Flowers, Swords and France

"Long live France!"

Amidst the deafening cheers of the soldiers, the current president of France, Mr. Louis Bonaparte, wearing a large formal dress and a red ribbon draped over his shoulders, walked confidently past the phalanx of soldiers standing neatly.

At this time, the September sky was cloudless, but the summer heat was gone. It was just convenient for Napoleon's nephew to review the troops of the Republic that had just returned triumphantly from Rome.

The entire Arc de Triomphe has now become a sea of ​​military uniforms. The faded old Guards uniforms and bearskin caps from the pre-imperial era are mixed with the new blue military uniforms and cylindrical military caps, adding to the long-lasting legacy of this country. Military tradition makes a very visually impactful annotation.

Yes, under the deliberate arrangement of Louis Bonaparte, many veterans of the old empire also participated in the review. When the emperor's nephew passed by, some veterans even shed tears, which further stimulated the soldiers' hearts. Surging.

However, the elderly general standing next to the president and accompanying the president to review the troops was not called over temporarily to boost his momentum. He was one of the protagonists of this event - he was the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force. A general in the imperial era, the highly respected Marquis de Treville.

Although the commander's hair and beard were gray, he was in good spirits. He had accompanied the president during the review for such a long time, and he did not show any signs of fatigue. He wears the gold Legion of Honor with a rosette on the ribbon on his left breast, and the silver Grand Cross on his right breast. These are the honorary witnesses awarded to him by the President not long ago.

The man in charge of the inspection was named Bonaparte. The man leading this force was a general from the imperial era. Is there anything else that could make people nostalgic for that long-gone era more than these facts?

In a trance. People will always forget that people are different and regard the phantom as reality, and this is exactly the result Louis Bonaparte needs - he would rather be regarded as the shadow of the genius than remain unknown.

"salute!"

When the president passed by a phalanx, under the command of the commander, the phalanx raised their guns in unison, and everyone held their heads high. Accept the inspection by the head of state with bated breath. As the president passed from square to square, a forest of bayonets were first raised and then lowered, like the ebb and flow of the ocean tide.

The Marquis de Treville led the president. Every time they pass a phalanx, the troops are introduced to the president, and then the president always says a few words to their commanders, thanking them for their hard work and dedication, and encouraging them to continue serving the country. He also personally awarded medals to some brave and capable soldiers and officers from time to time. This caused another burst of cheers from the soldiers.

After the soldiers cheered for a moment, the president waved his hands slightly, and then under the orders of the commanders, every square suddenly fell silent.

"Defenders of France, you have worked hard!" In the silence, Louis Bonaparte shouted to the soldiers, "On behalf of the country and the people, I thank you!"

Although this is an intervention army that has just wiped out another republic. But Louis Bonaparte did not care about the difference, as long as he could win the favor of the army.

"It is because of your hard work that the country will be stable and the people will have time to go. You are the defenders of this country. I respect you and rely on you. Only with your help can I keep this country peaceful, and then Help achieve peace and prosperity across Europe.

Yes, peace and development are the main themes of this era, and France is now a country pursuing peace. The reason why we take up swords and guns is just to seek peace. The tragedies that have been soaked in the blood and fire of various European nations in the past hundreds of years have now become history. The Republic has opened a new page for the French nation. This It will be a whole new page! "…

Louis Bonaparte looked at the soldiers in front of him affectionately, as if he really felt that he could use this statement to erase the willful, violent and majestic imperial atmosphere contained in the military parade.

"In the past, we unfortunately had to fight for the king, the emperor, and to conquer other countries. But now, the progress of the times has made France calm. She no longer wants to fight swords with others. She has become a In a peaceful and prosperous republic, the reason why we take up guns is just to defend peace, just to defend peace.

Yes, peace, everything we do is for peace! In the future, France will only fight for peace in Europe! "

"oh!"

His words were drowned out by the cheers of the soldiers.

The mood of the soldiers, of course, stemmed not from Louis Bonaparte's peace advocacy but from the fact that the country's army tradition seemed to have finally been restored, after the ill-fated Restoration and the lenient July Monarchy. The Army finally got a man who claimed to be a friend of the Army, and he happened to be the nephew of the greatest commander in history. Nothing could be more inspiring to officers throughout the Army who are eager to make a difference.

