Make France Great Again

"Now what should we do? Let this unfavorable public opinion continue to ferment?"

Speaker Du Ban put down the newspaper and looked up, asking Thiers in a tone tinged with complaint.

Clearly, the instigator of all this was this guy in front of him, yet he acted as if nothing happened.

"Mr. Du Ban!" Facing Speaker Du Ban's disgruntled mood, Thiers replied with a smile: "I never expected to seize power through such means! I just wanted to give Napoleon something to deal with!"

"Now the flames are about to burn us!" Speaker Du Ban replied to Thiers.

"Then just extinguish the signs!" Thiers said nonchalantly.

"Is that it?" Speaker Du Ban seemed unwilling to accept this reality and exclaimed in surprise.

They expended so much effort, specifically choosing the moment Jerome Bonaparte was away to call out Saint Arno for questioning, only to be mocked by a soldier for no reason, and now just let it go?

Thiers did not immediately answer Du Ban. He stood up and came to the potted plant near the window, sat down while facing away from Speaker Du Ban, patiently trimming the plant with scissors, and said indifferently: "Mr. Du Ban, what else do you plan to do? Dismiss Saint Arno? Or dismiss the Ministry of War? Or perhaps dismiss Prime Minister Oppel?"

"We can't just sit and wait for death!!" Looking at the leisurely Thiers, Speaker Du Ban was furious and also stood up, raising his voice in front of Thiers.

"Mr. Du Ban, we are not sitting and waiting for death!" Thiers glanced at Du Ban with the corner of his eye and continued trimming the plant: "At least we have gauged the army's attitude."

"The army's attitude?" Speaker Du Ban looked at Thiers with confusion.

Thiers put down the scissors, gently fiddled with the plant, and said: "Think about it, why did the Ministry of War issue that order when the proposal was passed? Why did both Jerome Bonaparte and General Shang Jia'nie tacitly accept that order?"

After Thiers' reminder, Speaker Du Ban recalled the order signed by the Ministry of War, stating "actions can only be taken after the Secretary of State and Minister of War have personally signed." He curiously asked: "Is there any inevitable connection between the two?"

"Commander Shang Jia'nie came here recently and criticized our actions!" Thiers' face turned serious, retracting his smile: "He told me the army is protesting against our attempts to establish direct troops, they do not like such actions!"

"How dare those soldiers!" Having experienced nearly thirty years of civilian politics, Speaker Du Ban couldn't help but say.

Even during the Bourbon Dynasty, they were still top aides assisting the monarch in ruling France; what are those new noble generals who are not old nobility worth!

"Mr. Du Ban, they have the nerve to do so! Because behind them is Jerome Bonaparte!" Thiers responded solemnly to Speaker Du Ban: "Jerome Bonaparte is their advocate of interests, and he is equally enthusiastic to take on that role!"

Speaker Du Ban did not refute; who in the Legislative Assembly did not know the President's protection of the army.

"The army will not allow organizational division. Even if Shang Jia'nie is close to us, he must accept the Ministry of War's orders! In terms of procedure, there is no error in this order!" Thiers said the word "procedure," with a sarcastic smile.

If they hadn't granted too much power to the President initially, they wouldn't have fallen to this point now.

As long as Shang Jia'nie doesn't choose to openly rebel against the Republic, he must obey the Ministry of War's orders.

This is the shackle "procedure" has brought to them.

"So what should we do now?" Speaker Du Ban asked Thiers reluctantly.

"Wait!" Thiers said softly.

"Wait for what?" Speaker Du Ban looked at Thiers puzzled.

"Wait for us to unite!" Thiers replied bitterly to Speaker Du Ban: "Once our party goals are aligned, we will be able to launch a counterattack against Jerome Bonaparte."

"What if we never achieve unity?" Speaker Du Ban couldn't help asking.

Thiers glanced at Speaker Du Ban again, with a profound smile: "By then, it might be when our party falls apart!"

"Fall apart?" Speaker Du Ban was evidently frightened by Thiers' words and couldn't help but take a small step back.

"That's right!" Thiers nodded, taking up the scissors for trimming again, emphasizing: "Our party was originally a product of deceitful benefits. If the two monarchs cannot reach an agreement, our party might face the risk of dissolution. If either of the two monarchs then makes some untimely speeches, our party might completely split."

"If it really comes to that, what should we do?" Speaker Du Ban asked Thiers worriedly.

