Chapter 4, Don Quixote and Sancho

This is not because they are hospitable, but rather because two unsophisticated individuals have arrived at the school, which is considered quite amusing by the aristocratic students. It is akin to the young gentlemen and ladies in the Grand View Garden; although none of them regard the impoverished Liu Laolao with any respect, each one eagerly anticipates her visit. The children of these "provincial aristocrats" at the school also greatly need some "Liu Laolao" figures to mock, in order to enrich their empty and tedious extracurricular lives. Although if they were to find themselves among the great aristocrats of Paris, they too would be seen as "country bumpkins".

Indeed, the two individuals have many aspects that can bring joy to the students of this school. Firstly, it is their accents when they speak. The noble students in the school, although all from other provinces, can speak French with a hint of Parisian flavor. As for the Joseph brothers, the elder brother Joseph is slightly better; his French, although it has serious accent issues, can at least be considered French. However, the younger brother Napoleon is different; his French not only carries a strong Corsican accent but is also interspersed with many Corsican words, making it hardly recognizable as French. His French, while also having serious accent problems, can at least still be considered French. But the younger brother Napoleon is different; his French not only carries a strong Corsican accent but is also interspersed with many Corsican words, making it hardly recognizable as French. Therefore, one of the favorite pastimes of the bored classmates in the class is to imitate the accents of the two brothers, as well as their actions, which seem quite rustic in the eyes of these noble offspring.

The image of the two individuals upon their arrival at Auden High School indeed met the expectations of the aristocratic students there. Both had grown up by the seaside and were wild and rugged, resulting in their dark red complexions and skin that lacked the delicacy of their classmates, clearly exhibiting traits associated with the lower class. Furthermore, the noticeable height difference between the two was striking; Joseph was tall and thin, while Napoleon was short and stout. If they were in China, the height difference between the brothers might remind one of Wu Dalang and Wu Erlang from "Water Margin". Here, the students immediately assigned them nicknames: one was called Don Quixote, and the other Sancho.

However, the noble classmates soon abandoned the target of Joseph, as whenever they deliberately provoked him in front of Joseph, such as by mimicking his accent, they never received the response they desired. They hoped to see Joseph react with panic or anger to these actions, as either type of response would provide them with an opportunity for appreciation and bring them endless joy

Generally speaking, the more superficial and less capable a person is, the more they tend to enjoy mocking certain flaws of others, deriving pleasure from it, especially when the person they are mocking clearly surpasses them in ability

These are a group of individuals destined to be abandoned by history. They are not worth even the slightest investment of energy. The thought that such individuals will one day become the upper class of France dissipated my anxiety as I visited Toulon. Moreover, you know that I will not be staying at this school for too long

However, Joseph's reaction was completely beyond their expectations. When they were performing their act in front of Joseph, he did not show any signs of panic or anger; instead, he smiled and appreciated their performance, looking at them as if he were watching monkeys in a circus.

As for Napoleon, although he did not possess the extraordinary and cheating abilities that Joseph had in mind, he was naturally intelligent. Furthermore, after learning from Joseph about the importance of knowledge, especially in mathematics, geography, history, and physics, for warfare, he adopted a very serious attitude towards studying, particularly in these subjects closely related to war. His innate intelligence, combined with a diligent approach to learning, allowed Napoleon to excel in these disciplines, far surpassing those "provincial noble" students in these subjects. In almost all subjects, except for spoken language, he also significantly outperformed Joseph.

Therefore, once a fight breaks out, it is always they who suffer the consequences. Moreover, Napoleon strikes with great malice, inflicting considerable pain, yet he leaves no significant marks. And when the teacher arrives, Napoleon always manages to appear more miserable and aggrieved than the one who was beaten.

Such reactions naturally could not bring them joy, so they turned their attention more towards Napoleon. Compared to Joseph, Napoleon's weaknesses were evidently more pronounced. Napoleon was shorter in stature, had a heavier accent, and had more flaws. More importantly, Napoleon's reactions were somewhat more entertaining. Because whenever they provoked Napoleon in this manner, they could easily enjoy his anger.

The two Joseph brothers were enrolled in a prestigious school in Marseille—Oton School—to study French. This is an elite institution, and naturally, the students there are all aristocrats, albeit merely "provincial aristocrats." However, even these "provincial aristocrats" are far more "aristocratic" than the "Corsican aristocrats." Not to mention, in terms of lifestyle, they almost overshadow these two impoverished boys from Corsica. Yet, even these "provincial aristocrats" are far more "aristocratic" than the "Corsican aristocrats." Just in terms of lifestyle alone, they nearly dominate these two impoverished boys from Corsica.

