Chapter 291: Chapter 288 12.2 Coup (3)
For the commander of the Ninth Corps, Brigadier General Leboeuf’s threat was very effective.
No one could withstand the attack of the Paris Regular Army, especially when caught off guard.
The commander of the Ninth Corps keenly noticed the state of the soldiers around him. The National Guard soldiers following him couldn’t stop trembling after seeing the regular army waiting outside the barricades.
This group of property-armed fighters living in a honey pot was no match for the regular army troops in front of them. Let alone rivaling the regular army, even fighting unarmed poor folks would have them making a series of jokes.
With such battle capabilities, how could one expect them to risk their lives? It’s feared that as soon as the gunfire from the regular army sounded, the ragtag group under him would flee in panic.
The commander of the Ninth Corps couldn’t help but resent the National Assembly. If it weren’t for their insistence on having the Ninth Corps guard the Bourbon Palace, he wouldn’t have had to confront the President directly.
It was already 2:20 AM, and the sky was pitch dark with only a few stars twinkling. Beneath the stars, the National Guard and the regular army vigorously opposed each other at the barricade boundary of the Bourbon Palace, while the windmill hanging on the street pavilion swayed back and forth.
"General, have you made up your mind?" Brigadier General Leboeuf’s words carried a hint of impatience: "The mission I received is to take the Bourbon Palace at all costs! If you are unwilling to leave, then we will send you away with bullets!"
With an order from Brigadier General Leboeuf, all the soldiers of the regular army armed their mercury fulminate, their left hands holding the barrel and their right hands pressed against the trigger.
"General! You have no chance of winning!" Brigadier General Leboeuf said confidently.
There was a significant weapon disparity between the regular army equipped with Mini Rifles and the National Guard armed with only a few MTL1842 smoothbore guns.
If war broke out, it would be a clear massacre.
"G- General, what should we do now?" a soldier standing by asked in a trembling voice.
"Are you willing to die for the National Assembly?" The commander of the Ninth Corps asked the National Guard soldiers present calmly.
Aside from a few feeble "willing" responses, the vast majority of National Guard soldiers were speechless.
"Now you know what choice I have to make, right?" The commander of the Ninth Corps responded to the soldier who asked him.
The National Guard soldiers fell silent. When none of them wanted to confront the regular army, how could they dare challenge them?
If the National Guard soldiers had a similar organization score like that in Hearts of Iron 4, it would be clear that the organization score of the National Guard had already dropped to 0.
In the hearts of most National Guard soldiers, the so-called military coup was merely a power struggle between the President and the National Assembly.
Given this, why should they oppose the President for the National Assembly?
"Dismantle the barricades!" With the morale of his troops unusable, the commander of the Ninth Corps made the right choice, waving his hand to order the soldiers to dismantle the barricades.
Upon hearing the command to dismantle the barricades, the National Guard soldiers felt a weight lifted from their hearts.
A few National Guard soldiers removed the barricades blocking the regular army, and Brigadier General Leboeuf also smiled.
To be honest, Brigadier General Leboeuf really didn’t want to fight in Paris.
Taking the Bourbon Palace without bloodshed was undoubtedly the best outcome.
Brigadier General Leboeuf also waved his hand, and the regular army soldiers filed in.
The National Guard soldiers were immediately disarmed by the regular army soldiers, many of whom were awakened from sleep and disarmed as well.
The operation to confiscate the National Guard’s weapons ended at 3 AM. Nearly 3,000 various rifles were piled in the corner.
The more than 3,000 unarmed National Guard soldiers were also awakened and gathered by the regular army soldiers.
"I will be sent to a military tribunal, won’t I?" The commander of the Ninth Corps looked at this group of National Guard soldiers, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes.
Having already been indirectly dispatched to the Ninth Corps, he was now facing a military tribunal. In his position, how many could truly live freely and do what they wanted?
"No, you won’t!" Brigadier General Leboeuf reassured the commander of the Ninth Corps: "The President understands your difficulties, so he won’t make things difficult for you! You can still enjoy a double pension!"
The commander of the Ninth Corps clearly understood Brigadier General Leboeuf’s meaning; the President was asking him to retire.
"Retirement is great! You get rid of a whole lot of worries!" The commander of the Ninth Corps suppressed his inner sadness and spoke words of "openness."
Leboeuf and the commander of the Ninth Corps continued their conversation until the regular army soldiers had completely taken control of the area around the Bourbon Palace. Leboeuf waved in two soldiers and then turned to the commander of the Ninth Corps, saying, "General, we are at a critical juncture. May I ask you to temporarily leave the troops?"
