French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 36 The French Emperor, Hesitant and Wanting to Escape

The intensity of the argument in the meeting room was like a pot of oil gradually boiling, becoming increasingly scalding and bubbly.

De Fay's roar hit the wall and bounced back, making Napoleon III's eardrums ache.

Both were army commanders, but Bulbaqi held a slightly higher position than De Fai, and he fearlessly retorted to De Fai's remarks.

The crowd was in a chaotic uproar, but in the end, all eyes were on Napoleon III.

The French emperor sat in the shadows, his gaunt body wrapped in a heavy military overcoat. Napoleon III's fingers idly picked at the armrests of the wooden chair, oblivious to the sawdust getting embedded in his fingernails.

He glanced at the emotionally charged De Fay, his eyes filled with the scene of the First Army soldiers outside the window.

Then he looked at the ashen-faced Bulbaki, his mind replaying the words from the telegram, "The Empire is in imminent danger."

Withdraw? To be honest, Napoleon III was a little hesitant.

Because he knew all too well the situation in Paris; the Republicans were definitely itching to incite the public with news of the army's defeat.

If news spreads that the Challenger Army has retreated further and directly into Paris, the people of Paris might actually dare to riot.

He, the emperor, and the entire Bonaparte family, would be torn to pieces by the angry populace.

But what if they didn't withdraw? Even Napoleon III dared not.

Because Napoleon III witnessed firsthand the horrific state of the First Army: the ragged, wounded soldiers, the seriously wounded lying in the mud waiting to die, and the warhorses so thin they were nothing but skin and bones.

Napoleon III guessed that the French army in Metz was in no better shape, and that letting them stay there for too long would be tantamount to suicide.

Could his own army quickly rescue the French troops in Metz? After considering the state of the First Army and the composition of the Xia Long Legion, Napoleon III had to shake his head and admit to himself that the idea seemed unlikely.

When the Metz Legion is defeated and the Prussian army advances unimpeded, Paris will also fall, and the empire will still perish. However, the latter empire will be overthrown much more slowly than the former.

Facing the gazes of everyone, Napoleon III's lips trembled, and he opened his mouth but could not utter a single word.

"Your Majesty...please say something."

Douai looked up; the army commander was almost in tears. How could the French army fight if this arguing continued? Douai was very anxious and hoped that Napoleon could give clear instructions to the confused army.

"If this drags on any longer, the Prussian army will invade."

Upon hearing Duai's words, Napoleon III was jolted awake, as if struck by a revelation.

But before he could say a few words, Napoleon III felt a sudden dizziness, and violent coughing echoed throughout the room.

Nathan, bent over, coughed so violently it felt like he was coughing up his internal organs. The guards rushed forward to support the French emperor, but Nathan pushed them away.

After a bout of coughing, the physical pain compounded by the mental anguish made the French emperor want to escape reality. He covered his mouth with a blood-stained handkerchief, breathing heavily, and announced the adjournment of the meeting.

"Enough...stop arguing. That's it for today's meeting. You may all go home."

Although Napoleon III was a political mastermind, he was prone to hesitation and was not a particularly strong-willed person.

Faced with the expectations of his generals and soldiers, the reality of defeat, and pressure from Paris in the rear, the combined pressures made the French emperor eager to escape reality; he did not want to deal with these matters.

Historically, Nathaniel Götterdämmerung's indecisiveness is evident in his tendency to relinquish command of the front lines, his repeated changes of mind regarding the army's command, and his capitulation to the emperor when pressured by Paris.

"Your Majesty, what time is it? You can't delay any longer."

De Fay grew anxious. Seeing that the French emperor wanted to postpone the matter until tomorrow, the commander of the 5th Army hurriedly took two steps forward.

"I said, go back, cough cough cough~"

He suddenly raised his voice, only to be interrupted by a fit of coughing. Not wanting to continue discussing the matter today, Nathan waved his hand. The French emperor, having had enough of this torment, had a vacant look in his eyes, devoid of any spirit.

"I can't make a decision... Let me be alone for a while."

Napoleon III's evasive behavior left his generals bewildered; none of them had expected that this once-spirited emperor would utter such weak words.

The once-genius Napoleon III has been reduced to a worthless figure despised by the French.

De Fay wanted to say something more, but in the end he said nothing. After a moment of silence, the generals could only shake their heads helplessly and leave the meeting room with sighs.

Commander of the 5th Army, de Fay, walked last. He glanced back at Napoleon III's hunched back in his chair, sighed heavily, and closed the door.

The door clicked shut, and Napoleon III's taut nerves snapped with a snap. The French emperor lost all dignity and slid off his chair in utter disgrace.

Napoleon III slumped to the ground, his handkerchief falling to the floor, the bloodstains on it spreading out in a glaring pattern on the wooden floor.

In the empty meeting room, the French emperor, Nathaniel Gautier, clutched his head, curled up in a ball, his shoulders trembling violently, and a long-suppressed sob finally escaped from his throat.

"Waaaaah~ What can I do... what can I possibly do..."

Under extreme pressure, Nasan suffered a brief mental breakdown, repeatedly pounding his chest with his hands. He hated his own incompetence and even more so his indecisiveness.

He once dreamed of recreating the glory of Napoleon I and making France dominate Europe again, but the reality now tells Napoleon III that he can't even command a single war well and the empire is about to fall, let alone emulate Napoleon I.

The crushing defeat at the front, the turmoil at home, his physical ailments, and the pressure from Paris... all these pressures piled up like mountains on Napoleon III's shoulders, making it hard for him to breathe.

Suddenly, Napoleon III felt utterly disgusted. He was disgusted with the damned war, disgusted with the endless quarrels, disgusted with the throne that was suffocating him.

"I don't care anymore... I don't care about anything... Let Paris do whatever it wants. If Eugénie wants to defend it, if Montauban wants to defend it, then let them defend it. Anyway, whatever I do is wrong, and anyway, the empire will fall sooner or later..."

Napoleon III even had a ridiculous idea: why not just go back to Paris, hand over all power to Eugénie and Montauban, and hide away somewhere, never to concern himself with these messy affairs again?

Whether it's death or life, victory or defeat, let it all go.