Loving Peace Radish (3)

Following the pre-arranged plan, Robespierre began publishing articles in numerous newspapers, fiercely attacking Lafayette for plotting a war to undermine democracy and become a dictator. He argued that the people of Paris, and indeed the entire France people, should be vigilant and thwart this ambitious schemer's plot.

"If Lafayette's plot succeeds, France will fall into a far more tragic state than under the despotism of previous feudal monarchs. Because, after all, Louis XVI is a legitimate monarch, but what is Lafayette? A tyrant! Then all the blood shed by the people in the Bastille, in the struggles before and after, will go to this tyrant—this is intolerable! -- Hmm, Robespierre, though a rebel, has a rather sharp critique of Lafayette in this passage." Count Rodolphe looked at the article in his hand and smiled at a young man beside him. "Let's publish this article in * Orthodox France *."

"Count, won't publishing such a rebellious article in 'Orthodox France' damage our reputation...?" the young man asked hesitantly.

"So, Phoebus, I'll have to trouble you with this matter. Add an editor's note to this article. Criticize the errors and transgressions in the article, so that people can see the true face of those rebels. Also, comment on the places that speak a little truth—isn't it good to expose two kinds of rebellion in one article?" Count Rodolphe laughed.

"You're right, Count," Phoebus replied. "I really hope that one day we can hang all these rebels on lampposts!"

"That day will come, Phoebus. Don't worry, believe me, that day will come. Ça Ira. That day will come when the Jacobin and Lafayette Club will be hanging from lampposts, rotting away! But for that day, we must get to work right now."

"The Austria dare to threaten the great France; this is an absolutely intolerable offense to the dignity of France. Those Austria have probably forgotten what France bayonets and boots look like. I don't understand how, when France is being insulted in this way, there are still cowards who jump out to call for peace..." Robespierre couldn't help but laugh when he read this.

"Mr. Robespierre, how can you still laugh when others are slandering your reputation like this?" Saint-Just said indignantly.

"Reputation? Robespierre's reputation?" Marat burst into laughter. "What reputation could Robespierre possibly have? Wasn't Robespierre already known as a traitor and bandit? I think the text just now was actually quite polite to him. If I were to criticize him, I wouldn't have stopped there."

"Mr. Marat, this is not an article from a Royalist Party newspaper, nor from the Lafayette Club newspaper. It is an article from a centrist newspaper," Saint-Just said.

"It's those fence-sitters' articles," Guzman interjected. Guzman was a close friend of Marat, just as Saint-Just was a close friend of Robespierre.

"Yes," Saint-Just said, "But many times, we need to get these fence-sitters on our side."

"Don't dream!" Marat said. "Let me guess, what's the name of this newspaper you're holding? It should be * Paris Business *, right? Its owner is Clavière, that banker, isn't he? How could a banker not like war? Since Robespierre openly opposes war, frankly, it's too mild of them to be so polite to him. Besides, didn't you suggest letting our people propose some kind of price controls on grain? If we propose those things, we'll be criticized even more harshly."

"This is a necessary price, Louis," Robespierre said calmly. "The key now is how Lafayette is prepared to react."

How will Lafayette react? In fact, Lafayette hasn't reacted yet. Lafayette has too many things to deal with right now and doesn't have time to react immediately. Moreover, Lafayette has noticed that since Robespierre attacked him and tried to start a war, there seem to be quite a few centrists helping him fight back against Robespierre. Therefore, he feels that he should hold back and observe everyone's reactions before responding.

Lafayette had two more days to recover. After that, he suddenly realized that something seemed amiss. He discovered that while many were indeed attacking Robespierre, their attacks focused on his perceived weakness and fear of the military threat from Austria Robespierre, a Catholicism nation. Did they not know that France was the most powerful Catholicism nation? Did they not know that France's specialty was crushing Catholicism countries? What a disgrace to the France!

