Descending On France 1780
Chapter 52 - 52 048 The Last in Briena

52: 048 The Last in Briena 52: 048 The Last in Briena The fifth year at Briena Military Academy began with France’s belated defeat in the Seven Years’ War, thirty years delayed.

Remarkably, Prussia still emerged victorious from this thirty-year-delayed conflict.

In the history known to Anning, Prussia’s victory was due to Russian Emperor Peter III being a fan of all things German—or here, one might call it “Prussian-ophiliac.”

Prussian-ophiliac Peter III, despite Russia’s superior military position, actively sought peace with Prussia, returning all occupied lands and forging an alliance with them.

But in this era, Russia was already under Catherine the Great, and the Prussian-ophiliac Emperor had long passed away.

Somehow, Prussian forces still managed to defeat the Russian army.

Anning couldn’t help but consider that perhaps this era’s Prussia, having been ruled by the enlightened Frederick the Great for longer, had grown stronger.

Thinking this, the situation for France seemed perilous with the Revolution a few years away.

Especially since the first army to intervene in the Revolution was led by Prussia and Austria, with the former’s troops bearing down most fiercely, capturing Verdun, the gateway to Paris, only to later be soundly defeated at Valmy by the Revolutionary French army commanded by Demure.

However, the intervening forces in this timeline might not be the easily bullied Prussian army brought by Duke Brunswick, but the elite Prussian troops of Frederick the Great.

—Could it be that the events of a century and a half later were to reenact themselves in the 17th century?

Is France really going to start speaking German?

As Anning fretted over these concerns, nearby Napoleon was speaking confidently, “There is nothing frightening about the French; if the Prussians can defeat them and make them bow, so too can we Corsicans!”

Anning pulled himself out of his worries to glance at Napoleon: “I ought to remind you, I too am French, and my nation has just suffered a defeat and ensuing indemnity payments.”

In truth, Anning felt little attachment to France; after all, his experiences at the academy with those old Parisian nobility instructors had been anything but pleasant.

This only cemented his resolve to remain a fence-sitter.

Still, he felt the need to put on a slight show of concern, lest he appear heartless.

Napoleon seemed a bit uncomfortable: “Alright, I got ahead of myself, not considering this.

Look, you may be French, but you’re a good person, my dear friend.

I…

Alright, don’t be too upset.”

Anning: “I’m not very upset; I’m just thinking that this spells disaster for France’s financial situation.

They fought this war on borrowed money, hoping a victory over Prussia would bring a windfall, and now that’s all gone up in smoke.

I wager it won’t take long before the King starts raising taxes.”

Raising taxes, turned down by the Supreme Court as being against tradition, forced the King to convene the Third Estate, which had not met in one hundred and sixty years; the Third Estate proclaimed itself everything, determined to make France a constitutional monarchy and to draft a constitution…

The curtain of the Great Revolution was thus drawn…

Napoleon hadn’t thought that far ahead and asked Anning, “Maybe the King will bring back the dismissed banker, what’s his name, Necker, to be the finance minister again?”

“There’s an old saying in the East, ‘Even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice.’ Necker can’t magically produce Livres,” Anning replied.

Napoleon shrugged: “Then let it be impossible.

What does that have to do with us?

One of us is a commoner and the other a Corsican; we can just sit back and laugh at the King of France’s predicament.”

“Napoleon, think about it.

If the King wants to raise taxes, according to French tradition, he must convene the Third Estate.

Gathering the opinion leaders from all over to Paris at a time like this, what do you think will happen?”

A look of puzzlement crossed Napoleon’s face: “What will happen?”

Anning, feigning profundity: “Think about it yourself, Napoleon.

I’ve explained so much to you already.”

After some thought, Napoleon said: “Do you mean that all the social tensions will explode?

But didn’t you say earlier that it would take a natural disaster for that to happen?”

Anning: “Right, the presence or absence of a natural disaster determines whether the upheaval occurs in a relatively mild manner, or unfolds like a sudden, violent storm.”

And indeed, the French Revolution followed such a disaster.

In fact, it was an inevitability; the natural calamities of the whole year 1788 exacerbated the Royal Family’s financial straits.

Napoleon shrugged.

“Well, even though you’re always right, in this case, I can only say that I think you’re being too mystical.

If it really happens as you predicted, you will become the person I admire the most in my life.”

——Great!

That’s the admiration I want!

Huh?

Napoleon would actually admire someone other than Caesar?

Isn’t there something wrong here?

At this point, Napoleon changed the subject: “My sister Pauline wrote me a letter saying she plans to study at the Briena military school just like Ms.

Christina whom I mentioned in my letters to her.”

Anning: “You actually wrote to her about Christina’s story?”

“Yes, because I couldn’t find anything else to talk to my sister about, so I had to fill the letter with Ms.

Christina’s story to avoid the letter being too short and seeming unenthusiastic.”

Anning: “And now you regret it, don’t you?

Your sister also wants to come and study like that Orleans girl.”

Since Christina was the daughter of the Duke of Orleans, Anning and Napoleon jokingly referred to her in private as the “Orleans girl.”

It was precisely Christina’s aspiration to emulate the historical Orleans girl that had led her to decide to join the military.

Napoleon looked quite downcast: “Yes, I was hoping my sister would lead a normal woman’s life.

After all, Joseph is now becoming a priest, and I’m about to graduate soon.

Our salaries could greatly ease the financial difficulties at home.

“And now, she actually wants to come and learn from Ms.

Christina!”

Anning laughed: “I think we should respect everyone’s choices.”

“When I was persuading Joseph to continue being a priest, you certainly didn’t tell me to respect Joseph’s choice.”

“Er…

different situations call for different measures.

Or do you think your sister Pauline is unsuitable for the military?”

At this moment, Anning’s impression of Napoleon’s sister Pauline was derived from two sources.

One was the game “Holy Maiden Strategy,” where Pauline is portrayed as a sprightly, flat-chested beautiful girl in a short skirt, commanding the line infantry on the battlefield.

The other source was a series of videos created by the Bilibili UP host “Naive Mage” for the game “kanshi,” in which Napoleon, several intimate marshals, and his sister Pauline had time traveled into the game’s world, beginning to liberate slaves on an alien wasteland.

Pauline also appeared vigorous and spirited in that series of videos.

So Anning’s entire impression of Pauline was skewed, feeling there was no problem at all with Napoleon’s sister joining the army.

Napoleon sighed: “My sister is very lively, like a tomboy, and from her personality, perhaps she is quite suitable for the military.”

——See!

Just as I thought!

Anning excitedly thought.

Anning: “Then that’s settled…”

“But I don’t want her to go to battle, according to your prediction about the future, Andy, France will be plagued with continuous wars, won’t it?”

Anning: “Indeed it will.

So what are you planning to do, keep your beloved sister on Corsica?”

Napoleon fell silent and took a long time before answering, “I don’t know…

the conditions in Corsica are not good, my siblings can’t learn much there.

On that island, there aren’t even many books.

If I hadn’t sent them over, they wouldn’t even have seen Plutarch’s works!”

Anning patted Napoleon on the shoulder: “There you have it.”

Napoleon pursed his lips, glanced at Anning, and sighed, “You…

reminded me.

Yes, I should let my siblings leave Corsica to gain knowledge.

Let’s leave this issue as is.

Next question, do you think I should join the army, or take the school’s recommendation to go to the Paris Military Academy?”

Anning answered instantly: “Obviously, go to Paris.”

He paused, then came up with an irresistible reason for Napoleon: “Military officers earn higher salaries.”

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