Chapter 1049 An Angry Uprising

The scorching heat of 1948 was particularly unbearable for people and animals in Paris. In normal years, when dock workers still had black bread to eat, they would occasionally sprinkle some bread crumbs to feed seagulls and pigeons.

(Located in the French capital of Paris, it is the confluence of the Seine and Marne rivers, and is also the only way for seagulls to migrate.)

However, at this time, not to mention seagulls and pigeons, even the mice on the dock disappeared.

Not only people and animals, but also the leaves of plants were obviously affected.

In the warehouse at the dock, several managers were almost steamed because of the heat emitted by the piles of grains.

"Food is so expensive now, why don't the bosses sell it?"

"There's no way, there are always a few parliamentarians who are messing around and imitating the Austrians to impose price limits."

"It's really not free, we have to sell it on the black market at night."

"Don't worry, those big shots are more anxious than us. We're just trying to make a living."

The city is full of people demonstrating, there are strikes every day, all kinds of street speeches, all kinds of leaflets, curses on the rich and cries of hunger fill the streets.

The military police and police are busy all day long, the front of the government gate is full of armed guards, and the homes of officials and wealthy businessmen are also full of guards and bodyguards.

Children gather at the front door of the newspaper office and in the alleys waiting for business to come, pickpockets, prostitutes, and beggars are crawling all over this world capital.

The big villas in Xicheng District are still like spring all year round, and the expensive mechanical fans are turning all day long, but there are fewer laughter and joy in the past.

Everyone felt an unusual atmosphere. A large number of noble ladies left Paris with their children and property and took a boat to London or New York.

In a three-story hotel with a direct view of the city and the royal palace, some people were hurriedly moving their luggage, and some were preparing to hang themselves.

In a room on the third floor, Tocqueville was praying. He had had enough and he really didn't want to do it again.

On the rooftop, two bearded men were enjoying ham and beer brought from their hometown while talking about the future.

They all wanted to witness the miracle, but they had a more important mission to complete, so they could only choose to watch coldly.

Just a few days ago, the government of the Second French Republic promulgated a new law, which was aimed at the crowds of marches and demonstrations. As long as any one person in the crowd carried a weapon, it would be an armed march.

Weapons include: guns, artillery, explosives, swords, spears, and sticks.

Anyone who participates in an armed march will be punished with a sentence ranging from two weeks to twenty years.

Faced with the aggressive people, the Parliament of the Second French Republic passed a compulsory conscription bill. They first recruited young people aged 20-25 from the parade, and then recruited those aged 26-30.

This would reduce the pressure of allocating conscription, and at the same time, it would not only weaken the strength of the parade, but also relieve the pressure on the front line.

However, the overwhelming war reports were all about the defeat of the French army, and no one wanted to die.

Facing the police who came to force conscription, the parade resisted fiercely, and they shouted.

"I would rather die in Paris than leave my homeland and die by the Rhine."

This slogan was obviously not very powerful and a bit awkward. So someone shouted.

"Don't be a running dog of the invaders, don't be an accomplice in the massacre of the people!"

Along with the news of the defeat, there was a large amount of evidence and testimony that reached Paris, and even some secret letters from government officials, proving that the French army and the French government were carrying out a conscious massacre.

The royalists would naturally not give up this opportunity to summon the spirits of the Orleans and Bourbon dynasties, but unfortunately both sides lacked visionary leaders. The French government did not take action, and they started fighting among themselves.

Finally, a gun fell to the ground during the fight between the marchers and the police. The National Guard took the lead in firing at the marchers, but they obviously underestimated the courage of the people.

The angry people did not retreat, but rushed forward in the face of the volleys of gunfire.

The battle was about to break out, and riots broke out almost simultaneously in the Pantheon, the Place de l'Arc and the Bastille and spread rapidly.

After defeating the National Guard, the demonstrators immediately began to attack the police stations. Many police stations were looted, and then they piled all the tables, chairs and furniture in the police stations in the middle of the road, and the barricades were completed.

The insurgents quickly raised the banner of "freedom and bread" and wrote their demands on paper and threw them out.

These demands are similar. They all demand the establishment of a democratic republic based on equality, fraternity and freedom, the implementation of universal suffrage, the promulgation of labor laws, the withdrawal of troops from Paris, and the imprisonment of government officials headed by Bilford.

At this time, Bilford collapsed on the chair in the office. He had already thought of committing suicide.

Bilford really couldn't imagine how things would turn out like this. Under internal and external troubles, it was simply a mess. He hastily wrote a letter of resignation and then stuffed it to Cavaignac.

"General, the future of France is in your hands!"

Cavaignac was a little confused at first, but soon made up his mind. He divided all the police, gendarmes and national guards in Paris into three armies to attack the barricades in the three areas of the Pantheon, the Place de l'Arc and the Bastille.

Franz naturally knew what Cavaignac did in history, and the insurgents in Paris naturally knew what Franz knew, so they had already made plans and waited for the arrival of the army.

Since the insurgents were well prepared, Cavaignac's troops suffered setbacks at the beginning of the battle. At this time, the parliamentarians led by Arago began to launch a psychological offensive against the insurgents.

"Why did you betray your country! Put down your weapons, walk out of the barricades, and return to your families!"

An unknown revolutionary retorted.

"Sir! You once fought with us in 1832! You once taught us not to listen to the persuasion of people who don't know the suffering!

But now you have no right to blame us! You have forgotten the suffering of hunger! You don't know what poverty is at all!"

- Excerpted from "History of the Second French Republic"

(French to English, English to Chinese, and a certain song translation is understood by everyone.)

But the militia is still the militia, and Franz failed to solve the biggest failure of this uprising, that is, the lack of unified leadership and command.

After the initial setback, Cavaignac immediately changed his tactics, began to concentrate his forces to defeat each one, and mobilized artillery to open the way.

The scene on Saint-Denis Street best represents the cruelty of this uprising. Under the siege of Cavaignac's army, they soon ran out of ammunition and food. The leader of Saint-Denis Street decided to lead everyone to break out of a bloody road.

The leader was shot and fell down just after he rushed out of the barricade. Before he died, he was still trying to support the flagpole to prevent it from falling. A young girl took the flag from his hand and continued to rush forward.

But he was hit in the forehead by a bullet and fell straight down before he rushed a few steps. Another woman held the body of her comrade with one hand and picked up a stone with the other hand and threw it at the soldiers of the National Guard.

But soon the woman was also killed by a bullet. The people continued to fight, but the soldiers of the National Guard did not show mercy.

When the smoke cleared, the damaged tricolor flag finally fell slowly