Chapter 3

The Bonaparte Empire - Chapter 3 (3/200)

Chapter 3: The Crown Prince (2)

"Father, how will you deal with Maximilian I?"

"Didn't I already propose to let him seek asylum in France?"

At those words, my face slightly frowned.

"Asylum? A person of the stature of Emperor Franz Joseph's brother would not have had a way to escape if he had not tried to flee."

Napoleon III, perhaps feeling a bit ashamed, added:

"Isn't it all inevitable?"

"...... Father. The one who pushed Maximilian to his death is you."

"......"

"Would you stand idly by if Louis were in the same situation?"

"I will pray for him. But we must live in reality, don't we?"

"If you let him die, the honor of the Bonaparte royal family will be in ruins!"

"Honor is less important than the practical benefits for the state. A wise child like you wouldn't fail to understand that, would you?"

"Even if we lose the war, as long as the people do not forget us and still remember and support us with honor, we can regain the throne. But the moment we give up our honor, we are nothing!"

I acted with a cold heart but a passionate voice.

In 1864, Napoleon III intervened in Mexico, installing Archduke Maximilian I of Austria as the emperor to establish a pro-French Mexican Empire. When the United States, which had just ended the Civil War, reacted strongly, he quietly withdrew.

The problem was the situation in the Mexican Empire at that time. Maximilian I almost won the civil war, but with France pulling out, he was eventually captured by the revolutionary forces and executed.

During this time, his wife, who was desperately pleading for Maximilian's release from the revolutionary forces, was coldly rejected, and her husband was brutally killed, driving Princess Stephanie of Belgium, Maximilian's wife, to madness. Even her brother, Leopold II, turned his back on her.

She received sympathy from all of Europe, and the Habsburg family was outraged by France's behavior. Not only did she receive criticism from Britain and other countries, but there was also a wave of public condemnation in France, causing Napoleon III's approval ratings to plummet.

Soon, the Franco-Prussian War broke out, and Napoleon III was deposed, bringing an end to the matter.

However, my direct confrontation with my father was not just out of a sense of justice. Of course, it's the best way to avoid being called unfilial by fighting and falling out with my father over what is right. It sounds better than a prince's rebellion, doesn't it?

By showing that I am in opposition to my father and emphasizing that our relationship has deteriorated, I can gather all those who dislike Napoleon III as my supporters.

Napoleon III has many enemies, far too many. His diplomacy is a mess.

Not only are there domestic rivals, but he has also fallen out with Britain over the Belgian issue, and relations with German-speaking countries are poor, leading to a self-imposed diplomatic isolation. If the heir openly declares, "I am different from my father," wouldn't it make people more supportive of me if a revolution were to break out?

Of course, from a father's perspective, being directly defied by his son must be heart-wrenching. But honestly, this is your fault, and you have only yourself to blame.

I stood up abruptly.

"Father, I cannot agree with you."

I opened the door and left.

***

The ministers, watching the door slam shut as the Crown Prince stormed out, were speechless.

Too many people had witnessed the direct confrontation between the Crown Prince and the Emperor. The whole of Paris would know about this by tonight, and all of Europe by tomorrow.

At that moment, the door burst open.

"Your Majesty."

"Colonel Henri."

As the Crown Prince's bodyguard entered, the Emperor spoke in a somber voice.

"What is he doing?"

"He is packing. Should I stop him...?"

"Packing?"

"He says he will not stay in the palace and intends to visit Princess Charlotte of Belgium."

Napoleon III, a seasoned politician, quickly calculated the potential benefits of this action and smiled sadly.

"Is it a calculated move, or is it driven by a sense of justice?"

"Excuse me?"

Colonel Henri seemed not to understand, but Napoleon III's sharp mind quickly grasped the situation.

Ultimately, no matter which it is, he won't avoid criticism, but the criticism will fall on one person. If his son apologizes to her, it could improve the cold public opinion and the Habsburg family's view.

