The Fox of France

Chapter 91: The Mutiny (2)

Curses couldn't solve anything. The most crucial task at hand was to regain control over the army. The sound of gathering soldiers outside reached their ears. Dumouriez adjusted his military cap, straightened his sword, and turned to Duke Chartres, asking, "Your Royal Highness, would you like to accompany me in addressing the soldiers?"

Duke Chartres hesitated for a moment, still shaken by the recent turmoil. Observing the Duke's pale face, Dumouriez sighed and refrained from insisting on his company. It would do more harm than good for the soldiers to see the Duke in his current state.

The Duke had received credit for many victories in previous reports, but many of these achievements had been orchestrated by Dumouriez himself.

"Your Highness, watch over the officers who refuse to yield. Don't stir up any more trouble," Dumouriez told the Duke before leaving with the officers who had signed their support.

"At least I have these officers under my control. I still hold a significant advantage," Dumouriez thought.

The soldiers had gathered in the courtyard. Dumouriez ascended the reviewing stand and addressed them. In his speech, he began by blaming the National Assembly and the government for not providing sufficient military pay. He then criticized the extreme corruption in the National Assembly and the cruelty of the Paris Commune. Finally, he suggested that a republic was unsuitable for France, and the best system to bring peace and prosperity to the nation was a constitutional monarchy based on the 1791 Constitution. He announced his plan to return to Paris with them to rebuild a stable, peaceful, and prosperous French Kingdom.

Dumouriez had prepared this speech carefully, believing it would sway the soldiers. With his prestige and this compelling speech, he expected them to follow him wholeheartedly.

However, the speech did not have the desired effect. Most soldiers appeared bewildered rather than cheering for him.

Dumouriez sighed and was about to say more when a voice rang out loudly, "Soldiers, comrades, have you forgotten why we left our beloved homeland to come here and fight against the Austrians, Prussians, and various turncoat traitors?"

Amidst the cheers, a man jumped onto a cannon beside the parade ground. He waved to the crowd and continued, "We remember how Brunswick threatened us. They said that if we didn't willingly make ourselves slaves to Louis XVI, they would march to Paris, raze it to the ground, and slaughter its people, our parents, brothers, wives, and children. We didn't come here for anything else, not for military pay, not for glory, and certainly not for General Dumouriez. We're here for one reason"

"To defend Paris!"

"For our families!"

"For my little Pierre and little Franois!"

The soldiers chanted.

Dumouriez's face turned pale. He knew the situation was slipping out of his control, especially when that accursed name, "Brunswick," was mentioned.

"Damn Brunswick! Damn Joseph Bonaparte!" Dumouriez cursed internally, then turned to the captain of his guard and asked, "Hankson, can you hit him from here?"

"General, it's too far. It's almost impossible to hit at this range, unless we use a rifled hunting gun. Besides, I don't think it's the right moment to start shooting now," Lieutenant Hankson replied.

Dumouriez understood Hankson's implication. Opening fire at this moment could trigger an immediate counterattack from the entire army, which was too dangerous. But admitting defeat? No way!

"Soldiers, Brunswick, the Duke of Brunswick, has retracted his statements. As long as we can restore the French Kingdom" Dumouriez began, hoping that another effort might still sway the soldiers. It was like being a hopeless suitor who entered a sacred church, desperately trying to win back the affection of his beloved. Life was full of illusions; otherwise, how could those poor souls endure it?

However, like all forlorn suitors, the words that touched his heart had no effect on the goddess. Instead, Joseph Bonaparte across from him chuckled and said loudly, "Do you all remember what our General told us at Valmy? Either he lied then or he's lying now. Do you believe a liar?"

The crowd remembered. "No!"

"Then do you remember, when we charged the enemy's positions, who was leading us, the one who vowed to charge with us?" Joseph asked.

"Not Dumouriez!"

"Definitely not Dumouriez!"

"In front of us, carrying the flag, it was Napoleon!"

"The Bonaparte brothers led us!"

The soldiers chanted.

"So, tell me, my comrades, do you trust the ones who carried the flag, brandished their swords, and charged into enemy fire alongside you, risking their lives as brothers? Or do you trust a general who has grown rich but left us hungry?" Joseph declared.

"We trust you, Joseph, my brother!"

"Of course, we trust you!"

"We trust you!"

The soldiers' cheers echoed.

