Defense Forces somewhat bewildered. After confirming that no gunfire had been heard, many of them cautiously peeked out from behind their bunkers to watch.

After realizing that no bullets were aimed at their heads, some of the bolder ones began to cautiously expose their bodies step by step. However, not a single bullet came at them until they had left their cover openly.

This unusual situation left them extremely puzzled, and they looked in the direction of the Tuileries Palace.

Compared to the puzzled Republic soldiers, Blanqui thought more deeply, immediately connecting the three exploding green signal flares to the image.

Knowing that something had happened behind him, Blanqui ignored the battlefield, which had temporarily returned to calm. He just looked at the empty streets behind him and felt that something he didn't want to see would happen later.

"What happened? Why did they stop fighting?"

"Have they run out of bullets?"

'

"That's definitely it, brothers, charge!"

Unlike Blanqui, who considered things much, the men below didn't think so much. After some discussion, a Republican officer came to an outrageous conclusion and shouted that he was about to lead his soldiers to continue the charge.

But at that moment, the heavy and badly damaged main gate of the Tuileries Palace was opened.

Under everyone's gaze, a group of Parisian policemen rushed out carrying wooden rafts, which they then set up to form a wooden wall.

Since the actual effective range of the Chassepot rifle is only around 600 meters, the two sides were 500 meters apart in combat.

The 50mm thick wooden planks brought out by the Paris police, along with sandbags, were enough to completely neutralize the power of the Chassepot rifle at a distance of 100 meters.

Not to mention, the two sides are now 500 meters apart.

After these preparations were completed, Eugène appeared in the sight of the Republican army, surrounded by several Parisian policemen who acted as human shields.

The main problem was that the firelight was too bright. Wearing a blue and white royal uniform at night, Eugene, dressed in pure white and completely out of place on the battlefield, was simply too conspicuous.

Behind Eugène were Director Pietre, Colonel Dupin, Major Royal, and dozens of Guards soldiers.

Even with the wooden rafts protecting them, making it look less than dignified, the Republican soldiers were already shocked enough to see Eugène appear.

In particular, which family in Paris could say they hadn't received a favor from Eugène? Even if they hadn't, their parents, siblings, or even children had all received free bread from Eugène.

In this situation, the already guilty Parisians instinctively lowered their weapons without thinking.

Even though the Republican Army's main target had been revealed, the entire battlefield was deathly silent, and many Republican Army soldiers were even breathing more heavily.

The contradiction between their inner moral compass and their actions nearly crushed some of the soldiers with strong moral principles after Eugène appeared.

The soldiers were stunned, and Blanqui was no better off. This commander, who had been on guard against anyone coming from behind, was also stunned when he saw Eugène appear.

Blanqui looked on in disbelief at the appearance of his target, Eugène.

This unexpected behavior left Blanqui's face filled with a mix of shock, confusion, and despair... it could be said that Blanqui's face truly displayed a fan-shaped pattern.

Blanqui never expected that Eugène would walk out of the Tuileries Palace so calmly at this moment.