Fox of France

Fouché visited Carnot overnight. Under Carnot's disdainful eyes, he pointed out without changing his face that after he returned to Paris this time, he found that the freedom and democracy that Paris is proud of had suffered a huge regression. He thought the situation was highly abnormal and could not continue.

Kano doesn't like Fouche. Although he doesn't have too serious a moral obsession like Robespierre, he also dislikes the fickle Fouche from the bottom of his heart. But he also knew that what Fouché said was not wrong. But he still said to Fouche: "Although what you said has some truth, it is too late for you to appear now. The army, police, National Salvation Committee, Public Safety Committee, National Assembly and Jacobin Club all obey him. , everyone is afraid of him, and many congressmen are too scared to sleep in their own homes at night... His current strength cannot be shaken by us.”

"No, General Carnot, I don't think so," said Fouché. He came here on foot to Kano. On the way, he has carefully analyzed the situation and tried his best to find a gap in the dark clouds all over the sky. Now all he has to do is to point out the gap Let others see it, and encourage others to work with him to find a way to make the gap a little bigger so that the sunlight can come through.

"You are right. Robespierre mastered great power, and he restrained all men by the guillotine, or more precisely, by fear. This fear is a terrible poison, which makes everyone Everyone is trembling in front of his iron fist, whether it is the general, the judge, the member of parliament, or other members of the two committees. They are all made into his marionette by this toxin. Everyone is afraid, tomorrow In the morning, will he be pushed to the guillotine for no reason. So everyone obeys it." Speaking of this, Fouché sighed long.

"However, General Carnot, you are a scientist, and you know Sir Newton's three laws. It is impossible for a force to be exerted on anything without a reaction. Terror is also a force, and it also has its own reaction!"

"So, where is the reaction force?" Kano asked.

"You just said that many members of parliament in Paris, many influential people, dare not go to sleep in their own homes at night, but only dare to find a place to sleep outside. Because they are afraid that if they sleep in their beds, they will be killed at dawn. , They opened their eyes, and the first thing they saw was the arrest warrant stamped with the bright red seal of 'National Salvation Committee' or 'Public Safety Committee'! Fear brings obedience, but fear also brings hatred!"

Having said that, Fouche stopped, looked at Carnot, and said after a while: "If a person keeps you living in boundless fear for several months, or even longer, and you can't sleep at night, Let your spirit weaken, let your will be destroyed, let you live like a walking dead, wouldn't such a person be hated by you? Would you forgive him? Those who dare not sleep on their own every day Aren't the people on the bed in the bed full of hatred for Robespierre?

Besides, is Robespierre really powerful? If his allies are still there, he is indeed powerful. However, he killed Ebert - I know you, General, have opinions on many of Ebert's claims - but it was Ebert who ensured the support of the bottom sans-culottes. If someone had tried to overthrow him a few months ago, he would have raised his arms and all the sansculottes in Paris would have responded to him. They would surround the National Assembly and bring them to their knees with cannon. But now, the sans-culottes just suffer and have some complaints because of some things. Because he is incompetent and unable to solve these problems, he uses the method of solving the person who raised the problem to deal with Ebert and the sans-culottes. Nowadays, it is not bad for sans-culottes not to regard him as a traitor who betrayed them, so why are they willing to shed blood for him?

If Danton was still there and was his friend, he would be enough to appease the National Assembly and push all the hatred of fear to Abel and the others, but... he personally extinguished all hope of others. Now, Robespierre is already a giant with mud feet. As long as we fight him together, he has no great power at all. As long as we can let everyone know that everyone hates him, then his end will come! "

"But how do you let everyone know? If you want to appeal directly in Parliament, it will definitely not lead to any good results. You must give me a proof that I believe that you really have the possibility of doing this. said Kano.

"General," Fouche said slowly, looking into Carnot's eyes, "I was ordered to return to Paris to report to the National Salvation Committee. In a few days, the Jacobin Club will hold a new election for the chairman. This election is conventionally held by secret ballot. If you will help me to postpone my presentation to the National Salvation Committee until after the election of the Jacobin Club, I will be able to give you a proof."

