He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 165

(165) Detective Vidocq Pays Attention to Count Fersen

Those who are always plotting are prone to not seeing what’s under their feet.

“Hmph, whatever those high-ranking people do, they just talk.”

Vidocq was born as a child of the lower class in Arras, northern France.

From a young age, he engaged in fraud and theft, frequently going in and out of prison.

When the revolution began, like many young people at the time, he joined the army.

Did he behave himself after joining the army?

Far from it.

After enlisting, he had fencing duels with as many as 15 colleagues, two of whom died.

Still, he was an excellent soldier and made contributions at Valmy.

However, he couldn’t abandon his nature, eventually deserting and returning to the prison in Lille before escaping.

Around this time, he began committing crimes under assumed names, and naturally, he was caught again and sent to prison.

The last prison was the Brest prison where Eugene found him.

Therefore, Vidocq is truly well-versed in the back alleys of major French cities.

Because he traveled around committing crimes.

Naturally, this was not a pleasant street for the aristocratic soldier, Chief of the Sûreté [French security police], Rochejacquelein.

While walking through the back alleys of the Saint-Germain district in Paris, Rochejacquelein grumbled.

“Do we have to wander through these back alleys?”

“Come now, noble sir. You don’t know anything. Information comes from these alleys, not desks.”

“What information could there be in alleys? And there are no nobles anymore.”

Rochejacquelein was about to remind him that nobles had disappeared after the revolution.

“Hey, long time no see. César Herbault!”

Instantly, a man who was doing some kind of black market transaction in the back alley flinched and looked up.

The old man who appeared to be a customer hurriedly disappeared as if running away.

What he held in his hand was tobacco.

A valuable item by the standards of this era, and a well-known smuggled item.

The man, Herbault, looked this way and opened his mouth wide.

“Huh, Vidocq? Did you get out of prison?”

“Yes, I had to be imprisoned because of you. Moreover, you were the only one who escaped, and I was left behind!”

“Ah, don’t be like that! You sold me out too!”

At that moment, Rochejacquelein twisted Herbault’s arm and pushed him against the wall.

-Thud!

Herbault screamed, and Rochejacquelein looked back at Vidocq with cold eyes.

“Gack, sa, save me!”

“Vidocq, is he an enemy?”

“W, who is this person? He’s not one of us, is he?”

Vidocq licked his lips and shook his head.

“Oh my, as expected of a noble soldier. Look here, monsieur. This friend is a partner who betrayed me, but he’s also our valuable informant. He won’t run away, so let him go.”

A criminal from the back alleys of Paris.

Vidocq’s prison mate from Brest.

Also, the man who committed forgery with him but escaped alone, Herbault.

In the original history, he was a criminal who eventually had his head cut off on the guillotine.

However, thanks to Eugene pulling Vidocq out, chaos ensued, and he survived and is currently alive.

Herbault, a prominent criminal who took control of the back alleys of Paris while Vidocq was dragged away, was released from Rochejacquelein.

“Oh, I’m going to die. This bastard, really! Should I cut you into jerky right now, huh!”

“Hey, César. If you don’t want to be killed by this friend’s subordinates, stop it.”

“What?”

The moment César Herbault turned his head.

-Step, step, step.

Everyone is dressed in ordinary clothes.

However, their movements were by no means ordinary.

A disciplined demeanor that only soldiers who have rolled around on the battlefield for years can show.

Especially the one at the forefront is Captain Nicolas, who has a scar on his face.

So, Rochejacquelein didn’t come to Paris alone.

Sûreté agents and former Vendée royalist soldiers came with him.

Along with Nicolas Surcouf, who was assigned as a guide so that Eugene could utilize the cartel’s resources.

Anyway, Herbault, who recognized the plainclothes soldiers, trembled and took a step back.

“Oh, it’s quite brutal. Are they soldiers from the Rhine, Flanders, or Italy?”

“They’re scarier friends. They came from fighting blacks and mosquitoes in the New World [Americas].”

“N, New World? Uh, wait a minute.”

Instantly, Herbault whistled and pointed at Rochejacquelein.

“You, are you perhaps Rochejacquelein? The ringleader of the Vendée royalists!”

Rochejacquelein raised his eyebrows.

In fact, Rochejacquelein’s face is already widely known in Parisian newspapers.

Although there are no photographs in this era, there are many cases where portraits are drawn and printed as illustrations.

Rochejacquelein, the hero who acquired Florida, has recently been a popular illustration subject.

Nevertheless, it is strange that a man from the back alleys recognizes him.

Could it be proof that he has excellent intelligence?

Vidocq chuckled and patted Herbault’s shoulder.

“He’s also a hero of the New World. Now, you don’t want to be torn to death by former royalists, do you? These guys are very vicious. They’re different from our back alley criminals. If they don’t like something, they don’t just beat you, they kill you.”

“What do you want, anyway?”

