He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 66

(65) Danton Wants to Live

What is said in the day is heard by the birds, what is said at night is heard by the mice, and business rumors are heard by businessmen.

“They say the Banque de Beauharnais has returned to Paris.”

Danton sat in a café near the Tuileries Palace, scratching his smallpox scars.

This was an era just before Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccination was introduced.

Smallpox was still a dangerous disease that killed people.

Even if one survived, they were left with unsightly pockmarks like Danton.

However, Danton, a large man with a rough face but surprisingly full of humor, smiled at the banker who spoke seriously.

“Wasn’t it always there? I thought they were buying and selling East India Company stock under the name of the Beauharnais Bank. Isn’t it just the patron who returned?”

“Trading has been cut off since Eugène, or Eugene de Beauharnais, went to war. All assets were taken over by the Récamier Bank.”

“Indeed, that prodigy is good at entrusting things to others. Who can you trust in this revolutionary era? Tsk. How can you trust a banker like Récamier?”

Suddenly, Danton waved his hand and said to the banker Sabatier in front of him.

“Ah, Monsieur Sabatier. I’m not talking about you. You are very trustworthy!”

Guillaume de Sabatier, a major shareholder of the East India Company and a major banker in Paris, frowned.

“Whatever my reputation may be, the problem is Eugene.”

“What’s the problem with that prodigy with the English name?”

“He says it’s more of a New World name. That friend of yours recommended Lavoisier as the developer of the new [high explosive], didn’t he?”

Danton nodded, recalling the agenda that had been brought up to the Committee of Public Safety some time ago.

“Wasn’t it? Mara was ranting and raving, but what was it? He said he would create a mysterious gunpowder from the East? If that fails, then kill Lavoisier. It’s easy to gamble with other people’s lives.”

“No, no! You have to look at what comes after that. Who owns the new gunpowder factory?”

“Well, the Beauharnais Bank is funding it, so… Is it owned by the Banque de Beauharnais?”

The revolutionary government is extremely short of funds.

So, they can barely afford to supply military supplies.

Of course, the revolutionary government cannot afford to invest in a ‘new detonator’ that may or may not succeed.

Therefore, everyone except Mara agreed because the Banque de Beauharnais was providing the money.

But Sabatier, who is neither a member of the Committee of Public Safety nor a gunpowder businessman, is furious.

“Isn’t that just privatizing gunpowder! Congressman Danton!”

The East India Company has not yet gone bankrupt.

The reason is very simple.

Danton took a bribe and, in return, temporarily delayed the suspension of payments.

However, since Pondicherry has not recovered, the bankruptcy of the East India Company is only a matter of time.

So, I understand why Sabatier, the chairman of the East India Company’s board of directors, is anxious.

Still, isn’t getting involved in military supplies outside the scope of his business?

Danton frowned and replied.

“There is the Grignon factory, a state-owned gunpowder factory, so that won’t happen, will it? What are you complaining about?”

“Don’t you know what the basic raw material for gunpowder is? Saltpeter. Where do you get saltpeter from?”

“It used to be India. But now, trade with India is completely blocked. So, I heard they’re getting the raw materials for saltpeter from some outhouse?”

Just as Danton was about to click his tongue at the thought of the smelly method, Sabatier’s eyes flashed.

“We can smuggle it. So, we can save the East India Company based on that! But now, Eugene and Lavoisier are going to ruin everything!”

In short, this is the story.

For a long time, saltpeter trade was one of the main sources of income for the French East India Company.

But if they create a new high explosive, Beauharnais may take over the gunpowder process.

In particular, Lavoisier is widely known as a master of saltpeter synthesis research.

The high explosive is just an excuse, and he will surely research much easier saltpeter synthesis.

If that happens, the reason to bring saltpeter from the East India Company will weaken.

This means that the basis for the existence of the French East India Company will also disappear.

In this regard, Sabatier’s interests and Beauharnais’s interests seem to have clashed.

Just as Danton was about to tilt his head, having roughly understood, Sabatier argued.

“Pondicherry has been taken away, but we still have a base in the East Indies. Reunion Island, east of Madagascar!”

“Oh, was there such a place? I think I’ve heard of it.”

