Revolutionary Period – National Assembly (3)
I asked Eris to calm down the local public sentiment and quickly returned to the capital, Lumiere.
In any case, this is not a situation that can be resolved by any means.
Since the Republic is preparing for war with foreign powers, it is impossible to give up centralization and make concessions to the local governments.
Moreover, since they are clearly opposing the king and foreign powers, acknowledging that this incident is the Republic’s fault and weakening the government’s position will result in a huge backlash.
The best thing is to negotiate.
With that in mind, as soon as I returned to the capital, I asked to meet Maximilien Isidor.
His office was extremely monotonous.
All there is is a desk, chair and piles of documents. And lots of books.
A thin, bespectacled man offered me tea in a shabby office without any of the decorative paintings that most congressmen would normally have.
“I never thought we would meet in person like this, Marquis.”
“I thought so too, Senator.”
I tasted the tea he offered and then quietly put it down. Isidor glanced at the teacup while reading the document I gave him and opened his mouth.
“I guess it doesn’t suit the marquis’ taste.”
“…It’s a bit bitter.”
“In my office, there are no luxurious tea leaves or sugar that corrupts the soul.”
okay. Among the lawmakers who stood up against the so-called corrupt and depraved old system, he is the only one who truly lives a life no different from the common people.
Isidor read the document with a thoughtful expression, then put it down and adjusted his glasses.
“…Marquis, your point is that it was a mistake by the Republic?”
“This is the result of combining their opinions and the reports of the surviving attendants. “At least in this case, it was the Republic’s mistake.”
The Republic first executed peasants, and in response, conscripts and attendants were attacked.
Isidor kept his mouth shut.
There was a long silence, and the answer he gave was negative.
“But if they hadn’t rebelled against the Republic’s policies, such an unfortunate incident wouldn’t have happened.”
“Are you saying that you expect no backlash while imposing policies that are completely unsuitable for their circumstances?”
“…These are those who are standing still under the order established under the oppression of the corrupt and corrupt old system. “I acknowledge that they may feel a sense of victimization, but it is an inevitable sacrifice and through it democracy will take root in this country and true reform will become possible.”
“The reform you pursue is an absolute good and a necessary sacrifice even if it results in innocent victims?”
“The sacrifice of a few is heartbreaking and sad, but sometimes it is necessary to squeeze the tumor out for the sake of the whole.”
Maximilien Isidor’s eyes do not waver even an inch.
“Even the most experienced doctors make mistakes. Are you confident that your judgment is correct, even though you have only been in power for a few years? Think about how many of your comrades were corrupt and committed evil deeds intoxicated by the power they suddenly gained.”
“As a member of the National Assembly, I can assure you that I have never worked for this country out of self-interest. A republic must be morally perfect, and even if it is not, we will make it so. “If we slow down reform simply out of pity for local communities, the republic we worked so hard to build will collapse like a sand castle.”
These are not empty words. This person has led various reforms since taking the lead in the revolutionary government.
We are pursuing the introduction of a universal suffrage system that guarantees equal voting rights to the people regardless of their wealth, abolishing slavery itself so that citizens can never be sold abroad again, and introducing policies to prevent corruption and narrow the gap between the rich and the poor.
There is no effort to protect vested interests in any of the reforms he has promoted, and although he is in fact the head of the National Assembly, his status is officially just that of an ordinary member of the National Assembly, so he does not have any dictatorial power.
Isidor is morally blameless and is firmly convinced that he is right.
“great. I understand very well that the congressman has no intention of making concessions on reform or admitting the government’s mistakes. However, it is true that property owners linked to the revolutionary government enriched themselves by confiscating local assets. “It would be no problem to give them the punishment they deserve and seize their assets, right?”
“…I agree. Corruption should not be tolerated.”
“In that case, rather than acknowledging the Republic’s mistakes, it would be possible to provide appropriate compensation to the citizens of the Republic who have been harmed by corrupt asset owners.”
Isidor looked at me and adjusted his glasses.
“…Let’s put it on the agenda.”
“Isn’t that enough for the last time? “Further senseless suppression of religion will only divide the republic, rather than unite it.”
“Is it right to turn away from reason, rely on irrational faith, and rely on the old and corrupt Holy Church?”
“I am not asking you to serve the Holy Church, Senator. “There are people who have found comfort in their faith for a long time, so let’s give them the freedom to choose.”
“Even if the clergy are a hotbed of corruption and depravity, and the comfort they provide is just a trick?”
“The clergy who were unable to function properly due to corruption and corruption have already been killed by your revolutionary army. Maybe even a part of it that was doing its job.”
“….”
“The clergy who still survived after the storm passed are those who deserve to be respected by the people, or at least try to follow the laws of the republic.”
