The Fox of France

Chapter 107: Toulon 5

After Popham's request for "tactical guidance," Carnot ordered Napoleon to lead the Fifth Army south. Napoleon had been well-prepared; he had studied the map of Toulon countless times. As soon as he received the order, he gave the command, and the entire Fifth Army immediately sprung into action. In just half a day, the Fifth Army left their encampment and began their march south.

However, just as the army had started its journey, a messenger caught up with Napoleon.

"General Bonaparte, General Carnot has new orders for you," the messenger said.

Napoleon took the orders and couldn't help but wonder, "What is Carnot up to? Why couldn't he have given these orders a bit earlier? The timing of this is suspicious..."

As he pondered this, Napoleon opened the envelope and examined the orders. He then put the message away and turned to his messenger, saying, "Go fetch Major D'Artois for me."

In no time, D'Artois appeared before Napoleon.

"General! Major D'Artois reporting for duty," D'Artois dismounted and saluted Napoleon.

"Louise, I've just received orders that require me to temporarily leave the army for a while. You will take command in my absence and continue with the original plan. If everything goes as expected, I should be back with the army early tomorrow morning. If I haven't returned by then, I will have a messenger bring new orders. Do you understand?" Napoleon asked.

"Understood!" D'Artois replied enthusiastically. It was evident that being entrusted with the command of the entire army, even if temporarily and just for half a day, excited him greatly.

Leaving the army temporarily in D'Artois's care, Napoleon set out to the west with a regiment of cavalry. At sunset, they arrived at their destination - the "Military Technology Laboratory."

After identifying himself, Joseph arrived with three heavy carriages, crossing the drawbridge and appearing before Napoleon.

"Is this little stuff so important that I had to make this long journey to collect it? And with a whole regiment of cavalry? Besides, Carnot's orders were so unclear; what exactly is this?" Napoleon inquired.

"It's Mr. Lavoisier's new toy," Joseph replied. "It has quite some power, and you should find it useful."

As he spoke, Joseph handed an envelope to Napoleon. "Here is the user manual for this thing. Once the trial is successful, we'll start mass production immediately. However, you should know that the lab's production capacity is limited, so there are only this many for now. You're heading into battle, so try it out and provide us with a feedback report once you're done."

"Damn, it's Lavoisier's creation!" Napoleon couldn't help but glance at the three carriages. "Is it safe? Won't it explode during transport?"

Knowing that one reason Lavoisier was brought into the lab was his work with explosives, Napoleon couldn't help but think that if this was "Lavoisier's new toy," it was likely explosive. Considering his experience with nitroglycerin, he preferred to keep a safe distance from the carriages.

"Don't worry; it's quite safe. You can even burn it in a fire without major issues," Joseph reassured him. "The specific instructions and usage are all in the manual. You can take a look at it later. Also, I've prepared an instructor for you on how to safely use this. This is Sergeant Clment, and he'll accompany you to the south and teach you how to handle this new device securely."

"General, Sergeant Clment reporting for duty," a tall soldier stepped forward, saluting Napoleon.

"Very well, Clment, you'll be with me for now," Napoleon said.

After this, Napoleon turned to Joseph and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"I've been in the lab for a while, and my information is limited. Do you have any news about Lucien?" Joseph inquired.

"How could there be news? Where they are now, they probably don't even know if they've reached Corsica yet. How could there be news at this point?" Napoleon replied. "You should use your own brain. If you can do some simple arithmetic, you'd realize that they still don't know if they've arrived in Corsica. How could there be news at this point?"

"Enough of your sarcasm. What I meant was, as you head south, if you hear anything, please inform me immediately," Joseph explained.

"Alright, it's needless to say, isn't it? Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way," Napoleon said as he prepared to mount his horse. However, he turned back to Joseph and added, "I've heard that winters in Paris can be quite cold; make sure you don't catch a cold."

"Alright, alright, take care of yourself. I don't need your concern," Joseph replied with disdain, but he felt a tiny bit touched deep down.

...

Everyone at home gathered in the living room, with the curtains drawn tightly to prevent any light from escaping and attracting attention from outside.

