Chapter 241: The Advancing "Rioters"
"Half a league left," Blanch muttered, lowering his worn-out felt hat and stowing away his telescope. He turned to the middle-aged man beside him, whose skin had a tanned hue, and added, "This mission is really dangerous. God help us if they start shooting at us with cannons."
"They shouldn't. Earlier, when rioters came here, they barely fired their guns," the middle-aged man replied in a thick southern accent. "Once this mission is over, you'll be promoted to the second-in-command of the action team."
At this, the complaints on Blanch's face vanished instantly. Indeed, the mission was risky, but the rewards were worth it—a direct promotion by two ranks. According to what he'd heard, the police department was soon going to be elevated to the status of an "Intelligence Bureau." Being the second-in-command would be equivalent to the level of assistant police commissioner!
Blanch grinned, offering a courteous comment to the man beside him, "You should be getting a promotion as well, right?"
The man, however, shook his head with a hint of resignation. "You know how it is with the Royal Police—if you don't have money to bribe your superiors, you're not going anywhere…"
As they conversed in low voices, they soon caught sight of the estate's long stone wall in the distance. Blanch followed the original plan, instructing the unarmed agents to stand in front, with those carrying guns positioned behind them. He then led the group toward the main gate of the estate.
The soldiers of the Montcalm regiment guarding the estate quickly noticed the approaching crowd of over three hundred "rioters" and shouted, "Stop right there! This is the property of Count Salérier. Leave at once!"
The "peasants" on Blanch's side shouted back in their southern accents, "We're starving! Just give us something to eat!"
"Have mercy, sir..."
"Let us in! We'll only take some food..."
The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances and began raising their guns.
"Let's rush in!" Blanch shouted, pulling a sling from his pocket. He swung it in circles above his head and then let a stone fly toward the soldiers. The other "rioters" followed suit, and soon the sound of whirling slings filled the air as stones rained down on the soldiers.
These slings could easily launch stones seventy or eighty meters, making them perfect riot weapons. The soldiers cried out in pain as they were pelted and forced to retreat.
The alarm sounded, and before long, an entire battalion of soldiers emerged, advancing steadily on the "rioters" and firing sporadically to drive them away.
The "rioters" shouted back:
"These soldiers are trying to kill us!"
"These wretched people won't even let us have food!"
"They've got guns? So do we!"
"Let's fight them!"
The "rioters" at the back suddenly pulled out hidden guns and began firing at the soldiers through the gaps in the crowd. The soldiers, shocked that the rioters were actually armed, hesitated only for a moment before returning fire with even greater force.
As the fighting broke out on the western side of the estate, several figures slipped into the estate from the northwest corner and began setting fire to the flax fields...
Inside the luxurious castle-like building at the center of the estate, Viscount Saint-Véran was carefully choosing his words. "Dear Duke, this misunderstanding caused by the rioters... has led the King to doubt his own army. Only you can help clarify the situation to His Majesty..."
A scribe quickly transcribed his words, then handed the paper to the Viscount. "My Lord, please review this."
Saint-Véran glanced over it briefly and, feeling frustrated, signed the letter. He mentally calculated how much money it would take to get this duke to advocate for him at court.
Two hundred thousand livres? No... better make it three hundred thousand to be safe.
So far, in his efforts to extricate himself from this awkward situation, Saint-Véran had spent over 1.2 million livres on securing favors at Versailles. He had already exhausted the "funds" given to him by the Duke of Orléans and even dipped into his own savings to the tune of twenty thousand.
As Saint-Véran sealed the letter with his personal seal, he suddenly heard the unmistakable sounds of distant gunfire.
As a military officer, he recognized the sound immediately—it was the crack of Charleville muskets.
"What's going on?" he asked, frowning at his attendant.
The attendant quickly ran off to find out and returned moments later, reporting, "My Lord, a group of rioters is trying to break into the estate. It seems they have guns as well. We've lost three men."
"Guns? Did they raid the police armory?" Saint-Véran scowled out the window. "These lawless scoundrels! Tell Major Bruin to disperse them at once."
"Yes, General."
The messenger was about to leave when Saint-Véran suddenly had another thought.
Didn't the royal court instruct him to suppress the riots? Now that these rioters had conveniently come to him, perhaps he could use them to regain favor with the crown.
Just then, a soldier rushed in, breathlessly announcing, "General, the rioters have set fire to the estate's flax fields!"
Saint-Véran quickly moved to another window and indeed saw thick plumes of smoke billowing up from the distance.
"Those wretches!" Saint-Véran gritted his teeth in anger.
Count Salérier was an influential nobleman, and Saint-Véran's forces were stationed here, yet they couldn't even protect the Count's estate—this was a disgrace!
"Order Major Bruin to take two battalions and capture every single one of those rioters! Anyone who resists is to be shot on sight!" Saint-Véran commanded furiously.
"Yes, General."
Half an hour later, Major Bruin led over 3,000 soldiers, including a cavalry unit, to attack the "rioters."
Blanch heard the approaching hooves and knew something was wrong. He picked up his telescope, took one look, and broke out in a cold sweat. Shouting to his men, he ordered, "Run! Run now! Drop your guns!"
According to the plan he was given, he was supposed to provoke the Montcalm regiment repeatedly, forcing them to retaliate with a small force.
But this? This was an entire army of thousands!
The few hundred "rioters" bolted toward the woods to the east, with the massive military force in hot pursuit.
After a frantic dash, the "rioters" were just two or three hundred meters from the woods when the Montcalm cavalry caught up. The slowest dozen were instantly cut down by sabers, their screams echoing through the air.
Blanch, suppressing his fear, resisted the urge to look back and finally plunged into the woods just as the cavalry turned to regroup.
Major Bruin frowned at the sight of the forest and ordered three infantry companies to pursue the rioters into the woods while the rest of the troops surrounded it.
His orders were carried out swiftly.
However, just ten seconds after the soldiers marched into the woods, a volley of gunfire erupted from within, and thick smoke rose from the bare trees.
(End of Chapter)
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