Chapter 84 The Warsaw Coup and the Polish Reform...
In the early 19th century, Poland (the Grand Duchy of Warsaw) faced two major problems related to life and death, whether to liberate serfs and how to deal with Russia. Since June 1812, the Russians on the east side of the Neman River were unable to take care of themselves. They were invaded by a large-scale invasion of 500,000 French troops, a large area of land was lost, and the national fate of the Eastern Slavs was confusing, which could be said to be at stake.
On the other hand, the monarchs, Jacobins, liberal aristocrats and others who were loyal to Desai have fully realized that only by taking strong and decisive measures to release the Pan-Polish (Weslav) region, including the current Poland (population 6.2 million), Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Russia occupied the territory of the former Poland, and more than 9 million serfs living in 16 million Polish people can achieve the true revival of Poland and regain the territory occupied by Russia.
This is like Napoleon receiving the rich political legacy of the French Revolution. Those free people who broke free from the restrictions of rural land and handicraft guilds formed a victorious army for the emperor who was good at conquering and fighting and invincible.
After the recapture of Prussian Silesia by Desai, under the lobbying of Princess Maria, Princess Saxony, the ** legion led by General Dongbrovsky was slowly integrating into the camp of the King of Desai, which made the monarch's military strength surpass the traditional aristocratic faction for the first time. Conservatives were surprised to find that in the surrounding areas of Warsaw and Greater Poland, where the serf conditions were the most serious, more than 10 troops loyal to the King of Desai were about to attack from three directions: south, north and west.
In early July 1812, when Napoleon refused to merge with Poland and Lithuania, a group of conservative nobles led by the Colin family, the Valeski family, the Serchiak family, and other families decided to change their course. Perhaps they were inspired by the national justice of reviving the great Poland, perhaps they were satisfied with the political loans carried out by the monarch, or because they were worried about the bloody attacks of the king's army in the Greater Poland region and Warsaw, and then chose to conduct all-round political cooperation with King Desay to avoid an imminent national civil war.
On July 10, the Speaker of the House of Lower House, Earl Mavakhovski, who led the Polish Parliament to Lithuania, returned in a disappointed and disappointed manner as soon as he arrived at his official residence in Warsaw. Because of his fatigue on the journey and his shame and anger, he unfortunately fell ill and fell into a coma.
On the third day, at the regular meeting held by the lower house of parliament, after collective votes by the members of the parliament, the Finance Minister Secchiak became the interim speaker. During this period, Father Kovantai, on behalf of the monarchists and the Jacobins, jointly proposed two shocking motions in the parliamentary debate hall: the plan to liberation of serfs, and the transfer of the responsible cabinet designated by the king to the state executive power and final judicial power.
Once the two discussion cases were announced, the audience was in an uproar in the debate hall.
As one of the staunch conservative aristocrats, MP Kelzeminsky first stood up and voiced his opposition. He shouted furiously: "Damn it, this is a betrayal of the Polish tradition! The control of the serfs under his command is like our innate free breathing and enjoying the power of sunshine. As for national policies, everything must be attributed to the parliament and the nobles!"
The Polish nobleman was tall and strong, showing that he had a very strong will; his gray and messy hair added a bit of a fighter's demeanor to him. So under the instigation of Kerzeminsky, the noble supporters on the side also stood up and waved their flags and shouted. But soon, Kerzeminsky suddenly became short of breath, his face was gray, and his ears were bloodless and almost transparent. That was when he and his supporters suddenly discovered that the traditional aristocratic faction, which was originally occupying half of the seats, had become a complete minority in the lower house of parliament, because the number of members who stood up to oppose the two proposals was obviously less than one-third.
It would be fine if the Valeski family and their allies supported the proposal of the monarch. After all, the old earl had an inseparable family relationship with the King of Desay. However, when the Colin family and the Serchiak family were also silent during the debate, Kerzeminsky and others had to be suspicious, and then they thought about the incident of the Speaker of the House of Commons Mavakhovsky falling ill...
Soon, Kerzeminsky rushed down from the seat of the parliamentary, ran straight to the seat where the speaker sat high, pinched the documents in his hand into paper, threw them over, and shouted at Sechia: "Conspiracy! Shameless conspiracy! You are the rebellion of all Polish nobles!"
The conservative MPs who reacted followed suit, but when they were about to jump out of the MPs' seat, they were blocked by supporters of the monarchies opposite. The two sides abused each other and pushed each other, and various paper groups flew back and forth in the debate hall.
A few minutes later, the quarrel between the two sects of parliament became a full martial arts of fists and feet. Even Speaker Schiak desperately shaking the little copper bell on the platform was useless, and the situation completely developed to the point where it was not subject to parliamentary discipline.
