Under the enthusiastic salute of all the troops of the Guards, witnessed by Aigron and the entire court, Emperor Napoleon's coffin finally returned to his favorite Palace of Fontainebleau, and was worshiped by everyone together with his descendants.
Agron and Teresa, one holding their son and the other holding their daughter, four direct members of the royal family stood in front of the coffin, inspecting the soldiers who were dressed in gorgeous clothes and flowing in endless streams.
Queen Ortense and Prince Charles, mother and son, Prince Jérôme and his family who had just returned to France, and Prince Eugène's daughter Princess Theodelande, these royal family members were surrounding the four people, although in theory
In total, most of the family members did not get together, but at least it showed the "unity" of the royal family.
In any case, if Emperor Napoleon, who died on a deserted island, had a spirit in heaven and could see his son growing up healthy and strong, and giving himself a pair of grandchildren, he would definitely be happy enough to smile.
It's a pity that we don't have mature photography technology to capture this scene in real life, but don't worry - the well-trained palace painters will use their wonderful brushes to depict such a warm and touching scene on the canvas, and then let it be
Thousands of households witnessed this historical moment.
However, for Aigron, the grand ceremony of welcoming back the coffin of the late emperor in Fontainebleau was just an "appetizer". What was more important was to bring the late emperor back to Paris.
Paris is the capital of the empire and the center of all commerce and culture. The founding emperor of the empire can only be buried there, and then serve as the supreme idol of the empire for future generations to worship forever - of course, the so-called "forever" can actually only be buried there.
It only lasts within the scope of the empire.
Now that the ceremony at the Palace of Fontainebleau has ended, only the last stretch of the road to Paris remains.
One can imagine how important a "political activity" this is to Aiglon and the imperial government.
Naturally, the imperial government attached great importance to this, and temporarily put aside all non-essential matters and devoted all its energy to preparing for such a grand event. It spent more manpower and material resources than Aiglon's own coronation ceremony——
But for Aiglon, this is completely reasonable and appropriate, after all, this is how he can show his respect for his father.
A large number of soldiers were mobilized between the two places, and they were closely guarded almost every step along the dozens of kilometers of road from Fontainebleau to Paris.
Although this was very tiring, almost no officers and soldiers complained. After all, for them, it would be a lifetime honor for them to personally participate in the grand event of their most admired commander returning to Paris.
In the city of Paris, the police and garrison have almost reached a state of "general mobilization". Everything has been repainted and sentries have been set up to maintain public order. Full-time police officers have also been temporarily stationed in the back alleys where no one cared about them.
Police officers responsible for maintaining order.
In addition, for some "dangerous elements" with violent criminal records and suspected political prisoners who are registered in government files, the police department simply arrests them "preventively" without asking any questions to prevent any possible impact.
The danger of the late emperor's coffin.
Therefore, under this almost all-out suppression, during this period, the security in Paris became unprecedentedly good, and even the air seemed to be a little fresher.
Despite the laborious effort, the former demigod, the unparalleled overlord who once ruled over 120 million Europeans, was worth the preparation.
A few days after everything was ready, the artillery carriage carrying Emperor Napoleon's coffin rumbled into action again, starting from Fontainebleau on his final journey.
This time, almost the entire rebuilt Guards served as a guard of honor. The most elite and most gorgeously equipped Guards Hussars surrounded both sides of the coffin. The empire's top military commander, Aiglon, and the deputy commander, Marshal Soult,
Surrounded by the hussars, they led a large number of marshals and senior generals, followed the emperor's coffin, and launched the highest-level "expedition" in history not far away.
Behind the emperor, the marshal and the Guards hussars were a phalanx of infantry. However, the ones in front were not the newly rebuilt Guards units, but a group of soldiers who had served in the Guards.
It is a special square formation composed of veteran officers and soldiers who served in the army. Although these veterans in old uniforms look older, their waists are straight, they wear faded old uniforms, and they wear polished medals.
