Chapter 97: Joseph, the Special Envoy

Joseph was awakened in his bed by a messenger.

"Colonel Bonaparte, Colonel Bonaparte, General Carnot requests your immediate presence at the War Department. There's trouble in the south," the messenger urgently conveyed.

"What? Trouble in the south?" Joseph leaped out of bed like a coiled spring. He hastily donned his uniform, carelessly plopped a hat on his head, and followed the messenger out the door, mounted his horse, and raced towards the War Department.

On the way, Joseph couldn't help but wonder, "Could something have happened to Napoleon? Could my time travel have altered the course of history, leading to Napoleon's downfall?" After all, events on the battlefield often relied on luck. Napoleon had a penchant for leading from the front, and one stray cannonball…

As Joseph's anxiety grew, his hands trembled to the point where he could barely hold onto the reins. Fortunately, his residence wasn't far from the War Department, and within moments, he arrived.

Leaping off his horse, Joseph went straight to Carnot's office.

"Lazare, what's going on?" Joseph immediately asked upon entering.

"Angers has fallen," Carnot replied.

Joseph let out a long sigh, then widened his eyes. "What? Angers has fallen? What did Napoleon have to say about this?"

"Napoleon hasn't sent a report; the news came from the Jacobin Club in Angers," Carnot explained. "I apologize for waking you at this hour, but I was just woken up as well. Catch your breath, and I'll fill you in on the situation."

Carnot then gave Joseph a brief overview of what he knew. The situation was as follows:

In the days leading up to the recent battles, Napoleon had successfully repelled rebel attacks. Just two days ago, Napoleon had declared that he noticed a drop in enemy morale and a weakening of their attacks. In response, he decided to launch a full-scale counteroffensive and had withdrawn his main force from the city.

However, the moment his forces left, royalist sympathizers within the city initiated a revolt. Some of the National Guard troops had been infiltrated by these royalists. As a result, the royalists swiftly seized key positions within the city, leading to the fall of Angers. Napoleon tried to counterattack, but it didn't go well, and he had to retreat.

"Well, it seems the blame might not solely rest on Napoleon's shoulders in this case," Joseph immediately began strategizing, hoping to deflect responsibility away from Napoleon.

"Carnot, regardless, this is a severe setback. I suspect that by dawn, Paris will be in an uproar. I might be called to testify before the Parliament. But rest assured, if you examine the situation closely, although Angers has fallen, it hasn't changed the overall picture significantly. I can handle it in Parliament."

"General, indeed..." Joseph started.

"Wrong, I'm still a colonel for now," Carnot chuckled. "I'll probably have to wait until Napoleon emerges victorious before I can be promoted again. Well, Joseph, let's work through the situation together."

"Very well," Joseph agreed. "I wonder when that idiot Napoleon will finally send the battle report."

"That might take a day," Carnot said. "We just don't know about his casualties."

...

When daylight came, Carnot was indeed summoned to Parliament. It was reported that a certain Gallio had been causing a commotion, accusing Napoleon of treason and suspecting collusion between Carnot and Napoleon. In response, Carnot gave Gallio a withering glare, causing him to unexpectedly lose control of his bladder.

"Nevertheless, Joseph, you should know that some in Parliament are panicking. Dealing with these irrational individuals and discussing issues rationally can be quite challenging. Ultimately, they passed a resolution to send a special envoy to Napoleon."

Joseph had anticipated this outcome and inquired, "So, who are they sending?"

"I initially wanted to send Congressman Saint-Just. He's young but courageous and willing to learn. He doesn't meddle in matters he doesn't understand, and he's had experience with these kinds of missions. Unfortunately, due to the delicate situation in Paris, he can't leave. So, we had to look for an alternative."

"So, who are they sending in the end?" Joseph asked.

"A man named Joseph Fouche, much like you, but with the surname Fouche," Carnot replied.

"Joseph Fouche, the one who initially had good relations with Robespierre, then followed La Fayette, later aligned with Brissot, and now supports Marat?" Joseph inquired.

"Yes, that unscrupulous fellow," Carnot scoffed. "He's even more radical than Marat himself."

