章 55: Chapter 55: The Real and Fake Fouché
Chapter 55: The Real and Fake Fouché
It wasn't just that people needed to be checked to enter the bank—just seeing those thuggish-looking police officers standing at the door was enough to make no one even want to approach Laville Bank.
All morning, not a single transaction was made at the bank.
Of course, the so-called robbers didn't show up either.
The bank manager couldn't take it anymore. He approached the chubby officer with a forced smile and said, "Officer, I think the robbers may have given up…"
The chubby officer glared at him, "How do you know the robbers gave up? Are you in contact with them?"
"No, no, absolutely not!" The manager jumped, quickly explaining with a pained expression, "But with you standing here, the robbers won't come, and the customers are all scared away too."
"That's not my problem. If I don't stand here and your bank gets robbed, then my salary's at risk."
Hearing this, the manager got the hint. He turned around, fetched a bag of silver coins, and quietly slipped it into the chubby officer's hand, whispering, "I can make up for your salary."
The officer was delighted. Ever since he had been assigned to the "Routine Affairs Squad," he had spent more than half a month dredging rivers and hadn't even received a proper police uniform.
This time, the police commissioner had personally assigned him the task, given him a uniform and equipment, and even hinted that he could make some extra cash. So naturally, he wasn't going to refuse the bank manager's bribe.
However, even after taking the money, he didn't move. The manager became anxious. "I've already compensated you for your salary, so why don't you go take a break?"
"How could I?" The officer puffed out his chest righteously, "You've been so kind to me, I absolutely can't let the robbers harm you!"
Frustrated, the manager sent someone to notify the general manager, Etienne.
Etienne also tried to bribe the officer, but it didn't work, so he had no choice but to report it to the board of directors...
Meanwhile, the same situation was happening at the Laborde Bank. A group of police officers had set up camp, "protecting" the bank so thoroughly that not even a fly could get in.
The next day, the police claimed they had received a tip that the robbers might dig a tunnel to steal from the vault. So, they dug a four-meter-deep trench around the bank to search for the tunnel.
Of course, no tunnel was found, and the bank had to cover the construction costs.
For three days straight, neither bank had a single customer. The higher-ups from the banks went to protest to the police commissioner, Bessonçon, but his response was, "For your safety, please cooperate."
Around noon, a reporter arrived at Laville Bank for an interview, but before he could ask any questions, the chubby officer pulled him aside and started whispering a long story.
He talked about how during the Saint-Antoine district's gang sweep, they found secret letters linking the gang to foreign criminals. He also mentioned that the Osman gang had already infiltrated Paris, and not only were they planning to rob the bank, but they had also threatened to kill everyone inside...
The reporter hadn't expected such explosive news. Excited, he slipped a few silver coins to the chubby officer and rushed back to his newspaper office to write the story.
Soon, all of Paris was buzzing about the Osman gang. People avoided the two banks like they were cursed, not daring to come within 30 meters of them, for fear of being caught up in a potential robbery.
Joseph had no idea that Bessonçon had sent people to "teach the banks a lesson."
After leaving the Paris Police Academy and returning to Versailles, Joseph found a short man waiting for him. The man wore an old gray coat, had thinning hair, and a plain, honest-looking face.
Joseph took a moment to remember his name and then smiled, "Captain Prosper, what brings you here? Do you have news about that matter?"
This unremarkable-looking man was one of the three senior spies the Minister of War had promised to assign to Joseph, and he had only arrived in Paris two days ago.
Given the communication and transportation conditions of the time, he was the first to arrive. Half of the spies sent by the Minister of War were still on their way.
Prosper bowed respectfully and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, "Your Highness, I've already found the man you were looking for."
"So quickly?" Joseph was surprised.
In this era, there was no such thing as a town resident database, not even complete census records. Yet, this man had managed to find the person in just two days based on a name and a few characteristics. No wonder even Saint-Priest didn't want to let go of this ace spy.
"It's nothing, Your Highness. If I were more familiar with Paris, I could have done it in one day," Prosper said, frowning slightly. "However, there's a small complication."
"Oh? What kind of complication?"
Prosper replied, "There are two people named Joseph Fouché who match the description you gave."
Yes, the person Joseph had asked him to find was none other than Fouché, the man who later became the head of Napoleon's intelligence system, played a key role in the 18 Brumaire coup, and even defected to Louis XVIII, earning the nickname "The Butcher of Lyon."
Originally, Joseph had planned to select one of these spies to run his future intelligence agency. But after interacting with them, Joseph realized that while they were skilled in espionage, they weren't very good at management, strategic planning, or personnel allocation.
So, he needed to find a capable leader to ensure the intelligence agency would run smoothly.
He immediately thought of the famous Fouché—a ruthless man capable of building Napoleon's intelligence empire.
Although Fouché had risen to political power after the French Revolution, at this point, he was still an obscure little cleric due to his humble background.
Joseph had sent his newly arrived spies to find him, partly to test their abilities. He didn't expect them to find him so quickly.
However, they now needed to figure out which of the two Fouchés was the one Joseph wanted.
Joseph glanced at the sky and said to Prosper, "Please take me to see them tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The next day.
In a small monastery in the northern part of Paris, Prosper and his team, dressed in plain clothes, found Fouché and brought him to a secluded room.
Prosper looked at the nervous monk and said sternly, "I'm with the royal police. Listen, a few foreign spies have infiltrated your monastery. For now, I'm certain you're not involved.
"But these spies have stolen important information. If we alert them, they might destroy it."
The monk's eyes widened. "Wh-why are you telling me this?"
Prosper handed him a packet. "I need you to poison their food, so we can ensure they all die at the same time."
The monk's face went pale, and he dropped the poison like it was a scorpion. His voice trembled, "No, there are innocent people among them. I-I can't kill them…"
Outside, Joseph shook his head slightly. "It's not him. Let's go."
Emond entered the room and reassured the monk that it was all a joke. He also left him ten livres before leaving with Joseph and the others.
An hour later, at a larger monastery, Prosper repeated the process. The monk in front of him had sunken cheeks, dead fish eyes, and thin lips. When Prosper mentioned poisoning the food, the monk's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Sir, if I assist the secret police, will I be rewarded?"
(End of Chapter)
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Johanssen10
Johanssen10 Sorry for the delay, friends, my brother got sick with hepatitis A, so I just got back from the doctor.
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