Special Tactics Training Camp (2)

Javert's house on Peacock Street is quite interesting because you can clearly see people knocking on the door from the second-floor windows, and the house also has a back door that leads directly to another adjacent block.

Initially, Javert chose this residence not only because the rent was low, but also to provide a safe haven for his family from potential retaliatory insurgents. Now, Javert still lives here to avoid his creditors. Since losing his job, Javert hasn't been able to find other ways to earn money. Having worked as a policeman for most of his life, he lacks any skills beyond policing. And at his age, switching to another job is extremely difficult. Therefore, to make ends meet, Javert has borrowed a considerable amount of money. To pay off old debts, he has taken out even more new debts. Now, Javert is heavily indebted.

Actually, Javert wasn't truly without ways to make money. In the first half of his life, Javert had apprehended all sorts of criminals and witnessed all kinds of criminal methods. So, if he wanted, he could easily use such methods to obtain money through crime. Perhaps that's why loan sharks were willing to keep lending him money. It's just that Javert couldn't get over his own conscience. However, the loan sharks weren't in a hurry, because they believed that the pressure of life would naturally lead him to make a rational choice.

When Lucien and his men arrived at Javert's place and began knocking on the door, Javert was agonizing over whether to succumb to the very criminals he once hated most.

Lucien walked up the steps and gently rang the doorbell.

As soon as the doorbell rang, Javert sprang up from his chair like a spring. He gestured for his wife, who was incessantly complaining to him, to be quiet. Then, he cautiously went to the window, pulled back the curtains a crack, and peeked down.

Below were three young men. The one in the middle was ringing the doorbell; judging by his clothes, he was probably from a wealthy family who didn't have to worry about food or clothing. The two men beside him, however, kept scanning their surroundings, clearly trained guards. These people shouldn't be debt collectors. But why they were here was rather puzzling.

"He's not a debt collector," Javert told his wife.

"Not debt collectors?" Hearing they weren't there to collect debts, the wife brought up the previous topic again. "I was so blind! How could I have married such a useless wretch like you? Now the children are starving and living in constant fear because of you! You..."

Although Javier and Javert wife swore oaths to God upon their marriage—to love, comfort, respect, and remain faithful to each other in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in poverty and in wealth—as the proverb says, "Vows are like chaff, and life is like a strong wind." Moreover, in modern France, even God has been sidelined; what then do vows made before God's altar mean?

"Let's not talk about that now," Javert said. "Let's open the door and see what they want."

"Are you trying to run away? You're always trying to escape the problems! Tell me, how long will this family go on like this?!" The wife became even angrier after hearing this.

"Alright, that's enough. Maybe this is an opportunity?" Javert said.

"Bullshit! Even if you had the chance, you wouldn't have seized it. A few days ago..." His wife still wouldn't let him off the hook.

"Fine, fine, Marguerite, I'll do anything they ask for as long as they pay me!" Javert roared, striding out of the room, followed by a series of thumping footsteps on the wooden stairs outside.

Lucien waited downstairs for a while before the door slowly opened in front of him, revealing the aged face of a middle -Lucien aged man with a sorrowful expression.

"Sir, who are you looking for?" the man asked.

"Excuse me, is Mr. Javert here? I'm looking for Mr. Javert," Lucien said politely, taking off his hat.

"That's me," the man said. "Sir, I don't know you. You've come to see me because..."

"I am Lucien Bonaparte, and General Napoleon Bonaparte is my brother," Lucien replied.

"But...but sir, I don't know General Napoleon Bonaparte either." Javert was a little surprised. He had seen the name Napoleon in news reports and knew that he was one of the most outstanding young generals in France. Compared to him, Napoleon was a big shot. He never expected that the brother of such a big shot would suddenly find him.

"I learned about you from General Carnot. Aren't you going to invite me inside to talk?" Lucien said.

While Javert had only ever seen Napoleon's name in the newspapers and it seemed distant, Carnot Javert a very familiar figure to Javert. Javert knew that General Carnot had been a prominent figure since the constitutional era. Since the beginning of the republic, he had always been at the heart of power. He had served in the Committee of Public Safety for a long time, and even now, though his status seemed lower than before the Javert Thermidor, he was still a figure far above Javier, even compared to Javert when he was still a sheriff.

Javert's heart pounded, but he dared not turn away such a distinguished guest. So he stepped aside and gestured for him to enter, saying, "Distinguished sir, please come in."

Lucien followed Javert into the house, and then followed him up a dark, steep wooden staircase to the second floor, into a living room that was about seventeen or eighteen square meters in size.

"Mathilde, we have a guest. Quickly, get some water." Javert said as he approached his wife, then lowered his voice and said, "This is an important person, a friend of General Carnot."

Mathilde knew who "General Carnot" was, and upon hearing this, she was startled and quickly went out to get some water.