Walking in front of his descendants, he followed the emperor without looking back and headed forward.
This "faded" legion did not make the entire team look shabby. On the contrary, it added a real battlefield temperament to this huge parade, allowing those who still have fresh memories of the empire to easily recall the past.
of glorious past.
Indeed, this is not only a ceremony, but also a pilgrimage to recall the past.
Under the watchful eye of the security forces, the huge legion starting from the Palace of Fontainebleau, accompanied by the rumble of artillery carriages, slowly marched towards the capital Paris with unrivaled momentum.
Following this huge military team was an even larger team of carriages. These gorgeously decorated and jeweled carriages carried the ladies of the palace as well as the wives of high-ranking officials and foreign envoys. The first carriage in the lead
In the carriage, naturally sat Teresa and her two children, who were also the most important participants in the ceremony.
The three-year-old crown prince was already able to remember things. He stood in the compartment of the carriage and looked curiously at the huge procession composed of dazzling armor, bayonets and medals, as well as the stars dotted by them.
The coffin was surrounded by the moon. Obviously, this glorious scene would be forever engraved in his young memory.
As this team walked and walked, after two days of marching, they finally arrived at the city of Paris, which also meant that Paris finally welcomed back its former master.
What did Paris really mean to Emperor Napoleon?
Of course it meant different things to Napoleon in different periods.
To the young Napoleon, he was just the son of a Corsican landowner. Because his father "sold himself for glory" and joined the French, he was reused. He was recognized as a French noble, and was granted permission by the royal family to study at the Paris Military Academy.
Officer course. For this young man, Paris is the dream city that he dreams of, the place where all human luxury and pleasure converge, and it is the place where he tries his best to gain a foothold.
But for Napoleon at this time, he certainly did not think that he could dominate the country. All he thought about was how to get ahead and get a better opportunity to serve the royal family. The greatest luck in his life may be nothing more than being in Versailles.
He licked the skirt of a certain countess, then with the help of his wife, he rose up in the army, and finally retired with the title of general.
The Revolution changed everything.
In Paris, Napoleon witnessed the storm that swept away everything, and witnessed the once arrogant nobles walking to the guillotine one after another. In addition to being frightened, he was also more excited, because he discovered that the top position in the country seemed to have been swept away.
From now on, there is a vast world with a lot to offer.
He also seized the opportunity at the right time.
He used his artillery expertise and commanding skills to play a major role in the Republican Army's suppression of the rebellion in Toulon Port. He obtained the rank of brigadier general at the age of only 24.
And this was by no means the end of his ambition. He went through ups and downs in the political ups and downs, and took refuge under the command of Barras, the Directory government, becoming the "gun barrel" in his hands.
Soon, in 1795, this young general who had just become famous in the port of Toulon came up with another "famous work" that shocked France. He faced the royalist masses who wanted to overthrow the Directory and showed no mercy.
He did not hesitate to use artillery bombardment, which finally brought an end to another turmoil that would subvert the French government, allowing the republican government that was no longer revolutionary to survive.
It was from that moment that this seemingly inconspicuous Corsican boy used his unique arrogance and toughness to declare to Paris that he was destined not to be Paris's servant, but to become its master.
It only took him four years to achieve this. He used his military prestige to launch the Fog Moon Coup, taking the capital and even the entire country into his own hands. At this time, he had been repeatedly shaken by political power.
France, exhausted by the chaos, no longer had the rebelliousness it once had, and even crawled at his feet willingly, just to gain the long-lost peace and order.
He gave order, but not peace, but he was able to fill the lack of peace with glory again and again, and the French people also accepted this "deal" and thanked this conquest with cheers and worship again and again.
for everything he brings to the country.
Although all this glory did not usher in a happy ending, the beauty of the past is enough to be remembered forever by history, and it will also be a lingering mark of Paris forever - the precious cultural relics and oil paintings from Egypt and European countries in the museum
, the magnificent monumental column, and the unfinished Arc de Triomphe, these are enough to remind people of the glorious moments they have experienced.
