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The Fox of France - Chapter 76
🕑 Added 2023-10-27 11:37:11 +0000 UTCFollowing the planned strategy, Robespierre began publishing articles in numerous newspapers, vehemently attacking Lafayette for conspiring to start a war, undermine democracy, and become a dictator. He urged the people of Paris and all of France to open their eyes and thwart the ambitions of this schemer.
"If Lafayette's conspiracy succeeds, France will plunge into a more disastrous state than under past feudal monarchs. After all, Louis XVI was a legitimate king, but what is Lafayette? A pretender! So, are the lives sacrificed by the people in the Bastille and in the struggles that followed meant to serve this pretender? This is intolerable! Well, that Robespierre may be a rabble-rouser, but in this statement, he has been sharp in exposing Lafayette." Count Rodolphe looked at the article in his hand and smiled at a young man nearby. "Let's publish this article in 'Orthodox France.'"
"Count, publishing such a rebellious article in 'Orthodox France,' won't it harm our..." The young man hesitated.
"So, Phibès, I'll trouble you with this. Provide an editorial introduction to this article. Criticize the errors and transgressions within it and make people see the true face of these rebels. Even in the parts where they speak some truth, offer commentary. Can we not use one article to expose two types of rebels? " Count Rodolphe chuckled.
"You're right, Count," Phibès replied. "I hope that one day, we can hang all these rebels from lampposts!"
"There will be such a day, Phibès, don't worry. Believe me, there will be such a day. Everything will get better. There will be a day when Jacobins and Lafayette supporters are left hanging from lampposts, stinking up the place! But for that day to come, we must get to work immediately."
...
"The Austrians dare to threaten mighty France; this is absolutely an intolerable affront to France's majesty. These Austrians seem to have forgotten what the bayonets and military boots of France look like. I don't understand, with France being insulted like this, how can some cowards come out and call for peace..." Robespierre read this and couldn't help but laugh.
"Mr. Robespierre, others are tarnishing your reputation like this, and you're still laughing?" Saint Just complained.
"Reputation? Robespierre's reputation?" Marat, who was present, burst into laughter. "Does Robespierre even have a reputation left? Robespierre's reputation has long been that of a rebel and a bandit, hasn't it? I think the words used in that passage were quite gentle towards him. If I were to insult him, it wouldn't be just like this."
"Mr. Marat, this is not an article in a royalist newspaper, nor is it an article in the Lafayette Club's newspaper. It's an article from those moderate newspapers," Saint Just said.
"Those fence-sitters," Guesman chimed in. Guesman was a close associate of Marat, just as Saint Just was with Robespierre.
"Yes," Saint Just said, "but often, we need those fence-sitters on our side."
"Stop dreaming!" Marat said. "Let me guess, the name of the newspaper you have is 'Paris Business,' right? Its owner is Clavier, the banker, isn't it? How can a banker not like a war? Since Robespierre openly opposes the war, to be honest, they are being quite lenient with him. Besides, didn't you suggest that we propose measures to limit the price of food? If we do that, we'll be cursed even more."
"This is a necessary sacrifice, Louis," Robespierre calmly said. "The key now is how Lafayette plans to react."
...
How would Lafayette react? In fact, Lafayette had not reacted yet. He had too much on his plate, and he had not had the time to respond to this. Moreover, Lafayette had found that since Robespierre attacked him for conspiring to start a war, it seemed that many moderates were helping him counter Robespierre. So, he felt that he should pause and see how people would react before making a response.
So, Lafayette postponed for two more days. After these two days, he suddenly found that something was amiss. He discovered that many people were attacking Robespierre, but they were criticizing him for being too weak and for fearing the military threat from Austria, without realizing that France was the most formidable Catholic nation. They didn't know that France excelled at defeating Catholic nations. It was truly a disgrace for the French people!
And what Lafayette cared about the most, his intentions to avoid becoming a military dictator and undermining democracy, had not been mentioned at all. They not only refrained from mentioning it, but some even said that if it meant defeating foreign enemies, having a Caesar wouldn't be a bad idea.
