readx;? Early in the morning, a man in a long black cloak got out of the carriage in front of a slightly luxurious mansion and looked around before reaching out and knocking on the door. Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info At this time, probably all the people in Paris know that this is the residence of Sières, the current governor of France. The man felt lucky that the mansion was located in an extremely secluded alley, so not many people would notice the man's actions.

"Who?" After a while, it was Sières himself who opened the door, but the next second he almost screamed in astonishment.

"I'm afraid I'll have to come to you at this time, Governor of Siaiers. As soon as the door was opened, the man outside said with a smile.

"Duke of Baden?" Sières was stunned for a moment, almost unable to believe his eyes, and the man in front of him, who was dressed in an extremely disguised manner, was indeed the former Minister of the Interior, Brion, who had announced his retirement from politics four years ago and started to live in seclusion, no longer interfering in French affairs.

Even after leaving France for four years, as far as Siaiers knew, Briand's power had not decreased but increased, and he still had a appeal and prestige that could not be underestimated in the whole of France and even among the people. In addition, as a prince of Germany, the Duchy of Baden has been regarded as a third-class power in Europe under his rule in recent years, excluding the 80,000 elites trained secretly, and the regular standing army of its fiefdom has risen to about 10,000. The increase in its strength is self-evident.

A few years ago, he had turned France upside down, even Louis XVI had been planted in his hands, and now he has returned, and his purpose is indeed intriguing and even frightening. However, I am afraid that the most worried is the Directory, and Siaiers, although he is one of the five major Governors, can only be friendly with Brion.

"Take refuge in me, Duke, don't laugh at me. After a few seconds of pause, Sières smiled and let Brion in.

To tell the truth, Sières has always had a respectful attitude towards Brion from the bottom of his heart. During the Phaillant faction of the constitutional monarchy, Brion strongly recommended Lafayette to succeed him as Home Secretary. This was indeed a good move by Briand, who originally thought that the position of Minister of the Interior was dispensable, so he gave it to Sières.

This kind of grace is enough to win a person's heart.

If you want to say that Brion didn't watch anything in his previous life, he watched too much Romance of the Three Kingdoms, after all, it is a must-read list for school. Brion, who had been a Frenchman for so long, was even more adept at using the political method of buying people's hearts, and at that time he understood better that Lafayette had a grudge against him and Sières, so he naturally would not easily let Sières stay in the post of Home Secretary.

At this time, it seems that Lafayette fired Siaiers, but in fact, Lafayette's image has long been squeezed by Briand and disappeared.

"I have indeed come to seek refuge in you, and I feel that I am in great need of a strong and reliable ally. Brion nodded politely, "I think this person is you, Mr. Sières." ”

"Don't laugh, Duke of Baden, you are a prince of Germany, and I am only a small man, far from your reputation in military and political circles. Sières looked at Briand and smiled: "How could I have become Home Secretary if you hadn't strongly recommended me four years ago?"

"Little people?" Brion smiled and shook his head, "If Sières, one of the supreme leaders of the First Republic of France, is a small person, then I, Brion, am just a small character." Frankly, that's why I came to you, I need your help. ”

"I'm afraid I'm not the only choice, but among the five governors in the French Directory, there are people who are more powerful than me. Barras, for example, was the French representative in Italy and is now the commander-in-chief of the military police in Paris. Most politicians in Paris have a deep friendship with him, and he does have an absolute advantage in terms of connections and strength. Sières came out of the kitchen, laid a cup of poured coffee in front of Briand, and then picked up another and said, "Of course you can go to Monsieur Le Tourne or Monsieur Carno, both of whom are considered to be the closest to the royal party among the Governors. ”

As he spoke, Siaiers' tone suddenly changed, and he asked very seriously: "Then why did you come to me? With my strength, I am definitely far inferior to the previous three. ”

Of course, with Brion's memory, he would be no stranger to the three overseers that Siaiers talked about. In particular, Barras, who was recognized as the most powerful figure in the Directory during the French Revolution, had considerable influence in military and political circles, and participated in Lafayette's expedition to the American continent. If you want to quickly enter the French political arena, finding this person is indeed the shortcut.

But this man is good at playing with power, and his ambition is amazing, so Brion will not go to Baras when he is sick.