"At that time, we can either hibernate or join the other side!" Thiers provided an answer to Speaker Du Ban.

"So, Mr. Thiers, you are planning to..." Speaker Du Ban looked at Thiers.

A sardonic smile appeared on Thiers' lips, and he said firmly, "I will absolutely not join them! If the day ever comes when we truly face defeat, I will choose to temporarily leave politics, lie low, and wait for the opportunity. Mr. Du Ban, France has seen off three dynasties, do you really think anyone can establish an everlasting monarchy?"

Speaker Du Ban instinctively shook his head.

Thiers nodded with satisfaction and said, "As long as I live long enough, then I can witness its collapse! By then, we will clean up the mess!"

"I understand!" Speaker Du Ban indicated his understanding.

To quell public opinion in Paris, the Legislative Assembly issued a series of announcements in the following days.

The announcements stated that the Legislative Assembly is the assembly of all French people, and it would never do anything against the will of all French people... In view of the Ministry of War's report and the recent investigation and research on the military by the Legislative Assembly, the Legislative Assembly decided to heed the advice of the Ministry of War and delay the establishment of its directly affiliated forces...

In an attempt to save face, the Legislative Assembly specifically emphasized at the end that it does not object to the establishment of directly affiliated forces but is merely delaying their establishment.

The tense atmosphere in Paris gradually dissipated after the Legislative Assembly issued its announcement. Newspapers like the Observer, the Bonaparte Newspaper, and the Havas News Agency gave fair praise to the Legislative Assembly for following public opinion.

Of course, where there is praise, there is also criticism, mostly from overseas, especially across the Channel from the British critic France.

The People's Daily from Britain crossed the English Channel and appeared in the study of a certain 3-story mansion in downtown Rouen.

Rouen, an important city in the Normandy Province, with a developed textile and luxury industry, is also one of the top-ranking cities in France in terms of economic strength.

Raw silk from abroad enters Rouen for processing and then is sold in Paris. Parisian luxury goods are also distributed abroad through Rouen.

It can be said that Rouen's excellent geographical location allows it to shoulder the responsibility of being a transit point, allowing the city to continue to prosper.

However, with the dual crisis of economy and food sweeping across Europe in 1848, Rouen, once a central transit hub, was also significantly affected.

Bankruptcy and unemployment became the main theme of the Rouen region in 1848, followed by riots from unemployed workers and the poor...

However, all this is history from two years ago.

Having endured the pain, Rouen began to recover economically under the impetus of the steel tonic forcefully injected by Jerome Bonaparte, with countless coal entering Paris through the Seine estuary in Rouen.

"According to recent reports from the French telegraph, the French Republic has once again presented an absurd farce to the people of Europe.

This tragicomedy took place at the Bourbon Palace.

The reason for this farce is the Legislative Assembly's desire to establish its own military force.

As an organization that holds the highest power in France, the Legislative Assembly controls the power to formulate and amend laws in France. Every law passed by the Legislative Assembly should be accepted by anyone, any department. However, this body, which claims to wield the entire power of France, was turned away by the Ministry of War.

...

Jerome Bonaparte, the spokesperson chosen by the military, faithfully fulfilled his responsibilities. He and his gang continued to deceive under the banner of the "Empire"... yes, he succeeded because his enemies were weaker than he was.

The bourgeoisie who once harshly suppressed Paris with bloody means have now become weak at this moment.

...

In order to win over the people, the Order Party and Bonaparte, this pair of clowns, put on the mask of the "people," claiming to lead the people forward. Yet whenever the people truly followed them forward, they found the old feudal emblem on their behinds.

...

Jerome Bonaparte's rhetoric in the Satory Region is by no means empty talk. This shameless gang will impose their self-proclaimed ideas of peace on all European countries and people until their self-destruction."

Perhaps because writing about France is more lucrative, Dr. Karl Marx, busy with his livelihood, began writing philosophical manuscripts while continuing to use his sharp pen to criticize France. He criticized the Legislative Assembly and even more harshly criticized Jerome Bonaparte.

"Hahaha!" Jerome Bonaparte of Rouen burst into laughter. Those unaware might instinctively think that the content in the newspaper was praise about him.

Just as Jerome Bonaparte was laughing out loud, a knock on the door came, and he quickly suppressed his smile and said, "Come in!"

Valerovsky entered the room and reported to Jerome Bonaparte, "Mr. President, Emile Pereire wishes to see you!"