Mr. Lufrey, who teaches mathematics, informed me that the school can recommend one student to the Brienne Military School this year, which is a public military academy where I can learn various military skills. If Joseph were not competing with me, (that ambitious fellow Joseph is solely focused on those schools in Paris and the University of Paris, without considering how young he is. Moreover, how could our family afford the tuition fees of such a school as the University of Paris?) I believe I would definitely secure this spot, (that ambitious fellow Joseph is solely focused on those schools in Paris and the University of Paris, without considering how young he is. Moreover, how could our family afford the tuition fees of such a school as the University of Paris?) I believe I would definitely secure this spot, because the other delicate, effeminate noble youths have no intention of studying there. But I feel that this is the school that suits me best. " This is an evaluation of his classmates at the Autun School made by Napoleon, which was revealed many years later in a letter he wrote to his father.

As a result, everyone discovered that the Joseph brothers were not as entertaining as they seemed; in fact, they were not only unamusing but also made others feel quite uncomfortable. Consequently, there were fewer people who actively sought to engage with the brothers. On the other hand, the two brothers also found themselves isolated by their classmates. However, both Joseph and Napoleon looked down upon this isolation.

At the beginning, when the students learned that two impoverished noble students from Corsica would be coming to their school, they were generally very interested and welcoming.

Mr. Fuwah's recovery was quite rapid, which is normal, as it was merely seasickness. Such an ailment does not improve without a good night's sleep. Therefore, early the next morning, they continued their journey, and after a whole day of jolting in the four-wheeled carriage, the group finally arrived at the major city of Marseille in southern France

Although Napoleon's spoken French was not particularly good, both he and Joseph excelled in their studies. Joseph, being a time traveler from the 21st century, possessed knowledge far beyond that of his era, making it relatively easy for him to pose as a top student in an aristocratic school. In fact, for him, the greater challenge was concealing his knowledge that was excessively advanced for the time. Essentially, apart from subjects like art, he could easily outperform everyone else in the school academically. The challenge of hiding his knowledge that was excessively advanced for the time was indeed a greater headache for him. Essentially, apart from subjects like art, he could easily outperform everyone else in the school academically.

Many years later, when Joseph was corresponding with Napoleon, he would sometimes jokingly refer to Napoleon as "my dear Sancho" and sign his letters as "Don Quixote de la Mancha." In response, Napoleon would humorously call himself "Don Quixote" and refer to Joseph as "Sancho." He believed that, in terms of personality, he was more akin to the knight battling windmills, while the rational Joseph was more like Sancho.

After being intellectually overshadowed by these two brothers, the noble classmates increasingly enjoyed maliciously imitating the brothers' speech. Initially, they targeted Joseph. This was quite natural; Joseph was very tall, and although he had slimmed down a bit, making him look somewhat like a bamboo pole, this was merely a byproduct of a young man's rapid growth spurt. Who among the youth does not wish to grow a little taller, even taller? Moreover, Joseph was also quite good-looking, although his face was slightly darker. Coupled with the fact that he excelled in nearly all his subjects, one might wonder why such a person wouldn't just hurry up and die!

Although the young gentlemen in the school are taller than Napoleon, they all lack training in this type of combat. Combat skills are also a required course for the nobility, but that refers to sword fighting. At that time, it was quite popular to resolve issues through duels, and the techniques of swift sword fighting became essential skills for the nobility. Of course, given the age of the students at Oton Academy, they are not yet capable of wielding weapons like the swift sword, so they primarily learn small sword techniques. As for unarmed combat, they are completely ignorant of the barbaric fighting methods that involve using fists, nails, and teeth.

As mentioned in the letter, Napoleon will not continue his studies at the Autun school for much longer. Perhaps by the end of spring, he will transfer to the Brienne military school. As for his brother Joseph, he is indeed, as Napoleon said, fully focused on the Louis-le-Grand school in Paris.

This school is the best secondary school in all of France, and more importantly, it offers the highest scholarships in the entire country for outstanding students. These scholarships can fully support a student's normal study and living expenses in Paris. For example, the future influential figure Robespierre received a scholarship of six hundred francs upon graduating from the Louis-le-Grand school

However, they soon realized that provoking Napoleon was not a trivial matter. Unlike provoking Joseph, which, although devoid of pleasure, posed no danger, provoking Napoleon would lead to immediate retaliation if he felt offended. His response would be without hesitation and would resort to the basest means, namely violence, including punches, kicks, and even biting.