And meanwhile in far, far London...
Chapter thirty eight: London strategies
London. Saturday the fifth September.
Charles François Lebrun, Third Consul of the Mighty French Republic sighed while looking on the perfectly smooth English Garden of the Proconsuls Palace.
Consul's Palace for a few days more... thought Lebrun. How many years ago was I there looking up and wondering what could be France with a real Parliament and a King who would accept to share its power? My, my, I'm an old man now but, even if it is only for a few days, I'm the ruler of the only country whose political system I have ever admired...
He turned and glanced at the files he was working on.
Clearly, there was not much to do since d'Arcy was a very thorough man and a stickler for details.
But there always were decisions to make and he was here to make them.
He looked at the clock and smiled.
One minute before Duroc...
He was arriving at 55 in his mind when he knocked.
"Come in Duroc, come in..."
Each morning at precisely eight o'clock Duroc would come to give his Master his reports.
And in the absence of Napoleon or d'Arcy, said Master was one Charles François Lebrun.
The salute was perfect, the uniform flamboyant and the mien serious.
Business as usual.
"How's England this morning?"
Duroc, who was in his own right a stickler for exactitude frowned.
"This morning, I don't know! Including the time lag to bring news here, while we wait for the completion of the three Chappe lines, I can describe you the situation of our various départements at various times these last two days..."
Lebrun smiled at his subordinate's love for precision.
"Just give me a general overview," said Lebrun while inviting the general to sit. "It will be enough..."
Duroc sat and opened his file.
"London as of two o'clock this last night," began Duroc. "The Gendarmerie is pleased to announce that two burglar bands had this very night been apprehended. Thirty eight thieves and burglars are at this precise moment in custody. Two ware houses with stolen goods have been secured and the interrogations are under way. General Jamieson, the head of the Gendarmerie fears that he will not be able to apprehend the master mind behind these two bands because none of his employees has seen him. But he promised me to go on searching for him..."
Lebrun waited till Duroc looked up before asking his question.
"Jamieson? A local?"
"He was the third in rank of the London constabulary. His superiors were two Lords who never even put a foot at the constabulary. The Proconsul was able convince him to continue his work for us... He had a few very fitting conditions and he is now the local general of the Gendarmerie. His confirmation is pending in Paris." Duroc nodded to show his agreement. "Very good professional. Within a week of his nomination and the hiring of the new Gendarmes he did an excellent job. London has never been so secure and safe than under our rule. People are very satisfied with that aspect of our policy."
Lebrun frowned.
"And with which aspect are they not satisfied?"
"The roadworks are not easily accepted. People do understand that a city like London needs a sewer system and cobbled streets but when there's a big hole in front of your shop, the understanding ends with the decrease of your income... And then there are the expropriations..." He snorted. "Never an easy thing to get people to accept expropriations..."
"What for?"
"The proconsul wants East End to be..." he hesitated. "How could we say? Sanitized? Cleaned? Most of the people living there are poor people who are more often than not, living very scarcely out of petty jobs and even more often petty thievery. It's the pit of London and a reservoir for all those who look for cheap workers and goons to do their bidding. While there is such an area, London will never be secure. So it has to be erased but we must be very careful not to just displace the problem. People who quit East End must have new perspectives or everything would be for nothing."
Lebrun was interested. Paris had the same problems and good solutions were always welcome.
"How will you proceed,"
Duroc went on.
"The Company has begun to build in the South of London, east of Greenland Dock and west of the Kent Road two new districts that will accommodate houses and factories. Mr. Gardiner has promised that most of the workers will be hired in East End. Company workers will be granted a house or a flat whose size will depend on the family's size. The house will be a part of the wage paid to the workers. The Company will procure shops and schools and public services available at low prices for the inhabitants of the districts. We believe that most of the East End people are honorable people who will take the chance to live an honest worker's life."
Duroc's smile became feral.
"The others are Jamieson's game and soon to be shipped to Louisiana's swamps!"
Lebrun immediately saw the business opportunity.
"What will become of the East End district?"
Duroc could answer without an hesitation.
