The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 819 All power belongs to the people!

The temperature in Thiers' mansion was not low, but the chill in the room was getting stronger and stronger. Trochu sat in an armchair, tapping his fingers on the table, his face terribly gloomy.

"Perego has been arrested," the spy reported in a low voice. "The Red Guards arrested him secretly and he is now being interrogated at the Town Hall."

Thiers stood up suddenly, and the brandy glass in his hand fell to the ground with a "bang", and glass fragments flew everywhere.

"It's over," he murmured. "Perego knows everything about us."

Trochu's face became even uglier. Perego was their confidant, responsible for the secret negotiations with the Prussians, and even personally handed over the defense deployment map of Paris to Moltke. If he confessed during the interrogation, both of them would definitely lose their heads.

"We can't wait any longer." Trochu gritted his teeth, "We must act immediately."

Thiers took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, walked quickly to the map of Paris on the wall, and traced his finger on it.

"The Legion of Honor still has 20,000 soldiers in the barracks, and they are more affected by us," he analyzed. "Prince Napoleon has 10,000 Guards and 8,000 Eastern Crusaders. He certainly doesn't want to see the Workers' Association take power."

"That's 38,000 people in total." Trochu's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. "Although the National Guard of the Workers' Association has 300,000, they are just a mob. As long as we take the initiative, the coup will surely succeed!"

Thiers nodded, a calculating look in his eyes.

"I will go and persuade Prince Napoleon," he said, "as long as he is willing to cooperate, we can support him as emperor and implement a constitutional monarchy."

Trochu sneered: "As long as we can save our lives, what does it matter if he becomes emperor?"

The two men quickly split up, Trochu heading for the Legion of Honor barracks, while Thiers and his cronies rushed to the Guards stationed in the Saint-Antoine district.

However, as soon as they left the mansion, two inconspicuous carriages quietly followed. At the same time, two Red Guards galloped straight to the City Hall.

City Hall, interrogation room.

Blanqui stared coldly at Perego, who was tied to a chair. The cold sweat on his forehead kept dripping down, but his mouth was still hard: "You can't do this to me, I am a patriot, everything I do is for France!"

"You're still quibbling?" Blanqui's voice was as sharp as a knife. "You sold out the defense of Paris to the Prussians, and you still dare to say that you're doing it for France?"

Perego gritted his teeth and said, "We can't defend Paris! The Prussians are too powerful. If we surrender now, we can save France. If we delay any longer, we will all die!"

Blanqui slammed the table and said, "Who are your accomplices?!"

Perego sneered: "Trochu, Thiers, Prince Napoleon, all those who still have reason are my accomplices! Can you crazy people kill us all?"

Blanqui stopped talking, grabbed the interrogation record and strode out of the interrogation room. In the corridor of the City Hall, Moore, Varlin and Delecruz were waiting for him.

"Perel confessed." Blanqui handed over the interrogation record. "Trochu and Thiers are the masterminds, as well as Prince Napoleon. I think they are preparing to launch a coup!"

Varlan frowned: "They must be arrested immediately!"

Delecruze nodded. "I suggest that the National Guard be mobilized to impose martial law and surround the Legion of Honor barracks and the Guard barracks in the Saint-Antoine district."

Moore was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "There is no need to surround the barracks, nor to arrest Prince Napoleon."

Everyone was stunned.

"I believe in the soldiers of the Legion of Honor and the Guards," Moore said calmly. "They are also French people. They will not betray their country and they long for their country to win. As for Prince Napoleon, he is a smart man and will face the reality. And he has our people around him!"

At this moment, a Red Guard rushed in and reported breathlessly:

"Trochu and Thiers have just left Thiers's house, and are heading for the barracks of the Legion of Honor and the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, respectively!"

Blanqui's face suddenly changed: "They are going to take action!"

Legion of Honor Barracks.

The soldiers had just received their military pay, which was directly distributed to them by the Ministry of War through the workers' representatives stationed in the garrison. They were holding gold francs in their hands, but their faces were not very happy, because they knew that the situation in Paris was becoming increasingly tense.

At this moment, Eugene Pottier, a worker representative of the Legion of Honor, strode onto the platform, waving a telegram in his hand. "Soldiers!" His voice was loud and firm, "Our friend the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has cut off Prussia's saltpeter supply! King William's arsenal will soon stop working, and his military machine will soon lose power! As long as we can hold on to Paris for one or two months, victory will belong to us!"

The soldiers became agitated and began to whisper to each other.

