Chapter 196 We care more about the effectiveness of means
The man in the cell raised his head with difficulty and glanced in Lawrence's direction.
There was almost no change of emotion visible on his pale face.
However, Lawrence still caught a moment of brilliance from his cloudy eyes.
It seems that even after being tortured, this man still has an endless desire to survive.
"Save him alive? Well, I don't care."
Duke Choiseul nodded, shrugged and said:
"But if you want to squeeze something more out of him, you will be disappointed. He really knows nothing and doesn't even know who the Duke of Richelieu is."
"It's okay, Your Excellency the Duke." Lawrence squinted at the man for a while, shook his head and said:
"It doesn't matter what he knows now, what matters is what we want him to know. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to him alone."
"Of course, if you can stand the stench here."
Duke Choiseul sighed slightly, seemingly not having any expectations for Lawrence's interrogation, and then turned around and said:
"Don't waste too much time on him, Governor Bonaparte. Philip and I are waiting for you in the drawing room."
As the sound of footsteps gradually weakened, only Lawrence and the dying man in front of him were left in the dark and damp dungeon.
Lawrence found a decayed and blackened wooden chair, sat in front of the fence, and said:
"You don't want to die yet, do you?"
The man gently tapped his chin twice, with a very small movement and a weak look.
"What's the name?"
"Oga..." The man opened his mouth, took a deep breath, and said weakly:
"Oga Kumas..."
"Very well, Oga, do you know who I am?" Lawrence then asked.
Oga Kumas hesitated for a while, nodded, then immediately shook his head and said:
"I've only heard... that he's a big shot."
"It's not a big shot, but it's enough to get you out of this dungeon, or even out of the sewer. Do you know what that means?"
Lawrence stared closely into Oga's eyes and said seductively:
"As long as you obey my wishes, understand?"
"Understood, I understand..."
Oga also raised his head and looked at Lawrence. Whether it was because of excitement or fatigue, he was in a daze for a while, and then said excitedly.
Lawrence nodded with satisfaction, knowing that a person like Oga who was dying and in desperate situation would definitely grasp his only life-saving straw.
And judging from the striking scars on his body, the Duke of Choiseul probably lynched him.
Lawrence appeared at this time to save his life and promised him some future benefits, which naturally allowed him to fully cooperate with him.
This is also a simple psychological trick of singing red face and then singing red face.
After sorting out his thoughts for a while, Lawrence asked:
"How did you get your status as the King of Beggars? Did someone grant it to you?"
"No...Sir." Oga said with difficulty:
"According to the rules, the King of Beggars is elected... Since the previous King of Beggars disappeared, the thieves and thieves in the sewers and the beggars gathered together and elected me to be the new King of Beggars..."
"I didn't expect him to be an elected leader."
Lawrence chuckled and said:
"So, you are very popular in the sewers?"
Oga smiled wryly and shook his head twice and said:
"Maybe it's because I'm a sewer moderate."
"Moderates?"
"That's it..." Oga closed his eyes and thought for a while, then explained as concisely as possible:
"I oppose those acts of murder and arson, and advocate that we be self-reliant... At most, I only support some petty theft... There are still many people who have this idea. After all, we are just ordinary citizens..."
After saying that, Oga looked at Lawrence carefully and added:
"I know that someone in the organization attacked you a few days ago...but I don't know the specific details...Although I am in the same organization as that group of robbers, we have no intersection at all. I can swear to God, I
Absolutely no lies."
"Really?" Lawrence stared at Oga thoughtfully for a while. Judging from his tone and demeanor as well as the current situation, Oga was indeed not lying.
And if everything he said was true, Lawrence felt that this man had another purpose.
After all, although Lawrence now has a prominent position in the upper class, his contact and connection with the people at the bottom is far from enough.
You know, among the current population of 26 million in France, the number of people in the third class is as high as 25 million.
Although their political power and wealth combined are not as good as those of the first and second classes with a population of one million, the power of the masses cannot be ignored no matter where they are.
