French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 43 A Recruitment Operation That Lasted a Day

The people at the scene had been won over by Eugene. Even the carpenter with the big beard stood there dumbfounded, his eyes filled with tears.

He was reminded of his brother who had died in battle, his sister-in-law, and their four poor children. Eugène was referring to the war, meaning his family was also among the beneficiaries.

On one hand, he felt ashamed, and on the other hand, he was afraid that Eugène would remember him and deliberately withhold their compensation. Due to these two reasons, the bearded carpenter knelt down and cried, confessing his sins to Eugène.

"Your Highness! I was wrong. I shouldn't have doubted you. I've enlisted in the army. I want to fight for France, and I want to avenge my brother."

The first person to sign up appeared in the crowd, and it was the same person who was extremely opposed to the Bonaparte family. This had the effect of throwing a pebble into a calm lake, immediately creating ripples.

"I also signed up. My son is eighteen years old this year, and he's as strong as an ox. He's wanted to join the army for a long time."

"I am a veteran. I fought in the Crimean War. I can still carry a gun and fight."

"I am a student at École Polytechnique, and I also want to join the army to defend Paris."

"I am a tailor, I can mend military uniforms."

.........

More and more people crowded in front of Eugène, vying to sign up, and Eugène quickly gave a look to the two guards beside him.

The two guards temporarily took on the role of conscription officers. The two men in charge of registration were extremely busy, quickly scribbling on the roster with their pens until they had used up several bottles of ink.

Euren stood motionless where the bread distribution point had suddenly been converted into a recruitment office. Looking at the excited faces, he knew that everything was in place.

He has made so many efforts, and it seems to be working well. The positive response from the working class is a testament to his relatively stable popularity in Paris.

However, Eugène also knew that this situation was inextricably linked to the empty promises he had made. The saying "when funding dries up, relationships crumble" perfectly described his relationship with the citizens of Paris.

But this kind of financial relationship is still a relationship, and it's better than the previous adversarial relationship. With the current crisis in mind, Eugène had no complaints about it.

Eugene did not rush to leave, but stayed at the distribution point to personally hand out the conscription notices that had been prepared in advance to each person who signed up.

As Crown Prince of France, Eugène patiently shook hands with everyone, looked them in the eye, and said "thank you."

The Crown Prince's hands had been held by countless rough, calloused hands, covered in sweat and dust, but he did not wipe them with a handkerchief, because he knew that the vulnerable were always more sensitive.

He might wipe it now and nothing will happen, but some people might misunderstand it as him looking down on the working class.

Eugene wants to avoid these kinds of probabilistic boxing incidents as much as possible.

In the crowd, Eugene also saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure. This body had never seen him before, but he remembered him from paintings, photographs, and memories of his past life: Gan Bida.

As the main boss he was about to face, this leader of the Republican faction stood under a tree not far away, quietly watching everything before him.

The expression on Gambida's face was, in any case, complex and difficult to understand in Eugène's view; he couldn't tell what the republican leader was thinking.

The two looked at each other across the crowd. After a moment of surprise, Ou Ren nodded slightly to Gan Bida, who nodded in response. Then, Ou Ren turned and disappeared into the crowd.

After not seeing Gan Bida, Euren realized that Gan Bida had come to observe. In fact, Euren originally thought that the Republicans would take the opportunity to incite public discontent and sabotage the conscription work.

But clearly, at least Gambia understood that in a time of national crisis, any act that undermines unity is treason. The Republican leader chose silence, which was the best possible outcome; his silence would give Eugene more time to prepare.

At noon, Euren simply ate a few bites of dark bread and drank a glass of cold water before heading to the next distribution point.

At the distribution point in District 7, an elderly man with gray hair came to register with his two grandsons.

The old man was a veteran of Napoleon I's era and participated in the Battle of Waterloo. He tremblingly pulled out a rusty Legion of Honour from his pocket and grasped Eugène's hand as he spoke.

"Your Highness, I am old and can no longer fight. But I entrust my two grandsons to you. They are fine young men, and they can help Napoleon continue to win, Napoleon..."

At the distribution point in the tenth district, a young mother, holding an infant in her arms, came to register her husband. Her husband was a shoemaker who used to support the family by making shoes.

"Your Highness, my husband said that if the Prussian army invades, we won't even have a place to make shoes. He's going to fight, and I'm staying home to take care of the children."

With your pension, I have nothing to fear. When my child grows up, I will tell him that his father was a hero who fought for France.

On July 14, 1789, in France, women and men stormed the Bastille together, marking the first large-scale women's action in French history. Subsequently, women took up arms to participate in the attack on Versailles.

At this moment, the women's movement in France has not undergone any major changes and is far from evolving into a women's movement that is more inclined towards feminism than women's rights in the future.

This woman's willingness to let her husband, who wanted to join the army, leave and to take on the burden of the family was truly admirable to Eugène.

Looking at the sleeping baby in her arms, Eugene felt a pang of sorrow, but in this critical moment, he couldn't say things like, "Your family won't be conscripted." Gently touching the baby's face, Eugene could only offer some weak and comforting words.

"Don't worry, we will definitely win this war. Your husband will come back safely."

........

Thus, Eugène worked from dawn till late at night, visiting nine districts of Paris and giving a speech at each bread distribution point.

Of course, the level of the speeches in other districts was not as intense as in the 18th district, where workers congregate.

For this reason, Eugène personally received hundreds of people who had signed up. By the end of the day, Eugène's voice was hoarse and his legs were sore from running around.

Eugène, on the other hand, didn't mind being tired. In fact, he felt he couldn't rest tomorrow and had to finish visiting the remaining districts. His sickly state was more suitable for winning the sympathy of the Parisian people.