The reason why Robespierre came out to talk to Zhao Xin was because he felt that the tall officer in front of him was more like a commander than the general sitting in the room. Although he had nothing to do with the battlefield during the entire Revolution and could not even shoot a gun well, he had been in the political circle for more than two years and had developed some of the political sensitivity he should have.
The question is who is Zhao Xin? It has been ten years since he founded Beihai Town from a virgin forest. Big and small battles are fought one after another. Whether it is military or political, he is no longer the small middle class who only focused on gold. Nowadays, in the whole of East Asia and even Southeast Asia, as long as he gives an order, even if not all the people follow, it will be earth-shaking.
Sure enough, when Zhao Xin's eyes fell on him, Robespierre had the same feeling of hair standing on end again. He felt that he seemed very small in front of him, and he felt that Zhao Xin was not like him. An ordinary officer.
It is said that this person had two most important characteristics in his character, which also affected his actions during the French Revolution-suspiciousness and brooding about personal grudges.
First of all, there is nothing wrong with being suspicious. You must know that a person engaged in politics must be suspicious. They are suspicious of possible dangers every day and guess who is coveting their position. Therefore, the first thing a qualified person in power has to do is to establish a stable structure of checks and balances, control internal struggles, and at the same time handle external matters.
But if a political person has no ambition and puts personal grievances above politics, let alone achieving great things, harming others, himself, and society is the most terrible thing. There are countless such people in Chinese history, such as Han Xin and Xiang Yu.
Zhao Xin put the cigarette he was holding back into his pocket and replied in English: "I'm sorry, Mr. Robespierre, I don't speak French."
Robespierre was stunned for a moment, then smiled again and said in English: "You speak English really well, and I happen to know a little bit, so let's use English?"
"Okay." Zhao Xin raised his eyes and looked at Deng Fei, who was surrounded by parliamentarians, and Jiao Xun, who was chatting animatedly with Condorcet, and could only smile and nodded.
"You are an officer. Can I ask what your job is?"
"I am a staff officer under General Deng."
"Staff? But why do I think you have a commander-in-chief temperament?"
Zhao Xin said without changing his expression: "Maybe it's because I often assist the general in formulating battle plans and pointing out mountains and rivers on the map? The Chinese call this 'talking on paper'. It's empty of momentum and lack of foundation."
Robespierre couldn't help laughing and said: "What you said is really interesting. I think you will become an outstanding commander over time!"
Zhao Xin said confidently: "Thank you, I think so too."
During the previous welcome ceremony and meal, Zhao Xin did not see Robespierre very clearly due to the distance. After all, if a man stares at another man in a social situation, he either has some intention or has some special fetish. Zhao Xin didn't want to be misunderstood, so it was only now that he finally saw what this person looked like.
Because of the outdoor light, Robespierre took off his glasses, revealing his huge almond-shaped eyes with green pupils and his arched eyebrows; his nose was long but not big, nor tall. Against the background of the powdered silver-gray wig, it formed an arc just in line with his slightly receding forehead.
He is not short in stature, probably between 1.74 and 1.75. He wears a beautifully embroidered blue striped vest on his upper body, a light yellow and green striped top, and a white and red striped bow tie around his neck. She is wearing a pair of light-colored knee-length shorts and snow-white stockings. She looks neat and fashionable, and she is meticulously groomed. However, in Zhao Xin's view, this really does not look like what a politician who talks about the people all day long should wear.
By the way, aren't you the spokesperson for "Sans-culottes"?
Robespierre came up and complimented: "I didn't expect that you actually started to build a republican country ten years ago. It's really amazing. I always thought that China was a country where a few people monopolized cultural knowledge. Authoritarian state.”
"I think what you want to say is actually falling behind, right?"
Zhao Xin slandered, and then he pondered for a moment and asked, "What is the current population of France?"
Robespierre said proudly: "Well, 25 million! In the whole of Europe, our population is second only to Russia."
"The population of China is 300 million! And the few people you mentioned are almost 15 million."
"So much!" Robespierre unconsciously held his hands together, and his neck and shoulders shook like a spasm. His face turned red and he said, "Well, I'm sorry, this number is too huge, beyond my imagination."
