I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 545: Quiet Corsica (Please give me a thumbs up!)
When the marchers arrived at the Louvre Square, there were already several thousand people gathered there, also singing "Happy Street Light Song" loudly.

Joseph came to the second floor of the Louvre from the side door and saw a crowd surrounding an open space in the middle of the square, with hundreds of scarecrows piled there in a haphazard manner.

The scarecrow's face could not be seen clearly, but from the people's shouts, one could hear the names of tax farmers such as "Folde", "Borol", and "De Cantler".

Then, an old woman came forward and set fire to the "tax farmers", and thunderous cheers suddenly broke out in the square:
"Let these bastards die!"

"Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Long live His Majesty the King!"

"Thank you, His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, and the General Administration of Taxation for sending those demons to hell!"

"Burn the tax farmers, burn them!"

The fire started to burn fiercely, and people began to sing around the flames, while some people started to cry bitterly.

What Joseph did not notice was that just under the colonnade on the east side of the Tuileries Palace, tax officials such as Robespierre and Chaumette were also watching the jumping flames, looking even more excited than the celebrating people.

This was a victory they had won - the first time the newly established tax bureau challenged a behemoth like the tax farmer, it won a great victory.

Looking at the happy and satisfied expressions of the people in the square, they only felt that they had brought fairness and justice to France, and their own lives had become more brilliant.

After a long while, Xiaomeite suddenly said:
"Mr. Robespierre, I am glad that I accepted your suggestion, otherwise I would have missed such a great moment."

It was Robespierre who had called on everyone to join the tax bureau at a Jacobin gathering. At that time, although he made many assurances, Chaumette was still very hesitant - most people at the gathering were like him and had an aversion to serving as a government official.

However, Robespierre still convinced many people, including Chaumette.

Robespierre laughed, then said seriously:

"Luckily I met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, otherwise..."

He suddenly raised his voice:

"He is truly a very special royal. One who...can bring justice and happiness to the people. He is far more suited to do this than us."

Darty on the side seemed even more excited. He was once the most suspicious Jacobin of Robespierre, and joined the tax bureau to prove that the latter was wrong, but now he has become Joseph's "die-hard fan".

He then shouted: "Mr. Rousseau told us how to do it, and His Royal Highness the Dauphin is making it happen! France is great because of them!"

Robespierre nodded slightly: "Yes, we will witness the great France..."

……

Corsica.

In a light grey villa on the outskirts of Ajaccio, the newly appointed Governor, Count Butafuoco, handed a secret report to the acting commander of the Corsica garrison:
"This is the information that Mr. Girolamo got from the separatist parliamentarians. Although it is not detailed enough, we still have to treat it with caution."

Napoleon took the secret report and unfolded it, and saw a list of names with the words "Pauli may start a riot in the mountains in the near future, and these are the people who are closely connected with him" written at the end.

Count Butafuoco said nervously: “Most of these people are councillors who are still loyal to Paoli, and some are high-ranking members of the separatist organizations.

"Perhaps you can mobilize the army in advance and suppress it immediately if any problems arise."

After a series of previous blows, Paoli's status in Corsica has plummeted.

This made him decide to make a final struggle, mobilizing all the forces he could still influence, promising huge profits, and intending to create riots in his hometown. Then, he would risk returning to Corsica and repeat his father's routine, gathering hungry people to form an army during the chaos.

Napoleon frowned slightly and shook his head, saying, "Governor, there are hundreds of villages in the Chinto Mountains. The current intelligence is not enough for us to deploy defenses."

Count Buttafuoco said anxiously: "You must think of a solution. The situation has improved a little just now, but we can't let any more trouble happen." His position as governor is far from secure. If a riot breaks out now, he will most likely be replaced by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Napoleon also looked solemn. He had just been promoted, and his position even had the word "acting" before it, so he naturally hoped that Corsica could be stable.

"No, it's unwise to go fight in those mountain villages." He suddenly shook his head, "We should solve the problem from a higher level."

"You mean?"

As the two were talking, the governor's steward came in and saluted, saying, "Sir, there is an officer outside who wants to see Lord Buwanaba."

Napoleon saw the captain's face outside through the door and immediately apologized to Count Butafuoco: "I am afraid I have some urgent matters. As for the riot, I will take care of it, please rest assured."

"Oh, thank God! I'm totally dependent on you then."

Napoleon said goodbye to the governor, came to the carriage, looked at the officer opposite and said, "Have those people been invited?"

"Yes, Commander, they are now in the warehouse south of the camp."

"Very good. I'll go meet them."

Soon, the car stopped outside the warehouse, and Napoleon immediately heard cursing from inside.

He smiled, pushed the door open and walked into the room. Several soldiers inside stood at attention and saluted him.

Napoleon nodded to them, then looked at the three men sitting in the corner, patting his chest and said:

"It is an honor to meet you, Your Honor. I hope my soldiers have not behaved in a disrespectful manner."

"It's you! You lunatic!" a judge in his forties with a thin face shouted angrily, "Let us go back now!"

Another old man followed suit and shouted, "This is kidnapping! I'm going to sue you and your soldiers!"

Napoleon signaled the soldiers to bring a chair, sat down opposite the three men, and said with a smile:
"As long as you find those prisoners not guilty, I will send you back immediately."

He was talking about the more than 400 National Self-Defense Force soldiers who were captured during the previous crackdown on the National Self-Defense Force.

After executing some diehard officers, he incorporated the remaining soldiers into his own army.

However, although these people were pardoned by the military court, the Corsican court insisted on sentencing them for rioting in accordance with the parliamentary decree.

According to French regulations, people with such serious crimes are not allowed to join the army. Even if they are forcibly recruited, the General Staff will not pay them salaries.

"You're dreaming!" the thin judge said firmly, "I won't do anything that violates the law!"

The other two judges also had cold faces and said nothing.

Napoleon stood up and said to the soldier beside him: "It seems that Mr. Judge needs to think about it, so please ensure their safety. I will come back in 10 days."

"Madman! Let us go!"

The three judges immediately tried to pull him aside to argue, but were pushed down on the chairs by the soldiers.

Napoleon left the warehouse and said to the officer beside him: "Please transfer two companies, oh, the companies of Labe and Boileau. Meet in front of the parliament hall tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Commander!"

(End of this chapter)