The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 943: Chapter 36 Dividing up France

As the sun sets, and stars rise, the night gently embraces this French gem—Paris.

On the streets, wheels are rolling everywhere, and gentlemen and ladies are being assisted by servants as they step down from their carriages.

Inside the Kaidao Sai Mansion, the lights are brilliant, and a grand gala is in full swing, showcasing the elegance and splendor of that era in its entirety.

The mansion’s exterior walls are outlined by the soft, warm orange-yellow glow of gas lamps, giving a classical silhouette, with guards in splendid uniforms standing on either side of the entrance, and the butler and footmen respectfully awaiting every invited guest at the mansion’s front door, where their carriages slowly park in the cobblestone courtyard.

Entering the mansion, what first comes into view is an opulently decorated hall.

Beneath the high dome, crystal chandeliers cast a soft yet brilliant light like shining stars; each meticulously polished, reflecting dazzling sparkles.

The walls adorned with elegant tapestries and oil paintings depict classical mythological tales or French landscapes, adding an artistic touch to the space.

In the center of the ballroom, men and women clad in magnificent attire are dancing gracefully to the melodious tunes of violins and pianos.

The ladies are adorned in corseted long dresses, with wide hemlines like flowers, intertwining silk and satin in enchanting colors, while feathers and jewels on their heads shimmer under the lights. The gentlemen wear well-tailored tailcoats, white shirts paired with exquisite ties, holding gloves, exuding grace. They waltz, spin, glide, each move revealing their trained elegance and harmony.

Nearby, a fine table is laid with a variety of delicacies: silver platters stacked with fresh oysters, gold-edged porcelain filled with French stews and cream mushroom soup, and an array of desserts like macarons, mille-feuille, and meticulously crafted fruit platters, exuding tempting aromas that tantalize the guests’ palates.

In the corner, groups of literati gather around a round table draped with velvet tablecloths, holding pipes or slender cigarettes, discussing politics, literature, or the latest art genres, occasionally breaking into bursts of laughter.

On the other side, elegant ladies dressed to the nines congregate in front of spacious floor-to-ceiling windows, conversing softly, occasionally stealing glances through the drapes at the night scene outside, enjoying a moment of tranquility.

Arthur leans by the window, holding a tall glass filled with a shallow pour of Château d’Yquem, observing this group of Parisian high society representatives.

Within his line of sight alone, he sees many renowned literary figures: the leader of the French Romanticism Victor Hugo, the emerging star in Parisian novels Honoré de Balzac, the former republican terrorist, now pardoned, portly cook Alexander Dumas, alongside Hugo and Great Dumas as the three giants of Parisian theatre Alfred de Vigny, and France’s foremost lyric poet Alphonse de Lamartine...

As for music’s luminaries, naturally the piano king Franz Liszt, whom Heine couldn’t overlook, is present; besides, there is the German master of Paris opera Giacomo Meyerbeer, acclaimed as the finest composer in France at the moment Hector Berlioz. Of course, among them must also include the Polish exiled pianist Frederic Chopin, nurtured by the French Government as their ’free canary’.

Yet, within this performance-like dinner, these littérateurs and musicians are not actually the main actors; this is a stage solely belonging to politicians.

The President of the French Senate Adolphe Thiers, Minister of Education Francois Guizot, and a host of ministers whose names Arthur couldn’t recall.

However, Arthur’s interest among these many people is neither Thiers nor Guizot but the Minister of the Army Dalmatia Duke, Army Marshal, nicknamed ’Iron Hand’ Jean-de-Dieu Soult.

This Parisian prominent figure, born into a family of lawyers, fully traversed the periods of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, personally experiencing most of the events therein.

He enlisted at the rank of sergeant at 16, and by 22, due to his excellent military qualities, was promoted to the rank of grenadier lieutenant, at 24, following promotion to captain, he was spotted chatting idly beside him by Marshal Jourdan and appointed as Corps Commander staff.

In the same year, owing to his remarkable performance in the Battle of Fleurus, Soult was promoted to the rank of commodore, a feat he accomplished at merely 25.

In the subsequent years, as a division commander, Soult followed the Danube Corps Commander Massena, campaigning far and wide, and due to his repeated accomplishments achieved the rank of lieutenant general in only 9 years.

Following Napoleon’s coronation as Emperor, he naturally became one of the first eighteen marshals appointed by the French Empire.

In Napoleon’s proudest Battle of Austerlitz, the fourth army led by Soult, despite being outnumbered, made a surprise attack on the Platzen Heights, which Russian Marshal Kutuzov defended, annihilating the Russians in just 2 hours, tearing apart the central zone of the Russo-Austrian coalition forces, even Napoleon praised him as ’Europe’s finest tactician’.

In the Jena Battle against Prussia, the Campaign of Pułtusk, and the Battle of Heilsberg, it was Soult’s calm command that was decisive for the ultimate victories.

Of course, a person cannot have things go their way all their life, sometimes Soult’s cool head would also get heated.