Zhao Xin changed his tone, half self-effacing and half flattering: "But you are right. Indeed, 15 million is really too little for 300 million, only accounting for 5%. So from this point of view For us, our road to the Republic is still very long. It is just the beginning, and it is far less than your country’s achievements. I heard in Le Havre that the day of the attack on the Tuileries Palace on August 10 , the Paris Commune mobilized 20,000 people!”
After hearing this, Robespierre suddenly showed a solemn look on his face and said in a deep voice: "That was a great day. The people of Paris set a great example. The people of all France stood up at the same moment. In the process , the solemn attitude of the French people was as glorious as their motives and aims."
Well, the late Mirabeau said of Robespierre three years ago: "This man has a great future because he really believes what he says."
While chatting, Zhao Xin always felt that something was missing, so he unconsciously took out his cigarette and lit it. He deliberately went around to the leeward side of the room to prevent the smoke from reaching Robespierre. But he didn't expect that the other party looked at the lit cigarette in his hand curiously, and suddenly said: "Is this a new type of tobacco? Give me one too."
Zhao Xin then introduced the cigarettes and took out a lighter to help the other party light them. Feeling the soft smell of cigarettes, Robespierre thought it was very good and couldn't help but squint his eyes. You must know that Europeans smoke pipes these days, which is much more choking than cigarettes. Whenever the Jacobin Club was in session, the room looked like a chimney.
In another time and space, the Chinese have a saying - tobacco is a bridge of communication between men, and this time and space is no exception. As the two chatted and drank red wine, the conversation gradually opened up. But most of the time it was Robespierre who was speaking, and Zhao Xin was the listener.
"I am very convinced that the republican spirit is a kind of virtue, a love for the motherland, and a noble quality of sacrificing private interests for the public good. In the current France, the enemies of the republic are egocentrists and ambitious Corruptors. There are many cunning liars and political hooligans mixed among the people, who have betrayed the trust of the people. The only way out for revolutionaries is to continue revolution and make revolution even harder. Only in this way can they defeat the counterrevolutionaries and consolidate and develop the revolutionary spirit. Results.”
"I think tyranny is more terrifying than anarchy! As a legislator, he needs to have extraordinary wisdom and be able to understand all human passions, while he can remain calm and work tirelessly for the benefit of others."
"Like Rousseau's 'enlightened and fearless philosopher'?"
On the way to France, Zhao Xin flipped through "The Social Contract", and his words made Robespierre look surprised.
"Have you actually read Rousseau's book? I never imagined that we should show no mercy to the crimes of those in power, sympathize with the poor and weak, and respect the people."
Zhao Xin has no interest in this cliche. This is a complete self-portrait - the ultimate in self-aggrandizement! This guy firmly believes that he is closer than others to the ideal legislator described by Rousseau. However, he still pretended to be a good listener on the surface, and occasionally asked questions, causing the other party to talk endlessly.
Robespierre spoke very slowly, and the pauses between each sentence were so long that every time he stopped to sip wine or smoke a cigarette, Zhao Xin thought he was finished. But in fact, this guy just looked around and then added a word or two to the already long sentence.
However, what made Zhao Xin feel a little awkward was that although Robespierre spoke eloquently, he never looked directly at himself and always blinked, which made him feel very uncomfortable.
Just like the "godfather" of the First French Republic, when Robespierre stated that revolution is the only way to a better society, he was the only representative of France's true and thorough revolutionaries who made it clear to Zhao Xin Finally, he was suddenly startled and asked, "Why did I say so much to an Oriental person I met for the first time?"
Just when he was about to ask Zhao Xin about the weight of public interests and personal interests, Madame Roland, the core figure of the Girondins, came out of the room and asked Zhao Xin about what he said in the carriage. Zhao Xin suddenly felt as if he had been granted amnesty, and immediately started chatting enthusiastically with him. Robespierre was very bored. He wanted to interrupt but couldn't. He had to shake his neck and shoulders, just like a cat shaking its fur, and went back to the house.
Mrs. Roland did not come to Zhao Xin to talk about literature. Her husband De La Salle is the current Minister of the Interior, and relief for people's livelihood and maintenance of public order are one of his main responsibilities. She heard from her husband that there might be a lot of wheat on the Chinese ships, so she took the opportunity to discuss literature to get closer to Zhao Xin.
