Curses couldn't solve anything. The most crucial task at hand was to regain control over the army. The sound of gathering soldiers outside reached their ears. Dumouriez adjusted his military cap, straightened his sword, and turned to Duke Chartres, asking, "Your Royal Highness, would you like to accompany me in addressing the soldiers?"
Duke Chartres hesitated for a moment, still shaken b...
2023-10-27 12:07:41 +0000 UTC View PostAfter putting the artillerymen through a rigorous exercise, the newly-promoted Major Napoleon walked towards his tent with a stern face. To his surprise, he found Joseph waiting for him there.
"Joseph, what are you doing here?" Napoleon's mood was already soured by the string of defeats they had experienced. While these losses were expected, they still weighed heavily on his mind.
"...
2023-10-27 11:59:39 +0000 UTC View PostNo matter how much the envoys sent to Belgium had made the Belgians despise France, they had at least accomplished one thing: they had helped the French government acquire much-needed funds. This led to the dispatch of more envoys to other regions within France where the revolutionary fervor had not yet fully taken root, but where the potential for funding was abundant.
Time was of the es...
2023-10-27 11:59:30 +0000 UTC View PostWith Fouche's vote, the fate of Louis XVI was essentially sealed. Fouche cast the three hundred and fifty-fifth vote in favor of the death penalty, only six votes away from the three hundred and sixty-one needed to behead Louis XVI. And behind Fouche, there were still many Montagnards who had not yet voted, and their resolve was almost unwavering. The remaining Brissotins, on the other hand, we...
2023-10-27 11:59:24 +0000 UTC View PostWith Paris preoccupied by the trial of the king, nobody had time to trouble Dumouriez for now. Even the dispatch of officials responsible for military supplies had been delayed. But Dumouriez sensed that trouble was brewing and that he needed to seize this last opportunity. Whether or not the king's trial would implicate him in the end, having more money on hand was always helpful. Take Tallera...
2023-10-27 11:59:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe Brisotists were not ones to sit idle. Their proposal, in response to the events unfolding in France, was to expel all members of the Bourbon family from the country.
This plan wasn't solely aimed at Louis XVI; it was more focused on the Duke of Orleans, who had renamed himself Philippe Égalité, and his son, the Duke of Chartres. They were currently aligned with the Robespierre facti...
2023-10-27 11:59:07 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the victorious Battle of Rheims, the Austrian defenses in the region of Belgium crumbled. The Austrian forces fled in haste, and the French effortlessly occupied Aachen, moving swiftly towards the River Roer. Due to this string of victories, Dumas had risen to the status of a hero, a savior of France. However, at this very moment, unsettling news arrived that soured his mood.
The so...
2023-10-27 11:58:12 +0000 UTC View PostDumouriez rode at the forefront, with Joseph and Napoleon on horseback, brandishing their swords and leading the soldiers towards the smoke-covered heights of Jemappes.
Perhaps due to exhaustion or the obscurity of the battlefield, the Austrians did not react immediately. Dumouriez took the opportunity to press forward with his soldiers.
As the troops neared the range of the Austria...
2023-10-27 11:58:08 +0000 UTC View PostAlthough Joseph hadn't given Dumouriez any advice, Dumouriez was a clever man. He quickly realized that his current goals were similar to those of the Duke of Brunswick across from him. So he began secret discussions with the Duke of Brunswick about the withdrawal of the Prussian and Austrian coalition forces.
Afterward, the Duke of Brunswick began a slow retreat, and Dumouriez followed d...
2023-10-27 11:58:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe French cannons began to fire. Shells rained down on the Austrian lines, creating small gaps in their formation. However, the Austrian soldiers quickly filled the gaps, and the line was restored in the ...
2023-10-27 11:57:52 +0000 UTC View PostOn August 29th, the Prussian-Austrian coalition surrounded the gates of Paris at Valmy. By the morning of September 2nd, royalists in Valmy launched a rebellion, killing the commander of the city's defenses. Valmy surrendered to the Prussian-Austrian coalition, and the gates of Paris were opened.
The fall of Valmy due to the rebellion took the French completely by surprise. In their plans...
2023-10-27 11:57:44 +0000 UTC View PostIn addition to dealing a heavy blow to the Bonaparte brothers, Dumouriez had also taken the entire Red Army with him. Despite Carnot's furious protests (Carnot believed that sending Joseph to the front would severely hamper the efficiency of their rear war preparations and that sending the "Red Army" to the front was akin to killing the goose that lays the golden egg), Dumouriez knew that his p...
2023-10-27 11:37:43 +0000 UTC View PostEmperor Leopold's actions were seen by the French, or at least most of them, as acts of fear towards France. This sudden show of confidence among the French had a significant impact. It cast both Robespierre, who opposed the war, and Lafayette, who advocated caution, in the light of cowardice.
After voluntarily withdrawing from the parliamentary elections, Robespierre's reputation took a ...
2023-10-27 11:37:36 +0000 UTC View PostWhile Robespierre and Lafayette were trying to slow down France's march towards war, the influence of the Girondins and the moderate factions pushed France closer to conflict.
Interestingly, it wasn't the original moderate members who started to unite on this issue. The one who rallied the moderates was not even originally part of their faction; it was Jacques Pierre Brissot de Warville, ...
2023-10-27 11:37:27 +0000 UTC View PostJoseph didn't panic upon hearing the news. He furrowed his brow in thought and said, "Carnot, it's not convenient to talk here. Let's go to my office."
Joseph and Carnot entered the office together.
Carnot sat at the table next to Joseph's desk, while Joseph closed the door and took a seat in front of Carnot.
"Carnot, has someone already bought the Clavierel Bank's certificate...