“It’s an important French port of call in the Indian Ocean. The French East India Fleet is there.”

Of course, it’s a very long way from India.

In fact, it’s an island area closer to Africa.

In modern terms, it’s near Mauritius.

However, Sabatier, who is desperate for the survival of the East India Company, insisted.

“From there, we can smuggle saltpeter from India. But to do that, there should be no attempts to replace saltpeter.”

In any case, it takes at least half a year to get from India to France.

This is because there is no Suez Canal in this era, so it is a shipping schedule that requires going around Africa.

So, whether the smuggling will actually succeed or not will only be known after a year, including the round trip time.

He will buy a year’s time.

This must be Sabatier’s intention.

Danton, who is not a fool, stared at Sabatier and clicked his tongue.

“Let’s talk realistically, Monsieur Sabatier. We are at war right now.”

“Who doesn’t know that? That’s why, gunpowder!”

“But you’re going to stop the developers who are developing new gunpowder and smuggle saltpeter in a situation where there are no ports in India?”

Danton frowned, his face full of smallpox scars.

“Do you think that makes sense?”

Even if he doesn’t think about national interest and only thinks about bribes and personal gain, it’s the same.

Comparing the failing East India Company with the successful Banque de Beauharnais, who will give more bribes?

Danton, who had already made a fortune through Récamier, was about to shake his head when Sabatier approached Danton and said, grinding his teeth.

“Otherwise, our East India Company will go bankrupt.”

“Oh dear, that’s too bad. I’ll pay for the coffee today.”

“And you, Congressman, will also go bankrupt.”

Danton’s eyes widened, worried that the surrounding customers would hear.

Fortunately, this café has partitions for easy private conversations, and there are not many customers today.

But Sabatier’s words are dangerous.

“We’re not the only ones who will die. Even if we want to die alone, we can’t. You know that, don’t you? There are people digging into the deals you and our East India Company made.”

“Hey, Sabatier. How dare you!”

“I’m not threatening you, Danton!”

Sabatier desperately shouted at Danton.

“I’m saying this because I heard something from my cousin, Cambacérès! You have to help me. You have to stop the gunpowder factory that the Beauharnais Bank is running!”

Danton’s complexion changed.

Cambacérès is close to a bureaucrat, but he is definitely a member of the Committee of Public Safety appointed by Robespierre.

Could it be that Robespierre is digging into Danton’s past?

***

Coffee must be the enemy of digestion.

Of course, even if that’s not the case, the sight of the guillotine falling makes one’s stomach churn.

Feeling like the lunch he had today was stuck in his throat, Danton turned his gaze.

Because the sound of the National Convention’s judge shouting was echoing loudly from one side of the square.

“Enemy of the Republic! Jean Antoine Rossignol will be executed!”

Rossignol, who until recently was the commander-in-chief of the Vendée suppression army, was sticking his neck out under the guillotine.

The surrounding area was full of people who had come to watch.

Soaring prices, extremely scarce food, and a severe Little Ice Age cold wave.

The people with their ominous eyes cheered as if they were starving for executions.

“Waaaaa!”

At that moment, Rossignol shouted.

“I am innocent! The culprit is someone else! It was Carrier who ordered it!”

“Carrier is already dead, you criminal Rossignol!”

“Then ask the Committee of Public Safety! Who ordered me!”

Just as Rossignol was desperately shouting at the people.

“I am a scapegoat, cough!”

The scythe-like blade that fell from the sky struck Rossignol’s neck.

Charles-Henri Sanson, the executioner who had been handed down for generations, grabbed the severed head.

Amid the cheering of the people, whispers also spread among the crowd.

Because of the unusual last words.

“Is it true?”

“There’s no way, right? Anyway, those Vendée guys are all rebels. They must have killed him themselves.”

“Well, I heard they went to the West Indies? I hope they die of fever. Ptooey!”

Danton frowned as he watched the scene.

Danton has a fierce impression, but he is a delicate man who doesn’t really like executions.

In any case, he was not particularly in favor of executions, except for the politically necessary execution of the king.

Even that did not proceed because the king had committed suicide.

So, unlike the cheering people, the execution ceremony is an unwelcome event for Danton.

Then why is he here?

“Why did you have to meet here, Mara?”

