Chapter 296: Chapter 293 Death of Thiers (Part 2)
Thiers was about to die, fallen by his own cunning and by the place he held in Jerome Bonaparte’s mind.
In Thiers’ mind, the coup of December 2 was just another event similar to 1830, and at most, Jerome Bonaparte would kick them out of the center of power like Louis Philippe did. As long as Thiers wasn’t completely dead, he would have a chance to make a comeback.
Who would have thought Jerome Bonaparte would use such despicable means to eliminate him physically!
With the sound of a gunshot, the semblance of harmony between Valerovsky and Thiers was shattered, replaced by the cold and desperate countdown of life.
Thiers stared wide-eyed at Valerovsky in confusion and disbelief, as if he hadn’t imagined he would face such a terrible fate. Valerovsky’s cold gaze carried a hint of regret, while the muzzle of the revolver in his hand still emitted a wisp of white smoke from the gunpowder that hadn’t completely burned.
The searing pain in his chest and the gradually slowing breaths seemed to signal death to Thiers’ central nervous system. He stumbled onto the ground, clutching his wound with his right hand, as though trying to delay his death in this manner.
"Why...?" Thiers used all his strength to utter his dying words.
Valerovsky crouched beside Adolphe Thiers and whispered, "Mr. Thiers! If we let you continue to exist in this world, who knows how much trouble you might cause us!"
"You... you’ll face... retribution..." Thiers cursed Jerome Bonaparte and his conspirators intermittently.
Valerovsky shook his head and sighed, "Perhaps!"
As Valerovsky stood up, the Lieutenant Colonel guarding outside the mansion suddenly barged in. He glanced at Adolphe Thiers lying in a pool of blood, then at Valerovsky with a calm expression, his face showing a terrified expression.
"S-sir, are you alright? Nothing happened, did it! You..." The Lieutenant Colonel hastily inquired about Valerovsky’s situation.
"I’m fine!" Valerovsky responded calmly to the Lieutenant Colonel, then handed the revolver to him with a cheerful tone, "The pistol works excellently!"
"S-sir, why did you kill him! The President... didn’t the President say... no one would be killed... A figure like him dead... what should I do!" The Lieutenant Colonel, nearly despairing, pointed at Thiers convulsing in the pool of blood and spoke to Valerovsky.
Faced with this perilous murder weapon, the Lieutenant Colonel dared not take it no matter what.
If he accepted it, he might face charges of deliberately assassinating a member of the Legislative Assembly.
Such charges on a mere Lieutenant Colonel could very well land him in a court-martial.
"Don’t panic!" Valerovsky seemed to calm this overly anxious Lieutenant Colonel, "We are undergoing a revolution, and it’s normal for some people to die during a revolution! Besides, don’t you kill people on the battlefield too?"
"N-no, it’s different! Sir!" The Lieutenant Colonel vehemently shook his head in response to Valerovsky, "On the battlefield, we face enemies, but he..." The Lieutenant Colonel pointed despairingly at the now cold Thiers, "He’s a member of the National Assembly, and reportedly even a party leader..."
"There’s no more National Assembly now, nor will there be any party leaders!" Facing the "uncooperative" Lieutenant Colonel, Valerovsky assumed a superior demeanor, "Once everything settles, the Legislative Assembly will cease to exist, so what are you afraid of!"
Valerovsky’s superior tone indeed had an effect on the Lieutenant Colonel, the strict hierarchical system of the military calmed his overwhelmed mind.
"You are indeed right!" The Lieutenant Colonel agreed with Valerovsky, but he still feared repercussions, "But, he is always a significant figure in Paris!"
"Look at him now, does he have even a trace of a prominent figure?" Valerovsky pointed at Thiers and said to the Lieutenant Colonel.
"Well..." The Lieutenant Colonel, looking at the deceased Thiers, seemed to have some of his fear of authority diluted.
After the Lieutenant Colonel calmed completely, Valerovsky patted him on the shoulder and spoke soothingly, "Rest assured! It was I who killed Thiers, you don’t have to bear any responsibility!"
"No responsibility!" Hearing Valerovsky’s admission of responsibility, the Lieutenant Colonel finally felt relieved, "That’s wonderful!"
Then, the Lieutenant Colonel seemed to realize his inappropriate remark and hurriedly tried to explain, "I mean..."
Before the Lieutenant Colonel could finish, Valerovsky interrupted him, "However, you must testify for me, that I acted in self-defense!"
"Self-defense?" The Lieutenant Colonel was somewhat puzzled. He glanced at Thiers in the pool of blood, and from the scene, it seemed Valerovsky had premeditated.