And this power will be fully released in the great revolution that will shock Europe in the future.
As the saying goes, history has its contingency and its inevitability.
Judging from the current financial problems and class conflicts in France, Lawrence speculated that the Great Revolution was bound to happen, but due to his own influence, the time of occurrence and the intensity of the revolution would be different from history.
Therefore, obtaining status and trust in the hearts of the third class people was also included in Lawrence's memorandum.
The Oga and his poor people's organization in front of Lawrence might be able to play some role.
Although the Duke of Choiseul had cleaned up the sewers, it was impossible to arrest all of Oga's men, and even those who were sent to the police station would not all be sentenced and imprisoned.
Therefore, Oga, the king of beggars, still has considerable power and is still valuable.
Of course, Lawrence is still more concerned about another value of Oga.
"Since you have become the King of Beggars, you should know that your organization has a sponsor behind the scenes, right?" Lawrence asked with a frown.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "This..." Oga looked embarrassed, struggled and shook his head and said:
"I have indeed heard some rumors, but after all, I have only been in office for less than a week...and when the previous King of Beggars disappeared, he took away all the ledgers and records..."
After hearing Oga's answer, Lawrence was not particularly surprised.
It can only be said that Duke Richelieu acted much more rigorously and meticulously than Count Falcone, and indeed he did not leave any obvious clues.
Even if the Royal Guardsmen really carry out a thorough investigation, they will probably lose all the clues they can find on Oga, and at most they can implicat Jean Du Barry based on rumors.
"But...you should have heard of Jean Du Barry's name, right?"
Lawrence suddenly looked at Oga and asked.
"Jean Du Barry..." Oga nodded without hesitation, glanced at Lawrence, and said slowly:
"People say that he is the sponsor of the Beggar King, but I have never had contact with him... and I have no evidence that he has contact with the previous Beggar Kings..."
"No evidence is needed, Oga, I hope you will remember it from this moment on."
Lawrence interrupted Oga directly and said:
"Jean Du Barry is your sponsor, and the attack that night was directly ordered by Jean Du Barry, no matter who asks."
"This...I...understand."
After hesitating for a moment, Oga nodded heavily twice.
Although he lives at the bottom, his mind has not been corroded and dulled by the miasma in the sewers.
It was obvious that the gentleman in front of him was asking him to accuse that Jean Du Barry.
Although Oga knew nothing about politics and had no idea of the Lord's intentions, at this moment he had no choice but to accept it.
However, Oga still said cautiously and worriedly:
"I understand what you mean, sir...but I have never met Jean Dubarry. If someone really asks me...I will definitely turn out to be a gangster."
"You'll see him soon."
After throwing away these words that puzzled Oga, Lawrence stood up straight away, and then added before leaving:
"Be smart, and I'll let you see the world beyond the dungeons and sewers."
...
"So, Governor Bonaparte, have you gained anything?"
Sitting in the spacious and bright living room, Duke Choiseul was in a much better mood than before. While drinking hot tea, he asked Lawrence who had just climbed out of the dungeon.
"He agreed to accuse Jean Du Barry." Lawrence also picked up a cup of hot tea and said succinctly.
"He wants to accuse Jean Du Barry? I don't think that's a gain."
Duke Choiseul put down his teacup, frowned and said:
"Jean Du Barry is also a well-known figure in Paris. The accusation made by a sewer rat against him is an accusation without any evidence. I'm afraid it won't even make a splash."
Although the Duke of Choiseul was completely dismissive of Jean Du Barry, he also knew that it was still a fantasy to accuse him just by being the leader of a gang organization.
After all, Jean Du Barry owns quite a few properties in Paris. In addition to his rich wealth, he also has a lot of political capital. He single-handedly brought Madame Du Barry into the upper class. This relationship alone can bring her to the upper class.
He moved freely through Paris.
