He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 60

(59) Napoleon and Josephine Reunite

Even in the revolutionary era, a time of turmoil, no one is truly alone.

Everyone has a family.

It’s just that during wartime, families are easily killed or separated, leaving children orphaned.

Here, there’s a noblewoman whose entire family is intact, and she knows where everyone is, even amidst the chaos.

She even knows where her son, sent to the army, is.

The problem is that her son is so indifferent that he hasn’t sent a single proper letter in the year he’s been serving.

“But he’s already in Paris?”

The beautiful noblewoman Marie Rose La Pagerie, also known as Josephine, asked in surprise.

Eugène de Beauharnais, Josephine’s son, had returned.

He went to the battlefields of Toulon, then to Marseille, and then to the Vendée, or so she heard.

However, he was so busy that he hardly sent any letters, and she mostly heard news from Josephine’s salon [a social gathering hosted by influential women to discuss literature, politics, and art].

Today, her daughter, Hortense, excitedly told her that he had returned to Paris and was at the Tuileries Palace.

“Why there? I heard there are no kings there, only terrifying executioners.”

“Don’t you know? They summoned him. Oh, does that mean they’re going to chop off his head? Snip?”

Josephine calling a member of the Committee of Public Safety an executioner was one thing, but Hortense was quite a character herself.

“Hortense! Don’t say such things, even as a joke. Where did you learn such words?”

Josephine was horrified and scolded Hortense, who pouted.

However, Hortense was also a girl who had survived the hardships of the revolutionary era.

She was just starting school, but the salon was naturally more stimulating than school.

Besides, executions were happening daily.

“Tch, what did I say! Executions happen all the time. There’s nothing strange about it.”

“Eugène isn’t the type to suffer such a fate. If anything, he’d be hit by a stray bullet on the battlefield. But that shouldn’t happen either.”

“Come to think of it, I remember when Eugène came by ship when I was little. I was scared, but he came all the way from far away.”

Hortense smiled, recalling the time when she came to France from Martinique four years ago.

She was still young and didn’t remember it well.

In fact, she still didn’t really know how far the Atlantic Ocean was from France.

But she knew one thing.

It was Eugène’s figure, risking his life to protect her when a terrifying slave rebellion broke out.

Remembering that scene together, Josephine smiled with a sense of peace.

“Yes, Eugène is like that.”

However, Josephine’s mood soured again at Hortense’s added remark.

“But he only sends letters to the princess.”

“What? Already looking for a lover at such a young age! How did I raise him?”

“How did you raise him, Mom?”

Josephine had nothing to say to that.

Although her husband had taken him away as his successor, they had parted ways when he was young.

She hadn’t exactly put much effort into his education, and it seemed he had grown up alone after she left for Martinique.

Could it be that Eugène was resentful and that’s why he didn’t send letters?

Of course, it was probably just because he was busy, but Josephine became anxious and jumped up.

“Anyway! This won’t do. Now that he’s in Paris, he’ll come to the Café Beauharnais, right? Let’s go there.”

Josephine hurriedly ordered a maid to prepare for an outing and shouted.

“That boy, I’m going to give him a good scolding today!”

Of course, with a bright smile on her face.

***

In reality, Eugène was meeting with a business partner before his mother.

“Congratulations, Brigadier General Bonaparte. You’ve finally succeeded.”

Paris was still chaotic.

48 sections, the east and west sides divided by the Seine, sans-culottes [common people of the lower classes in late 18th-century France] and bourgeois [middle class].

The streets were full of angry people, and the armed National Guard militia were glaring.

In this era, Paris had police, but they couldn’t maintain order.

In the end, the Public Order Forces had no choice but to use force to intimidate.

A difficult time, a difficult position, a difficult mission.

But the commander of the capital’s defense was definitely a key military position.

Recamier, who had come to wait for Napoleon, who had entered the Paris Cité Island Public Order Command, greeted him with a smile.

Eugène smiled at Recamier.

“You’ve been promoted to major today, Monsieur Recamier. You’ve become the chief of public order.”

“Hehe, you’ve become the best military power in Paris. How do you feel?”

