Chapter 58: Building Up High (2)
Joseph's grasp of history may not have been great, but he understood that Aunt Sophie's optimism was perhaps a bit premature. There were still plenty of challenges ahead.
On the 19th, the Constituent Assembly left Versailles and returned to Paris.
As soon as the Constituent Assembly returned to Paris, a member named Mirabeau proposed the following idea: "Let the king abdicate and pass the throne to the dauphin. Considering that the dauphin is still young, in accordance with French tradition, a noble and esteemed aristocrat should be appointed as the regent to handle affairs on his behalf."
Everyone knew exactly who this noble and esteemed aristocrat was referring to. The king's two brothers were already in exile, and given their stance on the revolution, they were not viable candidates for this position. So, the only option was the Duke of Orleans.
This proposal gained support from many members of the assembly because they had no faith that the king, who had been forced to return to Paris, would genuinely support constitutional rule. They believed that having such a person on the throne would introduce too many uncertainties into the new government.
For a moment, Louis XVI's position became precarious, and chants of "Long Live Louis XVII" were heard in the streets.
In theory, the Duke of Orleans had been waiting for this moment for a long time. However, something unexpected happened. The Duke of Orleans suddenly accepted an offer from the Marquis de Lafayette and left France to become the ambassador to London.
Conventional wisdom would have expected the Duke of Orleans to stay in France, as leaving the country at this point was almost akin to exile. But it was rumored that after a secret meeting with Lafayette, the Duke of Orleans agreed to this request. Other rumors suggested that the Duke of Orleans had engaged in some unsavory activities behind the scenes, which were discovered by the Marquis de Lafayette. It was said that a priest friend of Condorcet had found evidence of his less-than-honorable actions and relayed this information to Condorcet, who then provided it to the Marquis de Lafayette. However, Lafayette, being an honorable man, chose not to publicly expose these actions and tarnish the Duke's reputation. Nevertheless, Lafayette believed that the Duke's continued presence in France would be detrimental to the nation, and he thus pressured the Duke into leaving.
There were also other speculations, such as the Duke's sense of responsibility and his understanding of the potential disruption he might cause to democracy if he assumed the regency. However, Joseph couldn't help but think that the first rumor might contain more truth than meets the eye.
After successfully deterring the Duke of Orleans, Lafayette turned his attention to Mirabeau. He used similar tactics in an attempt to convince Mirabeau to leave France and become the ambassador to Constantinople. However, Mirabeau stood his ground and refused the offer. Yet, Lafayette struck a heavy blow by rallying the assembly to not only reject Mirabeau's proposal for members of the government to become ministers but also to pass a resolution prohibiting members of the assembly from becoming ministers. This effectively blocked the path for Mirabeau to hold any ministerial position.
Some impatient members of the assembly even suggested that all aristocratic officers be replaced with third-estate officers. But such a thoughtless proposal was unworkable. The so-called third-estate officers were not only few in number, but they were typically junior officers at bestfew had even attained the rank of lieutenant. These officers, with very few exceptions, were not well-versed in military tactics or strategies. They might be competent at commanding a platoon or a company, but leading a whole army in battle was a different matter altogether.
In fact, even the members proposing such ideas understood the impracticality of this proposal. However, they presented it to demonstrate their loyalty to the people and their willingness to take bold measures to win popular support.
This was a common flaw in a representative system: in order to gain the support of the electorate, you had to appear more radical than your opponents, even if it meant making unworkable proposals. This trend persisted through the generations. For example, if environmental protection was a concern, politicians had to support shutting down dangerous nuclear power plants, dismantling air-polluting coal-fired power plants, demolishing hydroelectric dams that altered river ecosystems and geology, and scrapping wind turbines that caused infrasound pollution and threatened bird populations. Eventually, they had to support "clean, natural, love-powered energy."
To address the unreliability of the military, more funds were required. First and foremost, the army's pay needed to be guaranteed. The reason King Louis XVI had gradually lost control over the military was often due to the failure to pay the soldiers' wages on time. If the assembly wanted to maintain control over the military, they had to ensure that the troops were well-fed and paid.
Secondly, they needed to establish a military force that was loyal to the assembly. The British Parliament's control over the country was largely because they had a "parliamentary army." England's parliamentary army had evolved from Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army. The National Assembly, or the Constituent Assembly, was eager to create its own version of a New Model Army.
The closest thing to a "New Model Army" at the moment was the "National Guard." However, the National Guard was still essentially a militia. Despite Lafayette's best efforts, it was still a ragtag force. Transforming this ragtag militia into a "New Model Army" required not only time but also money.
Then there was the issue of various new and old debts, totaling up to 45 billion livres. The interest alone was a staggering sum. This placed an enormous burden on the assembly.
Defaulting on the debt was not an option, as much of this debt had been incurred from the wealthiest third-estate bourgeoisie, who now formed the backbone of the nation.
Faced with this dilemma, some members had begun discussing privately whether it was time to consider increasing taxes, even though it was a politically incorrect move. However, no one had openly proposed this yet. Lafayette, however, was not concerned because his friend, Bishop Talleyrand, had a solution in mind.
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