Fouché visited Carnot overnight, and in his disdainful gaze, he pointed out that when he returned to Paris, he found that the freedom and democracy that Paris was proud of had regressed enormously. He believes that this situation is extremely abnormal and cannot continue.

Carnot didn't like Fouché, and although he didn't have a serious moral critter like Robespierre, he didn't like the fickle Fouché from the bottom of his heart. But he also knew that Fouché was right. But he still said to Fouché: "Although there is some truth in what you say, it is too late for you to appear now. The army, the police, the National Salvation Committee, the Public Security Committee, the National Assembly and the Jacobin Club were all at his disposal, and everyone was afraid of him, and many of the deputies were so afraid that they did not even dare to sleep in their own homes at night...... His strength today is not something we can shake. ”

"No, General Kano, I don't see it that way." Foucher said. He had come to Kano on foot, and along the way he had carefully analysed the situation, and had tried to find a gap in the dark clouds, and now all he had to do was point it out for others to see, and to encourage others to join him in trying to make it a little bigger, so that the sunlight could shine through.

"You're right, Robespierre has a tremendous amount of power in his hands, and he uses the guillotine, or more accurately, the use of fear, to restrain all of them. This fear was a terrible toxin, and it made everyone tremble before his iron fist, whether it was a general, or a judge, a member of parliament, or any other member of the two committees. They were all made into his marionettes by this toxin. Everyone is afraid that tomorrow morning, will they be guillotined for no reason. So everybody obeys it. At this, Fouché let out a long sigh.

"But, General Carnot, you are a scientist and you know Sir Newton's three laws. It is impossible for a force, exerted on anything, to be without a reaction force. Terror is also a force, and it also has its own counter-force! ”

"Where, then, is this reaction?" Kano asked.

"You just said that many parliamentarians in Paris, many influential people, do not dare to go back to their homes to sleep at night, but only dare to find a place to sleep outside. Because they are afraid, if they sleep in their own beds, when they open their eyes at dawn, the first thing they see is an arrest warrant with the bright red seal of the 'National Salvation Committee' or the 'Public Safety Committee'! Fear brings obedience, but fear also brings hatred! ”

At this point Fouché paused, he looked at Kano, and after a while he said, "If a man has made you live in boundless fear for months, or even longer, and you can't sleep at night, and your spirit is weakened, and your will is destroyed, and you live like the walking dead, will not such a person be hated by you?" Will you ever forgive him? Wouldn't those who dared not sleep in their own beds every day be filled with hatred for Robespierre?

Besides, Is Robespierre really powerful? If his allies are still there, then he is indeed strong. However, he killed Ebel—I know you have a problem with many of Ebel's claims, General—but it was Ebel who ensured the support of the bas-culottes at the bottom. If a few months ago someone had tried to overthrow him, he would have had to raise his arms and the whole of Paris would have responded to him. They would surround the National Assembly and force them to submit with artillery. But now, the sans-culottes have suffered and complained because of some things, and because he is incompetent and cannot solve these problems, he uses the same way as the person who raised the problem to deal with Ebel, and to deal with the sans-culottes. Now, it's good that the sans-culottes don't see him as a traitor who betrayed them, where are they willing to shed blood for him?

If Danton were still alive and friends with him, then he would have been enough to appease the National Assembly and put all the hatred of fear on Ebel, but ...... He extinguished all hope for others with his own hands. Now, Robespierre is a giant with feet of clay, and as long as we come together to resist him, he has no great power at all. As long as we can let everyone know that everyone hates him, then his end has come! ”

"But how do you let everyone know? If you want to appeal directly in parliament, it will certainly not lead to good. You have to give me a proof that convinces me that you do have the possibility to do this. Kano said.

"General," Fouché said slowly, looking into Kano's eyes, "I have been ordered to return to Paris and report to the National Salvation Committee. In a few days, the Jacobin Club will hold a new presidential election, which will be held by secret ballot, as is customary. If you can help me to postpone my briefing to the National Salvation Committee until after the Jacobin Club elections, I will be able to give you a proof. ”

"Good, I'm looking forward to your proof." Kano said.

