The Stirring World (2)
With a face as if a steel plate had been nailed to it, the man was...
Georges Clemenceau, a forty-year-old young politician affiliated with the Radical Republican faction of the French Third Republic, was quite displeased that Prime Minister Jules Ferry had suddenly requested the summoning of the entire upper and lower houses to the Versailles Palace.
What, Jules Ferry himself and the moderate republicans were planning to discuss matters of national importance, so the Versailles Palace, which had plenty of space for all the deputies to gather and discuss, was the perfect place to raise their voices, but when had the French voters started granting the right to brazenly act in the sacred assembly to the rebel who had driven young men of their prime age to the battlefield?
“Jules Ferry, that old fool, is he really senile?”
“Once, he was our greatest enemy from the Orléans faction, let’s all stay alert.”
“If only Eugene Louis were alive at this time...”
“Hmph!”
It wasn’t just Clemenceau himself who was displeased; other left-wing politicians and even the fake constitutionalist Orléans faction and the militarist Bonapartist faction were grumbling as they entered.
The Orléans and legitimate royalist factions had their own scheme to seize seats from the opportunist moderate republicans this time, and the Bonapartists were searching for a senior member of the party to fill the void left by Napoleon Eugene Louis Joseph, who had died in the British-Zulu War.
The sight of them was so disgusting that Clemenceau took a deep breath, signaled to the ones following him to go first, and stepped aside by the door.
He didn’t want to enter with them and vomit from the foul stench!
“After you, then.”
“Yes.”
Among those wily scoundrels, none of them thought about the young French men who had died in the jungles of the Indochina Peninsula without even knowing the name of the peninsula, in this dirty political intrigue.
How many of them died, and how many families grieved over their deaths, what did they care?
“If they were as concerned as I am about the Paris stock market crashing the moment the market opened this morning, I would have no complaints...”
However, that was really a dreamlike thing, and the hope he could place in the Paris financial market, which was even colder than the City of London, was not something to be hoped for.
After most of the upper and lower house deputies entered, Clemenceau, who had entered late by stepping back a step, saw in his line of sight the figure of Prime Minister Jules Ferry standing precariously on the highest dais far away among the crowded deputies on both sides.
Jules Ferry, withered like a sesame seed, looked fragile as if it would break with just a light tap.
However, no one in the room knew that the Jules Ferry who had looked so pale would begin his speech with an unexpected roar.
The start was Henri Brisson, the President of the Council of Ministers.
“From now on, we will proceed with the opening. All the deputies present, please take your seats and remain silent for a moment to ensure smooth progress.”
After that, the representatives of the upper and lower houses called their respective members for attendance, and the parliamentary secretaries and staff busily moved among them.
After confirming his attendance as well, Clemenceau himself, the last to enter, opened his mouth again.
“Esteemed French deputies. Before proceeding with the inquiry regarding the second Indochina Peninsula expedition, we will first adopt the moderate republican <Cabinet No-Confidence Motion> submitted in accordance with the proposal of Prime Minister Jules Ferry. The order is—”
“That’s utter nonsense!!”
The voice erupted from the right side of the assembly, from the Orléans-legitimate royalist deputies.
“Are you joking now! If you resign right now, it would be too late to face the expedition disaster, and the cabinet no-confidence?”
“Are you out of your mind? Or are you just thick-skinned!”
“Resign immediately, you bastard!”
The offensive of the right wing, who had been cheering that they had taken over the government this time, was fierce.
For a moment, even Clemenceau himself was suspicious that one of the Orléans faction deputies or their fathers had not died in the Indochina Peninsula.
“Everyone, do you understand what this is trying to do...?”
“Submitting a cabinet no-confidence motion to their own party, is this Henri Brisson taking over as acting and Jules Ferry hiding until the situation calms down?”
“Well, that’s a bit too much... Frontal breakthrough...?”
However, most deputies, regardless of upper or lower house, were watching Jules Ferry’s appearance with murmurs, as if they would observe it.
The moderate republicans, to which Prime Minister Jules Ferry belonged, were excessively quiet, except for the Bonapartist and Radical Republican, left-wing politicians who were bewildered and confused.
Only the right wing, who thought they had taken the government through the continuous defeat of the last general election, was vehemently opposing, while the deputies of parties with strong populist colors like republicans and Bonapartists remained silent.
