Descending On France 1780
Chapter 92 - 086 Lafayette, you have schemed against me!

Chapter 92: 086 Lafayette, you have schemed against me!

Anning quickly stood up, interrupting Mirabeau loudly: "Mr. Mirabeau, hold on a moment! Commander Lafayette, are you not aware that my troop is merely a two-hundred-man Artillery detachment?"

Lafayette smiled faintly: "Of course, you will be given infantry. I plan to dispatch two thousand infantry soldiers to form the Rebel Suppression Army together with your Artillery."

Anning: "Wait a minute! Didn’t Captain Bell just now..."

"Captain Bell." Lafayette corrected Anning with a smile.

"Didn’t Captain Bell just say that their local Self-Defense Army has nearly a thousand men? A thousand men’s force was easily defeated, don’t you think it’s a bit weak for me to suppress the rebellion with just these troops?"

"You will have two thousand men, twice the size of the Liberville local forces! And you have Artillery too." Lafayette maintained his smile, "What, do you find these forces insufficient?"

Anning: "I find it insufficient, give me another eight thousand men."

He didn’t want to go, so at this moment he demanded an exorbitant price, hoping to get out of this task.

Lafayette: "The entire Paris National Guard only amounts to forty-three thousand men; you’re asking for ten thousand to leave, isn’t that improper? Withdrawing so many will definitely deteriorate the security in Paris. Are you expecting the King’s army to maintain order? Aren’t you afraid of a repeat of last year’s violent incidents?"

There were two types of military forces in France at the time: The old military was known as "The King’s Army," often still donning the royal gray uniforms of the old era, whereas the new military was comprised of patriots forming the National Guard, clothed in blue.

Both the old and the new military would wear the tricolor badge.

Anning: "Then draft the King’s soldiers for me..."

"The purpose this time is to prove that the National Guard is a solid and reliable force; it must be the National Guard who suppresses the rebellion."

Anning: "Then why don’t we ask the National Guard Commander himself to personally quell the rebellion."

"How so," Lafayette slightly tilted his head up, narrowing his eyes at Anning, "the hero of Bastille wouldn’t be scared, would he? You are the strong one who dared to attack a well-defended fortress leading an unorganized group of insurgents, and during the Versailles incident, with only two hundred men, you dared to go and save the Royal Family surrounded by tens of thousands of people at the Versailles Palace. Now you’re telling me that you’re afraid to suppress a mere Priest’s rebellion?"

Anning: "This isn’t about whether I have the courage. I dared to save the King at Versailles Palace because I know the people, I know what they will do. But this time we’re facing a Rebel Army, and moreover, a Rebel Army that has already massacred patriots in a city!

"Facing such an enemy, I must have a numerical superiority, otherwise, it’s just a pointless sacrifice of the National Guard’s lives!

"Isn’t the previous sacrifice of the Liberville National Guard enough to remind you of this, General Lafayette?"

Lafayette pursed his lips.

Mirabeau now showed his flexibility: "It seems Mr. Frost has a point; perhaps it is indeed necessary to allocate more troops."

Lafayette fell silent for a few seconds, then conceded: "Alright, more troops will be dispatched. Your forces are just the vanguard! If the enemy force is strong, you will retreat, not engage them."

Anning: "Since we are the vanguard, then I should have Cavalry. Cavalry is the most suitable arm for recon and outpost missions. Having me lead an Infantry detachment lugging cumbersome Infantry Guns for outposts, doesn’t something seem off?"

Lafayette responded: "Unfortunately, the entire National Guard does not have any Cavalry units. The National Guard is made up of free citizens, primarily urban commoners, and many of them simply do not know how to ride horses."

Anning: "How can we scout without Cavalry? Lafayette, you’re a professional soldier, tell me what’s the difference between a force completely lacking Cavalry and a blind man?"

In that era, Cavalry was the main recon force of the military, the eyes and ears of an army.

Especially the Light Cavalry, represented by the Cavalry, were extremely important in battlefield scouting of this era.

Seeing that he couldn’t out-argue Anning, Lafayette put on a stern face: "So, the hero of Bastille is hell-bent on refusing this task?"

Just as Anning was about to reply, the duty Chairman Petition spoke up: "It’s just a scouting mission after all, and General Lafayette’s main force is right behind. Mr. Frost, I think you should accept. I believe the majority in Parliament would like to see you demonstrate your wartime talents once again. You are a Cross Medal holder, after all."

Anning had picked up a Legion of Honor medal for his brave rescue of Christina.

Anning thought, fuck, when did I become someone with a talent for war.

Wasn’t I just forcibly hauled into Bastille?

The representatives from Parliament were all looking at Anning, with most eyes filled with expectation, but some were obviously malicious.

Anning pursed his lips, considering.

Actually, it wasn’t totally impossible to go. Taking the troops to station in a city near Conte, waiting for the main force.

If the main force doesn’t come, I won’t engage.

Right now, I am frankly a bit tired of these endless meetings, so it wouldn’t hurt to go out and get some fresh air.

Thereupon, Anning conceded: "Alright, I will lead this vanguard. But, just to be safe, I have a question—out of the two thousand men given to me, how many are professional non-commissioned officers?"

Lafayette: "Fifteen."

Anning was shocked: "Fifteen non-commissioned officers? To manage two thousand men?"

Lafayette: "I mean, only fifteen are professional non-commissioned officers trained at the Briena Military Academy. The rest were promoted after the formation of the National Guard."

Anning directly facepalmed: "Then have they been elected by the Soldier Committee?"

"Most National Guard units do not have a Soldier Committee. This institution can be considered as a unique system of the Self-Defense Artillery," Lafayette replied earnestly.

Anning wanted to sigh. Two thousand ragtag soldiers, and even the basic-level non-commissioned officers were all greenhorns. This troop might collapse faster than Liberville’s National Guard if lined up and shot.

Forget it, I didn’t expect to rely on this small unit to defeat the Rebel Army; I’ll just lounge around once we make it near the cities of Conte.

So Anning answered: "Alright, I got it. I’ll take command of this small unit. Oh, by the way, I’m just a Captain, isn’t it a bit too much to command two thousand two hundred men?"

What Anning actually meant was to get Lafayette to promote him.

But Lafayette didn’t fall for it, he smiled and shot back: "Don’t worry, you are already the highest-ranking officer among these two thousand men; the rank directly below you is Sergeant."

... Damn it, not even a Lieutenant.

This kind of troop, I’m afraid they can’t even march in line as infantry, let alone perform an organized firing squad!

Lafayette, you’re scheming against me!