Napoleon in 1812
Chapter 104:

19. EuropeanSummit – 1

Among thecountless Parisian newspapers, there was onethat boasted the biggest history. It was ‘LaGazette’.[1]

Thenewspaper, which first appeared in the17th century under KingLouisXIV, hadbeen activeasa media outletfor the Bourbon royal family in theearlydays of itsestablishment.

However, whenthe French Revolution broke out with the famousBastillePrison raid, it was able to survivethe blade of the purge by changing itspositionfaster thananyone elseand absolutelyobeying therevolutionary forces.

Since then, La Gazette had enthusiastically praisedthe leadingforces by changing faces quicklywheneverthe regime andpowerchanged.

While maintaining the same lineasbefore, it managed to increased itsscale. The intellectuals had been verydisapproving of this, but nevertheless, theycouldnot denythat La Gazette was themost famousand largestpressinParis.

It wasstillthe newspaper with the most subscribers in Paris, whether it had grown cheaply or not. The editorsrecentlybeguntodointerestingthings to Parisians.

“Diditcome this morning?… Check the mailbox, Raymond!”

“Yes, Dad!”

As theday got colder, the boycalled Raymond, sniffing witha runny nose, went outsidethe house and openedthe red mailbox.

Ashetucked his arminto thecold mailbox, a smile appeared on his brightface. Itcontained whatRaymond andhis father were waitingfor.

“Wow! It’s here! It reallycame, Dad!”

The mancame hurriedly, leavingthe farm’s work behind, when he heard Raymond’sfuss. What wasinthe hands of his son, who wasrunning around, was a specialmail.

To JeanMedecin, the farmer on BaillyStreet in the 3rdDistrictinthe South-EastofParis. Thank you forbeingpart of thesubscriberswho regularly read La Gazette. La Gazetteisalways…

Hequickly flipped throughitand focusedonthe lastpage containing the main topic of interest. It containedwhat wasmaking the Parisianssoexcited.

La Gazettepreparedthe following special questions to investigate oursubscribers’, andfurthermore, the Parisians’ usual thoughts, politicaltendencies, satisfaction withlife, future values, and beliefs. The subscribers’ responses willbeused as data to be reflected in Paris’ public opiniontrends and wishes, as wellasinthe blueprint of futurepolicies, so please respond carefully andclearly.

La Gazettecomplieswith the‘LuxembourgDecree’ issuedbyHis Majestythe Emperor. We promisenot to discriminate against or do anything to suppress freedomofexpression based on theresponses of our subscribers.

It wasthe first questionnaireofLaGazette.

Thiswouldlaterbereferredtoasthe world’sfirst‘public opinion survey’. Whetherheknew he wasfacing sucha historical moment or not, JeanMedecin wasjust showing interest and curiosityaboutwhat questionswouldbeasked.

“Hurry, hurry up and do it!”

“Hehe, don’trush me…”

JeanMedecin smiledathis son andturned the page. A question-and-answersection came intohis eyes.

1. Hasthe financial situationofthe subscriberand his familyimprovedover thelast 10 years?

Please giveusthe answer by comprehensivelyconsideringyour individual income andassets, thestability of yourjob, andthe future. Writethe number 1 if it is better than how it was10 yearsago, thenumber 2 ifithas not changed, andthe number 3 if it has worsened.

Jean Medecinthought fora moment. He was running agrapefarm inheritedfrom hisfather, andaswith allfarms, profitsvaried fromyear to year. Five years ago, the worst weatherconditions, cold waves, and hailhit and destroyedfarming fora year.

‘But thesituation has improved a lot recently. The future haschanged to hope, too!’

Grapes grown on his farm werenot exclusively for brewing, so thetime fordistribution was short. Inordernot to losemoney, it had to be sold quickly, so if inventory accumulated, hehad to either sell it for a lower price or throw it away.

However, as thewar ended and theeconomicsituation improved rapidly, the grapesonthe farmsold well withoutstocking.

On topofthat, various taxes such as the sale tax, market tax, and farmtax wereabolished, increasing the liquidityoftransactions and leaving abigger margin even if he had to sell at alowerprice. Whatelse wastheretosay? Jean Medecinwrotedown thenumber 1 without hesitation.