What Lafayette was most concerned about—that he had no intention of becoming a military dictator and undermining democracy—was completely ignored. Not only did they not mention it, but some even suggested that having a Caesar wouldn't be so bad if they could defeat the foreign enemy.

But Lafayette knew that these people saying "there's nothing wrong with having a Caesar" was just a way to convince him to go to war. If he were to truly become Caesar, those very people saying that now might stab him in the back, then stand beside his corpse, tears streaming down their faces, and deliver a brilliant speech entitled "I Caesar, but I Rome more"—oh, wait, it should be "I Lafayette, but I France more," and then turn France into a republic.

Moreover, Lafayette knew that the army was not in good shape and that now was not the time to go to war. In a sense, Lafayette did need a war, but unlike the Royalist Party, he needed a victorious war, a war that was well-prepared. If the discussion became too heated and Parliament immediately passed a declaration of war, it would be detrimental to him.

"This situation must stop immediately!" Lafayette knew the importance of public opinion, because he knew from his time in North America that the preparation and organization of the North America war were inseparable from local public opinion.

So the media under Lafayette's control began to act. On the one hand, they attacked Robespierre, but on the other hand, they also spread the message that although France was never afraid of war, "Peace will not be abandoned until it is utterly hopeless; sacrifice will not be lightly spoken of until the last moment." Moreover, Lafayette had absolutely no intention of becoming a military dictator.

Although Lafayette's hatred for Robespierre grew stronger, in fact, at least on the issue of delaying the war, Lafayette also became Robespierre's ally.

This significantly diminished the prestige of Lafayette and Robespierre among the centrists. This was understandable, as the centrists were essentially the group later known as the Girondins, most of whom were wealthy merchants and bankers. For them, war was an opportunity to make a fortune. As long as the final outcome wasn't national annihilation, war wasn't a bad thing for them. Therefore, those who explicitly opposed the war were seen as blocking their path to wealth.

However, Lafayette knew that war was inevitable. Even the members of the Feuillant Club, deep down, were anticipating it. Lafayette might not genuinely want to be a military dictator, but many in the Feuillant Club followed him precisely because they hoped he would become a military dictator like Caesar. If Lafayette disappointed them too much, they might...

The banker Clavière was receiving a guest at his residence on Servandoni Street. This guest was also named Joseph, but he believed in Fouché.

"Thank you, Mr. Fouché," Clavière said. "The information you provided was extremely important to me. His Excellency Lafayette is truly..."

At this point, Clavière shook his head and didn't continue.

"Mr. Lafayette is being too concerned with the big picture," Fouché said.

"However, we don't need to maintain the current situation. I need a change. Mr. Fouché, I wonder what kind of help you can offer me? Everyone knows that I am a moral person and I never treat anyone who has helped me unfairly." Clavière looked at Fouché and said slowly.

"You need war?" Fouché asked.

"Yes," Clavière replied briefly.

"But I've heard that due to the possibility of war and the turbulent situation, some of your bank's loans are difficult to recover. So it's very likely that your bank deposits can't be withdrawn normally," Fouché asked again.

"Ah, you've heard the rumor too?" Clavière laughed. "That's why I need something more turbulent to happen as soon as possible."

"That's a bit difficult, but your operation doesn't require such a large upheaval," Fouché said. "Also, I can help you connect with another friend..."

That morning, Joseph went to work as usual, but on the way he happened to run into Carnot, who looked very worried.

"What's wrong, Lazar? You seem troubled?" Joseph asked.

"Joseph, which bank do you keep your money in?" Carnot countered.

"Some are at Clavière Bank, and some are..." Joseph replied.

"Oh dear!" Carnot exclaimed, "Have you heard? Clavière Bank just announced that because their investments in agriculture have been affected by the rebellion in the provinces and are difficult to recover in the short term, they are temporarily suspending withdrawals—meaning you can't withdraw your money from them even with your deposit certificate!"