Clemenceau himself leaned back comfortably in his seat, thinking to listen to the story quietly, and the main figure of the controversy climbed onto the stage with difficulty in place of Brisson.
Jules Ferry, the Prime Minister, was even more withered and pale than before, as if he had aged ten years in the short time since the previous speech, looking like a scarecrow staggering from afar.
Surprisingly, however, the voice that rang through the Versailles Palace from Jules Ferry’s mouth was very strong and roared like a lion’s roar.
“Esteemed French deputies!”
The old lion’s roar was intense.
And it had power, enough to turn people’s hearts for a moment.
While Clemenceau was sighing that even if he rotted, he was still better, the Jules Ferry who was spitting fire from his eyes shouted.
“I received two urgent telegrams from Asia this morning. One is, as you all know well from last night. Yes, that’s right. The news that our expeditionary force in the Indochina Peninsula suffered unknown damage from an unmeasurable counterattack and offensive.”
The Prime Minister, as if he had no intention of hiding, unfolded a small telegram paper that had been crumpled to the point of being wrinkled, which had passed through many hands, in front of the deputies.
From that telegram paper, Clemenceau fell into a delusion as if a pungent smell of blood was coming from it.
As intermittent cheers and curses rose from among the deputies, Jules Ferry opened his mouth again.
“Yes, I know. It is indeed unpleasant that the guy who should apologize and get out is acting so brazenly. The Paris newspapers have done a great job.”
After saying that, Jules Ferry, whose throat was burning, gulped down the water from the podium in gulps, folded the first telegram that came from Indochina neatly and tucked it into his chest, and took out the other telegram to wave it in front of the deputies.
“But if you hear the new news contained here, you French deputies will firmly believe that you will reconsider our proud heritage of France once again, and understand how this Jules Ferry sent our young people without any reason to the Indochina Peninsula with a heart that would break their intestines.”
In his story, all the deputies present in the Versailles Palace were momentarily silent.
What is this guy talking about now?
France’s great heritage? Is there a reason why the French youth died like dogs in the Indochina Peninsula jungle? Is this really senile?
A rumbling with the modifier ‘astonishment’ instead of anger was spreading everywhere due to the extremely groundless claim.
“Look at this, everyone!”
In the deputies’ surprised eyes and confusion, the cunning politician Jules Ferry, seizing the opportunity, firmly gripped the small telegram paper that had flown from the Far East like a trophy and leaned his body greatly forward to the podium.
“This is part of a personal letter sent by the head of state of the independent country of Korea, the former name of which was Joseon, but now it doesn’t matter. In short, it is part of a personal letter sent by the head of state of the Republic of Korea, the Tongnyeong!”
The commotion inside the Versailles Palace was further amplified by Jules Ferry’s story.
Joseon? Isn’t it still an uncivilized country that has not formally established diplomatic relations with France? And Joseon is a monarchy, but Tongnyeong? What is this nonsense?
At this time, Clemenceau looked at the people’s emotions changing from anger to confusion to doubt, not quite understanding.
“Is this a typical topic change? Or did he find a splendid sacrificial offering to shift the blame?”
No matter which side, it was a big loss for the republican left wing that they had not obtained the content of the telegram that flew this morning in advance.
If they had attacked Jules Ferry like the right wing without any information, they might have been hit by an unexpected counterattack and the public opinion flipped.
After all, the current French political circles were an overwhelmingly ruling party with the moderate republican faction to which Jules Ferry belonged boasting an overwhelming number of seats.
“I will read to you the excerpt of the letter I have here.”
After saying that, Jules Ferry took a few deep breaths, adjusted his voice, and began to convey the telegram content in a somewhat softer voice.
“Esteemed Prime Minister Jules Ferry of the French Third Republic and the French deputies who always fight for freedom, equality, and love. Hello, I am Syngman Rhee, the interim president of the Republic of Korea.”
New country name and the name of the new person drew many deputies’ attention as they focused on the Prime Minister’s words.
“This is our republic’s official letter to France, but due to the very unstable situation in the Far East and the fact that our republic’s freedom and equality are in a state of imminent danger from external invasion, I apologize in advance for sending this personal letter to you in a plain telegram without splendid rhetoric.”
