CHAPTER 564: CHAPTER 555 "THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE

If Silistra and the Battle of Alma can be likened to the wood igniting the flames of renewed war enthusiasm among the peoples of England and France, then the capture of Sevastopol undoubtedly poured a barrel of refined oil onto the passionate fire within the hearts of the English and French populace, further solidifying their confidence in defeating the Russian Empire.

Especially in France, the original skepticism toward the Crimean War was completely submerged by fervent national pride. Under the strong promotion of the Imperial Government, various major newspapers began competing to report on the brave and fearless performance of the French Army in the Crimean War. Some small newspapers even shouted slogans like "March to Moscow, hang Nicolai."

Below are excerpts from some newspapers within Paris:

This is a victory for the Empire and also for the thirty million French people. Forty-two years ago at this time, the tyrant Alexander used despicable means to repel the French Empire under the leadership of the former emperor. Forty-two years later, today, all the French people, under the great leadership of Emperor Jerome Bonaparte, have successfully washed away this stigma imprinted on France.

History has proven that only by adhering to the imperial system and steadfastly following Bonaparte’s leadership can France usher in a new tomorrow!

—Excerpt from the Bonaparte Newspaper

France can only stand again in the international community by adhering to the principles of one country, one nation, one leader... Uniting the vast French populace and promoting the policy of concentrating the strength of the majority to accomplish great things... In the past, France was too free, so all our energy was focused on party struggles, thereby neglecting the development of France... From now on, we should closely unite around the Imperial Government with the Emperor at its core, making France great again...

—Excerpt from the Truth Daily

... Although this newspaper does not agree with the ideas of His Majesty Jerome Bonaparte, it must be admitted that the capture of Sevastopol by the French Army this time is entirely credited to His Majesty Jerome Bonaparte...

—Excerpt from the National Newspaper (Republican Faction newspaper)

...

Whether left-wing (or Republican Faction), centrist, or right-wing (Orthodox Faction, Catholic Faction), after the news of the Sevastopol Fortress was released, all chose to temporarily unite around the Jerome Bonaparte Government.

Because only in this way can they avoid being drowned by the surging tide of public opinion and becoming one of the "non-nationals."

The authority of the Imperial Government has been reinforced like never before under the "Sevastopol."

In the short term, voices contradicting the imperial will are unlikely to appear again.

As a future Steel Father once said, victors can avoid any accusations or doubts, and even temporarily help people forget the present sufferings.

Under the grand narrative, the French populace only saw the Allied Forces winning victory after victory, selectively forgetting that behind each victory, thousands of deaths had to be paid as a price.

People, intoxicated by victory, even forgot that those soldiers fighting bloodily on the Crimean battlefield were people just like them, not just a string of numbers.

Of course, this time the price paid by the Allied Forces for victory was much less than in history.

From the Battle of Alma to the capture of Sevastopol, the Allied Forces’ death toll was only about 6,500, among which the British Army itself contributed 3,000.

This is even less than the death toll in the historical Battle of Inkerman, and after the Battle of Inkerman, there were still a series of wars.

The Allied Forces (mainly the British Army) still launched attacks on Sevastopol under unfavorable conditions such as lacking clothing and food and harsh environments.

The Anglo-French Alliance Army in this timespace is considerably better than the Anglo-French Alliance Army in the historical line.

As the biggest beneficiary of this war, Jerome Bonaparte had already boarded the carriage heading to the Bourbon Palace. He wanted to take advantage of the current frenzied atmosphere to deliver his speech to the representatives of the Bourbon Palace Legislative Corps.

Although the power of the Legislative Corps has now been weakened by Jerome Bonaparte to only having the function of voting, it still represents the will of all the French people, especially those farmers with their backs to the soil and faces to the sky.

This seemingly elusive will is precisely the critical tool to suppress adventurers and military leaders.

Leaders who rely on military power to rule fear being imitated by those who come later, so they go to great lengths to cloak their actions in the guise of nationwide will.

Jerome Bonaparte similarly uses this method to restrain the rise of ambitious individuals, causing military leaders to have second thoughts.

After all, no smaller or larger military leaders within France could win the favor of 70% of French farmers like Jerome Bonaparte.

When the cost paid cannot be proportional to the benefits generated, most military leaders naturally consider complying with Paris’s will.

Not to mention that Jerome Bonaparte now holds the Central War Zone and Eastern War Zone in his hands, while simultaneously infiltrating and controlling the North and South Major Battle Zones.

French generals who lack courage can only choose to follow Jerome Bonaparte, reinforced by public opinion.