It’s because of Mara, who called Danton to this place.

“It’s to make you realize that that could be your fate, Danton.”

“Was Rossignol in my faction? I just found out.”

“Dumouriez was recommended by you and went to the Northern Army as commander.”

Danton’s face turned pale as he protested against Mara’s words.

“Everyone agreed to that, didn’t they? The consensus at the time was that Dumouriez was the only one who could stop Lafayette!”

“It was short-sighted. Everything has changed in just a year and a half, hasn’t it? Think of Bonaparte, the hero of Toulon, and Hoche, the fighter of Dunkirk.”

“So, that’s everyone’s responsibility! Even Robespierre agreed! Although reluctantly.”

If we were to assign responsibility, the responsibility for Dumouriez’s appointment lies with the entire Committee of Public Safety.

It’s definitely not Danton’s sole responsibility.

But Mara replied coldly.

“But you wrote the first letter of recommendation, Danton.”

Danton’s face turned red as he glared at Mara.

“Are you going to link me to the traitor Dumouriez? Nonsense!”

“There’s no need to do that. You’ve taken too many bribes.”

“What? Are you, are you talking about the East India Company? That’s a misunderstanding! I didn’t receive a penny! I only met those people to save the Republic’s largest company!”

Mara, with a strange smile, said to Danton, who was flustered and started talking about the East India Company.

“The surrounding citizens are listening, Danton. And you don’t need to make excuses to me.”

Mara whispered in Danton’s ear.

“It’s not me who’s tracking you, it’s Couthon.”

Danton doesn’t want to hear the whispers of Mara, who is not a beauty and has severe skin disease.

But now, Mara’s words made Danton’s heart beat faster than any beauty’s whispers.

Of course, the reason is not excitement but embarrassment.

Couthon is a man who has always been in a wheelchair since he suffered from polio as a child.

As a legal expert, he lives in the same mansion as Robespierre.

He is a member of Robespierre’s faction within the Committee of Public Safety, along with Auguste and Saint-Just.

Danton gritted his teeth.

“You mean Robespierre.”

“I never said that. But when Couthon passed a law in the Revolutionary Tribunal that political prisoners should only be punished with acquittal or death, Robespierre helped.”

“I created that Revolutionary Tribunal, ha! It looks like I’m going to have my own head cut off!”

Danton laughed, thinking it was somewhat paradoxical.

The Revolutionary Tribunal is a single-instance system.

It was created to replace the Paris High Court, which was dominated by nobles, but it is now tightening its grip on Danton.

Political prisoners cannot have lawyers.

There are only two ways to punish them.

Either acquittal or death.

Suddenly, Mara scratched his rash and smiled.

“Soon, a motion will be proposed in the National Convention, chaired by Couthon, to liquidate the East India Company. It seems very natural. But do you know what that means now?”

Danton gritted his teeth and replied.

“Couthon will claim that I took a bribe.”

“Of course, Couthon is not a fool either. He won’t claim that you received it directly. For example, he will claim that Desglantine received it? But everyone knows that he is your secretary.”

“Damn it, so what are you going to do? Huh?”

At that moment, someone walked up behind Mara and burst into laughter.

“Hehehe, if the game is ruined, you have to turn it over. Don’t you think so?”

The moment Danton saw his face, he realized.

This is a trap and a proposal for a coup.

Because the man behind Mara is always thinking of overthrowing the current Committee of Public Safety.

Hebert, the leader of the radical revolutionaries, smiled, revealing his teeth.

“Won’t you join us, Danton? The citizens of Paris will be with us.”

Danton clenched his teeth.

***

Drunk, Danton walked down the street, singing as he entered his house.

“Turn the game over, you crazy bastards. The world is full of crazy bastards! Wahahaha!”

Mara is the idol of the sans-culottes [the common people of revolutionary Paris].

Hebert is also the leader of the [Hébertists], who argue that the current Committee of Public Safety is too moderate.

It is difficult for Hebert alone to incite a civil uprising.

But if he joins hands with Mara, it is possible.

However, there is something lacking with just the two of them.

They do not have the military force to stand up to the security forces.

That is why Mara and Hebert reached out to Danton.

To attract Danton, who has connections by recommending various people to the military.

