Descending On France 1780
Chapter 212: General Frost has long been looking forward to this moment.

Chapter 212: General Frost has long been looking forward to this moment.

At this time, Paris was in utter chaos.

Wealthy merchants were desperately trying to take their families and fortunes out of Paris, but the citizens of Paris believed they were surrendering, betraying the city, so they spontaneously organized and blocked them.

Since the start of the Revolution, the masses of Paris had armed themselves. Almost every household, every grown man had more than one weapon hidden away.

Thus, the city was filled with gunshots from morning till night, and each day wealthy individuals attempting to flee were hung from the streetlamps of Paris.

Everyone was searching for reasons behind the French Army’s tremendous defeat: Why was Frost invincible in Italy, yet Demure faced such a crushing defeat at the Rhein River?

There must be a reason!

So, a logical conclusion emerged: if the French Army could win against the odds in Italy, achieving victory after victory, but then suffer losses at the Rhein, there must be traitors who didn’t want the French Army to win!

Furthermore, with rumors spreading about Austrians committing massacres in Paris after their invasion, the fearful Parisians began a mad purge of those they deemed traitors.

Old nobles with foreign communications were the first targets, followed by wealthy merchants and bankers.

Someone had to be accountable for the French Army’s failure.

This only hastened the escape of the old nobility and the big merchants, many of whom resorted to secret passageways to flee Paris City covertly.

For Parisians, this flight was the most telling proof that these individuals were traitors: If you’re not a traitor, why run?

Thus, the vast city of Paris was engulfed in blood and terror daily.

And during such times, the Parliament, far from halting the terror and stabilizing the situation, stepped forward to propel it further.

On December 20th, Dan Dong delivered a speech in Parliament: "This Paris has always been infested with enemies! Those old nobles have only pretended to stand with the people from the beginning!

"Their foremost representative, the King of France, has fled to Austria! Who can guarantee that Your Majesty has not harbored thoughts of fleeing to Austria?"

As soon as Anton finished speaking, Philip Egalite stood up and loudly objected: "No! My son is not the enemy of the people! Neither am I! I have always stood with the people! Look, I even changed my name to Philip Egalite!

"No one supports the tricolor flag more than I do, no one is more revolutionary!"

Dan Dong glared at the Duke and scoffed disrespectfully: "Who knows! If changing a name could prove one’s loyalty, then everyone would be changing their names already!

"And think about it, Parliament has proposed a series of bills these past days to promote the Conte model throughout France, yet all these bills have been stalled by the King himself!

"In my view, the King is the biggest traitor! We must immediately raid the King’s bedchamber, confiscate all documents and letters, and establish a special committee to scrutinize these!"

Immediately, a representative of the Plain Faction stood, loudly objecting: "I oppose! How could one be so unreasonable towards His Majesty?"

Dan Dong: "You dare oppose! I see you as a traitor! France is on the brink of disaster. At such a time, only terror, absolute terror, can completely crush the various traitors entrenched within the country, and only this can save France!"

"You are slandering!" Someone immediately stood up and angrily said, "I think you are the enemy of France, using bloody suppression so that afterwards, you can hand over a ’cleansed’ France to the Austrians!"

Dan Dong was about to retort when Marat stood up: "We are friends of General Frost! The General is our supporter in Parliament! The General has been securing victories for France! Just imagine, if the General had been at the Rhein front from the start, how could such failure have occurred?

"So, the question is, who sidelined the General to Conte? Who? Whoever sidelined the General is the enemy of France!"

Marat finished his speech, and someone stood up in a deliberate manner: "Mr. Marat, you are not an official member, you have no right to speak here."

Because of the bill proposed by Robespierre, which stipulated that Parliament members could not serve consecutive terms, Marat, a member of the previous session, was ineligible to run this time.

However, the Jacobins, who controlled the Parliament, instituted an observer status, and Marat returned to the parliamentary meetings as an observer owing to the immense popularity of Friend of the People among the populace.

For this reason, the opposition in Parliament did not miss the chance to criticize the ruling Jacobin faction using this matter.

Some of the former Girondists also took the opportunity to push for observer status to attend the meetings.

This had always been a contradiction in Parliament, but now it was intensified against the backdrop of urgent news from the front lines.

Marat: "Am I not here precisely to tell you the thoughts of the people?"

Marat turned to the Parisian public in the stands to the sides of the Parliament, who in these days of urgency from the front, flocked to listen to the parliamentary meetings, packing the stands full.

Not only the stands, but every window of the parliamentary chamber was crowded with anxious citizens.

Marat shouted to the people: "The French want General Frost to return, they want to punish those traitors who drove the General away! The people of Paris want to see their enemies’ blood flow like rivers!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Sometimes it is just so—whomever receives the cheers of the onlooking public is in the right.

Amidst the cheering, Robespierre stood up.

The Incorruptible still wore his signature green coat, but he donned a new wig that made him look more authoritative and solemn than before.

Robespierre approached the podium, and Dan Dong immediately gave way to him.

He glanced over the assembly and declared in a resonating voice, "Now, the urgent matters are twofold: First, a thorough reckoning with the traitors! And those hidden traitors! Second, to welcome General Frost back to Paris to oversee its defense!

"Furthermore, General Frost has long depicted the source of strength of the Reform Army! He believes that the sense of autonomy as citizens is the root of our army’s strength after the Revolution! Do you understand? My fellow citizens, you are our most powerful weapon!

"So, to address this dire situation, I believe we should pass a conscription bill, where every citizen should go to the front lines to defend France! I have calculated that, if this bill is passed, we should quickly be able to recruit an additional force of over three hundred thousand!"

The entire chamber was in uproar.

The members of Parliament and the citizens crowding the stands and windows alike were all abuzz with discussion.

Robespierre furiously questioned, "What, are you unwilling to defend France?"

The people looked at each other, unsure.

Robespierre continued insistent, "Yes, of course you are unwilling, because France is the King’s France, not the France of all its citizens!

"I believe the time has come. Firstly, the King is the chief representative of the traitors, all forces opposing France are rallied around the King!

"Secondly, to stimulate the citizens’ fighting spirit, France should become the France of all French people! To this end, we must make the King, a thing of the past forever! France should become the Republic!"

Robespierre paused, then added, "General Frost has long harbored such aspirations!"