“Well? It’s something you already knew.”

Napoleon, who was looking around the command headquarters office, turned to Eugène.

“This is not good. Boy wonder.”

Appointment as the Paris Public Order Commander.

It was something that Napoleon, Eugène, and Jacques Recamier, who had acted as the intermediary, already knew.

Originally, when Eugène contacted Auguste through Recamier, there was only one thing he expected.

The resolution of the Vendée royalist problem.

However, Auguste had made a counter-proposal.

A proposal to have Napoleon take responsibility for the unstable public order in Paris.

Eugène had advised Napoleon to accept.

He had rashly accepted it back then, and now he seemed uneasy.

Eugène chuckled, looking at Napoleon, a man who passed the buck to his subordinates when problems arose.

“Why? There’s no risk of war, you’ve been promoted, and you’re right next to the powerful.”

“That’s even worse. Did you see it on the way here? The faces of the Parisian citizens are terrible. It’s just like the eve of the revolution. Besides, Dumouriez betrayed us!”

“He was always the type to betray.”

Dumouriez would have betrayed anyway.

He had only committed the act almost a year later than in the original history.

So Eugène wasn’t very surprised.

On the other hand, Napoleon shouted with sharp eyes.

“That’s wrong! Dumouriez isn’t just the commander-in-chief of the Northern Army. He’s the representative of the old aristocracy who are adapting to the revolution! And a friend of Danton? Nonsense! He was originally friends with Brissot of the Girondins!”

Despite being just a lieutenant before the revolution, Napoleon accurately pointed out the situation in Paris.

Dumouriez came from an old aristocratic military family.

Furthermore, he was a member of the Girondin faction, which had taken the lead during the National Assembly.

But now, he’s attached to Danton, and he’s blaming Danton for the betrayal?

Isn’t that just looking for a scapegoat?

That’s what Napoleon was saying.

Recamier chuckled, tapping the dusty public order command headquarters.

“You really are a master of information gathering. That’s right. Dumouriez is originally such a person.”

Then Napoleon grabbed Recamier and asked.

“Monsieur Recamier, what on earth is going on? Do you know any reason why Dumouriez would suddenly betray us?”

“How would I know the situation at the front? However, I do know about Paris. This time, Saint-Just and Carnot, and the captured Beurnonville went to dismiss Dumouriez.”

“Dismiss him?”

Recamier nodded.

“That’s right. One way or another, losing at Neerwinden last spring was a big deal. He’s been under suspicion ever since.”

While Eugène was going through turmoil, the Rhine front had also undergone upheaval.

Neerwinden, a small village on the border between Flanders and the Netherlands.

In that village, Dumouriez was advancing repeatedly, but was defeated by Duke Josias.

After that, the revolutionary government’s trust in Dumouriez was diminished, and Dumouriez was also plagued by anxiety.

Although it was suppressed by the activities of Hoche and Jourdan, the problem eventually erupted.

Eugène shrugged.

“Then, there won’t be time to try the Vendée royalists for a while.”

“You brought the royalists? You’ve done something dangerous again, gambling prodigy.”

“I was originally thinking of overturning it in court. But, in this case, the Vendée rebels are not a problem.”

Eugène turned to Napoleon and suggested.

“General, or rather, Chief of Public Order. Use the time given to you to raise a personal guard in Paris.”

Napoleon, who had been frowning until just now, widened his eyes.

A dangerous position, a dangerous time, a dangerous mission.

Napoleon, with his extraordinary brain, couldn’t possibly not know the danger.

In short, it was a perfect position to be a scapegoat [someone who is blamed for the mistakes or wrongdoings of others].

So he was about to pour out his resentment on Eugène, who had advised him to accept.

But he heard an unexpected proposal.

“What do you mean, boy wonder?”

“There will be a purge for a while. Some will survive, but many aristocratic officers in the military will be swept away. There will also be many officers who lose their connections in the process.”

“Bring those people to the Paris Public Order Command, is that it?”

Eugène nodded.

