Chapter 357 The Second Emperor Ascends the Throne
Chapter 357 Two Emperors Ascend the Throne
"Well done, Old Four. You are worthy of being the younger brother of the third place winner. Now you are more promising than your brother and are worthy of being the Prime Minister of Cuba and France."
"When you become the Prime Minister of six countries in the future, we two brothers will work together to overthrow big brother Britain. Then we will be the ones who rule the world. Hahahaha!"
Zhang Siwen did not take Shao Quanzhong's words as a joke, and nodded seriously, "This is why these Irish people are willing to follow me. There will definitely be such a day."
Zhang Siwen, with two companies of followers, crossed the Saint-Michel Bridge and walked onto the Ile de St-Étienne, an island in the middle of the Seine River.
Tian Xing followed with a company of guards. Shao Quanzhong had met Zhang Siwen once in London, and he hadn't seen his fourth brother for a long time. The two brothers walked side by side, but they had nothing to say, because everything they needed to say had been said in the telegram.
The four brothers who swore brotherhood in Xiaotangshan are still loyal to each other, but each has his own power.
Tian Xing is the popular underworld boss and is secretly respected as the spokesperson by the Hongmen, Tiandihui, Triads, Red Flower Society, the remnants of the White Lotus Sect, and the remnants of the Nianzi Sect.
Haiqing was stationed in the Forbidden City, supporting the emperor's younger brother. The Manchu forces who were interested in him had their own plans and began to curry favor with him. Haiqing was surrounded by a large number of loyal Qing officials, and his potential should not be underestimated.
Zhang Siwen, who originally looked the most dull, turned out to be a famous figure inside and outside the country, and may eventually become the actual controller of several countries.
Shao Quanzhong is the common follower of the three brothers. Even though Zhang Siwen's ideal is to change the whole world, he is first and foremost a Chinese. If the second brother wants China to dominate the world, he will definitely support it with all his strength.
Tian Xing brought his men to follow Zhang Siwen because he was worried that the jailer would not listen to him. His own guards were powerful and might be able to help.
In fact, it is not necessary. No matter which power comes to power, the prisoners in the prison will not be allowed to run around. Most of the criminals in the prison will remain in prison, so the prison guards will still go to work and will not get involved in the unrest outside the island.
Zhang Siwen found the warden and said, "I want to inform you that the Bourbon dynasty has been restored and Alfonso XII will soon ascend the throne. You will continue to serve the Bourbon dynasty. I am going to take two prisoners out now. Please cooperate."
The subordinate brought a warrant to the warden. It was Zhang Siwen's own warrant, signed with "Councilor of the Privy Council of the French Empire" and Zhang Siwen's signature in English in a flamboyant and flourishing cursive script.
The two prisoners were well taken care of. Just like the officials exiled by the Qing Dynasty, the rebels here were also treated well, and the jailers dared not offend them.
Criminals must be suppressed in every dynasty, and exiled officials and traitors might become prosperous one day when the situation changes. This is the same in China and the West.
The two rebel leaders were both intellectuals. They could speak English and answer questions fluently when they saw Zhang Siwen, who was interrogating them, in the meeting room. In fact, Zhang Siwen said that they could also communicate in Spanish, which he had just learned in Cuba, but not in Chinese, which was too difficult...
After listening to Zhang Siwen's self-introduction, the two rebels turned around and were about to leave. "We have nothing to discuss with the representative of the villain emperor. Execute us. We can't possibly surrender to the feudal emperor."
Zhang Siwen smiled without any nervousness. "Is the emperor necessarily a feudal villain? Why did so many radicals support Napoleon back then? Wasn't he an emperor?"
"Can the Bourbons compare with Napoleon?"
"Now he can. Not only that, but His Majesty Alfonso will go one step further. Don't you want to hear about the national policy he will adopt?"
“No matter how radical Alfonso is, can he still tolerate us citizens making the decisions?”
"Yes, because he has temporarily entrusted the affairs of state to me."
The rebel leader rolled his eyes and said, "Who are you? A lackey of the emperor. I've never heard of you."
"Then let me introduce to you the policies I implemented and the results I achieved when I took office as the Minister of State of the Republic of Cuba."
……
Half an hour later. "Are you telling the truth?"
"I guarantee that it is true, and I am sure that His Majesty Alfonso will carry out my suggestion. Because I brought 158,000 troops with me, which is the prerequisite for me to sit here and meet with you now."
"Will France implement the same policy as Cuba?"
"It will be different because France is already a top power in the world and does not need overly drastic changes to promote industrialization. I will take relatively moderate measures."
"Farms and factories will adopt the method of redemption and shareholding to operate cooperatively, and the welfare benefits of workers will be greatly improved to increase production capacity and work hard for the revenge of France in the future and push back against the Prussians."
"When the Bourbon dynasty came to power, didn't it need to cede territory and pay compensation to the Prussians? Once billions of francs of compensation were imposed on us, would we still be able to turn things around?"
"Yes! If I recruit you, I will naturally give up those financial capitalists. After I raid the homes of those parasites, it will be enough to pay the Prussians compensation. France will become great again, and the industrial and agricultural foundations it needs will not be affected. Don't you want revenge?"
"So, what are your rules for recruiting us?"
The two leaders have been tempted.
"I will form the French Fenian Society to govern, and the two of you will enter the Privy Council and serve as my deputies."
"I may have to serve as a minister for several countries. I cannot stay in Paris all the time. After I have settled the affairs of France, I will be abroad more often. The affairs of France will be left to you two."
The two leaders' eyes sparkled. "So, on the surface we were recruited, but in reality we were victorious?"
Zhang Siwen nodded. "Europe is the place where capitalism and feudal monarchy are the most powerful. If I hadn't come, your rebellion would have failed and would have been quickly suppressed by the villains."
The two leaders nodded. They could basically guess the ending, which was nothing more than risking their lives for their ideals.
"So we need to develop in a low profile, and when necessary, we need to put on the skin of the Bourbon dynasty. You need to change your flag and swear allegiance to the Bourbon dynasty. You need to be good at disguise. This is the strategy we developed when we were weak. Please understand."
"No problem. One parasite in the royal family is much better than a bunch of parasites. We are relieved to be able to use the Bourbon dynasty to get rid of the financial capitalists. Zhang, we respect your wisdom."
"No, this is not my wisdom. I hired two think tanks to give me advice. They are..."
The two leaders stood up, their handcuffs and shackles clanking. "If you had told us earlier, you wouldn't have had to work so hard to convince us."
"There is no need for the two of us to coordinate our interests with you. We will collectively join your French Fennie Society, obey your leadership, and pay tribute to Coach Zhang!"
On November 1870, 11, Paris changed its flag and raised the white fleur-de-lis flag. The rebels were recruited, declared their loyalty to the Bourbon dynasty, and welcomed His Majesty Alfonso XII into the city.
His Majesty Alfonso XII rode on a majestic white Andalusian horse, escorted by 5,000 guards, into the city through the Arc de Triomphe and announced the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty. At the same time, the Huai Army quietly withdrew from Paris.
The guillotine used to execute Louis XVI was brought out again, and a large number of high-ranking officials and supporters of the pseudo-republican government were put on the guillotine. His Majesty Alfonso offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, announcing that he had avenged His Majesty Louis XVI.
The Prussians restored the telegraph in Paris. When the news spread, royal families from all over the world celebrated. France, the outlier in Europe, finally restored its royal rule. The circle of friends of a group of emperors and kings looked very harmonious, right?
On November 11, the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles was brightly lit and crowded with people. Two emperors would be crowned here today.
(End of this chapter)