In the spring of 1798, Napoleon, who was already occupied with the expedition, encountered another strange thing that almost made him faint. In March, a maid, Louis Compoine, who had been fired by her because of her discord with Joseph, accused him of having an affair with a young and handsome officer named Hippolyte Charles. Charles was Lieutenant Charles, who had accompanied Joseph to Milan during the Battle of Italy. At the same time, the maid also exposed them to be involved in illegal investments and speculation. Napoleon was well aware of the vindictiveness and dishonesty of his servants. He ordered the members of the Bonaparte family, who were mostly against Joseph, to investigate the matter. After the investigation, Joseph met with Napoleon on March 9 and reported the results of the investigation to him. Not only did he confirm everything he heard, but there was more.
In 1796, Joseph met Lieutenant Charles for the first time and fell in love with him at first sight. During the Italian campaign from 1796 to 1797, due to the presence of Napoleon or other personnel, the couple's relationship was hindered. However, after the signing of the Campo Formio treaty, just before they returned to France, the two found an opportunity to be wanton in Venice. Later, when Napoleon was on his way to Rushtat, Joseph and Charles had the opportunity to travel together in her carriage (with Napoleon's money). It took several weeks to cross the Alps, and Charles only broke up with her when the carriage crossed the border. When his wife arrived in Paris on January 2, 1798, it was already a few weeks later. Although Napoleon was very angry, he was still in the dark about the lieutenant daring to share the same score with him. Also, Joseph, who was involved in all kinds of speculation and under-the-table transactions, told his brother,"Joseph, Charles, Ballas, and other officials had invested a huge amount of money in the Bodin Company, which specialized in war transactions and fraud with the Italian army. They were also suspected of buying and selling state property, especially real estate in the occupied northern territories, including monasteries.
Napoleon summoned Joseph and showed her the cards. She cried bitterly, claiming that all of this was false. Yes, my Ippolit, she immediately informed her lover afterwards, and I hated them all. You, only you can get my love and warm thoughts. They ought to know how much I hate them... and how regretful and disappointed I am that I can't see you as often as I want... Oh! What have I done to these monsters that they should treat me like this? She even proposed a divorce with Napoleon, but Charles stopped her in time. Napoleon and Joseph knew about her indiscretions and debauchery, but they lacked concrete evidence such as letters. They could only warn her," If she continued to interact privately with Charles in his apartment or in the office of the Podine Company, or if she got involved in the business of the Podine Company, she would bear the consequences.
Joseph looked down on everyone. Not only did she continue to openly date Ippolit Shire (he had retired and returned home to focus on his thriving business), but she also intensified her speculation in the Bodin Company. At the same time, Napoleon's mood was apparently eased. He accepted Joseph's denial and warned her to behave herself. A week later, he even bought her a mansion on Triumph Street. Napoleon was busy with various political and military plans day and night, and he had neither the time nor the mood to ask about Joseph's chastity. However, that summer, after he was far away from the French coast, Napoleon was told that the affair between Joseph and Charles had reached an unimaginable level.
At this moment, the expeditionary army was ready. Although Napoleon's original date of April 9 had passed, at least his military command regiment had been formed, including Kléber of Toulon, Rainier of Marseille, Desai of Civitaveccia, Wobion of Ajaccio, and Menard of Genaya. Domartin commanded the artillery, Dima commanded the cavalry, and Cafreri commanded the engineers. On April 17, Napoleon ordered Bruise to prepare to depart on April 27. However, an unexpected incident delayed the scheduled trip.
April 22nd, the departure date of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force was approaching. Napoleon had already made all the preparations. This time, he requested to act according to the predetermined plan. From Paris, he informed Bruise that I was leaving for Toulon tomorrow evening. I hope to see the fleet ready to sail when I arrive. It was a blunt and impatient document; He would no longer tolerate any excuses. Regardless of whether they were ready or not, the fleet must set off within five days. But the unexpected often happened in Napoleon's life-and now it was happening.
On April 23, a messenger from Vienna sent news that prevented Napoleon from leaving the French capital. The news said that on April 13th, the Victorians, who had just suffered a defeat, tore down the French flag in front of the embassy where Minister Bernadotte was located. The flag was raised in front of the French embassy in 1796 by Minister Bernadotte according to the order of the Directorate-General. This foolish action was done by the impulsive Viennese patriots, but Bernadotte had no choice but to close the embassy and leave Hapburg in protest.
Paris reacted strongly to this matter. The Directorate-General immediately ordered the mobilization of troops from the straits to the Austrian border. The dark clouds of war loomed over Europe, and the envoys of the Palace of the Luxurg shuttled back and forth. Napoleon ordered his confidential secretary, Brenner, to postpone his departure. The Palace of the Luxerburgh urgently summoned Napoleon to discuss countermeasures and ordered him to stay in Paris.
The next day, a diplomatic envoy from the Kingdom of Austria rushed to Paris from Vienna with a formal apology from the Austrian government. The Governor heaved a sigh of relief because the last thing they wanted was for Europe to start a war again. On the same day, the Directorate-General summoned Napoleon again and informed him that he was ready to leave for Rushtat immediately to discuss with the Austrian government... in order to resolve all problems between the two countries, including the French intervention in Rome (the French arrested the Pope in Rome and established the Roman Republic), the problems of Napoli, Tuscany, and Switzerland. Hence, Napoleon went all out to negotiate and sign the agreement.
For Napoleon, this was a godsend opportunity. If he could successfully negotiate and sign an all-encompassing international treaty, he would become famous. The Victorians were most afraid of this short Corsican, and Talleyrand and Ballas in the Directorate-General wanted to take advantage of this to maximize their benefits. Under such circumstances, Napoleon naturally put the Egyptian expedition aside for the time being. Nevertheless, Napoleon did not give up his plan for the expedition to Egypt. Instead, he told Kléber of Toulon that the expedition would only be postponed for a few days. At the same time, he entrusted Kléber to temporarily take over his full command and continue to prepare for war, ready to set off at any time. After sending Bruise a brief explanation, he concentrated on his new goal.
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