Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 946 006 Napoleon Bonaparte Occupies Lyon
After his restoration, Lekub, due to poor health, often stayed in the Jura.

When the emperor abdicated, he led more than 10,000 men to hold Besançon and inflicted heavy losses on the Austrian army.

Although he accepted the king's order and became the governor here, he was also compensated because of his past persecution by Napoleon.

However, this does not change the fact that he always firmly adhered to the ideals of the republic.

Although he didn't want to be emperor, being king was clearly worse.

He was aware of what was happening in the south.

Now Ney is coming to him again, and he knows that his friend has his own concerns.

"Michel, what brings you to the Jura at this time of year?"

"I think you should also know that Napoleon landed on the southern coast and then marched all the way north. He captured Grenoble without firing a shot, and the garrison surrendered. I think he now has a legion."

"And you are carrying the king's orders to lead six thousand men against him."

"That's what's confusing me. Claude, what should we do?"

"This is a decision you must make yourself. I probably can't agree with the king, nor will I agree with the emperor. But if I had to choose one, I would choose the emperor. Look at what the Jura has become! If it weren't for my influence here, I would tell those royalists..."

“Actually, you scared away those parasites with the National Guard, Claude. I know all too well what you’re capable of. Morrow valued you highly when he was around. In our Rhine Legion, you were the only one who made the Russians suffer.”

Ney knew exactly what Legoub would do; although he was reasonable, he wouldn't give up on resorting to force.

"If those royalists were allowed to do what they did in Lyon and elsewhere, I think things would be very bad. But supporting the emperor means war, and I think that will soon be proven true."

"why?"

"Because monarchs fear the emperor even more than the republic. In the republic, there was nothing that made them tremble like the emperor used to. Revolution only made monarchs worry about their necks, but the emperor brought out the army."

Le Guub mentioned this point, and Ney agreed.

Ney will probably join him, even though he has already made bold statements in front of Louis XVIII.

But reality always changes everything, even as Napoleon's army was still marching towards Lyon.

After their meeting, those people in Vienna declared that Napoleon was now their enemy.

They were indeed afraid; as soon as Napoleon returned, he began to do a series of things with great energy.

Even before Lyon arrived, he had already begun issuing orders, drafting new laws, and even considering rewriting the imperial constitution.

"Your Majesty, Lyon is just ahead. When shall we go in?"

"Bertrand, it depends on the people. But what's the situation inside the city?"

"I heard that the provincial governor who supports Louis XVIII is preparing to have a good showdown with you, and has even released a document."

"Fight with written documents? If written documents could solve problems, there would be no need for an army. Words can't beat bayonets, and bayonets can't beat the people who support us. Look here, Bertrand, people are cheering, and they came spontaneously."

Even in Lyon, people were still cheering "Long live the Emperor!"

De Montfort, who declared war with a written statement, simply published the provocative article and then disappeared.

"This man, who last year declared himself the Emperor's most loyal supporter, seems to have proven through his escape that Mr. de Montfort supports the Emperor."

"Alright, Demid."

When Napoleon heard his nephew mocking the gentleman, he wanted to laugh, but he didn't.

"They've run away, even in Saône-et-Loire, where the royalists still support us. They've run away. They'll only carry out a reign of terror, unlike what the Jacobins did to restore order in the past. They're just seeking revenge and destruction. You can imagine what these people will do."

"Your Majesty, what should we do next?" Bertrand asked again. After all, he was now the Emperor's chief attendant and had to arrange his schedule, although the destination of the march was still decided by the Emperor himself.

"We are going to Lyon to hold a meeting, to draft a new constitution, and to invite Mr. Constantine. We need to make some changes to the law. Although I am not yet fifty, as one gets older, one must consider the future. My rule as emperor is clearly different from my son's rule. From now on, we will implement a constitutional monarchy, and there will be no more autocracy."

He had even mentioned this matter when he was chatting with the commander of the 7th Regiment. The young commander, just as he had told his subordinates, did indeed suggest that the emperor change his political stance.

Napoleon is going to issue a declaration here and convene a new conference.

He was also observing the situation in Paris, and what Louis XVIII was going to do was a topic of concern for him.

The Imperial Guard was also advancing rapidly, and more and more soldiers were coming to support Napoleon.

Although the French army was largely disbanded, a considerable number of officers and soldiers were released from various regions.

Napoleon had to raise funds for these people, and in addition, he had to march such a long distance in half a month and consider many political proposals.

The Count of Artois had all fled; he offered no resistance.

As for Ney's 6000 men, followed by Udino's Royal Guard, Louis XVIII's deployment was quite strange.

Ney was thinking the whole way, trying to figure out what Legoub meant.

But for him, there was no other choice.

The glory that the emperor could bring him in the past was far better than being a marshal under the king.

Besides accompanying the emperor on campaigns, Ney also received a large reward for his bravery, which was among the highest for marshals.

As for the king, his pension would also be reduced, even though Louis XVIII had given him some benefits.

By all accounts, Ney had decided to return to the Emperor's side.

Napoleon himself did indeed convene a constitutional conference in Lyon, where he not only declared that the country would be a constitutional monarchy, but also sought to promote reconciliation throughout France.

The French didn't have much of a problem with him to begin with, except for the war-weariness last year and the Parisians' eventual betrayal.

This was the French's own idea. In fact, they had already betrayed the emperor at that time, otherwise Paris would not have become like that. In many places along the way, they surrendered without a fight when faced with a small number of allied troops.

