The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 968: Chapter 45: Deadly Pursuit

The carriage whistled past, raising a gust of wind that caused the sparse trees on both sides of the street to sway gently.

The muzzle burst with firelight, like a sudden flash of lightning.

The joyful atmosphere was abruptly torn apart by the sound of gunfire, deafening, echoing through the narrow streets like thunder.

Two men, four handguns, twenty-four bullets, overshadowed Paris’s sky like clouds, as if it were a drizzle suddenly falling on the walls of the Kaidao Sai Mansion, pitter-pat.

The guards responsible for the King’s safety were briefly stunned but quickly realized what was happening. The Guard Commander shouted orders to his men to use the wall as cover and return fire, while escorting the King back to the mansion’s hall.

”Your Majesty, it’s too dangerous outside, please return to the hall first!”

Louis Philippe was initially taken aback by the unanticipated assassination attempt, but he quickly regained his composure.

Though Paris’s cartoonists frequently compared him to ’a pear’, ridiculing his stupidity, incompetence, and weakness, a truly ’pear-headed’ person couldn’t have muddled through the tumultuous July Revolution and ascended the throne.

When Louis Philippe was young, he joined the Jacobin Club, serving as a Major General in the France Republic Army, under General Dumouriez in the Northern Army Group. He fought in the Battle of Valmy, crushing the Prussian and Austrian allied forces, and later, as the Northern Army Group occupied Belgium.

When the National Assembly executed Louis XVI, and many officers of the Northern Army received dismissal orders for defeats in the Netherlands, Louis Philippe immediately sensed danger.

While the National Assembly issued arrest warrants for the Northern Army leaders, he persuaded his superior, General Dumouriez, to flee with him to Austria overnight.

After seeking refuge in Austria, Louis Philippe chose not to join the Anti-France Alliance forces but instead moved to Britain to observe calmly. Because of this, he had the opportunity to become the so-called ’Citizen King’ during the July Revolution with a clean record.

Perhaps others saw assassination as unfortunate, but Louis Philippe felt relieved once he confirmed it was just an assassination attempt.

Having experienced the Paris Republican uprising last June, an ordinary assassination seemed like a breeze.

Louis Philippe retreated under the Guard Commander’s protection, and even at such a moment, he issued orders: ”Capture them alive if possible; I want to know who’s behind this assassination.”

The Guard Commander considered this ’outrageous demand’ as going in one ear and out the other, but he still had to acquiesce: ”As you command, Your Majesty.”

Protected by the guards, Louis Philippe retreated unharmed back to the mansion hall, but Arthur, who was standing beside Louis Philippe, wasn’t so lucky.

Arthur pressed his bleeding shoulder, gritting his teeth, jumped to the wall, and crouched down, swearing as he hid: ”Damn it, why am I always involved in such things?”

Great Dumas, seeing him wounded, quickly shielded him, pressing his head down: ”Who asked you to chat with Louis Philippe? See, I told you, France’s assassins are Europe’s best, right?”

The seasoned Victor hurriedly loosened Arthur’s scarf and coat, glanced at the wound, and breathed a bit easier: ”Brother, you’re lucky; it’s just a scratch. Let me bandage it to stop the bleeding, and we’ll find a surgeon later.”

”What for? Did you see who shot me just now?”

Maybe the pain stirred Arthur’s adrenaline or memories of swallowing his anger over the past two years rekindled once he got shot again, he had no intention of keeping the peace this time.

”Alexander, did you bring a gun?”

”How could I bring a gun to such a banquet? The security checks at Kaidao Sai Mansion are so strict; I couldn’t even bring a needle!”

Just as Great Dumas finished speaking, a shrill horse neighing sounded, followed by the rumbling of wheels.

Soon, someone in the crowd shouted: ”Run! The carriage is full of explosives, they’ve lit it!”

Even Victor and Great Dumas, two fearless individuals, turned pale at this. They dared not look back, reflexively grabbing Arthur’s arms and lunging toward the grass ahead.

With a crash, the explosion’s heat wave suddenly hit, instantly igniting the various green plants beautifying Kaidao Sai Mansion.

The purple-pink trumpet petals on the sycamore branches were scattered by the blast, shattered wall bricks flew like bullets everywhere, hurting Great Dumas who cried out in pain.

Victor’s jaw was also cut by a flying pebble, blood trickling down his cheek, soaking his newly bought fine attire.

Arthur pressed his shoulder blade, glancing back at the formerly classical and sumptuous Kaidao Sai Mansion now ablaze. The young man who drove the carriage into the mansion gate was blown to pieces, and one of the two gunmen who had been shooting from atop the carriage was shot full of holes, lying in a pool of blood.