Revolutionary period – End of civil war
Lumière, capital of the French Republic.
In the National Assembly, members of each party gathered to discuss the Duke of Lorraine’s proposal delivered by the Marquis de Lafayette at the front.
“Let’s send away the nobles who sacrificed countless lives in the civil war. “Does that make sense?”
The revolutionary party, which was born as a radical, was naturally negative.
“But does that mean there is any need to shed any more blood in a war that is already over? “If they hand over the king, this terrible civil war can end and the Republic can recover all of Francia.”
However, Revolutionary Party members also shed tears at the words of Liberal Party President Nicola Brissot.
The civil war in Francia, which began with princes competing for the throne and continued until the revolution, was very long and resulted in countless bloodshed.
As the Revolutionary Party members hesitated, Maximilien Isidore spoke.
“The Duke of Lorraine and King Louis would have little power left to resist anyway. “Now that the Germanic Empire and the Northern United Kingdom have withdrawn, defeat has already been decided, and the morale of their soldiers will be extremely low.”
Isidor added, adjusting his glasses with his hand.
“On the other hand, they demanded that I go into exile with my property. “Alsace and Lorraine were on the outskirts of the civil war, so the property they would dispose of and take away would be considerable.”
After hearing that, the lawmakers also swallowed their saliva.
The current financial situation of the Republic is at a level where it is walking a precarious tightrope on the verge of bankruptcy, and if it were not for the help of the top of Aquitaine, it would have gone bankrupt long ago.
“Blood may flow to some extent, but the enemy’s morale is low anyway, so they will not put up any serious resistance. “Rather than having the wealth accumulated by exploiting the people while protecting the edge of a civil war and taking it abroad, it is better to risk a little bloodshed.”
“Hmm, but I wonder if I have to come this far and make sacrifices…”
When Nicola Brissot was reluctant to respond to Isidore’s remarks, a different opinion came from the Revolutionary Party.
“How about pretending to accept their offer and taking over the territory, then arresting them, executing them, and confiscating their property?”
“Oh, that might be better! Those despicable nobles must see blood!”
“So, aren’t they going to betray the king in the first place? “There won’t be any problem if I repay the same amount!”
When the lawmakers seemed to agree, Maximilien Isidor and Nicolas Brissot slowly turned their gaze toward the Center Party.
And the Count of Anjou, the leader of the Central Party, who received the attention of the two people, turned his gaze to his right again.
Christine D’Aquitaine, who is nominally a member of the Central Party but actually leads the Central Party in the capital, slowly raised her hand when she made eye contact with the Count of Anjou.
Even so, as she was the only female member of the National Assembly and stood out because of her black dress like mourning clothes, attention naturally focused on her when she got the right to speak.
“With the end of the civil war approaching, it does not seem wise to conclude an agreement to end the war and immediately break it.”
“Kuhm, is the promise we made with the rebels a formal end-of-war agreement?”
“It may be embarrassing, but our republic’s official status in most foreign countries is still rebel. So, is there any reason to give them an excuse when we need to end the civil war and normalize diplomatic relations with at least some countries?”
After finishing speaking, Christine paused a little and opened her mouth with a grin.
“I don’t think the people will be happy if our republic continues to depend on monopoly trade between the upper Aquitaine and the Holy Church.”
I don’t mind though.
Although Christine didn’t say those words out loud, all of the members heard them and their faces hardened.
Ultimately, in order to revive the national economy devastated by civil war and stabilize the quality of life of the people, trade sanctions on some countries must be lifted.
“Then what is the Central Party’s position? Are you saying we should accept their offer and send it to them as is? Or do you want to continue the war?”
Christine came close to Count Anjou and whispered something, and he opened his mouth.
“How about a compromise?”
–
The Duchy of Lorraine in the dark.
King Louis was lying in his luxurious bedroom.
The bed is soft and the blanket is warm.
The bedroom prepared for the king by a high-ranking noble as high as a duke was comfortable enough, although it was not comparable to that of the royal castle.
However, even though it was only the end of autumn, King Louis was shivering with chills and could not sleep.
-His Majesty the King of Francia.
A cold, disdainful look.
I could not forget the face of the old soldier of the Germanian Empire who had fought on the same battlefield as his father, who was praised as the King of Knights.
“How dare you…”
When King Louis, who could not sleep, was pouring out his anger with bloodshot eyes, footsteps were heard.
Once a promising knight, he jumped out of bed when he realized there were not one or two footsteps, but many.
He got up in his pajamas and urgently grabbed the sword that was standing on the corner of the wall.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps outside the door stopped, and as soon as King Louis drew his sword, the doorknob began to turn.
Slowly but quietly.