Although the situation seemed increasingly hopeless, Dumouriez refused to give up. He wanted to say more, like a backup plan or a last-ditch effort to win over the soldiers. But his chief of staff, Hankson, stopped him, saying, "General, we must leave immediately. Look over there!"

Dumouriez glanced in the direction indicated and saw a group of soldiers in red uniforms escorting several civilians on horseback, heading their way.

Dumouriez knew these were envoys rescued by the Red Army. If the soldiers were swayed by Joseph due to their fear of Brunswick's threats, these envoys from Paris held even more authoritative power.

"It's over," Dumouriez sighed. Even if he didn't want to, the bride had donned her pristine gown, the handsome groom had taken her hand, and the rings had been exchanged. There was no room for hope. So he could only cast one final, wistful look at the army that had once been his and said to those around him, "Let's go!"

The group left the reviewing stand, mounted their horses, and rode towards the command post.

Seeing Dumouriez leaving, Joseph couldn't contain his relief, but anger soon replaced it. "Damn Napoleon! Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

As Dumouriez hurried back to the command post, he found Duke Chartres awaiting him with a worried expression. "General, the situation..."

"It's out of control. We must leave immediately, for Austria," Dumouriez said without stopping, urging the Duke to prepare and leave everything behind. Time was running out.

"Alright," the Duke said, suddenly awakened.

"Take all the officers with you," Dumouriez instructed. Surrendering to Austria would require a substantial offering. If the army lost so many officers, it would be almost impossible to fight. Dumouriez's gift should be of value to Austria.

Soon, Dumouriez's German mercenaries and Duke Chartres' volunteer troops were in motion. They led the officers they had as hostages and ran towards the direction of the Austrian army. Until they encountered a unit of cavalry wearing red uniforms.

"It's General Bonaparte and his Red Cavalry!" The mercenaries slowed down their horses and stopped at a distance. They had learned from their past encounters that Napoleon was skilled at hiding cannons in unexpected places. After the defeats at Valmy and the recent retreats, the sight of Napoleon made them vigilant, scanning their surroundings for hidden cannons.

Seeing the soldiers halt, Napoleon turned to Bourrienne, who was riding alongside him, and said, "Monsieur, it seems we've intercepted the traitor."

Dumouriez, likewise, had no idea where Napoleon had hidden his cannons, and he didn't dare charge forward. In the past, he had seen Napoleon ambush others with cannons, and he didn't want to become a victim himself.

"General, what do we do? They don't have many men. Should we charge at them?" Duke Chartres asked.

"No, it's Napoleon. He's very clever, and charging headlong would be disastrous," Dumouriez shook his head.

"So, what's the plan?" Duke Chartres was running out of ideas.

"Let's talk to him. We have hostages, and most of the junior officers are under our control. Tell him that we have hostages, and we'd like to negotiate for safe passage. If he allows us to pass, we'll hand over half of the officers," Dumouriez proposed.

"You're dreaming! You and your treacherous general have only one road, and that's to hang from the lampposts!" Bourrienne retorted angrily.

"Unless you leave all the officers here, we won't let you through," Napoleon stated.

"That's impossible. If we..." Hankson began.

"I have a proposal. Hand over Duke Chartres to us and half of the officers, and we'll let you pass. Then we'll release the remaining hostages on both sides. If you can't decide, go back and discuss it with Dumouriez," Napoleon suggested.

Hankson returned to his group with the offer. "What should we do?" Duke Chartres inquired.

"Send Hankson to negotiate," Dumouriez instructed.

So, Hankson approached the enemy slowly, dismounted, and raised his hands to show he was unarmed. He walked closer cautiously, and then spoke, "General Dumouriez has sent me to convey his message. He has hostages, and he wishes to negotiate for safe passage. He proposes to hand over half of the officers if you allow us to pass. We can also release the remaining hostages from both sides. If you can't make the decision, you can return and discuss it with Dumouriez."

"Colonel Dumouriez and his traitor general want to talk to us?!" Bourrienne responded with disbelief.

"Hankson?" Napoleon asked.

"I am responsible for the vanguard. I suggest we accept their proposal," Hankson replied.

"Colonel, how can you...," Bourrienne started.

"Mr. Bourrienne, if we lose this many officers all at once, we will lose our combat capability for the short term. Between the Austrians and Paris, there are no other armies but us. We must consider the safety of Paris," Napoleon said.