Chapter 119
Assassination. The act of killing a politically or militarily threatening person and preventing their own losses that could be caused by the person''s survival.
As the Emperor of the French Empire, which held European hegemony, Napoleon had many enemies. Really a lot. The forces that could benefit from his assassination were overflowing, and of course, it could serve as a strong motive for the crime.
It was exactly six hours after the explosion that Louis Nics Davout , Duke of Auerstaedt, Marshal of the Empire inmand of the Great Army, who was appointed ''military adviser to the European Union'' created at the Strasbourg Conference, heard of the attempted assassination of the Emperor.
Davout had always maintained his calm and cheerfulness in all situations, when the French were caught behind the sudden appearance of the Marquis of Wellington''s corps, when the British Nelson''s fleet smashed thebined French and Spanish fleets of Villeneuve at Trafalgar, or when Napoleon crossed the Alps and defeated three times the Austrian troops.
However, upon hearing this incident, Davout was able to realize for sure what it felt like to have his hair stand up on his head.
Even though it was well past midnight, Davout immediately left Strasbourg and drove his carriage to Nancy.
''It won''t be enough to rip those bastards to death!...''
For Davout, who had an unwavering loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire, this incident was as ugly and terrible as Satan''s doing.
The guards and attendants had no choice but to be afraid of his brutal appearance. Lieutenant Colonel Le Delon, a deputy and staff officer, soothed the Marshal, who looked like he was ready to crush the world.
"There are a total of three types of forces within the Empire that have the power to target His Majesty, as the inspectors and staff think. Please tell His Majesty that in the investigation of this case, the surveince and interrogation of these people must be thoroughly carried out."
Lieutenant Colonel Le Delon was one of the best officers of Davout''s Corps and was a young officer whom Davout liked very much. He quickly organized the situation in the carriage heading to Nancy and listed what Davout needed to know and what to say in front of the Emperor.
Davout, who was an outstanding soldier butcked political sense, had been able to avoid making big mistakes in several ces thanks to the help of his officers. The most influential forces that could have plotted the Emperor''s assassination cited by Lieutenant Colonel Le Delon were as follows:
First, royalists dreaming of restoring the Bourbon family.
Second, former political forces that were purged or dismissed by the Emperor in the past.
Third, radical republicans, including the Jacobins.
Among them, the word ''Jacobin'' caught Davout''s ears.
"His Majesty dered the end of the imperial government and the return to the Republic. You may wonder why Republicans like the Jacobins would be hostile to His Majesty, but... They really are a different kind of people. They probably don''t believe in His Majesty''s deration itself. I know a bit about them, because... I was also a Jacobin until a few years ago. I know their habits well."
Surprised by the words, Davout opened his eyes wide and Lieutenant Colonel Le Delon added with a bitter smile.
"Those who keep following the Jacobin movement now do not believe in the sincerity of His Majesty. They are those who cannot ept a positively changing Empire. Even if the Republic is re-established, they know better than anyone else that they will not be the protagonists. They will not admit to the end that they are wrong and live with hatred for His Majesty and the Empire."
"Then do you think this was a done by Jacobins? Was it idental, out of a burning desire for revenge against His Majesty?"
"...I don''t know if it was idental, but I think Jacobins are most likely to be behind it. It seems that the story has not reach the Marshals of the Empire yet. Our staff officers often talk about the risk of Jacobins and their radicalism."
"If I share what I''ve just heard with His Majesty, you could be a prime suspect in this case at once."
Lieutenant Colonel Le Delon smiled at the words.
"Your Excellency is not like that, right? Even if you make a statement to His Majesty, I know that you will only act after obtaining consent from him. And... His Majesty will not treat me that simply because I was a Jacobin in the past. I now fully believe in the fairness and justice of my superiors. That''s why I can say things like these now."
The firm and strong words certainly moved the heart of the Iron Marshal. Davout had no choice but to nod. All of this began with Napoleon Bonaparte''s changes.
It could not be said that he had be friendly, but his maniac-like fickleness had disappeared and he had shown much flexibility and tolerance in handling workand his subordinates.
