Aigron insisted on completing the planned people-friendly activities, which gave Baron Colo a headache. However, since it was His Majesty's order, he could only obey the order. So after accepting the order, he left the chapel again and organized
People began to clean up the assassination scene, count the names of the victims, and reassure people.
In the history of France, there have been endless assassinations of political opponents. During the French Wars of Religion (also called the War of the Three Henrys), the three main participants of the three parties, King Henry III, Henry, Duke of Guise, and King Henry IV, all died one after another.
Assassinations never end well.
However, at this time, political assassinations were only an action by feudal lords to eliminate political opponents from each other, and were relatively internal strife among the nobility; in modern times, as politics has become "civilian", and various ideological trends and political opinions have emerged.
It spread among the citizens, and assassination began to become an ideological method to eradicate dissidents. For example, Marat, the famous promoter of the Revolution, was assassinated by a young woman named Charlotte Corday.
Because of their position at the apex, monarchs naturally endured various ideological hatreds. Therefore, since Louis XVI, almost every French king has faced assassination. Even Emperor Napoleon was not spared.
In 1820, the Duke of Berry, the youngest son of King Charles X, was assassinated; in 1835, King Louis Philippe was assassinated, and Marshal Motier was shot to death; in 1858, Emperor Napoleon III was assassinated by the Italian radical nationalist Felice O
The attempted assassination of Ersini... These are still relatively well-known events, and there are many more conspiracies that were brewing but were not implemented, so they are not included.
In the midst of such frequent political assassinations, the princes and nobles gradually formed a mentality of "people can die, but they cannot be angry". Faced with the risk of assassination, even if they may feel uneasy in their hearts, they still have to act calmly on the outside.
posture, and often even pretended to deliberately despise the assassin.
On Christmas Eve in 1800, Napoleon, who was still the First Consul at the time, was attacked by a bomb by the royalists on his way to the theater in a carriage to celebrate. He simply escaped, and the carriage was only slightly damaged. He remained calm and composed when he arrived at the theater.
Afterwards we talked and laughed, and after watching the opera we went back to take revenge.
Later monarchs, even though they came from different families, adopted a similar calm attitude when facing this kind of life threat, and their public activities continued unabated.
The reason why they made similar choices was because with the outbreak of the Great Revolution, the monarchy faced the impact of the tide of the times. The people no longer had a natural sense of awe for the monarchy itself, and the persuasiveness that bloodline could provide was insufficient.
It needs to be filled with "personal charm".
If monarchs want to maintain the legitimacy of their rule, they must never give in in terms of momentum. They must show the people in a calm and composed manner that their rule is stable and cannot be shaken by some petty people.
The same historical environment will naturally give rise to a similar mentality, but in other European countries, the trend of "assassinating the king and killing the king" soon appeared. The Russian Czar Alexander II, the Austrian Empress Sissi and the future Crown Prince Fedidi
Nan, all became victims of assassinations (Nicholas II was also stabbed when he visited Japan when he was the crown prince...), Bismarck and Emperor Wilhelm I also suffered assassinations but survived in the end.
These princes and nobles also showed a "fearless" attitude in the face of assassinations. In 1914, Austrian Crown Prince Ferdinand was assassinated by Serbian nationalists while touring Sarajevo. He escaped the first assassination, but
He insisted on continuing to complete the tour, and was eventually killed together with his wife Sophie in the second assassination. His death also became the trigger of the First World War, and tens of millions of people were also involved in the war.
die.
Although the approach seems reckless, it has historical logic.
Faced with a similar situation, Aigron would naturally make the same choice - he must not bow to any possible opponent, whether it is a royalist or a republican, he will not be able to make concessions.
Of course, he doesn't want to make fun of his own life. In the next few days, his guards will do everything possible to protect his life, and Agnes will also keep her eyes wide open beside him.
Have confidence in this.
After all, if he had hesitated to move forward because he was afraid of losing his life, then he would not have fled Austria in the first place. Risking his own life was the unchanging background of his political career.
For the citizens, the originally lively celebration was interrupted in such a bloody and cruel way.
The worried people returned home and anxiously passed news to each other. Since most people did not see Aiglon escape with their own eyes, many people did not understand how far the situation had developed and could only worry or secretly whisper.
I spent this sleepless night in a happy mood.
After dawn, a notice from the city hall officially announced the latest news: the King of Rome was unharmed during the assassination attack and has now been moved to a safe location.
This news will certainly disappoint some people, but most people are still relieved - after all, after experiencing so many bloody turmoils, even those who do not support the Bonaparte family do not want to see the country fall into this situation again.
In the midst of turmoil, if the assassination succeeds, it will definitely bring huge disaster to the country that has just calmed down.
Next, the official news also informed the citizens that the King of Rome will continue the public activities interrupted by the assassination. His Majesty still loves the people of Rouen and Normandy and will never let the despicable assassin affect his view of the local area. And his Majesty hopes that the citizens
Please do not hold any grudges because of the assassination, and continue to actively participate in the activities held in the future.
Like the mayor, the citizens were frightened by Aigron's decision, but they secretly admired His Majesty's bravery and courage.
Since he was not afraid, what did the ordinary people have to fear? So the Roman King's initiative quickly received an enthusiastic response, and the citizens began to flood the streets again, cleaning up the scene and preparing to complete the interrupted celebration.
The bloodstains of the victims were certainly shocking, but this tragic scene was quickly forgotten.
In this era where the average life expectancy is less than 40 years old, people's views on life and death are naturally much more indifferent than in later generations. Not to mention that there were brutal wars more than ten years ago. The accidental death of a few people during a celebration is not enough.