A spark flew from King Louis’ eyes as he realized that those who entered the room in the dark were wearing masks and holding swords and guns in their hands.
How dare this King of Francia!
Those insignificant scum!
Enraged, King Louis raised his sword high and jumped at the assassin.
“Huh huh?”
“Aaaah!”
The embarrassed assassins showed off their clumsiness by shooting their guns and swinging their swords, but they were slaughtered by King Louis, who was protected by magical power.
Blood spattered on his pajamas and exposed bare skin, and King Louis killed everyone in sight and ran out into the hallway.
King Louis flinched at the feel of the cold hallway against his bare feet, but then he let out a loud scream.
“stomach trouble! He’s an assassin! Assassins are after Jim! “Protect the baggage immediately-”
At that moment, King Louis saw fully armed soldiers with swords drawn towards him.
As soon as their eyes met, King Louis realized that they had not drawn their swords to protect him.
-Duke of Lorraine The old traitor cannot be trusted.
The words he had said to Archduke Leopold flashed through his mind.
King Louis hurriedly ran back into the room.
His bare feet splashed blood as he stepped on the assassins’ blood, which had already begun to pool.
King Louis locked the door and started running towards the balcony.
Blood-red footprints were engraved on the floor of the room decorated with extravagant carpets, following King Louis as he moved.
As he ran frantically and opened the balcony door, the autumn breeze penetrated through the silk pajamas that exposed his chest, making King Louis’ body tremble.
Below the balcony, I could see the torches surrounding the mansion moving.
“You can never miss it even if you kill it!”
Hearing the cry of the Duke of Lorraine, who had once bowed down to him, King Louis returned to the room as if he was being chased.
Countless footsteps are heard outside the door.
Despicable traitors.
-If Your Majesty is truly the owner of an honorable kingdom of knights.
Traitor bastards.
-If you are the owner of the people of this land.
Dare to me, the rightful owner of the throne.
-If you are the leader of the allies of the glorious Germanian Empire.
In my trembling body and in my mind that had turned completely white with embarrassment, there was only a cold voice that I did not want to repeat.
The door started shaking with a bang.
King Louis flopped down in his seat.
The pistol the assassin dropped lies in front of his lap.
-It would be better for you to end your life now to protect your Majesty’s honor and the people of this country.
In my confused mind, only the words left by Archduke Leopold flashed.
The Duke of Lorraine betrayed.
To hand him over to the rebels of those lowly creatures who only want me to live.
King Louis raised the pistol with trembling hands.
Tears were flowing down my cheeks.
When I die, I want to die like the king of the knight kingdom.
I don’t want to be booed and trampled by miserable mean things.
As he slowly raised the pistol and placed it on his chin, the touch of the cold metal gave King Louis an eerie sensation.
Finally, the door fell apart after being kicked several times, and the soldiers of the Duke of Lorraine who ran in were frightened when they saw King Louis.
“I will die as a king.”
A terribly trembling voice echoes through the room –
“Ugh, no!”
Gunfire rang out along with the soldiers’ screaming voices.
–
As a result of the meeting at the National Assembly, we accepted the Duke of Lorraine’s proposal and formally concluded an agreement to end the war.
The Duke of Lorraine cedes King Louis’ new troops and fiefdoms, and the Revolutionary Army guarantees that it will not get involved, allowing the Duke of Lorraine and his faction to go into exile with their property.
The white flag was raised at Nancy, the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, and we entered the city without shedding blood.
Balian and I stood at the head of the revolutionary army and looked around the city.
The people who came out in groups of twos and threes to look at the revolutionary army were so skinny that they looked destitute at first glance.
I looked around at them and made eye contact with Louis Desget behind me.
Deje nodded at me and left the line.
When the revolutionary army’s procession finally reached the Duke of Lorraine’s residence inside the city, the Duke of Lorraine greeted us.
You must be thinking of leaving before we change our minds, as there is a procession of all kinds of wagons in front of the mansion.
“Welcome, Marquis de Lafayette. And hmmm…”
“This is Raphael Balian, Duke of Lorraine.”
“Ah General Balian! “I have heard and know the general’s title!”
Balian smiled an extremely pretentious smile, and I asked the Duke of Lorraine what he needed to check first.
“Then, can you check on King Louis, who you said you secured for the Duke of Lorraine?”
“Oh, that’s right. “I’ve secured it, but I think you’ll have to come and see it in person.”
The Duke of Lorraine had a strange expression, so Balian and I exchanged puzzled looks.
It wasn’t until we followed him that we realized why he reacted this way.
King Louis, facing us while tied to a chair, let out a moan full of pain, neither a scream nor a shout.