Now, the man who brought them countless memories has returned in a high-profile and spectacular form. Paris has also forgotten all the grudges in the past, opened her soft arms, and welcomed the return of the conqueror in the warmest way.
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From the city gate to the Champ de Mars, and then through the riverside street to the Invalides, the trees, lampposts and windows along the entire funeral route have been decorated with symbolic crape, making it look like a black jungle. Even Quietly
On the flowing Seine River, there were boats covered with black gauze floating to express their infinite sorrow for the emperor.
In addition to decorations, the more important thing is naturally the people.
Now, the entire funeral route is already crowded with people. Not only the citizens of Paris came out in droves to the streets and houses on both sides to watch the fun, but even the villagers near Paris refused to let go of this "coinciding event".
"The opportunity came, and he rushed to Paris to see the emperor for the last time.
Under the gaze of everyone, Aigron, along with his generals, appeared in people's sight following the coffin.
Different from before, this time, although the coffin was still dragged by a gun truck, it was covered with the empire's tricolor eagle flag and velvet with the bee pattern of the Bonaparte family. However, it did not look very gorgeous, just solemn.
That's all.
In just an instant, Aigron felt that everyone's eyes were focused on the wrapped object, the sound of deep breathing gathered together, and then someone began to cry secretly.
Just like along the way, under the "emotional contagion" effect of the crowd gathering, more and more people were crying. The cries gathered together and the sound became louder and louder. Obviously, people were sincerely mourning the emperor, and also
It was a pity that it took more than ten years after his death for him to return to the place he once ruled.
Looking at the grand and sad scenes around him, and at the painful expressions of the citizens who were crying one after another, Aigron, who watched silently, was filled with emotions in his heart.
After all, I defeated "history".
In the original historical line, at the end of 1840, the July Dynasty of the Orleans family welcomed back the remains of Napoleon.
However, the Orleans family did this not because they really liked Napoleon, but because they had driven away the main branch of the Bourbon royal family and "usurped the throne". Therefore, they needed to establish new legitimacy for the people, and they naturally wanted to cater to France.
People generally miss Napoleon as a way to show their generosity.
Therefore, their attitude towards Napoleon was very ambiguous. On the one hand, they wanted to brag about Napoleon to establish their own legitimacy, but on the other hand, they were afraid of blowing too much and letting the Bonaparte family pick the peaches, so they were very careful about welcoming back Emperor Napoleon.
, also reflects this ambiguous and entangled emotion.
Historically, Napoleon's coffin landed on the northern coast and was transported to Paris in a low-key manner, with no commemorative activities held on the way.
After arriving in Paris, in order to avoid the outbreak of revolution, the Orleans government issued a very serious decree to inform the people that the funeral must be a strictly military act and had no direct relationship with ordinary people.
Spectators who want to watch the parade must buy a ticket, and unauthorized participation is prohibited. The government also rejected requests from a large number of military school students to participate in the parade.
However, this group of students still followed secretly at the end and sang "Marseillaise" along the way. Someone tried to stop them, and these energetic young people almost went into riot.
The people also ignored the dynasty's ban. Regardless of the risks, a large number of people directly welcomed the emperor's return on the roadside and in the stands. For the reason that "the law does not punish the public", the Orleans Dynasty government did not deal with the matter too harshly.
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Of course, there is another thing worth mentioning. Although this was the funeral of Napoleon Bonaparte, due to the expulsion by the French government, no member of the Bonaparte family could come to attend the funeral (of course, the King of Rome at that time
He is no longer alive).
When he thought of this, an undetectable smile quietly appeared on Aigron's originally extremely serious face.
This is the gratification that belongs to the winner and the pride that belongs to the successor.
It's only natural that you let me do it, isn't it?