Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 635 - 544 The Tranquil Corsica
Chapter 635: Chapter 544 The Tranquil Corsica
The procession had reached Louvre Square when thousands had already gathered, singing “The Lantern Happiness Song” at the top of their lungs.
Joseph made his way through a side entrance to the second floor of the Louvre and saw a circle left open in the crowd that surrounded the square’s center, with hundreds of straw effigies piled haphazardly within.
The features of the effigies were indistinct, but names like “Ford,” “Borelay,” and “De Contre” could be heard shouted out among the crowd, identifying the Tax Farmers.
Then, an old woman stepped forward and lit the effigies on fire. A thunderous cheer erupted from the square, “Let these bastards burn!”
“Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the King!”
“Thanks to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, thanks to the Internal Revenue Service, for sending the devils to hell!”
...
“Burn the Tax Farmers, burn them!”
Flames roared into life, and people once again gathered around the blaze to sing, while others began to cry tears of sorrow.
Unnoticed by Joseph, under the eastern colonnade of the Tuileries Palace, officials like Robespierre and Schommet from the tax office also watched the dancing flames, their expressions even more fervent than the jubilant crowd.
This was their victory, their first time challenging such a colossus as the Tax Farmers, and the newly-formed tax office was a resounding success.
Looking at the satisfied expressions on the faces in the square, they felt they had brought fairness and justice to France, their own lives seemingly all the more splendid.
After a long moment, Schommet suddenly said, “I am glad I took your advice, otherwise I would have missed such a magnificent moment.”
It was Robespierre who, at a Jacobin gathering, had called everyone to join the tax office. He gave many assurances then, but Schommet had still been hesitant—like most people at the gathering, he was reluctant to take up a government post.
Nevertheless, Robespierre managed to persuade many, including Schommet.
Robespierre smiled, then soberly said, “Thank goodness I met the Crown Prince, otherwise…”
His voice suddenly rose, “He really is a special royal. A person… who can bring justice and happiness to the people. He is much more suited for this than us.”
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Darti, who stood beside him, seemed even more impassioned. He had been one of the Jacobins most skeptical of Robespierre, joining the tax office to prove him wrong, yet now he was one of Joseph’s staunchest supporters.
He followed with a loud voice, “Mr. Rousseau taught us how to do it, and the Crown Prince is fulfilling it! France is great because of them!”
Robespierre gave a slight nod, “Yes, we shall witness the greatness of France…”
…
Corsica.
In the Count Butafuoco’s pale-gray villa in the suburbs of the City of Ajaccio, the newly appointed Governor handed a confidential report to the acting Commander of the Corsican forces, “This is information Mr. Girolamo obtained from a splinter faction’s congressmen. It might not be detailed, but we still need to be cautious.”
Napoleon took the report and unfolded it, revealing a list of names with a note: Paul might soon instigate an uprising in the mountains; these are the people closely connected with him.
Count Butafuoco said with some anxiety, “Most of these people are congressmen still loyal to Paul, along with some senior members of splinter organizations.
“Perhaps, you could preemptively deploy the troops, so we can suppress them immediately should any trouble arise.”
After a series of setbacks, Paul’s standing in Corsica had plummeted.
This had made him decide on a final struggle, mustering all the forces still under his influence, promising great rewards, and plotting to create an uprising in his own homeland. Then he would risk returning to Corsica, repeating his father’s tactics, and, amidst the chaos, gather starving peasants to form an army.
Napoleon frowned slightly and shook his head, “Governor, there are hundreds of villages in the Qinto Mountain range. The current intelligence is far from sufficient for us to set up defenses.”
The Count Butafuoco urgently said, “You must think of a solution, the situation had just improved, we cannot let chaos erupt again.”
His position as Governor was far from secure, and if a riot broke out now, he would likely be replaced by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Napoleon also looked solemn. Hadn’t he just been promoted, with even the word “acting” previously attached to his title? Naturally, he also hoped that Corsica would settle down.
“No, fighting in those mountain villages is not wise,” he suddenly shook his head, “We should solve the problem on a higher level.”
“You mean?”
As they were speaking, the Governor’s butler came in and bowed, saying, “My lord, there is an officer outside who wishes to see Mister Buonaparte.”
Glancing through the door to see the face of the captain outside, Napoleon immediately apologized to Count Butafuoco, “I’m afraid I have an urgent matter. As for the riot, I will take care of it, please rest assured.”
“Oh, thank Jesus! Then I shall depend entirely on you.”
After bidding farewell to the Governor, Napoleon went to the carriage and asked the officer opposite him, “Have those men been brought here?”
“Yes, Commander, they are now in the storehouse on the south side of the camp.”
“Good. I’ll go and see them.”
Shortly after, the carriage stopped outside the storehouse, and Napoleon immediately heard the cursing inside.
He smiled, pushed the door, and walked in; the several soldiers inside hurriedly stood at attention and saluted him.
Napoleon nodded to them and then turned to the three men sitting in the corner, placing a hand on his chest and said, “It is an honor to meet you, gentlemen judges, I hope my soldiers haven’t been impolite in any way.”
“It’s you, you madman!” a judge with lean cheeks in his forties shouted angrily, “Release us immediately!”
Another elder also yelled, “This is kidnapping! I will sue you and your soldiers!”
Napoleon gestured for the soldiers to bring chairs and sat down opposite the three men, smiling, “Just render those captives innocent, and I will immediately send you back.”
He was referring to the over 400 soldiers of the National Self-Defense Force who had been captured during the suppression.
After executing some of the die-hard officers, he incorporated the remaining soldiers into his own troops.
Though these men were pardoned by the military tribunal, the Corsica Court insisted on convicting them of rioting as per Congressional decree.
And according to France’s regulations, those with such serious crimes could not join the army, and even if they were forcibly recruited, the General Staff would not pay them salaries.
“You dream!” the lean judge said firmly, “I will not do anything that violates the decrees!”
The other two judges also kept a stern face without saying a word.
Seeing this, Napoleon stood up and said to a soldier nearby, “It seems that the gentlemen judges still need some time to think, so please ensure their safety. I will come back in 10 days.”
“Madman! Let us go!”
The three judges immediately tried to argue with him but were pushed back down into their chairs by the soldiers.
Napoleon left the storehouse and told the officer beside him, “Please call up two companies, oh, let it be Labo’s and Buluo’s companies, to assemble in front of Parliament Hall tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, Commander!”
