I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 160

< The Last Supper >

The commotion in France wasn’t just a French problem.

Every country in Europe was watching the unusual movements taking place in France.

Among them, the United Kingdom was paying the closest attention.

As rivals vying for world dominance, they had no choice but to keep a close eye on each other’s every move.

In particular, Britain had recently suffered a major setback after missing France’s movements.

New Prime Minister William Pitt completely overhauled the intelligence agency, determined that such a lapse should never happen again.

He demanded they not miss even the smallest incident occurring in France.

Pitt personally received weekly news from France with almost obsessive attention.

“…This is the current situation in France. The nobles’ dissatisfaction is extremely high, but the commoners’ momentum is even stronger. The prevailing opinion is that if this continues, it could escalate into a major conflict.”

“Is that so? What about Prince Christian’s movements?”

“He seems to be maintaining a neutral stance, trying to keep the balance. However, considering that being neutral in this situation is bound to appear favorable to the commoners, it should be seen as a rift with the nobles.”

“……”

Pitt personally scanned through the mountain of reports one by one.

His aide summarized the key points next to him as he quickly read through the main issues.

“Unlike us, the French nobles have no history of paying taxes. There will probably be enormous resistance. No matter how much the commoners rise up, they won’t readily agree to it.”

“The nobles demanded somewhat unreasonable conditions from the King…”

“Yes. They have made it clear that they don’t want to bear even 1% of their income. As it stands, the class conflict in France will escalate beyond repair. We couldn’t be happier.”

If the political situation in France becomes chaotic, its rival, England, is naturally pleased.

The truth is that a significant number of British lawmakers are watching France with a sense of schadenfreude [pleasure derived from someone else’s misfortune].

It was obvious that the aide currently reporting felt that way, with a subtle smile on his face.

However, Pitt’s stiff expression showed no signs of easing.

“Aide, what was your name again?”

“It’s Keith McGill, Prime Minister.”

“Right. McGill, are you perhaps a prophet? Or a seer?”

Pitt coldly retorted to the aide, who was flustered because he didn’t understand the meaning of the question.

“All you’re spouting are future predictions, aren’t you? And you’re only whispering rosy futures filled with optimistic observations.”

“No, well, that’s… the information gatherers and analysts all have a common interpretation…”

“Don’t write down personal wishes, and make sure you properly capture what’s happening now and bring it to me.”

*Seeing him making such formulaic predictions, as if he hasn’t suffered enough, makes me sigh.*

Actually, it wasn’t the aide’s fault.

It was simply frustrating.

“What puts England ahead of France right now is that we have developed administration and finance a little faster and more progressively. And the prevailing expectation was that it would take France, which already has deeply ingrained past issues, a considerable amount of time to fix this.”

“Yes. That’s why France is in such a mess right now. The contradictions of a system that has been accumulating for hundreds of years cannot be easily changed overnight.”

“Right. But what if they succeed?”

Such a gap that we are ahead now…

It will be closed in the blink of an eye.

“It’s impossible. As you can see, the nobles are united and systematically opposing the reforms. The French nobles are by no means weak. Because they know their potential, the expectation is that the chaos will last longer…”

“No. Operate under the assumption that this chaos is likely to end within a year. I need to meet with His Majesty and offer my advice.”

Pitt threw all the proposals suggesting that France’s chaos would last longer into the trash, proposals that suggested they should take this opportunity to leisurely reorganize their internal affairs.

Although he wasn’t completely sure, he could roughly guess what Christian was trying to do.

Frankly speaking, he himself initially thought that there was still plenty of time left.

No matter how hard France tries, it will take a long time to catch up with England, which is successfully undergoing industrialization.

By the time France somehow manages to build up its internal affairs, England will already have stretched its hands to India and even the Far East.

But he never expected that they would maximize the conflict in this way.

Naive people might mistake this as a prelude to France falling into chaos, but Pitt could instinctively tell.

Because it was a method that he himself had only considered as a possibility.

Still, he had only thought about it, and he wouldn’t have been able to actually put it into practice if it were him.

*If they can successfully suppress it after properly detonating it once, they will be able to handle everything as they please. It’s an efficient means, even if it’s a radical method.*

If this were a story from a country far across the sea, he would have watched with admiration.

But the problem is that this is France, which will have to compete with England for world domination.

*We must persuade His Majesty and the members of parliament to get the East Indies into our hands as quickly as possible. If we delay any longer, we may not be able to cope with France’s growth.*

The goddess of victory always smiles on those who are prepared.

Pitt’s head was already throbbing at the thought of coaxing the opposition party, who always opposed his words.

※※※

While a significant number of British lawmakers were reveling in their optimism, believing that the chaos in France would last for at least a few more years…

The Duke of Chartres gathered only enough troops to seize Versailles and the Tuileries Palace and immediately began to march.

“After much deliberation, this operation is all about speed. The sooner the soldiers arrive at their destination, even a day earlier, the greater the chance of success.”

“No, rushing too much can lead to missteps…”

“If you stumble when the destination is right in front of you, just roll over. Speed is the top priority. Remember, we have to move faster than Christian.”

Enough weapons had been smuggled out, and the number of troops gathered was sufficient to suppress the Paris garrison.

So all that was left was to advance.

Chartres told those who lagged behind to follow later and gathered the soldiers near Paris as quickly as possible.

He even ordered them to carry out forced marches at maximum speed, even at night in dark clothing.

At the same time, he remained in Paris until the last minute, using camouflage tactics.

He had to keep showing evidence that he had decided to live as Christian’s loyal sycophant [a person who tries to win favor from wealthy or influential people by flattering them].

“Your Highness, the number of nobles showing ominous movements is increasing. Nobles who have gathered troops near Vaucluse in the south will soon begin to move north.”

