xymnovel Chapter 12 I think that Gan Bi is as bold as a mouse.
Chapter 12 I think that Gan Bi is as bold as a mouse.
In full view of everyone, news of Eugène Napoleon's assassination spread throughout Paris immediately.
The French government, led by Prime Minister Olivier and Empress Eugénie, immediately targeted the Republicans, insisting that the assassin was a Republican extremist, and launched a large-scale manhunt for Republicans.
When Eugène returned to the Tuileries Palace, she only saw the doctor and Eugène, whose back was covered in blood, enter the room. She did not see Eugène again for the next two days.
If it were Olivier, he might have been able to see through Eugène's acting skills, but Eugène clearly wouldn't.
Over the past two days, under the pretext of recuperation, Eugène Napoleon, through a doctor he had conspired with, refused the Prime Minister's and his mother's requests to visit him.
Lacking firsthand experience and relying solely on hearsay and information gleaned from Eugénie, Olivier could only conclude that the Republicans were likely behind it.
Overwhelmed with grief and anger, and under repeated urging from Eugénie, Olivier issued a warrant for the arrest of Republicans on July 31.
With permission from the central government and the support of pay raises, the Paris police, who were extremely supportive of Eugène Napoleon, mobilized their entire force.
Not only were several public Republican strongholds raided and nearly a hundred confirmed Republicans arrested, but even the residences of some previously tolerated moderate Republicans were not spared and were subjected to police raids.
Under the action of tens of thousands of police officers, the Republican Party in Paris was plunged into an unprecedented predicament within a single day. All public activities were forced to stop, and core members began to go underground to carry out their activities secretly.
In the last parliamentary election held in the empire, the opposition, mainly composed of republicans, won 330 million votes, while the number of supporters of the government dropped from 500 million to 450 million.
Despite having a large Republican supporter base and seemingly not performing so poorly, there had been no defeats reported on the Imperial front. Previously, Napoleon III had resorted to a referendum to restore his "legitimacy."
Because the peasants once again voted loyally in support of the empire, Napoleon III was able to "establish" the empire a second time.
Therefore, in the few years immediately following the voting, although the number of supporters of the Empire decreased, it also effectively purified the ranks.
This at least tells the Republican Party that they are still a minority of supporters, and that without military power, the Republican Party can only resort to underground activities in the face of a legitimate attack from the empire.
On August 2, French troops invaded the Prussian Rhine province and occupied Saarbrücken.
On the same day, the third night after the assassination, August 2nd, in the attic of an abandoned bakery in the Montmartre mountain area of the 18th arrondissement of Paris, a few dim oil lamps flickered, casting long shadows of the people gathered around.
After three consecutive days of attacks and more than 200 Republicans arrested, the core members of the Paris Republican Party, unable to stand idly by any longer, quietly gathered here to hold an emergency underground meeting.
The doors and windows of the attic were covered with heavy rags, leaving only a small gap for barely any air to pass through. In the almost stagnant air, there was a mixture of musty smells from spoiled bread and burnt smells from oil lamps.
The police crackdown has brought the party's operations to a standstill, and the subsequent public opinion surrounding the assassination is further steer in a direction unfavorable to the Republican Party.
The meeting was chaired by Gambit, a moderate Republican leader who had managed to unite moderate and radical leaders by drafting the Bellville Platform in 69, and who was now looking grim.
"Gentlemen, we are now standing on the edge of a life-or-death precipice. The government insists that the assassin of the Crown Prince was a Republican, but as far as I know, that gunman left the Republican Party three years ago."
In my view, we did not assign anyone to carry out this assassination, so I urge everyone to put aside their prejudices and work together to find out who was behind this and framed us. Otherwise, the Republican Party will be condemned by history.
As someone who once wanted to challenge Eugene and also distributed food, Gambitha's ideas were quite forward-thinking.
Gambitha knew that in order to overthrow the Bonaparte family's rule, the Republican Party's reputation had to be good enough; otherwise, it would be difficult for them to overthrow an empire with a large peasant base in one fell swoop.
Now that this has happened, the Republican Party's reputation is completely ruined, and farmers are extremely disgusted with them. How can they possibly expand their popular base under these circumstances?
However, just because Gan Bida has forward-thinking ideas doesn't mean others do. A tall man with a full beard on both sides of his face suddenly stood up.
Unlike the worried Gan Bida, his face showed no sign of concern, but rather revealed an undisguised excitement.
This man, who dared to stand up in front of the core members and some important outsiders, naturally held an extraordinary position in the Republican Party. He was August Blanqui, one of the core figures of the radical faction of the Paris Republican Party.
As a radical leader who consistently advocated for the violent overthrow of the monarchy, Blanqui had always disdained the compromises of the moderates. He always thought himself very brave, but now he saw someone even braver.
Blanqui was eager to know whose subordinate he was so he could praise him highly, and he scoffed at Gan Bida's remarks.
"Find out who orchestrated this? Gan Bida, you're too cowardly. That gunman, whether he left the Republican Party or not, did what we wanted to do but dared not do. The Bonaparte family's monarchical autocracy has oppressed us for too long."
Eugène Napoleon's pretentious distribution of bread was merely a ploy to win popular support and maintain his corrupt monarchy; his hypocrisy should have been exposed long ago. This assassin is a hero, a savior of the French people. In my opinion, he shouldn't be investigated; we should cheer for him and applaud this assassination.
Under monarchical rule, those who could enter the core of the Republican Party, apart from speculators with large capital, were mostly idealists.
Among idealists, the purest are people like Blanqui; they dare to fight against overwhelming odds and don't care about their own lives at all.
Although such martyrs are prone to causing trouble and even sabotaging the organization, it is undeniable that in the early stages of an organization, such figures generally wield considerable influence at the top.
Sure enough, after Blanki finished speaking, several members who shared Blanki's ideals and wanted to overthrow the corrupt imperial regime by force stood up.
"Gambida, you're just a coward, afraid of offending the Bonaparte royal family, afraid of getting yourself into trouble. With your timid and hesitant manner, you're not fit to be the leader of the Republican Party at all."
"We've endured this for so long, and finally someone dared to stand up against the imperial power, yet you want to investigate the mastermind behind it all. You're clearly helping the royal family suppress us true revolutionaries. Don't make things difficult for us who are truly doing this because of you."
The speeches of these "martyrs" further ignited the fervent emotions in the attic, and several young student representatives stood up and cheered loudly.
"A hero, he is our hero!"
"Down with Bonaparte! Overthrow the monarchy!"
"The assassination was well done; the royal family deserves a severe lesson."
The student class is always full of enthusiasm; they can make things happen or cause trouble. Clearly, they are completely unaware of the huge hidden dangers behind this matter, seeing it only as a powerful counterattack against the monarchy.