Flowers, Swords and France

"From ancient times to the present, victory belongs only to those who have goals, act decisively, and have the courage to make a desperate move."

In the splendid hall of the Elysée Palace, President Louis Bonaparte looked proudly at the group of core subordinates in front of him, and said in a majestic and self-respecting indifferent tone.

"For us, there are only two paths to complete victory and complete defeat - and it must be done quickly without any hesitation. Therefore, once the situation is favorable, we must act resolutely and pursue ruthlessly, because the situation is always changing. If If we hesitate when we have the upper hand, then...the goddess of victory will reward us with a hundredfold taunt!"

Under the curious gazes of a group of people, a sneer appeared on the president's lips.

"Yes, I have decided. In just a few days, I will settle the accounts with the enemies of those countries and let them know how irresistible the French people's public opinion is!"

His tone was cold, but he couldn't hide his complacency at all. The coup plan agreed upon with Charles and a limited number of his cronies is now complete and just waiting to be executed, so he is now ready to reveal this plan to some other cronies to prevent them from being unprepared when the incident occurs.

Sure enough, his words soon caused a commotion among the group of people.

"That's right, I'm referring to using bayonets to replace the ridiculous noise in the Parliament, and then blowing all these opponents out of the stage!" After a pause, Louis Bonaparte laughed quite easily, " Military preparations have been made, and the troops loyal to us are sharpening their swords and ready to eliminate all our enemies at any time!"

then. He sneered and continued, "Some people may think this is a military coup. No, that's wrong. I'm just doing my duty and using all means to eliminate the people's suffering! The people are already feeling the incompetence of the government and parliament. Tired of it, what they need is action, to regain the prosperity of the country! So...as a representative of the people's will and a national leader elected by popular vote, I have the right to serve the people and eliminate things that hinder the prosperity of the country! No matter how hard it is, I won’t hesitate to sacrifice my life for it!”

Then, the hall suddenly fell into unspeakable silence.

No one raised any objections, because even those who did not know had no doubt that the president was planning to use violent means to knock all opposition to the ground.

The only concern is whether the timing is accurate and whether the conditions are mature.

"Sir, I have no doubt that your move is necessary, but are you financially prepared?" Mr. Pierre Magny, the Minister of Public Works, took an uneasy breath, "If you want to accomplish this big thing, . It requires a lot of money, and the government’s budget is currently stretched thin. I’m afraid...it may not be able to support such a large operation.”

"There is no problem financially." Mr. Fuld, the finance minister and wealthy Jewish banker who had known the inside story for a long time, replied with a formulaic smile, "Because. Not long ago, the board of directors of the Bank of France passed the meeting of the managing directors. The meeting formally decided to loan us 25 million francs, which is enough to cover all the expenses of this operation."

Twenty-five million is good news, and having the full support of the Bank of France is even better news.

"Oh... that's great!" After hearing this great benefit for the first time. Magni let out a sigh of relief, obviously relieved. "As long as you are well prepared in this regard, there is nothing to worry about!"

Others who had some reservations were instantly relieved after hearing the news and never questioned it again.

"That's right, with the financial guarantee, we don't need to hesitate when mobilizing the army. The officers already support us, and with the financial stimulus, we are absolutely reliable." At this point, Louis Bonaparte He smiled at Charles again, "Besides, the officers who don't support us have been thrown to the border or even to Africa. Can they still interfere with our affairs?"

A few triumphant laughs rang out from among the participants, and Ciel smiled humbly.

"The only thing we need to worry about is legal concerns." At this point, Louis Bonaparte turned to look at Mr. Eugène Rouet, the Minister of Justice and a supporter for many years, "Although we are fighting for this We are working hard for the future of the country, but...I do not deny that we are attacking the legislative body stipulated in our constitution with bright swords and guns..."

In fact, he didn't take the Constitution seriously at all. He just wanted Eugène Rouet to say something to completely dispel other people's concerns.

Of course the clever Rue can understand.

"You don't have to worry, Your Excellency. There is no legal problem, because if we win, we are the ones who make the law." Eugène Rouet replied in a very calm tone, his answer and demeanor perfectly embodying a Bonapartist With a magnanimous attitude, "Yes, as long as victory is achieved, victory is the law! Isn't it just a constitution? The emperor has already given one, and if necessary, we can give France another one tomorrow! We don't have to worry about any laws in the future I’m troubled by the above, your Majesty’s will is the law!”

