War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Hugo's father was a general under Napoleon who was good at fighting, and his mother was the eldest daughter of an ancient wealthy family. The union of the two should have been a typical fairy tale of a prince and a princess before, but later it was regarded as a sweet love story between the tyrant and Bai Fumei.

It's just that the union of the two occurred during the special period of the French Revolution. A Republican general and a traditional aristocrat had a fierce collision.

"Republic is the future of France!"

“The Bourbons are French orthodoxy!”

"You are feudal and backward!"

"You are barbaric and cruel!"

"You are ignorant!"

"It's ridiculous!"

(Barbaric cruelty refers to the extreme rule of the Jacobins, and ridiculous refers to Napoleon's restoration of the monarchy.)

In the end, Hugo's parents chose to part ways, and then he became a royalist under the guidance of his mother. As soon as the Bourbons were restored, Hugo published many articles praising the monarchy.

In the eyes of the unaccompanied Bourbon royal family, Hugo was simply the light of France, and they immediately labeled him a "child prodigy" at such a young age.

However, as he grew older, Hugo began to lean toward liberalism. During the July Revolution of 1830, he enthusiastically praised the revolutionaries and hoped to establish a republic.

This seemed to Louis Philippe of the Orleans dynasty to be treason, and he tried to marginalize it.

Hugo then wrote "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", which satirized the church and feudal kingship. He was thrown into Arkham Prison by the angry church and king, and for a time he became Louis Bonaparte's cellmate.

(This period does not exist in history, but history changed. As France captured Texas and suppressed the uprising in Lyon, Louis Philippe's confidence grew for a time.)

But after all, Hugo was born into a noble family and had an astonishing talent in literature. So Louis Philippe turned to a policy of co-optation.

First, Hugo became an academician of the French Academy of Sciences, and then made him a hereditary noble. Not long ago, he became a member of the House of Lords.

Louis Philippe was very willing to portray himself as a people-friendly king, so he chose to talk to the young man who once mocked him like an old friend.

Paris France.

In the Tuileries Palace, Louis-Philippe took Hugo's arm, led him into the antechamber, and formally introduced the genius at the King's ball.

Everyone in the audience knew that this was Louis Philippe's way of winning people's hearts, but no one exposed it.

But for Victor Hugo, who had been nurtured by the royal party since childhood, at that moment he really hoped that Louis Philippe could restore the glory of France as he said.

In the following social time, Louis-Philippe explained his ideas to the Orléansists:

“I thought taking Tahiti was a mistake, I thought the people would support it, but no one cared.

People only care about what to eat at night and the price of potatoes. What use is it to France to have a desolate place far away? Maybe it’s time to make a break.”

This naturally won applause from the Orleanists, bankers and businessmen who had long had issues with this negative-yielding territory.

If possible, they really hope that Louis Philippe can also give up Central America. After all, the long-term guerrilla war in El Salvador is constantly depleting France's national power.

The wars in Algeria and Morocco at this time were also a pointless waste for them, and all efforts should be made to develop the North American colonies and turn them into excellent lands like Texas and Serampore.

It's just that no Frenchman with any dreams would choose to do this. Hugo stood up and said instead of applauding.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Isn't it the duty of us French people to spread the light of French civilization to the world?"

Hugo's words made Louis Philippe very embarrassed, but fortunately, someone immediately stood up to refute the former.

"Monsieur Hugo! Of what use are those islands like a smudge to great France?"

"Dear Mr. Clarence, that was also said of Venice before the seventh century AD, of Holland in the sixteenth century, and of England in the eighteenth century."

Clarence: "So what?"

Hugo: "It is not ignorance that hinders France's progress, but arrogance!"

Hugo, who was thrown out of the Tuileries Palace, felt that he was not wrong, so he planned to go to the most conservative, feudal and backward country in the world to have a look.

After a two-month journey by carriage, Hugo finally arrived at the place where Napoleon's dream began - the port of Toulon.

The moment he stepped onto the clipper boat, he felt like flying, and the whistling sound of the wind reflected France's speed.

"How wonderful! If only France had such fast ships at the time of the Battle of Trafalgar!"

The sailor on the side couldn't help but interject.

"Monsieur Hugo, this ship cannot fight."

"what why?"

"Everything about the clipper ship is designed to increase the speed of the ship. The hull is designed to be too slender and the height of the hull is too low. These conditions are not conducive to the installation of artillery."

"But we can use the high maneuverability of the clipper ships to break through the British blockade and transport all the French warriors to the other side, right?"

The sailor scratched his head, not knowing what to say, when the captain struck the former on the head with his pipe.

"Mr. Hugo is a member of the French Academy of Sciences. Isn't he as good as you? Don't let it affect people's mood."

The sailors had no choice but to leave in disbelief. They did not know Hugo, but thought he was a sophisticated man from Paris who was not familiar with the world.

The captain was a descendant of the Troupez family, and his ancestor was a hero in France. He had also been to Paris, so he knew Hugo's name.

"Monsieur Hugo, my name is Aoife de Troupez. It is an honor to have you on board my ship."

"You are too kind, Mr. Troupez. This time I am going to the Austrian Empire next door. What do you think of it?"

Aoife de Tropez immediately frowned, as if he was recalling something bad.

At this time, the French fleet returned. The Grand Eastern Fleet was the main force of France's proud navy, consisting of 25 sailing battleships.

Seeing the behemoths of more than two thousand tons passing by on both sides of the ship, with the sails covering the sky and the sun, Hugo felt so heroic that he wanted to compose a poem.

However, Captain Troupez never answered his question, but Hugo didn't care. After all, it felt good to stand on the bow of the ship and enjoy the sea breeze.

Looking at the endless sea always inspires men's desire for adventure. To challenge the legendary Kraken, or like in Odyssey

However, while crossing the Strait of Otranto, Hugo encountered a scene he would never forget.

The huge steam ships emitting black smoke were like black iron cities rising from the ground. Even the passing water could disturb the stability of the ship under his feet.

At this time, Friedrich was in the captain's cabin on the top floor of the ship, overlooking all the living beings at his feet. He happened to meet Hugo's eyes, and both sides waved subconsciously.

When Hugo arrived at the Port of Venice, his legs were weak and there was a feeling of oppression in his chest that could not be dissipated for a long time.