Naturally, Napoleon loved the honor, praise, and power he received for the first time in his life. He was born to obtain these things. The entire northern part of Italy was ruled by his army and was completely under his control. With a word from him, ministers could be demoted to commoners, and nobles could be deprived of their titles and wealth, and then imprisoned or executed. This was power. Brenner, who served as Napoleon's confidential secretary, was meek and resigned, accepting both misfortune and blessing. Thanks to his penniless classmate at Brienne Military Academy, he was able to enjoy the glory and wealth. When his classmate was starving in Paris while waiting for a new appointment, he was once provided by Brenner's young wife in a small apartment in Paris. However, things were different now. The rules of the game were like that. His younger brothers, Louis and Lucien, no longer had to rely on their military salaries as logistics officers in Provence. Napoleon would not go hungry again. Brenner and his wife could no longer call him by his name, and they could not even eat at his table without a special invitation. Now, the only people around Napoleon were senior generals, ambassadors, dukes, marquises, and counts.
Napoleon found great pleasure in power and was unwilling to give it up. This was a problem. The Directorate urged him to conclude a peace treaty with conquered Austria as soon as possible. However, once this was done, most of the occupying troops would have to withdraw, and the Conqueror Heroes would have to return home. This was the first time that Napoleon had tasted the feeling of having sole military power and power. He was still thirsty for power. Once he returned to France, he would return to the boring and restricted life of an ordinary garrison commander. His political status and voice in French foreign policy would be deprived, and the independence and glory of the Montebello Palace would become a faint memory.
During the long talks with Merritto and D'Aril, Napoleon did not hide his boredom with returning to France. Everything I've done so far is useless. The general had said in a two-hour conversation with them in the garden of the Palazzo de Montebello,
This is just the beginning of my career. Do you really think that I won in Italy to help lawyers like Carnot and Ballas in the Directorate-General achieve great things? What a ridiculous idea! A Republic with a population of 30 million, is this what France needs today? But this fashion, like all other fashions, would disappear one day. What they really needed was to satisfy their vanity with honor. As for freedom, none of them knew the true meaning of the word.
Napoleon insisted that the key to everything was the army, and the army would obey his wishes. Let the Governor-General try to take the command of the army from my hands. They will see who is the leader of the army. The nation needed a leader, he continued, a leader who would be known for his achievements and honor, not for his management theories, idealists, and speeches that the people could not understand. The masses would be satisfied if they were given an idol. They would be happy to be led by the guide, as long as the guide could cleverly conceal their true purpose. Then, he turned to the topic of the withdrawal of the army from Maynz and said, Italy will be at our disposal... We will have a Republic or two there according to our wishes... As for Austria, Napoleon will hold on to Lombardy and Mantua, leaving only Venice to Austria, and the real power will remain in his hands.
Unless Paris makes a mistake and forces me to make peace, because I do not intend to end the war with Austria immediately. Peace is not in my best interest. You saw with your own eyes my status here and what I can do in Italy. Once peace is established, I will no longer be the head of the army…I will have to give up the power and position I have gained…unless I can play the same role in France as I do here. I won't leave this place, but the time is not ripe yet. The pears are not ripe yet.
But if the political situation in Paris is clear (this is the eve of the coup d'état of September 4, 1797), and the fools of Paris insist on the need for peace, then it must be done by me. For if I let others conclude the terms and sign the treaty, he will be greedy for credit, and I will be forgotten.
Of course, Napoleon could not accomplish this mission with his bare hands. Conquering armies required successful generals, but these generals needed to know their own position and not steal glory that did not belong to them. When the famous general Bernadotte rushed to Italy with a division from the Rhine to reinforce, Napoleon quickly sent him back to Paris. On the surface, he sent him to return the 21 flags captured by the French army in Italy to the Directorate-General, but in fact, he sent him back. In August 1797, the Directorate-General wanted Napoleon to return to Paris to report on his work, intending to let him go back to carry out the coup of September 4. However, Napoleon sent Augero, who had recently become famous for his great achievements. Augero suppressed the royalists in time and was appointed commander of tens of thousands of troops in the Rhine. When Napoleon saw that the laurel and honor fell into the hands of others, he was deeply uneasy and jealous.
In mid-July 1797, General Napoleon, who was in power for the first time, led five divisions under his command to conduct an unprecedented military parade in Milan. On the surface, it was to celebrate the French Revolution, but in fact, it was to openly show off his military power to Paris, showing that he was the most powerful figure in Europe. He then ordered his divisions to write threatening letters to the monarchist factions in the French government, clearly targeting the Directorate-General. When thousands of victorious troops, including infantry, cavalry, and artillery, were inspected by the commander-in-chief, it was not only the strength of France that was shown off, but also the strength of Napoleon himself. I've tasted what it's like to command, and I'm not willing to give up. He would do it again and again from now on, and Paris must not let its guard down.
In the third week of August, after quietly celebrating his 28th birthday in Milan, Napoleon, accompanied by Joseph, Bertier, and Melito, set off for an outing to Lake Macchio and the lovely villa of Isorabella. Because of the hot weather, they set off at night. In the dark carriage, Napoleon was in a particularly good mood.……He was also particularly attentive to his wife. Just as Merritto said, he couldn't help but tease his wife and act overly intimate with her, making Bertier and I very embarrassed. Later, the cheerful and lively Napoleon told some interesting stories about his youth. They found that Isla Bella was the most beautiful and charming island on the lake, where Napoleon could temporarily get rid of the pressure of being the commander of the occupying army. However, it was only two short days. In the blink of an eye, their carriage had returned to Milan, which was hot and filled with political tension.
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