As night fell, the bustling city began to fall silent.

In the midst of a dark neighborhood, the grand Palais Bourbon stands tall in the shadows, as if draped in a black veil.

Since the outbreak of February and the establishment of the Second Republic, the Palais Bourbon has served as the synagogue of the National Assembly and the seat of the entire national legislature.

During the day, hundreds of parliamentarians are here arguing about matters concerning the state of France, or trivial matters that are meaningless, deciding on the formulation and revision of the state budget and laws, and the noise is as lively as the vegetable market in the middle of the city, but now it is silent, and it has once again regained its sense of majesty.

A guard on duty stood at the door of the Bourbon Palace, watching the crowd in the distant neighborhood gradually thinning out, and slowly became sleepy, only feeling tired and bored, and only thinking about getting through the rest of the duty time quickly, so that he could go back to his barracks as soon as possible to rest.

Today seems as calm as usual, even a little boring.

Yes, it's been too quiet lately.

Not so long ago, the two factions in Parliament had been arguing incessantly, and the two factions had been using various issues to attack each other and obstruct the implementation of their opponents' proposals, but now they seem to be much more harmonious, and there has been no overly heated debate. On the other hand, the government has rarely clashed with Parliament recently, and has been faithfully implementing the bills passed by Parliament, without the slightest resistance.

Maybe those dignitaries are finally tired of fighting, right? The guard thought with a slight mockery.

Of course, although he is not a professional, after all, he has been in this place of right and wrong for a long time, so he is completely aware that this is just a joke - for the sake of power and money, dignitaries can fight for a lifetime, how can they feel tired?

However, he had also heard that the most notable topic of struggle in the political arena had been the marriage of Mr. Tréville.

Charles de Treville, who is now in high office and in the presumption of the President's attention, will marry his cousin, Mademoiselle Charlotte de Treville, and the President has gladly agreed to attend their wedding to bless the cronie. When the president said he wanted to attend in person, almost all the leading figures of the Bonapartist elements, as well as some celebrities who wanted to be attached to the president, expressed their desire to witness the wedding of the couple.

After a brief silence after the New Year, almost the entire social world was holding its breath and waiting for this grand ceremony that was sure to make a splash. The anticipation of the topic overshadowed the other quarrels.

At least until then, there shouldn't be any major incidents, and the president will have to be busy as a witness...... The guard thought to himself.

However, this idea of his was quickly shattered by the cold reality.

At this moment, some confused figures suddenly appeared in the dark curtain in front of them.

These figures seem to be neatly arranged, and the destinations seem to be their own locations, and their steps are very rhythmic.

The soldier was a little suspicious.

At this time, why are people still running here?

As they got closer, the guards were finally able to get a glimpse of the men.

Oh my God, they're wearing uniform uniforms!

My God! An army is coming here!

"Ah......h

At the same time, the army did not pause, and continued to move towards this side at the same pace as before. In the dark night, Gu Ying was sufficient, as if he could swallow a frenzy.

Looking at the dense soldiers on the other side, the guard's heart began to panic, although he had not yet received an accurate explanation, but he knew that since they had not revealed the news beforehand, they must have bad intentions.

What am I going to do? He kept asking himself in his heart, but he couldn't get an answer at all, he only felt that his body was sweating constantly, and his legs were shaking involuntarily.

He barely bred up, then looked up at his sergeant major.

According to the instinct of a soldier, he decided to follow orders and avoid making a one-pronged decision.

And the bearded sergeant major is now pale, and his beard is trembling slightly.

"Stop! Stop it! After a moment's hesitation, he shouted, "Which unit are you from?" This is the National Assembly, what are you doing here? ”

No one answered his hoarse shouts, and the group of soldiers just kept walking towards them with guns in hand, and nothing could be seen from their indifferent faces.

Seeing that the worst had happened, the sergeant's face suddenly turned red, and then he turned to look at his guards.

"What are you doing here? Aim now! Aim! ”

After hearing the commander's order, the guards woke up like a dream, and hurriedly raised their guns and pointed them at the enemies who were constantly coming.

He anxiously awaited the next order, but he knew in his heart that if the fight really broke out now, there would be no suitable shelter here, and because it was night, most of the soldiers were resting, there was a huge gap in their numbers, and resistance would only lead to a dead end.

What's more, even the ammunition they didn't have much ready.

Perhaps for the same reason, the sergeant major never gave the order to shoot, but just looked anxiously at the troops opposite and continued to shout.

"Stop! I'm going to give the order to shoot again! Do you know what you're doing!? ”

Just as his agitation was about to reach its peak, the soldiers on the opposite side stopped advancing in a neat formation.

The two groups of people confronted each other in this way.

