The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1065: Chapter 83 The Great Conspirator

The people can always be driven by their leaders; it’s easy. You just need to tell them they are being attacked, and accuse pacifists of lacking patriotism, thus exposing the country to danger.

— Hermann Goring

In the garden of the Tuileries Palace, the afterglow of the sunset sprinkled over the tree-lined paths, the evening light gradually softened, and the birds in the garden flapped their wings and began to return home. The roses in the flower beds emitted bursts of fragrance, carefully trimmed hedges and blooming flowers surrounded them, making these blossoming roses appear even more precious.

Louis Philippe, dressed in a well-tailored red suit and holding a delicate cane, walked leisurely through the garden.

Beside him were two attendants and a brown English short-haired hunting dog.

The hunting dog occasionally ran ahead to sniff at the flowers, at times chasing the butterflies fluttering around the flower beds. From the way its tail wagged vigorously, it seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this leisurely stroll with its master.

Seeing this scene, Louis Philippe squatted down, clapped his hands at the hunting dog, and shouted with a smile: ”Come here, Bella, good girl, come to me.”

Bella joyfully ran to her master’s side, nuzzled the king’s hand with her nose, and then turned around to rejoin the chase with the butterflies.

Louis Philippe simply shook his head helplessly, while one of his attendants followed up with a remark, smiling.

”You call her, and she comes. But as soon as she finds there’s nothing to eat, she runs off without looking back, just like a republican.”

Louis Philippe was amused by the attendant’s remark, and he shook his head slightly, saying, ”We can’t say that. Letting these self-important gentlemen occasionally feel they need the King’s help isn’t a bad thing.”

The attendant asked, ”Just like when Prime Minister Mr. Perier passed away last year? When leaderless, they realized how much you could contribute.”

Louis Philippe looked somewhat troubled, holding one hand to his forehead: ”Putting aside his occasional slighting attitude towards me, Mr. Perier was indeed a remarkable figure. Whether as a banker or the country’s leader, he managed all affairs in an orderly manner. So, was his death good or bad? Nonetheless, at least during the time after his death, those months before a new prime minister emerged, the country was ruled by me, solely.”

The attendants understood the king’s words tacitly.

Because only the most trusted noble descendants of the king could serve as attendants from the age of 15 to adulthood, they were indubitably the staunchest Orleans Party members.

Just as the Orthodox Party, Bonaparte Party, and the republican factions have many different subgroups, there are also distinctions within the Orleans Party.

The left wing of the Orleans Party was called the ’Movement Party,’ represented by figures such as the first Prime Minister of the July Monarchy, Jacques Lafitte, Augustin Baro, and others. Their political inclinations within the Orleans Party were akin to Robert Peel in the Tory Party. Although nominally part of the Orleans Party, supporting Louis Philippe as king, they were actually quite close to the republican faction.

These people hoped to achieve freedom of the press, actively strive for the popularization of secular education, strongly advocate for the abolition of the 1815 Treaty of Vienna, and change the foreign policy of France, which had been compliant with the Holy Alliance following the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire.

Besides, they believed France should actively support democratic movements in countries like Italy, Poland, and Switzerland and engage in resolving the Ottoman Empire’s ”Eastern Question” to restore France’s status as a strong nation.

Of course, most importantly, the role of representative government should continue to be strengthened, and a British-style constitutional monarchy where the King reigns but does not rule should gradually be established.

The right wing of the Orleans Party, meanwhile, was known as the ’Resistance Party,’ to which figures like the second Prime Minister Perier, Ambassador to the United Kingdom Talleyrand, current Foreign Secretary Molay, and current Education Secretary Gizo belonged.

The views of the Resistance Party were almost entirely opposite to those of the Movement Party. They believed that ”the throne is not an empty chair,” and that the long-standing monarchical tradition of France, as well as the king’s powers confirmed by the 1830 charter, should be respected and preserved.

While the Resistance Party also acknowledged the goals of reform, they believed the Movement Party’s vision was too grandiose, and that the signing of the 1830 charter to some extent marked the end of the current political reform tasks. Therefore, the Resistance Party prioritized social and economic prosperity and political stability.

To secure an environment conducive to development, they advocated that diplomacy must avoid conflicts with the great powers of Europe, especially avoiding unpleasant encounters with the British, who held dual statuses as sea overlord and economic giant.

Besides the Resistance and Movement parties, the remaining small group comprised the staunch supporters of Louis Philippe.

From a certain point of view, the opinions of these people were no different from those of the Orthodox Royalists. However, their loyalty was not to the Bourbon Royal Family, but they saw Louis Philippe, the Duke of Orleans, as the legitimate heir to the French throne. Privately, some even referred to this group as a bunch of Royalists bearing the Orleans banner. Meanwhile, the Resistance Party was seen as the Bonaparte Party within the Orleans Party, and the Movement Party as the republican faction within the Orleans Party.

If we set aside the fact that they all acknowledged Louis Philippe as the supreme ruler of France, it is hard to see these three parties as belonging to the same group. To some extent, it could be said that the July Monarchy government was more of a marketplace than a government. The products in this marketplace were numerous and varied, and it wouldn’t be surprising to find any kind of viewpoint in there.