The Vote (Part Two)

Because Paris was busy with the king's trial, no one had time to bother Dumouriez yet. Even the dispatch of personnel to him for military procurement had been delayed. But Dumouriez felt that it was only a matter of time before these people came after him, so he had to seize this last opportunity. Regardless of whether the king's case would ultimately implicate him, having more money would always be helpful. For example, Talleyrand —how could he have escaped to Britain without money?

Driven by the belief that "if you don't use your power, it will expire," Dumouriez began to increasingly exploit loopholes in military procurement, amassing a fortune. Naturally, his troops faced increasingly difficult circumstances. Dumouriez blamed this on Paris, telling his soldiers that the Paris were too busy fighting amongst themselves to attend to them, hence the supply shortages. While this explanation temporarily appeased the soldiers, it inevitably damaged the morale of his army.

Besides the problems caused by insufficient supplies, another issue that severely damaged morale was Dumouriez's army, which was primarily Volunteer Army. While the Volunteer Army did indeed have high morale, their enthusiasm stemmed from the need to defend their homeland. Originally local militias, they hadn't wanted to leave their homes; they joined the army only to save their country. Now, having repeatedly defeated the Prussian-Austrian Allied Forces and driven them out of France, these Volunteer Army believed the crisis for their homeland was over and they should be returning home. However, the government forced them to continue fighting the Austria and Prussia abroad. This situation led to a decline in their morale.

Lacking supplies and having lost their objective, the morale of this army plummeted. Their initial courage to overcome all obstacles and fight to the death vanished instantly. And this army...

"Now we must prepare for defeat," Napoleon said to Joseph. "You know, our army is quite poor in terms of military quality; you could even say that our army has almost nothing except morale. Now that we have no morale, it's no wonder we're going to suffer a defeat. Joseph, the general will soon be leading us into the Austrian Netherlands, and I think we'll suffer there. Be careful during the battle; don't wander off to the front lines recklessly."

"Huh?" Joseph's mouth dropped open. "You, you actually stole my line?! Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you?"

"Because on the battlefield, I'm more astute than you. Of course, I should be the one reminding you," Napoleon said smugly. "When the fighting starts, you should stay obediently by Dumouriez's side. He's not one to easily put himself in danger. But... never mind, you'd better stick close to me. Dumouriez is very selfish; he might betray his comrades to save his own life."

Following in the footsteps of that scoundrel Napoleon for safety? That was too humiliating. But Joseph thought about it and realized that his battlefield skills were definitely inferior to Napoleon's, so he decisively abandoned his pride.

"Alright, if a fight really breaks out, Qi will follow right behind you."

But after saying that, he forced himself to add, "I have to keep an eye on you; I can't let you run wild anymore."

Meanwhile, another man also named "Joseph" was facing one of the most crucial choices of his life. In the National Assembly, the vote to decide the fate of Louis XVI had begun. Outside National Assembly chamber, countless people surrounded it, their shouts clearly audible even inside.

"Cut off Louis's head!"

"Destroy the enemies of the motherland!"

"Anyone who dares to protect Louis, we'll smash their head in!"

To protect the National Assembly, the Paris Commune dispatched a contingent of National Guard, who even brought cannons. However, their arrival only made many people feel increasingly unsafe.

Joseph Fouché was equally uneasy, but fortunately, his voting order was quite late, allowing him to observe the situation first.

Robespierre supported secret ballots in the Jacobin Club elections, but insisted on a recorded vote in the vote on how to deal with Louis XVI.

"You were all elected by the people of Paris or other parts of France. You are not voting on your own behalf, but on behalf of the people who elected you. They voted for you, and they have the right to know what kind of vote their chosen person cast!"

This reasoning was very persuasive, and the Brissotins backed down on the issue once again. So this time, the voting method was that each member of parliament would take turns going to the podium to state their decision. Then a recorder would write it down, and the recorder would sign it. After that, it would be printed and made public.