Foucher knew that his purpose with Kano tonight had been achieved, and he took his leave of Kano. Before leaving, Kano suddenly said, "Citizen Fuhe, you'd better change your sleeping place every day." ”

Carnot found some technical reasons and asked for Fouché's debriefing to be postponed.

Robespierre had no objection to this. Maybe it seemed to him that it was just a small thing. Robespierre had always had great contempt for a virtuous chameleon like Fouché, which made him not see, or as far as possible, to ignore Fouché's merits. In this way, Fuch became an insignificant little person in his eyes. Such a fellow, Robespierre thought, he could not make any waves at all.

Even if someone from the Public Safety Committee reported to him that Fuch had been secretly following his whereabouts these days, it did not cause him much alarm. He simply saw Fouché as trying to escape, and appreciated it as a farce.

But Fouché wasn't planning to escape, and he didn't even think about it! Fouché constantly changed his residence, constantly changed his dress, pretending to be a worker, a merchant, an old man, a woman. Leave aside the agents of the Public Safety Committee who were following him, and go one by one to meet with the members of the Jacobin Club. Convince them to vote for themselves in the election of the chairman.

"The vote was by secret ballot, and no one knew who had cast the vote. Robespierre's anger and blows could only be on me, but you can see how many people have the same heart for you. Isn't it worth giving it a try? ”

Many people have heard this heart-pounding sentence from Foucher.

A few days later, the Jacobin Club held a new election for its president. Robespierre himself was there, and he was surprised to find that Fouché had also come to the meeting. At this time, Fouché had not yet been arrested, and was still a member of the Jacobin Club, and he was certainly eligible to attend.

Voting began, and members all wrote their choices on the ballot and dropped their ballot into the ballot box. This whole set was developed and perfected by Robespierre and Saint-Just.

After everyone had finished voting, one of the members held up the ballot box and shook it violently for a while in order to mess up the order of the ballots inside. Then the ballot box was opened in front of everyone's eyes. The counting began.

"Joseph Fouché."

"Joseph Fouché."

"Joseph Fouché."

……

After reciting more than a dozen "Joseph Fouchés", there was finally a "Maximilien Robespierre".

Everyone looked at each other in fear and excitement. Robespierre, on the other hand, turned pale, and for the first time felt that he had underestimated Fouche, the viper that spits letters. It was also the first time he realized that his foundation had been hollowed out, and for the first time he felt trembling and fear.

The final vote came in, and Fouché overwhelmingly defeated Robespierre to become the new president of the Jacobin Club. Not even a single cent of the people who voted for Robespierre!

Even a place like the Jacobin Club, which is considered to be the core territory of Robespierre, has so many people who are secretly dissatisfied with Robespierre. If Robespierre could not in fact even fully master the Jacobin Club, how could he continue to dominate everything?

After tonight's vote, there will be a deep rift between Robespierre and the entire Jacobin Club, and this rift is called mutual distrust. And that's what Fouché showed to Kano.

Fouché did not stay at the club for long after his victory, and after a very brief speech, he left the club and disappeared into the dark streets of Paris at night.

Fouché's victory on the night was too unexpected. After seeing this proof he gave, Carnot, who had been silent in the "National Salvation Committee" recently, suddenly raised his voice again, and he openly took the lead in opposing some of Robespierre's policies, at first against some military policies, and later against many of his political measures.

With Carnot's lead, some of the members who had always been the leader of Robespierre suddenly began to have their own opinions, and several of Robespierre's proposals were rejected one after another. Today, in the "National Salvation Committee", only Saint-Just and Cudon are still firmly on Robespierre's side. But that number was no longer enough to pass in the Committee any resolution they wished. Robespierre's control of the whole situation really seems to have revealed a huge hole.