Make France Great Again
Chapter 216 A Fight to the Death

Chapter 216: Chapter 216 A Fight to the Death

Grand Marshal Surt’s response made Jerome Bonaparte once again realize that what he was experiencing was not a game with strict P-rules, and that everyone was not like a programmer strictly obeying rules. _{f\r(e)ewe.b no\vel.com}

Everyone is a flesh-and-blood person, they also have their joys and sorrows, and their goals are not all for so-called politics, just like the current Grand Marshal Surt.

Although Grand Marshal Surt did not believe that he could successfully establish an Empire, it did not prevent him from helping a bit; the reason he helped was merely to see a few more MPs dead.

For such an amusing person, Jerome Bonaparte thought the more, the better.

"It seems our Grand Marshal really suffered humiliation from those people back in the day!" Jerome Bonaparte showed a schadenfreude expression on his face.

Between 1841 and 1847, Grand Marshal Surt was appointed Prime Minister of the Orleans Kingdom by Louis Philippe. In these six years as Prime Minister, he did not accomplish a single thing; all power was in the hands of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Could it be that Grand Marshal Surt was so noble that he didn’t want to take the position due to lack of ability?

Jerome Bonaparte didn’t believe that a political figure like Grand Marshal Surt was truly noble. There’s only one possibility: Grand Marshal Surt was just a puppet drawn by Louis Philippe, much like how Jerome Bonaparte appointed General Oppel as Prime Minister.

Of course, Grand Marshal Surt was not willing, but he could only follow Guizot’s orders.

Having endured the suppression of Parliament for six years, it was only natural that after the downfall of the Orleans Kingdom, Louis Philippe’s escape, and Guizot’s resignation, Grand Marshal Surt’s gaze inevitably turned towards the Legislative Assembly.

Perhaps in his view, only by overthrowing the Legislative Assembly could his mind be completely at ease.

Vice President Blair nodded feelingly.

Jerome Bonaparte continued, "Since the Grand Marshal is willing to help us, our chances of success are greater. Professor Blair, I wonder if you would be interested, after our success, to serve as President of the Legislative Corps?"

"President of the Legislative Corps?" Blair looked at Jerome Bonaparte in puzzlement.

"Professor Blair, I’ve decided to dissolve the Legislative Assembly after our success. It will be split into two parts, one being the Legislative Corps and the other the Senate..." Jerome Bonaparte explained to Vice President Blair the reforms he would implement after success.

Vice President Blair couldn’t help but show a comforting smile after hearing this. The young man before him had grown up, and he had become someone capable of taking charge.

"Your Majesty, I hope after your success, you can leave some personal space for this old man soon to be summoned by the Emperor!" Blair politely declined Jerome Bonaparte’s suggestion to be the President of the Legislative Corps, "I am old! It’s already a great honor for this old man to see the Empire rebuild with my own eyes!"

"Since you are unwilling, then I won’t force it!" Jerome Bonaparte expressed his regret at Blair’s gentle rejection.

At this moment, a knock was heard at the door, and Jerome Bonaparte looked towards the entrance, "Who is it?"

"Your Majesty!" Percy’s voice came from outside the door, "The banquet has already started!"

"I know!" Jerome Bonaparte responded, then turned to invite Vice President Blair, "Let’s go, Professor!"

President Jerome Bonaparte and Vice President Blair attended the banquet together.

At the banquet, Jerome Bonaparte encountered his "good friend" Eugenie again. She was dressed in a light blue gauze gown with a willow-twig hat, looking as enchanting as a fairy.

Surrounding her was a circle of ladies, among whom was Jerome Bonaparte’s lover, the Marchioness Aile.

"Professor, I’m going over there!" Jerome Bonaparte smiled as he excused himself from Blair.

"Go on!" Blair’s lips curled into a knowing smile.

Jerome Bonaparte strode over to where Eugenie and the Marchioness Aile were.

"Ladies, may I be honored to join your conversation?"

...

After the banquet, Eugenie looked at the Marchioness Aile, who was embraced by Jerome Bonaparte, with a gaze full of jealousy. For the first time, she doubted her own beauty. The Marchioness Aile’s face showed happiness; she had thought His Majesty would no longer care for someone as "old and faded" as herself.

"Miss Eugenie, welcome to visit the Elysee Palace again!" Jerome Bonaparte responded to Eugenie with a standard polite smile.

"Hmph!" Eugenie did not respond to Jerome Bonaparte; she lightly brushed her drooping hair and turned away slightly angrily.