"Sometimes the truth is not important!" Valerovsky responded lightly, "What’s important is what people are willing to believe! As long as we keep instilling an idea into people, Parisians will gradually accept that we are correct! In Paris, the number of people who lose their lives to dueling each year is not small!"
Under the Lieutenant Colonel’s gaze, Valerovsky placed the gun in the hand of the dead Thiers.
"Could you give me another gun?" Valerovsky extended his hand to the Lieutenant Colonel,
The Lieutenant Colonel hurriedly went out to ask his subordinate officer for a pistol and handed it to Valerovsky.
Looking at the old-fashioned flintlock pistol in front of him, Valerovsky’s eyes revealed a hint of determination.
In the panicked eyes of the Lieutenant Colonel, Valerovsky gritted his teeth and pressed the flintlock pistol against his shoulder, then pulled the trigger.
With a "bang," a burst of blood blossomed on Valerovsky’s shoulder, and his originally rosy complexion turned pale.
The intense pain almost made Valerovsky fall to the ground, and the Lieutenant Colonel standing by his side quickly supported Valerovsky.
"Now you can report to the higher-ups! Because Adolphe Thiers was dissatisfied with our actions and issued a duel challenge to me!" Valerovsky said weakly.
The Lieutenant Colonel felt immense gratitude towards Valerovsky, whose forgery turned what was originally a one-sided murder into a duel death.
No investigation would be carried out on deaths in Paris due to duels.
"Thank you!" The Lieutenant Colonel sincerely expressed his gratitude to Valerovsky.
With the Lieutenant Colonel’s support, Valerovsky walked out of Thiers’ mansion.
The first and only "Dictator" of the historical Third Republic, the first President, ended his brief life with a disgraceful murder on December 2, 1850, at 5:30.
From a certain perspective, Valerovsky indirectly saved Thiers’ subsequent reputation, allowing Thiers’ pinnacle to remain in the era of the Orléans Dynasty.
When Valerovsky returned to the Elysee Palace, Jerome Bonaparte was surprised to find a bandage wrapped around Valerovsky’s left shoulder.
"What happened?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Valerovsky about what had happened.
Valerovsky reported to Jerome Bonaparte about the death of Adolphe Thiers and his own decision to forge the scene.
After listening to Valerovsky’s report, Jerome Bonaparte looked at Valerovsky with grateful eyes, intending to pat Valerovsky’s shoulder for comfort, only to suddenly realize that Valerovsky’s shoulder was still injured.
His hand, paused in mid-air, retracted, and he showed an awkward yet gracious smile, saying: "Good! Good!"
Valerovsky and Jerome Bonaparte stayed in the bunker of the Elysee Palace, waiting for news from the Ministry of War.
...
The capture operations continued until 6 o’clock. Except for Adolphe Thiers being dead, the majority of the assembly members had already been arrested in their sleep.
However, a few members still managed to escape the army’s pursuit.
Meanwhile, in another corner of Paris—Old Monastery Street, formerly the Subizi Mansion and now the "National Printing Factory," there was overtime work ongoing.
As early as around 2 a.m., the Fourth Company of the First Battalion of the Second Regiment of the Third Brigade had taken over the place, with Captain La Roche Devasi commanding the company.
Around 3 a.m., Secretary’s Office Director Mokar brought a letter for Captain La Roche Devasi from the Ministry of War, stating: "He and his team are at the disposal of the National Printing Factory manager."
The soldiers silently loaded their bullets, arranged guards on duty in the workshop, and placed sentinels in the corridors, at doorways, windows, and everywhere. Two guards were also placed at the entrance to the street.
After completing all this, the Captain asked Mokar what instructions should be given to his soldiers.
Arriving by carriage, Mokar immediately replied: "The simplest and clearest: all who attempt to exit or pass through, shoot!"
Later, Mokar withdrew with the manager of the National Printing Factory to a second-floor office in a room overlooking the entire garden, where he brought the manager the content needing printing: the decree to dissolve the National Assembly, an appeal to the military, an appeal to the people, and a decree on convening electors;
These were the materials about to be printed by the National Printing Factory, and many documents showed signs of Jerome Bonaparte’s alterations.
To prevent workers from reading ahead, the content of the documents was scattered, with each worker only able to read part of it.
The printing was completed in about an hour, and when the manager handed the proof after assembly to Mokar, Mokar nodded in satisfaction.
After confirming the proof, mass printing took nearly another 2 hours, with announcements appearing around 6 a.m.