Fouché was indeed a prominent figure in the history of France. From the French Revolution to the First Empire, during that time, there were only three unyielding political figures: Talleyrand, Carnot, and Fouché.
Like Talleyrand, Fouché came from a theological college. However, unlike Talleyrand, Fouché was of common birth, so naturally, he never rose to the position of dean, bishop, or archbishop. Moreover, Fouché wasn't a skilled speaker—a significant weakness for a priest. So, he couldn't even secure the position of a parish priest. Until he left the church, he remained a novice priest.
However, his years at the theological college left a deep mark on him. The impression it left on Fouché was almost identical to the one Talleyrand had: a lack of faith and an utter disregard for means. Therefore, in the later course of history, he was often mentioned alongside Talleyrand as a chameleon.
He was once a close friend of Robespierre, so close that he nearly became Robespierre's brother-in-law. However, he chose to follow the more influential Lafayette. After Lafayette began to lose power, he became friends with Girondin leader Condorcet. On the night before the trial of Louis XVI, he publicly advocated for clemency towards the king. Yet, the next day when the vote came, he supported the death penalty, proclaiming, "To save France, we must cut off the tyrant's head!" During the Reign of Terror, he was even more radical than Robespierre, and more so than Danton. In Lyon, he ordered the beheading of thousands of individuals and proposed almost complete abolition of private property, advocating the equal distribution of all wealth.
However, Robespierre never forgot his past betrayals. After suppressing Danton, Robespierre intended to eliminate Fouché as well. But he considered Danet more dangerous, so he temporarily spared Fouché and focused on dealing with Danet. This gave Fouché time. After Danet's death, Fouché used people's fear and his extraordinary abilities to weave a web of rebellion. He finally defeated the great demon Robespierre in the Thermidorian Reaction. Many people, including Lazare Carnot and Napoleon's benefactor Barras, played significant roles in this conspiracy. However, all the threads ultimately led to Fouché; he was the mastermind.
But Robespierre's fall did not lead to Fouché's rise to prominence. People couldn't forget his actions in Lyon. While Fouché managed to keep his head (in contrast, Carnot came close to losing his), he lost all his positions.
Still, Fouché did not give up. Over the years, he secretly assisted Barras in investigating his political enemies' various secrets. Because of these services, he was eventually reinstated by Barras and appointed as head of the police department.
In Fructidor, he assisted Napoleon in overthrowing the Directory and continued as Minister of Police. He then helped Napoleon sideline Barras and retained his position as Minister of Police even after Napoleon's coronation as Emperor. After the restoration of Louis XVIII, he astonishingly retained this position until the "Law of the Regicides" finally ended his political career.
However, if one considers him just a chameleon or a clown due to these shifts, it would be underestimating him. In fact, whether Robespierre, Barras, or Napoleon, none of them trusted Fouché, but they had no choice but to rely on his unparalleled abilities. If Carnot was a military logistics genius, then Fouché was a genius in covert operations and public security control. He established one of the most intricate surveillance networks in the world at the time, with even Josephine, the Queen, serving as one of his informants.
Every ruler, from Robespierre to Napoleon, doubted, feared, and were wary of Fouché, but they couldn't afford not to use him. Even Charles X, who loathed everyone remotely connected to the Revolution, is said to have exclaimed, "How I wish I had a Fouché." Of course, when he said this, he probably didn't realize that if he had a Fouché in his service, the cunning and greedy Fouché would have betrayed him long ago, with a little extra pocket change.
Fouché led the way, and more people followed. Joseph counted and saw that those standing with Lafayette far exceeded his vote count. After all, at this moment, Lafayette's influence far exceeded Robespierre's.
Lafayette's eyes turned to Joseph, who was still standing in place. Joseph knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.
He stepped forward, but instead of heading toward Lafayette, he walked towards the podium.
"May I say a few words?" Joseph asked, looking solemn, addressing the new club president, Robespierre.
"Of course, the club is a place for free expression," Robespierre replied.
Joseph nodded and ascended the podium, gripping its edges. He looked out at the audience, then began to speak, "Today, I'm truly astounded to witness such a shameful spectacle! Yes, a shameful spectacle! I noticed that in the recent vote, Lafayette received far fewer votes than the number of people now standing by his side. I have to ask, what made those who initially voted for Mr. Robespierre change their stance in such a short time? What changed your beliefs? Look at your feeble expressions, are you still people of morals? You should be ashamed!"
