usatvline Chapter 23: The Republicans, overjoyed by the defeat of the French army.
Chapter 23: The Republicans, overjoyed by the defeat of the French army.
Unlike the others, this director remained indifferent throughout, with his arms crossed and his eyes vacantly staring out the window, appearing apathetic and detached.
This arrogant and oblivious behavior was universally ignored by everyone in the room. As the Inspector General of the Army, Troch should have been the key figure in reorganizing the military and dealing with the crisis, but his lack of involvement went unnoticed.
The reason for this special situation is that his position was different from the very beginning. Troch's attitude toward Prussia was always very negative.
Now that Prussia has won two games, the ministers in the room who know Troch all know that if they ask the Inspector General of the Army, the answer they will get will only be...
If you can't win, just surrender as soon as possible.
What the ministers didn't know was that the Army Inspector General was secretly pleased.
Trochet, who had long been a republic, saw the French army's defeats on the front lines as an opportunity to shake and even overthrow the Bonaparte family's rule.
Therefore, Trochet, who had received news of the frontline battles from the Ministry of War during the day, secretly copied a confidential battle report and hid it in his sleeve. Through his attendant, he passed on the message that Eugénie had specifically instructed him not to divulge.
"Mr. Prime Minister, the crowd has gathered outside the Prime Minister's Office, and the number is growing. They are all demanding an explanation from the government."
The office door opened, and Olivier's secretary, pale-faced, walked in, delivering very bad news to everyone.
The office wasn't completely soundproof, and Olivier and others had already heard the shouts. However, the truth revealed by the Secretary General still made many ministers who wanted to avoid the situation turn grim. A political crisis for Olivier's cabinet seemed unavoidable.
"Some people were chanting 'Olivier resign!' and 'Punish the incompetent government!' Others were holding signs and cursing the Prime Minister... calling him a sinner of France. Some tried to break through the outer guards and rush into the Prime Minister's residence. Police and gendarmes were maintaining order outside."
Unable to escape, Olivier closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then stood up and staggered to the window, his steps barely moving, more like shuffling.
The intermittent sounds reached Olivier's ears, and the Prime Minister, mustering his courage, tremblingly pushed open the window, where the protests outside instantly surged in.
A dense crowd gathered in front of the Prime Minister's Office, waving their fists and their faces filled with anger. Huge banners rose and fell among the crowd as they were waved.
The French prime minister opened his mouth as if to say something, but found his throat so dry that he couldn't make a sound.
The government led by Olivier has fallen into an unprecedented predicament, while at the same time, in the attic of an abandoned bakery in the Montmartre hills of the 18th arrondissement of Paris, the dim oil lamp is lit again.
Unlike the panic and arguments of a few days ago, the anti-Bonaparte members in the attic today all wore an undisguised sense of excitement.
It was as if the French army, as the army of their own country, was quite pleased to see such a crushing defeat.
Compared to the smiling crowd, Gan Bida's expression was more serious. Gan Bida, who advocated a tough stance against Prussia, did not want to see news of the army's defeat at the front.
In Gan Bida's hands was a confidential battle report with neat edges and clear handwriting, which was the very report that Trox had secretly leaked.
Unlike the scattered reports that the Republicans intentionally publicized, this confidential battle report detailed the specific battle situations of the Battle of Walter and the Battle of Forbach, including the troop deployments of both sides, casualties, and details of the defeats.
"Gentlemen, our opportunity has arrived."
Looking around, the tense atmosphere and mutual dislike among the people had greatly improved after the news of the French defeat.
The conflicts between the two royalists, the radicals, and the moderate Republicans were less important than the good news of their own country's army suffering a major defeat on the front lines.
Feeling somewhat saddened, Gan Bida spoke first, though outwardly he knew his abilities were limited and the empire was their enemy. It was impossible for Gan Bida to feel no joy at all.
Gan Bida gently placed the confidential battle report in his hand on the table, flipped the paper 180 degrees, and then pushed it in front of everyone.
"This is a secret battle report secretly sent by Mr. Troch, the Inspector General of the Army. The French army's crushing defeat is not a rumor. McMahon's 1st Corps lost nearly half of its strength, and Frossard's 2nd Corps was routed. In fact, the gates of Lorraine were opened by the Prussian army."
The foundations of the Bonaparte family's rule have begun to crumble. If this continues, it will be the best time for us to overthrow the empire and establish a republic.
Upon hearing Gan Bida's words, Blanqui, who had previously had a tense argument with Gan Bida because he hadn't listened to Gan Bida's decisions, slammed his hand on the table and jumped up to express his opinion.
This time, Blanqui chose to agree with Gambit's statement, but as always, his proposal was quite impulsive.
"Gambida, this time you're finally not a coward. Olivier is incompetent, Napoleon III is senile, and Eugène Napoleon's hypocritical tricks should come to an end."
I propose that we immediately mobilize forces for an armed revolution to overthrow this corrupt government and give France a new lease on life.
Blanki's remarks, however, garnered considerable support, especially among young people, or more specifically, young people from families with a little money.
As soon as Blanki finished speaking, LeBlanc, a young Republican member sitting in the corner, stood up abruptly, wildly waving his fists in the most fervent way possible, agreeing with Blanki's statement.
"Mr. Blanqui is absolutely right. We have endured for far too long. The army's crushing defeat is the best proof that the Bonaparte family is utterly unworthy to rule France."
"As long as we raise our voices, countless people will respond, and we will be able to overthrow the empire and establish our own republican regime."
It's a headache. Radicals are a double-edged sword. If used well, they can be made to take the initiative to fight for the party and seek benefits for their behind-the-scenes financial backers.
However, if used improperly, this out-of-control sword might hurt itself first. As the behind-the-scenes financiers and investors, the banking tycoons certainly want to control the overall situation and don't want the radicals to cause trouble.
Because the Republicans needed their money, the bankers were not intimidated by Blanqui's prestige; for example, Cernucci directly stood up and reprimanded Blanqui.
"Blanqui, you're spouting nonsense again. To launch an armed revolution now is to commit suicide. With the Prussian army pressing in and the French army suffering a crushing defeat, all of France will be plunged into turmoil in the coming days."
We don't need to step forward at the beginning. In my opinion, we should use this confidential report and the convenience of the newspaper to prioritize bringing down Olivier's government. Without Olivier's support, those businessmen might not be willing to serve that fool in the Tuileries Palace.