"Very well, I look forward to your proof." Kano said.

Knowing that his purpose here at Cano tonight had been achieved, Fouche bid farewell to Cano. Before leaving, Kano suddenly said: "Citizen Fouché, you'd better change your sleeping place every day."

Cano found some technical reasons and asked for Fouché's debriefing to be postponed.

Robespierre had no objection to this. Perhaps in his opinion, this is just a small thing. Robespierre has always been very contemptuous of chameleons with corrupt morals like Fouche, which made him unable to see, or ignore Fouche's advantages as much as possible. In this way, Fouché became an insignificant person in his eyes. Such a guy, Robespierre thinks, he can't make any waves at all.

Even though the public security committee reported to him that Fouché's whereabouts were surreptitious these days, he did not arouse much vigilance. He simply sees it as Fouché's attempt to prepare for his escape, and appreciates it as a farce.

But Fouché was not planning to escape, and he never thought of fleeing at all! Fouché kept changing his residence and dressing, pretending to be a worker, a businessman, an old man, and a woman. Leave aside the secret agents of the Public Security Committee who were following him, and then go to visit the members of the Jacobin Club one by one. Convince them to vote for themselves in the election of the chairman.

"Voting is by secret ballot, and no one knows who voted for it. Robespierre's anger and blows may be aimed at me, but you can use this to see how many people have the same feelings as you mind. For that, wouldn't it be worth a try?"

Many people have heard Fouché's words that moved their hearts.

A few days later, the Jacobin Club held a new chairman election in accordance with regulations. Robespierre came to the meeting in person, and then he unexpectedly discovered that Fouché also came to the meeting. At this time, Fouché has not been hunted down and is still a legal member of the Jacobin Club, so he is of course eligible to attend the meeting.

Voting began, and members wrote down their choices on the ballot papers, and then put the ballot papers into the ballot box. This whole set of things was formulated and perfected by Robespierre and Saint-Just.

After everyone had cast their ballots, a member held up the ballot box and shook it violently for a while in order to shuffle the ballots inside. Then the ballot box was opened in front of everyone's eyes. The voting began.

"Joseph Fouche."

"Joseph Fouche."

"Joseph Fouche."

...

After pronouncing a dozen "Joseph Fouche" in a row, I finally got a "Maximilian Robespierre".

Everyone looked at each other in panic and excitement. And Robespierre's face was ashen. For the first time, he felt that he had underestimated Fouche, the chameleon, this poisonous snake that spit out letters. It was also the first time he realized that his foundation had been hollowed out, and because of this, he felt trembling and fear for the first time.

The final voting results came out. Fouche defeated Robespierre with an absolute advantage and became the new chairman of the Jacobin Club. Not even one cent voted for Robespierre!

If even a place like the Jacobin Club, which is regarded as the core territory of Robespierre, has so many people who are secretly dissatisfied with Robespierre. How can Robespierre continue to overwhelm if he cannot, in fact, fully grasp the Jacobin Club?

After tonight's vote, there will be a deep rift between Robespierre and the entire Jacobin Club, a rift called mutual distrust. And this is the proof that Fouché showed Carnot.

Fouche did not stay at the club for long after his victory, and after a very brief speech he left the club and disappeared into the dark streets of Paris at night.

Fouche's win on the night was a real surprise. After seeing the proof he gave, Kano, who had been silent in the "National Salvation Committee" recently, suddenly became high-profile again. He publicly took the lead in opposing some of Robespierre's policies, initially against the military Some of the policies on the government, and later opposed many of his political measures.

With this head led by Kano, some of the original committee members who had always followed Robespierre's lead suddenly began to have their own opinions, and several proposals made by Robespierre were rejected one after another. Today, in the "National Salvation Committee", only Saint-Just and Couton are still firmly on the side of Robespierre. But that number is no longer enough to pass any resolution they wish to pass in committee. Robespierre's control of the whole situation seems to have really revealed a huge hole.