“Spit out what you know. Don’t you know that the high-ranking people in Paris are doing strange things these days? For example, former General of the Army of the North, Pichegru.”

He already has people attached to Pichegru.

However, when nothing proper came out, Vidocq began to dig for information in the back alleys.

In particular, his old criminal colleague Herbault is the informant Vidocq is most looking forward to.

Indeed, Herbault seemed to know about Pichegru as well.

“Hmph, what great things could someone like Pichegru do?”

“A criminal like you knows General Pichegru?”

“Oh, come on. The hero of the New World underestimates us too much. Both I and this friend Vidocq are from the military. Hehehe!”

While answering Rochejacquelein, Herbault suddenly tilted his head.

“But a suspicious high-ranking person… There is something that former royalists would be interested in. A friend is smuggling in by sea.”

Then Herbault slyly held out his hand.

This kind of information is naturally not free.

Vidocq smirked and threw a pouch.

The moment Herbault received the pouch and pouted as if it wasn’t enough.

Nicolas suddenly stepped forward.

“Smuggling? What does that mean?”

“Ugh, who is this friend again? Oh, I think I’ve seen him before?”

“Ah, he’s a big-time smuggler. You must have seen him. Nicolas Surcouf. You know the name, right?”

Herbault opened his mouth again and clicked his tongue.

“No, what on earth is going on that you’re bringing such big shots? Come to think of it, Surcouf, you must be interested too. I heard the person you serve is a former princess?”

Nicolas Surcouf, a maritime smuggler, is none other than the captain who oversees the smuggling operations of the Eugene Cartel.

Of course, smuggling is a crime.

That’s why Nicolas’s reputation was great among smuggling criminals.

In fact, from Nicolas’s or Eugene’s point of view, they were just doing trade, but from the perspective of smuggling, it was an unimaginable amount.

To put it in modern terms, comparing a criminal organization to a large corporation, the large corporation naturally trades hundreds, if not thousands, of times more.

It’s just that the items were tobacco, coffee, and cocoa, which were not officially traded.

Anyway, from Herbault’s point of view, only big shots appeared before his eyes.

In the end, although he seemed a little lacking, Herbault revealed the information.

“Then, you know Count Fersen well, right?”

“Wh, what count?”

“Ah, don’t you know? That friend who used to mess around with the queen! Gack!”

Instantly, Rochejacquelein grabbed Herbault’s collar again with his muscular arm, trained on the battlefield.

“Don’t say useless things. There’s no reason for Count Fersen to come to Paris in this situation!”

However, Herbault screamed, his breath cut off.

“Keck, it’s true! It really was Count Fersen! That guy is meeting Pichegru!”

It was the moment when information that would surprise everyone in the Eugene Cartel came out.

***

So, why does former royalist Rochejacquelein hate Count Fersen?

“Fersen, that damn guy is coming to Paris. He has no shame!”

Fersen is a Swedish nobleman who was the so-called [Queen’s Man, referring to his close relationship with Queen Marie Antoinette].

He came as the Swedish ambassador to France and had an affair with Marie Antoinette.

At the time, there were rumors that Louis Charles was Fersen’s son.

In fact, Eugene also used this rumor to deprive Louis Charles of his right to inherit the throne.

Seeing Rochejacquelein jumping up and down, Vidocq asked Nicolas.

“No, why is General Rochejacquelein so angry?”

“Well, I haven’t seen the general much either. But if it’s Count Fersen, isn’t he the one who tarnished the queen’s honor?”

“What, how many incidents did the queen cause? I think there were rumors that she was having an affair with her brother-in-law.”

Brother-in-law, that is, the king’s second younger brother, the Count of Artois.

The man who would become Charles X in the original history.

He was also the very person Eugene often used as a gambling player when he was a cadet.

This man and Marie Antoinette were quite close, and naturally, there were rumors that they were having an affair.

The truth is unknown, but it is clear that Antoinette was not a very chaste queen.

However, Rochejacquelein was not angry because of such royal scandals.

Rochejacquelein shouted while hitting the wall full of filth in the back alley behind the mansion, literally.

“That’s not the problem! That’s a lie, but scandals like that always happened in the royal family. The real problem is Fersen’s stupid escape attempt!”

“Escape attempt? Ah, you mean the king?”

“Yes! If it hadn’t been for Fersen, His Majesty the King would not have passed away!”

This is why Rochejacquelein and the old royalists are disgusted with Fersen.

In fact, it’s not just Rochejacquelein, but also, for example, the head of the royalists, Boblain.

What if Fersen hadn’t attempted an unreasonable escape?

The Revolutionary Assembly would certainly not have tried to kill the king.

Furthermore, the incident of the king committing suicide would not have occurred.

Then Vidocq snorted.

“Kuh, but the queen is alive. Is that why he came?”

The moment Rochejacquelein was startled, Vidocq shrugged.

