Flowers, Swords and France

February 22, 1848

The weather was not very good, it was still as cold and cold as ever. .

In factories, schools, in various residential areas, and in various back streets, a large group of people who had been notified in advance walked out of their homes in unison and walked to their agreed-upon places.

Some of them were neatly dressed, some were disheveled, and some were even in rags, but the expressions on their faces were so solemn and solemn that no one dared to look at them with contempt or ridicule.

People gathered from all over and gathered in squares, where they would receive final instructions.

Since 1830, violent revolutions (or revolutions, as the opposing sides express themselves based on their different positions) on the European continent have always been initiated by demonstrations in squares across the city, from Paris to Berlin, from From Vienna to Prague, from Petersburg to Kiev, it has never been like this for two hundred years.

The unusual gathering of people was quickly learned by the police and spies of the dynasty. They followed these people impatiently, trying to stop this surging crowd. However, no one paid attention to them. When the crowd gathered more and more and found themselves trapped in the vast ocean, these policemen were frightened and no longer dared to do anything that might anger the crowd, as if they had sensed the silence of the crowd. The lava contained in it is general.

No one spoke, everyone gathered around the fountain in the center of the square, waiting for something and hoping for something. .

As if responding to the expectations of the crowd, a man walked out of the crowd, and the people next to him automatically pushed out of the way for him to make it easier for him to walk to the center. This is their leader, a very prestigious person among these poor people. There was a huge crowd of people in the dark and bustling crowd, but as soon as he appeared, there was an immediate silence.

He walked to the fountain, then stood directly on the stone fence of the pool, then lowered his eyes and looked at his companions with emotion. Although his expression was very calm, his gray hair was trembling slightly, showing how excited the master was.

"You are all here, my brothers, my children!" His voice was trembling, full of affection, but still clear enough, "You are all heroes! We have so many heroes in France!"

Everyone looked at Dad, and some people even had tears in their eyes - they understood the meaning of today and the meaning after today.

"I want you to answer me a question, a question that I never could figure out before when I was young." He was still looking at the people, looking at the people who had become haggard due to years of labor, or were suffering from youth. A face full of hope.

This is my brother, my boy. He closed his eyes slightly and recited another sentence silently in his heart.

Then he opened his eyes again and glanced sternly at the people who were watching him.

"Why do we work to death, but are often half-starved, while some people don't have to do anything, just lie there and enjoy the fruits of the harvest? Why do we have to work for our families' bread tomorrow, while some people are leisurely and contented? Suck our blood?"

In front of this series of "whys", no one answered, and some people's hands were trembling slightly.

"Why?" the leader asked again, and then answered himself, "Because this world is unfair, unfair from the beginning. Some people rely on the power they robbed or deceived from us, and they are born to lie on our heads. They oppress us and dominate us, driving us to work to death but getting nothing. They call this God’s arrangement and ask us to accept it. Can we accept it?”

His voice became deeper and deeper, more and more emotional, "Can we accept it?"

"cannot!!"

A group of people shouted back.

"Very good," the leader smiled happily, and then nodded, "Our ancestors gave this answer sixty years ago, and we finally did not shame our ancestors. Sixty years ago, our ancestors used fire and revolution to It tells the world that there is no born noble person, and there is no superior person. The reason why we are enslaved by the will of the emperor is just because we dare not rise up to resist... When we rise up to smash all this, the whole of Europe can only tremble and lie down in front of us! Could it be that sixty years later we will! Can’t we do it again? Can’t we do it again?”

"able!"

The reply came louder than before.

"I'm old, and it doesn't matter even if I die. If I can sacrifice my life for you, this is my greatest honor. I give up everything today just so that you, people who are as young as me, don't have to eat me anymore. Having suffered so much, you will not lose sight of all hope in life. You don’t need to beg for mercy from anyone for a piece of bread. Noble head! In order for our children to live in a France where pests have been eliminated! We can build such a France, we must build such a France!" The old man threw away all reason and shouted loudly. , this roar seemed to be an excitement coming from the chest, "**King! Long live the great French Republic!"

