He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 262

(262) Talleyrand and Fouché Finally Step Forward

In fact, in the original history, it wasn’t Napoleon who led the so-called Brumaire Coup [a coup d’état that brought Napoleon to power].

“Representative Sieyès. The trend has already been decided. Why do you keep hesitating?”

Sieyès, who was visiting Café Procope today, frowned.

The advantage of this place is that ‘gentlemen’ keep each other’s secrets well.

Furthermore, due to the nature of the café, even sudden meetings are not considered suspicious.

Rather, it is sometimes more secretive than whispering in a mansion where you have to be careful of the servants’ ears.

Still, he didn’t come all the way to the café to be scolded like this by Talleyrand, who was much younger.

“What I agreed to was the constitution, Monsieur Talleyrand.”

“That constitution is for Commander-in-Chief Bonaparte.”

“Huh! Since when has the constitution of the republic become a principle for one person?”

As Sieyès growled, Talleyrand responded with a subtle smile.

“If you didn’t like that, you should have agreed to the Pichegru coup earlier, Monsieur Sieyès.”

Sieyès’ face hardened.

Maintaining appearances as a strict republican is advantageous when talking in a café.

But Pichegru is like a stigma to be avoided in France.

He can see the ‘gentlemen’ glancing at him at the mention of being involved with the main culprit of a failed coup.

With a deeply furrowed brow, Sieyès shouted.

“How can you say such nonsense!”

“Why are you doing this? I also briefly held Pichegru’s hand. I just got out of it by acting as well as you, Representative.”

“Don’t treat me the same as you! It was merely a process of feeling the limitations of the Directory [the French revolutionary government between 1795 and 1799] and seeking alternatives!”

So, Sieyès was involved in the Pichegru coup.

Also, the person who led the Brumaire Coup in the original history was Sieyès.

Originally, Sieyès rose to fame with his ‘What Is the Third Estate?’ [a political pamphlet that argued for the importance of the common people] and was a leader in the early days of the revolution along with Mirabeau.

However, Sieyès was relentlessly pushed out after Robespierre took the lead.

Eventually, he came to plot a ‘coup’.

But the world has turned upside down, and there is no Brumaire Coup.

Instead, there will only be Napoleon’s [constitutional revision].

Suddenly, Talleyrand stared at Sieyès and sneered.

“Either way, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you are taking the wrong path now, Representative.”

Sieyès gritted his teeth and retorted.

“Is one-man rule the alternative? Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten Robespierre?”

“Well, Robespierre was the kind of person who killed even his own people. Bonaparte is different.”

“Killing people on the battlefield is different, I suppose. Who knows when that gun will be pointed at the people?”

Talleyrand shook his head as if he wanted all the gentlemen in the café to hear.

“Representative, if that were the case, Bonaparte would have already seized power. Don’t you think so?”

The other ‘gentlemen’, who had been pretending not to listen, nodded and then startled each other.

They are all influential bourgeois [middle class] in Paris, not just representatives.

Some familiar faces can be seen.

For example, Jacques Récamier, the owner of the Récamier Bank.

Still smiling meaningfully, Talleyrand said.

“From the beginning, you weren’t a supporter of the republic, were you? You were a supporter of a constitutional monarchy.”

“That’s old news.”

“You also said that you need a wise leader like Archduke Karl or Duke of Brunswick, didn’t you? Hehe.”

Sieyès, startled as if his inner thoughts had been exposed, shook his head.

“Is that Napoleon? I can’t believe it.”

Ironically, Sieyès was also a supporter of a constitutional monarchy.

Also, reflecting that tendency, he dreamed of the rule of a wise leader rather than a majority dictatorship or a collective leadership system.

So, in the original history, he even called for Archduke Karl of Austria or Duke of Brunswick of Valmy, the commander of the Holy Roman Empire, as a model leader.

It’s not for nothing that Napoleon was dragged into the Brumaire Coup and put forward as the face.

