Chapter 267 Napoleon’s Funeral
On December 15, 1840, Napoleon Bonaparte once again landed on French soil, and this time the French welcomed his return very enthusiastically.
The streets were empty and the shops were closed. An old lady passed by. She felt that Paris was like a bottle of wine tilted and poured on one side of the city.
The wind was biting, the sun was shining brightly, the fog was shrouded, and the ditches were covered with ice.
The sky was covered with dark clouds, and patches of north wind passed through the gaps.
At this time, people on Saint-André Street seemed to be caught up in festive madness. If you pay attention, you can still see some poor workers in shabby clothes, standing shivering in the cold wind, but their faces are filled with excitement from the bottom of their hearts. They waved their arms wildly and shouted: "Your Majesty!".
The streets were lined with young women, splendid working women, and playboys from the University of Paris. They were weaving in and out of the crowd as if they were at a party.
The sky was dark, and the snowflakes were like white teardrops, flying in the air, as if God was also showing its mercy.
A heavy, rhythmic banging sound appeared at the end of the street, as thousands of spectators waited for the funeral procession to pass.
On the high stands on both sides of the street, noble men and women were wrapped in scarves or scarves, huddled in fur coats with expressionless faces.
After a while, two rows of elite soldiers riding tall horses and equipped with bright equipment solemnly appeared. They were the military police units of the Seine district and the vanguard of the funeral procession.
What appeared next were the gorgeously dressed light cavalry and cuirassiers. The brass helmets and silver-white breastplates on their heads undoubtedly symbolized the glory of the past, as if the time had returned to more than 20 years ago. forward.
What came into view next were the generals riding tall horses, with dazzling ribbons and shining medals hanging on their chests, accompanied by riflemen on their sides.
Behind them is an infantry array composed of military school students. Although their chests are blank, their heads are held higher than anyone else, because they are the best elites in this country's military schools.
Napoleon once again returned to his loyal Paris, and many people shed tears of excitement as the procession passed through the Arc de Triomphe. What greeted him were the once loyal Old Guards. At this time, they were already the "old" Guards in the true sense.
Most of the veterans who had participated in the Napoleonic Wars were already in their sixties at this time. These old people, who usually needed help when walking, straightened their backs at this time, just like when they were inspected by the emperor before going off to war.
It's just that the great man could not stand up again and lead them to conquer Europe.
The onlookers were whispering, because the person responsible for escorting Napoleon's body was Prince Joinville of the July Dynasty. He looked very proud, as if he was a victor returning with trophies.
This is obviously not a scene that Napoleonists want to see, but at this time, any drastic action will be counterproductive and even bring shame to the name "Napoleon", so they can only watch the July Dynasty drain that great man dry The last bit of value.
Suddenly the snow in the sky became heavier, and the dark sky highlighted the gloomy and cold weather, and everyone on both sides of the street became solemn and solemn.
Unknowingly, Prince Joinville also felt the pressure, and couldn't help but feel his throat tightening. He unconsciously pulled his collar outward with his hands so that he could breathe smoothly.
Louis Philippe got up very early. He stood on the steps in the center of the hall of Les Invalides on the Seine. Looking at the dark crowd in front of him, he also felt tremendous pressure.
"Damn Napoleon, you are already a dead man, France is mine." Louis Philippe suppressed the anger in his heart.
Everyone thinks that Louis Philippe is an incompetent and cowardly person, and even a fool who can be bullied personally, whether they mock his painter, humiliate his Jews, compare him to the orthodox grocer, or laugh at him Weak liberals all thought this guy would never get angry.
But in reality Louis-Philippe was never soft on those who coveted his power.
When the hearse containing Napoleon's remains arrived at the gate of Les Invalides, Louis Philippe led French civil and military officials to wait at the gate of honor. Everyone was covered with medals and ribbons. Countless journalists and writers employed by the French government , the painter is recording this historic moment.
Those gorgeous ribbons and expensive medals made of gold and silver looked dim in front of the 2,600 kilograms of military flags tied around the coffin.
These military flags are Napoleon's trophies, and they also tell the glory of an era, and its name is "Napoleon".
Joinville, the son of Louis Philippe, dismounted and walked towards Louis Philippe, saluted a straight military salute and said.
"I am commissioned by the Emperor of France, Louis Philippe, to present to you the remains of the Emperor Napoleon."
Louis Philippe raised his head high and solemnly swore.
"I accept him in the name of France!"
At this time, the atmosphere team that had been prepared began to build momentum for Louis Philippe, with thunderous applause, flowers and snowflakes flying in the sky, the sounds of cannons and fireworks explosions intertwined, filling the "joyful atmosphere".
Before the burial, Louis Philippe deliberately asked everyone to pay homage to Napoleon's body again. He hoped that the Bonapartists would give up their illusions when they saw the pile of rotten flesh.
When the coffin was opened, those who came to see Emperor Napoleon's final appearance were all stunned on the spot.
Louis Philippe was very satisfied with the expressions of these people, looking at the disillusionment in their hearts. And when he looked back, he saw that the body was intact, as if he had just fallen asleep. He staggered in fright and almost fell to the ground.
His mind was blank at the moment, and he had no idea whether this was Napoleon's conspiracy or a damn British prank.
Louis Philippe fled Les Invalides in panic, and told his most capable men to ensure that the Corsican could not leave.
The newly appointed spy chief, the Duke of Marshau, did not know the reason, but still ordered the closure of the Invalides in order to prevent someone from destroying the remains.
The next day, Louis-Philippe issued a series of incredible orders, which was to seal Napoleon's coffin with two tons of brass, and then press a thirty-five-ton marble statue on top.
No one knew why, only a frightened king huddled in bed in the Tuileries Palace.
I won’t go into details about the reasons, so as not to talk about hydrology. The reason was that the arsenic content in Napoleon's body exceeded the legal limit.
At this time, Louis Bonaparte was unable to attend his uncle's funeral because he was singing "Tears Behind Bars" while writing a book called "The Abolition of Poverty" in Arkham Prison.
Here Louis Napoleon met many new friends, such as a clever clown who is both good and evil, the mysterious killer "Gu" from the East, and the violent Sheriff Frank Miller. We have to share everything together. The Bellera brothers, and Victor Hugo, who was imprisoned for satirizing the church.
(If anyone likes to read here, I will expand on it later. If there are many objections, then just treat it as a joke.)
In France, the rumor that "Napoleon is still alive" is widely spread, but Napoleon's surviving brothers firmly deny this, and the Bonapartists can only find other ways.