Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 955: Chapter 218: Civil War Erupts

The large-scale deployment of the government army naturally could not be kept secret. In fact, every move of the French government had always been closely watched by the capitalists, although no one had expected Napoleon IV to actually flip the table.

The human heart is complex. “Be lenient towards oneself and strict towards others” is the norm in society. Although everyone was plotting a coup themselves, they were still extremely angry at the Emperor’s act of flipping the table.

There was no doubt, an arrow on the string had to be shot. As the government army took action, the capitalists who had previously been hiding behind the scenes and pulling the strings were now forced into the spotlight.

“Fellow citizens, take up the weapons in your hands, overthrow the decaying Bonaparte Dynasty, end this misguided war, and establish a…”

Maxim Sidolov, who had narrowly escaped a disaster, was now, with a stiff face, preaching revolutionary theory to the workers and inciting everyone to join the rebellion.

It was clear that he was a pseudo-revolutionary, advocating only the overthrow of the Bonaparte Dynasty, lacking the theory of toppling the bourgeoisie.

There was no alternative; one could hardly expect the capitalists to rise up and start a revolution against themselves. Even if they were to spout sheer nonsense, it would easily give them away!

Maxim Sidolov keenly felt what it was like when “scholars encounter soldiers and can’t argue their point.” No matter how eloquently he spoke on stage, the mood of the crowd below just wasn’t lifting.

“Revolutionary” thought was deeply rooted in the intellectuals, while ordinary people were struggling just for their daily bread and had no time to ponder these issues.

Moreover, the Bonaparte Dynasty hadn’t reached the point of inciting universal wrath; despite the continuous bad news from the front lines, the war was mostly fought abroad and the Parisians didn’t feel it deeply.

Domestic prices had soared, indeed causing widespread dissatisfaction. However, for the sake of maintaining public morale, the Paris Government had issued relief grain multiple times. Although it was not enough to satisfy hunger, at least it kept starvation at bay!

Many people were nostalgic for the good life during the era of Napoleon III, and the “revolution” didn’t leave a good impression on the Parisians. The most significant example was the notable decline in living standards after the last great revolution.

Seeing that moral encouragement was ineffective on this coerced rebel army, Maxim Sidolov reluctantly announced, “For storming the police station across the street, each man will be rewarded with five thousand Francs, and the first one to break in will receive fifty thousand Francs…”

Grand principles were never as effective as cold, hard cash. Although the Franc had devalued significantly, five thousand Francs was still an astronomical sum for the average person.

Looking at the invigorated rebel army, Maxim Sidolov no longer had any faith in the prospects of the revolution. Essentially, he had never wanted a revolution but sought to replace the government with one that would be obedient through a coup.

But plans could not keep up with the pace of change, and the sudden move of Napoleon IV had disrupted their schemes. The insiders they had in the government had now become captives, and even the capitalists themselves were on the run.

If it wasn’t a last resort, Maxim Sidolov would never have taken to the field himself, leading a ragtag bunch to stir up a revolution.

Chaos reigned, and Paris was in complete disarray. Faced with the government’s raised cleaver, both capitalists and the Revolutionary Party struck back, inaugurating the revolution.

The sounds of gunfire, shouting, and crying melded together, resounding through the City of Paris. The sky gradually darkened, night fell, and the battle raged on.

By midnight, perhaps because everyone was exhausted or perhaps because it was too dark to see, the fighting gradually calmed down.

“Mr. Sidolov, the car is ready and can leave at any time.”

Maxim Sidolov nodded, “Hmm! Notify the Revolutionary Party to take over the troops two hours after I leave. Once the mission is complete, you can freely decide whether to continue participating in the subsequent battles.”

Leading the revolution was out of the question for Maxim Sidolov. He was not so nobly grand; his sudden rebellious outbreak had been compelled by necessity.

The government had already made its move, and he couldn’t escape Paris without causing chaos. Once in the hands of the government, the fate of others was uncertain, but Maxim Sidolov’s was surely sealed.

As for the great task of overthrowing the Bonaparte Dynasty, of course, that was left to the Revolutionary Party. For now, his identity had not been exposed, which was a relief. If everyone knew he was the boss of the capitalist bloodsuckers, he would have been torn to pieces alive.

Ever since the birth of the bourgeoisie, they had been synonymous with “ruthlessness,” especially those involved in finance, who were the best of the best in this regard.

The world does not revolve around one individual; without Maxim Sidolov, the civil war in Paris would still continue.

It was not that the Revolutionary Army was so formidable; it was just that the government army was full of reservations. Often, what looked like warfare was really just shooting into the sky.

There was no choice—French soldiers had always sympathized with the Revolution. They could arrest ruthless capitalists alright, but asking them to shoot at the common people was too much to bear.

Although most soldiers were lackluster in their efforts, there were still some who were loyal to the royal family and fought to the death, so on the whole, the government army still had the upper hand over the rebel forces.

…

At the Palace of Versailles, watching the government army achieve victory after victory, Napoleon IV found no joy.

In the depths of the night, Napoleon IV sat alone in the garden, gazing at the star-filled sky, as if he could hear the heart-wrenching screams of the ancient City of Paris amidst the raging flames of war.

Plans do not adapt as quickly as situations change. From the current standpoint, Napoleon IV’s cleansing plan had clearly failed.

Despite having arrested many important figures from the financial groups and seized a vast amount of wealth and materials, dealing a physical blow to the bourgeoisie, the civil war made these gains tasteless.

The Paris civil war was only the beginning. It was imaginable that in the days to come, the residual forces of the financial groups would certainly launch a counterattack.

Under normal circumstances, Napoleon IV would not be concerned about a slight rebound. He was confident enough to handle these troubles.

However, things were different now. France was facing an attack by the Anti-French Alliance. The simultaneous outbreak of internal and external threats would make France, already at a disadvantage on the battlefield, even more difficult to sustain.

“Not ruthless enough!”

“If only I had been this decisive earlier!”

Napoleon IV muttered to himself. He knew he was deluding himself; violence couldn’t solve the problem. Despite the financial groups being suppressed now, it wouldn’t be long before they rose again from the ashes.

In essence, the financial groups were a body of interests; as long as there were benefits, this group would exist. Unless the government was strong enough to completely cut off their connections at the root.

This was the aspect of Franz that Napoleon IV envied the most. The Austrian bourgeoisie had a late start and hadn’t had the chance to grow before encountering a formidable Emperor, who directly extinguished the possibility of large financial groups arising.

Energy and transportation were either in government hands or in the hands of the royal family; any capitalists who dared make trouble were taught a lesson.

From the very beginning, the financial industry and the real economy had been two parallel lines. Anyone who tried to cross over or group together would immediately face a crippling blow.

Not to mention the strictest inspections; that was certainly expected. Regular interruptions to water and power supplies were just routine; transporting goods would inevitably lack railcars; buying…

In fact, not just in Austria, but nearly all European countries were limiting the power of financial groups. It’s just that Austria was doing it most forcefully, while France was the most unsuccessful.

…