Chapter 242: Oh No, I've Become a Rebel!
On the distant hillside, Joseph's speech continued:
"The riots persist, causing immense destruction across the southern provinces. Yet our valiant Marquis de Saint-Véran, commanding nearly twenty thousand troops, has consistently refused to suppress the unrest, simply watching as respected, cultured families are plundered by the rioters."
He paused for a moment, allowing the journalists to take notes, before declaring loudly:
"Some even suspect that Marquis de Saint-Véran is the mastermind behind these riots. Of course, I refuse to believe such accusations.
"Fortunately, His Majesty the King has never forgotten his subjects! His Majesty has ordered me to lead all available forces from Paris, even including the police, to travel thousands of kilometers to Montpellier and quell this rebellion..."
As he spoke, he suddenly heard the distant crackle of gunfire, and a thought sparked in his mind.
It had begun!
Two cavalrymen galloped forward, shouting from a distance:
"Your Highness, the Montcalm Legion has suddenly attacked us. They may be rebelling!"
With an exaggerated flourish, Joseph's eyes widened in feigned shock as he exclaimed:
"How could this be?!"
From below, an accomplice spoke with a tremor in their voice:
"Could it be that Marquis de Saint-Véran has been deliberately allowing the riots to continue, merely waiting for Your Highness to arrive and quell them, only to then launch an ambush?"
Joseph immediately picked up on the cue:
"It seems he truly has instigated a rebellion..."
Eman handed him a telescope. Joseph took it, glanced down the hillside, and frowned, saying:
"They are attacking General Berthier!"
Immediately, soldiers brought over several cases of telescopes, thoughtfully distributing them among the journalists.
As the journalists extended their telescopes, the distant scene instantly appeared before their eyes—dense formations of troops were firing fiercely, steadily encircling General Berthier's army encampment behind a small grove of trees. The banners of the Montcalm Legion fluttered among them.
From Major Broun's position, only the small grove in front was visible, but from the elevated ground to the side, the military camp behind the trees could be seen.
Upon hearing that the Montcalm Legion was attacking General Berthier's forces, the journalists immediately assumed the assault was directed at the camp behind the trees.
Joseph mounted his warhorse with a dashing flourish, then turned to the journalists and declared solemnly:
"I must be with my army! If anything should happen to me, I implore you all to inform the world of everything that transpired here."
With that, he and his guard unit rode off, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.
The soldiers, meanwhile, collected all the "military supply" telescopes.
The distant battlefield instantly became a blur to the journalists.
Major Broun was idly watching as the main army systematically secured the grove where the rioters were hiding, merely waiting for them to drag out the people or bodies within. Then, suddenly, a thunderous boom erupted from his rear-flank.
He frowned. His first thought was: 'I didn't bring any cannons, did I?'
But when he looked up, his pupils suddenly contracted—several bloody gaps had appeared in his infantry lines. The soldiers, struck by the sudden heavy assault, stood frozen in terror, seemingly still bewildered by what had just occurred.
"Those are enemy cannons!" Major Broun snapped, a jolt running through him. "No, these aren't rioters!"
He quickly turned and bellowed at his orderly:
"Order the entire army to halt its advance. The flanks are to converge towards the center! Cavalry, scout the southeast!"
Before the orderly could move, the distant cannons roared once more.
This time, the Montcalm Legion soldiers finally understood what was happening. They cried out, scattering to avoid the shelling. Their officers drew their sabers, shouting commands, trying to restore order to their ranks.
On the northern knoll, an officer from the Police Intelligence Bureau was explaining to the journalists: "Listen, the rebels have even brought cannons! What do these damnable fellows intend to do?!
"Oh, let's hope nothing happens to His Highness..."
After the cannons' third volley, the Montcalm Legion was plunged into complete chaos.
It was a coordinated volley from three 12-pounder cannons and six 6-pounder cannons, with target positions pre-marked, ensuring hardly a single shot missed its mark.
After that, there was little suspense.
Major Broun was still weighing whether to request reinforcements or retreat immediately when a regiment of infantry from each flank advanced in precise linear formations to encircle him, while large numbers of cavalry rapidly outflanked him from behind.
Concurrently, those damned cannons continued to boom relentlessly.
In that moment, Major Broun finally understood: he had been led into an ambush...
After only two seconds of hesitation, he reined his horse around, abandoned his troops, and fled back to Count Sérurier's estate with just a few dozen guards.
On the distant hillside, the journalists tremulously waited until the cannon fire ceased. After another hour, they finally saw the guard unit sent by the Crown Prince to retrieve them.
The vicinity of the small grove where the fierce battle had taken place was now mostly cleared.
Joseph, his face etched with sorrow and indignation, led the journalists to view the bodies of General Berthier's soldiers, supposedly slain by the rebels.
One to two hundred corpses were neatly laid out on the ground.
The Crown Prince vehemently denounced Marquis de Saint-Véran's rebellious actions, briefly recounted how General Berthier had painstakingly repelled the rebels, and finally swore to avenge the fallen soldiers.
Of course, all the bodies on the ground belonged to soldiers of the Montcalm Legion. However, their uniforms were the same color as those of the Guards Corps and similar in style, making it impossible for the journalists to distinguish which side they belonged to.
Once their initial shock subsided, the journalists immediately set to work, swiftly drafting news reports of everything they had witnessed and instructing their accompanying assistants or servants to dispatch them back to their respective newspapers.
Not long after, the roar of cannons once again echoed from Count Sérurier's estate to the east.
The journalists all rose and looked in that direction.
An officer quickly led people to escort them to a safer area to the north, introducing the situation with a worried expression along the way: "Listen, the rebels are attacking His Highness's army again. This is sure to be an extremely arduous battle..."
In reality, the battle was not arduous at all.
The cannon fire signaled the Guards Corps launching an assault on the Montcalm Legion.
Upon learning that Major Broun had been ambushed, Marquis de Saint-Véran hastily ordered his entire army to assemble and prepare for battle.
However, he had received no prior intelligence about the Guards Corps' approach. His troops had been idly resting on the estate, without even outer reconnaissance sentries posted. By the time Berthier had almost completely surrounded the estate, nearly half of the Montcalm Legion soldiers still hadn't managed to form ranks.
What followed was a relentless cannonade. After two mid-ranking officers of the Montcalm Legion voluntarily led their units to surrender, Davout's company was the first to charge through the breach into the estate. They cut their way almost unopposed to the heart of the estate, where they finally engaged Marquis de Saint-Véran's personal guard.
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