Descending On France 1780
Chapter 154: Long live the Republic 147

Chapter 154: Long live the Republic 147

The tiny town square was crammed full of people today.

The small square was filled with eight thousand infantrymen from Anning, except for the wounded who were almost all here, and the surrounding roads were lined with over a thousand cavalry, the rest of the space was completely filled by civilians.

Lafayette was directly taken to the platform that had been set up overnight on the square and tied to a whipping post.

Originally, Anning wanted to subject Lafayette to the wheel torture, which involved tying him to a wheel and beating him to death with sticks, but this was stopped by Lazar Kano.

Lazar Kano meant that, at the end, a hanging would be sufficient for him to pay with his life, it was okay to beat him a bit before that as a gesture, but still, we should leave some dignity for the people, we can’t offend all the nobles to death right away.

Anning thought about it and felt that Lazar Kano made sense; he couldn’t tell Kano that the future of France’s nobility would be short-lived, and in a few years, when the Jacobins rise, they would all be chopped down; he could only agree with the Chief of Staff’s reasonable suggestion.

After Lafayette was tied up, Anning walked up to the execution platform and snapped his fingers.

Then Lana led two of Lafayette’s surrendered troops onto the execution platform.

These two, one of whom Lana mentioned to Anning yesterday had his brother beaten to death by Baton-carrying soldiers; the other one was a "Hero" carefully selected by Anning.

Anning glanced at Lana and the two men, then turned to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen! In 1789, which was just two years ago, I personally led the citizens of Paris to storm Bastille, initiating the era of this great revolution!"

As soon as Anning’s voice fell, the soldiers below began to chant: "Long live General!"

Anning had to stop his speech, and it took several gestures to quiet down the crowd.

He continued, "However, two years have passed, tell me, has your life improved since before the revolution?

"During the revolution, you, as citizens, charged ahead, yet your sisters, your wives, had to sell themselves for survival!

"Although we have escaped the obligations of feudalism, we are still impoverished! Correspondingly, those high and mighty gentlemen are filled with food and drink, with fat dripping from their lips! They have usurped the fruits of the revolution and then kicked us aside!

"Not only that, they even want to deal with us! Let’s hear from the first witness! This is a defector from Lafayette’s troops, now a member of the proud Conte National Guard! Let’s ask him what Lafayette did to his brother!"

While speaking, Anning grabbed the first defector’s sleeve and pulled him forward, facing tens of thousands of eager eyes below.

The man stuttered a bit, "My name is Marz, I and my brother served in the Second Battalion of the Second Brigade of the Fifth National Guard Regiment in Paris. Not long before we were deployed to Conte, my brother protested to the officers because the military salary we received was insufficient!

"You know, our military salary is paid in credit notes, which actually aren’t much of a problem in Paris since credit notes are still usable there, just not very effective! I don’t know how to say it better; the price of bread has been hiked many times, sometimes thrice in three days, but our military salary remained the same as a year ago!

"So, my brother went to protest alongside many soldiers. And then, this man! This man pointed at my brother with his riding crop! Then my brother was seized; they tied my brother to a wheel and beat him to death alive!"

Anning: "Before your brother was killed, did General Lafayette specify any charges?"

Marz: "No! Definitely not!"

"What about the trial?"

"None, absolutely none!"

Lafayette angrily retorted, "You, a mere soldier, dare to mutiny! Isn’t mutiny the reason itself? Is there any need for a trial?"

Anning took the executioner’s whip, swung it firmly and lashed it onto Lafayette’s body.

Lafayette howled in pain.

Anning: "They are your soldiers, but also citizens! No one has the right to punish a citizen without a trial!"

After several lashes, Anning handed the whip back to the executioner and turned back to the crowd gathered in the square.

"This isn’t all of Lafayette’s crimes! Let’s bring the second witness!"

Lana then motioned to the second defector.

That defector immediately stepped forward a few paces and stood beside Anning, speaking loudly, "I am Junior Sergeant Defoe from the Second Battalion of the First Brigade of the Third National Guard in Paris!"

Anning: "What do you wish to accuse?"

