Descending On France 1780
Chapter 156 - 149 General Frost led us to victory

Chapter 156: 149 General Frost led us to victory

Hearing Vanni’s report, Anning was still hesitant: "A painter? I have no acquaintance with painters."

Indeed, Anning had met many people in Paris, including poets and musicians, but few painters.

Anning: "Who is it?"

Vanni: "The name reported is Jacques Louis David."

The officers in the room looked at each other.

Anning: "I know him, let him wait in the reception room for a while, I’m in a military meeting right now."

Anning certainly knew who he was, not because he was familiar with European art history and knew that this man was the founder of the French neoclassical school, but because this fellow had painted too many historical paintings related to the Great Revolution.

Such as the famous "Death of Marat."

And that famous "Napoleon Crossing the Saint Bernard Pass in the Alpine Mountains" — yes, that most famous image of Napoleon on horseback.

This great painter’s visit should still be respected.

Napoleon: "Painter, just let him draw the scene where you, General, charge alone into the enemy ranks, that scene is definitely worth recording."

Anning waved his hand: "Now is not yet the time for my portrait. From the intelligence we’ve gathered, it seems we might be facing continuous warfare soon."

Napoleon: "What are you worried about, General! We’ve won such perilous battles, we will surely keep winning in the future!"

Napoleon was indeed very confident, unchanged in both timelines.

Davout: "I also think there’s no need to worry too much, our troops are more abundant now, although we lack officers."

Cano also added: "Recently we have integrated almost ten thousand people, all experienced veterans, although we lack officers."

Anning: "You don’t need to keep stressing the lack of officers."

Cano continued: "Actually, it’s better than I expected, although killing Lafayette led many noble officers to hesitate to come to us, but, General, your excellent military achievements and the vivid tales the soldiers paint of you charging alone into enemy ranks still attract quite a few officers coming for your valor.

"Only, when they hear about the existing old officer corps, the Twilight Knights, they all ask to join the Twilight Knights. I think under these circumstances, it might be better to dissolve the Twilight Knights and integrate the officers into the troops."

Anning shook his head: "No, the old nobility will still clash with the awakened soldiers, not everyone can be as beloved by the common soldiers as Davout."

Napoleon: "Maybe because his bald head looks a lot like their own dad."

The officers burst into laughter together.

Davout cursed and threw a punch at Napoleon.

Anning always felt that Davout had a much better impression of Napoleon since that battle.

Perhaps it was because Napoleon’s artillery and the First Brigade had fought together on the ridge line.

After the laughter, Anning clapped his hands: "Well, today’s military meeting is over, the main task is still to continue reorganizing the troops, ready for the wars that are coming. Alright, dismissed."

The officers saluted Anning together, then left the study one after another.

Anning rang a bell and summoned Vanni: "Let the painter sir come in."

Vanni nodded and left.

Moments later, she led in a middle-aged man and a young man.

The young man was also carrying a huge canvas.

As soon as the middle-aged man entered, he was very excited: "General Frost, finally meeting you!"

Anning: "Hello."

Middle-aged man: "I’ve always wanted to paint your heroic figure charging forward, but you didn’t leave a portrait in Paris! I couldn’t find any reference, so I had to come directly to you.

"As a painter, it is my duty to immortalize the image of France’s most outstanding heroes on canvas!"

Anning: "One probably can’t find canvas in Paris because no artist wants to paint the son of a leatherworker."

The middle-aged man laughed heartily: "We are all fools, blinded by status! After the revolution, we realized that status counts for nothing! A hero asks not about origins!"

Anning smiled and then politely asked, "By the way, you haven’t introduced yourself yet."

"Oh sorry, I got too excited and forgot about that. I am Jacques Louis David, known somewhat in Paris for painting ’Brutus Executing His Son’!"

Anning thought to himself, I of course know what you’ve painted, and I also know you will paint the Death of Marat—one that’s from history as it originally was. Now that history has gone off track, who knows if that painting will still appear.

David, excitedly turning to the canvas that a young man had just brought in, said: "This painting, I based it on the description from the soldiers who fled back to Paris! Since I didn’t have your portrait and haven’t seen you, I didn’t paint your face, but only the horse and background, please have a look! I named it ’General Frost Leading Us Towards Victory’."

As he spoke, David personally lifted the white cloth covering the canvas.

Anning almost burst into laughter when he saw the painting.

The painting looked just like ’Napoleon Crossing the Alpine Mountains by Saint Bernard’, except the face was not depicted.

David enthusiastically explained: "I depicted you charging alone towards forty thousand enemies! Initially, I wanted to paint a distant view, but later felt it wouldn’t sufficiently showcase your valor!"

Anning: "Actually, I didn’t charge towards forty thousand enemies. On the battlefield, we first scattered the incoming twenty thousand, then Lafayette gathered the scattered troops, and together with another twenty thousand reserves, they charged.

"The total number was between twenty to thirty thousand. It never exceeded thirty thousand."

David, with his mouth hanging open: "Even if it’s thirty thousand, that’s not a number you can just mention casually, right?"

Anning: "At that time, the enemies were startled as if they were frightened birds."

The translator translated frightened birds into Latin.

Anning: "So my charge was not as dangerous as imagined. When I charged out, it was to boost the morale of our troops. My grand army was right behind me."

David: "Is that so?"

Anning continued: "Moreover, the momentum was not just me charging on my own, I had a flag bearer following behind. Rather than composing it this way, you could do it like this..."

Anning picked up a notebook from the table and roughly sketched out the composition of ’Liberty Leading the People’.

Anning: "Of course, the actual scene wasn’t like this, I was on horseback, and I wasn’t holding the flag, but all these can be artistically processed! Remember, the flag is the most important! You should place the flag in the most eye-catching position!

"It wasn’t me leading my soldiers; it was Liberty guiding them, understand? So, you shouldn’t focus on me in this painting, understand? I’m just a mere general."

David was deeply moved: "I had heard of your great humility, and seeing it today, it really is true! But please allow me, let me complete this painting! While painting it, I felt your heroic spirit! I want to convey that!"

Anning could only nod: "Alright, you may finish it."

He sat down at the table, striking a pose: "Come on, you can sketch with a pencil now!"

David was overjoyed: "Good! I will paint now! And of course, I will also paint the composition you just described later!"

Anning nodded.

David began to make quick pencil sketches on the blank parts of the canvas—

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Napoleon barged in: "Hey, Andy! A cavalry has come claiming they want to join you, their commander is requesting an audience!"

Anning raised an eyebrow: "Cavalry? What is the commander’s name?"

"He says his name is Antoine Louis Charles Lassalle." Napoleon said.

Anning: "Who?"

Well, well, the King of Cavalry, the saviour of Davout has arrived?