But Lafayette knew that when they said "having a Caesar wouldn't be a bad idea," it was just a means to persuade themselves to support the war. If he really tried to become a Caesar, these same people who were now saying this would probably stab him in the back and deliver a eulogy at his corpse, shedding tears while giving a speech titled "I love Lafayette, but I love France more" – no, it should be "I love Lafayette, but I love France more." Then they would turn France into a republic.
Moreover, Lafayette also knew that the current state of the army was not ideal, and it wasn't the right time for war. In a way, Lafayette did need a war, but unlike the Royalists, he needed a war that he could win, a war that was properly prepared for. If the debate became too heated, and the National Assembly immediately passed a declaration of war, it would be detrimental to him.
"We must stop this situation immediately," Lafayette knew the importance of public opinion because he had learned during his time in North America how crucial public opinion was to prepare and organize for a war.
So, Lafayette's controlled media went into action. They attacked Robespierre on one hand, but on the other hand, they propagated that while France never feared war, "we will not abandon peace until it is absolutely hopeless, and we will not lightly make sacrifices until the last moment." Furthermore, Lafayette had no desire to become a military dictator.
Although Lafayette's hatred for Robespierre grew stronger, in practice, at least in terms of delaying the war, Lafayette had become an ally of Robespierre.
This caused both Lafayette's and Robespierre's standing among the moderates to decrease significantly. This was normal, as the moderates, essentially the future Girondins, were mostly big businessmen and bankers. For them, war was an opportunity for great wealth. As long as the final outcome wasn't the destruction of the nation, war wasn't a bad thing for them. Therefore, those who openly opposed war as they were now were obstructing their path to wealth.
However, Lafayette also knew that war was inevitable. Even the members of the Feuillants Club, in their hearts, were anticipating war. Perhaps Lafayette truly did not want to become a military dictator, but many people in the Feuillants Club were following him because they hoped he would become a military dictator like Caesar. If Lafayette disappointed them too much, they might...
Banker Clavier was receiving a guest at his residence on Sèvres-Dauphine Street. This guest was named Joseph, but he went by Fouché.
"Thank you, Mr. Fouché," Clavier said. "The information you've provided me is of great importance. His Excellency Lafayette is truly..."
At this point, Clavier shook his head and didn't continue with his sentence.
"Lafayette is overly concerned about the bigger picture," Fouché said.
"But we don't need to maintain the current state of affairs. I need a change in the bigger picture. Mr. Fouché, I wonder if you can provide me with some assistance? Everyone knows I'm a man of ethics, and I've never mistreated anyone who's helped me." Clavier looked at Fouché and said slowly.
"Do you need a war?" Fouché asked.
"Yes," Clavier replied briefly.
"But I've heard that due to the possible war and the turmoil, there are difficulties in recovering some of your bank's loans related to agriculture, influenced by the uprisings in the provinces. So, it's quite possible that you won't be able to withdraw money from your bank – meaning that even with your deposit slips, you can't get your money from there!" Fouché asked again.
"Oh, you've heard those rumors too?" Clavier chuckled. "That's why I need things to become even more turbulent as soon as possible."
"This is a bit challenging, but your operation doesn't require such great turbulence," Fouché said. "In addition, I can help you make a connection with another friend..."
...
One morning, Joseph went to work as usual and happened to run into a worried-looking Lazare on the way.
"What's the matter, Lazarus? You seem to have something on your mind?" Joseph asked.
"Joseph, where do you have your money in the bank?" Lazare asked in return.
"I have some in Clavier's bank and some in..." Joseph replied.
"Oh my!" Lazare said, "Have you heard? Clavier's bank has just announced that due to difficulties in recovering loans related to agriculture and the uprisings in the provinces, they have temporarily suspended withdrawal operations – in other words, even if you have deposit slips, you can't withdraw money from there!"
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