Junior Sergeant Defoe: "I wish to accuse, it happened this July! This July, the citizens of Paris gathered at Mars Field to celebrate the second anniversary of the Storming of Bastille, it was a completely peaceful celebration!"

Anning: "Are you sure it was a peaceful celebration?"

"I swear, General Frost! Many even thought about enjoying a day out, carrying picnic baskets and tablecloths!"

Anning: "Are there any ladies present?"

"Plenty, half the crowd are ladies!"

Anning: "Then what did Lafayette order you to do?"

The Sergeant glared at Lafayette, raising his hand to point at his nose, tears streaming from his eyes: "He, he ordered us to disperse the crowd with bayonets and bullets!"

Lafayette roared: "That was a riot!"

Anning: "A riot with picnic baskets? Nonsense, whip him!"

Executioner raised his whip and struck, and Lafayette screamed painfully, reminiscent of some wild beast ancestor.

After the whip struck several times, Anning raised his hand, signaling the executioners to stop. Lafayette catching his breath, immediately said: "Perhaps, perhaps there was some misunderstanding, but the situation in Paris was very critical at that time! Moreover, the gentlemen of Parliament instructed me to take decisive action to maintain order in Paris!"

Anning: "Are you saying the gentlemen of Parliament were also wrong? Who ordered you to take action?"

Lafayette: "It was decided by Parliament vote! It was anonymous, so no one knows who voted."

Anning: "Then we will replace Parliament later, let more competent gentlemen enter Parliament! But you, you are unforgivable! Today you must be responsible for the ladies and gentlemen who died tragically at Mars Field!

"All present here are the jury! If they deem you deserve death, they will chant for capital punishment together!"

Anning paused, sweeping his gaze across the entire venue, then his gaze settled on Napoleon below.

Napoleon, understanding immediately, shouted loudly: "Death penalty!"

Subsequently, a thunderous roar of "Death penalty!" erupted throughout the square.

If you look closely, you would see it’s Anning’s troops shouting, these men who just won a battle, cheerfully eager to hang the enemy commander.

In the overwhelming chants of "Death penalty," Lafayette turned pale, staring at Anning: "You can’t do this! There has never been a battle where a commander was hanged after the fight!"

Anning: "Then let it start here! First, you are responsible for the death of Mars’ brother! It was you who lynched and murdered him! Thirty lashes!"

The executioner dipped the whip in salt water, then began to whip.

During the whipping, Anning turned to the people, amidst the sounds of flesh tearing open, he coldly declared: "I am tired of these greedy insects stealing the fruits of the revolution! We want to return the fruits of the revolution to the citizens who started it!

"I want the tillers to have their fields, let the hard-working men in trousers afford to support their families! Let the commoners’ children eat well, let them taste cake on holidays!

"Now, as His Majesty the King has also fled to a foreign land, exposing his traitorous nature! It’s time we establish a nation without a king!

"A Republic! A nation of the citizens! A true nation of liberty, equality, and fraternity!"

As Lafayette screamed in pain, Anning declared thus.

His words barely settled, Napoleon understood and shouted from below: "Long live the Republic!"

Then, a thunderous chant of "Long live the Republic" swept through the square.

Anning always felt that this square would later be called the Republic Square.

Once the crowd quieted down again, the executioner said to Anning: "The whipping is over."

Anning nodded: "Pick a streetlight, hang Mr. Lafayette on it."

At that time, there wasn’t something as convenient as a guillotine.

Executioner: "Just from a streetlight?"

Anning: "Yes, it’s sort of a tradition now. Two years ago, the peasants in the countryside hanged their noble lords from streetlights."

Several burly executioners immediately got to work, untying Lafayette from the whipping post, and dragged him towards a streetlight at the edge of the square.

Lafayette screamed: "You can’t do this to me! I am a Marquis! A registered Marquis with lands! You can’t do this to me!"

The executioners placed the rope around his neck and slowly hoisted him up the streetlight pole.

At first, the Marquis struggled, but he soon stopped moving.

Anning turned to Lazar Kano and said: "Did you take down my speech just now? Find a painter to quickly sketch the image of Lafayette hanging from the streetlight, then together with my speech, send it to major cities to be published in the newspapers!"