Chapter 546: Napoleon's Thunder
The next day.
In the square two blocks from the Ajaccio assembly hall, over 200 fully armed soldiers stood in two neat squares, their gaze fixed on Lieutenant Colonel Napoleon, who sat astride his horse.
"Just recently, we saved Corsica from those rebels," Napoleon declared, raising his riding crop and pointing towards the assembly hall. "And now, another group of conspirators is preparing to disrupt this peaceful life.
"According to the intelligence I've received, those incompetent, inefficient, and corrupt separatist councilors, following Paoli's orders, intend to incite rebellion in the Monte Cinto mountain region.
"You, warriors of France, will follow me to arrest these separatists and put an end to this nightmare of chaos, saving this province once more!"
He spoke with impassioned and stirring fervor, conveniently forgetting that he himself had been one of those 'separatists' just a few months prior.
"Yes, Commander!" the soldiers responded in unison, then, under the command of their officers, marched to the drumbeat towards the assembly hall.
Behind them, several warhorses dragged two 6-pounder cannons.
The Corsican Assembly was scheduled for a routine vote on several policies that day. Over seventy councilors had just entered the hall, some still yawning, when the main doors burst open. Two officials from the Ajaccio city hall rushed in, shouting anxiously:
"Someone heard him say he wants to 'arrest separatists'..."
The councilors instantly sprang to their feet in alarm, exclaiming loudly:
"Who gave him this authority?"
"I heard he's the one who took the three chief justices; he must be insane!"
"Does he intend to arrest councilors too?"
"What do we do? Who will stop him?"
Giuseppe, the leader of Paoli's faction, leapt onto a table, waved his arms, and cried out loudly:
"Don't be afraid, everyone! This is the Corsican Assembly! We must unite and show that madman, that military strongman, that Corsicans have never feared threats!"
Immediately, other restorationist councilors echoed his sentiment:
"Right! Corsica is a place of liberty and democracy; we won't allow him to act so recklessly!"
"We're not afraid of him! Everyone, follow me; let's drive that fellow away!"
These councilors, whose livelihood depended on rhetoric, spoke with impassioned and stirring conviction, each of them like a fearless warrior.
Led by Giuseppe, dozens of councilors rushed chaotically to the assembly hall entrance, just as they saw a troop of French soldiers in white uniforms approaching.
He immediately stepped forward and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?!"
Napoleon ordered his men to surround the assembly hall. Only then did he ride his horse towards the group of councilors, symbolically tipped his hat, and produced a list, looking down at them as he stated calmly:
"In my capacity as Commander of the Corsican Garrison, I declare the arrest of the following rebels involved in planning the uprising—
"Andrew Alexander Archide.
"Sean Chris Badoro.
"Ricci Romano Greco Giuseppe.
"Tim Toscachi..."
Hearing this, the soldiers at his side immediately moved forward to make the arrests.
Although they belonged to the Corsican garrison, all these soldiers hailed from French mainland provinces. Rabaud's company, in particular, was a 'grenadier company' specially selected by Napoleon. While they lacked the towering stature of regular grenadiers, they genuinely received grenadier pay and treatment.
These soldiers were Napoleon's hand-picked men, a loyal core who cared nothing for Corsican councilors.
Giuseppe's heart clenched. He quickly gestured to the councilors beside him, and several of them linked arms, stepping forward together and shouting loudly:
"We are Corsican councilors, we represent the people of Corsica! You have no right to arrest us!"
"Leave the assembly hall at once, you insolent brutes!"
"You are trampling on liberty and law; you will be brought to justice!"
Their confident pronouncements momentarily fazed the soldiers, making them halt and turn to look at their commander.
Napoleon glanced at the grenadier company commander. "Rabaud," he said, "show your soldiers how it's done."
"Yes, Commander!"
Rabaud acknowledged, dismounted swiftly, then strode purposefully towards Giuseppe, who was shouting the loudest. He raised his arm and lashed out with his whip, snapping harshly:
"Shut your mouth!"
Giuseppe shrieked in pain as the whip struck him, his linked arms with the other councilors instantly fell apart, and he recoiled in terror.
Ignoring the surrounding councilors, Rabaud followed up with another lash, knocking Giuseppe to the ground. He then stepped on his back and nodded to his soldiers:
"Ropes. Tie him up."
"Yes, sir!"
Rabaud then looked at the other soldiers and shouted:
"What are you standing around for? Didn't you hear the Commander's orders?"
With his example set, the other soldiers immediately surged forward, ropes in hand, to bind the councilors whose names Napoleon had called out.
"Everyone, fight them!" Giuseppe's men cried out, fierce in visage but soft in core.
Just then, a creaking sound of wagon wheels came from the direction of the street corner. The councilors turned to look, and saw two dark, ominous cannons appear in their view. Their muzzles were aimed directly at them, with soldiers standing by their sides, holding lit linstocks.
In an instant, the councilors who had moments ago been defiant and struggling, froze in place. A deathly silence fell over the front of the assembly hall.
In truth, over 200 soldiers didn't truly need cannons to deal with these councilors, and it would have been impossible to fire the cannons with both sides intermingled.
But the terrifying deterrent power of cannons was unparalleled. Even a person who could confidently argue against a flintlock musket would likely find their tongue tied under the gaze of a cannon muzzle.
Soon, over a dozen councilors, their hands bound, were shoved into carriages. Paoli's faction in the assembly had been all but wiped out.
Most of the other councilors who had escaped arrest dispersed fearfully, while the pro-French councilors watched the retreating army, gleefully whispering amongst themselves.
Starting that afternoon, Ajaccio was placed under martial law. Large detachments of soldiers patrolled the streets, claiming it was 'to guard against rebels inciting trouble.'
Two days later, the Ajaccio High Court convened.
The three chief justices, whom Napoleon had previously taken to the warehouse, completed the trial procedures in just one day, under the 'close protection' of the soldiers. They declared Giuseppe and 14 other councilors guilty of conspiracy to incite rebellion and colluding with foreign enemies, sentencing them to 10 to 20 years imprisonment respectively, and stripping them of their councilor status.
When the news spread, the whole of Corsica was rocked. Especially in areas with strong separatist tendencies, public sentiment flared into outrage, adopting a posture ready for armed uprising.
However, their leaders were currently locked away in Napoleon's military camp, leaving them without anyone to make decisions, and no funds to mobilize. They couldn't stir up any trouble at all.
And before long, Napoleon's army appeared in the places where unrest was brewing.
The agitated hearts of the people instantly grew calm.
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