At some point, Lieutenant Colonel Jacques, dressed in military uniform, stood beside Schiak, and he leaned over and whispered: "His Speaker, if the debate hall wants to restore the original law and order, it needs a louder and more intimidating voice than arguments and insults!"
Before Secchiak responded, Jacques made a gesture, and several intelligence agents waiting at the entrance of the passage quickly opened the door of the parliamentary debate hall. In an instant, the sound of drums in front of the parliamentary door was already loud and called for an attack. A large number of armed military police who received the order immediately rushed into the conference hall. They used their bayonets and tall and burly bodies in their hands to forcibly drive the parliamentarians back to their respective seats, and calmed the political riots between the two groups of parliamentarians in their lightning.
The political forces supporting the king expressed their understanding of the sudden incident in which the armed soldiers suddenly intervened in the venue. They sat in their seats and stared proudly at the angry opponents. The stubborn nobles' MPs turned from surprise to anger. They did not understand why they suddenly fell into the isolated minority inexplicably. They could not tolerate so many troops loyal to Desay that they dared to come to the Parliament Building, surrounded and rush into the sacred and solemn Parliament Hall.
Soon, these MPs lost control and shouted hysterically: "Down with tyrants! Defeat the dictator! We are not afraid of bayonets!" Many MPs also tried to speak loudly in the name of the Constitution and condemn them, but it was completely useless.
In the face of absolute force, any appeal to the law was completely overwhelmed by the drums outside the door, the friction of soldiers holding up bright bayonets, and countless slogans supporting His Majesty Desay. Therefore, the traditional Polish aristocrats had to snatch the door and jump out of the conference hall and escape, scattering birds and beasts. However, they were arrested by the guards waiting outside the door and took them back to the parliamentary hall.
In Europe, any plan requires a legal cloak that must be passed by the parliament. Therefore, under the protection of the bayonet, the order of the debate room in the lower house of parliament was rebuilt, and the vote on the two motions proposed by the monarch began.
At 3:10 p.m., the final voting results of the two proposals were released: among the 334 members of the Lower House of Parliament, the overwhelming majority of 245 votes in favor, 67 votes against, and 22 abstentions were passed.
Due to force and threats from bayonets, many timid conservative nobles had to surrender against their will; as for the 67 opposition MPs led by Kerzeminsky, the gendarmerie commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jacques did not give them the opportunity to return home and continue to conspire for connection. As soon as the meeting of the House of Commons ended, the above-mentioned opposition MPs were blocked by the gendarmerie, and then received various false charges, including "traitors to the enemy and conspiracy to rebel", and were then arrested.
Fortunately, Desai, who had already won a full-scale victory, was unable to order the execution of these conservative nobles because of his political face as a monarch and the protests of diplomatic envoys from European countries in Warsaw. Instead, he ordered Lieutenant Colonel Jacques to put opposition members under house arrest in a political prison next to the military camp in the southern suburbs of Warsaw for a long time. There was no trial, but no abuse. Only when Desai's power truly controlled the entire Poland and the serf reform was successfully implemented, these political prisoners were released one after another.
At 9 a.m. the next day, the upper house of the Polish Parliament, chaired by Speaker Duke Colin, unanimously accepted the two motions voted by the lower house of parliament yesterday without any fierce debate, and determined that they were "in line with the spirit of the national constitution and law."
The two speakers also announced that from July 14, 1812, the administrative and judicial power of the Kingdom of Poland (Federal) will be attributed to the King of Poland, His Majesty Andrew Desay and the responsible cabinet he led; in addition, from now on, the parliaments of the two houses instructed all serfs in Poland to accept various instructions from the king, actively cooperate with the work guidance of the "Committee on Studying Peasants' Issues", and gradually liberate the serfs under their respective commands in stages, giving farmers all freedom in law, personality and life.
It was also on this day that all the Polish newspapers that tended to be the monarch Desai published a political statement from the king:
"...Everyone knows that over the past few years, the country's governance has been very bad. You once hoped that Desai's return would end so many disasters. You have unanimously congratulated me on my appointment, and I am completing the tasks given to me by this appointment.
You will complete your mission, and you will assist your king with the kind of perseverance, firmness and faith I have often seen among you. Freedom, victory and peace will re-place the Kingdom of Poland in a position that Europe has occupied, and only incompetence and betrayal can cause her to lose this position...
So, my dear fellows, as a member of Poland, I am very pleased to learn that the members of the two houses of the Parliament passed the two resolutions intended to restore the great Poland to the great Poland, to restore honor and dignity.
Dedicate yourself to serving Poland, maintaining its territorial integrity, defending its government, and defending property that is sacred and inviolable. Fight with all means permitted by justice, reason and law, and defeat any attempt to restore the feudal system or restore its barbaric system. Finally, do your best to safeguard freedom and equality.
Long live Poland!”
Chapter completed!