Chapter 243: The Best Strategy
Joseph raised a hand.
"'You'—who are you referring to?"
The Marquis de Saint-Véran froze for a moment, but the terror of exile to Seychelles immediately overshadowed everything else.
"It's, uh... Marquis de Luckner, General d'Astou, General Morne..."
Joseph turned and gestured for his secretary to record the names.
He already knew it was essentially the same two dozen or so individuals who had originally signed the petition to pressure the monarchy, but it was crucial for the rebel to confirm it personally.
Subsequently, the Marquis de Saint-Véran meticulously detailed the military nobles' plan to coerce the royal family. Naturally, he rephrased it as "hoping the royal family would pay more attention to the military."
"Additionally, the Duke of Mouchy, the Duke of Seville, and Count Sérurier also participated in this matter." Since he had chosen to confess, he decided to drag more people down with him, perhaps hoping for a 'strength in numbers' excuse. "Their main role was to sway public opinion at Versailles and use their political influence to rally more nobles to apply pressure, specifically when the military refused to dispatch troops to quell the rebellion and make demands to His Majesty..."
Joseph sneered and nodded. It seemed the members of the Assembly of Notables were still plotting. But this was good; if they handed him leverage themselves, things would be much easier to handle later.
"Your Highness, you must be curious about the Duke of Orleans's whereabouts, yes? He's the mastermind! You must apprehend him quickly!"
"Oh?" Joseph's eyebrows shot up. "Where is he?"
"He went to Auvergne two days ago to find the Marquis de Luckner," the Marquis de Saint-Véran explained. "Marquis de Luckner is attempting to form some kind of 'Alliance Front' to unite as many nobles as possible, hoping the royal family won't pursue this rebellion. It's likely they were discussing this. Oh, and they've also arranged a marriage alliance..."
Joseph immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It was fortunate the Duke of Orleans wasn't here; otherwise, if the Marquis de Saint-Véran had implicated him directly, Joseph would have had no choice but to arrest him.
'In that scenario, I would have had to follow normal procedures—trial, pleas for mercy, political maneuvering—and at best, he'd be exiled.'
'And as the foremost grand noble beneath the royal family, with immense wealth and influence, he'd still have the power to cause trouble even in exile.'
'Therefore, Joseph had only one solution for him: eliminate him directly.'
'Not only would it rid France of a menace, but seizing his assets would also significantly bolster the treasury.'
'However, as mentioned before, his influence was too vast, so figuring out how to dispose of him was a complex art.'
Once his personal guards had escorted the Marquis de Saint-Véran away, Joseph ordered Berthier to let the entire army rest for a day, then march towards Auvergne.
He wasn't going to find the Duke of Orleans, but rather to position his army right in front of the Marquis de Luckner, making it easier to "communicate" with him.
He had just dealt with the most vocal rebel, the Marquis de Saint-Véran, through a surprise attack, significantly shifting the situation in his favor. However, the next challenge was how to appease the military.
Indeed, appease them.
Joseph never imagined he could simply command the Guards Corps to sweep through, crush all the plotting military nobles, and then exile them to some desolate frontier province like the Marquis de Saint-Véran.
Such an action would only plunge France into chaotic civil war and squander enormous military funds. If he were to suffer even a single defeat by accident, it would be an irreversible catastrophe.
Even stepping back, if he truly purged the entire old army, he didn't currently possess enough troops to fill all the garrisons across the country.
It was crucial to remember that local security in France was currently maintained by the military. Unless all provinces could complete police reform like Paris, without the army to keep order, bandits and brigands would immediately rise up everywhere, plunging the populace into misery.
Therefore, the best strategy was to maximize the prestige gained from this victory against the Montcalm Legion's rebellion and integrate the existing forces for his own use.
At present, those military nobles, having heard of the royal family's great victory, were undoubtedly trembling in fear. This was the optimal time to establish new rules for them.
Once the military issue was resolved, he could begin implementing his grand plan!
Joseph gazed at the names on the Marquis de Saint-Véran's confession, a cold sneer flashing in his eyes. These individuals had thrown half of France into chaos; such turmoil could not be allowed to be in vain.
'Sometimes, chaos, when utilized effectively, can be an even more potent weapon than order!'
'Of course, the prerequisite is being able to control it—allowing chaos when needed, and immediately reining it in when it's time.'
Early the next day, Joseph entrusted the Moulins Legion with the task of guarding and reorganizing the Montcalm Legion—the Moulins Legion, after a period of intense marching, was already showing signs of exhaustion—then ordered the Guards Corps to break camp and advance northwest.
The legion happily loaded large quantities of provisions, wine, and other supplies from Count Sérurier's warehouses onto their wagons with the help of the estate servants. Singing "Glory and Victory" aloud, they set off on their journey.
Three days later, Joseph galloped onto a high ridge. Without even needing a telescope, he could already make out the dense urban architecture of Auvergne.
He didn't let his guard down, still instructing Berthier to send reconnaissance cavalry ten kilometers ahead, maintaining constant vigilance. Although the possibility of Marquis de Luckner making a desperate move was minuscule, caution was always wise.
However, about seven or eight kilometers from the city, Joseph unexpectedly saw dozens of carriages parked along both sides of the road, surrounded by over a hundred servants.
Those people, holding flower wreaths, food, and wine, immediately formed neat lines when they spotted the Guards Corps in the distance.
Then, the Marquis de Luckner, his face wreathed in smiles, came forward to greet them.
Inside Joseph's carriage, the old Marquis spoke eloquently, profusely praising the Crown Prince's military achievements in quelling the Montcalm Legion's rebellion. He then thoroughly denounced the Marquis de Saint-Véran, finally beating his chest and lamenting that he hadn't realized the man's treacherous intentions sooner, vowing he would have personally led an expedition to punish him.
In reality, the Marquis de Luckner was currently terrified—the Montcalm Legion had been specifically reinforced when the Queen dispatched them to North Africa to rescue the Crown Prince, boasting 25,000 men, with an actual strength of over 17,000. He, on the other hand, only had a little over 7,000 men, and their combat effectiveness was far inferior to the Montcalm Legion.
According to reports from Montpellier, the Crown Prince's police forces had utterly overwhelmed the Marquis de Saint-Véran, and Count Sérurier's estate was nearly leveled by cannon fire.
Seeing that the Crown Prince merely smiled, the Marquis de Luckner finally relaxed slightly and cautiously inquired,
"Your Highness, do you have any important business in Auvergne this visit?"
Joseph hadn't expected the man's attitude to change so quickly; some of the words he had prepared were now unnecessary.
He pondered for a moment, then stated directly,
"I am here to quell the unrest in Auvergne."
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