2023-10-27 11:37:20 +0000 UTC View PostFollowing the planned strategy, Robespierre began publishing articles in numerous newspapers, vehemently attacking Lafayette for conspiring to start a war, undermine democracy, and become a dictator. He urged the people of Paris and all of France to open their eyes and thwart the ambitions of this schemer.
"If Lafayette's conspiracy succeeds, France will plunge into a more disastrous stat...
2023-10-27 11:37:11 +0000 UTC View PostRobespierre had recently published several articles vehemently opposing the war rhetoric of some hardliners in the parliament who were advocating a preemptive strike against Austria.
At any time, the parliament was filled with radicals. Generally, members of the parliament did not have to bear political responsibility for their words and actions, as they had no decision-making power. As a...
2023-10-27 11:37:01 +0000 UTC View PostOver the next few months, Paris appeared calm and everything seemed to be falling into place. On October 1st, the new National Assembly elections concluded, and the results left Lafayette disappointed. His Feuillants club secured 264 seats, while Robespierre's Jacobins won 136 seats. The remaining half of the seats were divided among royalists and unaffiliated members. Lafayette's control of th...
2023-10-27 11:36:51 +0000 UTC View PostGeneral Lafayette was indeed a broad-minded man. Over the next few months, Joseph's work was largely unaffected. When payday arrived at the end of the month, Joseph and Napoleon received a bonus for their outstanding performance.
A few days later, Carnot approached Joseph with a question, "Joseph, if we were to transfer Napoleon to a combat unit as its commander, what are your thoughts?"<...
2023-10-27 11:36:14 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning, Joseph went to work as usual, pondering what Lafayette's reaction would be. Would he inform Joseph directly that his position had been canceled due to the changing circumstances? Or would he put a seal on Joseph's office door?
However, when Joseph arrived at work, he found that he had been overly concerned. His position remained intact, and all the tasks he needed to han...
2023-10-27 11:36:02 +0000 UTC View PostFouché was indeed a prominent figure in the history of France. From the French Revolution to the First Empire, during that time, there were only three unyielding political figures: Talleyrand, Carnot, and Fouché.
Like Talleyrand, Fouché came from a theological college. However, unlike Talleyrand, Fouché was of common birth, so naturally, he never rose to the position of dean, bishop, ...
2023-10-27 11:35:51 +0000 UTC View PostJoseph raised his head and glanced at Armand, then at Robespierre, and said, "Armand, Mr. Robespierre, you both know that I am friends with Lafayette..."
"Joseph, we are all friends with Lafayette. But Joseph, Amicus Plato, sed magis amica veritas," Armand said, quoting a Latin phrase: "I love my friend, but I love truth more."
Robespierre smiled as he observed the exchange.
"...
2023-10-27 11:16:15 +0000 UTC View PostAs soon as Joseph heard what this was about, he felt even more reluctant to participate. Although he wasn't very active in the club's activities, he was not entirely unaware of the current situation within the club. Ever since the King's flight, the club had been divided. Previously, most members of the Friends of the Constitution Club were staunch supporters of constitutional monarchy. However...
2023-10-27 11:16:07 +0000 UTC View PostThe king's escape, though initially seen as .a farcical drama, completely altered the nation's course. Before this incident, even though there were some, like Marat, vehemently attacking the king in the press, the moderate faction still held sway in the Assembly. This was especially true after the king's swearing of the constitution. In fact, even the radicals like Robespierre and Danton were s...
2023-10-27 11:15:59 +0000 UTC View PostAs the cowardly group slowly made their way towards Varennes with Napoleon and the infantrymen, they received continuous updates along the journey.
It was said that the King's carriage had been exposed in the town of Saint-Menehould on the evening of the second day of their escape. They rested there at a post station and were discovered by the local municipal council and the National Guar...
2023-10-27 11:15:50 +0000 UTC View PostDue to their suspicion and fear of Mirabeau, the King and Queen did not follow his advice. In hindsight, this may have been their best opportunity.
Whether it was Mirabeau or Lafayette, they both reminded the King and Queen of one thing: their relatives couldn't be trusted. When choosing a location for their escape, Mirabeau emphasized that the King must not run too close to the border. O...
2023-10-27 11:15:42 +0000 UTC View Post"My respected Queen, you must exercise extreme caution when dealing with the Marquis de Lafayette. What the Marquis says may indeed have a certain truth to it, and one could argue that, overall, what he says can be considered an unassailable truth.
However, Your Majesty, you should be aware that, when it comes to deception, the truth can be more potent than lies. Often, individuals as nat...
2023-10-27 11:15:33 +0000 UTC View PostTo be honest, when Lafayett heard the introduction of Joseph, Napoleon's brother, by Carnot, his first reaction was, "Joseph wants to scheme for personal gain." However, Lafayett wasn't angry about it at all. In fact, he was somewhat pleased.
Firstly, because, in this era, this was quite a common thing to do. On the contrary, if someone didn't do so, it would be considered abnormal. And i...
2023-10-27 11:15:26 +0000 UTC View PostWhile there were plans to exert some pressure on Napoleon, Joseph also knew that Napoleon wasn't cut out to be a staff officer. In this regard, he fell several notches short of Carnot, let alone Joseph. He could handle the meticulous planning of various military details if needed, but it wasn't where Napoleon's true talents lay. Joseph had a different plan in mind for him.
On the second d...
2023-10-27 11:14:56 +0000 UTC View PostEver since Bishop Talleyrand sold the Church's land, the financial crisis of the new government seemed to have temporarily abated. However, selling billions of livres worth of land all at once wasn't an easy task. If it was too expensive, no one could afford it, and if it was too cheap, it would be a significant loss. So, a new idea emerged: issuing a form of paper currency backed by these land...
2023-10-27 11:14:49 +0000 UTC View Post