Seeing that the other party did not immediately exchange fire, the sergeant major's heart calmed down a little, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then quietly gave an order to one of the guards next to him. "Hurry up and report to the sir! Sue him that a group of rebels is besieging him, go quickly! ”

Just as the guards were taking orders, a gap suddenly opened in the ranks of the soldiers opposite, and an officer wearing a military uniform and a medal walked out of it, and then calmly walked towards them alone.

"Stop! Come here and shoot! The sergeant major hurriedly shouted. Who are you?! ”

"I am Major Lucien-Leflaire, and I have been ordered to take over the defense of the Palais Bourbon with my troops." The officer replied in a calm tone. "Please don't obstruct me from carrying out my mission, now, hand over your posts immediately!"

After hearing this answer, the sergeant major was stunned for a moment, and then looked at the major with a puzzled face.

"What order? Changing guards? How come we haven't heard of it before? He shouted in retort.

"This is the latest order...... If you want to see the official paperwork, I can give it to you. The major pulled a piece of paper from his bosom, "Please don't get us wrong, we're just on a normal mission. ”

The sergeant major waved his hand, and one of the guards boldly stepped forward, took the paperwork from the officer, and brought it to the sergeant major.

After the sergeant major took it, he carefully looked at the paperwork and found that it was indeed the War Department.

That's right, if there is no order, such an army would not dare to swagger through the city......

However, choose this time to run over...... This can also be called performing normal tasks?!

This is a military coup! The government is officially declaring war on Parliament!

The sergeant major finally reacted.

"According to the decree of the Parliament, the government does not have the right to mobilize the security forces of the Parliament without authorization, so your paperwork is invalid!" He shouted at the officer, "Please go back to your original station, and wait for the formalities to be completed before coming back to pick up the defense!" ”

Upon hearing his rebuttal, the officer changed color.

"Are you going to disobey orders? And also...... How did you speak to me? I'm a major, and you're just a sergeant major! Now hurry up and obey my orders, understand! ”

"I only accept lawful orders...... Sir. After the other party pointed out the class gap between the two, the sergeant major obviously lost the confidence he had just now, "If there can be a legitimate order, I am very happy to obey the order...... Now, please give me what should be given to me first. ”

Perhaps out of exasperation, the officer sneered.

"What if I don't?"

"If you don't, you're a rebel! You are attacking our legislature with arms! The sergeant replied loudly.

"No, there is no such thing." Major Leflair replied calmly, "Because, according to the latest order of His Excellency the President, France has entered a state of general emergency in order to save the country from peril, and the National Assembly will be temporarily and indefinitely adjourned, and its functions are now over, so I cannot and have no right to add any orders to me, but I need only obey the orders of the War Office itself." And if you don't obey, then you are a rebel. ”

Although it is not clear why "temporary" and "indefinite" can be put together, the sergeant major understands that this qiē will be irretrievable - a military coup has taken place, and the Palais Bourbon has been made the primary target.

"From this day onwards, your duties are over," the officer continued, "and now, I repeat my order one last time, to give up my post at once, to surrender my weapons, and get out of here!" If you don't obey......"

Then, with a wave of his hand, the soldiers behind him also raised their guns and aimed them at the group of guards.

Their movements were so uniform that they sounded like a thunderclap.

The sergeant's forehead was already sweating, and he realized what it was like to be pointed at hundreds, if not thousands, of guns.

Courage has faded away, and all that remains is nostalgia for one's own life.

Should I resist death for sure? Looking at the group of soldiers opposite, the sergeant major kept asking himself.

Years of military experience only cultivated his instinct to unconditionally obey the orders of his superiors, but did not tell him what to do in emergencies.

If only the chief came over...... It would be nice if someone made the decision for me, whatever it was, as long as there was a decision...... He thought to himself.

However, the person on the other side didn't seem to have much patience.

Lucien looked at the apparently hesitant sergeant major and frowned slightly.

He knew that his time was running out - although it was late at night, it was impossible to keep a secret from such a large force passing through the city, and the news would soon spread throughout the city, and he had to complete his mission, at least in full control of the area where the National Assembly was located, before an uncontrollable event occurred.

"I'll give you another half minute to think about it, and if you don't obey the order after 30 seconds, then I'll deal with you for rebellion!" With a hint of agitation, Lucien shouted at the guards on the opposite side, and at the same time stepped back slightly, leaving himself out of the danger zone, ready to order the soldiers to force a surprise attack.

The major's order made the sergeant major even more frightened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't say it at all. He wanted to give the order to resist this unquestionable crime, but he felt that there was no need to waste his life and his men's lives on such pointless resistance.

He had no affection for parliament or the president, or even any political theory, and served as a profession to support his family, and he had never thought of giving his life for any doctrine - not to mention his own family.

As soon as he thought of his child, his heart began to tremble violently, and he could not give the order to resist.