"Since monsieur d'Arcy doesn't want to see people from outside of London replacing the old population, his plan is to raze the whole area to build a new business and housing district. All the factories will be closed and displaced to the East. The whole area being public property, the town will lease the ground to the businesses for ninety nine years at the end of that period the property of the buildings will reverse to the town. The best situated part of the district will be sold to private owners to build private houses and buildings for rent. Everything should be done within three years and as of yesterday, we are on schedule!"
Duroc made a grimace.
"Since a lot of the East End owners are "unknown" or very discreet, the Proconsul's services have difficulty to find them to arrange the sale. But that will not stop us since they have three months to be registered. The first November those who are still unknown or silent will be considered to have accepted the expropriation price. But even unknown, some of them are still stirring up public unrest to try to stop that endeavor. So it is one of Jamieson's foremost duties to get those unrest mongers as quickly as possible. And he has already caught quite a few of those. He's still looking for the others and I have already chosen the swampest swampy swamp of Louisiana to accommodate these fine people..."
That last comment brought a laugh out of Lebrun. Duroc was a fanatical Republican and a very decided soldier but he had a fiery hatred for all those who where using other people only out of greed. He was sure that that swamp was really swampy!
"Well that's a real program there. How long till the end of the road work?"
"Two years as a whole. The work gangs are now working near the Thames and are moving North and South. In two years from now, delays not included, the whole London town should have the most modern sewer system of the world. We are even building the sever system on two levels to give us the possibility, when it will be available to include pipes for gas and drinking water..."
Lebrun smiled at his General.
"Seems you involve yourself quite a lot in this project, general..."
He was rewarded with a genuine happy smile.
"Changes from razing cities, Sir! I like to believe that what we are doing will mark this town for the centuries to come. And we have a certain amount of slack we wouldn't have in Paris for instance. Being the invaders has a few advantages..."
Lebrun nodded.
Indeed it has...
"Now that we have seen the situation in London, how's the rest of England?"
"Overall, calm," answered Duroc. "We believe we have our first resistance nest located in Cornwall."
Lebrun frowned.
"And what are we going to do about it?"
Duroc looked at him and for a few second seemed upset.
"The orders are to do nothing and to let them increase... The Proconsul tried to explain it to me but I must admit that I'm more than flabbergasted with his reasoning. If I'm authorized to make a summary I'd say: 'let them grow under our surveillance and bother the civilians with their demands...'. If you know what to understand, you're smarter than me..."
Lebrun laughed.
"Nothing to do with being smart. Everything to do with being a devious bastard." He laughed again. "Indeed we will do as he ordered. Let them increase and do nothing but contain them..."
"Contain, Sir?" asked Duroc.
"As in containment, General," answered Lebrun. "I mean let the reinforcements in but let nobody out to strike at us!"
"All the reinforcements? But they will soon be an important force, Sir. We'll have an army against us..."
Lebrun raised his eyebrows.
"And? Do you really believe that such an army would pose your soldiers problems? Especially if you are there in number?"
Duroc shook his head.
"Of course not, it would even be a bloodbath, they would be better staying..." He stopped talking and his eyes opened wide.
Lebrun nodded with a knowing smile on his lips.
"Indeed, general they would be better to stay in little groups harassing us. But if we let them concentrate they will lose their only advantage against us and become lambs for the butcher..."
He made an appreciative gesture.
"Indeed, you follow you orders and you do what is necessary to give them the impression that we are letting them take root where they are. And let even a few rumors run that a great army is gathering where ever these freedom fighters are gathering. The more who join, the more we will be able to crush when they strike."
He stood up and walked to the map that was on the far side of the desk.
"Where?"
"Here, Sir. In Radnor. They have been sighted by one of our cavalry scouting party. Looks like a woodcutter camp but they are around a hundred and they have rifles. Even with wolves in the vicinity there's no reason to be armed with rifles."
"Easy to defend?"
"Not if we want to take them out," answered Duroc. "If we are dumb we could send little parties against them and lose a lot a men. But if I can come with ten time their number, I'll just crush them."
He sighed and bit his lips.
