Flowers, Swords and France

After the conversation ended and the old marquis returned to his bedroom to rest, Charles also finished his breakfast and started his day's work.

He changed his glasses and wig, put on his coat, and left his home in a carriage.

Soon after, he came to the meeting place he had agreed with Du-Taye - Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

In this era, this block is still a bit narrow and dilapidated. Although it is better than those blocks where workers gather, it is only limited. Only wholesalers who have retired or small businessmen who are still running businesses, as well as some small property owners and rentiers live here.

No one could have imagined that a century and a half later, this place would be filled with luxury stores and Asian ladies who came here on a pilgrimage hoping to get a taste of nobility.

This unwarranted divergent thinking only took Charles half a minute, and then he devoted all his attention to what he should do.

He took out his pocket watch and checked the time. Then he walked into a small restaurant on the street.

He walked to a seat in the corner and put down his hat. He spoke only after the waiter came over.

"Give me a plate of bean juice and coriander soup, a plate of sweet potato roasted veal, some tomato soup, and some white wine."

After hearing his order, the waiter's face became a little strange, and then he looked at Charles carefully, and after a while he answered.

"Yes, sir."

Then he turned back to the counter.

Charles sat leisurely in his seat, watching the uniformed waiter go back to the counter and whisper with another person. Then the man also glanced at Charles and went into the back room of the restaurant.

Then there was another long wait, but Charles didn't care - considering the cautiousness of people like Du-Taai, he would never show up without seeing everything around him, and now his behavior made Charles feel at ease.

Finally, the waiter came back and leaned over to Charles' ear and whispered, "The gentleman is waiting for you inside. Please follow me."

So Charles followed him into a small private room on the second floor of the restaurant.

As soon as he opened the door, Charles found that Du-Taye was indeed waiting for him here, and his sturdy bodyguard was also wearing a gray-black coat and standing expressionlessly beside him.

"My friend, I'm so glad to see that you're okay!" The banker stood up enthusiastically, then walked over quickly and shook Charles' hand.

"My friend, thank you. Me too, I'm so glad to see that you're okay." Charles also shook the other's hand tightly.

Although the enthusiasm of both parties was exaggerated, there was still some truth in it - after experiencing a big shock together, both of them felt a little relieved that they were safe in the end.

"Come, please sit down."

After both of them sat down, Charles hurriedly asked about what happened before. "You should have interrogated the spy, right?"

"Yes, I interrogated her thoroughly." The other party nodded, "It turned out to be okay. She was just an informant who had just been developed. She only heard a few words and became suspicious of our secret gatherings, and then reported it to the police."

"So how much information do the police know about us now?" Charles continued to ask.

"Not much. After hearing her little bit of secret information, the police seemed to think that we were a bandit or a fraud group, so they sent her back to continue to inquire about our intelligence." The banker's tone was a little relieved. "However, this poor child was caught by us during her second job, so she couldn't provide more information to the police. I also asked about the reward she received, which was only 25 francs. She gave up her life for 25 francs!"

"Oh, how pitiful." Charles said casually, but there was no mercy in his eyes. He continued to ask, "So, it means that the police have not yet grasped our specific intelligence?"

"Yes, it is true as far as the current situation is concerned." The banker replied.

"That's great." Charles breathed a sigh of relief, "But I don't think this is a reason for us to relax."

"Of course." Du-Tae agreed, "So I haven't been active recently, and I've also persuaded my friends not to move for the time being. The situation is indeed a bit tense recently."

"It won't be tense for too long." Charles replied calmly.

"I hope so." The banker sighed softly, then he looked at Charles again and suddenly lowered his voice. "My friend, I heard that our colleagues have also suffered a great disaster recently?"

"Colleagues?"

"I mean the royal party."

Charles remained calm. "What did you hear?"

"I heard that they were hit hard by the government axe." The banker raised his hand lightly and made a simulated beheading motion. "They suffered great losses."

"Based on the information I have obtained so far, this is indeed the case." Charles remained calm. "So do you think this is good or bad for us?"

