I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1180 Coup
Alexander said coldly, "Please step aside. There's nothing you can do."

Count Bobulinsky's pupils contracted, and he shouted to his servants, "Stop them, including the Crown Prince! This is a coup!"

Alexander glanced at the seven or eight strong and sturdy servants—these were elite guards that Count Boblinsky had selected from the Twin Trading Company's guards, and they were very capable fighters—and frowned. He knew that his father could escape at any moment, and he could not afford to waste any more time.

He suddenly drew his pistol, pulled back the bolt, but turned the muzzle to his own heart and shouted to Count Boblinsky, "I was wrong. I will take responsibility for all of this."

He then pulled the trigger, and the loud bang startled everyone.

Things changed so fast that Count Bobulinsky's mind was instantly filled with the thought that "the crown prince is dead." He pushed aside the servants blocking his way and ran toward Alexander, who was lying on the ground.

Just as he was about two steps away from Alexander, the latter suddenly winked at the captain who was supporting him.

The officer immediately abandoned the crown prince, turned around, sprang up, and placed his sword against Count Boblinsky's neck.

Alexander stood up, pointed at the bastard son, and said to the servants who were fighting with his men, "Put down your weapons immediately, or I will kill him!"

Yes, his pistol wasn't loaded with lead bullets; he originally intended to use it to intimidate Paul I into signing the abdication papers, but it ended up being used here.

When the guards of the Gemini Trading Company saw that their boss had been taken into custody, they were at a loss for what to do.

Alexander's guards swiftly seized their weapons.

A lieutenant immediately grabbed a pre-prepared axe and chopped open the door to the Tsar's room in a few swift movements. The only guard inside, threatened by the gun, huddled fearfully in a corner.

Alexander went straight to the Tsar's bedroom.

When his men broke down the bedroom door, he immediately saw Paul I, dressed in white pajamas, opening the secret passage door behind the bed.

"Stop him!"

Paul I glanced at the intruder in alarm, then froze, exclaiming, "It's you?"

Before his son could answer, he realized what was happening and turned to escape into the secret passage.

Alexander's gaze sharpened instantly, his mind flashing back to the endless humiliation and corporal punishment his father had inflicted upon him. If he allowed his father into the secret passage, an even more terrifying life awaited him.

Without hesitation, he pointed at the Tsar and yelled at the captain beside him, "Fire! Quickly!"

Smoke and flames billowed out, and a spray of blood instantly appeared at the entrance of the secret passage.

Alexander felt his hands and feet getting cold. He carefully circled the large bed, hoping to see him still there, but also hoping he hadn't hit a vital spot.

When his gaze passed over the headboard, what appeared before him was his father, who had already passed away.

The latter had a horrifying bloody hole on her chest, and her white pajamas were mostly stained bright red.

A captain strode forward, pressed his finger on the Tsar's artery, and then turned to Alexander and shook his head.

The captain who had just fired the shot immediately knelt down on one knee beside Alexander: "Your Majesty the Tsar!"

The others also knelt down: "Your Majesty the Tsar!" Alexander bowed his head and left Paul's bedroom. He sat in a chair for several minutes before finally looking at his subordinates and saying, "Have Dr. Wylie treat His Majesty's body, especially that wound."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Alexander then slowly walked out of the room and said to Zubov and the others who were gathered at the door, as well as the guards who had rushed over after hearing the gunshots, "His Majesty the Emperor just now accidentally bumped into the candlestick and has passed away."

The wounds on the body were so large; there had to be an explanation. However, dozens of people there heard the gunshots, and no one believed him.

Alexander, somewhat dazed, ordered Zubov: "Summon Count Palen to see me."

Half an hour later, as Palen was listening to Zubov's trembling description of what had just happened in the palace, he saw thousands of soldiers rushing toward them.

Soon, by the firelight, he recognized the unit's flag: the Semyonovskoye Guards Regiment—the Crown Prince's trusted confidant. Oh, now it's His Majesty the Tsar.

This army should have been stationed in the suburbs of St. Petersburg, but its presence here clearly indicates that it had been mobilized long ago.

He suddenly realized he was wrong; Alexander was not a “weak young man” at all, but a beast.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the Gatchina Palace, he was immediately surrounded by several guards.

Alexander, his hair disheveled and his expression weary, glanced at him casually and said, "From this moment on, the secret police department has been abolished. You can choose either the Urals or Perm as your place of exile."

The following morning, the new Tsar Alexander I, as was customary, inspected the Royal Guard, but this time at the Winter Palace. The soldiers had changed back into their Russian uniforms, were no longer equipped with halberds, and no officers were measuring their strides with rulers.

At noon, Alexander I announced to hundreds of nobles in the Winter Palace square that he would rule Russia in the same manner as his great grandmother Catherine II, and immediately pardoned all the officers who had been exiled or imprisoned by Paul I.

A deafening cheer erupted in the square, as if the old Tsar had never existed.

The following afternoon, Alexander I and the Patriarch briefly discussed the coronation, and then immediately convened a meeting with a group of important military and political officials.

"Immediately end the expedition to India and have Bakhov's army stationed in Khiva." The Tsar spoke very quickly. "Order General Gudvich to assemble the army and launch an expedition to the South Caucasus within a month."

"Please have Earl Osterman warn the British that if they continue to provide support to the Persians, I will consider it a serious provocation."

"Isiah's army needs to be reorganized; the military camps there are probably almost abandoned..."

……

Western France.

In the shipyard of Brest, chief warship designer Sané was explaining to the Crown Prince the features of his fourth-class steam warship design: "Your Highness, this warship will reach a speed of 12 knots. It will only require a slight breeze."

"At the same time, due to its superior propulsion, it has better load-bearing capacity, so it will have a thicker hull than ordinary fourth-class ships, greatly improving its protection capabilities."

Yes, even before the development of high-powered steam engines was completed, the Brest shipyard, at Joseph's request, began designing larger steam warships. It is now nearing completion.

When Joseph heard the word "carrying capacity," he suddenly thought of the ironclad warship he had been planning for a long time. He immediately looked at the designer and asked, "Do you think it would be feasible to add an iron shell to the outside of the wooden hull if we only use an ordinary hull?"

(End of this chapter)