Chapter 462 Napoleon's Legacy

On the second floor of the Kaidaosai Mansion, there is an independent small room. The air in the room seems to have frozen time. Every light, every ray of light, and every subtle echo amplifies the loneliness and tormenting thoughts.

Louis Bonaparte sat in a slightly old but still luxurious armchair. On the table in front of him was an old map. His fingers unconsciously wandered among the mountains and rivers on the map, but his eyes could not reflect the outline of the geography at all. Only the glory of the past and the predicament of today intertwined into a vague shadow.

The flames in the fireplace occasionally jumped, projecting the silhouette of his face. The outline was clear, but it was difficult to grasp his inner emotions. Was it unwillingness? Acceptance? Or deep worry about the unknown fate?

Yes, he had a surname that he was proud of and awe-inspiring in Europe.

In the vague childhood memories, whenever this surname sounded over Paris, Bonaparte was always greeted by deafening cheers and countless hats thrown into the air.

When Sunday came, when the Old Guards participating in the parade walked through the avenue of Carrousel Square, the square always rang out with a tsunami of "Long live the emperor". Napoleon stood on the high platform, accompanied by two imperial marshals - Murat and Jean Lannes.

Napoleon sometimes walked down the platform and came to the center of the parade team to have a cordial conversation with the soldiers and officers.

He could find a few soldiers who could be called out by name in almost all the legions, and he called out their names seriously and knew which battle to talk to them about. After the parade, he would carefully check the soldiers' clothing, boots and even a needle for cleaning the gunpowder holes.

Soldiers would also submit petitions to him at this time, some hoping that the emperor would give a pension to the mothers of fallen comrades, some hoping that the government would adopt the soldiers' war orphans, or redress unjust, false and wrong cases with a frank attitude.

The passionate music and the grand scene of orderly marching were not only Napoleon's favorite, but also a pastime for many Parisians on their days off.

The military parade always attracted a large crowd. All the windows of the palace and houses, all the windows of the narrow streets and side corridors, were decorated with beauties. Onlookers crowded the roadside of the entrances and exits, they were noisy and difficult to satisfy.

Many rich girls who were obsessed with love would use telescopes to observe every detail of the emperor's horseback review of the troops during the two-hour parade.

Although in the eyes of experts, Napoleon's riding style was almost like "a butcher slaughtering a pig", in the diaries and publications of these ladies, it was always recorded as "he had unparalleled grace, composure and supreme majesty".

Not only these ladies thought so, but also those young Parisians who knew how to ride horses thought so.

Because after each parade, the conscription officers would find that more young Parisians who would rather pay someone to serve in the military on their behalf volunteered to join the army.

For these young people who are eager to make achievements, nothing can be more exciting than the rag flag embroidered with "Golden Eagle and Golden Crown". They are eager to share the honor under the guidance of this flag.

There is no way. There is no more handsome clothing in the world than the parade uniform of the Old Guard. When they see the handsome and tall soldiers in the front row enjoying the cheers of Paris, they are eager to be a part of it.

Of course, not every soldier is so tall and handsome. In order to create a good external image, the handsome and tall soldiers are arranged in the first row, while those lame, short, and crooked ones are hidden in the back of the team.

[British satirical cartoon "A new farce is staged in Paris, Napoleon's son, the King of Rome, is reviewing the soldiers"]

However, no matter what, the soldiers and young people supported Napoleon at that time.

"Will I be welcomed as much as he is? What will they think of me? I...I will stand with Louis Philippe. I have embarrassed him."

Louis lowered his head and covered his face with his hands. His breathing was heavy, so heavy that the tension and depression in his heart could be felt through a wall.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door in the room. Louis looked up and saw a cavalry colonel in a neat suit standing outside the door.

There was no emotion on his cold face. He just asked: "Duke of Orleans...No, is that one here?"

The cavalry colonel heard this and reminded: "Not the Duke of Orleans, nor that one, sir, you should call him the king."

Louis felt like he had something stuck in his throat. He couldn't say that word.

Seeing him like this, the cavalry colonel did not continue to embarrass him, but said: "Sir, someone wants to see you, Sir Arthur Hastings of Britain, he said he is an old acquaintance of you."

When Louis heard Arthur's name, he couldn't help but stand up, but in a moment he felt that this seemed to expose the weakness deep in his heart, so he quickly sat back and pretended to be calm and ordered: "Sir Hastings and I are old friends, please ask him to come up."

The colonel didn't say much, just put one hand on his chest and left the room.

