Napoleon's Plan

Actually, in terms of latitude alone, Paris is slightly further north than Harbin. However, due to the influence of the North Atlantic Current, the winters here are quite mild; even though it is already the end of November, the Parisian sun remains warm and pleasant.

Joseph walked along the street covered in fallen leaves, a short figure trailing beside him.

"Ah, Napoleon, your idea is fine. But I don't think your actions will have any effect; in fact, it is very likely that this approach will only lead others to resent you." Joseph shook his head gently as he walked. "Napoleon, do you know what I admire most about you? I admire your courage. Whatever you see, you bravely set out to do. You firmly believe that you can overcome all difficulties, that nothing can stop you. You never let 'I dare not' follow 'I want.' This is an excellent quality. Many heroes in history were able to overcome all obstacles, achieve great feats, and become immortal legends precisely because they possessed such a quality."

"However, you must remember one thing: there is only a thin line between self-confidence and arrogance. Often, when you are doing things, you should think more. First, figure out where your goal lies and what is truly beneficial to you; then, consider where the boundaries of your strength lie, and what things are temporarily beyond your reach that you should not force."

"I never worry that you will lose your courage by thinking too much, but I always worry that you will suffer because you overestimate yourself and underestimate others. Take this time, for example—tell me, what is your purpose in taking such actions?"

Napoleon heard this and revealed a smug smile:

"My foolish brother, did you really think I was worried that the French military academy would turn those French nobles into lazy swine who can't even move their limbs? No, no. Is it a bad thing for these French noble officers to be a little stupid? If they were all as smart and brave as I am, then our cause would truly have no future at all."

"Then why are you doing this?" Joseph blurted out, forgetting even to reprimand Napoleon for daring to infringe upon his patent for such phrasing.

"My foolish brother, has your pathetic intellect finally run dry? You can't even figure out such a simple matter?" Napoleon seized this rare opportunity to pay back everything he had previously received from Joseph with interest.

Joseph stopped and turned to stare at Napoleon. Napoleon proudly lifted his chin, meeting Joseph's gaze.

"Hahahaha..." Joseph suddenly burst into laughter. "My foolish brother, you don't mean to tell me you're trying to use this method to graduate early, do you?"

"What?" The smug smile on Napoleon's face suddenly froze. "How could you think that?"

In his previous life, Joseph had watched a film about Napoleon, which briefly mentioned that the maverick Napoleon had only studied at the Paris Military Academy for one year before graduating early due to his outstanding grades. Joseph hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now, reflecting on Napoleon's current temper and his barely concealed hostility toward the French nobility, this early graduation didn't look like a reward at all—it was more likely...

"Your criticisms of them, while harsh, are completely correct in principle no matter where they are spoken. They are as correct as telling a Catholic priest, 'You should be pious and chaste.' So, while your criticisms will offend them, they cannot use them as a reason to punish you."

"Furthermore, your grades in every subject will essentially leave them with nothing to nitpick—yes, you must have thought of this—and then, these fellows will grow to hate you intensely and want to get rid of you as quickly as possible. But since they cannot use punishment to get rid of you, the best method is to claim your grades are outstanding and that you can graduate early. After all, as far as I know, the Paris Military Academy has such precedents. Well, my foolish brother, is that what you were thinking?"

"To hell with it!" Napoleon said. "Although I want to deny it, you... you aren't too stupid after all."

Joseph knew that although Napoleon was stubborn, he must be very shocked inside, so he couldn't help but feel smug himself, almost blurting out, "You monkey, do you think you can jump out of the Buddha's palm?" But considering whether Journey to the West had any widely known translations yet, and knowing Napoleon wouldn't understand the allusion, he swallowed the words and sighed with a sense of unfulfilled satisfaction.

"How is my plan? What do you think the chances of success are?" Although Napoleon was a bit disappointed that his brother had seen through him, he was long used to it, so his spirits weren't dampened much. He asked this now.

"That depends on you, Napoleon. If you want to realize your plan, you must ensure those people who hate you cannot find any fault in your academics," Joseph said. "As far as I know, most of the students at the Paris Military Academy are the children of nobles..."