'I need to get the newspapers to amplify the story.'

Napoleon III spoke.

"Colonel Henri, open the Palais Royal."

"Excuse me?"

"If he won't stay in the palace, send him there."

The Palais Royal, the former headquarters of the Orléans.

"But, Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's move to the Palais Royal will cause significant political repercussions..."

"It will, and it will be interpreted as a complete political split between me and the Crown Prince, leading to a divided nation."

And most of the public will support the Crown Prince over Napoleon III. There are few who would openly criticize a moral figure whose words and actions align, and the Crown Prince is still young.

The narrative will be that a father, who has no room for defense, has disowned his son, who then apologizes for the father's sins.

In other words, he can rally all the opposition forces, both inside and outside France, under the Crown Prince.

In a typical monarchy, this would lead to civil war, but Napoleon III was aware of his deteriorating health.

His body was weakening and drying up day by day. How much longer could this body hold out?

In other words, when he dies, the Crown Prince will inherit power smoothly.

"Colonel Henri."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Take good care of him."

I am a father who has disowned his son. If I show too much support, it would be a minus for my son, who is on the path of a politician.

So, so.

Instead of me.

"Take good care of him."

***

- Shock! Crown Prince apologizes for his father's sins!

- Napoleon III's disgrace, cleaned up by Crown Prince Eugène.

- Crown Prince Eugène no longer staying in the palace. 'New residence: Palais Royal.'

- Crown Prince secretly recruiting volunteers for Mexico? Attempting to clean up his father's mess.

I chuckled as I skimmed through the newspaper in the first-class train compartment. My attendants looked around nervously.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

"Am I going to a battlefield now?"

"...... No."

Well, in a sense, it is a battlefield.

I am heading towards the battlefield that will happen in the future.

My destination is the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but my fate is heading towards the Franco-Prussian War.

It sounds dramatic, but the Franco-Prussian War was a conflict that would have happened eventually, with or without the Ems Dispatch. Bismarck merely accelerated it.

Bismarck.

The hero of this era, a name that will be remembered for an age.

"I'll meet the necessary people quickly and return. What's there to worry about? It's not like I'm going to another continent, just a neighboring country."

Delay the war as much as possible, prepare more thoroughly, and pray.

No joke, my best option is to pray. Even with my knowledge of the future, I don't see a way to beat Bismarck.

Using my young age to absorb the plummeting support for my father, and packaging it as a matter of justice and youthful passion, I managed to gather support from all those who dislike Napoleon III. But to defeat Prussia at this time? That army, the precursor to the German and Nazi armies?

What I can do is introduce new weapons. The most practical for this era would be trench warfare. The Maxim gun was invented in 1883, and the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870. Can I compress 13 years?

'At least it's better than doing nothing. I can sell patents and barbed wire to make money.'

I don't have the funds to build a dreadnought, but since the Prussian navy is weak, we can win with a well-operated fleet. In the original history, the French navy fought inefficiently, yet the Prussian economy nearly collapsed due to the naval blockade.

If I can take firm control of the navy and command it effectively, it would be better. The challenge is how to achieve that.

There are many other things I can do. Strengthening the artillery... can I make a recoil mechanism? That would require advancing technology by 30 years, and there are issues with railway operation and command.

'Thinking about it, it's a mountain of problems.'

The Chassepot rifle is better than the Dreyse, so there's no need to replace individual weapons unless they can be semi-automatic. In this era, machine guns... can't be made, right? The only automatic weapon available is the Gatling gun.

Using everything I can, even if Paris falls, I can at least bring the war to a negotiated settlement from a position of equality.

'This is just the first step.'

Creating a good impression in Austria-Hungary and setting up a situation where they can support us in the Franco-Prussian War through behind-the-scenes negotiations.

The Austro-Prussian War ended not long ago. They will definitely seek revenge. They won't forget the humiliation of Vienna nearly falling so easily.