Descending On France 1780
Chapter 112 - 106 Duke’s Concerns

Chapter 112: 106 Duke’s Concerns

As Anning came out after meeting with Louis XVI, the Guard Cavalry Group was already assembled and ready at the entrance of the Palais des Tuileries.

Upon seeing Anning emerge, a voice ordered: "Everyone, salute!"

Thus, the girls drew their swords and held them to their chests in a saluting posture.

Actually, the spirit and might were quite substantial, and it did not appear feeble just because they were all women.

The cavalry squad led by Christina was also mixed in with the main force of the cavalry group, with Clarice right beside her.

Originally, Anning thought that this cavalry group would be directly commanded by Christina, but it turned out not to be the case.

A vigorous woman nearing forty rode forward on her horse and saluted Anning: "Guard Cavalry Group, 541 should be present, 541 are present, please instruct, Major General!"

Anning: "Alright, relax a bit. Next, you will be relocated to the estate in the suburbs, the living conditions might be a bit poor, the estate is somewhat small, and there is another squad brought back from Conte living together with you, please endure a little.

"In Conte, a monastery can be specifically made available for your stationing, no need to worry about this aspect."

The elder sister saluted: "Understood, thank you for your concern, Commander!"

Anning: "How should I address you, Miss Group Leader?"

"I am Valerie de Oliver, the daughter of Earl Oliver."

Anning nodded her head: "Group Leader Oliver, I look forward to working with you more in the future."

"Not at all! You are the magician on the battlefield, we are already prepared to witness your spectacular command skills."

Hearing this, Anning was filled with the desire to complain, wanting to say that she was just pushed into staging an ambush and to not flatter her any further, but ultimately she didn’t voice it out.

Ah, being flattered is indeed pleasant, it feels somewhat exhilarating.

Anning: "Alright, lead the team back to the estate in the suburbs, the servants at the estate should arrange accommodation for you."

Commander Oliver: "Aren’t you returning to the estate?"

"I need to visit Duke Orleans. By the way, I have borrowed Christina de Tolleson from your troops, she probably wants to see her father as well."

Commander Oliver saluted: "Yes. Lieutenant Tolleson, fall out! You can go home now."

Christina mounted her horse and got out of the line, smiling at Anning.

Anning pursed her lips, at that moment a servant from the palace brought her horse over, so she mounted and nodded to Commander Oliver: "I’m off."

"Have a pleasant dinner!" the commander said.

**

The main building of the Royal Palace of the Orleans Duke was brightly lit and decorated, with servants lined up at the entrance, waiting to welcome Anning—and their young mistress.

As soon as Anning arrived, the servants all bowed and saluted in unison.

The Duke stood in front of the bowing servants and opened his arms towards Anning.

Anning dismounted and hugged the Duke directly.

"Oh, my general, you finally came. I wanted to find a chance to talk to you in Parliament, but being a noble, it’s rather inappropriate to approach your group."

Anning’s small group consists of radicals like Robespierre and Dan Dong, all of whom come from commoner backgrounds. The Duke, being part of the moderate faction and a noble himself, truly finds it difficult to blend into this group.

The Duke’s appearance, always in a dignified manner, starkly contrasts with Robespierre who always wears an old green coat.

The Duke continued, "Because I sponsored your rebellion quelling operation, my reputation in Paris has soared these past months. Everyone says you are my client, and some even say you are my son-in-law! I think maybe... Christina has aged a bit, 29 already, but she still looks pretty good."

"Father!" Christina, who came along, blushed and chirped a complainant.

"Alright, alright, let’s not talk about that anymore. Come, let’s go inside and have a meal! You’ve been out campaigning and warring, you mustn’t have had much good food, right?"

Anning replied, "While marching and fighting, there really wasn’t much good to eat, but after we took over Conte, the food improved a lot.

"The monastery cooks are top-notch, these priests really know how to enjoy life."

The Duke scoffed, "That’s why we need to confiscate the priests’ assets! We are discussing a new Priest Law, where priests will be civil servants appointed by the National Assembly, no longer able to live lavishly as before. You taking back Conte, which originally belonged to the Pope, is a great achievement!"

Conte, like Avignon, was a Papal exclave in France with administrative independence from France.

The National Assembly’s decision to reclaim these exclaves is akin to stirring trouble over the Pope’s head, truly showing that France is a filial nation to God.

As to what impact the Duke’s mentioned Priest Law might have on France, Anning restrained himself from commenting.

The Duke, walking with Anning, chatted as they entered the Royal Palace and continued till they reached the dining table.

At this point, Anning seized the opportunity to say, "Your Grace, about the ten thousand Crowns you lent me earlier, I plan to repay them with interest. I’ve brought back a total of twenty thousand Crowns, which I’ve already placed in the estate on the outskirts."

The Duke waved his hand, "No need to repay me. Not only that, but I also intend to increase my investment in you. You’re setting up troops in Conte and need money, right? You only have those cannons Lafayette gave you; need to buy new cannons, correct?

"I happen to know a major businessman who runs a cannon foundry. They’ve been casting cannons for the Kingdom’s army for a while and recently also forged quite a few for Lafayette’s National Guard.

"I’ll introduce you to him; just ask him directly for the cannons you need, take as many as you want and put it on my tab.

"And rifles, you’re expanding the army, you’ll need rifles right? Can’t have the new troops wielding spears, right? You can buy those from them too!"

Anning raised an eyebrow, "About expanding the army..."

In fact, Anning had not thought much about it, as he had just posted a recruitment notice around Conte before returning to Paris and nobody had yet responded.

Plus, Anning himself had captured over two thousand rifles, which should suffice for now.

Cannons, though, were indeed something he needed to buy.

The Duke sighed, "To be honest, I fear the Priest Law might create significant turbulence. Personally, I think we shouldn’t be so radical, but everyone is so enthusiastic, and your victory at Conte has further fueled their fervor. Parliament now believes that a little backlash doesn’t matter, as the invincible National Guard can handle it.

"But I have a bad feeling. Rumors have it that the Vendée region is not compliant with the National Assembly, and recent riots broke out in the capital of Vendée. I have a bad feeling about this.

"Lafayette is also rapidly expanding his forces; the National Guard in Paris has grown to eighty thousand men."

Anning frowned, so Lafayette was expanding his forces; no wonder he tolerated sharing the role of Paris City Defense Commander with him.

He has eighty thousand troops, not fearing any challenge.

The Duke looked at Anning, "Tell me the truth, are we on the verge of war?"

Anning pursed his lips, his expression solemn, and nodded.

The Duke: "If we do plunge into a civil war, we could very well end up like Rome, with a military dictator emerging..."