Even the Duke of Richelieu gave him a lot of benefits for Madame Du Barry's sake, although the Duke of Richelieu didn't like this pimp and casino operator either.
Facing Duke Choiseul's question, Lawrence just smiled and asked:
"What if Jean Dubarry himself accepted the charge?"
"oh?"
Duke Choiseul scratched his head, spread his hands and said directly:
"Unless you pour him a full bucket of brandy, or his soul is controlled by Satan, I can't see any possibility that he will accept the charges."
"I do think that when a person is desperate, he will definitely do something that goes against common sense."
Lawrence chuckled and shook his head, still insisting on his opinion.
"Despair? A dirty pimp like Jean Dubarry is very tough. Do you have any ideas?"
Duke Choiseul looked at Lawrence very puzzled and asked. Judging from Lawrence's confident expression, it was obvious that he had already had a countermeasure.
Lawrence nodded, then stretched out his hand to signal Duke Choiseul and Jacques Philippe to come over, and then lowered his voice and whispered in their ears.
There was a very brief silence in the living room, and the Duke of Choiseul and General Jacques Philippe could not help but frown after hearing this.
Before the Duke of Choiseul could express his opinion, General Jacques Philippe took the lead and stared at Lawrence, shook his head and said:
"You are very suitable to join the intelligence department of the military, young man. This kind of direct violence is not something that a politician would propose."
Even Jacques Philippe, a veteran soldier, felt that Lawrence's methods were a bit too radical.
"Politicians don't care whether the means are violent or gentle when making decisions."
Lawrence smiled and said:
"We only care about whether the means are effective or ineffective."
"This will indeed be an effective means, Lawrence."
Duke Choiseul said after thinking for a long time:
"But Philippe is right. The risks are very high, and the Duke of Richelieu will not sit idly by."
Duke Choiseul's concerns were also expected by Lawrence, so Lawrence immediately replied:
"I have a way to prevent Duke Richelieu from interfering."
"Huh? What can I do?"
Duke Choiseul was stunned for a moment and asked quickly. Even he himself couldn't think of a suitable solution for a while.
Lawrence did not answer directly, but suddenly changed the topic and said:
"If I remember correctly, the current Foreign Secretary is very familiar with you, right?"
At the moment, the Duke of Choiseul is the First Minister of France and the Minister of War, and the Foreign Minister at this time is the Duke of Choiseul's cousin, Caesar Gabriel.
In other words, France's foreign affairs are still in the hands of the Duke of Choiseul.
"Yes, he is my cousin...wait..."
Duke Choiseul nodded, suddenly realizing why Lawrence mentioned the Foreign Secretary.
Then Duke Choiseul thought to himself for a while, then laughed and said with understanding:
"So it turns out that as long as the Foreign Minister signs an order for the house on the Champs Elysées, the Duke of Richelieu will not dare to interfere even if he has a hundred courages."
"Exactly, Your Excellency."
Lawrence smiled and acknowledged:
"I told you before that my status as a foreigner can still bring a lot of convenience to the political situation in Paris."
"It's true, hahahaha." Duke Choiseul, who was in a good mood, patted Lawrence on the back and said jokingly:
"But Lawrence, it's like you passed through my empty mansion."
"Okay, I think I can pay." Lawrence shrugged and said casually with a smile.
"Oh, forget it, I know you have a lot of money, but just think of that mansion as a gift to you."
Duke Choiseul waved his hand arrogantly and said grandly:
"A mansion is nothing as long as it can seriously injure that old bastard Richelieu."
As for General Jacques Philippe on the side, he was still thinking deeply about Lawrence's entire plan.
It wasn't until he figured it out clearly that General Jacques Philippe raised his head and couldn't help but take a closer look at Lawrence.
Only then did he realize that this young man was far more than just a brave commander as he thought.
"No wonder my brother admires him so much. There is no doubt that such a person has a broad future in the military."
General Jacques Philippe could not help but sigh silently:
"I really look forward to working with this young man in the military. I wonder if I will have the opportunity."