And what about Bonaparte? Does he have any yearning for peace? Does he really think the country is at peace? Of course it's impossible. Even if he himself does not have the family's desire for revenge, the army's desire to attack and the empire's desire for power will drive him forward step by step, unable to stop at all.

Every politician who is determined to go to war in the near future will spare no effort to advocate peace to other countries, and he is no exception.

"Yes, we need peace, because no war can fundamentally solve the problems that have troubled us for centuries or even longer, so we sincerely hope to join hands with European countries to resolve disputes in a peaceful way and create a better future together!

Long live the Republic! Long live the Army!"

"Long live the Republic! Long live the Army!"

As if they had received the horn of advancement, after the president delivered a brief speech, dozens of squares cheered at the same time, and the bright bayonets on the rifles reflected dazzling light, turning the whole world into a sea of ​​light, as if to merge the president and the army into one.

And at this moment, how many people can see clearly what this person who is advocating peace at the moment, and this group of army officers and soldiers, want to bring to France, Europe, and the world?

………………

"You want to be a successful performance, Mr. de Treville."

In the crowd of spectators in the distance, the president's aide-de-camp, Colonel Conrobert, looked at Charles in a friendly manner, "The effect is much better than expected. I dare say that every army officer and soldier who can see this scene will like the president. Of course, it would be better if he didn't say so many damn "peace"."

"There is no way. I don't know how many people who are staring at this place are from other countries. We can't be too aggressive and scare them." Charles shrugged his shoulders regretfully, "We can't conflict with foreign countries before seizing power. That would be too unwise. As for what to say, it doesn't matter anyway. Although others may not believe it just by saying it, it's always good to pretend..."

"You politicians have so many twists and turns." The colonel smiled and shook his head, then raised his head again and looked at the troops in the distance. "Ah... Come to think of it, how long have we not seen such an enthusiastic scene? Sure enough, only under the leadership of the Bonaparte family can the army usher in its good times..." ...

That is why we must find a way to hold the reins of the army tightly, rather than being forcibly dragged to the graveyard by the army. Charles said coldly in his heart.

The original text is available at 6 # 9 @Book/Bar!

………………

When the Marquis de Treville finished all the social activities in the Elysee Palace and returned to his mansion with his grandson, it was almost late at night, but the atmosphere at home was still as warm as during the day.

The servants were excited and happy, and they felt proud of the new honor of the old master.

"Grandpa, you are finally back!" Fran's face was full of smiles. She threw herself into her grandfather's arms and hugged him tightly, regardless of the medal on her grandfather's chest knocking against her. "I miss you so much!"

"Flan, Grandpa misses you too," the old marquis was obviously in a very good mood. He smiled and patted his granddaughter on the back, then helped Fran up and looked at her carefully, "Oh, my little beauty has become even more beautiful now, hahahaha, I think no one can compare to you! How about those gifts, are you satisfied? Grandpa spent a long time choosing for you!"

It seems that Grandpa really drank a lot of wine. How can such a thing be said in public? Fran sighed in her heart and quickly changed the subject.

"Well, thank you, I really like your gift very much, it's so beautiful!" She replied with a smile, "By the way, you have been working so hard over there for so long, it must be very hard, right? You must have a good rest during this period!"

"Yeah, it turns out that my granddaughter is the most considerate of an old man like me. It's not in vain that I love you, my dear child..." The Marquis patted Fran's cheek again, "Well, I am really tired..."

"Everyone, please go away first. The master just came back and needs to have a good rest," Charles hurriedly told the servants beside him.

"Yes."

Then, Charles and Fran accompanied Grandpa to his bedroom and listened to him talk about the interesting things that happened during this expedition. However, because she knew that Grandpa needed to rest, Fran stayed by Grandpa's side for a while and went back to her room. When Charles was about to leave, Marquis Treville called him.

"Charles, don't leave yet, let's talk about recent events."

"You... you should take a rest first, we can talk again tomorrow." Charles looked at the old marquis with concern.

"There are too many urgent matters, how can we have time to rest." The marquis shook his head, "Tell me about the recent situation first, I have been away from the country for so long, I feel a little strange, really..."

"Okay." After hesitating for a moment, Charles replied. (.)