Make France Great Again

"Stop here!"

Gazing out of the carriage's window at the scenery that seemed as if a fairytale had descended into reality, Jerome Bonaparte called for the speeding carriage to halt.

Once the carriage had stopped, Jerome Bonaparte pushed open the door beside him and alighted, with General Saint Arno following suit and stepping down from the carriage alongside Jerome Bonaparte.

Looking at the rows of linden trees planted on both sides of the road and the lush lawns and blooming flowers behind them, Jerome Bonaparte was immediately filled with a sense of serenity.

Gazing forward along the road, the silhouette of the Tuileries Palace appeared behind the large gates at the end of the avenue.

"Your Majesty! Are we really going in like this?" General Saint Arno asked with concern.

"What? You, a general who has traversed North Africa, are afraid of the Tuileries Palace?" Jerome Bonaparte teased General Saint Arno in a mocking tone: "Our Commander Shangjia Ren has been living there without any fear!"

"Your Majesty, I'm not afraid of the Tuileries Palace!" General Saint Arno hurriedly explained to Jerome: "I worry that guy Shangjia Ren will be harmful to you!"

The Tuileries Palace, serving as the military headquarters of Shangjia Ren, was of utmost importance, naturally guarded by his trusted aides.

However, Jerome Bonaparte, without changing the guards of the Tuileries Palace, had arrived here with Saint Arno, bearing risks arguably greater than any prior instance.

"Shangjia Ren? Harmful to me?" Jerome Bonaparte sneered with disdain: "You overestimate him. Now he's just a broken-backed dog! He stays in the Tuileries Palace merely to maintain the last semblance of his dignity!"

Jerome Bonaparte was convinced Shangjia Ren was not someone who would sacrifice himself for the "great cause" of the Order Party; if he died, Shangjia Ren would inevitably be buried with him.

Furthermore, Shangjia Ren was already over sixty years old, and after suffering setbacks, where would he find the ambition for a counterattack?

Do you really think this is the world of a fantasy novel!

General Saint Arno remained silent, somehow moved by Jerome Bonaparte's boldness. As he looked at Jerome Bonaparte once more, he seemed to see a shadow cast upon Jerome Bonaparte.

The shadow was of that Emperor Napoleon who once led France to the pinnacle and then to its ruin.

"Let's go!" Jerome Bonaparte said to General Saint Arno.

"Yes!"

General Saint Arno responded to Jerome Bonaparte with a military posture, then followed closely behind Jerome Bonaparte's steps.

The President and the General walked leisurely under the shade of the linden trees, soon arriving at the front entrance of the Tuileries Palace.

Two guards in bright military uniforms, with guns slung at their backs, showed excited expressions the moment they saw Jerome Bonaparte. Although belonging to Shangjia Ren's guard, they also respected the President.

"Mr. President!" the guards shouted excitedly before quickly saluting Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte appraised the guards and returned the salute.

With an excited and nervous demeanor, Jerome Bonaparte reached out to button up the guards' opened buttons, patted his shoulder, and earnestly said, "A soldier should have a soldier's appearance!"

"Yes!" the guard's voice was even louder, and the guard beside him cast an envious glance.

Following behind Jerome Bonaparte, General Saint Arno looked at Jerome Bonaparte with admiration. Compared to winning people's hearts, he still had a long way to go.

"Is Commander Shangjia Ren still in the Tuileries Palace!" Jerome Bonaparte pointed to the palace behind the guard and inquired.

"Yes!" The guard responded loudly to Jerome Bonaparte, then nervously asked, "Mr. President, are you here to dismiss Commander Shangjia Ren?"

Looking at the flustered guard, Jerome Bonaparte nodded with a smile and explained, "A country can't have two heads; dismissing Commander Shangjia Ren is for his own good! If one day Shangjia Ren were to clash with me, whom would you support?".

After hesitating for a moment, the guard replied resolutely, "I will forever be loyal to Mr. President!"

"I trust you! You are the finest soldiers of the Republic, and likewise, the finest soldiers in all of Europe!" Jerome Bonaparte used his cheap praise once more.

The President's commendation made the guards even more certain that their choice to pledge allegiance to the President was absolutely correct.

The guards saluted Jerome Bonaparte once again, and under their watchful gaze, Jerome Bonaparte and Saint Arno walked directly into the courtyard of the Tuileries Palace.

"General Saint Arno, I forgot to mention! We have the finest soldiers, and they are also the most obedient!" Jerome Bonaparte whispered to Saint Arno.

"That's all because of you, Mr. President!" Saint Arno flattered Jerome Bonaparte.

