He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 13

(12) Meeting Napoleon for the First Time

Marseille, France’s number one port city.

“Wow, this place isn’t what it used to be.”

February 1790. Though it was winter, Marseille was bathed in the bright sunlight typical of a Mediterranean city.

However, Eugène’s party from the Santa Maria was greeted by commotion, marching, and shouts.

Like a giant wave, people surged through the city.

No one stopped them.

Long pants, red caps, and pointed spears.

Eugène encountered those he had only seen in history books in his past life.

Sans-culottes [common people of the lower classes in 18th century France, a term that literally means ‘without breeches’].

The devotees of the revolution, who rejected the attire of the aristocracy, had occupied Marseille, the southernmost city in France.

“Revolution! Liberty! Equality! Fraternity!”

“Drive out the nobles and share the bread! Oh, France of liberty!”

“Everyone! Let’s join the Society of Friends of the Constitution [a political club during the French Revolution, later known as the Jacobin Club]!”

Stunned, Eugène’s eyes widened as he looked at the streets of Marseille.

“Jacobins? They’re already here?”

The Society of Friends of the Constitution, soon to be the famous Jacobins, was its original name.

The name might sound extremely conservative, but in fact, France at the end of the 18th century had no constitution.

Even if the king was weak, his commands were law.

So, when the National Assembly was first created, it was natural to call for a ‘basic law,’ a constitution.

Therefore, the Jacobins also started as a pro-constitution faction.

In the early days of the revolution, when numerous political clubs were being formed, it was a rather ordinary beginning.

However, the Jacobins were different.

They created organizations across the country in an instant.

Nelson, who was watching with wide eyes next to him, asked.

“What is that, young friend?”

“Yes? Ah, it’s a political club created in Brittany. Well, to make an analogy, it’s similar to the Tory or Whig parties [historical British political factions].”

“France had something like that? Haha! This is truly a period of upheaval, isn’t it? When I visited in the past, it was a very peaceful, boring, and uninteresting city!”

Nelson stroked his chin lightly and smiled.

“It will be a very interesting era.”

Of course, revolution is interesting, fun, and wonderful when it remains just a slogan.

But what happens when the slogans of the revolution are applied to reality?

This era still lacks the concept of a sophisticated transfer of power.

The red cap of the man shouting the slogans looks like blood.

Eugène smiled bitterly and replied.

“Those who are on the receiving end don’t feel that way.”

“Ah, you’re from the old ruling class who hate the revolution, aren’t you? Don’t worry. I think you’ll adapt very well.”

“Yes? What makes you think so?”

Nelson laughed heartily and ruffled Eugène’s hair.

“Intuition! Just like my friend said!”

Friend, a very strange word.

The age difference between Nelson and Eugène is a whopping 23 years.

Moreover, France and England will eventually end up fighting, no matter what.

Naturally, Nelson is in the navy, and Eugène, though he doesn’t particularly want to enlist, will be in the army.

They might become enemies.

Even without knowing history, England and France have already fought several wars.

Nevertheless, Nelson, despite not being a fool, called Eugène a friend.

As Eugène stood there blankly for a moment, Nelson cheerfully laughed and boarded his escort ship.

He waved to Eugène’s party as they disembarked from the merchant ship.

“Well then. Hoche and Marceau, was it? Gentlemen, please escort the lady and child safely to Paris!”

Hoche smiled wryly as he watched the St. Helena disappear into the distance.

“A cheerful fellow.”

“A fellow who also ripped us off a lot.”

“Oh, right. 20,000 pounds? How many livres [French currency] is that, anyway?”

Eugène tilted his head and clicked his tongue.

“Originally, livres and pounds had the same value, but now, who knows what will happen.”

As Marseille shows, the revolution has already begun.

Hyperinflation or currency devaluation will also start rapidly.

Furthermore, the time for Eugène to fight against fate is also approaching.

***

Nevertheless, for now, livres are all Eugène has.

“Please settle the accounts, in livres, anyway.”

Nicolas Surcouf said with a stern face.

Only a young captain in his early twenties.

But without this young captain, crossing the Atlantic in the first place would have been difficult.

Also, Nicolas himself is a captain who left quite a mark on later generations.

Eugène lightly wrote a check and said.

“First, we’ll settle the final payment from the money we brought. However, I’ll give you a special bonus.”

“A bonus?”

“Yes. If you exchange this check at the Recamier Bank in Paris later, you’ll receive cash.”

Surcouf, who was looking at the numbers on the check indifferently, was surprised.

–<200,000 livres>.

Before the revolution, it was the annual income of the President of the Paris High Court.

Even for a voyage across the Atlantic, it’s rare to receive such a large sum as a special bonus, excluding freight charges.

Eugène smiled as he saw the surprised Surcouf.

