Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 993 - 7, Paris is Crying

Chapter 993 -7, Paris is Crying

“The international community is putting tremendous pressure on us, and now that the opportunity has arisen, we should end this damn war as soon as possible!”

…

“No! Paris is currently a complete mess, anyone who gets involved will be buried. Just listen and you’ll realize that there’s a shortage of grain in the city.

The Rebels cannot support the refugees, and neither can we. Keep in mind that we have already settled three million refugees. If another million were to come, the situation would be unimaginable!”

…

“Don’t make it sound so terrifying—problems can always be solved if we just think of a way. The international community is constantly urging us to quickly end the war, and now is the best chance.”

…

“The prerequisite for ending the war is that you can support so many refugees! After the desolation caused by the Rebels, I reckon that all Parisians are going to become refugees.

We don’t have enough food in our hands, and even if we purchase it from abroad immediately, it takes time. If the Rebels burn down the grain storehouses within the city, we will indeed have hit the jackpot.”

…

The people argued endlessly, making Carlos suffer. As a reserve king, now was really not the appropriate time for him to get involved.

Supporting an offensive would only add to his troubles; opposing the siege would lead to accusations of indifference to others’ suffering.

The internal dispute within the Aristocratic Group was essentially due to interests. Vienna could persuade the Three Monarchical Parties on the issue of inheritance but couldn’t help with the division of benefits.

When it came to personal interests, it was imperative for everyone to stand up and fight. The current situation was very clear: the Orthodox Faction of the Nobility was opposed to the siege, while members from the other two factions were divided, some in support and some against.

At its core, this also involved a betting issue. The Orthodox Faction had always been supporters of the Bourbon Dynasty, and had placed substantial bets on Carlos early on. Should the restoration succeed, they would certainly receive the largest piece of the cake as major contributors.

The other two factions were different—those who reacted quickly followed suit in placing their bets, while the slow-reacting ones did nothing, and the battle for the throne settled.

After the outbreak of the civil war, the Nobility who had placed their bets contributed money and manpower, becoming the core of the Noble Coalition Army. The other Nobility, although they also contributed significantly, were a step late and occupied a secondary status within the coalition.

If the restoration were to proceed smoothly, the future French government makeup would largely reflect the current scenario. Core figures would remain core, and marginal figures would continue to be on the periphery.

Now, a part of the Nobility who were dissatisfied with the current situation were clamoring to break through Paris, ready to take on millions of mouths within the city.

The food supply in the temporary government’s hands was limited, and Nobility supportive of the Bourbons had already generously donated to aid the refugees. Suddenly adding so many mouths to feed would undoubtedly lead to a food supply crisis.

Once the food supply was inadequate, opportunity would arise. To get through the food crisis, the temporary government would have no choice but to seek help from Nobility with grain supplies, allowing those on the fringes to maneuver back to the center of power.

The struggle for power was always brutal, and now the Parisians within the City of Paris had unfortunately become the focal point of the power games. As for the final outcome, nobody knew at the moment; the only certainty was that the quarrel was not going to end anytime soon.

A reserve king is not a king yet. No matter how many supporters he has, without being officially crowned, Carlos could not exercise the power of a king.

For now, apart from trying his best to reconcile the differences between all parties, there was essentially nothing else Carlos could do in his role as a reserve king—he was only slightly more influential than a mascot.

…

The Aristocratic Group’s arguments continued without resolution, while the situation within the city had completely spiraled out of control. Once Pandora’s box is opened, it’s tough to close it again.

Daniel’s sacrifice strategy, now, had also turned into a tragic play. There was no helping it—he had only calculated the first step correctly but overestimated the efficiency of the Aristocratic Group.

Paris in chaos was indeed the best time to send troops to attack, but the deployment of troops had to be discussed by all parties, and it wasn’t about who had the loudest voice.

Then, a tragic scene occurred. The bait was nearly falling apart, and the fish were still at home sleeping.

The concept of “speed is of the essence” was nonexistent, as they were still busy holding meetings. Even if they reached an agreement, the multitude of landmines outside the city could not be cleared swiftly.