When Jerome Bonaparte’s carriage arrived at the entrance of the Bourbon Palace, government-friendly representatives who had been waiting for a long time hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

Jerome Bonaparte stepped down from the carriage with a smile, shook hands with each representative, and said to them, "Thank you for your hard work."

The representatives, whose hands were shaken by Jerome Bonaparte, responded with trembling voices, "It’s not hard work; it is what we should do."

Just as the pro-government representatives thought Jerome Bonaparte would enter the Bourbon Palace after shaking their hands, his next action surprised them greatly.

Jerome Bonaparte approached the few opposition representatives, extended his hand with a smile, and said, "Thank you for your hard work too!"

The opposition representative, Mr. Favre, was stunned in place when he saw Jerome Bonaparte extending his hand.

"Mr. Favre, are you, who fears nothing, afraid to shake hands with me?" Jerome Bonaparte said calmly.

Favre had no choice but to extend his hand and shake Jerome Bonaparte’s.

Jerome Bonaparte whispered to Favre, "Representative Favre, thank you for your hard work!"

With a stern face, Favre whispered back to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, congratulations on winning the favor of the French people! You’ve won a round for now! However, the current French populace doesn’t know the price they have to pay for the victory they are celebrating!"

"Representative, you are right! I have only temporarily beaten you!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded empathetically, then shrugged and said, "As for the price you’re referring to, it is actually not so much! All costs need to be divided by thirty million, and they will become insignificant!"

"Your Majesty, you want to bring everyone onto your war chariot!" Representative Favre said with a hint of anger in his words.

"If that’s how you see it, then I have nothing to say! Watch and see! I will make France great once again!" Jerome Bonaparte released Favre’s hand and shook hands with the remaining few opposition representatives.

Encircled by pro-government representatives and under the indignant gaze of Favre, Jerome Bonaparte entered the right corridor of the Bourbon Palace’s assembly hall, waiting for both pro-government and opposition representatives to be seated in the parliamentary chamber.

Once all representatives were seated, Jerome Bonaparte, dressed in a suit, walked with firm steps to the central podium of the assembly hall.

In an instant, the entire parliamentary chamber erupted with enthusiastic applause as all representatives in the Bourbon Palace stood up to show their respect for Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte approached the podium amid the enthusiastic applause. The applause continued for a long moment after he reached the podium, only ceasing when he raised his hand to signal the representatives could stop, prompting them to sit back down.

Standing at the podium, Jerome Bonaparte looked at the representatives below and confidently began, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to meet you in this hall that represents the will of thirty million French people."

"Hypocritical!" sneered Favre disdainfully from below.

"You come from various regions of France, trusted by the people of your respective areas who cast their precious votes for you, hoping to express their stance through you to me. Therefore, I hope you wisely exercise your rights and do not betray their trust!" Jerome Bonaparte reiterated the rights of the Legislative Corps representatives as usual.

After pausing for a moment, he got to the point: "Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sure each of you has heard the news! Yes! The loyal and brave soldiers of France have defeated the garrison stationed in the Sevastopol Fortress on the Crimea Peninsula and occupied Sevastopol! In this war, we have defeated 30,000 Russian soldiers and crushed the Russian Empire’s strategy to mount a defensive war relying on Sevastopol! Now, let’s applaud our young Frenchmen!"

The applause from the parliamentarians below was continuous, with pro-government representatives standing and loudly shouting, "Long live the Empire!"

Even die-hard opposition representatives like Favre had no choice but to stand alongside the victorious pro-government officials and shout "Long live the Empire!" in this atmosphere.

The applause and cheers abruptly ended at the signal of Jerome Bonaparte, who resumed speaking: "On the Crimea battlefield, we not only thank the French youth for their struggle and advance but also pay tribute to the commanders led by Marshal Saint Arno and General Pellissier. It is due to their command that the French Army could firmly grasp victory in their hands."

...

As Jerome Bonaparte became increasingly engaged in his speech, he gradually deviated from the script, passionately recounting the victory at Sevastopol.

The emotions of the representatives below were stirred by Jerome Bonaparte, with representatives occasionally shouting slogans like "Long live the Empire" and "Long live the Emperor," causing Jerome Bonaparte’s speech to be frequently interrupted by sudden cheers.

Each time this happened, Jerome Bonaparte would pause, let the parliamentarians finish their chants, and then speak again.

Towards the end of the speech, Jerome Bonaparte, with a somewhat tragic tone, expressed hope that the Legislative Corps would approve additional funds for the French Army’s operations in Crimea.

"We cannot let our brave and fearless soldiers fight the aggressive Russians with a mere stick!"

The representatives below unanimously agreed with Jerome Bonaparte’s proposal, and the resolution to allocate an additional two hundred million francs in military funding was passed unanimously.