2. What do youthinkaboutthe implementation of policies promised by the Empire’s cabinet and theoutcome of recentforeign policies?

Here, foreign policyrefers to external expeditions and diplomatic achievements. Ifyou think it was successful, write thenumber 1…

“Ofcourse it’s1. How can I alreadyforget the great victoriesofHis Majestythe Great Emperorand the invincible Grand Army?”

His son Raymond, whowas watching fromthe side, clappedwhilesmiling as if he agreed.

In 1804, theday the republic wasconverted intoanempire. As he ascended to thethrone as Emperor, the risinggeneral promised to preserve theterritory of the republic, respect freedom of religion, equality of rights, political, civilfreedom, and aabundantlife forindividualsand families. There hadbeen many twists andturnsinthe middle, but in the end, he keptall his promises.

3. Which countrydoyou think is the biggest enemy threatening the safety, territory, and sovereignty of the FrenchEmpire?

Forthis question, please write downthe nameofthe countryyou are thinking of, not anumber.

“Hmm… Ofcourse, these arethe sly andvicious islandbastards. Obviously!”

Excited to see if hisfather’sanswer was good again thistime, Raymond raisedhis armsand hurrahed. Then, in theFrench folksong ‘Song of theOcean’ writtenbyGeorges Caron, the part‘Let’s beatall the islanders!’ wassung like amedley.

Asthe war escalatedagainbetween Franceand the UnitedKingdom, antipathy betweenthe people of thetwo countries began to flare up. That waswhy JeanMedecin wasable to pick Britainrightaway without any hesitation.

4. What area do you think needs to be betterfor the development andfuture of the Empire?

1 for awiderterritory, 2 for a richer Empire, 3 for the welfare of citizens, 4 for theimprovementofexternaldiplomatic relations…(omitted)…

Jean Medecin, who wascurrently supportinghis old parents, wrote thenumber 3. In addition, he sincerelywrotedown theanswers to various questions. Overall, many subscribers answered that theywere satisfiedwith thecurrent situationand ruleofthe Empire.

Along withJean Medecin, probably theabsolutemajorityofthe other citizens of Paris… no, even the Frenchcitizensbeyond Paris, would think alike.

Withthe liftingofcensorship in themedia, art, and publishingindustries, the French were freetocriticize the government, cabinet, andmilitary. At first, they had been warythat it wasaninvestigation trap fromthe secret police, but they soonrealizedthat it wasnot. Newspapercompanies werenot asked to revise or deletearticleseven if they openly criticized governmentpoliciesintheirheadlines, andeven if citizens on thestreet cursed thegovernment, guards and policedid not arrestthem or brutally assault them. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NøᴠᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

TheFrench people, who gained therighttoexpress their feelings as they pleased, fellinlove with the sweet taste of true ‘freedom’ that theyhad never enjoyedbefore.

Insalons and squares, they wereable to express their opinions according to their politicaltendencies freely, and discussions or disputes were resolved among themselves, and no outside public power intervened.

Thanks to this, the Frenchpeople had therighttomake legitimate criticism without risk.

Nevertheless, it was surprising thattherewas no criticism of theEmperor, who was theone who made France prosper in its goldenage.

‘All of this is thanks to HisMajesty’s grace. That’sright.’

Hehad createdanenvironmentwherepeople could staywarm andfill their stomach, while leading the Empiretothe top, presenting a widerangeoffreedom, welfare, and acomfortableand stable life. They did nottoleratecriticism or accusationagainst theEmperor, not becausesomeone ordered them, but on their ownwill.

While feelingtheircountry constantly developingand advancing, and while watching the back of the Emperor leadingit, the Frenchpeople weregiving unchanging, absolute supportfor one person.

“I’m curiousaboutotherpeople’sopinionsinParis. Theymust be thinking about theEmpire and HisMajesty just likeus, right?”

JeanMedecin answered while stroking Raymond’shead.

“Of course. The 800,000 citizens of Paris are wise people, different fromthe people of Israel, who didnot recognize Moses, theirsavior.”