"The British government has sent us cannons, rifles and ammunition!" Baudin continued, "but this is not because they love France, but because Britain is always opposed to the European continent being dominated by a powerful country! They opposed our Napoleon I, and now they oppose William I of Prussia!"

His voice became louder and louder: "Even the Italian revolutionary Garibaldi has come to support us with his invincible Red Shirts! Now, the whole world is on our side! France will win!"

He paused, his eyes scanning each face.

"After victory, we will confiscate the land of the church and the Bourbon nobles and distribute it to the working people! Every soldier will receive a reasonable salary and additional bonuses!"

The soldiers' eyes gradually brightened.

Napoleon III's France did not have a compulsory military service system, but implemented a professional military system of recruiting soldiers and long-term service. At the same time, there was no such thing as "a soldier who does not want to be a general is not a good soldier" in Napoleon III's French army. Most of Napoleon III's officers were graduates of military academies from the upper class, and it was difficult for ordinary soldiers to be promoted. Under this system, those who were still willing to serve in the army were of course mostly children from rural farmers. The land, military pay and bonuses were of course very attractive to them!
Although it was not certain whether the land and bonuses could be cashed, the military pay was actually distributed to them by the workers' representatives, and it was all in pure gold francs!

At this moment, Trochu rushed in with a group of personal soldiers and shouted:

"Don't trust this liar!"

All eyes turned to this general of Napoleon III who sympathized with the Orleanists.

"Prince Napoleon is with us!" Trochu shouted. "We have already agreed with the Prussians that they will not occupy Paris if we suppress the workers' associations!"

Baudin sneered and interrupted, "The Prussians will never occupy Paris because France has the bravest people's soldiers!" He waved his hands vigorously at the soldiers below, "Don't you agree?"

Trochu roared: "Would you trust Napoleon's generals or a tabloid editor?!"

The soldiers began to waver and looked around, not knowing who to trust.
Just when the atmosphere was tense, the gate of the barracks was suddenly pushed open, and a team of guards walked in escorting Prince Napoleon.

Trochu seemed to have seen a savior and shouted excitedly: "Prince! Tell everyone the truth!"

Prince Napoleon glanced at him coldly, then raised his finger and pointed at Trochu, his voice cold and clear:
"The truth is that Trochu is a traitor! He, Thiers and Perregaux betrayed France and the people, and fawned on Prussia, the enemy of France, and wanted to sell all the fighters of the Workers' Association to Prussia!"

The barracks fell into deathly silence in an instant.

Trochu turned pale.

The dead silence in the barracks lasted only a moment, and then an earth-shaking roar broke out.

"traitor!"

"Hang him!"

The soldiers rushed forward with their fists raised. Trochu's personal soldiers dropped their weapons and surrendered when they saw the situation was not good. Prince Napoleon stood on the platform at the enthusiastic invitation of Eugene Pottier and watched all this with cold eyes. He had now recognized the reality - although the Bonaparte dynasty had completely failed, his cousin the emperor's "French winning theory" that tried to please everyone was still in effect - France still wanted to win and was unwilling to admit defeat!
Therefore, the capitulation line of Trochu and Thiers is unpopular. The Workers' Association now gives people hope of winning! Even if it is not a complete win, it is okay to win a little.

If they can really hold Paris and prove that they know how to win, France will undoubtedly be ruled by them. Otherwise, before they fail, no one can oppose them in Paris except the Prussian army!

"Your Excellency," Baudet walked up to him and whispered, "You have made the right choice."

Prince Napoleon smiled bitterly: "I am not a prince, I am just a patriotic French citizen."

Three days later, the sky in Paris was exceptionally clear. The square in front of the town hall was crowded with people, including workers, soldiers, women, and even children. Trochu, Thiers, Perregaux and others were brought up on a makeshift wooden platform. Their crimes had been made public: treason, collaborating with the enemy, and attempting to overthrow the National Defense Government.

Blanchi stood at the front of the stage and spoke in a loud voice: "Citizens! These traitors are trying to sell Paris to the Prussians! They want our children to continue to starve and our sisters to continue to be exploited in the factories!"

"Kill them!" the crowd roared.

Varlan raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "No, we will not execute prisoners at will like the old government. We will hold a referendum to let the people of Paris decide their fate and elect a new Supreme Council - a government that truly belongs to the people and can truly lead France to victory! If you trust the Workers' Association, the Workers' Association will do everything it can to lead the heroic people of Paris to victory!"

Cheers rang out like thunder.

(End of this chapter)