“It’s very simple. Our Patron made some kind of argument when he was young, right? At that time, there was a fuss about the princess’s knight. Thanks to that, the queen lived.”

“So?”

“Fersen is very famous, isn’t he? As the queen’s man. The man sneaked into Paris to see the woman. How about my reasoning?”

Normally, no sane aristocrat would come to revolutionary France to see the former royal queen.

Moreover, in fact, Marie Antoinette’s scandal is one of the causes of the revolution.

There are records that obscene novels about the queen playing with domestic and foreign aristocrats worsened public sentiment.

However, Fersen is not in his right mind.

So, as a foreign aristocrat, he tried to get the king and queen to escape.

Rochejacquelein frowned and replied.

“It’s not a very distinctive reasoning, but it’s likely to be correct. But what does that have to do with our mission?”

The insane Fersen may be able to sneak into Paris.

But what does that have to do with what Pichegru is plotting, or who is behind it?

Could it be that Fersen joined hands with Pichegru to get the queen to escape again?

Vidocq shrugged.

“I don’t know well, but isn’t Fersen a high-ranking official in Sweden?”

“The Fersen family is richer than the Swedish royal family, owns many mines, and is also the leader of the aristocratic council.”

“Then, maybe Sweden is behind it?”

Of course, this is the thought of a commoner, Vidocq, who doesn’t know anything about international affairs.

Rochejacquelein, who knows the diplomatic situation as a former aristocrat, shook his head.

Sweden in this era is no longer a strong power in the north, and Russia is the top priority.

It is by no means in a situation to intervene in the politics of the French Republic.

“There is no possibility at all······.”

That’s when it happened.

“Shh!”

Vidocq instantly blocked Rochejacquelein’s mouth.

Rochejacquelein’s subordinates also held their breath.

A carriage was running behind the mansion, that is, Pichegru’s Paris mansion.

People got out of the carriage and secretly entered the door.

Rochejacquelein knows one person.

It’s Fersen.

Rochejacquelein frowned.

“Fersen is really meeting Pichegru. What on earth is his intention?”

However, unexpectedly, Nicolas muttered with a surprised face.

“Why is Monsieur Baring here?”

Rochejacquelein and Vidocq stared blankly at Nicolas.

The one who entered Pichegru’s mansion with Fersen.

It was Francis Baring, Eugene’s British trading partner.

Rochejacquelein narrowed his eyes after hearing that story.

“This is worth reporting.”

Perhaps the mastermind behind the conspiracy was more enormous than he thought.

***

Eugene was not in Genoa.

“Pichegru met Fersen and Baring?”

The distance from Paris to Bordeaux is about 580 kilometers [approximately 360 miles].

Considering the Alps, it is exactly half the distance to Genoa.

That’s why Eugene was staying in the port city of Bordeaux, receiving information through Surété and the Milan Banque post office.

Rochejacquelein and Vidocq also rushed to report to the fortress of Bordeaux, [Fort] Hau.

Vidocq said mockingly.

“That’s right. Well, that playboy Fersen may have come to see the queen?”

“She’s lucky that Marie isn’t here.”

“But don’t you think it’s right, young master?”

Eugene lightly tapped his head and threw a pouch from his arms.

-Swish!

Vidocq quickly accepted it and smiled.

Because the pouch was full of silver coins.

Rochejacquelein moves with loyalty, but criminals like Vidocq always need monetary compensation.

Suddenly, Vidocq raised the pouch and said.

“Don’t I get aluminum silver coins?”

“I’ll give it to you next time you bring more valuable information.”

“Hmph, isn’t this a really great information?”

Rochejacquelein also nodded with an urgent face.

“Fersen met Pichegru, and Pichegru met the royalists. Also, even the British banker Baring.”

“Yes, it was strange that Baring proposed the Florida deal itself. The East India Company is not one to just give away Florida.”

“After all, is it a coup? Pichegru can move the Army of the North. And the Army of the North is closest to Paris.”

Eugene suddenly looked back at Surété’s deputy commander, or the real power, Jacob Elly.

“Not closer than the National Guard. Maybe, if there is no other definite backing, Pichegru wouldn’t move like this. Where is the self-proclaimed Louis XVII now? Jacob Elly?”

“Yes? That, according to the latest information, he will probably be in London.”

“Yes, the king is going to London. Do you know this? Originally, Fersen was a student in England.”

Baring, Fersen, and Pichegru.

If there is a common point connecting these three, there is only one.

England.

France’s arch-enemy and the most powerful commercial nation with the greatest wealth.

Eugene narrowed his eyes and smiled as he looked at the adjutant, Armand Ganet, who was standing by.

“After all, England is behind it. Armand, you’ll have to move.”

“Yes, tell me.”

“Send a letter to Marceau. And, Hippolyte. Where is Marie?”

Eugene’s adjutant Hippolyte shrugged.

“Maybe she’s playing around with Eugene’s cousins? Why?”