In the end, it was an example that proved that when the person at the top changed, the entire atmosphere changed with him.
If Napoleon had been the same as in the past, Davout would have kept the story to himself to protect his loyal andpetent officer. But if it was Napoleon now... Yes, he could trust him enough.
"I''m not good at persuading anyone or exining a situation. But... I''ll help you out. And if an unsavory situation urs, I will handle it with my honor. If it doesn''t work, we will die together."
It was a promise that he would risk his life to stop Napoleon and protect his subordinate. Lieutenant Colonel Le Delon bowed his head deeply. This was the reason why he followed Davout.
Although Napoleon was currently revered for his poprity and support throughout the country, there was certainly a group within France that could handle the extreme conspiracy of assassination.
Napoleon knew about their existence, but he let them go because of his cause. A tolerant monarch could not draw his sword recklessly.
Anyway, it was like this within the Empire, but how many people outside France and in hostile countries would want his death? In fact, Napoleon''s head was like the world''s most expensive bounty.
Before Napoleon entered the interrogation room and revealed his doubts about the incident, he met two people with only a few loyal guards.
One was Davout, who had just rushed from Strasbourg, covered in sand dust, and the other was Lieutenant Colonel Le Delon, his subordinate. He heard quite interesting stories from them.
"Your Majesty! I have already decided to clean up the past and fully devote my loyalty to the Empire for several years. It is true that I had previously joined the Jacobin Club, which His Majesty had banned, but thanks to this, I was able to know their true condition and madness... Please be merciful about it."
Napoleon remained silent for a while because he had something to think about. But it seemed that his silent made the two very uneasy. It made himugh.
"In a way, the Lieutenant Colonel is a whistleblower. He loyally brought information for the sake of the Empire and me. Considering that fact, he deserves to be rewarded, but what misunderstandings did you two make?"
"Aha... Hahaha. No, Your Majesty, I seem to have misunderstood for a moment."
"Sometimes, the Duke tends to underestimate my inclination. I am rather saddened by this."
Napoleon, who enjoyed the facial expressions of the two, who had no idea what to do, soon started talking seriously.
"All three groups selected by Lieutenant Colonel have reasons to aim for my neck. That was a very reasonable guess. But no matter who pulls out the knife, they can never proceed alone. There must be a force to help from behind. I think that our outstanding adversaries are behind it."
"I''m sure there must be some wicked ind bastards and vs involved! Maybe it''s the vengeful Prussians. They will have to pay the price for the crime of aiming at the survival of the Empire."
Davout was punching his chest with his fist.
"That''s also what I think. However, it cannot be denied that they have been working hard until they join forces to make filthy tricks. Who could be their aplice in my entourage? I thought deeply about it while staying at the residence... Only one person''s name came to mind."
Joseph Fouche. A person who fled to a foreign country with his family when he was caughtmitting treason such as conspiracy and instigation of a civil war with Talleyrand. The French secret service had even informed Napoleon that he was staying in a secret pce in Austria, but since then, his track record was unknown.
Given that the cab had ced a huge bounty on him but failed to catch his tail, there must have been systematic concealment and protection from other countries.
The presumption that foreign countries might have intervened in the attempted assassination was somewhat reasonable.
"He used to serve as the Police Minister. As you know, the Police Minister has a position where he can collect information flowing from Paris at a nce, including rumors and scandals. As such, it is easy for him to find out the weaknesses and corruption of Parisian politics, business circles, and military personnel."
Now Napoleon had transferred much of this authority to other departments or organizations, but when Fouche was active in Paris politics, the post of Police Minister deserved to be called the ''flower of shadow politics''.
Under the purpose of monitoring and wiping out the reactionaries within the Empire, secret inspection organizations under Fouche were given unlimited autonomy and inspected people regardless of if they were bureaucrats, citizens, or soldiers.
For more than a decade, Fouche had been sitting in a position that exerted such an unexpected influence. Naturally, the remnants would not have beenpletely washed away even yearster.
"Now he has been branded as a traitor and chased, but that does not mean that big politicians or high-ranking officers who have fatal weaknesses known by him would have changed. Wouldn''t they sumb to the threats of Fouche if they were threatened with information that would lead to their ruin?"
