Descending On France 1780
Chapter 77 - 77 071 The Beginning of a New Era

77: 071 The Beginning of a New Era 77: 071 The Beginning of a New Era At this moment, Anning found a common language with a certain Li Yuanhong who was reluctantly pushed into action.

It is often said that a person’s fate is closely linked to the course of history, and now he believed it.

Anning now stands in this position without any personal effort at all, completely pushed here by the course of history.

But since he is here, he might as well do his duty.

An Artillery Officer who fires cannons is definitely more accurate than the real historical laundry shop owner.

However, Anning remembered that the cannons at the military hospital seemed to have no ammunition, which was why everyone thought of going to the Bastille for gunpowder and ammunition.

Just then, several men in trousers pushed out a cart of ammunition.

Well, if this timeline’s military hospital has cannonballs, then there’s no reason to go to the Bastille, right?

At that moment, someone holding a gun loudly asked, “Where should we go?”

“Yes, where should we go?”

Everyone looked at each other, obviously not having thought through what to do next.

Then their gazes all fell back on Anning.

Anning was in trouble now; originally in history, these people went to the Bastille for cannon powder because it was rumored that the Bastille had a lot of gunpowder and ammunition.

The cannon that the laundry shop owner Yulan later pushed over with ammunition was confiscated from somewhere else, not seized by the main crowd attacking the Bastille at the military hospital.

Now that they’ve directly seized an entire ammunition cart, there was no longer a worry for gunpowder or ammunition.

So, the question arises, what to do next?

Anning pondered—since there was no reason to go to the Bastille now, surely they couldn’t just directly head to the Versailles Palace?

At that moment, a burly man slapped his thigh: “What are we hesitating for, our goal is to rescue the National Assembly detained in Versailles!

Let’s head to Versailles!

Bomb the Swiss mercenaries and rescue the gentleman MPs from the captivity of the Swiss mercenaries!”

Anning was shocked; was attacking the Bastille turning into attacking the Versailles Palace?

Could it be seamless enough to lead to a public trial of the King, taking an unprecedented path?

No no, it can’t be like this, this would derail history.

Moreover, the twenty thousand Swiss mercenaries are all regular troops, and he estimated that his group of civilians probably couldn’t beat them.

If the Swiss mercenaries win against the civilians, it might strengthen Louis XVI’s confidence and make the Locksmith King more determined to suppress with military force.

No, it can’t be like this.

Anning stood atop the cannon, shouting loudly, “We can’t go to Versailles, Versailles has twenty thousand Swiss troops, going there would just mean a senseless sacrifice!

We should go to the Bastille!”

The crowd looked at each other.

“The Bastille?

Why go to the Bastille?”

“What does it have to do with the Bastille?”

At this time, Anning’s brain spun rapidly, fabricating reasons to go to the Bastille.

Soon he came up with one: “Citizens!

The Bastille is a symbol of royal power.

This prison even held Voltaire!

“If His Majesty arrests progressive individuals, he will definitely detain them in the Bastille!

It is said that mutinous Guards soldiers are also imprisoned there!

“By attacking the Bastille, firstly we are rescuing them!

Secondly, we are destroying this symbol of royal power, showing the King through this action that we no longer recognize his royal authority!”

After finishing, Anning wanted to slap himself; what was all that?

It was too far-fetched.

But the crowd cheered, it seemed they only heard the last sentence, “We no longer recognize his royal authority.”

People shouted back at Anning: “To the Bastille!”

“The Bastille!”

“I’ve long disliked that fortress!”

The crowd began to move again, many men in trousers pushing together the cannon and ammunition cart.

Anning took it easy, directly sitting on the ammunition cart, and nobody objected.

The large contingent set off from the military hospital, and along the way, many armed civilians joined the group.

Whenever new people showed, without Anning saying anything, they would eagerly shout: “Everyone, let’s go to the Bastille!”

Normally, those armed civilians just joined the group confusedly.

Occasionally, a few would ask, “Why the Bastille, what’s there?”

Then, they’d get a motley of answers, the more common ones were repeating Anning’s words, saying it was a symbol of royal power, breaking through would support the honor of the National Assembly’s gentlemen.

There were also a mess of answers, some saying that MPs from the National Assembly were detained in the Bastille, some saying the King had locked up the mutinous Guards soldiers there, and the most outrageous answer was that Voltaire was detained in the Bastille.

Voltaire has been dead for so many years.

Anning was too lazy to correct these explanations; after all, the situation was already chaotic, and later on, no one would probably really care about these details.

In any case, the task now was to follow the historical script on July 14th, breaking into the Bastille, ensuring history didn’t go off track.

Finally, the large force arrived at the gates of the Bastille.

The crowd began to shout: “Open the gates!”

“Symbol of royal power, surrender immediately to the people of Paris!”

“Release Mr.

Voltaire!”

