Chapter 415: Chapter 409: Display of Authority
For Rifat Pasha, the attitude of France towards the delegation indirectly reflects the attitude of the French Empire towards the Ottoman Empire.
No matter how many good things the previous Valvesky Envoy had to say about the French Empire, they cannot compare to the authenticity that Rifat Pasha now personally experiences!
Standing beside Rifat Pasha, Fleury, after listening to Rifat Pasha’s remarks, immediately smiled at him and said, "Your Majesty once told me that France and the Ottoman Empire are close partners! Although our two countries are not yet allies, we share a relationship closer than that of ordinary allies!
In the future, the French Empire and the Ottoman Empire need to work closely together to jointly uphold the peace and stability of the Mediterranean!"
"Exactly! Exactly!" Rifat Pasha nodded slightly and said, "France and the Ottoman Empire must unite to maintain the peace of the Mediterranean!"
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the time gradually reached dusk. The originally light blue sky had slowly darkened, as if a layer of gray paint was applied by the Creator. The flaming "disc" once hanging in the southwestern sky had somehow "slipped" to the west. This orb, emitting light and warmth to nourish all things, was slowly "submerging" into the depths of the Mediterranean Sea. The entire western sky had been engulfed in crimson, and the cunning moonlight appeared unusually soft and powerless beneath the reddish glow.
Looking at the scene of day and night transitioning before him, Fleury couldn’t help but sigh and say, "Sunset is a law of nature, just like sunrise!"
"Indeed!" Although Rifat Pasha did not understand why Fleury spoke so incoherently, it did not stop him from responding in agreement.
As night fell, it became inconvenient for travel. Fleury arranged for the Ottoman Empire delegation to stay at a luxury hotel near Marseille Port and dispatched a team of National Guard soldiers to ensure the delegation’s safety, preventing sudden incidents.
Once the Ottoman Empire delegation was completely settled, Fleury walked out of the hotel alone.
Fleury, walking briskly along the gaslit street, soon arrived at the entrance of the nearest official telegraph office to the hotel.
Standing at the entrance of the brightly lit telegraph office, Fleury gently knocked on the ornately carved wooden door.
"Who is it!" Soon, a voice filled with impatience came from within the telegraph office. The door slowly opened, and a drunken man appeared at the doorway, looking at Fleury with annoyance and saying, "It’s so late! What do you want?"
He then took a swig of wine from his bottle, belching towards Fleury. The mixture of alcohol and garlic odor made Fleury uncomfortable, and he frowned at the man before him, saying, "I need to send a telegram!"
"Send a telegram? Haha!" Under the influence of alcohol, the man swayed and responded, "Come back during the day then!"
"I have an urgent matter to report to Paris!" Fleury emphasized once more.
"I don’t care! I say daytime, and that’s it!" The drunken man obstinately said, pointing behind him, "What I say goes here! I decide everything!"
Unable to tolerate the man’s ignorance and rudeness any longer, Fleury swiftly kicked him.
The man was kicked back into the room, and Fleury calmly walked into the telegraph office as well.
Besides the drunken man, there were 4 other people inside the telegraph office, who seemed to be staff members.
The telegraph office members initially looked at the unexpected "intruder" with shock, then glanced at the man sitting on the floor.
The man, sitting on the floor after being kicked, realized the situation and shouted incredulously at Fleury, "You actually dared to kick me! Do you know who I am?"
"I don’t care who you are! Nor do I wish to know who’s backing you!" Fleury declared, pointing at the man and annunciating each word, "From now on, you’re no longer a part of this place!"
Fleury then pointed at a staff member seated at the telegraph machine and said, "You will immediately send a telegram to Paris. The message is as follows: The Ottoman Empire delegation has successfully arrived at Marseille Port and is expected to reach Paris tomorrow! Hope the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is well prepared!"
"Yes! Yes!" The telegraph operator, hearing the keywords "Paris" and "Ottoman Delegation" and "Ministry of Foreign Affairs," immediately realized that this person was likely from Paris and quickly agreed.
Meanwhile, the half-conscious drunken man also heard the "keywords" from Fleury’s mouth and, realizing the impending consequences, stammered at Fleury, "I... I..."