Of course, he is swept away by Napoleon, who is much more decisive, and loses the initiative.

Even at this moment, Sieyès is stepping in and still hesitating.

Talleyrand took a sip of coffee and persuaded.

“He conquered Italy, devised the plan to conquer Egypt, and dismantled the Empire.”

“Wasn’t Egypt in the middle done by Hoche and Eugene? Well, I admit the dismantling of the Empire and Italy. But still, isn’t that just a military achievement?”

Emphasizing that Napoleon was not just a simple soldier, Talleyrand threw out a strange remark.

“He is a leader who is worth entrusting this France to. Of course, if not, we can just pull him down.”

After savoring Talleyrand’s words, Sieyès narrowed his brow.

“How?”

“Representative Sieyès. You’re talking as if you’ve never done it before. What have we done? We pulled down and killed the king.”

“That’s right. I didn’t want to, but eventually.”

Suddenly, Talleyrand lowered his voice to an extreme.

“Do you think we can’t pull down a Consul or something?”

No one around would have heard only this word.

Sieyès took a breath and looked at Talleyrand’s eyes.

He is a revolutionary famous for being a truly resourceful man.

How much can I trust him?

“Okay. I will issue a statement urging Bonaparte’s appointment as Consul. You have to take responsibility for that statement.”

Just as Sieyès was about to get up with a seemingly reluctant face, Talleyrand smiled kindly again.

“For France, I can do anything, Sieyès.”

For example, even selling out the ‘leader’ he served.

***

Not all opponents are persuaded by words.

-Thwack!

In an alley near the Tuileries Palace, there were soldiers in [militia] uniforms, gleefully beating someone.

That is, members of the National Guard.

The representative who was being beaten shouted, gritting his teeth.

“Ugh, what is this! I am Moulin, a member of the Five Hundred Council of France and a general! What soldiers are you to be so rude!”

“Oh, you’re a friend who massacred in the Vendée [a region in France known for its counter-revolutionary uprisings].”

“What?”

A middle-aged man in a National Guard uniform, Jacob Helie, grinned and raised his club.

“I worked my ass off to stop the massacres in the Vendée. Thinking about that time makes me want to beat you even more!”

Just as he was about to hit Moulin, who was horrified and trying to avoid him, a cold voice was heard from behind.

“Deputy Director Helie, that’s enough. Hehe.”

Helie turned his head and frowned.

It was none other than Fouché.

He was creepy when he saw him in Bordeaux under Eugene’s command, but even more so now.

Perhaps it is because Helie has seen more people than before and has gained a broader perspective.

For example, in that he knows that Fouché in front of him is not someone who would bat an eye at the death of one person.

“Hmm, then will you handle it appropriately, Representative Fouché?”

“Of course. It’s originally my job, so I can’t leave it all to [Surêté – a French security organization].”

“I understand. What happened to Representative Gohier?”

Fouché replied nonchalantly.

“I’ve already taken care of that side. He understood well.”

“That’s good, then. I’ll go first.”

“Take care. Let’s meet on the voting day.”

Surêté’s Deputy Director, or the real power, Helie, hurried away with his subordinates.

Conversely, this time Fouché’s men surrounded Moulin.

Moulin glared at Fouché with anxious eyes.

Fouché, who has been known as a massacre since the beginning of the revolution.

I can’t even imagine what he will do.

“What exactly did you do to Representative Louis-Jérôme Gohier? Fouché, what the hell are you doing!”

“Come on, General Moulin. Surely I wouldn’t do anything to a fellow member of the Five Hundred Council, would I?”

“You’ve already done something to me! How dare you, violence by soldiers against me, a meritorious person from the Vendée and chairman of the Military Committee of the Five Hundred Council!”

At that moment, Fouché grabbed Moulin’s chin and said.

“If you don’t shut up, your wife will have to meet those friends from earlier. Jean-François-Auguste Moulin.”