"It's good and bad. The good thing is that one of our potential competitors was beaten badly. The bad thing is that it proves that Surt and his pawns still have some power now." Du-Taai expressed his thoughts, "So this proves that our caution is a wise choice."

"Of course."

"It is said that the army also participated in the strike..." Du-Taai said softly, with some hesitation in his tone. "Is the current military support for the dynasty still as solid as in the past?"

After hearing this question, Charles secretly glanced at the other party and found that although the other party's expression seemed to be relatively calm, there was some anxiety in his eyes.

Is this old fox afraid?

No, we must encourage him.

To persuade this old fox, it is useless to use nice words or threats. We can only use logic and interests to move him. Everyone knows that as long as the army still supports the current dynasty, any rebels are worthless, so it is useless to tell lies.

In an instant, many thoughts turned in Charles' mind.

The original text is in the six # 9 @book/bar!

"I don't think so." Charles replied.

"Oh? Why do you think so?"

"You can see how unpopular the current dynasty is. After all, the army also comes from the people. How can it completely isolate the resentment transmitted from the people? The current soldiers and grassroots officers are also full of resentment towards the current dynasty. They either complain about insufficient supplies and poor treatment, or complain that the dynasty is too timid and does not give them many opportunities to make achievements. I absolutely do not believe that they will fight to the death for the survival of this dynasty."

"Hmm..." The banker pondered for a while.

"Let's talk about those senior officers. People like Marshal Bijou will spare no effort to strike against the royal party, but they may not be the same when dealing with us. Don't forget how many people grew up and prospered in the imperial era? Will they forget?" Charles continued to explain his thoughts. "So, of course we should be careful, but we should not be too conservative and cautious, so as not to shrink back when the opportunity comes and waste it."

[Refers to Thomas-Robert-Bijou, Duke of Isley. Born in 1884, he was born into a minor noble family. During the imperial era, he joined the imperial army and made many military achievements. He also followed Marshal Soult, Marshal Suchet and others to invade Spain, and was finally promoted to colonel. After the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, he was idle because he followed the emperor, but he was re-employed after the establishment of the July Monarchy. For personal reasons, he severely suppressed the rebellion of the Bourbon elements (mentioned above), which was highly praised by the king. Therefore, he was denounced as a "jailer" by the orthodox elements. Later, he played an important role as a commander in the French conquest of Algeria in the 1930s and 1940s, and was named Marshal of France and Duke of Isly. He had a high prestige in the army and was called "Father Bigot" by the soldiers. In 1846, he chose to retire because of his disagreement with the government on the issue of occupied territories. 】

After listening to Charles's explanation, Du-Taye fell into thought again.

After a long while, he raised his head and looked at Charles again. "You are right, my friend. I didn't think deeply about the problem before."

"It doesn't matter. It is normal to encounter some problems in our cause. The important thing is to keep confidence." Charles slowed down his voice. "Since you have the vision to invest in our cause, you will naturally understand the benefits of perseverance."

Charles stared at the other party closely.

Being cautious is a good thing, but being too cautious is cowardly.

Besides, do you think you have a way out?

The connotations of both sentences were hinted to the other party in the same sentence.

Charles said these words to dispel the defeatist sentiment that was faintly generated in the other party's mind due to temporary setbacks. In the current situation, it is good for the party to have more strength. Otherwise, at such an important juncture, if an important member has a sense of defeat - or even just negative actions, it may cause great damage to the organization.

Just when the other party was still thinking, Charles spoke again. "Oh, I forgot to tell you one thing."

"What is it?"

"An old marshal has joined our organization. This is another major victory for the expansion of our organization."

"What?!" The banker was overjoyed.

"I can't reveal who it is, but I can tell you that he has a great reputation." Charles continued, "And please believe that we will not joke about our lives until we are fully prepared."

"That's great..." Du-Taai breathed a sigh of relief. "This is indeed a great victory."

"Well, goodbye." Charles stood up and extended his hand to the other party.

Du-Taai also stood up and extended his right hand to hold Charles' hand.

"Goodbye."