The remnants of the secret organizations run by Fouche, a number of imperial executives whose weaknesses were held by Fouche, vengeful Jacobins who were extremely resentful of Napoleon, and the surrounding countries that considered him very threatening...
"Lastly, Joseph Fouche... was also a Jacobin. Who was more enthusiastic than anyone else before leaving."
Davout and Lieutenant Colonel Le Delon swallowed their saliva with tense faces. Obviously, it was usible, but there was no evidence for this. Most of this was just the result of Napoleon''s suspicion.
Nevertheless, it was clear that his strong intentions were added to drive the atmosphere by saying the above.
In other words, Napoleon was trying to put the guilt and responsibility for all these things on Fouche, his remnants, and the enemy powers of the Empire. Its purpose was, of course, only one.
"Of course, I won''t stop chasing the truth. I am also very curious about who was aiming for my life. But... As you all know, isn''t there an important battle at stake for the fate of the Empire?"
Napoleon was rather preaching the legitimacy of a method that other monarchs have used in the past, inspiring and uniting his people before confronting the enemy.
Marshal Davout and Lieutenant Colonel Le Delon had rushed to the Emperor after hearing of the assassination attempt. However, they had an ambiguous expression as they watched Napoleon gently persuading them to join his conspiracy.
It was in early February that news of Napoleon being attacked began to spread throughout France, starting with Paris. ording to the government''s guidelines, the media lifted restrictions on article reports, and the whole story of the incident was distributed in breaking news one after another.
"Our Great Emperor almost suffered such a terrible thing!?"
"What kind of an evil traitor was it! Who dared to aim for the Great Emperor!?"
"Oh mon Dieu! What can we do to those demons, burning them alive would not be enough!"
"The death penalty! The death penalty! The death penalty!!"
The sassy French did not give the title of ''the Great'' to anyone except Henri IV.
Then Napoleon Bonaparte appeared and met their high evaluation standards sufficiently.
No one doubted any longer that he was the greatest, best, and most revered monarch in French history.
Napoleon Bonaparte was now the pride, treasure, and faith of the French.
The news that their Great Emperor was exposed to the threat of assassination by rebels was enough to elicit fierce anger from them.
Citizens of France flocked to the squares of each city to identify the traitors and their forces, demanding merciless retaliation.
The French were not the only ones paying attention to the incident. Central Europe, where the Union was formed, Pnd and Russia in the east. Northern Scandinavian countries, the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire. Britain, Spain, Portugal. All Europe''s breathless gaze was focused on Paris. What position would Napoleon express in this situation?
The next day, the door of the Tuileries Pce opened. Standing in the front was Jean-Pierre Simon, the Duke of Dax and president of the Imperial Council.
"The history of France has always been a history of reaction to the trials and hardships of the outside world. Our ancestors, who inherited the spirit of the Gauls, protected the kingdom and the borders of the Empire, yielding to such oppression, fighting against it, and winning. France''s territory and sovereignty werepleted with the blood and flesh of the French."
"On January 27, the Empire was exposed to a more serious threat than ever. His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon, who is the supreme Emperor and the sun of the Empire, and his wife, Her Majesty the Empress Marie-Louise, were threatened by ruthless and unscrupulous people. Fortunately, the fair God did not take these two from France. Dieu Juste, Merci! (Thank you to the righteous God!)"
"Just as the Lord Jesus Christ proved his faith in God at the end of the path of the saint, the whole story of this terrible incident was finally revealed through the dedication of numerous executives, bureaucrats, and officers of the Empire. The name of the shameless criminal is... surprisingly, Joseph Fouche, a traitor of the Empire. The man, who was the former Police Minister of the Empire, was corrupted in the most terrible and ugly way and pointed his de at the Emperor of his own country."
" ii"
"In addition, to all humans both inside and outside the Empire who obeyed Fouche''s order and sumbed to his malice, to those who urged Fouche and assisted him, the Empire deres war under infinite justification. This deration will take effect immediately... I dere that the guns of the Great Army and the Navy will not stop until they repent and surrender."
This is war!