Thiers was evidently lost in thought due to Eugène Roué’s questions.
The Order Party indeed has the need and the ability to support a military leader, but who could guarantee that these military men would not, like Napoleon of the past, develop ambitions they shouldn’t harbor? At that time, Napoleon was also recognized as a son of the revolution, even I only wanted a place in Paris at first. Now, I am just one step away from the center of power.
"A leader with capability and determination, who is also supported by the army, may not necessarily obey the orders of the National Assembly!" Roue pressed on.
"Your influence in the military is not small either!" Thiers retorted with a cold snort, "The generals perched over France, aren’t they all people who followed the Emperor in campaigns east and west back then? They hold boundless admiration for the Emperor!"
Thirty years is not enough to replace a generation, and as Thiers said, the officers who rose alongside the Emperor have now grown into generals.
Back then, Roue saw the potential Bonaparte had within the French Army and resolutely sided with Bonaparte, for the key to a regime’s survival lies in its stability and the attitude of the military. As long as the army does not oppose it, this regime can exist.
In front of Thiers, Roue could only downplay the Bonaparte Faction’s influence over the military. With an exaggerated Parisian accent, he said to Thiers, "Mr. Thiers, does our army even have this thing called loyalty? When the emperor fell, they comfortably switched allegiance to the House of Bourbon! When the republic came, they abandoned the House of Bourbon and turned to the republic! Loyalty means nothing to them; they only care about whether they can gain enough benefits from the rebellion!"
Thiers, too, shared this sentiment in his heart, knowing that the French military only cared about its own purse.
In other words, whoever could lead them to loot, they would obey.
If they couldn’t be led to expedition, they would abandon this regime without hesitation.
Louis Philippe’s failure lies here; back then, I also wanted to learn from His Majesty to lead the army to plunder, but unfortunately, I fell short.
[In 1840, due to a tough stance on supporting Muhammad Ali against Turkey, interference from England, Russia, Prussia, and Austria led to failure, and he was forced to resign on October 29, 1840.]
"Maybe you are quite right!" Thiers’s hand trembled slightly due to emotion, his voice becoming more solemn, "Then what are your interests?"
"Mr. Thiers!" Roue’s expression also turned serious as he understood that this was the crucial moment of the confrontation, "I heard that after you resigned, you urged the construction of the ’Thiers’ Wall, which was a magnificent project!"
[Thiers Wall: to appease a disappointed Thiers, Louis Philippe entrusted him with the task of fully supervising the construction of the Paris Wall, a task that took three years, facing huge deficits and corruption along the way, which Louis Philippe did not inquire about. People generally believed that Thiers indulged in rampant corruption during the wall project, creating deficits.]
Thiers instantly understood the intentions of Eugène Roué, the greedy Bonapartist.
Four years was enough time for them to squander quite a bit.
Thiers was not afraid of these Bonapartists’ corruption; on the contrary, what he feared was that these guys were not corrupt.
Those who are not corrupt often seek something bigger.
What a bunch of greedy people!
Thiers secretly despised them in his heart, but still said, "Of course, that was a project I personally supervised!"
"We would also like to supervise a project that can benefit all of France, just like Mr. Thiers!" Roue said with a face full of greed, "Everything is for France!"
"Yes! Everything is for France!" Thiers also showed a sly smile, feeling that the threat of the Bonaparte Faction had been minimized in his heart.
"Moreover, Mr. Thiers! Our leader is only 26 years old and lacks enough prestige in France! He must rely on outstanding politicians like you for guidance!" Eugène Roué continued to tempt Thiers with grand promises.
"Do you (Bonaparte Faction) have no complaints?" Thiers asked back.
"We (Bonaparte Faction) will integrate with you (Order Party)!" Roue said to Thiers.
"On behalf of our Order Party, I welcome you to join!" Roue’s grand promises were very tempting to Thiers. Jerome Bonaparte’s age and qualifications became both his weaknesses and his strengths.
"Then, our proposal..." Roue asked Thiers with a joyful expression.
"We will do our utmost to facilitate the return of Prince Louis Napoleon, and the rest of the elections will be up to you. I believe you can do it!"
Thiers made the most regretful decision of his life.
The Charter movement’s "petition" action lasted for a total of 3 days.
During these 3 days, the British Government, contrary to its previous lenient attitude towards the Charter Faction, struck hard against it.
Hundreds of Charter Faction "leaders" and "workers" were arrested, and small and medium-sized Left-Wing newspapers were banned.
As the largest among the left-wing newspapers, "Polar Star" was also sternly warned by the United Kingdom Government.
However, "Polar Star" disregarded these warnings; even if they received verbal warnings, they continued to criticize the United Kingdom Government’s issues.
Articles insinuating with a Bonapartism title appeared in the "Polar Star" and other left-wing newspapers.
For a time, workers and gentlemen throughout London and its nearby counties all learned about Louis Bonaparte.
Some people acquainted with Louis Napoleon also began to capitalize on the situation, vigorously promoting Louis Napoleon’s "great achievements" in the United Kingdom, as if he was born to save the United Kingdom.
However, while they were extolling these "great achievements," they didn’t forget to mention themselves.
Some with ulterior motives even took to demonstrations in the United Kingdom, chanting slogans like "We want our Napoleon!"
Jerome Bonaparte’s hope for a media offensive by The Times unexpectedly came to fruition in the hands of the "Polar Star".
Even Jerome Bonaparte, who was in detention, could not help but feel wistful upon hearing the news.
He had underestimated the power of the left-wing newspapers.
The United Kingdom Government had to consider how to eliminate the sudden surge of admiration for "Bonaparte" in the United Kingdom and how to handle Jerome Bonaparte, who was detained in the London Metropolitan Police District.