Knowing all this, Danton could not refuse.

Mara and Hebert already know that he received a bribe.

Even if Robespierre and Couthon do not attack Danton, Mara may detonate it first.

But, to join hands with Mara?

Can the coup really succeed?

Even if it succeeds, will Danton be safe afterwards?

Danton was in agony when he entered.

The moment he entered the house, the children ran to him.

“Waaaaa! It’s Dad! Dad, play with me! You’re here after a long time!”

“Papa! Papa! Snack!”

“Why are you kids like this! Your father just got home!”

Danton lifted the children up and laughed as his young second wife, Louise Gély, was surprised and tried to stop the children.

“Wahahaha! Antoine, François! My cuties! Did you have fun?”

Antoine and François are both children of his dead first wife.

Antoinette Gabrielle Charpentier, his wife who suffered and died when Danton had no power and even less money.

When his wife died, Danton dug up her body from the coffin and hugged her, wailing.

「Forgive me for cheating on you! Forgive me for making you suffer and die! I love you even if you die, Charpentier!」

Of course, that doesn’t mean that Danton didn’t cheat afterwards.

Anyway, his new second wife, 17-year-old Louise, is also a woman he met while cheating.

Louise barely managed to separate the children and asked.

“Why did you come home so early? Monsieur Danton?”

Danton smiled brightly and rubbed Louise’s nose.

“My cute Louise. Hehe, did the children have a good day today?”

“They’re energetic. I think Antoine has forgotten that his mother is dead now.”

“That’s a relief. It’s all thanks to you.”

Louise blushed and smiled.

“If you know that, I hope you come home early in the future, Monsieur Danton.”

Danton smiled as he watched his new wife and sons quietly enter the drawing room.

But in an instant, Danton’s face hardened, and his eyes flashed terribly.

The happiness here is what Danton eventually gained by seizing power and taking bribes.

There are those who are now trying to blow all of that away.

Robespierre, and Mara.

“Yes, early to home.”

Danton, who entered his room, whistled and muttered.

“One says to kill Beauharnais to save the East India Company, and the other says to kill everyone, even Robespierre, to save everyone. Hehehe. And Robespierre is tracking me too?”

Of course, he did not fail to predict this situation.

The Dumouriez scandal clearly had a huge impact.

The aftermath of the Vendée civil war is also enormous.

As Rossignol, who was beheaded, shouted, it is a time when a scapegoat is needed.

Perhaps the people want the head and blood of a more powerful person than Rossignol.

Everyone is targeting Danton now.

Danton’s eyes flashed.

“Did this Danton look so easy? So that a mere merchant or a street demonstrator could devour him. Robespierre is okay, but… No, that bastard is also a problem.”

Danton, who was looking out the window alone, picked up a pen on his desk and dipped it in ink.

-Swish, swish, swish.

Danton, with a face that was not at all drunk despite drinking a lot of alcohol, wrote a passionate [letter].

Just as Danton was carefully reviewing the contents of the letter he had been writing for a while.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

“Did you call me, Congressman?”

It was Danton’s secretary, Desglantine.

Before coming home, he had sent a messenger to call him to his house.

Danton nodded and smiled.

“Desglantine, you’ve come?”

“Yes, Monsieur Danton. What’s going on in the middle of the night?”

“It’s important. I need to meet General Bonaparte. You’re next to Salicetti in the National Convention, right?”

Speaking to Desglantine, whose eyes widened, Danton spoke in a passionate tone as if giving a speech.

“Arrange a meeting with the general. Our faction is in crisis right now.”

“Yes? No, if it’s a crisis?”

“To put it simply, Mara, the East India Company, and Robespierre are targeting us.”

Desglantine’s mouth dropped open at the truly enormous [political enemies], and Danton smiled.

He was also surprised when he first found out.

But if you despair or give in because you are surprised, you will only be beheaded.

Like Carrier and Rossignol, who died helplessly.

Or as Louis XVI did, who committed suicide.

“There is only one power to overcome that. It’s the commander of the Paris security forces.”

In an era of turmoil, military force is the most realistic power.

The moment Napoleon, the man with the highest military power in Paris, came into Danton’s sight.

The capital of revolutionary France, Paris, was caught in a vortex of coups.