French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 92 Cigarettes and the Well-Prepared Tuileries Palace

The large group that set off in a grand procession did not notice that in the shadows of the street corner, a young man dressed in tattered worker's clothes took out a matchbox, struck a match, and lit a small cigar in his hand.

A flash of light illuminated the young man and the unassuming police badge on his chest.

Of course, with the police force being largely integrated into the Republic's armed forces, even if someone noticed this young man, they probably wouldn't have any major doubts.

The young man, puffing on his rolled cigar, watched the Republican army troops gradually disappear into the distance, a Nike-branded smile playing on his lips, before turning and vanishing into the alley.

The small cigar is actually the predecessor of the cigarette. France is not only the city of romance, but also one of the birthplaces of tobacco culture.

From high-end hand-rolled cigarettes to mass-market cigarettes, French cigarette brands will become renowned worldwide for their unique craftsmanship and flavor in the future.

However, before the emergence of these Gaul tobacco brands that would not appear until the early 20th century, the smoking method originating from the streets of Seville, Spain in the 17th century remains one of the most popular ways of smoking.

Just like now, luxury cigars, regardless of the era, were the exclusive domain of the wealthy. However, back then, the poor could only scavenge discarded cigar butts from the rich, collect the tobacco inside, and then roll it into thin strips with small pieces of paper to smoke.

These people called this cheap alternative "papeletes" (paper rolls), and nowadays, ready-made mini cigars and tobacco are sold on the streets of Paris, so people no longer need to collect the cigar butts left over by the rich.

Times have changed. The French don't smoke the paper rolls the Spanish do; they smoke small cigars. In fact, the French smoking tradition didn't originate from their neighbor, Spain.

The French people's love of smoking is inextricably linked to the Crimean War, which the French are so proud of, compared to pipes and cigars that require careful handling.

These cigarettes, which could be lit quickly and smoked rapidly, perfectly met the soldiers' need for immediate comfort in the trenches.

British and French soldiers learned from their Turkish allies how to make and smoke this substance, which was called a "cigarette" in French, and brought it back to their homeland.

Only then did cigarettes truly step onto the historical stage thanks to the population spread of the two colonial powers.

"Hiss~ Huff~ Cough cough cough~"

Eugène, who hadn't appeared for a long time and seemed to have disappeared, is now staying in the Tuileries Palace.

Under immense pressure, knowing that tonight would decide the future political system of France, Eugène took his first puff of a small cigar.

As a result, because this body had never tasted such a stimulating substance before, Euren, whose predecessor was a heavy smoker, was choked by it.

Looking at the small cigar burning in his hand, Eugene immediately crushed it out in disgust; this thing was incredibly strong. Without a filter or any special manufacturing process, this small cigar was already as potent as a real cigar of the future.

Eugene, who had originally intended to smoke a small cigar to relieve some stress, got up helplessly and looked out the window after realizing that this method was hopeless.

Eugène is a man who is very afraid of death. He still has many things to do, and he will not easily put himself in danger unless there is a significant incentive.

Therefore, the Tuileries Palace where he resides is no longer the royal palace that was once filled with song and dance.

Behind each crenellation of the palace wall, an armed policeman lay in ambush. The palace windows were boarded up with thick wooden planks, leaving only fist-sized firing holes. Only the rooms where Eugène and Eugénie were located retained windows that allowed them to look out.

In front of the palace gates, police and guards used sandbags, overturned carriages, and cast-iron railings to build multiple sturdy barricades.

A total of twenty-four Mitrajoz machine guns, secretly transferred in advance from various fortresses of the Paris Army, were set up behind the barricades, their dark muzzles pointed at the street outside.

The nearly 20-strong Xialong Legion had only 72 Mitrajoz machine guns, while Eugène deployed 24 of them in this small palace.

Looking out the window at the rows of heavy machine guns, Eugene felt a strong sense of security.

"Your Highness is perhaps a little... too cautious."

Pietre, the Paris police chief who, like Eugène, was nowhere to be found during the Paris unrest, now stands on the roof of the Tuileries Palace's main building.

Holding a high-powered telescope, he observed the movements of the Republican army. Beside him stood Colonel Charles Dupin, the commander of the Guards responsible for Eugénie's safety, Captain Beauvais, Eugénie's chief adjutant, and Major Royal, the senior company commander of the Guards responsible for Eugénie's safety.

Pierre did not appear because he, the gendarme commander, had become Drema's "prisoner".

Having been stationed at the Lobo camp, he was naturally captured by Drema, who had instigated the rebellion. This was due to his special status and the well-known feud between him and Drema.

In an effort to offer Drema some incentive, no one within the Republican government has yet managed to persuade him to hand over Pierre, this important prisoner.

Therefore, this commander is still living a life of luxury at Lobo Barracks, the headquarters of 007.

Of course, Eugène's involvement in Pierre's capture was also partly his doing; after all, Eugène couldn't be completely at ease with Dremar. Pierre, with his military police command skills and considerable influence, was Eugène's backup plan.

Once Pierre discovers that something is wrong with Drema, he can take over command of the gendarmerie and implement some degree of rectification.

"Chief Pietre."

It's stable, it's stable, everything's stable.

Compared to those who were fully aware of Eugene's series of actions, Pietre and his group had already started popping champagne and shouting that everything was settled.

Colonel Dupin, who was in charge of Eugénie's safety as part of the Guards stationed in Paris, was even more worried.

Although the colonel could tell that Eugène had made considerable preparations, those 24 machine guns could not have appeared out of the palace for no reason.

But he was still not entirely at ease. They were trapped, and the two cavalry divisions outside were not moving for some unknown reason. If the enemy continued to besiege them, they would eventually face the situation of running out of ammunition and food.

Moreover, the Republicans have already captured Paris, giving them a stable source of manpower.

Dupin pessimistically believes that, given the weapons captured from the enemy, even if two cavalry divisions were to enter to suppress the rebellion, it would be difficult for them to do so given the difficulty of street fighting in Paris.

"The rebel forces number at most around 2, and it appears they are attacking in three columns. We have 8400 police officers who have been withdrawn from various districts, plus my personal guard of 1100, for a total of 9500."

"We are outnumbered, but we have strong fortifications, ample ammunition and equipment, and the provisions His Highness had stockpiled beforehand. Holding out for ten days or so shouldn't be a problem, but how to suppress this rebellion is a huge issue."