Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 979 - 242: Gunshots in Paris

Chapter 979: Chapter 242: Gunshots in Paris

While the Russian Army Command discussed plans for amassing wealth, the situation in Paris had completely fallen apart. Faced with a constant influx of refugees, the Revolutionary Government was proving to be very ineffective.

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The old order was shattered, and as the new order was being established, this period happened to be when people’s hearts were most in disarray. If the Paris Revolutionary Government had been strong enough, it could have taken swift and fierce measures to deter the public. Unfortunately, that was precisely what the Revolutionary Government lacked.

There was no helping it; after all, the Revolutionary Government had not fought for power. It couldn’t even be considered a coup! It appeared to be an armed takeover, but in reality, it was handed to them voluntarily by Napoleon IV.

Even the Revolutionary Army, which could hardly be called a cohesive force, was unable to hold together and was disbanded during the subsequent political struggle.

Officially, the army was under the command of the Central Government, but in reality, that was far from the case. Napoleon IV had actively fled, making arrangements before his evacuation, and the army’s main officers had long been replaced by those of the direct line.

With the fall of the Bonaparte Dynasty into exile, it was unclear how loyal these officers were to the Emperor, but they certainly held no fondness for the Revolutionary Government.

Under normal circumstances, the new government would slowly purge the Bonapartist elements from the military and replace them with their own allies.

Unfortunately, the Paris Revolutionary Government did not have that luxury of time, as the Anti-French Alliance had already pushed in right after they took power.

By the time the main force of the Allied Forces had withdrawn, the Revolutionary Government had a terrible reputation. There was no time left even to stabilize the military’s morale, let alone to purge it.

Without military power in hand, the Revolutionary Government naturally could not assert itself. The weak government could neither deter the bureaucrats nor the capitalists.

The government’s relief orders were rendered virtually meaningless at the local level, and even when they were reluctantly carried out, most of the resources were skimmed off. Coupled with the capitalists’ predatory profiteering, the lives of ordinary people were unsustainable, not to mention those of the refugees.

Without a point of comparison, there would be no harm felt; although life before the Paris revolution was hard, it was still bearable – at least having enough to eat was not an issue.

But after the revolution’s success, the situation took a drastic turn for the worse. Not only was the mighty French Empire gone, even securing enough food had become a problem.

With public support gone, the Revolutionary Party also began to split internally. The Radical faction, led by the Socialist Party, believed that the Paris Government was colluding with capitalists domestically and betraying France’s interests internationally, having thus betrayed the revolution.

As the situation in Paris continued to deteriorate, the calls for a second revolution grew louder. More and more enlightened individuals realized that the Paris Revolutionary Government could not save France and wanted to overthrow the Paris Government to establish their own vision of an “Ideal Nation.”

…

Affected by the influx of refugees, Paris in the evening was the most terrifying, with theft, robbery, murder… various crimes continuously plaguing the city. Ordinary people, let alone police officers, dared not walk the streets alone.

In an effort to save on electricity costs, the City that Never Sleeps was now plunged into darkness. The night facilitated crime and also for…

“Is everything ready?”

“Don’t worry, two hundred volunteers are in position, and one hundred thirty-seven rifles and handguns have all been distributed. We’re just waiting for the command from headquarters to attack the armory!”

“The more critical the moment, the more cautious we have to be. Lately, the reactionary government has not only expanded the police force but also added a Security Surveillance Bureau specifically to eliminate dissenters.

If the news leaks out too early, it was all for naught. They’ve never been soft on opponents.”

“Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock…”

The knocking at the door interrupted their conversation. A young man casually called out, “Who’s there, making such a racket in the middle of the night?”

“Open up, it’s an inspection!”

The two exchanged a glance, realizing the trouble that was imminent. If the police were so diligent, patrolling in the middle of the night, the security situation in Paris wouldn’t have degraded to this extent.

“Checking what without sleeping for half the year? Do you have a search warrant from the court? Or are you trying to pretend to be the police and commit robbery?

I’ve seen this trick too many times, and it’s useless! If you’re smart, you’ll get lost quickly; otherwise, you’ll taste how fierce a bullet can be!”

While speaking, the young man took out a gun and purposely made a sound as if chambering a round, the atmosphere suddenly becoming tense.

The original knocking policeman had lost his temper and took two steps back to the leading police chief, suggesting, “Chief, what do we do now? The people inside think we’re robbers. Should we withdraw first and come back with a search warrant tomorrow?”

In France, the homeowner had the right to shoot and kill someone who trespassed into their private dwelling without legal authority, and even the police could not force entry into a private home without a court-issued search warrant.

Although things had changed since the Revolutionary Government took over, the law still specified this. While higher-ups might not hold them accountable, the staff on the ground were still very much affected by this.

After all, their lives were on the line; if the homeowner killed them, it would not be worth it.

The middle-aged police chief shook his head, “That won’t work. We’ve received a tip-off that there’s a meeting of Rebels in this area, and we must root them out.”

“To those inside, listen up, the police are capturing a serious criminal. Open the door immediately for inspection, or we’ll force our way in!”