While the Noble Coalition Army could afford to dawdle, the situation within the city could not wait. The protestations of the Parisians having failed, their anger tumultuously sparked another uprising. Willing or not, Daniel now had to quell the rebellion first.

It was easy to imagine that the scenes to follow would be difficult to handle. Without luring the Noble Coalition Army into a trap, speaking of turning defeat into victory was out of the question, let alone escaping.

Not everyone shared Daniel’s fervor, ready to sacrifice everything for the revolution; many were more concerned for their own lives and fortunes. The reason they had agreed to this unreliable plan was primarily to create a chance to escape.

Those at the top of the Revolutionary Government were of no mean background and certainly not lacking in connections; otherwise, they would have met their maker long ago.

The nobility of France was not a united front. With enough money spent, carving out an escape route was not an issue. If all else failed, they could even buy a passage from the Russians.

But all these options were predicated on one condition, that the landmines outside the city must be dealt with. Those things didn’t recognize anyone; they would explode under whoever stepped on them.

The original plan was to drive refugees to clear the mines, but Daniel stopped them. Perhaps realizing that manual demining was unreliable and the aftermath severe, everyone readily accepted the “bait-and-bleed” plan.

Unfortunately, plans can’t keep up with changes. The play had already begun, yet the audience was stuck outside; this performance was doomed to fail.

The disorganized masses were certainly no match for the regular army. Although the Revolutionary Army was also a ragtag bunch, they were an armed ragtag bunch, beyond what ordinary civilians could contend with.

But the populace had no way out; they would either starve to death or fight desperately for survival.

To garner support from the forces outside, the Rebel Army even raised the flags of the Bourbon Dynasty. Out of nowhere, a noble appeared, taking the role of the temporary commander of the uprising.

Naturally, this was effective. Discovering the presence of their own kind, Carlos, as the Reserve King, still mobilized his influence, delivering a cache of weapons and equipment to the rebels via airship.

As for food, Carlos was not foolish. Knowing what the Rebel Army was made of, providing weapons could complicate matters for the enemy; but if he dropped food, they might turn on each other first.

This could be inferred from the very direction of the Rebel Army’s attacks, all aimed at food supplies. So-called strategic locations like government buildings and bank towers were left unattended.

The most grievous scene unfolded as a fierce battle raged around the granaries between the rebels and government forces. The battle cries filled the streets and alleys of Paris as the populace, unwilling to endure hunger, joined the rebellion in droves.

Blood flowed through the sewers and stained the Seine River red. The crimson river, reflecting the autumn sun, appeared especially desolate. From then on, the French never again ate fish from the river.

The battle raged from dawn to dusk, relentlessly. Blood drove people into a frenzy, and in the ceaseless slaughter, the situation spiraled out of control.

“We’ve messed it up!”

That was Daniel’s first thought. At this juncture, even if the fish took the bait, they could no longer reel in the net.

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Daniel could never have dreamed that the Revolutionary Government would end up opposing all of the Parisian populace. The original plan was just to sacrifice a portion of worthless refugees, not all Parisians.

Regrettably, the bureaucrats below did not think so. Once greed sprouted, it could no longer be contained. Just as they could embezzle relief grain meant for refugees, they could do the same with the citizens’ relief grain, the oppression only varied in degree.

Parisians, known worldwide for their revolutionary spirit, how could they accept such indignity? Seeing that refugees had started the uprising, many joined in without fully understanding what was happening.

Now that it had come to this, there was nothing left to say. Both parties were soaked in each other’s blood, the conflict would only end when one fell.

“A Revolutionary Government that played itself to death.” Just thinking of this assessment that posterity might bestow made Daniel feel awful.

Of course, they were not alone. Flip through the history books of France, and one would find that there were several similar governments; they were neither the first nor the last, and even if they served as a cautionary tale, they had company.

In a sense, the chaos within the City of Paris was both coincidental and inevitable. From the moment the Noble Coalition Army laid siege, the starving Paris was destined to weep.

…