French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 26 Compromise: A Government That Backs Down to the Republicans

As Favre finished speaking, the living room fell into a deathly silence.

Compared to the political mastermind Napoleon III, Eugénie was more assertive, but her facial expressions were also much less expressive.

The queen put on a dramatic performance in front of the two of them, and from the window, Eugénie could faintly hear the Parisians chanting "Olivier resign!"

The statements of lawmakers and the public have already begun to influence, subtly shaping the judgment of Eugénie, the Paris Regent, who lacks much crucial information.

Eugénie glanced at Gambit, who was standing beside Favre. The 32-year-old Republican congressman had a rather calm look in his eyes; they seemed to have calculated that she had no other choice.

Eugénie, who was not a first-time regent, was certainly not one to be led by the nose blindly; she did consider refusing.

More than a month before she disappeared, she was still sending telegrams to Napoleon III at the front, requesting that he recall a Guards division to help stabilize Paris.

However, Napoleon III's reply was unacceptable to Eugénie. She wanted to return to Paris directly with the Guards and hand over all the remaining 200,000-plus French troops at the front to the military.

Eugénie could not possibly allow such an escape. She knew that if Napoleon III returned after a defeat, it would be tantamount to him fleeing back in the eyes of the Parisian people.

By then, the people of Paris will no longer be willing to listen to the Bonaparte family, and besides, they will certainly want to control so many French troops on the front lines.

There was no hope at the front, and the only troops that could be mobilized in Paris were Eugène's less than 30,000 soldiers and more than 10,000 policemen.

With a military force of less than 5 men, maintaining order in Paris and preventing armed uprisings seemed like a lot, but in reality, it was far from sufficient.

Like Eugene, Eugene currently needs more time to expand her army and arm more military forces.

"Your Majesty, now is not the time to act rashly. If Olivier remains in office, it won't just be ordinary citizens taking to the streets tomorrow. Blanqui's men are already gathering in the suburbs of Montmartre and Saint-Antoine, and they will storm the Tuileries Palace at his command. At that point, no one will be able to control the situation."

Upon hearing Gan Bida's words, Eugenie's eyes widened in shock. A coup? He was actually using this method to force her to resign.

Western political systems are ultimately different from those of the East. In the East, in such situations, military suppression becomes the only option.

In the West, there are also many cases of military repression, but at this moment, military repression is clearly not a good idea.

The Franco-Prussian War was still ongoing, with large-scale repression in Paris. Eugénie could have easily foreseen that cities like Lyon and Marseille would follow suit with a wave of revolution.

Therefore, the queen stood up angrily. Threatened but helpless, she could only vent her anger through her actions and feeble words.

"This is a blatant coup. Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you've overthrown Olivier? The Bonaparte family ruled France for twenty years; it can't be overthrown with just a few inflammatory slogans."

"We never intended to overthrow the empire."

As a member of the five-person group that staunchly opposed the Empire, Favre's words were like farts, but he knew he couldn't push Eugénie too hard. If the Empress really fought to the death with them, it was clearly not what the Republicans wanted.

Therefore, the senator showed a worried look on his face, expressing that they only wanted a tougher cabinet, and they did not intend to interfere with who the cabinet members were.

"We are simply asking for a more capable wartime cabinet to lead France to victory in this war. As long as the Prussian army can be defeated, we will continue to support the rule of the Empire."

Eugénie's political acumen wasn't as high as Napoleon III's, but she wasn't stupid either; Favre's words wouldn't fool her.

The Queen of France knew all too well what these people were planning: to first use the pretext of defeat to eliminate Olivier, the liberal figurehead, and then gradually erode the power of the empire.

Knowing this, she had no other choice. If she were to break ties with the Republicans now, a civil war would likely break out in Paris immediately, and the powerful Prussians would march into the capital without lifting a finger.

The government needs time—time to reorganize the army, time to turn the tide for the French forces at the front…

After much deliberation, Eugénie, who had stood up and glared at the two men, finally sat back down on the sofa, exhausted. She raised her hand and rubbed her throbbing temples.

The sky outside the window had darkened without anyone noticing. A series of protest torches were lit in the Tuileries Palace Square, and the flickering flames reflected on the glass, forming a shimmering red glow.

Feeling this public sentiment and pondering many things, Eugénie reluctantly chose to accept this reality.

"I agree to remove Olivier from office."

Gambida and Favre exchanged a glance, and both of them smiled in unison. As for Eugénie's remedial counterattacks, neither of them showed any intention of refusing them.

They already had their own people lurking in the cabinet, and the time was far from ripe to overthrow the government. The two didn't intend to reveal their intentions so obviously, so they readily agreed.

"I must appoint the new prime minister; I will not accept anyone you recommend."

"Of course, the constitution grants you the power to appoint the prime minister. We only hope that the new government can be formed as soon as possible, stabilize the domestic situation, and organize the army to resist."

The Republicans don't care who becomes prime minister, because as long as Olivier steps down, the liberal cabinet that represents compromise with the bourgeoisie will fall.

Given Eugénie's conservative stance, she would inevitably choose a hardline hawk. A military government that only knows how to shout for war and doesn't understand politics will only lose popular support more quickly, and then the flag of the Republic will naturally be planted all over Paris.

After Gan Bida and others, Eugénie picked up a quill pen and, after much deliberation, signed her name on a dismissal order.

After carefully folding the decree of dismissal, Eugénie handed the thin sheet of paper that had decided Olivier's fate to the chief valet, de Morni.

"Go to the Prime Minister's Office and give this to Olivier personally. Tell him that, in consideration of his many years of service to the Empire, I will not pursue his responsibility for the defeat, and allow him to keep all his private property so that he can rest for a while."

Eugénie's decision has not yet reached the Prime Minister's Office, but the situation there can already be described as dire.

Olivier sat behind his desk, five cups of coffee in front of him already cold.

Having reached this dead end, Olivier, who had already foreseen his fate, did not lay out a battle report before him, but rather the draft of constitutional monarchy reforms submitted in April of this year.

The paper is covered with dense annotations, still bearing the marks of his former high spirits. Back then, 70% of the 750 million voters cast their ballots in favor, and he believed he could truly lead France smoothly into a new, enlightened era.

But now, this draft has become the biggest irony.

The cabinet ministers stood in twos and threes to the side, talking quietly to each other. They were all core members of Bonaparte's liberal faction, following Olivier in promoting reforms.

He thought he would be remembered in history, but a hastily launched war turned all his efforts into nothing.

"Mr. Prime Minister, bankers have begun to withdraw their capital en masse, with private banks, led by BNP Paribas, ceasing short-term loans to the government."

Olivier, who knew the problem would be passed on to the next government, did not respond to the situation. Instead, he focused his attention on the words "responsible cabinet" in the draft and muttered his own dreams.

"We were so close... His Majesty was already convinced..."

Olivier was indeed an idealist who genuinely believed that constitutional monarchy could save France, but he underestimated the destructive power of war and the strength of the conservative backlash.

Just then, the office door was pushed open. The head of the court, Morni, walked in, dressed in a black court suit, his face expressionless.

All conversation ceased abruptly, and all eyes were fixed on the documents in his hands. Olivier looked up, awaiting the pronouncement of his fate by the chief sergeant.