“That’s right. Why do you think Robespierre appointed the general as the Chief of Public Order? He’s trying to put the blame on you for the riots that will happen soon. Of course, you’ll have to stop those riots.”

As expected, Napoleon had also anticipated it.

Paris was in turmoil.

There would definitely be a rebellion of Parisian citizens in some form.

At that time, the Chief of Public Order must suppress the citizens.

What will happen if the citizens die as a result?

There was a risk of being branded as a ‘massacre’ like Lafayette and Dumouriez did in the past.

Ronsin had already suffered in the Vendée.

Even though he was just carrying out the orders of the revolutionary government.

“But in this revolutionary era, soldiers also have to think. Not just carry out orders.”

Eugène said with shining eyes.

But Napoleon was already a soldier who had replaced the commander.

That meant he wasn’t a soldier who carried out orders verbatim.

Now, the 25-year-old general, Chief of Public Order Napoleon, twisted his lips.

“The political situation will change rapidly. Can’t we trust Auguste alone? Who should we join hands with?”

“We’ll have to find out. However, if we have a personal guard, we can respond to the situation at any time.”

“Good. Marceau, Junot, Marmont!”

Suddenly, Napoleon turned to his adjutants and ordered.

“Reorganize the Marseille Postal Regiment and create a Postal Brigade here. Also, you will become the colonels and take control of the units under the Public Order Command.”

“Yes? Colonels?”

“Yes, you’ll all be promoted to lieutenant colonel. A lieutenant colonel can act as a regimental commander.”

It was a truly quick decision.

It was the complete opposite of the demeanor he had shown just before, when he was about to pour out his dissatisfaction on the still young Eugène.

Eugène, who had been persuading him, was surprised.

At that moment, Napoleon turned to Eugène.

“You have work to do too.”

Before Eugène could answer, Napoleon rattled off orders like a machine gun.

“Take charge of the Postal Brigade with Duroc. You’ll be the acting brigade commander.”

“Acting brigade commander? No, I.”

“A colonel is enough! Of course, you know what the real mission is, right? Information gathering, strategy development, and execution.”

Usually, a regiment has 1,000 men, a brigade has 3,000 men, and a newly organized division has 10,000 men.

Before he knew it, Eugène had 3,000 men under his command.

Of course, they were still on paper or verbal units.

Napoleon grabbed Eugène and glared.

“Yes, crisis is an opportunity! Very interesting and dangerous things will happen in this Paris. Whatever it is, we can make it an opportunity!”

Recamier, who was watching the scene, laughed heartily.

“Then, I’ll provide the general’s political funds. Of course, you too, gambling prodigy. Oh, by the way, have you secured accommodation?”

Eugène felt it again.

In this era of turmoil, the one who became the ultimate winner in the original history was definitely different.

He acted like a petty person, but quickly changed his mood and made decisions again.

Even Eugène, who knew history and remembered that Napoleon had been the Chief of Public Order, had a hard time keeping up with the speed.

In an instant, Eugène smiled.

“Of course, I have to go back to my house. You’ve managed the Café Beauharnais well.”

This time, it was Napoleon’s turn to be Eugène’s lodger.

***

Returning home after a day’s work is the same for heroes and petty people alike.

“Whew, it’s been a while? Cough! Oh, it’s dusty.”

Ippolito whistled and sat down on the bed on the third floor, coughing.

The Café Beauharnais was the base of the Beauharnais Bank and the mansion where Eugène stayed.

The first floor was the café, the second floor was the bank, and the third floor was the residence.

It seemed that Jacques Recamier, who was in charge of management, didn’t pay attention to the third floor.

Eugène said with a bitter smile, looking around the dusty rooms.

“Well, it’s dustier than I thought. As expected, Recamier didn’t take care of it as well as his own house.”

“No one has been in and out. By the way, should we tell the people from the Marseille branch to come up to Paris?”

“No, not yet.”

Eugène told Ippolito.

“Just have Dumas come up. We need to create a liaison office and proceed with the business.”

The center of France is Paris.

That means the most active economic city is also Paris.

Therefore, if you want to do big business, you have to come to Paris in the end.