But now, what the king has done in ten months is probably more memorable than the mistakes the emperor made in ten years.

If Louis XVIII and the Count of Artois, along with their descendants, were to rule France again, things would probably only get worse.

As a result, the voices of resistance have become increasingly weak, and Louis XVIII has even begun to plan his escape again.

He just finished renovating the Tuileries Palace, and now he's running away.

Next, Napoleon was to head towards Burgundy. Although there were occasional obstacles on his way to Paris, the road ahead seemed to be clear.

As Ney's army assembled and awaited the Emperor's orders, Napoleon's lips curled into a slight smile, but his inner smugness was undeniable, even if he had acquired an AKM. "Your Majesty," Ney said, "Michel Ney awaits your instructions, even if it means serving as a soldier under your command."

"What nonsense are you talking about? You are still the Imperial Marshal. On the battlefield, you are always the first to charge and the last to retreat when the situation is dire. I can't forget what you looked like in Russia. I didn't even recognize you back then."

"Your Majesty, can you recognize me now?"

"Yes, go do what you're supposed to do!"

Seeing this situation, Ney also issued an order.

"To hell with the king's insignia! Raise our tricolor flag high! Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

These soldiers also knew who had led them to glorious victories.

The Royal Guard, led by Udino, was disbanded without firing a single shot.

Udino has been injured many times in the past, and he has no intention of pledging allegiance to the king.

But even though he wanted to be loyal to the emperor, he also had to consider his own terrible situation.

He doesn't want to get hurt again; he's been injured many times in the past.

So he did not resist the emperor's army and decided to go home.

Many of Louis XVIII's guards, who had previously served as the emperor's personal guards or were veterans handpicked from various legions, also turned to the emperor.

Upon receiving this report, McDonald and Marmont, who were organizing Wang Jun in Paris, were devastated.

The troops that went to the front, though they were there to suppress or "arrest" the emperor, would surrender with courtesy once they saw the emperor in person.

Without even firing a single shot or exchanging fire, these several armies were all wiped out.

And so, the two of them are now organizing the defense of Paris.

If the king himself has some confidence and is willing to stay, there might still be some hope.

But the king probably didn't have this idea, and Louis XVIII and the Count of Artois now also felt that the situation was not good.

Even worse, the Duke of Angoulême was captured.

This is the current second heir of the Bourbon family, and he hasn't even gotten married yet.

The Bourbon family is actually in a state of having no heirs, at least in France, because neither of the Count Artois's two sons are currently married.

It should also be considered that the Spanish idiot had no sons, and his brother's situation was another matter, which involved succession to the throne.

In short, the situation is not good.

The Duke of Berry, young and ambitious, is also preparing to organize the remaining guards and the Paris garrison. He is currently the only one in the Bourbon who may still want to fight.

This was probably all because he was young and impetuous, and his older brother was also very unlucky to be arrested.

Napoleon's idea was to use the Duke of Angoulême as a condition.

After giving birth in Rome, Catherine stayed there, protected by papal agents, and also with Russian representatives taking care of her needs.

He really wanted his wife to come here, and there was one thing he believed.

It was only after seeing Octavia that Napoleon had this idea.

Octavia is half Russian and her nephew's fiancée; she would follow Demid anywhere for him.

Although Catherine was predominantly of German descent, she was also a Grand Duchess of Russia and Empress of France.

Napoleon loved his "little Catherine," and although Catherine felt that Napoleon was too old and had been gaining weight since their marriage, the two had a very good relationship.

Driven by these feelings, Napoleon also hoped that his wife would take the children north.

Even his third brother Lucien, who had always opposed him, stood up to support him this time, and was on his way to Jérôme separately.

My younger brother is unreliable, but he still supports me.

Even Napoleon himself had to admit that it was only in times of hardship that true character could be revealed.

Louis is a bit stubborn, but Ortance will bring the children.

Only Murat and Carolina were involved, which broke Napoleon's heart.

However, the news was somewhat delayed. When Murat received the news that Napoleon had already headed north and was advancing unimpeded towards Lyon, he was already itching to make his move.

They even mobilized their troops in Naples, preparing to openly oppose the allied nations.

But it's not for France's sake; it's to preserve his crown in Naples.

Strangely, Eugène made no comment at this time.

He was actually waiting. Although his stepfather had been incredibly kind to him, his father-in-law's letter reminded him that he had to be careful about choosing sides this time.

He was waiting for a letter from his mother, and for news of whether the emperor would be able to enter Paris.

Therefore, he remained calm and did not take any drastic actions, but simply put his Italian army into a state of combat readiness.

If Austrians wanted to cross the border, he would attack them.

If Murat has any strange ideas, he probably won't be polite.

He even had a plan on how to send a diplomatic note to Vienna to express his attitude as the Governor-General of Italy.

Josephine, in Malmaison, seemed to be doing nothing, observing the current situation.

The only difference is that, as Napoleon's ex-wife, they had a deep bond, and with the support of their children, they would stand firmly together as long as Napoleon arrived in Paris.

The more difficult situation is for Catherine. If France and Russia go to war, and her brother and husband are to fight each other, she will probably become a Sabine woman, holding up her child to demand a ceasefire.

Yes, that's very Roman.

But the focus now is not on that, but on Napoleon's continued march toward Paris after his troops defected one after another, and he will probably have to reach Fontainebleau, where he abdicated, first.

(End of this chapter)