JeanMedecin wrote down the address of the headquartersofLaGazette andreturneditwith thecarefully writtenquestion-and-answer sheet. Asthe timewas gettingmore turbulent, he hoped thatthis small questionnaire would helpthe Empire andthe Emperor.

===

When conflictsofinterestorideologyarosebetween countries, it had been along-standing practice of international diplomacy to first go to theambassadorsofthe criticizedcountry when protesting.

Even the Ottoman Empire andthe RussianEmpire, thetwo ironsupporters, were accompanied by ambassadors in diplomatic affairs, and extremelyrefrained fromcriticizingothercountries in official meetings.

However, Britain’s response thistime wasbreakingthat practice. PrimeMinisterCharles Grey gavea speechopenly criticizing France at Westminster Parliament, without talkingfirsttothe French ambassador in London at thetime.

The British added, ‘The French violated ourpropertyrights first, ignoring international laws, so it’sappropriateretaliation!’ butofcourse, theFrench sidecouldnot think thatway. This was a hugedisrespect to theFrench Empire andtoNapoleon.

TheEmperor, who was respectedand reveredbyhis great and proud country, wasattackedbythe islanders, sowouldthe passionateFrench staystill?

TheangryParisians roselike wildfire andcriticized theattitudeofthe BritishPrimeMinisterand Cabinet, while painters and novelistsalso publishedsatire or short storiesmocking Britain and British politicians.

Inresponse, London media reported on theestimated amount of damagereturnedtoindividual British citizens, listing companies that suffered losses from France’s ‘patentpiracy’.

In areas where citizens of bothcountries frequentlymet, it wascommon to see hate protests or quarrels.

Asthe confrontationbetween thetwo powers dominating WesternEurope intensified, theatmosphere of peace becameanold saying andwarfare began to circulatethroughout Europeagain.

War! It seemed that the time to cry forwar was about to come again. Notonly theFrench but also all Europenow paidattention to whatNapoleon, the Emperor of the Empire, would say.

The remarks or expressions of the absolute ruler governingthe Empire hada differentlevelofinfluence and executionpowerthan theprimeministerofa constitutional monarchy.

Withjust oneword, the war that had stopped could resume in an instant, andinreality, Napoleonhad often usedthis kind of surprise declaration of war. Despite theattention focusedonhim, theFrench Emperordid not make an official statement.

“Even the warEmperor is reluctanttodeclare waragainst Britain, which rules thesea!”

“Or maybe there is a secret agreementbetween thetwo countries.”

Theneighboringcountries of France andBritain made the above reasoningwith thegiveninformation. Maybe there would not be a war? Whileoptimismprevailed, news thatwouldsurprisethe entire Europehit the continent.

“…(omitted)… So far, the historyofthe European continent hasbeen a series of constant disputes, quarrels, and intimidation, to the extentthat it canbeconsidered a historyofwar. Those whosufferedduring thatperiod and those whodied bleeding were all ordinary European citizens.

But didthe war bring groundbreaking benefits? Itdid not. Afterall, warismerely apolite expressionfor theft and plundering. Nowwehave to stop thiswheelofbloodthat only burns human potential without development.

This cannotbeachievedbythe willofonly onecountry. Therefore, we insistonholding regular meetings thatwill lead the newera by establishing a new cooperative relationshipand system between European countries andseeking harmony and coexistence.

Thismeeting hasneverexisted before, where heads of European countries cangather for peace, balance, and stability on theEuropeancontinent to haveimportant and sometimescasual discussions.

Through this, we need to cultivate a sense of complementaryresponsibilitybycoordinating disputes and quarrels in line withthe new eratocome.

If all Europegathers itsmind, itcan preventthe tragedyofthe Great War. I sincerelybelieve andhope that the honorary heads of European countrieswill acceptand cooperate forthe common development andvalueofEurope.”

These werethe words of François Carnot, Minister of the Administration of theFrench Empire. The remarkshemade in theImperialCouncil quickly spread throughout the European continent. Carnot wascalled the ‘double heart’ of theEmperor Napoleon Bonaparte. His words soon became Napoleon’s intention.

The war, which was likelytobetriggered overthe French andBritish patentdisputesand insults, had already beenburied under anew topic thatwas shakingEurope as awhole. Thiswas enough to mute the British side, which was preparingfor war.

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