Isidor finished drinking his cooled tea, looked at me, and opened his mouth.
“You come from a noble family, so why do you do this for them?”
The initial motivation was the terms of the deal with the Holy Church. A promise to at least try to put forward an agenda to stop religious oppression.
However, what I felt after visiting the site in person was the extreme gap between the cause of the republic they advocated for and reality.
“The reason I held the hand of the republic rather than the king was not because I thought the republic was justice. “I just took it because I thought there was a better possibility for you, unlike the old system, which was clearly the worst.”
Isidor’s eyes are extremely calm.
I don’t know if what I say really reaches him, but I have no choice but to bump into him.
“I do not know exactly the value of the reform you are talking about. However, if a republic that claims to stand up for the people forces the people to make sacrifices for the republic, I cannot regard it as good, no matter how noble the cause may be. “I think this is a suspicion that any human being before a noble would naturally have.”
After quite a long silence, Isidor opened his mouth.
“I don’t agree with you.”
“Is that so.”
“The majority of the National Assembly will not agree. “They believe that the unity of the republic can only be achieved by setting an example for those who dare to rebel against the republican government.”
Isidore adjusted his glasses once again, looked at me intently, and opened his mouth.
“I firmly oppose your irrational and anti-reform opinions. However, I am only a member of the National Assembly and cannot decide such matters on my own. Therefore, the report of the Marquis, who has been delegated authority by the National Assembly, will be respected and his opinions will also be submitted to the agenda.”
Isidor stood up.
“The National Assembly will decide whose opinion is right.”
–
“I beg your pardon? Let’s go to the front first! “I’m going crazy and jumping up and down, Marquis!”
Damien de Mirbeau protested, foaming at the mouth.
“The republicans are openly planning to push back the northern army, but the Marquis, the commander of the southern army, is not participating in such an important battle!”
“I can’t help it. “I have to get involved in another situation, so I will leave overall command to Commander Raphael Balian.”
“Oh no! “You can’t believe I’m leaving the Southern Army in charge of such a mercenary ex-lover!”
“Of course, Balian is only the commander-in-chief in name. “I believe in Count Mirbeau’s abilities shown on the front lines.”
Damien’s eager resistance was in vain.
“Is it true, Marquis?”
If you think about it, he also has the ability to act as the lord’s representative, but the opponent is me…
“Of course. However, to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth, please basically combine with Balian’s northern army.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean I trust Damien, but I do trust Balian’s capabilities as a commander and Gaston who will assist Damien.
If you stop, you won’t make a big mistake.
“Oh, Damien de Mirbeau, you trusted me so much after I surrendered! “I will repay the Marquis’ trust and enhance the reputation of the Confederate Army!”
Damien saluted without hiding his anticipation and excitement and left my office before making a strange noise.
“Hi!”
When I looked to see what was going on, I saw Christine, dressed in a black dress as always, smiling brightly and greeting Damien.
“It’s been a while, Count Mirbeau.”
“Oh it’s been a while. Count of Aquitaine. I have an order from the Marquis. “Okay then!”
Damien, looking pale, quickly ran away, and Christine glanced behind him with cold eyes and then entered my office.
“Is it okay for you to judge someone like a bat like that?”
“Among the knight nobles I’ve seen, he’s the type that moves his head rather than his muscles, which is rare, and he’s one of the few who has ever participated in a large-scale spin.”
Moreover, since he took up the territory and sacrificed it, he has nothing left, and since he is from a noble family, there is no other way for him than to succeed under my command.
Above all, even if he had different feelings, the subordinates he would command were all my people.
“Besides, if you think that there are enough benefits to sticking with this side, you won’t have any other thoughts.”
Christine naturally came up to me and sighed softly.
“is it so. “By the way, you did something outrageous again.”
I smiled bitterly at Christine’s somewhat reproachful look.
I also wanted to avoid a situation where I could not participate in a war that would receive such important attention.
But I can’t help it.
If I, the person in charge of this matter and the de facto head of our faction, withdraw from this matter, the conclusion is like a foregone conclusion.
“I’m sorry, but…”
“I know, Pierre. I help too. “This is a matter of life and death for me.”
In fact, Christine is making an amount of money that makes the money she has earned so far seem ridiculous due to the exclusive trade deal with the Holy Church within the Republic.
But here, if we join with the Republic in suppressing believers on a large scale, we are giving the Church a justification to cut off the deal.
“I don’t know what the other side thinks, but there is a chance of victory.”
In reality, granting autonomy is difficult. It is difficult to make this a mistake of the Republic.
then.
“All we have to do is put the blame on those who committed evil and corruption by taking advantage of the prestige of the Republic.”
Christine also nodded.
“If we use Representative Izidor, we can get there.”
