Descending On France 1780
Chapter 122: Formation of the 116th Women’s Cavalry Regiment

Chapter 122: Formation of the 116th Women’s Cavalry Regiment

The next day, all the major squares in Paris were plastered with brand-new proclamations.

One was a recruitment notice for military officers by the Lion of Bastille, the Magician on the battlefield, which required formally educated officers with official military ranks.

This notice did not provoke much discussion, as everyone was aware that the newly appointed Special Commissioner of the Conte Region was short of officers.

The common people of Paris had long been talking about how Mr. Frost had promoted ordinary soldiers to non-commissioned officers, and almost the entire city knew that the non-commissioned officers under Mr. Frost had been promoted from the ranks.

With such troops, Mr. Frost had been able to chastise the "tens of thousands" of Rebel Army in Conte, thus earning him the nickname "The Magician on the battlefield."

Now that Mr. Frost was starting to recruit officers, it seemed only logical; one cannot always lead troops composed solely of ordinary soldiers in battle, after all, some officers are required.

So, this notice did not lead to much discussion.

The other notice, however, was a different matter.

This notice, also posted by the Lion of Bastille, the Battlefield Magician of Conte, announced the recruitment of robust women to join the soon-to-be-formed Cavalry.

This notice stirred up a storm of public discussion.

"Women? What use could they be, has the Lion of Bastille gone blind?"

"You don’t understand, this is settling for the next best thing. Look around, where can you find Cavalry? Even Lafayette’s National Guard is all infantry! So Mr. Frost has seen that Her Majesty’s female Cavalry performed well and decided to expand the regiment!"

"Hmph, I’m not so sure; if he wanted to recruit proper Cavalry, couldn’t he do so with his prestige? He just wants women, he’s not even married yet. I bet he’s using this as a cover to recruit all the young ladies from good families!"

"Sending women into battle, I tell you, France is doomed!"

"You can’t say that, wasn’t Joan a woman? I think Mr. Frost is trying to create an army of Joans, and think about it, who could be his rival then? An army of Joans!"

While the masses were engaged in heated discussions, the major powers of Paris were also speculating about Mr. Frost’s intentions behind the notice.

Lafayette was particularly puzzled.

Pacing back and forth in his study, he mused, "Recruiting female Cavalry? What does this mean? If he wants Cavalry, he could have just gone to the taverns! There are plenty of idle Cavalry in Paris, spending their days drinking in taverns..."

General Bouillé, who was visiting Lafayette at the time, also stood with his arms crossed, looking perplexed.

General Bouillé had come to Lafayette to express gratitude for the support during the recent Nancy military revolt. Lafayette had supported General Bouillé’s suppression of the revolt, which had given Robespierre and his associates a handle against them.

General Bouillé said, "Could it be that he’s gained some insights from using the ceremonial soldiers provided by His Majesty?"

Lafayette shook his head: "Impossible! Those ceremonial soldier girls, compared to proper Cavalry, the only advantage is probably better discipline."

General Bouillé fell silent.

Lafayette paced the room, deep in thought, before finally speaking: "Could it be a smoke bomb he’s thrown out?"

General Bouillé asked, "What do you mean?"

"I don’t know, perhaps he just wants us to blindly guess, pondering his intent, and thus overlook his true purpose."

General Bouillé, frowning, replied: "What else could his intent be? He is going to Conte, which is so far from Paris, once there it can be said to be completely unrelated to the politics of Paris. What ulterior motive could he have?"

"I really can’t understand what he’s going to the Conte Region for, in Paris he has prestige when he wants it, and power... in Paris, prestige is power!"

"He can’t really be, worried about the situation in the Conte Region, can he?"

Lafayette pursed his lips, "Could it be that we’ve all been wrong about him? Is he truly someone who is committed to the revolution and indifferent to personal fame and fortune? Then, what is he planning to do by recruiting female soldiers?"

Buoye speculated hesitantly, "Perhaps... he’s very lecherous?"

**

"Absolutely impossible!" Robespierre stated decisively, "He is not a lecher. If it were Mirabeau who posted such a notice, I would definitely suspect his motives!"

Dan Dong said, "Then why is this? Female soldiers definitely cannot compare to male soldiers in combat, after all, women, right, there are always a few inconvenient days each month, and everyone’s timing is different, it’s impossible to concentrate and avoid those days."

It was still early, and some Mountain Faction representatives from the National Assembly gathered in the Jacobin monastery. Before heading to the Parliament chambers next to the Palais des Tuileries, they would gather like this in the club to discuss matters.

The representatives of the Mountain Faction also had diverging opinions about Frost’s new proclamation, and for a while, they could not come to a unanimous view.

At this moment, Marat briskly entered the monastery’s hall.

"Gentlemen!" Marat exclaimed excitedly to everyone, "You’ve heard about Andy’s new decree, right? This decree is really fantastic!"

The representatives looked at Marat with puzzled faces.

Speaking for everyone, Robespierre asked, "In what way is it good?"

"It’s about equality!" Marat said excitedly, "Andy experienced the march on Versailles and witnessed the power of women! So he’s using this method to show us that men and women should also be equal!"

The representatives looked at each other: "Equality..."

"Exactly, the equality we demand should not be limited to men, women should also be equally equal! Andy is using this way to remind us of this! Since women can go to the battlefield and fight like men, then what else can’t be equal?"

Dan Dong clapped vigorously, "Yes! He’s reminding us that current laws are devised from the perspective of men, we should issue another decree that grants women equal rights too!"

Immediately some representatives frowned, "You mean to grant women the right to vote? That’s not quite right."

"Indeed, what insight could old women have!"

Robespierre spoke loudly, "No! The latest laws have already stipulated that citizens who pay the required amount of taxes are active citizens, entitled to the right to vote.

"If women can pay the required taxes, they should be acknowledged as active citizens! Andy must be trying to remind us of this point!"

Robespierre paused for a moment, and sighed, "Although he is about to leave Paris to oversee the tumultuous regions, his heart is still focused on the great matter of establishing the constitution!"

Dan Dong said, "Who could not be focused on the constitution? It’s the major issue that concerns the future of the whole of France."

Marat proposed, "I suggest that we toast to Mr. Andy Frost, who has always been concerned about the future of France! May he always be healthy!"

"Good!"

"To the toast!"

Moments later, the Waiter poured wine for the gentlemen.

So, under the leadership of Robespierre, everyone raised their glasses together: "To our Mr. Frost, may he always be healthy!"