Joseph then turned to Lafayette, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke firmly, "Your Excellency Lafayette, my political stance has always been clear to you. But please forgive me for what I'm about to say. Today, Mr. Robespierre proposed an anonymous vote because he believed that some may fear your power and not express their true opinions. Unfortunately, this fear became a reality. However, your actions after the vote, even though I believe it wasn't your intention, are effectively using your power to coerce people. I believe your actions are hasty and improper. Furthermore, among the people standing by your side, there are some I despise. Therefore, please forgive me, I cannot stand by your side. I don't want to be associated with these people. I'm sorry!"
Having said this, Joseph bowed to Lafayette and then descended from the podium, returning to his previous position.
"Clap, clap, clap," Robespierre led the applause, and the others who had not joined Lafayette also began to applaud. Lafayette gave Joseph a glance and then left with those by his side. At that moment, someone began to whistle.
"Mr. Bonaparte, you spoke so well!" a voice said to Joseph as he stood by.
Joseph turned and saw Saint-Just standing beside him.
...
After playing his part, Joseph didn't linger at the Jacobin Club. He quickly left, using the excuse of having many other matters to attend to, and returned to his residence.
"How did it go?" Napoleon asked.
"Lafayette left with most of the club members; the Jacobin Club has officially split," Joseph said. "Even though we had an anonymous vote, when Lafayette left, he directly said, 'Those who want to follow me, come to my side.' Damn it, I had to pick a side, even though I hate taking sides."
"Did you stand with Robespierre?" Napoleon asked. "Joseph, I don't understand why you're so... afraid of someone like Robespierre."
Napoleon seemed to struggle for the right words, and then continued, "You know, there are plenty of representatives like him. In terms of weight, he's nowhere near Lafayette. Why would you risk offending your superiors to stand with him?"
Joseph shook his head and said, "Napoleon, you don't understand. These two are different. Lafayette may have more weight now, but the future is with Robespierre."
At this point, he lowered his voice and continued, "I need to tell you something, and you have to remember it, but don't tell anyone."
"What is it? You're making a big deal out of this!" Napoleon pretended to be nonchalant, but he leaned in closer and lowered his voice as well.
"I have a strange feeling, Napoleon, my brother. I don't know if you can understand this; it may sound irrational. But Robespierre gives me this feeling. It's like a poisonous snake hidden in the bushes... no, that's not accurate. If he were just a snake, we could easily crush it, like the young Heracles did with the serpents near his cradle. But Robespierre isn't a snake; he's not that insignificant. He's... he's a lurking Nidhogg."
Napoleon laughed, "You're exaggerating, Joseph."
Joseph replied, "You'll see. There will come a day when he rises like Nidhogg, with wings laden with the dead and spewing the venomous flames of centuries of French resentment that have accumulated beneath the ground. He will sweep across all of France, bringing a true twilight of the gods. Most of the larger-than-life figures, god-like, will lose their heads in this feast, until the earth grows tired of this excess of blood, and he will plunge headfirst into the bottomless abyss, just as Nidhogg did when the world was born anew. Before that, we must stay out of his flames, and under no circumstances should we stand in opposition to him, at least not until the earth is sated, or even weary, of the blood of gods."
"In that case, Joseph, why stay in Asgard? Why not hide in a tree hollow in advance?" Napoleon asked.
Asgard is the location of Odin's temple in Norse mythology and the most intense and deadly battlefield during Ragnarök. It is said that after the end of Ragnarök, some people hid in a hollow of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, to escape death and rebuild the new world.
"My brother, the twilight of the gods is not a brief event. I must prepare enough reserves for the days in the hollow and for the new era. Besides Asgard, where else can you obtain them? Napoleon, if you only want to be a commoner in the new world, the requirements are simple. But if you want to ascend to the Golden Palace and sit on Odin's vacant throne after the twilight is over, then now is not the time to hide."
"You sound like a fanatic, just like a priest," Napoleon said.
"What, you don't believe me?" Joseph asked.
"I believe you're quite the showman, that's what you are," Napoleon replied. Joseph knew that Napoleon probably believed at least some of what he had said. With his flair for classical and Norse mythology, Napoleon was prone to be attracted to the mysterious and fantastical "intuition."