The two walked and chatted, quickly passing through the courtyard and encountering a unit stationed at the Tuileries Palace.

The commanding officer, upon seeing Jerome Bonaparte and Saint Arno, quickly halted his steps and jogged over to salute Jerome Bonaparte.

After returning the salute, Jerome Bonaparte shook hands with the commander, and then with each of the soldiers.

The soldiers guarding the courtyard showed the same excitement as those at the gate; they could now shake hands with the nephew of the Emperor whom they could only watch from afar before.

"Guard this place well! The Tuileries Palace won't remain empty forever." Jerome Bonaparte said to the commander with meaningful words.

"Yes!" The commander responded even more excitedly to Jerome Bonaparte.

After bidding farewell to the stationed troops, Jerome Bonaparte finally arrived at the deep corridors of the Tuileries Palace, with Jerome Bonaparte and Saint Arno leisurely striding forward.

Since the beginning of the Great Revolution when Louis XVI was "escorted" by the women of Paris to the Tuileries Palace, the First Empire, Restoration of Bourbon, and the Orleans Kingdom, all three regimes used this place as the Royal Palace. Even Lamartine of the Provisional Republic temporarily used it as the national office. It can be said that this place is intertwined with the history of the dynasties after the Great Revolution.

"In the future," accompanied by the fall of the Second Empire, the Tuileries Palace also fell under the fury of the people.

"Alas!" Looking at the Tuileries Palace before him, Jerome Bonaparte sighed and said, "Who would have thought that two years ago, Louis Philippe still lived here. Back then, how prosperous the Tuileries Palace was. In the blink of an eye, it has become so tranquil!"

"Your Majesty!" General Saint Arno consoled, "Changarnier simply doesn't understand the greatness of this Royal Palace. Turning it into a command post is the greatest profanation! A noble palace should be inhabited by noble people to showcase its value!"

Jerome Bonaparte looked at Saint Arno with a surprised expression. He had not expected Saint Arno, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, to speak such saccharine words. It seems this skill of flattery needs no teacher.

Saint Arno continued to smile at Jerome Bonaparte.

Occasionally stopping as they walked, the two finally reached the main hall of the Tuileries Palace after a long time.

At this moment, the main hall also held a batch of anxious officers, who were the officers of the Second Regiment of the First Brigade stationed here.

The arrival of Jerome Bonaparte and Saint Arno left the present officers in a daze; they never expected the President to come in person.

"Salute!" Saint Arno called out with authority.

The officers, under the influence of Saint Arno's voice and Jerome Bonaparte's gaze, saluted Jerome Bonaparte.

Seeing the chaotic formation of the officers and their scattered salutes, Jerome Bonaparte knew their hearts were in disarray.

"Rest assured! I am here to see General Shang Jia'nie! Can any of you help bring General Shang Jia'nie here?" Jerome Bonaparte said to the officers in a gentle manner.

"Yes!" The highest-ranking officer among them, the colonel, promptly responded and then turned and jogged away.

"All of you, come over here!" Jerome Bonaparte gestured, and all the officers stood before Jerome Bonaparte.

After inquiring each officer's name and their respective units, Jerome Bonaparte said, "All of you, stand behind me!"

The officers, understanding the subtext of Jerome Bonaparte's words, no longer worried about being purged, and they stood behind Jerome Bonaparte.

Soon, the colonel brought Shang Jia'nie to Jerome Bonaparte. Upon seeing his captains and lieutenants standing behind Jerome Bonaparte, he instinctively glanced at Changarnier.

"Go on!" Changarnier said in a flat tone.

"Yes!" The colonel replied weakly and then ran back to his unit.

At this point, Changarnier was a shadow of his former spirited self from just a few days ago, exuding a sense of dejection, and appearing a bit older.

At Jerome Bonaparte's direction, Saint Arno announced the appointment to Shang Jia'nie: "General Shang Jia'nie, I formally notify you that you are relieved of your duties!"

Jerome Bonaparte then continued, "General Shang Jia'nie, I appoint you as France's ambassador to Russia! There is no distinction of rank in this position, and I hope you can serve France well in St. Petersburg..."

"Jerome Bonaparte, spare me your nonsense!" Shang Jia'nie shouted at Jerome Bonaparte, then swayed from side to side, "You just want to get rid of me and fulfill your despicable desire for power! Yes! I have lost! I admit I can't be as devious as you... or as good at manipulating people... but..."

"General, you are drunk!" Jerome Bonaparte looked at Changarnier with disgust, and then said to the officers behind him, "Take the general away!"

Two people from the group of officers stepped forward, one on each side, and took Changarnier away.