Descending On France 1780
Chapter 333 - 326 Agreement

Chapter 333: 326 Agreement

The day after the wedding, Christina held a tea party at the Royal Palace, entertaining the ladies and misses of Paris, while Anning headed straight for the National Assembly, where he intended to propose the appointment of Talleyrand as the envoy to negotiate with the Low Countries.

Originally, in this timeline, such specific administrative matters would be managed by the Savior Committee, but now the Savior Committee has turned into an organization like a courtroom, and the administrative power has fallen into the hands of the National Assembly.

Therefore, to appoint Talleyrand as the full-power Special Commissioner, it is necessary to obtain the approval of the National Assembly.

At the entrance hall of the Assembly, Robespierre was surprised to see Anning: "I thought you would be out on a honeymoon outing with your new bride today."

Anning: "The campaign is imminent; it’s hardly a good time for outings."

Robespierre laughed: "You don’t have to push yourself so hard. If you’re like this, it wouldn’t be fair—we’d feel too embarrassed to slack off."

Anning: "Come on, let’s not talk about others. You, Maximilien, could never slack off, I understand that."

Robespierre laughed, as if Anning’s words were the greatest affirmation for himself.

At that moment, Saint Just asked from the side: "So what brings you to the Assembly this time? You don’t need to come to the Assembly just to prepare for war, right? Actually, the Ministry of War is now almost an independent organization. The Assembly has no control over their work."

What Saint Just said was true. Earlier, to quickly reorganize enough troops, Lazar Kano adopted many strong measures, frequently bypassing the Assembly to implement certain actions, resulting in the Ministry of War becoming a machine operating independently of the Assembly.

Many people have grumbled about this, but they are all intimidated by Anning’s military might, and no one dares to express their disapproval openly.

Anning himself, however, has promised that once the special circumstances are over, he would reorganize the Ministry of War, subordinating it to the theoretical supreme authority of France, the National Assembly.

But currently, the Ministry of War is still an institution that transcends the Assembly.

If Anning is only preparing for war, he indeed does not need to come to the National Assembly.

No wonder Saint Just had such doubts.

Anning laughed: "As a general, I naturally have the obligation to report to the National Assembly about the next combat plans. Many of you think that I have transcended the Assembly. Some say that I want to become the Duke of the Country, to coerce the Assembly like Cromwell.

"No, I would not do that."

Robespierre smiled: "Of course you wouldn’t, because the Republic is your ideal. A long time ago, when we were still called the Brittany Club, you were already saying so."

Anning didn’t actually remember if he had started advocating for the Republic that early on. In theory, he should have, considering he is also from a Republic, with the word ’Republic’ flowing through his veins.

Anning followed Robespierre’s lead and continued: "As long as I live, I will steadfastly defend the Republic. Anyone who wants to destroy the Republic must step over my dead body."

Saint Just, however, said: "But your student Napoleon has been advocating you as the Caesar of France."

Anning: "I don’t want to be Caesar. I don’t want to be suddenly surrounded and stabbed to death by a group of people while giving a speech in the Assembly."

At this time, people who received the news began to arrive at the entrance hall, greeting Anning.

Although Anning did not recognize most of the people who greeted him, he nodded repeatedly, greeting each of them in turn.

Just as the time before Parliament was almost exhausted, Georges Jacques Danton appeared.

He originally didn’t even glance at Robespierre, but suddenly seeing Anning there as well, he had to come over with a stern face and greet both Anning and Robespierre.

Robespierre’s response was very stiff, and an awkward atmosphere instantly spread between Danton and Robespierre.

Anning, with a keen sense, noticed this and asked, "What’s wrong? Have you two argued again?"

Danton curled his lip: "I tried to persuade him to stop the killings for a while, but it ended in a disagreement."

Anning: "Maximilien doesn’t want to kill indiscriminately either, that’s why he established the Savior Committee, didn’t he? You supported the establishment of the committee at that time, didn’t you?"

Danton: "I supported it because at that time the Parisian lynch law had reached an intolerable state, and I could not stand that some people would lose their heads simply for not being favored by the Jury."

Anning: "So what has changed now? From what I see, Maximilien’s Savior Committee is playing its role as it should."

"It’s not just playing its role, in fact, in these past six months, I have seen more than once where innocent people have been unjustly killed." Danton paused and gave an example, "Take Madame Roland! She was a close friend of my wife, a talented poet, and just because she had supported the Girondists, she was sent to the guillotine."

Robespierre: "Madame Roland was a die-hard Girondist! Moreover, she criticized the National Assembly, intending to overthrow France!"

"Oh, come on," Danton said irritably, "if France could be overthrown by a woman, then I think it might as well be destroyed sooner rather than later."

Anning intervened between the two starting to argue again, attempting to smooth things over: "The issue of the severity of punishment can be discussed. I think we can establish a position for a Special Commissioner to oversee the Savior Committee in the future, and let Danton take on the role to monitor the entire trial process!"

Robespierre immediately opposed: "No, you may not know, Andy, he’s already mixed up with the likes of Paul Balas and Fouché."

Anning: "I’ve also accepted 500 ounces of gold bars from Paul Balas."

"That’s different, that’s your reserve, you did it to stabilize our financial order," Robespierre said, "you have always been thinking of France, everyone sees the developments you’ve achieved. But he is different, he is really conspiring with those speculators!"

Danton was livid: "Insolence! How dare you use such a derogatory term as ’conspiring with’ for me? You damned bumpkin, you’re just an executioner addicted to the taste of blood!"

Robespierre did not show too much anger, but his twitching lips clearly indicated that he was very angry right now.

"I am doing this for the Republic!" Robespierre squeezed out the words through his teeth.

Danton just snorted: "Who knows?"

Just as Anning was about to continue playing peacemaker, Danton suddenly turned his criticism towards Anning: "Andy, even you, can’t you see the downside of the Terror policy? I’ve spoken with Lasalle, your subordinate, and he also has reservations about the current state of unjust killings!"

Anning’s eyebrows raised slightly.

He knew that Lasalle’s views on the Terror policy had changed after he had recovered from his injuries in Paris for a few months.

Anning: "Alright, there’s an old saying from the East, ’In times of chaos, harsh punishment is necessary.’ Using the Terror policy to stabilize the situation at this stage is necessary. But, Maximilien, promise me, once we achieve a complete military victory and end the war, the Terror policy must stop."

Robespierre nodded without hesitation: "No problem. It will continue until Andy, you completely defeat Austria and Prussia and sign a treaty to end it!"