That’s the second time he’s seen that expression.

The first was, of course, when Eugène fired the grapeshot.

At this moment, the heart of Nicolas, a stern but diligent young captain, was moved.

“If the time ever comes when you need a ship again, call me anytime.”

“Why? Because the pay is good?”

“No.”

Nicolas said, still sternly, but unable to hide his excitement.

“If the shipowner doesn’t skimp on money when it’s needed, they’ll be able to overcome the hardships of the waves.”

Then Eugène’s eyes lit up.

“Then, since it’s come to this, would you like to work with me?”

“Work? What kind of work are you talking about?”

“Oh, I’d like to talk about that too.”

Suddenly, a boy who had just disembarked from the Santa Maria chimed in.

Antoine Auguste de Damas.

The son of the Governor of Martinique, Charles de Damas, and a descendant of the Damas family, a quite traditional noble family.

In the original history, he sympathized with the revolution, enlisted in the dragoons, and was beheaded during the Reign of Terror.

At the same time, the Damas clan, who were relatives, produced a string of royalists.

So Antoine is quite an unusual figure.

Born in 1774, he’s only 16 years old.

He’s still too young to do anything.

However, Eugène quite liked this energy.

Eugène smiled and asked back.

“Is there something you want to do?”

“Oh, I heard about the Gambling Prodigy during the voyage. He swept through all the gambling dens in Paris and used that gambling money as seed money to trade in millions of livres worth of bonds, right? This ship is also owned by the prodigy!”

“…Something’s wrong with the intermediate process, but the result is correct.”

Seeing Hippolyte avoiding eye contact next to Eugène, it seems Hippolyte exaggerated.

Anyway, the result is accurate.

He does trade in millions of livres worth of bonds.

The Santa Maria is in Eugène’s name, or rather, in Beauharnais’s name.

Antoine’s eyes lit up.

“Anyway, the whole of France is turned upside down now, right? We need to resettle the people who came from Martinique here. My family also needs to survive, so we need to do something!”

Nicolas, who had been hired and didn’t know the details, also had a different look in his eyes.

This makes the story easier.

Eugène lightly brought up the story he had originally only intended to suggest to Nicolas.

“This Santa Maria is quite a big ship, isn’t it? Enough to travel around the Mediterranean or the North Sea.”

“Huh? That’s right. It even crossed the ocean.”

“I’m going to create a Société [French for ‘company’] that uses this ship.”

Société, which means company in French.

However, in France at this time, Société usually meant trading company or bank.

In short, Eugène is now trying to create a company whose main business is trade.

Originally, he was going to return to Paris, watch the situation, and then create it.

But Nicolas’s reaction and Antoine’s enthusiasm moved Eugène.

“The company name is Société de Beauharnais. You can do anything that can be traded based on this ship. Until I call you.”

“Call me? What does that mean?”

“Antoine, I said I trade bonds, right? That doesn’t mean I only trade domestically.”

Eugène said in a low voice to Nicolas and Antoine.

“There are times when I have to trade directly with my British dealer, Baring’s Bank.”

He also feels that the ship is a waste right now.

It’s also true that it’s an opportunity to get talented people like Nicolas and Antoine.

But in fact, the real reason Eugène is trying to create a company and operate a ship is this.

To continue trading with his biggest client, Baring’s Bank, even during the revolutionary period.

No matter how much credit trading he does, it’s still the 18th century.

There will be times when he has to physically transport goods, especially silver coins.

In short, the Santa Maria and Société will ultimately be excellent tools to help Eugène’s bond trading business.

Then Nicolas nodded and asked.

“Then, can we use this ship for smuggling for the time being?”

Eugène’s eyes sparkled.

Indeed, it’s a word that befits someone who will remain in history as an excellent privateer and smuggler.

Conversely, Antoine, who is the son of a noble family, was embarrassed.

“Huh? No, that’s.”

“Good. Antoine, I’d like you to help with this for the time being.”

“Th, that’s. Well, I guess the world has changed? Then, Gambling Prodigy, are you the boss?”

Eugène smiled as he looked at Antoine, an adventurous man who quickly adapted.

“No. I’ll only hold shares as a major shareholder. You will be the nominal president. Antoine, the successor of the prestigious Damas family.”

For a moment, Antoine was speechless and gaping.

Suddenly, Hortense jumped down from the ship.

Hortense, who is still a real ‘child,’ was fearless.

“Wow, finally land!”

Eugène was startled.

He was discussing company matters with Surcouf and Antoine, so he couldn’t stop her.

Josephine, who was suffering from seasickness, doesn’t seem to have come out of the cabin yet.

But there’s a problem.

This port, Marseille, is dangerous right now.

“Oh, Hortense! Don’t run around recklessly! It’s not safe here!”

