Descending On France 1780
Chapter 191: Paris needs you 184

Chapter 191: Paris needs you 184

On the day of Balas’ arrival in Milan, Anning discovered that Napoleon was actually wearing a green hat.

Anning couldn’t help but ask, "Napoleon, why are you wearing such a hat?"

Napoleon laughed, "Miss Melody chose it for me, how is it? I quite like it!"

Anning, "Miss Melody, the socialite from Milan?"

"Yes, she’s the star of all the salons and balls!" Napoleon was not at all offended by Anning’s description, but rather seemed to brag, "I wrote her a romance novel! Once I finish it, I will definitely show it to you!"

There it is, Napoleon’s romance novel! In the original history, people suspected that the heroine of this book was Josephine, the owner of the Maraisson Castle; now it’s feared that the role might change to the socialite from Milan.

Josephine was also a socialite, giving Napoleon more than one green hat. Perhaps Napoleon just liked to associate with that kind of flirtatious women.

However, it seems quite normal in this era for women to give their husbands green hats, especially among noble women.

When Anning was reading ’Napoleon’s Life’, he always felt that the upper society of this era highlighted a very chaotic noble circle.

This is also why Anning, after having traveled through time for so long, still hadn’t taken a wife. As a Chinese man, he was quite resistant to the idea of wearing a green hat.

With the chaotic vigor of this era, you could go off to fight wars for a few years after getting married, and upon return, find your son just had his first-month celebration.

How disgusting that would be.

But Napoleon, being a twenty-four-year-old young man, was still full of longing for love, though historically he should have fallen in love with Josephine, the widow of Maraisson Castle.

Napoleon in this timeline has not been to Paris often; since returning from Corsica, he had been following Anning around in battle. This stay in Milan would be the first time Napoleon has been stationed in a major city for more than half a year since coming back from Corsica.

So it’s quite normal for him to fall in love in Milan.

Anning looked at Napoleon wearing a green hat, his expression complex.

Miss Melody probably chose a green hat because green is the color of the Milan City Emblem, a way to show that Napoleon was pursuing a girl from Milan.

But to Anning, this Chinese man, the color green carried a lot more implication.

Especially now, with Paul Balas coming over from Paris. Seeing Mr. Balas and then looking at Napoleon’s green hat, Anning felt a kind of fate that transcended time and space.

Balas dismounted, strode forward, and extended his hand to Anning, "General Frost, I’ve long admired your name!"

Anning shook Balas’ hand, "Good to meet you. Strangely enough, I spent some time in Paris without ever having seen you."

"That’s because I had not joined the Jacobin Club at that time," Balas replied. "After I joined the club, I’ve been hearing legends about you. Mr. Marat, Mr. Robespierre, and Mr. Dan Dong all have nothing but praise for you."

Anning smiled, "They are all old friends of mine. Are they doing well?"

Balas, "Of course, they’re doing very well. Mr. Robespierre and Mr. Dan Dong hold high positions and heavy responsibilities in the new Parliament. And due to the rule that members cannot be reelected consecutively, Mr. Marat no longer holds a position in the Parliament. However, he’s still full of vigor, operating in the ’Friend of the People’, attacking the newspapers established by people like Brissot!"

Anning couldn’t help but frown.

After knocking people down from their pedestals, the Jacobin Party hadn’t eradicated their roots. Did that still resemble the Jacobin Party?

Indeed, the current situation was not so dangerous, so the Jacobin Party did not enforce the Reign of Terror as in actual history.

Balas continued, "Mr. Robespierre has sent me as a Special Commissioner, to persuade you to return to Paris to take charge of military work."

Anning, "I can’t go back. You should know, in this war, the Italian Legion might have to face both the Sardinian Kingdom’s troops and the Holy Roman’s troops, our enemies have more than twice our forces."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lasalle interjected, "We have always been fighting enemies more than twice our number, have never had less, almost used to it. But if you get someone else, they definitely won’t make it."

Anning nodded, "That’s how it is, so no, I can’t leave Milan. I believe Paris will be fine; after all, they have much more manpower than we do."