Maximilien Isidor is a person with whom it is difficult to compromise because he is full of his own beliefs, but that is why he will not hide and publicize the evil acts committed by the conscripts of the Republic on the ground.
The corruption of pro-republican capitalists who enriched themselves with church property stolen by the republic will also be publicly punished. Even if it worked against him and the radicals’ position.
Especially since they believe that their opinions are the consensus of the people.
“If we punish them, compensate them financially, appease them, and stop suppressing religion, we will be able to control it somehow.”
From the beginning, controlling public sentiment was Eris’s specialty, and her status as a saint played a vital role in the religious resistance movement.
“But the Republic also saw blood. No matter how corrupt and depraved they are, the citizens will not be very happy if the republican government in the capital is unilaterally punished. “Because people are quite sentimental.”
“You are right Christine. So the blame will fall on Count Lionel.”
“…Lionel.”
We were on one side in the civil war. A family that I passed by with Eris and helped with the looting, and also spoke in defense of our side against the damn Duke of Lorraine.
In the end, we can understand that those who could not abandon the mindset of feudal aristocrats do not sympathize with us who committed ourselves to the republic.
but.
“They incited a rebellion and almost stained this land with blood again. Moreover, even though they left, they are also nobles, so it could be an excuse for the opposition to attack us. “If we just ignore this, it will definitely become a threat someday.”
Therefore, I must personally declare them enemies and subdue them. And that’s why I can’t directly participate in the war against foreign powers.
Christine looked at me quietly and opened her mouth.
“It’s somewhat ironic that we, the nobles, are fighting the nobles on the side of the republic.”
“It’s that kind of era. … It’s a situation where you have to be prepared to do that.”
–
As expected, Maximilien Isidore confiscated local church assets and publicly criticized those who had enriched themselves, confiscating their assets and accusing local conscripts of their evil practices.
We accordingly brought in the families of local victims and made them complain about what they had experienced in front of citizens and spread rumors about the local situation, which was different from that in the capital.
Nevertheless, when it became widely known that the local residents had rejected Count Lionel’s call for an uprising and wanted to compromise with the republic, the public opinion of the citizens, who had been indifferent at first, was greatly shaken.
In the same square, speakers from different positions echoed among the citizens.
“How much blood was shed in the revolution? How long on earth must Fransians continue to bleed among themselves when there are clear enemies: the old regime and foreign powers? It’s time to be tolerant! “They are not our enemies, but our neighbors and comrades who will overcome this crisis together!”
“They pretend to be tolerance, but that only slows down the revolution!
Try to slow down the revolution like that. That is when you will see a military dictatorship hijacking the revolution and overthrowing the representative body of the people whose so-called leaders have been corrupted!”
Isidore and the radicals must have thought that the radicals would receive the support of the parliament and citizens, as they always did.
But the landscape of the capital has changed a lot since we joined.
Those who had been wandering around looking for something to direct their anger at during times of starvation and hardship had somehow become comfortable thanks to the activities of the Aquitaine upper class, and were slowly growing tired of the extremely unstable and bloody political situation in the capital.
When they thought they were traitors to the revolution without any investigation, citizens could have easily condemned them and called for their death, but even after knowing the reality of the corrupt officials who had such circumstances and clear responsibility, they could not find a reason to call for their death.
What’s more, he even provided an obvious background for the nobles of the old system who were encouraging the innocent peasants who hated them to revolt.
The change in citizen public opinion slowly but surely spread throughout the city, and lawmakers who were exposed to it gradually lost confidence.
Once the atmosphere calmed down, Christine’s secret lobbying efforts began to bear fruit.
Finally, it is voting day for the National Assembly.
“248 votes in favor, 223 against, 29 abstentions…”
The speaker’s declaration rang out in the silent parliament.
“The lifting of the religious suppression order and compensation for local residents were approved.”
“What? Nonsense!”
“There is a traitor among us!”
“This is invalid. How can we when our faction is in the majority? “I request a re-vote!”
In a council filled with confusion and clamor, Maximilien Isidore closed his eyes tightly, then slowly opened them and looked at me.
The idealist’s eyes, which were based on his firm moral theory, were shaking for the first time since they met.
“Please speak to Representative Izidor!”
“This is invalid. There must be something wrong!”
As Isidore stood up, the lawmakers who were clamoring closed their mouths and listened to what he said.
“…If democracy fails, it will happen in one of two ways. Either by ruining the aristocracy of the rulers or by contempt for the authority the people have established for themselves.”
With everyone looking at him, Isidor opened his mouth again.
“I accept the result. If we ourselves deny the results of the National Assembly, which was delegated by the people, the people will despise us, saying we have been tainted by aristocracy.”
After finishing speaking, Isidor turned his back and left the council.
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