Not long after, a crisp and powerful footsteps sounded outside the door. He had heard this footsteps many times in Scotland Yard, but this was the first time he noticed that footsteps could be so reassuring.

A black shadow blocked the light outside the door. The visitor took off his hat and windbreaker and handed them to the attendant outside the door to hang on the coat rack. He lowered his head and lit his pipe and puffed out a stream of gray-white smoke.

"Louis, we haven't seen each other for a few days, why do you look so haggard?"

Louis raised his hand and motioned for him to close the door. Although Arthur did not refuse, he still couldn't help but joked after closing the door: "You have worked in Scotland Yard, so you should know that for those who want to eavesdrop, "Bringing it to the door won't work either."

Perhaps because of the extra person, Louis felt that the atmosphere in the room was much more relaxed.

He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "I believe that the Paris Police Department has not introduced such high-end technology."

"Even if you don't have high-end technology, you can still achieve the same effect with some relatively primitive techniques."

Arthur casually took out the wine and wine glass from the wine cabinet: "You haven't been with me these days, so you don't know how crazy my life is these days. I dare to guarantee you that even if Mr. Hugo doesn't He is definitely a good person when it comes to creating drama, monitoring and tracking.”

Arthur shared what he had seen and heard in Paris these past few days with Louis, and soon the room was filled with laughter.

Arthur joked: "Louis, if you want to spend time with a lovely lady, don't go to that 'little castle' hotel, where everything is controlled by Mr. Hugo. Of course, Maybe some people have this habit, but I’m sure you don’t like it.”

Louis relaxed, and he also joked: "Maybe you should invite Hugo to the Nightingale Mansion in London. As long as he spends more money there, The Englishman's agent for the English distribution of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" will definitely be solved. If the negotiation goes smoothly, maybe he will also grant the drama adaptation rights if he is happy.”

Arthur poured him a glass of wine: "That's right, Louis, smile more. The you I know is not a young man who puts on a bitter and hateful expression all day long. Boys who love to laugh will never have good luck. Too bad, why are you looking for trouble?"

"I……"

When Louis heard this, he pursed his lips slightly: "I'm not looking for trouble, I'm just thinking that my first appearance after returning to France appeared in this way, and those supporters of the Bonaparte family I don’t know what he will think of me. My uncle has faced so many anti-French alliances, including George III, Alexander I, Francis II, and Frederick William III. He has never submitted to any country. The ruler bows his head, but I...I will submit to Louis Philippe..."

"Returning Napoleon's coffin means you surrender to Louis Philippe?"

Arthur took a sip of wine. He held the wine glass to the crystal clear glass chandelier, admiring the clear purple-red wine in the glass: "Louis, I don't want to accuse you, and I am not qualified to accuse you. But..."

If Louis had never lived in England or worked at Scotland Yard, he would probably not be able to read this sentence.

‘I don’t mean to criticize, but...’ This is a very interesting sentence pattern.

When he was still at Scotland Yard, Arthur's gesture had only one real meaning, and that was 'If you don't respect my opinion, someone will be in bad luck'.

To put it crudely, it would be 'I think your job is worse than a donkey'.

According to incomplete statistics from him, the police secretary, Arthur's frequency of looking for donkeys is basically once every two weeks. Fortunately, at least until his departure from Scotland Yard, Louis had never received such a high level of reprimand.

"But?" Louis asked softly.

Arthur swallowed the wine in his mouth: "But you seem to regard this matter as a family matter of the Napoleon family. You are only thinking about yourself. I didn't expect that you have only left Scotland Yard for more than half a year. , you have completely forgotten our police instructions. Louis, what is the first sentence of the police instructions?”

Louis blurted out: "Respect the tradition of 'the police are the public and the public is the police.'"

"Is the French public opposed to the return of Napoleon's coffin?"

"I... they probably don't object. There are many people who like the emperor."

"Does the French public object to Napoleon's nephew returning Napoleon's coffin?"

"I think... there should be no objection. Many of them don't even know me."

Arthur swung the glass: "Then what are you worried about?"

Louis stood up uneasily and said: "I'm worried about those Bonapartists. What will they think of me? They will think that I am supporting the July Dynasty."

"So, do you think that with these Bonapartists, you can overthrow the July Monarchy? Will they become your die-hard supporters just because you refuse to take back the coffin?"

The tone of Arthur's words was not serious, but it was like a bell waking up a dreamer.

Louis' hot head gradually cooled down, and he remembered what he had seen and heard in Paris during this time.

