French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 99 Occupation of the Prime Minister's Office, Internal Strife Among the Republican Part

Chapter 100 Occupying the Prime Minister's Office, the Republican Party's Internal Strife (Seeking first subscription, collection and follow-up reading)

"Commander Drema... what do you mean by this?"

A guard captain mustered his courage, stepped forward, and, with cold sweat beading on his forehead, looked at the raised Chassepot rifles behind Drema and stammered a question to him.

The guard captain clutched his rifle tightly to his chest, not daring to lift it. He could only hope that the rifle would give him some confidence.

"Heh, what do you mean?"

As for Drema, who was being questioned, he just sneered. Fortunately, he understood Eugène's intentions and did not immediately start a massacre without explaining. Instead, he did explain to everyone present.

"I have decided to switch my allegiance to His Highness. I am here now to take control of the Prime Minister's Office."

"What?!"

If Drema had told the truth now that he had broadened his horizons, it would have undoubtedly had a significant impact on Eugène's illustrious image. Now, Drema has preserved Eugène's image, only tarnishing his own.

However, these public outcry obviously could not affect his military career. To Eugène, his words would certainly make his future even brighter.

The guards who heard Drema's words felt as if the sky had fallen. His words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving them dizzy and disoriented.

The guards, not even considering the danger to their own lives, were all stunned, their eyes wide and mouths agape, staring blankly at Drema.

The guards' movements and expressions suggested that they had heard the most absurd thing in the world.

"No...impossible."

Like the guards, the captain of the guards, unwilling to accept this fact, turned into a rattle-drum and began to shake his head frantically.

"Mr. Drema, you're lying to us, you're lying to us, aren't you? You led us to seize the telegraph office, you seized the city hall, how could you possibly side with Bonaparte? You're teasing us, aren't you?"

"Just kidding, teasing you?"

Seeing that the other side was still not giving up, Drema, who didn't want to narrow his path again after he had already widened it, sneered and continued to attack the guards.

Unless absolutely necessary, Drema did not want to resort to force, as that would leave Eugène with the impression that he was incompetent.

"Don't you even consider what the Republican Party has given you, and what the merciful prince has given you? To tell you the truth, the Republican front has collapsed, and my presence there would be of no use. I intend to swear allegiance to His Highness, and what you do is your business."

After a pause, giving everyone some time to process the information, Drema raised his voice and shouted to the crowd.

"I don't care what you think, I'm only giving you 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, anyone still standing will be shot."

The military police and policemen, the soldiers in the first row, fired a warning shot into the air, then leveled their rifles and pointed the dark muzzles at the guards at the door.

His finger was already on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.

After the gunshots rang out, the somewhat dazed captain of the guard came to his senses. He looked at the dark mass of gun barrels right in front of him, and then at his men behind him, who were pale with fear, trembling, and looking to him for help.

The guard captain, after hearing Drema's embellished account of the frontline situation, genuinely believed that the frontline had collapsed.

Knowing that resistance was pointless, and with the thought of defecting to His Highness also rising in his mind, the captain of the guard sighed, put down his rifle, put his hands behind his head, and squatted down.

Seeing that their captain had surrendered, the other guards felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and they hurriedly put down their weapons and squatted on the ground.

Some of the more timid ones were so frightened that they covered their heads and cried.

Seeing that everyone was so sensible, Drema waved his hand, and two military policemen stepped forward and handcuffed the captain of the guard. The remaining military policemen rushed forward, confiscated all the guards' weapons, and then herded them into the courtyard, where they were placed under the supervision of a platoon of military police.

"Leave one company to guard the gate and the courtyard. The rest of you, follow me and storm in. Arrest all the officials of the provisional government. Don't kill anyone; His Highness still needs them."

Under Drema's orders, the gendarmes and police who rushed into the Prime Minister's Office immediately divided into several teams according to the previously assigned plan and stormed into the Prime Minister's Office building.

Inside the Prime Minister's office meeting room, several high-ranking officials of the provisional government were anxiously awaiting news from the front lines, much like ants on a hot plate.

Aside from that, the gunshots that had just rang out outside gave them a bad feeling, but no one dared to go out and find out what was going on.

Trochet went to Saint-Denis to direct the battle, Blanqué went to the rear of the Tuileries Palace to direct the attack, leaving only Edward Cohen, Fuld, and the two royalist leaders, Orléans and Ferdinand, at the Chancellery...

It mainly consisted of major bankers and key figures in the royalist party, these important figures who valued their lives stayed in the Prime Minister's Office, which had already stabilized in the rear.

Aside from Senucci, who wanted to take a gamble and went to the front lines, almost all the other big shots with capital were in this meeting room.

"Any news from the front?"

Having been ripped off by Eugène for 1000 million francs, Fold, heartbroken to the point of near collapse and now filled with hatred for Eugène, paced anxiously back and forth in the conference room.

His silk shirt was soaked with sweat, which perfectly revealed his plump figure.

Just as Fuld arrived from the Bank of France, this Parisian banker hadn't even had a chance to savor the thrill of participating in the division of 1.5 billion francs of gold, enough to recoup his losses and make a fortune, when he heard the news of the Imperial Cavalry Division's arrival.

"not yet."

Edward Cohen, also a banker, responded to Fuld's words; the banker was still shaken by the gunshot.

"Troch has deployed all available troops to the city gates. They should be able to hold off the cavalry division's attack. What I'm more worried about now is that gunshot we just heard."

"should?"

Perhaps because he was worried about choosing the wrong side, he thought that if he had sided with Eugène, he could have done quite well with his 1000 million franc loan.

Thinking of this, Fold, who had been pacing back and forth, stopped and glared at Edward Cohen, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.

"You're telling me it should be this way, Cohen? You need to understand, if the cavalry division storms the city, we're all doomed. What about all that gold? What about our lives?"

"What's the point of saying all this now?"

As a member of the royal family, Orleans looked down on these petty bankers and was unwilling to listen to their complaints any longer.

He impatiently interrupted their conversation. More sensitive to the gunshots than they were talking about, and quite suicidal, Orleans had his own thoughts.

However, the money-grubbing Fuld, for the sake of the money in the vault, surprisingly refuted Orleans.

"We should pack our things now, leave Paris, and go to Marseille or Bordeaux. Even if we fail in Paris, we'll have a foothold there."

"No, we can't leave. If we leave, everything here will be over, and all our hard work over the years will be for nothing."

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