This sentence was like sparks igniting a fire, like unscrewing the valve of a pipe, instantly causing the entire square to tremble.

"Are you afraid? Don't you want to overthrow this tyrant? They made you hungry and cold, they made you unable to support your family and children, and he brought shame and humiliation to the whole of France! Shouldn't they be overthrown?" He continued to shout hoarsely. shouted, "How can we, the French, who are so glorious, still be afraid of a mere person?" Can we be a king? If we cut off the head of one king, we can cut off another one! God has not destined who should be born to rule us. No one can make such a glorious people afraid. We are the people, we created everything! He is the most powerful! **King! Long live the great French Republic!”

"King **! Long live the great French Republic!" Under his encouragement, some people slowly repeated this sentence. At first it was sparse, but slowly, more and more people responded, and the passion on people's faces And the hatred is getting stronger and stronger.

Finally, the roars of thousands and tens of thousands of people in the entire square merged into one voice, "King **! Long live the great French Republic!"

This roar like a mountain roaring like a tsunami is really the roar coming from the human body, and it also seems like a judgment coming from heaven! This roar executed Louis XVI and drove away Charles X. Now what can a little Louis-Philippe mean?

"You can't save the country or yourself by relying on slogans!" Seeing that the agitation has achieved results, the agitators began to incite further, "French people, stand up! March to the dynasty!"

Following the leader's footsteps, the crowd automatically gathered into a torrent and slowly poured out of the square. The police who arrived were quickly overwhelmed by the surging crowd. What effect could a few dozen people have on the general outburst of the people's grievances accumulated over the years?

This is not the only place where republican radicals staged an uprising, and the uneasy crowd cannot be accommodated in just this one place. As if it was agreed upon, at this moment, half of Paris is already boiling.

If there really is that omnipotent Lord in the sky, at this moment he can see that in the 15th, 16th, and 8th districts... everywhere, there are crowds of people with unstoppable momentum. rush towards their destination. The streets criss-crossed everywhere, instead of diverting this crowd, people everywhere ran out of their own homes to join this raging crowd, just like the tributaries of the river. God knows how Paris can be like this. For multiple people! God knows what these people can accomplish?

As the long torrent walked along the street, they spontaneously sang the "Marseillaise" which is still a forbidden song. They moved forward with an air of contempt for everything, and nothing could stop them.

"This gang of traitors and kings,

What are you harboring?

What about these damn shackles?

Who are you going to wear it for?

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

Who are you going to wear it for?

Frenchmen, wear them for us!

The shame and humiliation make people indignant!

Is it tolerable or intolerable?

We want to push mankind back to the slave age!

Arm yourself, compatriots,

Organize the team!

go ahead! go ahead! "

Amid the exciting singing, more and more people joined in, and the chorus almost shook the sky. Some waved the tricolor flag, some waved the red flag, some waved their weapons, and shouted slogans happily. They clearly wanted to incite the strikers to resort to violence. People in civilian clothes or uniforms were holding loaded rifles, some with small flags tied on them. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and burnt debris. Although it was a bit choking, it incredibly made people more intoxicated by it.

In this group passion, some people have obviously lost everything. They either burn debris or smash everything that blocks or does not block the road, with a shocking madness on their faces.

A group that has already fallen into violence and lust, what else is missing? Only one thing is missing.

Not long after, another group of people participated. Not only did they bring their own weapons, but they also selflessly distributed weapons that had been prepared in advance to these revolutionary masses with the generosity of revolutionary comrades.

"Weapons, we have weapons!" No one paid attention to who they were or what their purpose was. They only heard cheers, a tsunami-like cheers. This time they were a little more confident than before. When a person holds a gun in his hand, what else should he worry about!

"King **! Long live the French Republic!" Another roar shot straight into the sky.

In 1830, this torrent overthrew the Bourbon dynasty and put Louis-Philippe on the throne.

In 1848, this torrent rushed towards Louis-Philippe himself.

The torrent of the times is so intense and so intoxicating! (To be continued.)