"Damn! Have those Bonapartists already infiltrated the army?"
La Martine, veins bulging, shouted loudly as he clenched his fists.
Having experienced the February Revolution, La Martine undoubtedly understood the crucial role the military played in the revolution, especially those regular army units stationed near Paris, which have the power to determine whether the revolutionary regime would survive.
If it hadn’t been for the King’s (referring to Louis Philippe) reluctance to mobilize the army, the Republic would never have been able to gain a foothold in Paris.
[Under the support of the National Guard, Louis Philippe ascended to the throne. His inherently weak foundation made it impossible for him to win the trust of the army. Additionally, the Orleans Kingdom’s submissive attitude towards the European Great Powers over eighteen years further fueled the army’s dissatisfaction. This situation only eased somewhat when Marshal Surt came to power. However, after the downfall of Grand Marshal Surt, Louis Philippe, lacking a bridge to communicate with the army, was even more unable to trust them. This led to his refusal to allow Guizot to deploy troops to suppress the banquets movement within the country in December 1847, resulting in a February revolution the following year that prompted Louis Philippe to flee Paris hastily, leaving the army, now without a figure to pledge their allegiance to, reluctantly accepting the Republic.]
If the military turned to support the Bonapartists, what would be the fate of the French Republic?
La Martine worriedly contemplated the future of the Republic.
The deep fissure between the two classes and the hidden dangers within the army troubled him deeply.
"What about General Gourden? As the Commander-in-Chief in Paris, shouldn’t he have issued a prohibition on such matters? Could it be that he also wants to restore the Empire?" La Martine directed the contradiction towards Gourden, never forgetting the Viscount’s "dark past."
[Viscount Ambur Gaspar Henry Golder (1790—1877), held office during the Empire and the Restoration Dynasty, served as an Extreme Left Wing MP from 1842—1848, and after the February Revolution, served as Commander-in-Chief of the Paris National Guard.]
"Sir, General Gourden, he..." Shangbo wanted to say that General Gourden did not have the ability to influence the Paris Regular Army, but, skilled at reading people’s expressions, he clearly realized that Mr. La Martine merely needed a scapegoat for his anger.
"Let it be chaos! Let it be chaos! Only when all of Paris is in disorder will they wake up, unless they want the Tsar’s bayonets at France’s throat!" La Martine shouted in desperation.
Beset by internal and external troubles, La Martine briefly doubted whether the establishment of the Republican Government was perhaps premature.
Shangbo could only watch helplessly as La Martine vented his anger alone in the study.
After a random outburst, La Martine calmed himself and asked Shangbo, "Is there anything else?"
"No more!" Shangbo decisively concealed some trivial matters.
"That’s good! That’s good!" La Martine nodded, muttering softly.
At that moment, a knock on the door sounded again from the study.
"Come in!" La Martine and Shangbo simultaneously turned their gaze towards the door.
Madam La Martine appeared from outside the door.
"Good day, Madam!" Shangbo hastily saluted the "First Lady" before him.
"Hello, Mr. Shangbo!" Madam La Martine replied to Shangbo with her head held high.
This condescending attitude made Shangbo slightly disgusted, but he dared not show any disrespect.
Subsequently, she turned her gaze to La Martine and said, "Dear, Mr. Thiers has arrived, and he’s now downstairs!"
"Thiers? What is he here for?" La Martine frowned, with a hint of annoyance in his expression.
As a Romantic, he was not fond of Thiers, the political turncoat.
Despite repeatedly declaring himself a Republican, having been with him for years, La Martine knew that this guy was at his core an opportunist.
"Mr. Thiers says he can solve your worries!" Madam La Martine spoke with respect, her attitude towards Thiers completely different from Shangbo’s.
"Then let him come in!" La Martine said to his wife.
As a political figure, La Martine was well aware of not letting personal emotions influence his decisions.
Before long, a short, rotund "old man" appeared in La Martine’s study; he was none other than the future "founder" of the Third Republic and the butcher of the Paris Commune, Thiers.
Thiers, upon entering, first complimented La Martine: "Congratulations, Mr. La Martine, you are now the most powerful person in all of France. Among our generation (referring to the Romantic School), you have climbed the highest! Perhaps I should call you Governor?"
"Thiers, there’s no need for flattery! I assume you didn’t come here just to speak frivolous words? You said you can help me resolve difficulties—what exactly is going on?" La Martine, not buying into it, responded bluntly.
"Your Excellency, the entire Paris is like a volcano right now! We have overthrown His Majesty Louis Philippe, yet we still have to contend with those insurgents! I believe this will only tear the Republic apart!" Thiers, the master of equivocation, told La Martine: "Although I am a member of the Order Party, I also do not wish to see the Republic fall into division again. I am willing to offer whatever little help I can for the Republic!"
"Mr. Thiers, what do you think should be done about the current situation?" La Martine asked Thiers.
"I was once appointed by His Majesty Louis Philippe to serve as the country’s manager for several years," Thiers humbly said: "similar to your current situation, which I encountered in 1840. As for my solution back then, you should be aware!"
"After that, you stepped down!" La Martine immediately retorted.
Thiers spread his hands helplessly and said, "The king’s will was beyond my power to defy! When the country needed me, I stepped up! When the country no longer needed me, I was like a discarded machine. After that, I understood a principle: a harmless idol is helpful for maintaining overall stability!"
"But we no longer have a Napoleon!" La Martine’s attitude softened somewhat.
"Napoleon was a banner; we just need a figure close to Napoleon, turning him into an idol!" Thiers revealed his intention.
La Martine instantly understood Thiers’ meaning; Thiers, this fellow, was somehow mixed up with the Bonapartists.
However, Thiers’ scheme was indeed a method to ease the conflict.
"Is that also what you (the Order Party) think?" La Martine tentatively asked about the Order Party’s suggestion.
Thiers recalled the promise made by Eugène Roué, the Bonapartist, and nodded: "Of course!"