The Fox of France

Chapter 141: Lucien's New Role

Within the contract signed with Stephen Girard, the most important aspect, as perceived by Joseph, was Girard's commitment to prepay the full cost of the first five large clipper ships. Considering that clipper ships were significantly more expensive to build than ordinary vessels, this was indeed a substantial sum of money.

With this financial infusion, Joseph could proceed with the expansion of the shipyard. Of course, this meant Joseph had more tasks on his hands and became busier than ever.

Lucien and Louis were pleased with this development because it meant Joseph wouldn't be monitoring their activities as closely. However, Lucien's satisfaction was short-lived as Joseph soon found new tasks for him.

"Lucien, you've been doing well lately," Joseph said. "Your assistance in the American deal was a great help to me. It seems like you've grown and improved."

Lucien immediately became proud and responded, "Of course... I believe I've made significant progress compared to how I was before."

"Well, you know, both Napoleon and I are quite busy these days, and we need someone to share our workload. We believe you have the reliability and capability. After all, you are our brother, and that naturally makes you the most reliable choice. As for your abilities, both Napoleon and I think you're quite competent. So, we hope you can help us shoulder the family's responsibilities. However, you must know that after the incident last time, we had some doubts about your reliability. But recently, you've shown improvement, and upon reflection, I realized we made a mistake by entrusting you with significant responsibilities without adequate training."

Lucien's initial happiness waned when he heard the words "without adequate training." He interrupted Joseph sincerely, saying, "Joseph, I don't think the last incident had anything to do with inadequate training. It was mainly due to my own complacency and lack of vigilance."

"It's commendable that you can self-critique so honestly and identify your shortcomings. However, no genius grows without training. Just like Napoleon, without his education at the military academy, he wouldn't possess the leadership skills he has today. Necessary training remains essential. Now, my business has grown, and the institute demands more of my time. I'm overwhelmed, and I can't manage everything alone. Lucien, I'd like you to work with me, at least for a while, as my confidential secretary. This will allow you to develop your abilities and gain an overall understanding of our family's operations."

Lucien initially thought that working as a confidential secretary for Joseph was a good arrangement. However, he quickly realized that the role of a confidential secretary meant...

"Lucien, come help me here... The crucial processes here are completed, and now it's about the calculations. Take over and provide me with the data."

"Lucien, come here... I think there's an issue with this data. Gather the relevant materials and verify it, find out where the problem lies."

"Lucien, this is the agenda for the latter part of the month. Organize them and create an optimal execution sequence."

"Lucien..."

While Joseph didn't deceive Lucien regarding his responsibilities, working as a confidential secretary expanded Lucien's understanding of the family's operations and notably improved his analytical skills. Still, he couldn't help but feel like he was continually solving mathematical problems.

Despite that, Lucien was generally satisfied with Joseph's arrangement because it allowed him to access information he never could have otherwise. This made him feel genuinely valued.

With a reliable confidential secretary like Lucien, Joseph had more free time to focus on honing his skills in French writing especially for the letters he wrote to Fanny.

Joseph shared most of his other correspondence, particularly those with people in Paris, with Lucien, who assisted him in analyzing the situation in Paris and devising strategies. Participating in these matters was intriguing, but there was a catch:

"All right, Lucien, we've analyzed our response. Now, draft a reply on my behalf..."

Then Joseph would go off to rest, and Lucien would get to work on writing the reply.

Typically, the issues discussed in these letters were within Joseph's expectations, making his responses less challenging. However, a recent letter from Fouch presented a dilemma for Joseph.

"Fouch mentioned that the government is preparing for new elections to form a new parliament. After all, the previous National Convention had significant vacancies."

"That's natural. The original parliamentarians either got executed by Robespierre or had some Jacobin affiliations. Of course, they have to replace them. But aren't they concerned that these elections might bring a flood of royalists into power at this time?"

Ever since the downfall of Robespierre, the Thermidorian Reaction, the Thermidorians, as they were known, had been trying to undermine the Jacobins. However, their hold on power was fragile, and without the support of the sans-culottes, they couldn't maintain their authority. The sans-culottes had even attempted two unsuccessful uprisings, backed by the remnants of the Jacobins, to overthrow them. In opposition to the sans-culottes, the petite bourgeoisie wasn't necessarily supportive either. The Thermidorians depended on big capital.

In the Jacobin period, the bourgeoisie had been subjected to various forms of price controls and requisitions, which were meant to curb their power. However, the French bourgeoisie, despite being called "big capital," didn't have substantial power. Their inability to suppress the feudal forces was why the Jacobins came to power in the first place. During the Jacobin regime, the bourgeoisie had their power greatly diminished, no less than the royalists.

As a result, the counterrevolutionary royalists, who had been repressed by the Jacobins, suddenly reemerged as soon as the Jacobins were toppled. In fact, they did so with a vengeance. They were even more intent on hanging the rebels, much like they had sung in the song "Everything Will Be Fine" during the height of the revolution. They just altered the lyrics slightly. ("Everything Will Be Fine" was a popular song during the French Revolution. The most revolutionary lyrics went, "Everything will be fine, oh yes, everything will be fine. The aristocrats will be hung from lampposts." This rhythmic song was also appreciated by royalists, but when they sang it, they changed the words "aristocrats" to terms like "rebels," "Jacobins," or "the mob." Hugo also mentioned this in "Les Misrables," stating, "The song was like the guillotine; it didn't care whom it decapitated.")

Now, Joseph asked, "So, what's your plan if the royalists come to power?"

"Well, I believe elections must be held. It's essential to maintain the semblance of a legitimate government. But we can't allow the royalists to take power. The royalists, after all, also sing 'Everything Will Be Fine,' but they modify the lyrics slightly. (In this context, Lucien is referring to the song mentioned earlier.)"

The royalists had suffered greatly during the revolution, and their hearts were filled with hatred. If they returned to power, they might indeed start hanging the rebels, just as they sang in the song. The Thermidorians were no less unpopular in their eyes.

Joseph asked, "How can we prevent the royalists from taking control, then?"

Lucien thought for a moment and then replied, "We need to find a way to manipulate the elections. If we can ensure that the candidates we support are elected, we can indirectly influence the parliament's decisions."

Joseph smiled and said, "Lucien, you're absolutely right. If we can control the elections, we can dictate the parliament's composition. You're already well-versed in my strategies for managing elections in the United States. Use the same principles here. It will be your task to draft and dispatch the relevant instructions to our agents in France."

Lucien understood that the responsibility of managing the elections in France was a significant task. He realized that if he succeeded, it could strengthen the position of the big bourgeoisie in France and counter the royalist resurgence.

The prospect of having such a profound impact on French politics excited him. Despite the pressure and responsibility, Lucien felt like he was part of something crucial, and it added a new sense of purpose to his role as Joseph's confidential secretary.