Descending On France 1780
Chapter 318 - 311 Attack of Pauline

Chapter 318: 311 Attack of Pauline

Anning unexpectedly looked at Pauline: "You..."

Before he could finish, Pauline, like a proud rooster—okay, she was a hen but her demeanor was like that of a proud rooster—opened her mouth: "I can’t stand people like you who look down on others just because you don’t understand something!

"And if you just focus on Frost’s argument, you would be convinced by the wisdom and logic it contains!

"If you aren’t convinced, then it just means you’re an undeniable fool! A fool like you has no right to question Frost!"

Anning was stunned by the side, knowing that Napoleon had become an ardent "Frost fan," but he didn’t expect his sister to take it even further.

It seems that Napoleon’s relentless flattery of Anning has left a mark on his sister’s mind as indelible as a branding iron of thought.

Anning couldn’t help but speak out: "It’s not to that extent, I was just making a reasonable speculation about the future..."

Pauline didn’t care what Anning was saying, she was like a gamecock that had found its target, her entire attention focused on her opponent. She glared at De Mulan and questioned: "Don’t you know that the products of the textile factories that adopted the steam engine in the UK have already caused a large number of workshops to go bankrupt?

"Can’t you see the immense wealth being produced by the steam engine factories established by Frost? Is it so wrong for someone as astute as Balas to take the initiative to invest in such a lucrative venture?

"Is there a more trustworthy investment than Frost?"

De Mulan was left speechless by Pauline’s barrage, but still stubbornly insisted: "Perhaps you have a point, but in reality, this is a bribe!"

Pauline humphed: "It seems we will never reach an agreement, so let’s decide with the traditional Parisian method. I’ve already thrown my glove in your face; let’s duel!"

Before the Revolution, every so often, someone in Paris would die in a duel; it had become one of the main causes of death amongst the young nobility.

But now, things have changed. For one, most young people are in the military, and there aren’t many loafers left in Paris City, and second, the remaining nobles dare not use their noble status as a claim, naturally making "defending the honor of the nobility" in a duel meaningless.

De Mulan: "Paris is no longer the city of duels it once was; the times have changed."

Anning thought to himself, a city of duels, it sounds as if everyone inside is good at playing cards.

Pauline felt a bit embarrassed: "Is dueling not fashionable anymore? Has the Republic outlawed it?"

Anning: "It’s not that it has been outlawed, but the changing objective conditions have altered the trends of Paris."

Pauline looked at Anning: "You no longer duel with people? My brother told me you still have to deal with dozens of challengers every year!"

Anning wanted to facepalm, thinking Napoleon, oh Napoleon, even when you boast, you should keep it within bounds!

Anning: "No, there’s no such thing. Who in Paris today would dare to challenge me to a duel?"

A spectator shouted: "In fact, ever since he became famous with the title of ’Noble Killer,’ not many people have dared to duel with him, everyone values their own life."

After the remark, someone else chimed in: "In the end, they valued it so much that they ended up on the guillotine."

Everyone laughed.

Anning narrowed his eyes and observed the crowd. He suddenly realized that even within the stronghold of the Jacobin faction, the Jacobin Club, there were already people tired of the months of bloody slaughter.

Should he really persuade Robespierre to stop?

But Robespierre had just established the Savior Committee, abolishing the court that used to defer all judgments to the "people’s Jury," and this move was now widely acclaimed, with many from the Tolerance Faction seeing Robespierre as one of their own.

As Anning pondered these matters, Pauline pointed at De Mulan and said, "Even if it is an outdated tradition, you’ve been thrown a glove by me—a woman—and it landed right on your face! If you don’t duel, you’ll lose all your honor as a man!"

De Mulan gritted his teeth and then forced out the words, "Alright, since you insist, as a gentleman who always accommodates ladies’ requests, I will duel with you!"

Pauline was extremely excited, "Let’s do it! I know a duel must be properly scheduled, and we need three witnesses! I would like to invite the General to serve as my witness!"

At this moment, Anning actually became a bit worried about Pauline’s safety because the young girl didn’t seem much like a fighter, and it would be difficult to explain to Napoleon if anything went wrong.

After all, in this timeline, Napoleon was extremely fond of this sister, treating her as the jewel of his palm.

Anning said, "Actually, there’s another tradition for duels: when a lady wishes to duel, she can choose a cherished ’Knight’ to fight on her behalf. Pauline, let me fight for you!"

Pauline stubbornly shook her head, "No need! I can handle it! I’ve always been the top student at Briena, excelling in both swordsmanship and firearms shooting; I am the strongest in Briena."

Anning thought to himself, would there be a chance that your top ranking is due to the noble offspring at Briena being quite unskilled?

But turning the thought around, where are the nobles now? Either dead or fled, the few who surrendered to the Republic were mixing under his command.

The current state of Briena Military Academy should be adopting a policy of "regardless of background, talent is what matters," which indicated that Pauline’s top achievements did indeed have some merit.

As such, Anning agreed—positioning himself as a witness on the side would mean he could intervene in the duel if things looked unfavorable.

Pauline cheered, "Fantastic! Then what about the time? According to the rules, who gets to choose the time of the duel? Is it me? And what weapon shall we use?"

De Mulan said, "Of course, it has to be pistols, because even Mr. Frost has admitted that firearms are the fangs of the common man, and no amount of martial prowess learned by the nobles can stand against a pistol."

Anning then recalled that he indeed made that remark once, but he didn’t give it much thought at the time, it was just a boastful comment.

Unexpectedly, it spread as an aphorism.

At this rate, if he happened to fart and then complained "How stinky," it might also become a heartwarming tale.

Soon after, both parties swiftly arranged the time and location.

De Mulan said his witness, a person of sufficient importance, would be brought on the day of the duel.

As for the third-party witness, after discussion, it was unanimously decided that Lazar Kano, who had been diligently serving in Paris, would take the role.

It was strange, Lazar Kano was clearly promoted by Anning and openly acknowledged his leadership, yet because Kano consistently dealt with matters impartially, without any bias towards Anning’s side, he was regarded as neutral in Paris.

Historically, Lazar Kano held a similar position, and whoever assumed power sought to appoint him as Minister of War.

After the decision, Pauline hugged Anning’s arm excitedly, "This is great! Just watch, I’ll challenge and defeat anyone who dares to belittle your ideals, one by one!"