The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 983: Chapter 51 I Am Bonaparte_2

However, Louis was dissatisfied, but hoping he would directly step out and tear apart his relationships with his uncles was unrealistic.

Due to the death of Napoleon’s only son, and the fact that his other uncle Jerome Bonaparte’s children were too young, Louis had naturally taken the prime position among the younger generation of the Bonaparte family.

Louis himself was quite aware that if he lost his family’s support and the Bonaparte name, then he would be nothing.

This time, accompanying Arthur to Paris was a political gamble in itself, and judging by the current situation, since Louis Philippe decided to send him to bring back Napoleon’s coffin, the gamble’s rewards were beginning to manifest.

Even though his uncles would certainly be enraged by his private meeting with Louis Philippe, as long as he successfully completed the escorting mission, the elders’ anger would not matter.

He would become a true Bonaparte, a Bonaparte recognized by all French people, and he would no longer need the approval of the Bonaparte family elders.

To complete this gamble, even after Arthur’s persuasion, Louis had to muster a great deal of determination to finally decide to take this step.

But now, Arthur brought him a whole new gambling project—to replace the Bourbon legitimate Royal Family as the leader of the Juans.

Compared to bringing back the coffin, the level of difficulty and the magnitude of the family’s anger it would provoke were clearly on a different dimension.

If bringing back the coffin could still find a ’returning Napoleon to his homeland’ excuse to disguise it, then accepting the Juans meant openly opposing the Bonaparte family’s alliance with the republicans.

By doing so, although Louis would become a Bonaparte, there was a high probability that he would only remain a Bonaparte.

This plan inevitably reminded him of the famous saying of the Sun King Louis XIV—”The state, that’s me.”

In other words, the route Arthur Hastings provided him was—”I am Bonaparte.”

Arthur knew Louis could not give a clear answer right away, but he was not in a hurry, nor did he believe that Louis, with his current strength, could stir up any storm in the vast France.

Louis Philippe’s throne was unstable, but his crown was not so easily toppled.

As the group of Juans complained, all of Europe’s eyes were focused on Paris; in the past century, the direction Paris took determined the direction of all of France.

And at this moment, Louis Philippe had firmly grasped the heart of Paris, intellectuals were invited into the Cabinet and Parliament, military leaders, represented by Marshal Soult, swore allegiance, bankers, and real estate developers remained his unwavering strongholds.

Though the leaders of the literary world had some criticisms, compared to Charles X’s reactionary rule, the current political climate was much more relaxed, so they were still observing.

Whether or not Europe’s liberals admitted it, at least from the republican uprisings in Paris and Vendee that erupted successively last June and the earlier worker uprising in Lyon, the actions of the July Monarchy Government remained strong and forceful.

The Paris Republican uprising was quelled within two days, and the Royalist led by the Duchess of Berry were also defeated by the Royal Family’s army at Vieillevigne, and even Louis Philippe took time to have the French Foreign Legion complete the invasion of Algeria.

Arthur smiled, pouring Louis a glass of wine: ”Maybe I drank too much tonight. Louis, you must know, under those circumstances, seeing a group of impoverished peasants without shoes, like mountain wild men, it’s really hard not to feel sympathy for them. I still remember when I invited you to Paris with me, you were quite hesitant.

You told me: ’If we go to Paris and I witness atrocities against the people, I will instinctively side with the people.’ Until tonight, I couldn’t grasp the meaning of your words, but after seeing that group of Juans, I finally understood what you meant. As a leader, there is indeed a necessity to take responsibility for the entire nation, whether they are workers, peasants, merchants, or other unfortunate people.”

At this point, Arthur brought up Louis’s debut work ”Political Dreams”: ”You said, to solve this problem, it is essential to combine the two types of people, namely Napoleon and the Republic. To prevent external invasion and internal strife, it is necessary to organically combine the monarchy and the Republic; a monarchy that incorporates the advantages of the republic while avoiding its shortcomings is France’s future.

Of course, to guarantee freedom, a comprehensive electoral system must be implemented. All the people of France have the right to decide who can best represent them. Alexander always criticized you that this wasn’t a republican system, but in my view, this truly is a republican system. If they end up choosing wrong, then it’s their own doing, after all, it was a choice voted by everyone.”

Louis was originally pondering how to tactfully refuse Arthur’s proposal, but hearing Arthur praise his debut work, he couldn’t help but beam with joy and said: ”That is just some immature, naïve, and inexperienced political view of mine.”

”Do you really think so?” Arthur added a cube of sugar to his tea.