Though Carnot leaned toward the Mountain faction, he was disdainful of the fervent radicals like Marat and Fouche.

"Fanatics change allegiances when they join a new group. To gain recognition, they have to be more radical than the others. But could this person interfere with military command once he's in the army?" Joseph wondered.

"I spoke with Fouche, and he assured me that his role is to document Napoleon's commands for Parliament to determine if he's been negligent. He won't meddle in military operations," Carnot reassured.

"I hope that's true," Joseph said. "General, Napoleon's battle report has arrived, and I have a feeling that he might be up to something behind our backs..."

...

When Joseph Fouche arrived with approximately two hundred militiamen at Napoleon's camp, Napoleon had retreated to near Le Mans. Le Mans, in modern times, was known for racing, but at this time, there were no automobiles, only horse-drawn carriages shuttling to and fro.

Le Mans was strategically advantageous for Napoleon's decisive battle. Firstly, Le Mans had excellent land and water transport, allowing supplies from Paris to reach Le Mans directly through the canals connecting the Seine and the Loir rivers.

Secondly, Le Mans had formidable city walls, a legacy from the Hundred Years' War, making it a much-favored prize in the constant struggles between the English and French armies. These well-preserved walls were slightly outdated with the advent of widespread artillery, but they were still better than having no defenses. Considering the mediocre quality of the enemy forces, these walls played an important role. For General Delacroix, taking Le Mans was the key to cutting off water routes and truly threatening Paris.

"Welcome to my camp, Mr. Fouche," Napoleon greeted him along with his officers. "I'm glad to see you here. I've been informed of your mission to assist me."

"Very pleased to meet you, General Bonaparte," Fouche replied. "I've been assigned to witness this battle, for which I only need my eyes and ears. As for my other task... I've been instructed to root out hidden rebels within Le Mans. It seems that their subversive activities led to the fall of Angers, which is unacceptable in Le Mans. If necessary, General Bonaparte, I hope to have the support of your troops."

"That won't be a problem," Napoleon assured him.

Fouche had been honest; although he attended many of Napoleon's military meetings, he never uttered a word. Most of his time was spent running through Le Mans, though his exact activities remained a mystery.

On the last day of May, another revolution erupted in Paris, driven by popular discontent over the economy. The sans-culottes rose in rebellion again, holding certain parliamentarians responsible for the dire situation. They surrounded the National Convention and demanded the surrender of those they deemed "traitors." The Convention capitulated once more, leading to the arrest of over twenty members. From that night on, the balance within the Convention shifted. The Montagnards gained the upper hand, and their dominance was evident in most debates.

Subsequently, many moderate parliamentarians left Paris. During Convention sessions, often over a third of its members were absent.

Overall, Paris always led the provinces in the course of the Revolution. When Paris advocated for constitutional monarchy, the provinces hoped for the king's benevolence. When Paris embraced the republic, most provinces were just beginning to accept constitutional monarchy. And when Paris chose the more radical Montagnards, most provinces leaned towards the Girondins. This deepened the divide between the provinces and Paris.

As a result, the power of the Republic declined, and royalists sparked new revolts in other regions. As the Vendéan rebels approached, rumors ran rampant in Le Mans.

The more credible rumors suggested that the Vendéan rebels numbered in the thousands, with well-equipped, trained British and Spanish troops among them. They were said to be formidable, and they believed that Napoleon, with his mere division of 5,000 men and a shortage of cannons due to his earlier retreat, stood no chance.

While these rumors were half-true, they baffled those with more discerning minds. For instance, it was true that Napoleon had lost some cannons during his retreat, but he had intentionally left those cannons behind to encourage the enemy's advance. In fact, he had stockpiled a substantial number of cannons in Le Mans, with the support of his brother, who favored him.

As for the less credible rumors, they were absurd. Stories circulated that the twelve Paladins of Charlemagne had risen from the dead, wielding divine thunder, to aid the royalist army. These rumors held no sway over those with a more educated perspective but successfully misled many less-educated individuals. Thus, in Le Mans, tensions began to simmer.