Yes, as Arthur said, except for a small number of fanatics, most Bonapartist politicians do not want to change the status quo.

During the Restoration period, these people were deprived of their honors, official positions and wealth by the restored Bourbon royal family, and their social status plummeted.

After the rise of the July Monarchy, all the things that had been taken away from them were returned to them intact. They became military officers, parliamentarians and the wealthy upper class again.

For these people, what would happen even if Napoleon came back?

Napoleon could give them nothing more than this.

And compared to Napoleon, who advocated conquest and war, the current Orleans royal family advocates pacifism more. Even if it launches a war, it is limited to an extremely controllable scope, such as: continuing the war of conquest of Algeria.

Seeing that he was silent, Arthur also stood up. He held the wine glass and touched Louis lightly.

Only a clanging sound was heard, and Arthur's voice rang out: "Louis, your uncle is a very great man, not only because of his glorious resume, but also because of his foresight. Napoleon was very pompous and accumulated a lot of money." Wealth, but what is commendable is that he is not stingy with these wealth. I heard you say that Napoleon himself does not have high requirements for the quality of life, and he does not like gambling and corruption.

He rewarded all the money he gained from the war to his subordinates. Marshals, princes, dukes and various nobles all had generous annuity income, and he also liked to build mansions and manors for them from time to time. But I must say that most of the money given to these people was wasted. Because these people are not short of money and have the ability to make money by themselves. They prefer the power to make money by themselves than money.

Fortunately, your uncle not only rewards these nobles, but also often rewards low-level officers and soldiers, so he is so loved by the army. And your uncle made the most wonderful move when he died. In his will, he did not give the inheritance of 200 million francs to any relatives, but divided it into two parts, and one part was compensated from 1792 to 1815. The veterans and officers who fought with him were used as pensions, and the other part was paid to French towns damaged by the war.

Whether your uncle did it on a whim or he had actually thought of this for a long time. All in all, it is precisely because of his step that so many people in France still miss the Bonaparte family. Louis, you must be able to figure out where your outlet is. What you want to win is not the support of the professional political party members. What they think of you is not important. What matters is what those who are not at the banquet tonight think of you.

Think about how powerful they are. In order to win the support of these people, Louis Philippe did not hesitate to use superficial means to transport a coffin thousands of miles back from overseas. But you are still struggling with the political leanings of a small group of speculators. That small group of people are very satisfied with their current lives, and their appetites are not what you can satisfy now. But for most of them who are dissatisfied, you just need to give them an illusory confidence. Let them know that there are descendants of the Bonaparte family after the death of your brother Napoleon's son, the King of Rome. "

When Louis heard this, he felt his whole body heat up and his palms were sweating: "I... But is this really useful? You should know that there are people like me on the Orthodox side, Charles X The grandson of Count Chambord is also alive, and they also launched a rebellion in the Vendée at the same time as the Paris uprising last year. They seem to be more powerful than the Bonapartists and are more dissatisfied with the current situation. "

When Arthur heard this, he just shook his head slightly: "Louis, the Orthodox side has their own big trouble to deal with. Judging from the information I received from the British Minister in France and Mr. Vidocq, Orthodoxy may soon fall apart."

When Louis heard this, he quickly asked: "What happened to them?"

Arthur stood in front of the window. In the light and night, he saw a few sneaky people hiding in the alley near the mansion: "The Countess of Chambord's mother, the Duchess of Berry, failed to lead the Vendée rebellion. Later, he was arrested by the police in a hiding place in Nantes in November last year. At this time, he was imprisoned in the Chateau de Blaye. At first, no one noticed anything strange, but later, the guards discovered the duchess's body. My belly is getting bigger.”

Louis' eyes widened: "She's pregnant?"

Arthur nodded slightly: "Yes! Her husband was assassinated more than ten years ago, but she is pregnant. What do you think this means? What's more interesting, it seems that the authorities intend to let her give birth to the child. Come down."

Louis' heart tightened, and he pretended to be calm and said: "Once the child is born, her reputation and reputation will be completely destroyed. What's worse is that whether the Earl of Chambord's blood is pure will be questioned. If the Earl of Chambord is not As a descendant of the Bourbon family, the royalists have become a complete joke. Who knows which vulgar coachman's son they are protecting or the son of a flattering footman? "

Arthur smiled and put his arm on Louis' shoulder and said: "Louis, do you still think that what I said to you before is meaningless? Proving that you are the descendant of the emperor, the Bonapartists are much luckier than the orthodox ones."