"I understand!" The commander of the Ninth Corps smiled and commented on Leboeuf’s actions, "It seems you have a foolproof plan! I wish you success in advance!"
As he was departing, the commander sighed, raising his head once more to look at the towering Bourbon Palace, "It seems it won’t be long before we find ourselves groveling at the feet of one man again, shouting ’Long live the Emperor!’"
"I dare not comment on that!" Brigadier General Leboeuf responded to the commander and then added, "If the entire population of France agrees, I think the President should follow the opinion of the people!"
"Come on! The entire population of France?" The commander showed a hint of disdain at the corner of his mouth, "They just follow blindly! Be it Bourbon or Orleans!"
Under the escort of the soldiers, the commander of the Ninth Corps disappeared into the night.
Now leaderless, the Ninth Corps moved towards the Saint-Denis area under the leadership of newly appointed officers by Brigadier General Leboeuf. Over 3,000 unarmed National Guard members posed no threat to them at all.
Leboeuf looked with satisfaction at the tall and majestic building in front of him, then turned to the staff officer beside him and said, "Please inform Major General Canrobert that our unit has fully accepted the Bourbon Palace. No one resisted along the way!"
"Yes!" The staff officer quickly responded to Leboeuf.
...
Similar situations were not only happening at the Bourbon Palace; many National Guard soldiers, who had lost their corps, were forced to disarm under military orders and were then led by officers temporarily assigned to them.
The "revolutionary" Paris National Guard gave up all resistance by around 3:20 a.m.
On important streets and intersections stood squads of regular army soldiers. They patrolled back and forth with torches and new Mini Rifles. Some light-sleeping Parisians, awakened by the noise from the street, got up and saw the torchlight outside their windows.
Curious citizens opened their doors and windows to poke their heads out. Upon seeing these patrolling soldiers, they quickly withdrew their heads.
Only then did they realize that Paris was likely undergoing a massive transformation.
But what did this have to do with them!
3:30 a.m.
Jerome Bonaparte, waiting anxiously in the Elysee Palace bunker for news from the Ministry of War, finally received the victorious report from the Paris First Division. The First Division had now completely controlled the government organizations, including the Bourbon Palace.
"Good!" Jerome Bonaparte exclaimed excitedly, clenching his fists.
Securing the Bourbon Palace and the Supreme Court was equivalent to controlling the entire legislative and interpretative power of France. This coup was more than halfway completed.
Now, all that remained was to arrest the opposition in the city of Paris, and Jerome Bonaparte could solemnly announce a new Chapter for the Republic from the Bourbon Palace.
Jerome Bonaparte immediately tasked Valerovsky with issuing orders to Montauban to arrest the opposition.
[The opposition here includes not just the Social Democratic Faction but also a majority of the Order Party surrounding Jerome Bonaparte. All non-Bonaparte Faction individuals were among those to be arrested by Jerome Bonaparte and others.]
Just before Valerovsky headed to the command post of the First Division, Jerome Bonaparte specially called him into a room and sincerely said, "Cousin, can you help me with something?"
Valerovsky looked at Jerome Bonaparte with confusion, seemingly not understanding what Jerome Bonaparte meant.
"It’s like this!" Jerome Bonaparte said to Valerovsky, "I hope you can arrest Thiers along with the army and then, during the transport of Thiers!"
Jerome Bonaparte made a chopping motion with his hand, a gesture whose meaning was clear.
Valerovsky looked at Jerome Bonaparte with astonishment, attempting to warn him, "Mr. President, rashly killing Thiers might bring turmoil to our regime!"
"I know!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded. He certainly understood the consequences of killing Thiers now, but if he didn’t seize this opportunity to eliminate him, it would be even harder in the future. "Killing Thiers may bring some chaos, but if we let him survive, the regime we’ve painstakingly established will be destroyed by him sooner or later! Thiers is not one to accept defeat willingly; facing us now, he will lurk like a venomous snake, waiting patiently for a chance. The moment we show any weakness, he’ll strike without hesitation! This damn Machiavellian!"
Nobody understood Thiers’ destructive power better than Jerome Bonaparte. Keeping him might bring some benefits in the short term, but in the long run, Thiers’ harm far outweighs any political advantages he might offer.
"I understand!" Valerovsky heard the determination in Jerome Bonaparte’s voice to see Thiers dead and stopped trying to dissuade him.