His impassioned slogan not only shook everyone's spirits, but also instantly made everyone curse in their hearts, hating themselves for letting him start to flatter him first.

So many people also shouted in the same way. "Yes, Your Majesty, your will is the law!"

They had already started to shout Your Majesty in advance.

Even Charles raised his hand and cheered with them.

The cheers of "Long live the emperor" echoed in the hall, so much so that Louis Bonaparte's face flushed with excitement.

"Everyone, I understand your excitement, because... I am as excited as you are now." After a long while, Louis Bonaparte spoke again, "Yes, after years of suffering and torment, who can not be excited when we are about to reach the end? But... it is precisely because we have reached the last step that we can't relax. We must cheer up and never make any mistakes. Each of you must concentrate until the last moment. Because. Only when victory is really in hand, we are qualified to cheer!"

Then, his voice was filled with a deep emotion. "And when that time comes, I promise, as I have always promised, that you who have always followed me will share with me the glory brought by the throne... I will repay your loyalty with everything I can give!"

"Long live the emperor! Empire." The cheers like a tide rang out again, and this time. The slogan was filled with more sincerity.

"Very good." Seeing the morale of the party members was so high, Louis-Bonaparte nodded with satisfaction, "Then, at Charles' wedding, let's celebrate the victory together! I have already decided on the date, which will be the night before Charles' wedding. It will definitely catch them off guard! Then, we can celebrate at the wedding banquet that a country has finally fallen completely into our hands."

Surprised eyes focused on Charles again, and it was obvious that those who had not participated in the coup were still very surprised by this date.

"I will do my best to make everything settled that night, Your Majesty." Charles finally stood up and bowed to Louis-Bonaparte. "I firmly believe that after that, no one can resist your majesty."

"Well, very good. Thanks to you!" In front of everyone, Louis-Bonaparte smiled and nodded. He expressed his special favor to Charles. "Only we know how much effort you have put in for all this!"

The original text can be found in the six # 9 @book/bar!

After a pause, Louis-Bonaparte looked at Charles with concern, "Your sister's matter is indeed very regrettable, Charles, you have been too tired recently, and I can't even let you take care of your sister more. I'm so sorry! But don't worry, as long as everything is settled, you will get the reward you deserve."

At this moment, the accomplices looked at Charles with some ridicule, which made Charles secretly clench his fists.

Because the Treville family has now become the focus of society again, the news that Fran fell from the attic and was seriously injured quickly spread throughout the social circle, and then aroused the interest of many people, and everyone was secretly speculating on the truth of the matter.

Basically, no one was willing to believe the official statement given by the Treville family that "the young lady accidentally fell from the attic while painting."

In private conversations, many rumors have emerged, and each rumor is revealed by some people who are sure of it, which has caused some discussions of surprise or disgust.

Among these rumors, the most terrifying one is that Mr. Charles de Treville has been persecuting his sister in order to monopolize his inheritance rights. As a result, his sister who could not bear the abuse finally chose to jump off the building and commit suicide.

Unexpectedly, this rumor was surprisingly popular. In a short period of time, it was almost regarded as a recognized "truth" in the whispers of the social circle.

——No way, in this era, the French nobles tried their best to fight against the eldest son inheritance system and the equal inheritance system stipulated in the Civil Code. In addition, Charles's reputation was not good, so everyone really believed that he could do such a thing.

When he learned about this rumor, Charles was of course furious, but he soon let it go - he had so many enemies, how could he expect them not to slander him in secret?

When he thought of this, he was no longer interested in refuting the rumor, because the more he refuted the rumor, the more people would take it seriously, and he could only rely on time to make everything a thing of the past.

Anyway, as long as he had power, no one dared to question or accuse him in person, and no one would be interested in "upholding justice". Those who slandered him in secret could only either shrink into a corner or squeeze over to flatter him.

Yes... As long as I hold power in my hands, hold it tightly in my hands...

"Your Majesty, my loyalty to you makes me unable to care about anything else." (To be continued...)