Can not help it. There was no lower jaw underneath his face where it should have been, and the ugly wound had been roughly covered with a bloody bandage.
This is why King Louis cannot speak human language.
“Well that. “This is what happened when I tried to commit suicide with a pistol.”
When the Duke of Lorraine said that in embarrassment, King Louis shed tears and let out a scream like the howl of an animal.
The moment I pulled the pistol, did I throw my head back because I couldn’t overcome the fear?
For a king who was once a brave royal and supported by young knights, he is extremely miserable.
“Well, will this survive until we take it to Lumiere? “To ask a saint for treatment…”
I furrowed my brows and looked at King Louis’ terrible appearance.
Although they are different ships, she is still her brother. Wouldn’t it be heartbreaking to see the good-natured Eris looking like this?
“Then can we say that the treaty has been fully complied with?”
While I was in the middle of thinking, the tactless Duke of Lorraine asked me something and I burst out laughing.
“Yes, I’m sure. You may go, Duke of Lorraine. The revolutionary army has no involvement with you.”
“Oh, you are indeed a nobleman who knows honor, Marquis Lafayette. Even though the path is divided, I will remember your honor that shone amidst the mob!”
The Duke of Lorraine hurried away and Balian whistled.
“Can I do that? “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“Well, that’s…”
I muttered, glancing towards the door the Duke of Lorraine had exited through.
“The people of this land will decide.”
–
A procession led by the Duke of Lorraine began to advance toward the exit of the city, as residents gathered in groups in the streets to watch the revolutionary army enter.
The residents, who were well-fed and flamboyantly dressed, looked on in bewilderment as they drove out a carriage filled with luxury items and property they had accumulated.
“Hehehe, you did very well, Count Felford.”
“Isn’t this all thanks to the wisdom of His Excellency the Duke, who recognized the honor of the Marquis de Lafayette? haha!”
The Duke of Lorraine laughed with Count Felford and felt satisfied and relieved.
This is property that was collected by harshly expropriating the territory until the day before the conclusion of the surrender agreement on the grounds that it was a territory that was going to be abandoned anyway and that harsh war taxes were being levied during a civil war.
Although it is painful to lose your territory and go into exile, with this amount of wealth, you can live comfortably wherever you go.
Count Lionel, look at that idiot. There is nothing left to fight until the end to protect the territory.
The Duke of Lorraine, who was thinking so, narrowed his eyes when the carriage he was riding in stopped and a rumbling sound was heard.
The Duke of Lorraine opened the carriage window.
“Hey what’s going on?”
“I am very sorry, Your Excellency the Duke. “The market is blocking our way.”
“Tsk, what are you doing! “I won’t beat you to death or chase you out!”
“Citizens of Nancy!”
But the mayor’s cry was faster.
“The taxes we paid to this author, enduring hunger and cold, were paid in the belief that he would fulfill his duty to us as a lord! But look at them now! “Aren’t they running away with the wealth they made by exploiting us?”
“Kill that bastard right now!”
Soldiers under orders from the Duke of Lorraine tried to approach him, but the city guards blocked them.
“Those who follow the duke, listen! Do you think that well-fed pig will take care of you even if you go abroad? You will be abandoned just as you are now abandoned! Citizens! Let’s take back what’s ours!”
Heat began to spread in an instant in the eyes of the citizens who were helplessly watching the Duke’s procession.
The Duke of Lorraine and the Earl of Felford felt horrified.
The Duke of Lorraine urgently called out through the window of the carriage, looking for a man in a revolutionary officer’s uniform among the gathered crowd.
“Look! Call the revolutionary army. “Protect us from this mob!”
The man, Louis Desget, glanced at the Duke of Lorraine and answered.
“I apologize, His Excellency the Duke of Lorraine. “Didn’t the treaty you signed with His Excellency the Marquis de Lafayette clearly state that the revolutionary army would not be involved?”
-The Revolutionary Army allows the Duke of Lorraine and his faction to go into exile with their property and guarantees that they will not get involved in it.
The Duke of Lorraine interpreted this to mean that the revolutionary army would guarantee his safety.
However, those who stand in their way now are not the revolutionary army.
The Duke of Lorraine’s face became blank, then turned red with anger, and he grabbed Count Felford by the collar.
“How did this happen!”
“I am so sorry, Your Excellency the Duke! “Something was a mistake.”
As the angry crowd began to surge, those guarding the wagon train threw down their weapons and either surrendered or fled.
“Call the Marquis de La Lafayette! Lafayette-”
The Duke of Lorraine shouted urgently, but before he could finish speaking, the crowd began to surge toward the carriage he was riding.
The tragic death rang out without any condolences.
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