After Eugenie left in a huff, Mérimée approached Jerome Bonaparte and incessantly apologized, "I’m really sorry, my niece troubled you..."

"It’s nothing!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head and reassured Mérimée, "Miss Eugenie’s personality is very good! Please tell Miss Eugenie that I hope we can continue to be friends!"

"Yes! Yes! I understand!"

Seeing that Jerome Bonaparte held no grudge, Mérimée finally breathed a sigh of relief. He once again expressed his apologies to Jerome Bonaparte before leaving.

"Why do you do this?" the Marchioness Aile questioned Jerome Bonaparte.

"Why?" Jerome Bonaparte revealed a mischievous smile, placing his hands on the face of the Marchioness and rubbing it as he said, "Don’t you find it more thrilling to pick a rose with thorns?"

"Then what am I?" The Marchioness Aile couldn’t help but blurt out.

"Ahem... ahem... madam, actually, I prefer other people’s wives!" Jerome Bonaparte shamelessly said to the Marchioness Aile.

The Marchioness Aile showed a coquettish look, her black long dress wrapping two landmines eager to escape their owner’s restraint and step into freedom.

"Look at the sky..."

Jerome Bonaparte hinted, and the Marchioness Aile, taking his arm, went upstairs with him.

Not long after, soft moans could be heard from a certain room.

...

Another ten or so days passed, and soon it was March.

During these ten days, many generals who usually were reluctant to come to the Elysee Palace began to lean towards it, and military leaders stationed in the Strasbourg and Pyrenees Mountain Regions also expressed their allegiance to Jerome Bonaparte.

At the same time, there were "rumors" from Paris claiming the support of Grand Marshal Surt for Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte understood this to be the power of Grand Marshal Surt, who had shown him the meaning of enduring strength from his residence in the Pyrenees.

While Jerome Bonaparte was busily drawing in the military, Thiers and others were also rallying support.

Through Thiers’ constant negotiation and eloquence, the once nearly fragmented Order Party reunited, and they would push the Parliament to refine the proposal to limit universal suffrage.

Puevert Street, headquarters of the Order Party.

Audion Barrot, Broi, Falu, Berlier, Thiers, Montalambre, and Molay gathered here again to discuss plans.

"A lot has happened recently, causing our proposal to be indefinitely shelved... Now, we can finally bring this proposal to the Legislative Assembly!" Molay remarked with a sigh as he looked at the proposal on the table.

"Indeed!" Thiers nodded in agreement with Molay’s words, then looked at everyone present and said, "However, we’d better not submit it to the Legislative Assembly right now!"

"Why?" Molay asked with some confusion.

Everyone present turned their gaze to Thiers, puzzled as to why he wanted to delay the submission of the proposal.

"Because we don’t just want to crush the Republican Faction’s votes, but to break their confidence first!" Thiers adjusted his glasses slowly and said, "Doesn’t the Republican Faction think they can win at the polls? Fine! Let them run their election, and when they think they are about to win, we’ll crush them completely!"

Thiers’ words sent a chill through everyone’s heart; Thiers’ plan was indeed ruthless.

By that time, having experienced such ups and downs, the Republican Faction might even develop murderous intentions.

"What if the Republican Faction initiates an uprising..." Berlier hesitated for a moment before saying.

"An uprising? Good! I would love for them to start an uprising!" Thiers smiled cunningly, "Tell me, if the Republican Faction truly staged an uprising, would the Paris authorities suppress it? If they do, Jerome Bonaparte would become enemies with the Republican Faction! He could no longer use them to threaten us, and if they don’t suppress it, the Republican Faction would threaten his position! We only need to clean up the aftermath!"

Thiers’ strategy was ruthless indeed.

If the Republican Faction uprised, the conflict between them and the President would cause a rift between him and the Republican Faction.

The President would then have no means to threaten them.

"Moreover, I want to set up a committee in the Legislative Assembly!" Thiers disclosed his second vicious plan, "This committee will exclude those who side with Bonaparte! And we will be able to control the Legislative Assembly through this committee!"

Everyone present was once again amazed by Thiers’ tactics.

If not for Thiers, the Order Party would have been resolved by Jerome Bonaparte long ago.

Since everyone there could secure their interests in the committee established by Thiers, they all agreed to Thiers’ plan.

March 3, 1850.

The Legislative Assembly elections resumed, with the Order Party still tightly controlling the developments, while Conservative Faction members from the south and central regions voted for the Order Party.

The Republican Faction closely followed, securing some votes from the Left Wing in Paris and the western and northern regions.

The focus of decision-making rested on over 50 parliamentary seats held by the Mountain Party.