Zhao Xin had only heard of Mrs. Roland before, but had not read her biography. After chatting, he was surprised to find that this woman was really not simple. She actually has a special office in the Ministry of Interior, responsible for guiding public opinion and spreading political ideals, and most of the political articles of the Minister of the Interior are written by her.
Good guy! No wonder this woman lost her head!
Although the famous "beauty" in front of him is already 38 years old, Zhao Xin always feels that he owes something because he has stolen other people's famous sayings. So regarding the food issue, he admitted it directly.
"Yes, ma'am. We still have eight thousand pounds of wheat on board, which was previously used as ballast."
"This is the first time I've heard of wheat being used as ballast. Are you not afraid of wheat sprouting?"
"Our ships are made of steel, so there is no need to worry about waterproofing. In addition, wheat is also our largest agricultural product in domestic production."
"Well, if I find an opportunity, I will definitely go and visit." Mrs. Roland smiled, and then changed the topic: "If our government wants to buy this batch of wheat, at what price do you plan to sell it?"
Zhao Xindao: "Actually, according to General Deng's wishes, this batch of wheat will be donated to your country for free. How about using this grain as a bridge to promote Sino-French friendship?"
Mrs. Roland's eyes shone brightly. She stretched out her hand to hold Zhao Xin's hand and expressed her gratitude. She had already planned to write a letter to this handsome young Chinese tomorrow and invite him to a private salon held at home.
When they returned to their residence at night, both Zhao Xin and Deng Fei were too tired to speak. After washing, they fell asleep. On the contrary, Jiao Xun and Huang Chengji both looked unfinished; it was obvious that they had a good conversation with Condorcet, and Condorcet even invited them to visit his home the day after tomorrow.
There was no conversation for the rest of the night. When he got up for breakfast at noon the next day, the housekeeper Buwei handed Zhao Xin two invitations and a letter, saying that someone had sent it in the morning. Zhao Xin opened it and saw that the invitations were from the British and American ambassadors, inviting the Republic of China delegation to attend a dinner; the letter was from Mrs. Roland, inviting him to attend the salon held at her home the day after tomorrow.
Zhao Xin asked Bu Wei to send all the invitations to Deng Fei, and he would deal with it. Then he went to the study and wrote two letters respectively. The letter was in Chinese and was addressed to the people staying on board the Thor, telling them that people from the French Ministry of the Interior would come to pick up food and that they could give them all the three and a half tons of wheat in the cargo hold.
Then, he wrote a reply to Mrs. Roland in English. One is to express gratitude and will attend the salon on time; the other is to tell the other party that they can send someone to Le Havre to pick up the food, but they will need to have another Chinese letter as proof.
After he finished writing the letter and sealed the envelope with glue, he asked the housekeeper Buwei to deliver the letter to Mrs. Roland's house.
Basically everyone from the National Convention has seen it. Today he will concentrate on studying how to rescue Louis XVI or his son and take them away safely.
It is not a problem for the members of the special operations battalion to infiltrate the Temple Tower. Those National Guardsmen are like a dish in front of the North Navy. The key is how to get people out of Paris and even onto a ship outside the port of Le Havre.
At first, his idea was simple: use a motorboat to go west along the Seine River, and the National Guard along the way would definitely not be able to react. But at noon, after Deguigne sent someone a map of France, he realized after reading it that it couldn't work. It is true that the Seine River flows westward into the sea, but the river is so winding and winding that if you have time, you can take a carriage and go back and forth between Le Havre and Paris!
Take it away in the carriage? No way, if something happens to the Temple Tower on the front foot, the Chinese people on the back foot will say goodbye. Even a fool knows there is something wrong here. Not to mention that Louischard, who is only 7 years old, is not easy to hide, but the Lavoisiers also have to take them with them!
Zhao Xin thought about it and finally decided to take a risk. He told Elu that he would have to leave for a while and might not come back until tomorrow, so he shouldn't make a fuss. In addition, let two people guard the door of his bedroom. When the guard comes back, he and other servants must not be allowed to come in and just say that he is writing something.
When everything was ready, Zhao Xin changed into casual clothes from another time and space, quietly slipped to the first floor, and disappeared in the blink of an eye when no one was around.