Hearing these shouts, Anning was dumbstruck: Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned Voltaire earlier!

Fortress Commander Marquis de Launay peeked out from the city walls and shouted, “I am Fortress Commander Marquis de Launay, this prison doesn’t hold the people you’re talking about!”

“You’re lying!” someone shouted.

“Yes, open the gates and let us see for ourselves!”

“Release Mr.

Voltaire!”

Anning frowned, wanting to grab the guy shouting for Voltaire and slap him a few times.

He suspected that the man was shouting on purpose.

Marquis de Launay angrily said, “Nonsense!

This is a royal prison, and I am guarding it by the King’s order!

Without the King’s command, no one can enter the prison gates!”

Anning thought to himself, it’s your time to die here today, mentioning the King of all people.

The crowd immediately became agitated, many turned their heads urging Anning, “Mr.

Frost, this is a lackey of the King, fire the cannon!”

“Yes, fire the cannon!”

Anning scratched his head; he remembered that in the historical takeover of Bastille, they didn’t start with violence, Marquis de Launay first attempted negotiations, allowing representatives of the people into Bastille for negotiations.

Why not follow the script?

Could it be because I, this butterfly, have flapped my wings?

“Mr.

Frost!

Fire the cannon!

Lead us in flattening this fortress!”

“Yes, fire the cannon!”

“Please lead us!”

Anning pursed his lips, giving a large wave of his hand: “Load the cannon!”

Upon the command, several men in breeches immediately climbed onto the ammunition cart, clumsily taking pre-made gunpowder cartridges from the ammunition box.

Yes, by this time, the French Army, having gone through reforms by Artillery Director Jibowar, had begun using pre-formed gunpowder cartridges, a relatively advanced practice in all of Europe.

Seeing the men clumsily handling the cartridges, Anning waved his hand and chided, “Step aside, let me do it!”

He rolled up his sleeves, personally picked up the barrel wipe, wiped clean the cannon bore, then took a segment of pre-made gunpowder, stuffed it into the bore, pushed it to the back and compressed it, then took a cannonball and rammed it into the bore, pressing down with a rod as well.

After loading, Anning waved his hand to command, “I need a few brave men to help me push the cannon up!”

Immediately, several robust young men stood out.

They joined forces, pushing the cannon towards Bastille’s main gate.

Marquis de Launay, atop the castle walls, watched clearly and loudly questioned, “What are you doing!

I order you to immediately stop this dangerous act!”

Anning also yelled back, “If you want us to stop, lower the drawbridge, surrender the fortress!”

Marquis de Launay was silent for a few seconds, then shouted again, “You know I can’t do that!

Stop right now, or we’ll have to shoot!”

Anning no longer responded to the Marquis, but ordered the men pushing the cannon, “Push the cannon quickly!”

Bastille, as a traditional fortress, had multiple layers of defense, the outermost defense was the barbican protecting the main gate, outside of the barbican was a drawbridge.

Though the moat around Bastille had been filled in over the years, the protection offered by the barbican and drawbridge was still very real.

To attack the main gate, the drawbridge needed lowering.

Historically, the drawbridge was lowered by several youths who had climbed over the barbican’s walls—yes, they had scaled the walls of the barbican.

But now, it seemed Anning’s cannon would need to speak.

Anning commanded everyone to push the cannon to a position a few dozen meters from the drawbridge.

“Stop!

Unhand the cannon!”

After everyone released the cannon’s wheels, Anning personally stepped forward, operating the cannon to aim.

Anning’s system kicked in at this time, recognizing the cannon as Anning’s handheld weapon, providing an aiming reticle like those in tank games, marking the approximate landing point of the shell with a dashed circle.

Anning found this unacceptable, the distance was still too far, not guaranteeing a direct hit on the drawbridge, so he waved his hand again to command: “Keep pushing forward!

We’re not close enough yet!”

The same young men again joined forces to push the cannon’s wheels.

“One, two, lift!”

Slowly, the cannon approached the drawbridge.

Marquis de Launay’s voice came again: “Stop right now!

If you don’t, I’ll have to start firing!

We can discuss this!”

Anning heard the Marquis’s words, thinking indeed this Mr.

Marquis, like in history, wasn’t firmly standing with the monarchy.

The Marquis still wanted to talk to the people surrounding the fortress.

But the thing is, I’ve pushed the cannon all the way here, and to not fire, does that make any sense?

Look at the crowd around, their faces are all filled with anticipation for the cannon sound!

After moving the cannon forward another ten meters, Anning again yelled stop, then personally operated the cannon to aim.

After aiming, he inserted the fuse into the hole on top of the cannon, ensuring the fuse was deep inside the charge.

“Fire torch!” Andy Frost shouted.

Immediately, someone handed him a torch.

Anning: “History will remember this moment!

This cannon shot will start a new era of freedom!”

With that, Anning lit the fuse.