“Already? Isn’t it too early?”

“Because it’s the southernmost region of France. They plan to reorganize once near Lyon.”

“If it’s a considerable large scale, it would be good to suppress it in advance. Since the battle will take place near Lyon, let’s send Lafayette, the representative of that region.”

“That’s a brilliant idea. It will save you the trouble of dealing with the aftermath.”

If you were to pick one person who is the most troublesome in Paris right now, Lafayette would have to be mentioned.

A noble and general with a reputation as the representative of the Lyon region, but also a bizarre figure who stands on the side of the commoners.

Chartres came up with the extreme measure of sacrificing some of his allies to ensure everything was perfect.

He felt sorry for his comrades who were gathering troops and moving north without knowing anything, but this was all a sacrifice for the greater good.

Because Christian cannot be deceived with clumsy fake information.

To cut the bones of a monster, you must be prepared to give up some of your own flesh.

And as a result, Christian secretly dispatched troops led by Marquis Lafayette to defeat the noble forces individually.

Now the plan was really close to success.

In a way, Chartres was in a position to deceive both sides.

Every day was a continuous series of extreme tension that seemed to eat away at his life.

Now that he had confirmed that Lafayette’s troops had left Paris, he could now join the noble troops who had almost arrived in Paris.

The operation was simple.

Currently, Paris had left the walls intact without demolishing them in order to collect tolls properly.

Taking advantage of this, a small number of troops would occupy the gates, and the rest would immediately rush to the Tuileries Palace to secure Christian’s safety.

This was all in his head and had not yet been shared with anyone.

So there was no possibility of it being leaked, and the other party would not be able to respond.

Until the moment they passed through the gates of Paris, only a very small number of people would know why they had arrived so quickly.

What could act as a variable after coming this far was now just one thing.

Christian suddenly leaving Paris.

If he were to go to Africa and join the New France army, they would be finished that day.

Fortunately, Christian had not moved from the palace until this point, two days before the plan was to be executed.

Rather, he even heard that he was planning to invite nearby nobles to a dinner banquet on the day the plan was executed.

“Will you attend? There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be able to attend that day. If it becomes known that I met with Your Highness, the nobles will have no choice but to suspect me…”

“I guess so. Then keep up the good work. If you really do your job faithfully, you will definitely be able to work in a position that is commensurate with it.”

“Thank you.”

*I’m sorry, but I’m no longer interested in the position that others give me.*

*I will rise to the top myself and control this country.*

“Your Highness, I will be away for a few days to look into the movements of the nobles in Versailles.”

“You don’t have to get permission for everything, so do as you please.”

“Yes. Then I’ll be on my way.”

Now it was too late even if Christian realized something was wrong.

To get out of Paris, you must pass through the gates, and before the sun rises twice, the gates will be theirs.

Who would have thought that the walls for collecting tolls would be such reliable insurance?

Chartres got up from his seat, taking care not to let a smile of victory leak out.

Just as he was about to leave, Christian’s low voice rang in his ear.

“Duke of Chartres.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve done really well. I was right about you. You are a very capable person.”

“You flatter me. Compared to Your Highness, I am nothing more than a candle in front of the sun.”

This was a somewhat sincere statement.

Christian seemed to sense that, and after sipping his wine silently for a moment, he continued heavily.

“So, are you not thinking of attending the dinner banquet? Everyone who will be there are verified people, so the rumors will not reach the ears of the nobles.”

“Then please schedule a separate meeting when I return from Versailles. I will definitely attend then.”

“…I see. I understand. Be careful on your way.”

With those words, Christian closed his mouth and emptied his glass.

Chartres bowed deeply to say goodbye and left the palace.

Then, clutching his pounding heart, he hurried towards the gate.

※※※

“…Bittersweet.”

About 5 minutes after Chartres left the palace.

Grouchy approached me as I muttered, looking down at the empty glass.

“Were you really going to give that person an important position if he attended the banquet?”

“Of course. As you saw, he has proven his ability enough. If he swears allegiance to me, there is no reason why I shouldn’t treat him as a close aide like you guys.”

“Your Highness has given him as many as three chances. He probably won’t complain about that much.”

That’s right.

I’m not Zhuge Liang [a famous strategist in Chinese history known for his loyalty], but if I gave him three chances, I gave him more than enough.

If I do something like letting go of the other person seven times and catching him again, I’ll choke to death first.

“Still, I was going to formally introduce you to him if he took my hand, but it’s a little disappointing.”

“What percentage of the possibility did you see that he would accept the offer?”

“…Well, about 1%?”

Grouchy’s eyes widened at the ridiculously small probability.

I can feel the absurd look in his eyes.

“I think you knew the answer from the beginning.”

“Yeah. Maybe I did.”

The reason why I spared the Duke of Chartres when I executed the late Duke of Orleans a long time ago.

It was also because I regretted his abilities, but in fact, I had been expecting this ending since then.

As I smiled bitterly and spun the empty glass around, three men wearing hoods pulled low over their faces entered the room.

They were not wearing military uniforms, but even if you grabbed any passerby and asked, nine out of ten would say they were soldiers because of their disciplined gait.

The three men knelt down almost simultaneously and took off their hoods, covering their faces.

“Your Highness. Did you call for us?”

“Yes. As planned, the banquet will be held tomorrow or the day after. I’d like you to take care of the security.”

“I understand. I will carry out the order without a single mistake.”

Hmm, it’s a voice that inspires trust no matter when I hear it. Good.

I poured wine directly into an empty bottle and handed it to the three men.

“Napoleon, Lannes, Davout. You may kill all uninvited guests. Bring only the mastermind alive to me.”

< The Last Supper > End