Chapter 957: The Road to Heaven (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
The road to Jerusalem is open!
Jerusalem has been conquered 37 times in history, and now... it is the 38th time.
It is only a few dozen kilometers from Haifa to Jerusalem. It only takes one day if you are fast, and two days if you are slow.
The motorcade of the French Emperor and the Pope, escorted by the Royal Guards, headed towards Jerusalem.
When the convoy passed through some local villages, the villagers all looked at these foreign invaders with hostility.
Their eyes were full of hatred, and if it weren't for the large group of cuirassiers guarding them, they would have thrown stones at the convoy.
Throwing stones is their tradition, whether it is stoning to death men and women who have committed adultery, or expressing anger and dissatisfaction. In fact, throwing stones in their tradition itself carries the meaning of humiliation, and has nothing to do with the fighting power of the stone. Don't think that throwing stones is a sign of sympathy. Throwing stones at people is more humiliating than the stone itself.
Of course, now, even if these people picked up a stone from the ground, they just held the stone in their hands, and then what?
What else could they do but watch the invaders march past them in broad daylight?
Can't do anything.
As the huge convoy drove towards Jerusalem along the dilapidated road, in a room in the Old City of Jerusalem, a man wearing a headscarf looked at the people in the room and said.
"We must do this no matter what. Only in this way will the whole world know that we will never yield to those pagans and let them trample on our holy land!"
As he spoke, he spread out a map and pointed at it.
"They will hold a celebration here. All we need is to send the explosives from here, through this sewer, and catch them all on their way to the church!"
The man's words made all the bearded men in the room look very excited. This thing can be done!
It couldn't be easier. It's not like fighting in a war, which requires technical skills!
But we are good at setting off explosives and causing destruction. We are professionals. More than a thousand years ago, there were churches here, but they were all destroyed by us... no, our ancestors who came out of the desert.
…
"I prepared 500 kilograms of explosives for them!"
In the office of a British company in Jerusalem, Lawrence looked at his boss, Major Weinberg and said.
"According to the plan, these explosives will be placed here, and when the French emperor's motorcade passes by, they will detonate the explosives, just like Guy Fawkes..."
Guy Fawkes was a famous saboteur in British history. He was a member of the Catholic "conspiracy organization" that attempted to implement the Gunpowder Plot. The "conspiracy organization" planned to assassinate James I and all members of the upper and lower houses of the English Parliament by sending gunpowder under the Parliament and killing everyone.
Now, Lawrence was just copying Guy Fawkes' plan. Compared with the black powder used hundreds of years ago, the yellow dynamite he used now was definitely more powerful.
"Do you know what might happen after this plan is implemented?"
Major Weinberg reminded.
"Of course, sir, I know what will happen. The French will definitely retaliate wildly, but who will they retaliate against? They are nothing more than those sheep herders. Their lives have nothing to do with us. The more intense their revenge is, the more beneficial it will be to Britain. Sir, every time they kill a person, it means pushing a family to the opposite side of them. In the future, this place is likely to be like Spain during the Napoleonic Wars, and fall into a long guerrilla war, which will eventually exhaust France's strength and wealth."
Major Weinberg nodded, and even though he knew Lawrence was right, he still seemed a little hesitant.
"Lawrence, the Pope is there, just in case..."
"Sir, if... one day I need to go to hell, for the British Empire - I am willing!"
The reason why any empire is powerful is that there are tens of thousands of imperial consumables like Lawrence who are willing to sacrifice themselves in the machine of this empire. They can always find the value of sacrificing everything in the grand narrative of the empire.
On February 22, 1877, Jerusalem became a sea of flags. The French tricolor flag, the cross flag, and the papal flag were flying in this ancient city. On this day, the Crusaders once again descended on this city.
The narrow streets were lined with French soldiers and even the Pope's Swiss mercenaries. Under their protection, Emperor Napoleon IV and Pope Pius IX rode in magnificent carriages along the ancient cobblestone road towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Emperor Napoleon IV, who was sitting in the car, could not hide his excitement even now. He succeeded!
Success!
Now in France he - Napoleon Eugene Louis Jean Joseph Bonaparte has become an object of worship for all French people. Just like his grandfather, he has won the hearts of the people and conquered all French people with his glorious victories.
From now on, no one can shake the throne of the Bonaparte family.
Looking out the window, he could see the soldiers on the roadside casting admiring glances at him. To the soldiers, he used to be just the emperor of France, but now? He was the emperor of the soldiers. Just like Emperor Napoleon I, he conquered the army.
They were willing to serve the emperor.
It's all so wonderful.
For Emperor Napoleon IV, this was something he had never enjoyed before.
Loved by the people, admired by the army, followed by politicians!
"Soon, when we get to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, I will announce it to the world..."
Eugene said in a slightly lowered tone while talking to himself.
"In the name of the French Empire, I dedicate this city, Jerusalem, to God!"
What is a filial son to God? This is a true filial son to God!
Dedicating Jerusalem to God actually meant dedicating it to the Papal States. Eugene believed that when this news was announced, the conservatives and clergy in France would cheer for this decision and become the most loyal supporters of the royal family.
From then on, the throne of the Bonaparte family was stable and as solid as a rock!
"When you return from Jerusalem, you will be a hero throughout Europe!"
Silently repeating his father's words three years ago after his father's funeral, Eugene's face showed a slight smile.
"It's a pity that you're not here, otherwise you would have witnessed all this... But mother..."
Thinking of his mother taking an airship to Ming Dynasty to accompany her beloved lover, Eugene smiled.
"At least you are also very happy now. Well, everything is going well!"
While Eugene was eager to show off his achievements to adults like a child who had just achieved success, he didn't know that someone was eyeing him in a house on the roadside.
“It’s finally here!”
Looking at the huge convoy, Ahmed's eyes were filled with fanaticism. He stared at the convoy that was getting closer and closer, licking his lips from time to time. When the emperor's convoy drove near the bomb, he did not immediately press the detonator box, but continued to wait. Until the Pope's convoy also approached the explosion area, he twisted the detonator hard.
In an instant, the violent explosion not only engulfed the ancient streets, but also blew up all the nearby buildings. The power of hundreds of kilograms of yellow explosives was extremely shocking, and even the entire Old City of Jerusalem was shocked by the explosion.
Screams were heard everywhere in the thick smoke. Those who survived the explosion had not even come to their senses yet. They looked around blankly in the smoke. There were corpses everywhere, those of the Guards, Swiss mercenaries, officers and clergy. Amid the miserable cries, there were more screams.
"Emperor...Your Majesty..."
People searched for the emperor's car in the ruins of the explosion...
(End of this chapter)
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