However, Le Tourna and Carno had always been supporters of the Loyalist, and the two did not have a strong presence in the Directory under Barras, and historically plotted the Restoration with Pishglu. Briand, a descendant of the Bourbon dynasty, is the third in line to the throne. Moreover, Louis XVI had no descendants, and his second heir, the Duke of Provence, was in exile, and I am afraid that Brion had already become the object of royalist support. The co-governors, coupled with Brion's strength, I'm afraid that the restoration is not impossible.

Since it is not for the sake of seeking high-ranking officials, and it does not want to be restored, then Brion's intention is indeed somewhat doubtful.

"I said I wanted to find a reliable ally politically, and it's clear that Ballas is unreliable. Secondly, I have no interest in restoration, so I will use the power of Carno and Letourne, combined with my strength, to make you the head of the Directory. Brion smiled and took a sip of his coffee from his teacup.

"What do you really want? That's my primary concern. Sières gets straight to the heart of the matter.

Brion didn't laugh anymore and put the teacup on the table: "I don't want much, I just want to form a political alliance with you." Both of us are equal allies, and I don't need you to submit to me. ”

"It sounds like the conditions are very tempting, but I don't know what your sincerity is?" asked Siaiers, looking at Brion solemnly. This is also the topic he is most looking forward to.

The corners of Brion's mouth raised: "I naturally understand the internal system of your Directory, how about it, I will support you to become the first chairman of the Directory, and let you gain a firm foothold in the Directory." When the time comes, you will get a landslide victory. ”

This was absolutely too tempting for Sières, in fact, the president of the Directory was now in the same position as the president of the country, elected every two years, by the vote of the new French legislature, the House of 500. Needless to say, this is bound to be a battleground between factional forces.

Barras, as the representative of the military, was the most powerful among the Governors, and it was he who appointed Napoleon as commander-in-chief of the artillery for the siege of Toulon, and it is clear that that battle made him famous. But if Carno joins forces with Letourna, and some royalists implicitly support him, Barras may not win easily.

As for the remaining two, Lebel has always been the least assertive among the overseers, and his presence has been directly ignored. As for Siaiers, with his strength in political circles, he was even at the bottom of the Directory, let alone the chairman of the government.

It was clear to everyone that Sières was also in dire need of a new and powerful ally, and Brion was really perfect for him.

However, Brion also knew that Sières had already sided with him, and in the face of such lucrative and advantageous conditions, it was undoubtedly a sudden solution to the urgent need for a politician like Sières who had just gained power and urgently needed to consolidate. He had absolutely no reason to refuse.

"And what do you need me to assure you?" Sières' tone was evident and began to be much more relaxed, and the atmosphere in the room was no longer so stiff as a result of the mutual agreement. For Siaiers, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and such a lunch is worth it no matter how expensive it is.

Brion replied with a smile, "I need to use your power to quickly control the Five Hundred House after taking control of the Directory." Then immediately the chairman of the House of 500 was elected, and my staff member Languedodt was to take the position. I think it's good for both of us. ”

"I'm afraid we don't have the strength yet. Siaiers laughed along.

Brion raised an index finger, then shook it: "Don't be presumptuous, you will have such strength sooner or later." ”

。。。。。。。

Brion sat back in the carriage and tapped his hand on his thigh, and MacDonald knew that everything was going very well so far.

"Duke, since Monsieur Sières has promised to help us, we should leave Paris as soon as possible, lest our whereabouts be revealed. MacDonald persuaded with some concern, after all, Brion has been in retreat for the past four years, and this time he went to Paris secretly without any public information, and once exposed by the Paris media, it will inevitably cause a huge sensation in society.

"I'm afraid our task is far from complete. Brion leisurely looked out the window.

"And where do you go next?"

Brion thought for a moment and said, "Now take me to the mansion of the Governor Mr. Karno's house at once, it seems that there are two allies waiting for me." ”

Looking at the puzzled expression on MacDonald's face, Brion's heart couldn't wait even more. With his status as Duke of Baden of the Bourbon dynasty and a generous thank you, there is absolutely no reason why the two royalists, Carno and Le Tourne, should not support him. Occupying three seats in the Directory at once was the perfect start Brion could ever have wanted.