"Fool! Just wait for the judicial summons!" Fleury couldn’t help but curse, not wanting to waste his energy on an idiot. However, some fools simply don’t understand their limits and insist on challenging him.
"I’m really sorry, I accidentally got drunk just now! Truly sorry!" The once arrogant drunken man’s face turned pale after hearing "judicial summons." He realized the dire situation he was in and staggered to Fleury’s side, apologizing repeatedly, losing all the arrogance he had before.
"I told you! Just wait for the judicial summons! Not only you but the fool who recommended you here must also leave! Understand?" Fleury said impatiently.
With that, the drunken man was utterly desperate. His actions had not only implicated himself but also his brother-in-law, a civil servant at City Hall.
It was conceivable his brother-in-law would likely beat him to death when he found out his drunken antics could lead to both of them being suspended from their positions.
Thinking of this, the drunken man once again felt weak in his legs and collapsed onto the ground, tears of regret streaming down his paint-laden face.
However, Fleury did not care whether the drunken man felt regret or not. Hearing the telegraph stop beeping, he asked again, "How is it? Has it been sent?"
"It has been sent!" The telegraph operator immediately stood up and responded.
"Very good!" Fleury nodded to the telegraph operator, then pointed at the drunken man and said to them, "Now, throw this fool out for me!"
"This..." They hesitated for a moment, intimidated by the drunken man on usual days.
"Rest assured! This fool and the people behind him will be directly dismissed! You don’t have to worry about him retaliating against you!" Fleury reassured the group of telegraph operators once again.
Fleury’s assurance gave the telegraph operators the courage to proceed. They approached the drunken man, one grabbed his hands, another his shoulders, and another dragged his body, lifting him up.
Now, the drunken man was like a man who had lost all dreams and hopes in a day, and with the coordination of the telegraph operators, he was directly thrown onto the street.
The telegraph operators who returned to the telegraph bureau received praise from Fleury.
After understanding the drunken man and the forces behind him, Fleury left the telegraph bureau and returned to the hotel.
An hour later.
In Paris, hundreds of kilometers away from Marseille Port, Fleury’s telegram was delivered to the telegraph bureau in Paris.
The director of the telegraph bureau, having received the message, wasted no time and immediately communicated the message to the department minister.
The Minister of Railways, upon receiving the telegram, took advantage of the dark of night to head to Fontainebleau Palace.
When Minister Barroso arrived at the gates of Fontainebleau Palace, he found Mokar already waiting there.
"Follow me! Your Majesty is waiting for you in the study!" Mokar said straightforwardly to Barroso.
Barroso followed Mokar into a study inside Fontainebleau Palace.
There, he not only saw Emperor Jerome Bonaparte but also the Minister of Foreign Affairs De Luy, the Minister of War Kuzan Montebon, Chief of Staff Marshal Saint Arno, and the Commander of the Paris First Division, General Canrobert.
The grand gathering made Barroso suspect whether His Majesty was planning to send troops on an expedition to the Near East.
"You’re here!" Jerome Bonaparte smiled and waved to Barroso.
Barroso promptly approached Jerome Bonaparte and knelt to greet him, "Your Majesty!"
"Is there news from Fleury?" Jerome Bonaparte said with astute certainty to Barroso.
"That’s correct!" Barroso nodded and responded to Jerome Bonaparte.
Then, Barroso communicated the contents of Fleury’s telegram to Jerome Bonaparte.
"Good!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded, then looked at the important officials of the Empire present and asked, "Do you think we should give this messenger, who has come from the Near East, a show of force?"
Jerome Bonaparte surveyed the room. As one of his trusted aides, Saint Arno immediately expressed, "Your Majesty, I believe it is necessary! Only in this way will the Ottoman Empire take us more seriously, just like before when the Navy subdued them with our naval artillery. This time, it should be our Army, so I suggest holding a grand military exercise to demonstrate our strength!"
"What do you think?" Jerome Bonaparte turned his gaze to the Commander of the First Division (reorganized), Canrobert, and Minister of War, Kuzan Montebon.
"I agree!"
"I agree as well!"
Canrobert and Kuzan Montebon, of course, agreed with Saint Arno’s words, as the reorganized French Army indeed needed to flex its muscles.
"And you?" Jerome Bonaparte looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs De Luy.