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The Fox of France - Chapter 72
🕑 Added 2023-10-27 11:36:02 +0000 UTCThe next morning, Joseph went to work as usual, pondering what Lafayette's reaction would be. Would he inform Joseph directly that his position had been canceled due to the changing circumstances? Or would he put a seal on Joseph's office door?
However, when Joseph arrived at work, he found that he had been overly concerned. His position remained intact, and all the tasks he needed to handle were waiting for him.
At lunchtime, Carnot from the neighboring office entered Joseph's workspace.
"Joseph," Carnot said, "I heard about what you did last night. You did an amazing job!"
"Lazar, I..." Joseph hadn't had a chance to say much when he heard Carnot continue enthusiastically:
"You know, Joseph, I used to think of you as a great logistics organizer and an excellent staff member, but not a great commander. You were sharp and detail-oriented, coming up with many good ideas, but lacked the courage to make tough decisions. Your brother, Napoleon, is the one with determination. He's a born leader."
"What's this? You come up with many good ideas but lack the courage to make decisions? Isn't that like saying I'm 'all talk and no action'? Wasn't that a joke by Prime Minister Cao?" Joseph thought but heard Carnot continue:
"But based on your decisiveness yesterday, my perception was entirely wrong. You do have perseverance and the ability to make tough decisions. You're cautious and meticulous in everyday matters, but when it's crucial, you're brave and resolute! Joseph, you have the potential to become an exceptional commander."
"But I still don't know how to face General Lafayette," Joseph said, feeling a bit uneasy.
"I haven't seen the General today either. But I believe he's a reasonable man," Carnot said. "You were right to do what you did yesterday. Even if the General has some thoughts about it, you had to act that way. But General Lafayette is a good man, and I've always respected him. I don't want to lose his friendship."
Joseph knew that Lafayette held Carnot in high regard, so he tried to use Carnot to help mend his relationship with Lafayette.
Carnot laughed heartily and said, "If General Lafayette puts the interests of France before his own, he won't hold yesterday against you. And to be honest, his actions yesterday were rather ungracious. If he puts personal grudges ahead of France's interests, do we need a friend like him? Don't worry too much. Let's do our work with integrity, and as long as we can answer to our own conscience, that's enough. Why worry so much?"
"This is definitely a typical Carnot response. He wouldn't waste time explaining such things," Joseph thought.
At that moment, a messenger walked in and said to Carnot and Joseph, "The General requests both of you to come over."
Joseph, still a bit nervous, followed Carnot and the messenger to meet Lafayette. Carnot smiled at Joseph and said, "See, I told you the General wouldn't mind."
Joseph smiled back but thought, "Why is Carnot so straightforward? Lafayette not mentioning the incident yesterday probably means he cares a great deal about it."
Of course, if Lafayette had mentioned it and comforted Joseph, he would probably think Lafayette was being overly considerate.
"'Can an ordinary man associate with a king in his service? Is it not a joy, having no uncertainty?' Confucius seems to be talking about me. This saying makes sense; Confucius is indeed wise. If Carnot knew what I was thinking, he'd probably say the same about me. But at least one thing is certain, Lafayette won't take any action against me in the short term," Joseph mused.
The following weeks remained relatively calm. Lafayette and his friends seemed to have the situation under control. The King swore allegiance to the constitution, and Lafayette, along with the pro-royalist "Black Party" and those who could afford the election deposit, formed an alliance, seemingly firmly in control.
The remaining democrats, the remnants of the dissolved Cordeliers, and marginalized left-wing figures in the government and parliament all joined Robespierre's Jacobin Club. While the right formed a grand alliance, the left quietly formed its own.
Lafayette and his friends aimed to consolidate their position. In Duperre, Barnave, and the Lameth brothers' proposal, they attempted to use their majority in the parliament to amend the constitution, granting the King more power, restoring certain noble privileges, establishing an upper house, and ensuring that only "respectable" citizens could participate in elections. They also allowed parliamentary re-election and dual mandates for members, securing long-term benefits for their supporters.
Although they had the numbers on their side in parliament, these proposals didn't pass any votes. Both Jacobins and a section of the "respectable" citizens, who leaned toward republicanism, were opposed. Even the entire Black Party rejected these ideas.
It was rumored that King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette believed Lafayette to be a more dangerous enemy than the Jacobins. After all, at that time, the Jacobins didn't wield much power, and their leader was just a commoner (in the eyes of the royal court, all commoners were ignorant fools). What influence could he possibly have? The Duke of Orleans, who had connections with them, had also lost much of his former power. During his absence from France for over a year, his influence had dwindled. Besides, he was a typical do-nothing playboy. If he were capable, Lafayette would not have been able to force him out of the country, and a commoner would not have become president. His last name is Bourbon? How is he even related to the Bourbons? Does he deserve that name?
King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were right to think this way. The Jacobins had little power at that time. Their leader was just a commoner, and it was unlikely that they would create much trouble. They were just like those unruly mobs, with no significant difference. As for the Duke of Orleans, his influence had diminished over the years, and upon his return, most of his former supporters had scattered. Moreover, he was a typical incompetent. If he were truly capable, he wouldn't have been expelled from France by Lafayette, and a commoner wouldn't have assumed the presidency. Why should he even bear the name Bourbon?
The King and Queen held this view, but Count Artois (King Louis XVI's younger brother) played a significant role in the royalist camp. Count Artois was the first among the emigrés and the most fervent counter-revolutionary among the nobility. In a sense, he was one of those closest to them by blood who most eagerly desired their downfall. However, at this point, the King and Queen had no one to rely on, and they had never trusted Mirabeau.
Indeed, the Feuillants offered many benefits to the King and nobility. Still, from the perspective of the Black Party, these things were already rightfully theirs. The Feuillants simply returned a small portion of what had been taken from them. Like those unruly mobs, the Feuillants' folks were all damned rebels. Since they were all rebels, it was better to let these two rebellious groups fight each other and weaken themselves. Standing with the stronger side to let them eliminate the other was the best course of action. With France's size, a war wouldn't end quickly, and neighboring countries would divert their resources to this war. This would give Russia the opportunity to act freely in Eastern Europe.
This scheme couldn't escape Emperor Leopold II of Austria's notice. He was not enthusiastic about going to war against France because he knew that Empress Catherine II of Russia was very eager to intervene militarily in the French Revolution.
The European royal families were all related by blood. If you looked through their genealogies, any king could find distant or close blood relations with another. Catherine II, the Great Empress of Russia, could likely find some distant blood relation with Louis XVI. Still, her enthusiasm for intervening in the French Revolution was not about France itself, but about Poland.
At this time, the Grand Duchy of Poland was in a state of chaos. Gone were the glory days of vanquishing the Turks. Thanks to the bizarre elective monarchy and the nobility's veto power, the once-powerful Grand Duchy of Poland had become a lovable fat lamb, known and loved by everyone. However, there were more wolves circling around it, and a few wolves could only restrain each other, allowing the fat lamb to barely survive. Russia was one of the wolves yearning for this fat lamb. If there were a war in Europe due to the French Revolution, considering France's size, the war would not end quickly. The countries bordering France would get embroiled in it. Russia would then have a free hand in Eastern Europe.
Emperor Leopold II was well aware of this plan, and he did not want to wage war. He also believed that if a constitutional monarchy could be established, the situation in France would be entirely acceptable. He did not want to engage in a war that might result in mutual destruction, only to find out later that Poland had been divided up by the Russians and Prussians, leaving nothing for him.
For this reason, the royalists were determined to prevent the success of a constitutional monarchy.
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