Make people moved.
Under Aigron's instructions, the victims of the assassination also received generous pensions, and even the injured were treated properly. People soon forgot their fear, and everything returned to normal.
Of course, this storm will never subside easily.
Like ripples and ripples on the water, as time goes by, this explosive news continues to spread, and it was first delivered to the capital Paris.
Princess Theresa and Prince Talleyrand, who stayed in the Tuileries Palace, were the first to receive the news.
When she heard the news that her husband had been assassinated again, Teresa, who was already low on energy and blood, almost fainted. She finally regained her composure amid the dizziness.
Later, when Aiglon's handwritten letter confirmed that her husband was safe and sound, she was finally shocked.
After holding back her tears, she summoned Prince Talleyrand in front of her.
Obviously, Prince Talleyrand was caught off guard by this assassination, but he had already been used to big scenes in his life. He was one of the witnesses when Emperor Napoleon was assassinated, so he calmed down quickly.
Then he comforted Teresa with gentle words.
"Your Highness, it is indeed hateful that this kind of thing happened, but there will always be accidents in life. Since Your Majesty is safe and sound, it means that he has the blessing of God. We don't need to worry too much about this. Besides, you are about to give birth now, so it is best to
Rest your body."
Although she knew that the other party was trying to comfort her, this kind of indifferent attitude naturally couldn't make Teresa feel comfortable.
After all, Teresa knew in her heart that Prince Talleyrand and her husband were just a "political gang" who colluded for profit, and their interests were not completely consistent. If anything happened to Aigron, this old fox would not only
He will not help his orphans and widowers out of sympathy, but will definitely turn the tables again and sell the Bonaparte family at a good price in the name of "national interests first".
After all, for him, his own glory and wealth are the most important. He has no interest in helping the Bonaparte family to support the country when it loses its pillar. It is better to change the family again.
However, even though she was well aware of all this, Teresa did not have an attack. Aigron also specifically told her in the letter to stay calm and not to lose her position. So even though she was eager to run to her husband at the moment, she still couldn't.
You can only act according to reason.
"Sir, you are indeed right. We must not be intimidated by such despicable actions. His Majesty has decided that he will never change his schedule because of this assassination, nor will he change his treatment of the people of Normandy.
Love, no matter where they come from, these despicable thugs will never get the support of the people."
After finishing speaking, Teresa handed Talleyrand the statement written by the governor under the command of Aiglon. "This is a public statement issued by local officials. Please inform the country as soon as possible through a government gazette."
Prince Talleyrand immediately understood Aigron's intention after receiving the statement, so he nodded. "Okay, Your Highness. I will let all provincial governments in the country make a statement as soon as possible."
For Aiglon and Prince Talleyrand, it does not matter whether local officials are loyal from the bottom of their hearts. What matters is whether their "political position" is positive. Therefore, this statement is equivalent to an open test. Who is not there?
Anyone who expresses loyalty at the first opportunity and cuts off any opposition can be settled later; on the other hand, local officials who actively express their stance automatically draw a clear line, even if they are forced to do so against their will.
It is difficult to regret politically.
After all, Prince Talleyrand was a smart man. After seeing this statement, he immediately took out a pen and paper and wrote a statement himself. As the head of the provisional government, he publicly condemned the attack on the King of Rome and declared that it
Not only did it damage the majesty of the country's laws, but it also brought new dangers of unrest to the country. In the name of law and order, he would severely condemn and deal with the assassins; and at the end of the statement, he thanked Almighty God for blessing Rome.
Your Majesty, you have protected the entire nation.
Although everyone knew before that he would soon help the King of Rome ascend to the throne as emperor, but now he has taken the opportunity to publicly express his loyalty to the Bonaparte family, and this also means that the countdown to "returning the great power" has begun.
Theresa read the drafted statement, and then nodded silently. Talleyrand's response was considered to have passed the test with her husband and wife, and she was waiting to see the feedback from various places - but she believed that here,
In this atmosphere where people across the country are filled with righteous indignation, officials from various places will never dare to risk the disapproval of the world, even if they have other ideas in their hearts, and will definitely actively write letters to express their loyalty.
"Thank you, Your Excellency." Teresa, who breathed a sigh of relief, finally showed a little nervousness and weakness, "We and my wife have always relied on your help, and we ask that you continue to solve our problems in the future. At this critical moment, you can only
Only by showing our unity to the outside world can we make all forces disappear. I'll help you..."
"Of course, Your Highness." Talleyrand bowed slightly, "I would like to use my remaining life to protect your two majesties. I believe that this will also be the perfect end of my long life, bringing the country
I leave it to you, I am relieved and very proud. Although I may not be able to go to heaven, I will always bless you."
Teresa nodded again, and Prince Talleyrand resigned knowingly. Now that time was running out, he also needed to act quickly to control the spread of the news and calm the country as soon as possible amid the turmoil.
After bidding farewell to the prince, Teresa sat blankly on the sofa, lost in thought. She really missed her husband too much. The long separation between the two people was already unbearable to her, and now her husband's attack made her even more concerned.
However, her reason told her that she could only continue to wait and wait for her husband's return - at this juncture, it was absolutely impossible for His Highness to change his schedule and run back to Paris. That would only make him a laughing stock among the people, so
He still wanted to complete the entire tour.
This is the price that needs to be paid for supreme power, and it is also the reality that she must accept.
She silently took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Since she has been given the important task of staying behind, she cannot show her weakness in front of others. It is enough to taste her tears alone.