However, right now, you never know when a riot will break out in Paris.

Moreover, there was a situation where political enemies could present a guillotine [a device used for beheading during the French Revolution].

One way or another, the base needs to be placed far away in southern Marseille.

Ippolito nodded and turned to Tournai.

“Then, Tournai, you’ll be able to go to Marseille and come back safely, right?”

“No, wait a minute. I’ve been there a lot during the war, Adjutant Ippolito.”

“You’re not telling me to go, are you? I have to assist Eugène by his side, right?”

Just as Eugène’s subordinates were about to fight over who would pass on the work.

-Thump!

Everyone was startled by the sudden noise.

Wasn’t this mansion empty?

Who on earth was inside?

Napoleon asked sullenly.

“What is this sound?”

Eugène, the owner of the house, naturally didn’t know either.

Just as Eugène was cautiously reaching for his pistol.

Someone suddenly poked their head out from a corner room.

A girl with prominent light brown hair, Marie-Thérèse, widened her eyes.

“Oh, you’re already here? Huh? Is that a gun?”

Eugène’s mouth dropped open at the completely unexpected appearance of Marie-Thérèse.

“Princess? No, why are you here?”

“Well, I heard you were coming back, Eugène, so I thought I’d do some cleaning.”

“You can have the maids do this. What kind of cleaning is the princess doing!”

Then Marie narrowed her brows and scolded Eugène instead.

“What are you talking about! I’m going to have to live as a bourgeois wife now. I can’t act like cleaning is someone else’s job like royalty or nobles!”

For a moment, Eugène stood there blankly with an indescribable feeling.

It was the same.

She seemed to have grown a little more, but anyway, it was the same figure.

She looked at Eugène with the same sparkling eyes as when Eugène left Paris.

Suddenly, Ippolito said in a low voice next to Eugène.

“Hey, doesn’t that bourgeois seem like you?”

“No, that’s. So.”

“Wow, as expected of the princess. She’s very possessive.”

Come to think of it, she was already talking about marriage.

So, from Marie-Thérèse’s point of view, this was definitely not trespassing.

Should I say that she came to the future honeymoon home first and was cleaning?

At that time, Napoleon, who was watching Eugène and Marie’s commotion from the side, cleared his throat.

“Ahem! Mademoiselle Marie? May I call you that?”

“Huh? Oh my, there was someone else here. Who are you?”

“I am Napoleon Bonaparte, the superior of Colonel Eugène here. I will be living with Eugène in this house from now on, so I will see you often. Please take care of me.”

Then Marie nodded with shining eyes.

“I see. I’m the one who should be asking you to take care of our Eugène!”

Clearly, the princess of the Bourbon royal family was an enemy of the revolutionary soldier Napoleon.

But the girl in front of him was too lovely and dazzling to be hostile to.

How could he hate a girl who was in love and wielding a duster herself?

Besides, Eugène, whom Marie was asking him to take care of, was also an important person to Napoleon.

Napoleon quietly looked at the princess and chuckled.

“Of course, it’s a natural thing!”

It was then.

“Eugène!”

A commotion broke out downstairs on the second floor, and someone came up quickly.

“You, what’s wrong with you? You came to Paris and didn’t come to see your mother! Huh?”

Napoleon’s adjutants on the first floor and Eugène’s subordinates couldn’t stop her.

She had no rights in this house, but no one could stop her.

Why?

Because it was none other than Eugène’s mother, Josephine, who came up triumphantly.

Napoleon, with a more bewildered face than anyone else, no, even more than Eugène, looked at Josephine and muttered.

“Ma, Madame Josephine.”

At that moment, Josephine turned to Napoleon, her eyes lit up, and smiled brightly.

“Oh my, the skinny officer from Marseille is here too? Nice to meet you.”

January 1794.

Napoleon and Josephine reunited.

It was the day the most important event that would be recorded in history happened among the things that happened on the day Eugène returned to Paris.

“More than that, Eugène! What’s wrong with you!”

Of course, the anecdote that Eugène was scolded by his mother afterwards will probably never be recorded in history.