"That's also a reason why I'd like to strike now. When they are a thousand, it will be much more difficult to get at them..."
Lebrun patted his general on the shoulder.
"Think general, think. Look at the map. What sort of terrain do we have, here?"
"Hills, and meadows... A few scattered villages... Two little towns... Poor country all in all."
Lebrun nodded.
"Poor country indeed. And now you put thousand, two thousand, three thousand more people in these hills. What's going to happen if you make sure that those who want to go out are caught?"
"They'll have a real problem with finding food..."
Lebrun laughed at his general's ingenuity.
"You're still out of the real interesting part of the plan, general. Believe me, three thousand armed freedom fighters will find food! If necessary they will take the food where it is..."
This time the whole of d'Arcy's plan appeared him.
"They'll rob their own citizens..."
"They will have no choice if you are able to close all resupplying."
Duroc frowned.
"But why let them in? They bring supplies with them..."
"And weapons, and clothes, and ammunition. How much can a walking man carry general?"
This time Duroc smiled.
"Enough to feed himself for a few days."
"Or a few soldiers for a lot less days..." added Lebrun. "That's why the more can get in, the less time they will have before having to come out to fight us as an army..." He smiled at the map. "And when they come out they will be more hated then any stranger..."
He laughed once more.
"Yes, indeed, that's a master plan... And I'm sure he has even included the leadership problem in his calculations..."
This time Duroc was on the right track immediately.
"Indeed they will have quite a few different leaders to make decisions..." he shook his head. "Man, this will be a real mess. At no price would I want to be there with them..."
He sat back at the desk and smiled at Duroc.
These were indeed good news and reason enough to be satisfied.
"What else is happening in England?"
"A great deal, but nothing that should make us nervous. As ordered we have established border control at the Scottish and Welsh frontiers. Everything was already in the general vicinity. We needed only to move men and material a few miles toward the border. In a few days there should be no doubt in any mind that England and these neighbors are different countries..."
"Why such a haste?"
Duroc smiled at his Consul.
"I asked the same question and got a smile for an answer. Since I insisted the proconsul accepted to explain. He wants them aware that what happened was carefully planned and that he got what he knew he would get from the beginning. They will be upset but they will also know who was doing the thinking..."
"Isn't that against our interests? Why show them that we are able to think them out?"
Duroc laughed.
"You follow the same way I did, Sir. And his answer was, in one sense, quite disturbing..."
"What did he say?"
"He said that since he would not be here more than a few months it would only help to strengthen his image and would certainly not undermine his follower's authority since the culprit would be on the other side of the Atlantic ocean..."
"Indeed, seen in this light it would only serve him and not be of disservice to the Republic..."
He nodded and wrote a few sentences on his note book.
D'Arcy was working for himself but that was not really a surprise. Not after his small gold robbery! But he was also doing a great job in the service of the Republic. Of course not having got his share on said gold was upsetting but then he had conquered one of the most advanced European countries without laying it bare. The infrastructure was intact and the factories ready to continue to produce for the Republic. That was, in the long term and if one looked only at the interests of France, it was even better. Northern Italy would take dozens of years to come out of the depression which had followed Napoleon's armies' passage.
Well some could say that since Northern Italy had never been a developed modern country it had no real importance, but Lebrun as the French specialist for public Finances was very well aware that a destroyed infrastructure had, at a moment or at another, to be rebuilt. And this rebuilding would cost lots of tax money...
Alright, tax moneys did not come out of the rulers pockets but that was a very narrow minded way of thinking if one wanted to be a States man. But then not having the means of one's strategy was not very fruitful if you were an ambitious man. So it has often happened that famous generals took some liberties with the state's money...
As it was very clear in Napoleon's and d'Arcy cases...
Lebrun smothered a snicker.
Could France afford two ambitious generals?
If d'Arcy went on conquering Countries without crushing their infrastructure, there was a real chance that there was a chance...
But could two ambitious generals afford to serve under the same flag?
That was a very different question.
He snapped out of his speculations and looked at Duroc.
"Could you give me a summary of the situation in England?"
Duroc nodded.