The two inside exchanged a glance, and the young man took out a gong from under the table, and while striking it, he shouted loudly, “Robbers disguised as police are robbing us, come out and help!”

Normally, ordinary people would certainly want to avoid fully armed “robbers,” but this was an extraordinary area.

On the surface, it was a neighborhood inhabited by workers, but in reality, it was a secret stronghold of the Socialist Party, with young men responsible for making connections and the main force of the uprising.

The sound of gongs and drums was the agreed upon signal, regardless of whether the thieves outside were real or fake. In any case, the surrounding “residents” all responded.

Clearly, the gongs and drums had enraged the police outside, and Chief James Ryan, who had not yet realized the danger, immediately ordered, “Breach the door, and if anyone resists, shoot them on the spot!”

Human lives are the cheapest commodity in chaotic times. Things that couldn’t be imagined in peaceful times became stress-free in such moments.

“Bang, bang-bang, bang-bang-bang…”

As the police were ramming the door, gunshots also began to ring out continuously. In the darkness, the gas lamps in the hands of the police became the best reference points, guiding the gunmen’s aim.

Seeing people continually getting shot and falling, Chief James Ryan, who realized something was wrong, urgently roared, “Turn out the lights, get down!”

Obviously, by the time he reacted, it was already too late. The call for uprising had been sounded prematurely, and now it was too much to hope for a stop. The dozen or so policemen who had stumbled into the vortex of the uprising became the first sacrifices.

Chaos is contagious, especially under the cover of night. No one knew the scale of the rebel army, which only intensified the panic.

As with all previous uprisings in Paris, in addition to those dissatisfied with the government who joined the rebel army willingly, many more joined in confusion.

Paris was in disarray. Shouts and screams filled the air, and in the homes of the wealthy, everyone except the children was fully armed.

If one observed closely, they would notice that even new weapons that the French Army had not yet managed to equip, such as the Mark machine guns and mortars, appeared in some of the nobility’s homes.

It was only astonishing how powerful the nobility’s networks were. The war in Europe had barely ended, and they had already obtained equipment from their former enemies.

If it weren’t for the concern about the consequences, it’s likely they could have managed to get their hands on armored vehicles too. After all, as soon as the Anti-French War ended, the Vienna Government had started a major sale of equipment. The difference was the transactions were with states, not individuals.

In the Presidential Palace, President Batiste was as agitated as an ant on a hot pan.

Since taking office, he had been incredibly busy, bending over backward for France. Despite his efforts, the situation continued to deteriorate, culminating in the current step.

Prime Minister Michael, who rushed over, didn’t hesitate at all and said directly, “Mr. President, the military refuses to deploy troops to suppress the rebellion. The situation is critical, and relying on the police alone is unlikely to solve the problem.

To get through this, we can only ask for help from the Russian Army outside the city.”

It was a tough decision. During the period when the Allied Forces governed France, there was no issue with them suppressing a rebellion.

Now that the power had been passed to the Paris Revolutionary Government, asking the Russians for help would mean “inviting foreign troops to suppress domestic rebellion,” which was an entirely different matter.

Once done, the already infamous Paris Revolutionary Government would become even more reviled. The stigma of being a “traitor to the nation” would likely never be shed.

“Alright, I’ll call the Russians abroad immediately!”

In a crucial moment, President Batiste still showed decisive action. No matter how severe the consequences, one had to get through the present difficulty first.

If the rebel army became significant, others might not know their fate, but he, as the President of the Revolutionary Government, was certainly doomed.

…

Chaos erupted within the City of Paris, and naturally, the Russian Army outside the city could not be kept in the dark. To maintain control of the situation in a timely manner, the Russian Army Command was still brightly lit at this time.

Including General Yevgeny, many Russian military leaders were watching the development of the situation, preparing to choose an appropriate point to intervene.

“Commander, a telegram from the Allied Command!”

Taking the telegram and reading it twice, General Yevgeny said helplessly, “Alright, everyone can rest now. No matter how chaotic Paris is tonight, it has nothing to do with us.”

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, General Yevgeny would have had a hard time believing that the Allied Command had actually issued a non-intervention directive.

However, a military order was a military order. Since the Allied Command had issued the order, no matter how unreasonable, all they could do was obey.

Disobey?

General Yevgeny wasn’t tired of living yet; he didn’t want to step out and challenge the authority of the Allied Command, at least not until he had the support of the Tsarist Government.

Without further explanation, Yevgeny passed the telegram for everyone to read. Whether they understood or not, they had to execute the orders.

“Commander, a phone call from the French President.”

General Yevgeny frowned and said irritably, “Tell President Batiste that I’ve gone to sleep. I’m not taking anyone’s calls now, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

Without guessing, Yevgeny knew that the Frenchman’s call was a plea for assistance.

He surmised that the situation in Paris had deteriorated to the extreme and that the Paris Revolutionary Government must rely on outside forces to stabilize the situation. While normally this would be a good opportunity to drive a hard bargain, it had nothing to do with him now.