French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 40 Eugène's Speech, Crown Prince Angrily Criticizes the Government

"It's all the Bonaparte family's fault! If it weren't for that damned Napoleon III, who ambitiously launched this damned war, how could we have ended up like this? He wanted to recreate the glory of Napoleon I, but he sent our sons, husbands, and brothers to their deaths!"

Humanity's inherent flaws will never be lacking, even in any era. Before the war, most French people were clamoring to give Prussia a little French shock.

However, France, shocked by Prussia, found its citizens in a state of uproar. Some who had initially supported the war immediately changed their stance and began criticizing Nathan, who had declared war on Prussia.

Clearly, the carpenter's words did not win everyone's approval; a middle-aged woman holding a child nearby quietly objected.

"You can't say that. Crown Prince Eugene is quite nice. If it weren't for the bread he distributed, I probably wouldn't be able to support my five children. Yesterday I even saw him personally handing out bread to everyone at the distribution point; he wasn't arrogant at all."

"Hmph, he's just trying to win people over."

Upon hearing someone refute him, the bearded carpenter, who considered himself to have seen through everything in the world, naturally retorted with great dissatisfaction.

"He's a member of the Bonaparte family, and he's just like those bureaucrats. Once he's secured the throne, won't he be just like his father? Just you wait and see, once the war is over, he'll be the first to forget about us poor people."

If Eugène Napoleon were present at that moment, the French crown prince would probably have been quite impressed with how the carpenter could see right through him.

Eugène won't be like his father, but some change in attitude is inevitable. In this critical moment, Eugène may betray his class, but he doesn't intend to betray his class for long.

However, few people could know what Eugène was really thinking. The carpenter's words were ultimately just for the sake of criticizing, and not many people present agreed with his extremely dark views.

Conversely, the fact that there aren't many people means that some people approve of it.

Some people nodded in agreement. Those who agreed were somewhat grateful for the bread Eugene had given them, but that was all they felt was gratitude.

The long-standing imperial rule has caused the younger generation to completely lose trust in the royal family.

Brainwashed by both red and republican ideologies, many people believe that all rulers are the same, only concerned with their own interests, and that they don't care about the lives of ordinary people.

Amidst the public's heated discussions and a flurry of conspiracy theories, the sound of horses' hooves approached from afar.

Upon hearing this sound, people turned to look, and saw the royal carriage, which had become widely known to the French public in recent days, stop not far away.

After getting off the car, Eugène Napoleon, escorted by a dozen guards, walked toward the distribution point. When the Crown Prince "visited" them, a commotion immediately broke out in the crowd.

Despite the criticism, who wouldn't want to go up and take a photo with or get an autograph from a big shot?

The titles of Governor of Paris, Crown Prince of France, and Parisian philanthropist are all worthy of causing a stir among the people, and combining them makes them even more prestigious.

Even the bearded carpenter, who had just been spouting conspiracy theories, couldn't resist joining the crowd and moving towards Eugene's location. Everyone wanted to get a closer look at the Crown Prince's demeanor.

Even though Eugène traveled to different districts of Paris over the past ten days, the population of Paris is simply too large.

To this day, many people are seeing the French crown prince in person for the first time.

To the people of Paris, Eugène looked even younger than he appeared in the newspapers, with a youthful face, but his demeanor was very composed, not at all like a fourteen-year-old.

Escorted by the Imperial Guards, Eugène walked through the crowd. Instead of stepping onto the makeshift platform, he stood directly at the front of the line.

"Citizens of Paris!"

Looking at the somewhat angry French people before him, Eugene, who had never given a real public speech since the French army's defeat, felt that the time was almost up.

Having his own plans in mind, Eugene spoke a few words and then waited quietly for the commotion in the crowd to subside. Only after confirming that the people at the back could hear him clearly did Eugene continue speaking.

"I know that you are filled with anger, discontent, and despair. You are angry at the disastrous defeat at the front, dissatisfied with the corruption of the government, and even more desperate about those bureaucrats and generals who take the country's money but only send your loved ones to their deaths."

This is outrageous! The workers could never have imagined that a crown prince would criticize the government and the military in this way.

Even though they had heard rumors before that Eugène was different from other rulers, seeing is believing, and most people were unwilling to believe that someone of Eugène's status would say such a thing.

Everyone present looked at Eugene with surprise in their eyes. They had thought that the crown prince would, like other politicians, spout some high-sounding empty words to defend the government and the army.

To everyone's surprise, he immediately admitted and even attacked the government's mistakes.

But Eugene's series of moves were not yet over. Since he had no intention of inheriting the current government, he was invincible with no ties or concerns.

Regardless of whether these words would damage the government's credibility, what he was most eager to do now was to transform the government's remaining credibility into his own personal credibility.

"You're all right. There is indeed serious corruption in the army. There are many cases of soldiers being paid for doing nothing and exploiting their soldiers. Just recently, I personally went to the 13th Army's garrison and found that they reported 28,000 men, but in reality, there were only 22,000."

Six thousand men were missing! Those officers were taking soldiers' pay and indulging in debauchery in Parisian taverns, while our soldiers were fighting on empty stomachs at the front.

"The government was indeed incompetent, mismanaging its duties and changing its orders frequently, causing our soldiers to die needlessly on the front lines. As the heir to the Bonaparte family and the Crown Prince of France, I bear an unshirkable responsibility for all of this. I apologize to you here."

Instead of blindly attacking the government and the military, even if the mistakes are indeed theirs, this will only make some people think that you are not capable of taking responsibility and like to shirk your duties.

Having mastered the art of public speaking, Eugène bowed deeply to the crowd after he finished speaking.

A 14-year-old boy taking responsibility for his mistake actually lets the public know that he has nothing to do with the matter and is just standing up out of a sense of responsibility.

The effect was remarkable; after Eugene apologized, the crowd erupted in uproar. None of the workers could have imagined that this high-ranking crown prince would bow and apologize to ordinary citizens like themselves.