xymnovel Chapter 103 The reformer's courage will not change; we are best friends.
Chapter 103 The reformer's courage will not change; we are best friends.
Chapter 104 The Reformer's Courage Will Not Change, We Are Best Friends (Seeking First Subscription)
People who get lost in thought are often accompanied by a wave of nostalgia.
A young worker named Alan thought of his brother who was fighting on the front lines.
My brother wrote him a letter last month, saying that they were fighting hard on the Meuse River and hadn't had a proper meal for several days, but they were determined to hold their ground and prevent the Prussians from entering Paris.
But what about him? His brother died fighting for France, while he was here, not fighting Prussia, but attacking his own country, the benevolent Crown Prince in Paris, distributing bread to the emperor every day.
Feeling her moral compass relentlessly attacking her conscience, Alan broke down, her eyes welling up with tears, and she dropped the rifle in her hand.
The image of Prince Ren that Eugene spent nearly two months creating is now coming in handy.
The Self-Defense Forces also had torches on their positions; they couldn't possibly fight in the dark.
Therefore, upon noticing the changes in the expressions of the Self-Defense Force soldiers on the opposite side of his own position, Euren immediately began to intensify his efforts.
"Citizens, lay down your weapons! The civil war is over. I assure you, I will not hold anyone accountable. All those who participated in this revolution will be pardoned if they are willing to lay down their arms. Your property will not be confiscated, and your families will not be implicated."
Blanki's expression changed. He shook his head from side to side and looked around at the wavering Self-Defense Forces. He immediately wanted to call on them to continue resisting.
But before Blanqui could speak, the hurried footsteps behind him confirmed Eugène's words. A large number of military police and police soldiers came running from the rear of the Republic.
Knowing that they were in Blanqui towards the Prime Minister's Office, and seeing the armed gendarmes pointing their guns at them, they immediately knew they were doomed.
Eugène certainly noticed the commotion of the Self-Defense Forces, although he couldn't be sure of the situation behind him because of the distance and the fact that he wasn't using binoculars.
But knowing that it was most likely Drema who had arrived, Eugène immediately raised his voice.
"Gentlemen, our first priority is to unite and resist the Prussian invasion. I am willing to lead you to the front lines to fight the Prussians."
I will live and eat with the soldiers, and fight alongside them. My guarantee is that I will defend Paris and France with my life.
"I know that many of you do not trust me, but that's alright. I will prove myself through my actions. From today onwards, I will personally assume the role of Commander-in-Chief of the French Army and command all troops fighting against Prussia."
"If I, Eugène Napoleon, ever back down, ever betray France in any way, any of you may shoot me dead. If we are defeated, I will take my own life."
If I were to travel back in time and end up living the life of a wealthy man in England, I might as well just shoot myself and start over. I could experience what I never felt before: being shot by a bullet.
Knowing why his father was disliked, Eugene immediately made his promise. This promise was very important; European nobles were not scoundrels, they valued their reputation highly.
Eugène's words will spread throughout Paris tomorrow. He can't possibly treat them like drunken boasting and then dismiss them as nothing the next day.
However, Eugène still has leverage; gaining the support of the nobles is too difficult for him.
Even if the Counts of Chambeau and Paris, these two royalist heirs, were all eliminated by Eugène, it doesn't mean that the Bourbon...
Orleans would be willing to support him, Eugene.
With the support of two royalists, Shangbo is still too powerful from a legal and rational perspective; it's impossible to play without weakening it.
However, this was not a big problem for Eugene, as he never intended to try to win over the other party.
Eugène wanted the support of the vast majority of farmers, as France is still technically an agricultural country.
Yes, in 1870, the agricultural population in France accounted for 52% of the total active population and a staggering 67% of the total population.
There are 1400 million independent land management units in France, the vast majority of which are family-run smallholder farms. The number of self-sufficient farmers exceeds 1900 million.
Including the more than 360 million tenant farmers and over 300 million agricultural workers, the total number of the peasant class in France could reach 2600 million.
Although the rural population, which started at 27 million in 1851, has been slowly declining with more than 100,000 people migrating to cities every year, France is still a country with a predominantly peasant class.
In a country like this, where the country's own cheap father abandoned the farmers early on and instead tried to curry favor with the financial elite and other classes, Eugene didn't know what to say.
Therefore, what Eugene wanted was the support of the peasantry. With the peasantry's support, Eugene wouldn't be afraid even if another National Assembly election were held.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am not against reform. Rather, I would say that the stars in concert halls and theaters will grow old, but the courage of reformers will never change."
Although I am young, I believe my courage will not diminish because of my age. As for the choice of political system, why don't we wait until we have dealt with the external enemies before sitting down to discuss it calmly?
With overwhelming military force at hand, and already in a pincer movement, the Paris uprising has already failed.
Eugene was also willing to offer some leeway, suggesting that they sit down and discuss the political system after the war ended.
He was given a way out, saving face and gaining substance. Eugène Napoleon was willing to love France and resist Prussia.
Having no reason to continue fighting to the death, Blanki looked at the crowd staring at him and knew that even if he gave the order to fight to the end, these people would not obey his command. Helpless, Blanki took the lead and put down his rifle.
Seeing that Blanki had voted, the remaining Self-Defense Forces actually began to cheer with relief.
"His Highness the Crown Prince is right. We can no longer kill each other."
"We must fight the Prussians together and avenge our compatriots."
"Lay down your weapons and we surrender."
More and more soldiers laid down their weapons, and the sound of rifles hitting the ground rose and fell in waves, creating a continuous chorus.
Although he had put down his rifle, Blanqui, standing in the crowd, watched the scene unfold before him with a myriad of changing expressions.
Everything he had strived for had come to an end. His revolution, his ideals, and the cause he had fought for all his life had vanished in the face of Eugène's words.
But Eugène's words touched him deeply: what it means that the stars of concert halls and theaters will grow old, but the courage of reformers will never change.
This unheard-of rhetoric directly attracted Blanche, the leader of the radical faction. Although Blanche was not that radical, he possessed the same emotional nature deep within the radical faction.
He was a close friend. When Blanqui looked at Eugène, who was bathed in the torchlight, his eyes were different.
Unable to win by force, Blanki, without even realizing it, began to search for other solutions deep down.
As the victor, Eugène Blanqui himself, combining his previous words and actions with his speech tonight, concluded that he would be a very enlightened monarch.
Perhaps they could implement a constitutional monarchy through Eugène, which could then evolve into a republic.