"Mr. Javert, we've come to see you because we admire your years of experience and hope to hire you." Lucien had carefully observed his surroundings on the way up, and based on his impression of Javert, he knew that Javert's current living conditions were quite poor.

Lucien knew that people like Javert, known as crime busters, were extremely knowledgeable and skilled in various criminal techniques. Such individuals, if willing to abandon their own moral compass, could almost instantly become formidable criminals. The fact that such a person was struggling in life could only mean one thing: he was a principled person who could uphold his principles. Therefore, he spoke:

"Mr. Javert, you can rest assured that everything we need you to do is legal and ethical. I know how outstanding you were as a sheriff. You were a crime fighter, protecting countless ordinary citizens. You know all the tricks of criminals inside and out. So, even if you were politically persecuted, if you were truly a ruthless person with no bottom line, you wouldn't be in such poverty now. Those criminal tricks would be enough to ensure you and your family a life of plenty."

My brother, General Joseph Bonaparte, once told me a famous saying by a philosopher named Mencius from China in the East: "A great man, when rich, will not indulge his desires; when poor, he will not violate his morals; and when faced with the threat of violence, he will not lower his noble head." Now it seems that you possess such great qualities.

These words brought tears to Javert's eyes. A feeling akin to "My parents gave me life, but Lucien truly understands me" welled up within him. He quickly wiped his face and asked, "Mr. Bonaparte, thank you, thank you! Can you tell me what you need me to do?"

"Ah, that's how it is..." Lucien replied.

Lucien told Javert that his brother had once headed the military research institute, which studied various military technologies that had brought France many glorious victories. However, after the Thermidor, just as the Paris police force suffered massive damage, the military research institute was also destroyed, a large amount of sensitive technology was lost, and the France army's technological advantage over foreign armies vanished completely.

But General Carnot and his brother, General Joseph Bonaparte, did not give up. They used their own money to rebuild the research institute and continue their research in order to restore the France army's technological advantage. Their institute was coveted by foreign spies and French collaborators they had bribed, so they now needed dedicated personnel to protect the secrets of the France army.

In addition to this, the Poland people are also waging a fierce struggle against the invaders who have also invaded France, outside of France. Supporting their struggle is supporting the France struggle; their victory is France's victory. Now their struggle has suffered a temporary setback, and some of them are being hunted by the police forces of those countries. Therefore, France also needs to train them and improve their ability to fight against the police forces of Austria, Prussia, and Tsarist Russia.

After finishing his explanation, Lucien concluded, "Now I have made my purpose very clear. Mr. Javert, are you willing to join us and fight for France?"

"I do!" Javert immediately stood up and replied.

"Alright, from today onwards, you are our comrade!" Lucien stood up and shook Javert's hand. "Your salary will be calculated from today onwards, according to the standard you had when you were a sheriff."

At this point, Lucien looked around again and said, "Also, Mr. Javert, you can get an advance on several months' salary..."

After discussing these matters, Lucien told Javert that he needed to hurry and find Henri Dulan in order to locate Manier and others.

Upon hearing this, Javert stood up, took his old hat and coat from the rack behind the door, and said, "Mr. Bonaparte, please let me go with you. I know where to find them, and I know how to persuade them. Please let me go with you!"

"It would be wonderful if we could get your help," Lucien said.

"That's only right, isn't it?" Javert said. "After all, I just accepted your job and received three months' salary in advance. Besides, the area where they are is a bit chaotic, and it's relatively safer for me to take you there."

After saying this, he turned to his wife, who was standing to the side, and said, "Mathilde, take good care of the children and keep the checks safe. I'll be back soon. Also, I might be a little late, so don't wait for me for dinner."

"Okay, be careful," Mathilde replied. With her husband's earning power restored, his respect and care for her also returned.

Javert nodded, turned around, put on his hat and coat, then picked up a large stick and smiled at Lucien, saying, "Mr. Bonaparte, please let me show you the way."

With Javert's help, the efficiency improved significantly. In just one day, Javert led them to find more than half of the people on the list. Most of these people were in dire straits, and of course, not everyone could, as Mencius had said, refrain from violating their morals when poor. Some of them had already turned to crime.

But Lucien still let these people join. He said to Javert was somewhat puzzled, "Most humans are very weak, and it's very difficult to prevent them from making mistakes. Making mistakes isn't terrible, as long as they can sincerely repent. Aren't these people good people to begin with? It's just that the pressures of life have led them astray. If no one helps them, won't they go further and further down the wrong path? By inviting them to join us, aren't we giving them a chance to reform? Would anyone see someone sliding into the abyss and refuse to extend a helping hand? Shouldn't we be reaching out to them at this time? Look, after receiving our help, which one of them didn't immediately abandon their past wrong path and follow us? Isn't the reason we strive to help more people get on the right path?"

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, good health, and freedom from illness. May my hometown overcome these difficulties. Stay strong, Wuhan!