Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 945 005 A despicable and shameless thief enters Grenoble

It's understandable that many people panicked when they heard that Napoleon was coming.

But there were also many people who welcomed the emperor's arrival.

In places like the south of France, there were just as many troublemakers as in the Vendée, perhaps even more in number, and some even wanted to kill Napoleon when he abdicated.

However, given that over a thousand old guards were also following, Russia had sent two counts as their left and right protectors, and the Russian Imperial Guard was also accompanying them, this was definitely impossible.

Now, they are all united, fed up with the king, and are all shouting "Long live the emperor!"

This kind of spontaneous behavior is indeed quite outrageous.

As Demid rode on his horse, he even wanted to complain about why these were the same people who resisted military service and were not enthusiastic about paying taxes during the imperial period, but were so enthusiastic when the royalists returned.

At least many members of Wang's faction fled day and night.

They acted arrogantly and tyrannically during the restoration, causing considerable losses to the local area.

Therefore, people harbor deep resentment towards them, and it is quite fitting that many of them are now fleeing.

“But we don’t have time for that now, Demid. We need to hurry and get to Paris.”

"Your Majesty, it is a long way from here to Paris. It would probably take 20 days to march, even if we were traveling light."

"Don't worry so much, we'll find a way. Since the people of the French Riviera welcome us so warmly, we can head north all the way to Paris. This time, we'll bring peace, not war."

He emphasized this to Demid again, and as his nephew, he couldn't say much.

By this time, the French army had already marched south, heading straight for him.

However, the number of people who came was initially limited. Louis XVIII knew that Napoleon only had a thousand men on Elba, so he asked the Minister of War to send only two or three thousand men at first.

However, the first French royal troops to arrive near Grasse have now met the emperor.

Without Napoleon saying a word, just by looking at the old guard's bearskin hat, without even the emperor himself needing to show up, they threw the Royal Army's flag aside.

Bertrand, Drouot, and Compronna were also there, and the three of them were a bit confused when they saw it.

Although they were loyal to the emperor, they never expected this turn of events.

At first, it was just the National Guard and farmers from the French coast who joined, many of whom came with pitchforks and rakes.

Combrona kept wiping his pistol, always thinking he was going to fight a war, but it turned out he didn't need to.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?"

"The fact that the brothers from these two regiments are willing to stand with us is a victory and a good omen. I believe that the brothers who come later will do the same."

Napoleon even recognized some of the soldiers he had personally awarded medals to in the past, which greatly moved some of the soldiers, and cheers of "Long live the Emperor" resounded everywhere.

"But what if an ambitious person were to shoot you next, Uncle? I'm not only the Emperor's adjutant, but also your nephew. I'm very worried about your safety."

Napoleon did not answer, but simply ordered the army to continue their advance. Their next stop was the mountains of Grenoble, from where they would cross the edge of the Alps and reach Lyon.

The 5th and 7th Infantry Regiments have now arrived here.

However, the two regiments separated. The first regiment, without Napoleon needing to say a word, had already sent a messenger to the emperor, indicating their willingness to participate in the emperor's actions.

In this way, the entire regiment didn't need to do anything; they had already defected.

"Your Majesty, we bring you news that General Marchand has issued an order to arrest you."

"Marchand, he wants to arrest me? That sounds ridiculous. How many men does he have now, the 7th Infantry Regiment, and what else?"

"I think he wants to use Grenoble. We have already informed General Compronna about this, and I believe he has also conveyed the message to you."

"Yes, I sent Cambronne with a company of old guards to your place, intending to prevent Louis XVIII's men from causing trouble, but I didn't expect to encounter you instead."

"We can only achieve glory by being with His Majesty. I once fought for you in Ulm."

“Baron, I know you used to be a dragoon, coming from Germany to serve in France, but now you’ve switched to infantry.”

“Your Majesty, General Grouchy was not a cavalryman before, but he always led dragoons for you.”

"Ah, yes, that's true. And I noticed you have two medals, one from the Legion of Honor and the other from Saint Louis."

"But I want to keep this medal, after all, this regiment has a long history."

"Yes, this regiment has existed since the Bourbon Kingdom of Navarre, even before the Bourbon ruled France, but that's how they were. You can still choose to be an infantryman or a cavalryman, as you wish."

“I think I should go back to the cavalry. I was hit on the head by Prussian cavalry in Champenois. We held off the Prussians, but not your nephew.”

"That's alright, that kid Solovyov is always causing trouble."

But he was Josephine's nephew, and it was probably spread by the Empress's dragoons.

Napoleon also decided that Colonel de Capudeville would lead the 5th Infantry Regiment and continue the advance.

For Marchand, the pressure is now immense.

Two regiments defected along the coastline, leaving him with only understrength cavalry and the 7th Infantry Regiment.

But they still had to stop Napoleon. Now Marchand viewed Napoleon as a "thief of state" who was about to lead his men to seize his fortified city.

His men are now quite agitated, because the local villagers have heard that the emperor is coming and have started to stir up trouble. The disbanded National Guard and the National Gendarmerie from the villages on the edge of the mountains have also become active.

These people supported the emperor, but Marchand did not.

"General, there are also engineers and hussars. If they were to meet the emperor, they would probably all be like that engineer company."

"That's why I sent the 7th Infantry Regiment. Our Champagne Regiment is an old regiment that is loyal to His Majesty the King. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it the Orleans Regiment."

Marchand himself used a mix of terms because the French army used different names for different things. During the Royalist period, they used place names, while during the French Revolution and the Empire, they used numbers.

But the staff officer who brought up the matter felt that General Marchand was being a bit presumptuous.

