Descending On France 1780
Chapter 297 - 290 Revolutionary Archangel

Chapter 297: 290 Revolutionary Archangel

Anning was also assessing Josephine who had suddenly come into contact with him.

Napoleon: "The lady of Maraisson Castle is indeed as beautiful as the rumors say."

Anning looked at Napoleon in surprise: "Aren’t you still interested in that lady or wife from Milan?"

Lasalle: "Andy, that’s not right to say, a man should always be amorous."

"Yes, when you are in Italy, you go to a city and look for widows. Massena told me, he said that when Vukcevic launched the morning assault, you ran out of the widow’s house pulling up your trousers." Anning unhesitatingly retorted.

Napoleon seized the opportunity and began to mock Lasalle: "There’s such a story? How unseemly, Lasalle."

Lasalle nonchalantly said: "If you think this will get back at me, you’re thinking too much. I’m a Cavalryman, and we Cavalry have no shame."

Moura started coughing.

Napoleon: "See, someone disagrees with you! Moura, come here, comment on your predecessor’s statement!"

Lasalle’s former role was as the direct Cavalry Commander under Anning’s command, which is Moura’s current position, hence the predecessor comment.

Moura came over nervously: "Uh, I just happened to have some phlegm, I have no objections to Colonel Lasalle’s words."

Lasalle: "Moura, tell him, isn’t it true that wherever we Cavalry go, we drink heavily, eat heartily, and seek women?"

Moura, embarrassed: "Uh... this actually varies from person to person..."

"He disagrees with you!" Napoleon laughed, "So it’s not the Cavalry who are shameless, it’s you."

Lasalle shrugged: "But I am the top-notch operator among the Cavalry, I represent the Cavalry!"

Napoleon: "You only represent yourself!"

Anning watched his two buffoons PvPing, when Pauline suddenly came over, tugging on his sleeve and asking, "Do they always do this?"

Anning: "Always, I’ve gotten used to it. There are a few daily routines in our headquarters, one is Lasalle’s bragging, then Napoleon attacks him, and another is Bertier’s maid dressing up."

Coughing from Bertier came from not far behind Anning.

Pauline: "I see... I thought the headquarters of a general like you would be more... more..."

"More high-end? Not at all, my officers and my soldiers, we are all like old friends."

Anning is famously down-to-earth, occasionally greeting or hearing complaints from subordinate soldiers as he walks through the ranks.

Indeed, other than during cheers of ’long live,’ Anning and his soldiers are like friends.

Pauline, with a longing expression: "Really? That’s great, I’d also love to serve in such a headquarters."

"You will have a chance. You should have two more years at Briena, then spend a year advancing at the Paris Military Academy. After that, you can join the army, and I promise to transfer you to my headquarters."

After Anning patted his chest, he suddenly realized his words might have another meaning, quickly turning his head to look at Christina, but she had already gone to greet other guests, as the hostess of the ball, she had many duties.

After confirming he hadn’t caused any misunderstandings with his fiancée, Anning relaxed, only to see Pauline’s shining eyes as he shifted his gaze back.

Pauline: "What is the battlefield like? I heard that you drink on the battlefield and watch your troops crush the enemy!"

Anning: "Uh, that’s right. I find the sight of enemies being annihilated is the best accompaniment to a drink."

In fact, Anning had reluctantly adopted this habit, not because he truly wanted to show off. Just like the liberation of the Bastille, the actual situation was that he was carried in by the crowd amidst the chaos, and he was only there that day as a history enthusiast visiting historical scenes.

But since things had turned out this way, he had to play along as if it was all true. Now, when Anning talks about the Bastille, he insists that he personally organized and commanded the attack, personally fired the cannons that collapsed the Bastille gates, and was the first to enter the Bastille.

Anyway, the Bastille has been demolished and turned into Bastille Square. Moreover, it was really chaotic at that time; no one could pin down Anning’s incorrect claims.

The version Anning told was pretty similar to the urban legends circulated in Paris.

The only difference was that in Anning’s version, there was no Voltaire.

Now everyone in Paris believes that Mr. Voltaire didn’t really die, that the one in the Panthéon is a fake, that the wicked tyrant Louis XVI had locked up Mr. Voltaire in the Bastille, and that he was rescued by the people who stormed the Bastille.

Now, at the age of 99, Mr. Voltaire is living in seclusion somewhere, contently watching the Republic that was established under his ideological guidance.

Anning had unknowingly witnessed the creation of this piece of folklore.

Who would have thought that the origin of this legend was from when a mention of Voltaire having once been imprisoned in the Bastille spurred the misunderstanding of what ’past perfect tense’ meant?

Pauline interrupted Anning’s thoughts: "You really like to drift away in thought, often wandering off into your own world."

Napoleon: "It’s typical of people who think a lot, never know which trigger might set them off into daydreaming."

Anning: "My thoughts are quite scattered. What were you saying just now?"

Pauline: "I was asking about life in Briena."

Anning: "Ah, you want to know about that. In Briena, your brother was constantly discriminated against by the French nobles, saying he came from the poor and remote Corsica. And because I’m a leatherworker, they looked down on me as well. So, we became an inseparable duo, like brothers in hardship."

Napoleon laughed: "Yes, but for me, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise."

"Really? Where are those nobles who looked down on you before now?"

Anning and Napoleon exchanged glances and then burst into laughter together.

Pauline puzzled: "What are you laughing about?"

Lasalle explained: "My dear little sister Pauline, what times are we living in? Those nobles, of course, went to the guillotine, though some who ran fast are now abroad. But no worry, we’ll eventually grab them back!"

Anning: "One good thing about these nobles is that they run faster than anyone else."

Just as he finished saying this, Anning saw Saint Just walking his way from the group where Josephine Boarne was.

Impressed by the portrayal of the "Angel of Revolution" in many revolutionary French films, Anning had taken the opportunity to get to know this newly emerging orator from the Jacobin faction.

Just like the historical records, Saint Just’s fervor for the revolution was undeniable. He and the equally revolutionary-minded Robespierre hit it off instantly and he has now become Robespierre’s most trusted man.

Seeing Robespierre’s confidant approaching, Anning naturally had to show respect to an old friend and, therefore, paused the casual conversation to await his arrival.