Most deputies focused on Asia, specifically the republic in the Far East, which exists at the end of the world.
Republics in the world? In that distant Asia? Are there uncivilized people who understand our French’s grand values, freedom and equality?
There were many things they wanted to ask and talk about, but their faces were desperately holding back while reading the small telegram.
“Currently, our republic is in crisis. Last winter, that is, for you, France, it is a monumental day called Christmas, but for our republic, it is a day with a different meaning. For the people and revolutionaries of our republic, December 25 is the day of the revolution. We rose up with anger and will, declared liberation from the tyrants oppression, and after five days of desperate fighting, we captured and executed the tyrant, ending the monarchy.”
At this point, most deputies let out sighs of admiration.
Unlike before, the French politicians gathered in the Versailles Palace, unlike the atmosphere of hanging or executing people as traitors, deeply cheered and blessed the struggle for freedom that took place in the Far East.
With this momentum, the voice of Prime Minister Jules Ferry gained even more strength.
“This was a revolution for our freedom, but it was not a revolution accomplished with our own strength alone. The blank space in this telegram paper was so small that it could not contain many stories, but with the help of your values and the cooperation of the United States, our republic’s people were able to unite and plant the first flag of freedom in the barren land of Asia, the birthplace of civilization. Our republic is the only free country in Asia.”
At this point, some of the left-wing radicals to which Clemenceau belonged began to have deputies crying with tears streaming down their faces while standing on two feet.
It wasn’t only the left wing.
In the moderate faction, they clasped their hands in a pious manner to commemorate today’s blessing, and in the right wing like the Orléans faction and Bonapartist faction, they raised small toasts while rejoicing at the appearance of the Far Eastern republic that recognized their ideology and values.
At that time, the atmosphere reversed.
“But our republic is in danger.”
Jules Ferry, as if in false despair, lost a bit of strength in his voice and reported to the deputies with a sad look.
“Currently, our republic is facing a security crisis due to diplomatic pressure and military exercises from the great Qing Empire, which is suspected of having damaged the traditional order and prosperity of Asia, and the liberation operations currently taking place in the Indochina Peninsula and Taiwan are also disrupted. Yes. The current propagation and chain of the revolution is still being poured out in vain with the futile resistance of the great Qing Empire and the corrupt Vietnamese dynasty, which have not yet broken free from the shackles of the old system, only wasting the blood of many people.”
At this point, all French upper and lower house deputies were shocked.
Liberation operations in the Indochina Peninsula and Taiwan? Does France currently support the liberation war in Asia? Since when?
More than that, the deputies, especially the Bonapartists and republicans, were more drawn to ‘the propagation and chain of the revolution’.
Wasn’t that a theme too familiar to them?
The propagation of the revolution, Napoleon!
“Esteemed French deputies and citizens.”
The telegram content was almost at the last paragraph.
No, this last passage was probably the core.
Georges Clemenceau seemed to have peeked into the future for a moment.
“Our republic officially requests help.”
The deputies focused.
From the trash can that smelled of rotten flesh, a small flower bloomed in the dry sand that they thought impossible.
“The only French Republic and the United States that truly understand the values of freedom, equality, and fraternity will bring great light to Asia, which is suffering from the contagious revolution and the fever of freedom. You, the people and revolutionaries of our republic, ask for your help.”
Jules Ferry’s both hands were soaked with sweat after reading the entire last passage.
He seemed to have aged ten years during the short speech.
But his pale face had enough red blood circulating.
Even the old, cunning, and narrow-minded politician had once again regained the vigor of his youth from the letter that flew from the Far East, recalling the true values of France, freedom and equality, from a republic.
After a while, the Versailles Palace, where silence had descended, resounded with the Prime Minister’s clear voice.
“We will submit the motion.”
He was firm, and confident.
No longer were the generals of the military who had been pushing the cabinet and the Indochina expedition hiding.
“Deputies who oppose the rescue request that flew from the Far East, vote.”
Eventually, the voting was conducted in a solemn atmosphere, and the result was
<Approval 516 votes, Opposition 6 votes, Abstention 62 votes>
It was declared that the dispatch support plan to the unknown Far Eastern republic had passed with overwhelming approval.
The Paris media outlets that received this news gave it special coverage.
Freedom will win!