"Mr. President! Your Majesty! Put away your rhetoric! Everything you have done is just to extend the power in your hands! In two years, you will leave office!"
Victor Hugo did not show any sympathy for Jérôme Bonaparte and said in a calm tone.
Jérôme Bonaparte also showed no sign of anger. In his opinion, this was the most authentic Victor Hugo.
Victor Hugo, who became a socialist after three transformations from the ultra-royalist, Orleansite, and conservative republicans, may still be immature in his political methods, but his ideological consciousness has far surpassed that of some
A guy who claims to be a republican but colludes with the royalists. (Specifically referring to Thiers)
If such a person could suddenly change his mind, Jerome Bonaparte would not be called Jerome Bonaparte, but simply changed his name to Yuri.
Then again, it was Victor Hugo's ideological changes that made him stand out in this era.
Although Jerome Bonaparte had no hope of recruiting Victor Hugo, he still wanted to give it a try.
Under the gaze of Victor Hugo, Jérôme Bonaparte put down his back, stood up and put his hands on the back of the chair. Then he appeared behind the chair, pressed his hands on the back of the chair, bowed slightly and said: "
Mr. Hugo, do you think I will leave office with peace of mind in two years? Leave a country that has not yet been completely transformed into the hands of those people?"
"Transformation?" Victor Hugo sneered at the transformation mentioned by Jérôme Bonnet. He spread his hands and said: "Your Excellency, I did not see the transformation you mentioned! I only saw the pockets of Paris' remarks.
Tighter and tighter, many people don’t even dare to speak out? You and your party have made the whole of Paris afraid to speak!”
"No, no, no!" Jérôme Bonaparte made a swaying movement with his right index finger deep inside: "Mr. Hugo, my friend, it is not me who tightens the rhetoric in Paris, but the Party of Order! This
It is something that every ruling party will do when it is in power! Didn’t the Republicans do it when they were in power? If the Party of Order only prevents others from speaking in speech, then the Republicans are to eliminate the enemy physically. After all,
Which one is the real evil? Or the Montagnard you belong to, God! I don’t think you will forget the original Public Security Committee! Do you want to live in a free world ruled by the Public Security Committee?
Wake up! Mr. Hugo, you are not a violent person, the Montagnards will make you lose your mind."
Jérôme Bonaparte cited the rivalry between the Republicans and the Montagnards, leaving Victor Hugo speechless.
If it were not for the June Incident of the Republican Party, Victor Hugo would not have defected to the Party of Order, and there would be no incident of Jérôme Bonaparte after that.
"Your Excellency, you have finally acquiesced!" Victor Hugo said after a moment of silence.
Jerome Bonaparte nodded without hesitation and admitted: "Yes! That's right, I recognize the actions of the Party of Order!"
Then, Jérôme Bonaparte argued sophistry: "A free and democratic society is not a unilateral democracy by the government over the people. The people have the right to speak and judge! The government has the power to arrest those who spread rumors, and freedom is not unlimited.
Freedom! If you unilaterally relax the power of personal freedom and make the government lose the power of control! There will only be one result!"
"What's the result!" Victor Hugo asked immediately.
"With the spread of anarchism, the government will lose its original functions!" Jérôme Bonaparte responded to Victor Hugo.
"That wouldn't be very good!" Victor Hugo responded naturally.
"No! This is not good!" Jérôme Bonaparte shook his head and said: "Is our government a government with unlimited responsibility? Once a problem occurs in a certain corner of the country, they will turn it into public opinion and put it on the ballot.
!Imagine how the government will manage the entire country if its power is infinitely compressed! Socialists only want us to give them power, but are unwilling to assume the corresponding responsibilities and obligations! Is this good?"
Jerome Bonaparte's sophistry made Victor Hugo fall into a misunderstanding of thinking. With aristocratic arrogance in his heart, he sympathized with the lower-class workers. However, this sympathy had a condescending flavor, just like a
The rich have a general mentality of giving alms to the poor.
Throughout Victor Hugo's life, he criticized Bourbon, Orleans, the Second Empire, and also criticized the Paris Commune.
Victor Hugo's life seems to have been criticism for the sake of criticism. At present, he is not yet a great writer who is willing to bend down and listen to others as an equal.
"Some people not only want free power, but also want the government to help them at critical moments! How can there be such a perfect thing! Does he really think we are living in a communist era?" said the butt hanging on the tree.