"Not most, but almost all," Napoleon corrected.

"Most of those fellows do indeed live extravagantly. As you said, they indulge in pleasure, spending their precious time drinking, bragging, enjoying fine food, and showing off their carriages, servants, and mistresses. Although your intelligence is not particularly outstanding, defeating such people in your studies should be easy for you."

"Because alcohol and lust have long since destroyed what little intelligence they had; their current level of intellect is not necessarily much better than that of an orangutan. Defeating these orangutans is a matter of course. However, the nobility is not entirely made up of such orangutans. The Paris Military Academy is quite large, after all, and it is possible for one or two very brilliant fellows to appear. So, don't be too careless."

"I certainly know that. Besides, I study to improve myself as much as possible, not to suppress anyone. Therefore, no matter where I am, I will not slack off," Napoleon replied.

On this point, Joseph truly believed him. When it came to "loving to learn," Napoleon could indeed be considered a role model. Throughout his life, whether he was leading a great army across the snow-capped Alps or imprisoned on Saint Helena, he would keep his nose in a book whenever he had the time.

"Then, I think your chances of graduating early are very high. But after graduation, your assignment might not be very good," Joseph said.

"As Corsicans like us, even if I acted as their lackey or court jester every day, could I get a good assignment? Besides, our future is in Corsica, not France," Napoleon replied dismissively.

Hearing this answer, Joseph almost laughed out loud. He knew that later, during the French Revolution, it was precisely because Napoleon opposed Corsican independence that he fell out with Paoli—his idol at the time—eventually leading to them taking up arms against each other.

"It's just that Corsica is truly too small," Joseph sighed.

"You're right," Napoleon said. "That is indeed a serious problem. Even if we could each fight ten men, it would be difficult to defeat France relying solely on our own strength. However, France has serious internal problems now, and in the future, we might be able to gain support from other countries."

"Like Mr. Paoli is doing in England now?" Joseph asked.

"Yes. But I don't think England is necessarily reliable," Napoleon said. "The British have betrayed others more than once. Getting them to cause trouble for the French is fine, but getting them to bleed for Corsica? I fear they would rather have Corsica bleed for them. At most, they will provide some money. During the Seven Years' War, that was how England helped Prussia. But Corsica is too small; how much blood can it shed? Yet, precisely because it is difficult, I am filled with fighting spirit."

"My brother, when you say things like that, you sound like a character from Virgil or Homer," Joseph said.

"Ah, my brother, that is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard from you," Napoleon said happily. "You are right. I am not one of those weak, mediocre people of this era; I am a hero of the Homeric age."

"Ah, my foolish brother. You must remember: a person's ability is like the numerator of a fraction, while their self-evaluation is the denominator. The larger the denominator, the smaller the value of the fraction," Joseph couldn't help but laugh again.

"Hmph!" Napoleon didn't care about Joseph's habitual sarcasm; he was already used to it.

"Oh, right, Joseph, you will be graduating soon. What are your plans for the future?" Napoleon asked.

"Me? I might return to Corsica first and become a priest," Joseph replied.

"You're lying," Napoleon said. "Your eyes tell me your heart has long since wandered; you have long felt that Corsica is too small for you. And I don't think you are optimistic about the future of the Church."

"Alright then," Joseph sighed. Having a brother who is too smart is also a problem. "I plan to leave Paris for a while, hide in Corsica, and keep my eyes peeled on Paris, waiting for a change to occur."

"A change?" Napoleon asked. "What do you mean?"

"Naturally, the story of England from back then repeating itself in France," Joseph said.

"England's story?" Napoleon asked. "What story are you talking about?"

"The story of Lord Protector Cromwell, of course," Joseph said. "Have you seen the information disclosed recently regarding the royal household's expenditures?"

"No," Napoleon said. "I don't interact much with my classmates, and I don't go out much."

"If the news is reliable, the royal household is living beyond its means and is on the verge of bankruptcy," Joseph said. "The royal family owes a mountain of debt, and now the nobles and the wealthy are no longer willing to lend them money. I estimate the royal family will have no choice but to increase taxes. Once large-scale taxation begins, given the current attitude of everyone in France, a revolution is right around the corner."