As Anning said this, he suddenly thought of something - in history, Paris had an endless supply of troops because there was a Lazar Kano in Paris performing military reforms, transforming revolutionary citizens into the French Army constantly.

So the French Army won the enemy by sheer force of numbers. The first few victories of the French Revolution were all because there were just too damn many revolutionary soldiers.

That’s why Lazar Kano earned the nickname "The Organizer of Victory."

Now, Lazar Kano is under Anning’s command, in charge of an area that has been changed to Southern France, to be more specific, the territories of the former Aquitaine Kingdom and the Principality of Provence, not in the same circle as Paris.

Could it be that Paris is going to mess up this time?

No, no, no, it’s not that bad, just because there’s no Lazar Kano, history won’t change that much.

Anning waved away the worries in his mind and again said resolutely to Balas: "I will not return to Paris. I will share the fate with my soldiers. I brought them to Italy, and it’s my duty to lead them to splendid victories here."

As Anning spoke, nearby Beethoven furiously took notes in his shorthand notebook, and the painter David nodded repeatedly.

Those two, the first thing they did upon arriving in Milan was to publish a collection of General Frost’s words and deeds, propagating the general’s grand image to everyone’s knowledge.

Anning couldn’t be bothered with it.

After hearing Anning’s statement, Balas suddenly turned solemn and looked at Anning seriously: "General, are you a Royalist or a Patriot?"

Anning looked around. At this time, many citizens of Milan were watching General Frost receive the distinguished guests, so he said: "Let’s go inside first, then I’ll tell you."

Then Anning made a welcoming gesture.

Balas nodded.

Moments later, the crowd moved grandly into Anning’s study.

The study was scented with incense from India, exuding a heartening and refreshing fragrance, and a large globe took up space on the side of the desk.

As Anning passed by the fireplace, he picked up the fire tongs and rearranged the coals inside, fanning the flames higher, then he took off his coat and handed it to Vanni while saying to the visitors from Paris: "Of course I’m a Patriot."

Balas said seriously, "However, some gentlemen in Paris seem to think you are a Royalist. After all, you have a good relationship with the Grand Duke of Orleans, and his daughter is in your troops..."

Anning: "It’s just a private relationship, and it doesn’t affect my stance."

Balas: "But when I passed through Nice, I saw Royalist black robes and white flags everywhere."

Anning curled his lip.

Nice was originally a place with strong Royalist forces, and it could be said that the Royalists were quite powerful throughout Southern France.

But Anning’s previous actions of squashing rebellions and distributing land weakened the Royalist influence.

Moreover, France was still a Kingdom at the moment, so the Royalists didn’t stir up any waves.

In actual history, the whole of Southern France had launched a Royalist uprising, and it was the very Paul Balas here who subdued Royalist-occupied Nice and established the Coastal Province of the Republic.

Anning said seriously to Paul Balas: "Be absolutely assured, the Royalists in the south won’t cause any trouble. The reason why I only let Lazar Kano bring ten thousand men over is because I’m worried about possible disturbances in the south."

Indeed, with the talent of Lazar Kano, how could it be possible that he only assembled so few troops over such a long period? Anning kept a large number of troops in Southern France in order to suppress any potential Royalist rebellion if necessary.

He leaned forward earnestly and asked Balas: "It seems that the situation in Paris is quite complicated."

Balas nodded: "The Royalists are restless, and many suspect that they plan to use the opportunity of the Holy Roman Empire and Prussia waging war against us to restore the monarchy. The whole of Paris is suspicious of each other.

"Marat is advocating for the hanging of all Royalists, claiming every Royalist is a potential traitor, and the Royalists are responding in kind.

"One can imagine, even a slight defeat on the battlefield, would stir a bloody storm throughout Paris."

Anning: "So that’s why you’re in such a hurry to recall me."

Balas nodded: "You’re right, we now need your military talent! Paris needs you!"

Anning shook his head repeatedly: "No, if the situation in Paris changes, I will let Lazar Kano dispatch his well-trained troops to support Paris. But I won’t go back, I will stay here, with my soldiers."

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