"Mother, that's how it is. Joseph, Napoleon, and I all believe that it might be too risky for you to stay in Corsica any longer. So, I secretly returned to take you to France," Lucien explained.

"Go to France? That's wonderful; I've wanted to go to France for a long time," a young girl whispered with excitement. Her voice was hushed, but her enthusiasm couldn't be contained.

"Pauline, mind your manners; you're not a child anymore, and we have guests," Letizia admonished in a hushed tone.

The mischievous girl stuck out her tongue and then quickly lowered her head, feigning a ladylike demeanor. The candlelight illuminated a soft halo on her forehead where her bangs lay.

"Lucien, do you have to leave for good? We have so many things to take care of here..." Letizia voiced her concerns.

"Mother, don't worry about the things here. Joseph and Napoleon are doing well financially in France. Compared to that, the possessions in Corsica don't matter much. The crucial thing is your safety. You should know that both Joseph and Napoleon hold important positions now, and the English are known to be shameless and capable of anything," Lucien stated.

While he spoke, Lucien discreetly nudged Clment with his foot, hoping he would contribute to convincing Letizia to leave for France promptly.

However, Clment remained completely oblivious. Ever since Pauline appeared, his brain had entered a state of suspension. He never expected to encounter such an astonishingly beautiful woman in this remote place, and his entire cognitive capacity was now dedicated to appreciating her beauty. This resulted in all other cognitive threads being shut down to save processing power and storage space for the most important task - admiring the beauty.

As Clment was seated toward the back, and his face was shrouded in the shadow of the candlelight, the others didn't notice his mesmerized expression. Only Lucien was quietly fuming, "Why did Napoleon send this guy?"

Just a while ago, when Pauline descended the stairs and caught his eye, even Lucien had momentarily been taken aback. He tried to convince himself that the reason for his reaction was the vast difference in her appearance from what he remembered due to the years of separation.

Upon returning to Corsica, Lucien felt as if time here had frozen, and everything remained unchanged. Even in their home, everything was just as it had been when he left, except for the inevitable aging of his mother, Letizia. However, Pauline disrupted that image. His mother remained as he remembered, but his sister was no longer the same.

In front of him now stood an enchanting young woman, mature enough to be considered an adult but still possessed the innocence of a girl. Her long, beautiful chestnut hair was adorned with threads of gold, her forehead smooth as porcelain, her cheeks as rosy as roses, and her neck reminiscent of a nymph carved by Jean Goujon or the face of the Virgin Mary painted by Raphael.

Lucien had expected to see the playful little sister he remembered, but she had transformed into a captivating young lady. Such a transformation was a common occurrence. There comes a time when young girls appear to bloom suddenly, much like roses. One day, they're overlooked as children, and the next, they capture hearts.

As Lucien contemplated this, he delivered a silent, firm kick to Clment.

The kick successfully brought Clment back to reality. He didn't cry out as seen in TV dramas but simply lowered his eyelids.

"Major Clment is Colonel Bonaparte's company commander. If you have any questions about this matter, you can ask him," Lucien explained.

"Oh, I see," Clment quickly added. "General Bonaparte believes that you are all in great danger, and any delay will only increase the risks. You must leave Corsica as soon as possible, the sooner, the better. Ideally, tonight."

"Tonight? How is that even possible? We still need to pack our belongings, gather our documents, change into clean clothes, and..."

"Just one person is enough," Lucien interrupted. "We'll leave quietly later, and our ship is where Napoleon used to hide it. Well, Mother doesn't know about it, but Pauline does. Once we're on the ship, we'll be safe. As for your belongings, we'll have everything in France. Joseph and Napoleon have already bought an estate for you there."

"Really, an estate? That's wonderful!" Pauline couldn't contain her excitement once more.

After her statement, she glanced at her mother and quickly lowered her head, resuming her ladylike demeanor.

"Very well, but I'd like to at least pack our luggage, bring our deeds, some clean clothes, and..."

"Mother, please don't worry about these things," Lucien reassured her. "Joseph and Napoleon are doing well financially in France. Compared to that, our possessions in Corsica don't matter much. The crucial thing is your safety. You should know that both Joseph and Napoleon hold important positions now, and the English are known to be shameless and capable of anything."

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