Chapter 35
Paris, City of Light 5
After voting for the three main agendas in cooperation with the Council, Napoleon declared the eting closed. mbers approached Napoleon with sparkling eyes, but he avoided them because he had a lot of duties and was physically tired. When he opened the door of the parliant hall, reporters, who had already guessed that sothing was going on, had gathered together and were waiting for interviews.
For the future of the Empire, we have concluded a fruitful discussion with the delegates. Steps for progress and developnt will start soon, so the people of the Empire should trust , the governnt and the Council, and wait.
Napoleon returned to the Tuileries Palace after this remark.
After hours of ntally demanding struggle, his body was already exhausted. Napoleon called officials in the Emperors office. They were high-ranking officials working directly under the Minister of the Economy and Finance, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Administration, that he had called the other day. Napoleon gave them a docunt stating every points discussed in the Imperial Council.
I delegate my authority on this matter. Consult your superiors and mbers of the Council to take care of it.
Y-Your Majesty?
You just have to report the results on ti.
The officials rushed out of the office, even though they were not sure what to do with the Emperors gesture. After they left, Napoleon put his feet on the table and leaned back on his chair. He twisted his body in a comfortable posture and closed his eyes for a mont.
The wheel begins to roll. The reform of France starts now.
The three most urgent issues were put on the stand, but there were many other abscesses growing on the body of France. What was the point of pouring out economic revival policies? It would be useless unless there was a massive eradication of the corruption that prevailed throughout society.
Napoleon thought that an in-depth analysis of the Empires tax receipts and finances was needed.
There were many other things that needed to be changed and reorganized, including stopping the oppression of Jews, breaking unfair tariffs by region, introducing transparent inco and progressive taxes, credit adjustnt in the international financial market, standardization and institutionalization of direct and indirect taxes, and improvent of the military dical system.
I have to stop here for now. This country has a large land, and the administrative system is weak and fragile I cant do much at once.
Still, he could not hide his sense of accomplishnt that he had taken a step forward.
A light smile was engraved on Napoleons face with his eyes closed But the thought that quickly ca to his mind caught him off guard.
I have to exercise Oh, damn it!
There was no ti to relax for a second.
There were French soldiers returning to the military base after hard training near Paris. Their steps were heavy. Was it fatigue from training? One of them, Maxi, thought it was not.
Oh, the sky is so clear without a cloud.
Maxi took off his sweaty military hat while spitting. Then he could see an editorial of a famous journal on a street sign.
omitted The overwhelming victory in a huge battle fought by hundreds of thousands of troops brought the Slavic empire to its knees. This great achievent will remain praised in history. The French warriors who participated in this will live with infinite pride omitted
As soon as the content of the article ca into view, Maxi frowned. He felt even more rotten and dirty. Maxi ripped the newspaper and tore it up roughly.
Win a historic battle, but to whom does the honor go? And when did the soldiers at the bottom ever wish for such honor?
What they really wanted was life. A life without fighting. A life without worrying about being killed, a life with a family.
They say our next destination is the Iberian Peninsula.
Do you an we have to creep into the Land of Death!? Oh my god!..
The comrades of Maxi murmured with a lost look on their faces.
If you go to the Iberian Peninsula, you will surely die or be crippled.
It was an ominous rumor circulating among the French troops. And this rumor was also based on facts to so extent.
The cold, hunger, and the infectious diseases of the country are terrifying, but they cannot be compared to the hell in the south. Its just not a habitable place.
The soldiers who experienced the war on the Iberian Peninsula trembled and exaggerated.
At so point, the old man who was talking comfortably with us ca down and threw an axe at the back of our company commander. I clearly saw the scene up close. So villages poisoned their wells. They said they were going to kill all the French passing by.
I even caught a guy starting a fire in the camp at night. I thought he was a little small, so I took him close to the bonfire and he was a young man with no beard yet.
Oh thats terrible.
They are demons. Demons in human form.
All of the fellow soldiers agreed.
A place where no one could be trust, where no one could relax for a mont, and where the whole of Spain was filled with malice. It was what they thought was the Iberian Peninsula. And now they had to go to war again in such a place. Maxi could not hide his mixed feelings.