Finally, his knots were unraveled.

He heard a commotion behind him, and then subconsciously looked back.

His commander, or the commander of the entire Bourbon Palace Guard, Major Viato de Moulin, finally arrived after hearing the briefing.

Finally someone can command themselves...... He only felt relieved.

……………………

"All around the Palais Bourbon, as well as a few nearby neighborhoods, must be under martial law starting tonight!"

At this very moment, in the Office of the War Office, Charles de Treville, the main mastermind of the coup, shouted orders to his men. "All idlers and others must be excluded, the parliament must not be allowed to reinstate, and it is necessary to be fully prepared to suppress possible revolts by means of qiē if necessary."

The capture of the Palais Bourbon, the seat of the National Assembly, was the most important step in the coup, so Charles sent Lucien over as commander-in-chief to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Although his face pretended to be very calm and determined, his heart was actually quite nervous, and even if he was familiar with history, he did not know what this coup d'état that had been greatly advanced would bring him - the coup d'état that had allowed Napoleon III to exclude one of his opponents had already taken place in December 1851, and in March 1851, under the leadership of Charles.

The only consolation to him was that he and Louis Bonaparte were fully prepared for the operation, and there was no surprise that could shatter their dreams.

"Martial law must be carried out in the most severe form! If someone dares to move closer, warn first, and shoot directly after the warning is ineffective! After forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart, Charles ordered again, "If you can't shoot, you can shoot directly, and you don't have to worry about any impact." ”

"Are you going to bring the cannon over too......" There was a sudden hesitation in the crowd, "Will it be...... Wouldn't it be too intense? Mr. ......"

"What's so intense? What are you doing with all of this now?! Charles snapped, "We have to think about how to win first, and then we have time to think about how to explain after victory!" ”

His words soon caused a dead silence in the crowd.

Charles took a deep breath, as if looking at the group of officers with some contempt.

"Guys, haven't you seen it yet?! It's a world of struggle, and only by fighting, constantly fighting, can you stand out, isn't it? Mediocre people who are afraid of everything are not qualified to be ambitious, because they do not have the determination to dare to do it! The emperor became the first consul at the age of 30, and I became the secretary of state in my early twenties. We have nothing, only the courage to make a fortune, and the determination to overcome all difficulties, and we don't need anything else besides this! And you ...... What do you need to be afraid of? ”

No one answered him, and he didn't want to wait for someone else's answer.

"In order to get ahead, the emperor used shrapnel in Paris back then, so why can't we? We can also use our howitzers! If anyone has to fight us to the end, then he is our enemy - is it not a matter of course to use guns against the enemy? Under the gaze of a group of officers and soldiers, Charles waved his hand heavily, as if making a gesture of cutting off his head, "At this moment, whoever stands in our way will kill himself!" We must not show any mercy to the enemy, otherwise it will be us who will fall when the time comes! ”

"That's right!" Charles's words were soon echoed almost in unison.

Truth be told, everyone had thought of using the most drastic means in a crisis situation, but no one dared to speak first, for fear of being thrown out as a scapegoat to appease the anger of the people after the Bonapartist was formed.

Now that they have received a clear order from Charles, they don't have to worry about any responsibility, and dare to let it go.

"It is admirable that you are able to show such determination, sir." After a moment of calm, Viscount Alex de Routrec finally spoke, "Don't worry, you're not the only one to take responsibility for this, and I can take responsibility for it!" I am one of the main formulators of today's plan, and every qiē blood today will have my share! Don't be afraid, just move forward! ”

However, despite the arrogance of his words, Charles knew in his heart that this was just a slogan to motivate his subordinates, and if he could avoid it, he was determined to avoid such bad acts as the bombardment of the Bourbon Palace, so as not to cause adverse effects on himself.

Ignoring the commotion of the officers, Charles walked to the window and watched quietly into the dark night outside.

Devouring the darkness of a qiē, it did not give him comfort or warmth, but it seemed to give him the courage to ignore a qiē.

After a moment, he pulled out his pocket watch and looked at the time.

It was already two o'clock in the morning, and according to the original plan, Lucien should have occupied the Palais Bourbon.

He took a deep breath.

Then, he turned his head to look at the group of officers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is in these few hours to decide whether we will rise to prominence or perish...... No matter what the outcome is, I will have no regrets, because I have done my best to control my destiny. I am convinced that our efforts will not be in vain, and fate will reward us for our efforts...... I am convinced that our dreams will come true! At this moment, a qiē glory awaits us, and we ...... It is our duty to show a form that is sufficient to carry this glory. So, please shout with me, whether it's going to the feast hall or to the terrible execution ground, we should rehearse it......"

Then he raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. "Long live the Empire!"

"Long live the Empire!" The same cheers rang out from the mouths of the other officers. R1152