The 5th Regiment was originally the Royal Guard of Navarre! Henry IV himself once served as its commander, and it has a very long history.

Even looking at the members of the Champagne Regiment, one of the battalion commanders was an officer promoted from Napoleon's Imperial Guard. Such an army, upon seeing Napoleon, would forget about the king after just a few words.

As for the staff officer's inner complaints, he didn't utter a single word, because he also wanted to defect to the emperor, but since he was by General Marchand's side, out of loyalty to the general, he couldn't make it so obvious.

Perhaps the family of De la Bédoyère, the commander of the Champagne (7th) Regiment, was royalist. He was 29 years old, wounded in the war, and married upon his return. Because of his Brittany origins and the fact that his family had previously served as local judges, his loyalty to the King was still quite high. However, due to his bravery in battle, he was commended in Regensburg, wounded in Essling, and became Eugène's adjutant.

Although his family were royalists, he joined the Imperial Guard and the Gendarmerie, fighting alongside his comrades amidst cheers of "Long live the Emperor!" and the French army achieved brilliant victories abroad.

But the king returned, and although he was given preferential treatment because of his family background, making him the head of the delegation at a young age, he only brought shame to France.

Moreover, what had happened before unsurprisingly also affected him. The king's perverse actions after his return have led many people in France to hate him now.

Although he did not hate the king, he loved the emperor.

"Joseph, we are now facing the Emperor. He's right below the city walls. Should we open fire on him?"

"We won't fire; we'll just wait and see what the emperor does."

“I hope he can bring a free France, not the one that is in the past. I would say the same thing even if I met him in person.”

He told Joseph Boysin, an officer in his regiment, that this gentleman was second only to him in rank.

The fact that both of them said this actually means one thing: the current royal army in the city is unwilling to fire on their emperor.

Even with 50 cannons already deployed in Grenoble, the situation remained the same.

Even Napoleon noticed them and personally walked at the front of the procession.

"This time it's the 7th Regiment, the previous one was the 5th Regiment."

"Your Majesty, I think for your safety we should make way."

"Cambrona, you're being a bit neurotic. The people on the other side are our brothers. They fought in Bautzen and Leipzig, they paved the way when they defeated the Bavarians in Hanau, and they even went to Santo Domingo."

In addition, there were veterans in Spain. Napoleon obviously wouldn't mention Spain, because things there were always so bad.

The proportion of veterans in this regiment is indeed very high; many of them still had their guns on their shoulders when the officers in the front row gave the order.

Napoleon ignored this and instead stood at the front of the procession to deliver his speech.

"Soldiers, recognize your emperor! If anyone wants to kill me, it's right here!"

Yes, this trick really worked; all the soldiers returned to his side.

As for the 7th Regiment, they also opened up the road, making way for Napoleon.

Marchand, living in the city, turned himself into a clown.

Even the cavalry and engineers, except for the artillerymen, had gone to the emperor's side.

"Sir, I think we should surrender at this time. The French should not be killing each other here; the bloodshed should only be directed at the Germans, the British, and the Russians."

Marchand was furious, but seeing the situation, he knew there was nothing he could do.

He now has no army left and is unwilling to surrender to the emperor or offer his loyalty.

The soldiers below have already begun removing royalist insignia, except for their medals.

Because medals are considered an honor by soldiers, Napoleon didn't mind this.

"Your Majesty, what should be done with Marchand?"

“Let him go to Baroburg; I think he can calm down there.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As for the French troops here, they have now all changed to the tricolor flag and cleared the way for Napoleon as the army entered Grenoble.

However, Napoleon also knew that his wife and children were in Rome, and that Catherine's recovery was very slow after giving birth this time.

"How should we write a letter to the Empress now, Your Majesty?"

“Tell Catherine that when she feels recovered and can travel, our family can reunite in Paris. That’s all for now. She named our daughter after my mother-in-law because she hadn’t won a single battle. Now we have, but our daughter has already been born. Ah, what bad timing.”

"Your Majesty, that's roughly it. Besides that, should we send letters to Prince Eugene and the King of Naples?"

"Ignore Murat."

Napoleon still resented his brother-in-law's betrayal, and what he was going to do was no longer important.

But he still wanted to know Eugène's attitude.

Therefore, when he wrote to Catherine, he did not forget to write a letter to Eugène.

Upon arriving in Grenoble, Napoleon planned to stay there for two more days.

The newspapers in Paris were already in shock, but the contrast was not as dramatic as some had described.

But it still has moments that showcase the charm of journalism, it's just that the unfortunate "Masters" newspaper made a big fuss over those tabloids.

Louis XVIII was now getting restless, and he summoned Marshal Ney.

Marshal Ney's bold words reassured Louis XVIII somewhat.

After all, the idea of ​​capturing Napoleon in a cage was somewhat thoughtless, but it reassured Louis XVIII.

But what is Ney planning to do?

He knew that the Duke of Angoulême had gone to Lyon, and that the king probably took the matter very seriously and had sent a young duke with some military experience to the capital.

But that's not important; he plans to go to the Jura to talk to Legob.

Although Le Guub was a friend of General Morrow, just like Ney and Bernardot, their fates were drastically different.

Legub, for speaking out in defense of the regime, was placed under house arrest in the countryside until the situation became critical. He was then recalled and, in Leipzig, opened a passage for the main force of the retreating army. The king still regarded him as a victim of the tyranny of the "usurper" and entrusted him with important responsibilities.

Bernardo Silva and Ney both became marshals, and remained marshals after the restoration.

However, there are now considerable disagreements about which path to take.

Therefore, Ney also hoped that the upright Legob could enlighten him.

(End of this chapter)