In order, the first to step onto the stage to vote was Pierre Victinian Vennho, the Speaker of the National Assembly and one of the leaders of the Brissotins. Just the night before, he had been in the salon of the Roland couple, appealing to everyone to withstand the pressure and pardon the King. He had also stated that he would take this opportunity to deliver a speech on the podium calling for tolerance and reconciliation. At this moment, his friends were all looking at him, anticipating his speech.

But Vinio's movements were unusually slow. He lowered his head, avoiding eye contact, and uttered a single word in a voice so low it was almost inaudible. The recorder next to him couldn't hear him clearly and had to ask him to repeat it.

"La mort..." (French for death penalty)

His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. The recorder noted his vote and then handed him the meeting minutes to sign. Vinio signed with his head down, then slunk off the stage like a defeated dog with its tail between its legs.

"This is a good start," Robespierre said to Danton beside him, clapping his hands.

"Venio always likes to play the hero, but I know he's as timid as a rabbit. A few men with spears shouting slogans outside his house would be enough to scare him," Danton said dismissively. Since the Brissotins rejected his goodwill of reconciliation, they had to bear the consequences of his malice.

With this opening, the entire Brissotins was almost on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, Condorcet was next. Hearing his name called, Condorcet stood up and strode to the podium. He ascended the platform, surveyed the crowd, and then proclaimed. "You all know my consistent stance, and it is for this reason that the people who chose me have elected me to represent them. I hope your vote will be worthy of history and worthy of the voters you represent. As for my choice, my choice is—pardon!"

Some people applauded, while others whistled and booed. Soon, a chorus of insults could be heard from outside.

However, inspired by Condorcet's example, the subsequent Brissotins members of parliament finally gained their footing and cast a vote of pardon.

But the next few members of parliament to vote were all Jacobins, and their stance was very firm; they all shouted without hesitation, "La mort!"

The votes went back and forth, and Joseph Fouché watched the fluctuating numbers intently—the two sides were neck and neck, with the largest gap being only a few votes.

Fouché took a deep breath. He was among the last to vote, and he could continue to wait and see how things unfolded. He glanced around, beginning to consider how the remaining voters would vote and what impact their votes would have on the final outcome.

The voting continued, and every time a member cast a vote for the death penalty, deafening cheers erupted from outside the parliament hall, while every time a member cast a vote for pardon, a volcanic eruption of shouts and curses would erupt from outside.

Time passed slowly, and it was already evening, but the crowd outside did not leave; on the contrary, the number of people gathered there only increased. Many people had come after finishing their work. They lit torches, surrounded the parliament, sometimes cheering, sometimes loudly cursing, and after a while, they simply began to sing. First came the "Slave War Song," followed by another song that had become popular during the September Massacre, called "Ça Ira."

It will be alright.

It will be alright.

Ça Ira.

The nobles were hung from lampposts.

It will be alright.

It will be alright...

The voting continued amidst the singing. Only a handful of people remained, but the vote difference was still small. Those supporting the king's execution had a slight advantage, but the remaining councilors were more likely to be Brissotins's supporters. If all of them voted for a pardon, the number of pardon votes might catch up.

Fouché mentally reviewed the current vote count and the number of votes remaining on both sides; the outcome was still unclear. However, he couldn't watch for much longer; it would soon be his turn to vote.

He knew he had betrayed Robespierre had never been a magnanimous man. He had also offended Danton; he had uncovered most of the things the Roland couple had done to Danton. Danton must hate him to the core. But...

Fouché glanced around at the remaining Brissotins members who had managed to buy their votes, and saw that they were all pale and their eyes were darting around. He knew that these people were wavering; they couldn't withstand the pressure from the outside world.

"Ten people are hesitant, and at least half of them will betray us. With that coming in and going out, Louis is doomed." Seeing the weak demeanor of the councilors, Fouché immediately made this judgment.

"Joseph Fouché," the host called out his name.

Fouché stood up, smiled as he looked around at his former teammates, then strode confidently to the podium and declared without hesitation, "La mort!"

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