Jerome Bonaparte sneered.
Exploitation and oppression are inevitable in the early stages of capitalist development, and struggle and resistance will also continue to exist.
"Your Excellency, maybe you are right! But I am a republican, and I believe we can build a country with the rule of law!" Victor Hugo, who could not find a reason to refute, responded to Jérôme in a short answer.
Bonaparte.
"Legal system?" Jérôme Bonaparte couldn't help laughing. After the laughter ended, Jerome Bonaparte's expression became serious again: "Where is the legal system you mentioned? Mr. Hugo,
The practitioners of a legal country are people, those parliamentarians! Should we count on Thiers? Fallou? Those monarchists who are bent on restoration? Or a group of Montagnards who can't even distinguish between socialism and anarchism? No
Seriously!"
Jerome Bonaparte turned his head and glanced at the red curtain behind him, then pointed at Victor Hugo and said: "It can't be you!"
Faced with Jerome Bonaparte's almost mocking response, Victor Hugo said: "Then what are you going to do?"
"Mr. Hugo, I said it! I hope to continue to dedicate my life to France!" Jerome Bonaparte said proudly: "My reforms have not been completed yet, and I cannot step down so soon!"
"You still have two years!" Victor Hugo reminded.
"Two years! You're right about two years!" Jérôme Bonaparte first affirmed Victor Hugo's words, and then changed the topic: "Mr. Hugo, two years have gone by so quickly! I
Preparations must be made earlier, so I would like to invite you to join us!"
Jérôme Bonaparte smiled and extended his hand to Victor Hugo, and his meaning was self-evident.
Victor Hugo did not speak. He also held his head high and despised the careerist Jerome Bonaparte.
"I demand that the constitution be amended so that I have the right to extend my term of office! The president should not have a set term. As long as all the French people support and support him, he should continue to serve the people!"
Jérôme Bonaparte continued to address Victor Hugo shamelessly.
As long as the restriction in the constitution that the president can only serve one term can be removed, he can still win even if he loses one-third of his vote base!
As long as he could stay in office for a period of time, whether he was president or emperor, it was just a name to Jérôme Bonaparte.
"If I fail in the election, then I am willing to admit defeat!" Jérôme Bonaparte said "frankly" to Victor Hugo: "When the time comes, you can oppose me as much as you want!"
"The law stipulates that rulers cannot be re-elected! Because the foundation of democracy is to give power to the parliament, not to individuals!" Victor Hugo said slowly.
"Mr. Hugo, I hope you can think carefully about this meeting!" Seeing Victor Hugo's refusal, Jérôme Bonaparte turned to threaten and said: "We have a heavy burden on our shoulders, and this concerns the whole of France.
!”
"Your Excellency, democracy will not surrender!" Victor Hugo did not speak. As he stood up to leave, he seemed to have thought of something and said, "Also, thank you for your vigorous promotion of me!"
After that, Victor Hugo left the living room alone.
Only Jerome Bonaparte was left in the living room, sitting alone on a chair and thinking deeply.
Although Victor Hugo's rejection was part of his preconception, Jérôme Bonaparte still felt a little regret and loss in his heart.
After a while, Valewski appeared in the living room where Jérôme Bonaparte was: "Your Excellency, Congressman Victor Hugo, he..."
Jérôme Bonaparte shrugged his shoulders and pretended to be nonchalant: "Congressman Hugo rejected my invitation! But don't worry, we can still win even without him!"
"Yes! I believe that under your leadership we will be able to win!" Alexander Valewski said to Jerome Bonaparte.
Alexander Valewski's praise made Jerome Bonaparte smile again.
Immediately afterwards, Walewski informed Jérôme Bonaparte of the visit of Major Migne from the logistics post of the Ministry of War.
"Huh?" Jérôme Bonaparte was a little surprised by Migne's visit.
Could it be that he has already finished it?
Thinking of this, Jérôme Bonaparte hurriedly asked Valewski to bring Major Migne in.
"Your Excellency, President!" Major Migne saluted Jérôme Bonaparte as he entered the Elysée Palace for the second time.
"Mr. Major, has your rifle been completed?" Jérôme Bonaparte asked impatiently.
"Yes! Your Excellency President!" Major Migne responded to Jérôme Bonaparte.
"Where is it? Let me see?" Jérôme Bonaparte couldn't wait to use it.
"Well...because the Elysée Palace does not allow it, we put the rifle in the factory."
