French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 18: The Former Military Police Commander's Unwilling Departure from the Military Police

"Your Highness, I can go to the barracks."

"No, I have to go. Drema is inclined towards the republic, and you've always served in the Guards. The military police might think you're not senior enough, and without my support, he won't willingly hand over power."

This is a conversation between Pierre and Eugène Napoleon after the last loaf of bread was handed out, when Eugène was about to go with Pierre to the Gendarmerie Headquarters.

The two spoke in very low voices, and the people around them did not hear them.

Waving to the crowd, Eugène, not forgetting his own role, boarded the carriage with Pierre's help.

The crowd erupted in applause once again as they watched Eugène enter the carriage, chanting "Long live Your Highness!"

Having already put on a show, Eugène did not choose to stick his body out of the window to respond to the enthusiasm of the Parisian people.

Knowing that too much of a good thing can be bad, Eugène Napoleon simply waved to the crowd through the glass of the wooden door, while his carriage headed towards the 4th arrondissement of Paris.

Barracks Lobo is located adjacent to the Paris City Hall in the single-digit arrondissement, specifically the 4th arrondissement. As the headquarters of the Paris Garrison Gendarmerie, Barracks Lobo is a key stronghold for the government in maintaining order in Paris.

With His Highness the Crown Prince arriving, it's impossible for everything to be a spur-of-the-moment decision; we must catch the other party off guard.

At the gate of the Lobo barracks, the military police, who had been notified in advance, stood in solemn rows, dressed in blue and red uniforms.

However, if you listen closely, you'll hear occasional whispers coming from this seemingly solemn queue, mainly about their new boss.

After being personally informed by Drema, the former commander of the Paris garrison gendarmes, all the more than two thousand gendarmes in the barracks were aware that the Crown Prince was going to appoint a new commander to replace their original Colonel Drema.

"Quiet down, everyone, His Highness has arrived."

As soon as a colonel-uniformed officer standing at the front of the line spoke, the two rows of whispering soldiers immediately fell silent.

Under the watchful eyes of the two rows of military police, the carriage, surrounded by the Imperial Guard, slowly came to a stop in front of the barracks gate. The ornate wooden door opened, and the new commander, Pierre, stepped out first.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the commander turned around and carefully helped Crown Prince Eugène Napoleon out of the car.

Since he was going to act, he had to see it through to the end. Although he had adjusted his condition, Eugene still maintained a rather weak posture.

As the Crown Prince appeared, the military police lined up and saluted Eugène. Having not seen members of the royal family many times, the military police's curious eyes kept drifting toward Eugène Napoleon as he walked by.

As Eugène and Pierre got off the train, they saw Colonel Drema standing at the front, his face clearly showing his displeasure.

In France, the public's fear of the royal family is not as strong. For a mid-level officer like Drema, it is not difficult to occasionally put on airs in front of the emperor and the crown prince. The royal family would not arbitrarily punish a colonel for such a thing.

The reason he didn't give him a friendly look wasn't just because the captain of Eugène's personal guard had taken his position.

More importantly, it was because Dreima himself came from a middle-class family and was influenced by republican ideas in his early years, and he was dissatisfied with the monarchical autocracy of the Bonaparte family.

This time, he learned that the Crown Prince was going to send his own bodyguard captain, Pierre, a former major who was unfamiliar with the operation of the gendarmerie but had been promoted to lieutenant colonel, to replace him.

With the double pressure, Drema's resentment erupted. Before he even learned that the two were coming, he had already made up his mind not to easily relinquish power and had made some preparations for it.

"It is my honor to have His Highness the Crown Prince's presence."

That's what he said, but Drema's tone was very calm, without any of the flattery or honor he felt.

Eugène Napoleon, who could discern Drema's tone and attitude, paid no heed to Drema's coldness. He was just a colonel; although the royal family did not have the right to kill or punish a colonel at will, they did have the power to adjust positions.

No matter how bad Drema's attitude was, it couldn't change the fact that he had been transferred from his position as commander of the garrison by his own mother, the Queen Regent Eugénie.

Since he wasn't being given a friendly look, Eugène wouldn't try to curry favor with him. He simply announced the new appointment in front of all the military police, without giving Drema any face.

"Colonel Dreima, thank you for your hard work. I am here today to announce an appointment. Major Pierre is promoted to lieutenant colonel, effective immediately, and will assume the post of Commander of the Paris Garrison Gendarmerie, responsible for all affairs of the gendarmes. Colonel Dreima hopes that you will immediately hand over your authority and assist Pierre in familiarizing himself with the work."

Drema, whose lungs had been punctured, did look a bit gloomy, but he wasn't too angry. Instead, he cooperated actively.

"Yes, Your Highness. However, the military police are quite complex, and I think Lieutenant Colonel Pierre, being new here, might find it difficult to get up to speed quickly. Perhaps I should first show Your Highness and Lieutenant Colonel Pierre around the headquarters and explain the functions of each department, so that the Lieutenant Colonel can become familiar with his work as soon as possible."

"Alright, Colonel Laudley will lead the way."

Without a doubt, there was something wrong with this proposal. Eugène, who didn't believe Drema would cooperate willingly, agreed anyway. He wanted to see what preparations the former commander of the Paris garrison gendarmerie would have.

Seeing that His Highness agreed, Drema turned and led the way, taking Eugène and Pierre into the Gendarmerie headquarters at Lobo.

As the headquarters of the powerful Paris Gendarmerie, the headquarters has a very orderly layout. Barracks for various departments are arranged on both sides of a long corridor, and gendarmes are on duty at the door of each barracks.

Drema's professional abilities were commendable; had it not been for his potential ideological problems, Eugène Napoleon might not have wanted to replace him.

Throughout his journey, Drema had become intimately familiar with the functions of each department within the Military Police Command. This was not something that could be learned at the last minute after knowing that Drema was coming; Drema clearly possessed genuine knowledge.

"Your Highness, Lieutenant Colonel Pierre, this is the Operations Deployment Department, responsible for coordinating the patrol routes and defense deployments of the gendarmes in various districts of Paris. Next door is the Intelligence Gathering Department, specifically responsible for investigating anti-government forces within Paris..."

He mentally muttered to himself, "Aren't you just half an anti-government force, Eugene?" and nodded without changing his expression.

Eugene's face remained expressionless, but he observed very carefully, taking in the uniforms of the military police on duty and the weapons racks along the corridor during the tour.