Chapter 847 Reasonable, unexpected
The most critical thing is that it will push the people to oppose the royal family. The smartest thing in the history of the Habsburg family is to create a beautiful image in the hearts of the people.
So even though the Austrian Empire has long since disappeared, there are still many people who miss the rule of the Habsburg family.
At this time, Metternich's order to expel the assembly was completely unintentional. No one would be afraid of him, but it would make him the target of public criticism.
However, Metternich made this decision as a human being. After all, he had been a powerful minister for decades, so how could he be afraid of ordinary people and nationalists who were manipulated by him in every possible way?
According to Metternich’s own words:
"I have fought against the greatest soldiers; I have brought emperors, kings, czars, and sultans, principalities and republics to compromise; twenty times I have entangled and untied the threads of palace rebellion."
In fact, this is an approach that is in line with the power of a minister. In this special country, Metternich is more like an emperor than Ferdinand I.
But what Metternich didn't know was that this time he was not facing college students who only cried when they were arrested and Carbonari people who reported on each other, but a group of existences that would make the whole of Europe tremble.
The karma accumulated over the years always requires a scapegoat, and Prince Metternich is undoubtedly the most suitable person.
But Franz still hopes that the old prime minister can have a more decent ending, and escaping in women's clothing is still a bit too embarrassing.
February 17, 1848.
The new venue for the banquet event announced by Paris' National Journal - the Elysée Palace.
The Elysée Palace was built in 1718. In 1815, after Napoleon I was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, he signed a letter of surrender and abdicated here.
The Elysée Palace is located at the east end of the Champs Elysées in Paris, covering an area of 11,000 square meters. It is located in the bustling city center, and there is a large garden of more than 20,000 square meters behind it, which can just meet the needs of banquet events.
But differences soon arose within the reformists, and Odilon Barrow directly chose to betray. He directly doubled the threshold fee for participating in the banquet and withdrew most of the free tickets.
Of course, some people said that he was taking advantage of the opportunity to make profits, but in any case, Odilon Barrow's behavior was to limit the number of people attending the banquet.
Later, the location and time of the banquet were also changed. The location was changed from the Elysee Palace in the city center to the remote western suburbs of Paris. The time was changed from Sunday to Tuesday, and the original 20th was also changed to the 22nd.
Odileon Barrow promised the government to do everything possible not to disrupt the order, and agreed to the intervention of the gendarmes at the banquet, and the use of force if necessary.
Louis Philippe was very satisfied with the result. He felt that everything was under his control. As long as he got through this difficulty, he would be able to realize his grand ambitions. After all, the axis was about to be formed.
However, if nothing unexpected happens at this time, something unexpected will happen. First, Odilon Barrow, the leader of the reformists, received a series of bad news from the German region.
This made him feel very scared. He was more afraid of revolution than the failure of reform.
In the end, Odilon Barrow decided to withdraw from the banquet, but once Pandora's box was opened, he couldn't help it.
As Marast said, "Are you afraid of civil war? If you join, you have a chance to prevent civil war. If you refuse, it will cause civil war."
The more you avoid it, the heavier the sin will be upon you. "
In fact, there were also differences within the republicans at this time. Some people felt that they should strike while the iron was hot and launch an armed uprising, while others felt that they should wait for the opportunity.
However, the Republicans were only a minority at this time, and the mainstream of the reformists were still the Orleansites and the Orthodox.
Louis-Philippe finally breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that Otilon Barrot had decided to withdraw from the banquet.
"It's stable this time."
February 22, 1848, the clouds turned sunny, so it was not suitable to travel and it was suitable to kill people.
The gloomy sky and light rain in the morning still couldn't stop people's curiosity. A large number of idle people, women and children followed the people attending the banquet through the streets and alleys.
Everything at first was as sleep-inducingly boring as Odillon Barrow had promised.
However, at 11 noon, the sky suddenly cleared and someone climbed up the marble statue in front of the Pantheon.
"Citizens! Our cabinet has been betraying our French honor and interests, they have sold us to the English! The Austrians! The Prussians! The Spaniards!
The Turkish-Egyptian War ceded all our rights in Egypt! We endured it! During the Luxembourg crisis, the Austrians betrayed their trust and launched a shameless sneak attack on us! We endured it!
In the Alsace-Lorraine crisis, the Prussians and the Austrians trampled on our land, massacred our people, and forced our compatriots to learn their disgusting language and evil religion! We endure it again!
Now the ridiculous King Yali actually wants to use our French money and French lives to please his bitch mistress - the Queen Regent Christiana of Spain!
Can we bear it? ! "
The audience shouted "No!"
"Very well! Citizens! Marseillaise!"
Go forward, sons and daughters of the motherland, rise up quickly,
A glorious day awaits you!
Then a team of 700 college students as the vanguard, singing "La Marseillaise", set off from the Panthéon, crossed the Seine River, arrived at the Place de la Concorde, passed the Seventh District Bridge, and went straight to the Palais Bourbon, the seat of the House of Representatives.
As the only designated war song in France, "La Marseillaise" has a special place in the hearts of the French. The team continues to grow on the road, and the people gather together like streams flowing into the sea.
The guards on the bridge tried to stop the march, but the people singing "La Marseillaise" ignored them, and people finally passed the bridge smoothly.
The National Guards who were responsible for guarding the House of Representatives in front of the Palais Bourbon showed great restraint and tried their best to dissuade the people from using violence.
In fact, they did not want to repeat the mistakes of the French Revolution, and the same was true for the dragoons who were later ordered to rush to the door of the House of Representatives to maintain order.
The momentum comes, but the result is only momentum. The first order of the dragoon officer is to "sheath the sword". This operation is naturally not a deterrent.
Seeing this scene, the people couldn't help but shout "Long live France!"
Facing the coming catastrophe, Louis Philippe did not feel much nervousness. In fact, when he heard that there was no bloodshed, he even laughed out loud.
"As expected, they were just showing off."
In fact, the reason why Louis Philippe had this illusion was largely due to the commander of the Paris garrison, General Sebastian.
In order to show his ability, this arrogant and foolish general did not tell Louis Philippe the truth.
In the eyes of General Sebastian, the people of Paris are just a mob, especially their so-called leaders who chose to surrender before the war started. They are really a bunch of ridiculously weak guys.
At the same time, history did not let Metternich go. The day after Austria announced its withdrawal from the Papal States, Pius IX spoke again, demanding that the Austrian Empire withdraw from Italy.