When on earth can I end this hellish life? No, is it possible to get out of here alive?
Uuugh! Ugh!
Huh? Maxi! Whats wrong with this little guy?
Never seen a man with a weak mind lose it from the impact of a battle? Hes been like this since the expedition.
Its tough But at this point, how did you train in the suburbs?
It was twice as hard for to take care of him. Damn how did such a young man end up wearing a military uniform
The proportion of soldiers suffering from ntal panic after the battle was not small.
Such side effects were natural because the military was forced to recruit unsuitable people from the beginning and to turn them into soldiers. In Maxis heart, fierce anger was boiling several tis a day. What in the world are we fighting for with guns and knives? What is the purpose to achieve by changing the lives of young people like this?
Damn it
The faces of Maxi and his fellow soldiers as they trudged back to the military base were darker than before.
It was then.
Wow! Ahhhhh-!!
Suddenly there was a trendous cheer from the other side.
It was such a loud voice that a stray cat walking on the street was surprised and ran away. Maxi and the soldiers looked at each other and rushed there. Sothing must have happened.
The place where the cheers rang out was the military base to where Maximie and his companions were currently on their way.
There, soldiers dressed in military uniforms of the sa color as Maxi were throwing their hats up, showing incredible enthusiasm and joy. So soldiers crouched down and cried. Although they did not shed a lot of tears, the eyes of all the soldiers gathered at the training ground were reddish.
Among the soldiers raising their arms and crying out Long live the Emperor!, Maxi could not understand.
It wasnt like this when we won the Battle of Hrodna, when the expedition ended, or when we returned ho What the hell happened here?
Maxi and the soldiers who were walking with him, looked puzzled because they could not adapt to this atmosphere.
Soone laughed after seeing them.
Here cos new people to react to this amazing news!
Sergeant Maxi, reporting to the battalion commander, returning from the suburbs training with 21 soldiers. Loyalty!
Loyalty. Perhaps today will be the last ti I receive this kind of greetings from you.
The battalion commander handed official docunts to Maxi, who still did not understand what he was saying, and to so soldiers who could read.
Maxis eyes widened after reading the top line of the official docunt.
Abolition of the Imperial-Federal Mobilization Decree, reduction of the Great Army scale and conscription reform
Maxim read the official docunt as if possessed. As his eyes went down, his hands trembled more and more. Soldiers who deviated from the standard were given the right to be discharged
Is this dream really real?
The seal of the Imperial Council and Emperor Napoleon at the end of the docunt awakened Maxi.
Well, then were!?
Maxi, 11 out of 17 people, including you, are over 25 years old. The other six also have qualifications, like being an only child or an undergraduate. Congratulations!
Maxi could finally realize it. It was the sa for the other soldiers on the training ground. At last he could finally take off this heavy military cap, uniform, and sword.
Oh, ahhhh!
Oh, my God! God!
The Emperor Long live the Emperor! Hahaha!
Maxi and his soldiers could not help but cry at the waves of emotions.
How many twists and turns of tears had been shed in this hell so far? Their sense of liberation destroyed their reason and ntal barriers.
Haha, youre good soldiers, so I was hoping youd choose the option to stay in the military, but its useless seeing your reactions.
Im, Im sorry. Battalion commander. But I want to go back to my daily life.
The battalion commander patted him on the shoulder with a kind face as if he understood.
Im afraid were going to have a power vacuum, but I think this is the right thing to do. It was impossible for our Empire to demand unconditional loyalty and hopeless dedication, even if it was against a barbaric country like Prussia. This shouldnt be happening any more.
Honestly speaking, Ive rarely been happy in my military career. But I was really lucky to et a superior like the battalion commander. Thank you so much so far.
Im telling you, youre still soldiers. You cant just run ho like this.
A soldier appeared in front of Maxi, who was laughing and talking with the battalion commander. A troublemaker who was plagued by aftereffects after the battle, Brigadier Dugaisault. He was running frantically around the training ground, hooraying.
Fuck this guy. He was struggling like a sick chicken in training.
Maxi smiled bitterly. But the smile on his face did not fade for a long ti.
The sky was very clear today.
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