“I hate the ship! I’m never riding it again! Ah, it was really hard. I’m tired of sugarcane now!”

“No, that’s good for your teeth… Wait, stop there!”

Suddenly, Hortense got off the ship and ran happily onto the port.

“Oh no, Hoche! Marceau! Catch that kid!”

“No, why is she so fast? Just like her mother!”

“Good heavens! Stop there, Hortense!”

Eugène, Hoche, and Marceau followed in a fluster, but Hortense was too fast.

-Tap tap!

Hortense’s feet were light as she ran through the chaotic port.

But unfortunately, this port was not empty.

In particular, the soldiers guarding the port happened to be on patrol.

It was a militia composed of sans-culottes.

Hortense ended up colliding with them.

“Ouch!”

Just as Hortense was about to fall on her bottom.

“What, this little kid!”

A soldier glared.

In the future, Hortense might have shown her dignity and scolded them.

But born in 1783, still a 7-year-old child.

Hortense couldn’t move, tearful.

“Oh, oh, Mommy!”

“How dare a child block the road while our revolutionary standard-bearers, the National Guard [a volunteer militia during the early French Revolution], are marching!”

“Wa, wait a minute. My sister doesn’t know any better.”

Eugène, who had rushed over, blocked the path between Hortense and the soldier.

However, the excited soldier snorted.

He had seen Eugène and Hortense’s clothes.

They weren’t particularly luxurious, but they were definitely made of high-quality fabrics.

They must be nobles.

“Then you have to pay the price!”

Eugène frowned and prepared to confront the soldier.

He would stall for time until Hoche and Marceau arrived.

That’s when it happened.

-Crack.

Suddenly, someone grabbed the soldier’s arm and restrained him.

“Did General Lafayette create the National Guard to do this? That’s not the spirit of the revolution!”

Lafayette and the National Guard.

Either way, it’s a threatening name in the early days of the revolution.

From Eugène’s perspective, who came from the royal court, he should avoid them for now.

However, Eugène couldn’t move because of the man in military uniform who was blocking the soldier.

He didn’t recognize his face, but he couldn’t help but know.

As a historian in his past life, he had seen it so many times in portraits.

It’s too similar to the portraits.

Eugène muttered without realizing it.

“N, N, Napoleon?”

Napoleon Bonaparte, the terminator of the revolution, discussing the revolution in the age of revolution.

Eugène realized in an instant.

The reason why the Silver Letter had led Eugène to Marseille.

Eugène had finally met his future stepfather for the first time.

***

The National Guard, soon the volunteer militia created in the early days of the French Revolution.

“Aaaagh! L, let go of me. I was wrong!”

France is the leading military power in Europe at this time.

However, the National Assembly, which could not trust the regular army after the revolution began, gathered a militia.

That was the militia mainly composed of bourgeois citizens, the National Guard.

The commander-in-chief is, of course, General Lafayette.

However, since they were recruited sporadically from all over the country, the military discipline was naturally a mess.

To the extent that Private Philippe of the Marseille Guard is trying to hit a child like Hortense.

Then, what is the status of Napoleon, who is disciplining Private Philippe?

“The revolution is to protect the people, not to harm them!”

“Yes, yes, I, I understand!”

“You are the kind of person who ruins the cause of the revolution! Do you understand! Go away!”

It’s absurd, but he’s a regular army artillery lieutenant who swore allegiance to the king.

However, Napoleon himself thought he was a revolutionary officer.

He’s even called a revolutionary in the army.

Napoleon, who was dusting off his hands and snorting, suddenly turned to Eugène.

“Are you okay, boy? By the way, you seemed to know my name earlier. You mispronounced it a bit, though.”

Strictly speaking, Napoleon is a French name.

But this boy clearly knew Napoleon’s name.

Eugène blinked and smiled.

“Ah, yes. Lieutenant Napoleone Buonaparte.”

“You really know me. How do you know? You don’t seem like just any boy.”

“Well, that’s.”

Before Napoleon could hear an explanation from the suspicious boy.

A voice like a scream was heard.

It’s a woman.

“Hortense! Eugène! Oh my god!”

Napoleon’s eyes widened the moment he turned around.

She was the very image of disarray.

But her black hair, black eyes, and black brooch stood out.

A suffocating fragrance filled the air, constricting his heart.

Is she an incredible beauty?

He doesn’t know.

What is clear is that he can’t take his eyes off her.

Before Napoleon could respond, the ‘beauty’ hugged Eugène and Hortense.

It’s Josephine.

“What on earth is going on! Oh, God. That was close!”

At that moment, Napoleon realized two things.

This woman is, unfortunately, married.

And, he seems to have fallen for this married woman.

-Thump, thump, thump!

It was the moment Napoleon saw Josephine for the first time in his life.