"The situation is calm and there are, as of now, no security problems. Nobody's attacking our men anywhere. We have a few problems with rogues who believe that the presence of a foreign army will give them impunity but these are, in most cases, quickly taken and jailed. Most will be en route for oversea in the days following their capture."
"The people?"
"Satisfied, Sir. There were no robberies and the only two rape cases were dealt with personally by the proconsul."
Duroc smiled. He had had reports about those two rapists. He could understand that such a fate would deter other would-be rapist wearing the uniform of the Republic.
"The economy goes on as usual and with the Company hiring thousands of people in London and surroundings the situation was even better than before. Bread prices went up the first days but soon, with the first arrivals of French flour the prices toppled to a never seen minimum. It was a very welcomed change in the population... We have a rather good reputation."
"We or d'Arcy?"
"D'Arcy is well loved by the populace even more so since the news of his marriage to an English young country lady. But that doesn't mean that the Republic is loathed on the other side. I would say that, for now, the people are glad with the way our soldiers and our police officers are behaving. It is particularly true in London where we have hired hundreds of new agents who know particularly well the streets and the difficult districts. Criminality is at a historic low in London and it will be better as soon as we have sanitized the East Side."
"Yes we spoke about... What about the highwaymen?"
"Our cavalry is sweeping the countryside, Sir. Since we have no armies to fight, d'Arcy has ordered that all cavalry divisions patrol the highways and destroy everything which could look like an armed force."
"Do we search for private weapons?"
"No, Sir. The Proconsul thinks it would needlessly upset the population since most of these weapons are hunting weapon that cannot shoot a big enough caliber to pass the men's armor. And he prefers those who want to fight us to try with hunting weapon and not weapons which could kill more of our men..."
"Good thinking, that..."
"The Proconsul does a lot of that..."
Lebrun frowned at the General.
"There are rumors that you are Napoleon's man, General! Would it be that you are d'Arcy's man?"
"I'm no one's man but mine, Sir. I admire both men and I will serve them as long as they serve France. If one of them ceases to serve France I'll do my duty and fight him. Meanwhile, I'm here and under the Proconsul's authority and I'll do what he orders..." He exchanged a hard look with the Consul. "And there is one thing that's sure, d'Arcy has shown, like the First Consul in Italy, that they know their business and that they are France's best assets."
A little smile came on Duroc's lips.
"And as a soldier, Sir, I must confess that I'm rather satisfied to know that France has two strategists that the world can only envy us..."
"How is he?"
"Still unconscious, Sir," answered the Chinese doctor with his funny accent. "But he is bettering."
Indeed he is, thought Lebrun without the least scruple to admit that the longer d'Arcy was out, the better it was for him.
"How long before he regains consciousness?"
"One, two, three days. Four at the most. Longer perhaps but not good. Loosing weight and strength. Better if he wakes today or tomorrow. Better for him and better for moral of troops. Lots coming asking about him. Not liking him unconscious! Bad faces..."
Lebrun only nodded. He could feel with the soldiers' fear about losing to an assassin the man who could bring victory without even launching a full scale battle.
"And his other injuries?"
"Healing very well! Most of broken bones already mending. Him not moving is very good for mending bones. He very healthy man. Lots of exercise every day. Body in perfect condition. If soon waking up, he walking in two weeks and running in a month." A smile came on the doctor's lips. "He young married. Wife not being happy with him for a few weeks. Too much different hurts everywhere to be able to do what husband does to wife..." he made a face. "That not good news for them but good news, he alive! Possible make up for it later... Could have been dead. At beginning I was not sure he willing to live. Energy in body was not flowing straight. Lots of stops. But now all is well energy flows like in healthy body. Soon be recovered..."
Lebrun nodded and turned to exit the room where d'Arcy was slowly recovering.
Alright, he's conscious tomorrow or the day after. That's a long way from taking over. I'll probably have two weeks or even three or four. More than enough to convince everybody, even d'Arcy that I could be his perfect replacement. I'll just have to convince him. And Napoleon! I'm not sure which one will be the most difficult to convince. I'll see... I'll cross each bridge at the right time.