Just as Moulin was trembling, Fouché smiled coldly.

“Now you know what I came to say to Representative Gohier, right?”

“Y-y-you, are you even a representative after doing this? No, are you a revolutionary?”

“Or should I give you a guillotine? That wouldn’t be bad either.”

Moulin opened his mouth wide.

Fouché was in charge of one part of the massacre site in the Vendée.

Thanks to Eugene’s advice, he did not participate in the famous Lyon massacre, but Fouché was clearly one of the famous commissioners of the Committee of Public Safety at the time.

Those who were active as dispatched commissioners at the time were the vanguard of the so-called [Reign of Terror – a period of extreme violence during the French Revolution].

Those who can do anything for the purpose.

That’s why when someone like Fouché mentions the guillotine, it doesn’t sound like a joke.

Suddenly, Fouché laughed and waved his hand.

“Of course, the new government doesn’t like the guillotine. But wouldn’t the military carry out a firing squad?”

“F-F-Fouché! How dare you threaten me!”

“Even if it’s not that, exile is easy.”

In an instant, Fouché hardened his face again and glared at Moulin.

“Do you want to be kicked out at this age without a penny to your name, Moulin?”

In the original history, the two oppose to the end in the Brumaire Coup.

One is Gohier, famous as a revolutionary meritorious subject, and the other is Moulin, a general from the Vendée conquest and representing the military Jacobins [a radical political faction during the French Revolution].

Originally, Napoleon subdues both of them by force.

However, Eugene asked Fouché to send and ‘adjust’ in advance.

Moulin, trembling all over, shouted.

“Isn’t the constitution already passed? I can never issue a statement of approval!”

“There’s no need for that.”

“Then what the hell do you want!”

Fouché stated with a ruthless face.

“Just be quiet. Like now. Or don’t do what you’re plotting.”

In a tone as if a gun was really waiting if he didn’t listen.

***

Of course, there is someone else who can decide death in Paris now.

“Reporting, Patron. Talleyrand has persuaded Sieyès, and a statement will be released tomorrow.”

Eugene nodded as he listened to the report from Rochejacquelin, the director of Surêté, who had now returned to Paris.

“We need to prepare the position of ambassador to the United States for Sieyès.”

“Can you decide that, Patron?”

“No, but my father won’t be interested at all? Maybe Moulin instead.”

Then Hippolyte, who was taking down instructions next to him, asked back.

“If it’s not England, isn’t the US ambassador a sinecure [a position with little responsibility]? Eugene?”

In the original history, in modern times, the US ambassador is one of the highest positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in any country.

However, in 1799, before the 19th century, the position of African ambassador is no different from that of African ambassador.

Rather, the Egyptian consul on the African continent is more highly regarded.

However, from Eugene’s point of view, the position of US ambassador is actually very important.

Because it will be the key to diplomatic warfare when deciding the hegemony of the New World in the future.

It’s not for nothing that he picked a big shot like Sieyès.

“It would be for him.”

“Are you sending him because he’s useless? Or because he’s dangerous?”

“Rather, it’s because it would be difficult if the United States moved now. Sieyès is the most famous person that even US political figures know. After Mirabeau or Lafayette.”

Then Hippolyte, who was rolling his eyes, asked again.

“Wouldn’t it be better to send Lafayette as the US ambassador instead?”

Eugene widened his eyes and stroked his chin.

It’s an unexpected appointment, but it might be an excellent decision.

Especially if a war breaks out in the New World.

Because Lafayette is a man who has built his reputation on the New World battlefield.

“That’s also a way. I’ll think about it. Anyway, I have to go do the last work now.”

“What is it, call Fouché and have him take care of the rest of the opposition?”

“Do you think I’m Robespierre? It’s not that, I have to go see the chairman.”

Eugene smiled as he got up from his office at Boarneh Bank.

“Lucien.”

Now is the time to start the final work to elect the Consul candidate.