And the King of Prussia opened the champagne at his royal headquarters at Vendresse, and toasted von Roon, Moltke and Bismarck: "You, General von Roon, whetted our sword; you General von Moltke, wielded it; and you, Count Bismarck, have brought Prussia to its present prominence by the way in which you have directed its policy for several years." 60 In which Bismarck reaches the zenith of his stupendous career; diplomatist, ministerial Cæsar, unifier of his country. ¶ The Iron Chancellor held firmly to his plan to strip France of her last franc. The siege of Paris continued, with Bismarck and the King of Prussia installed at Versailles, within the shadow of the stately palace of the Kings of France. * * * * * ¶ It is a long, vivid story leading to the 5,000,000,000 francs indemnity, and the cessation of Alsace-Lorraine. M. Thiers treated in vain to get softer terms; but Bismarck kept the King out of it and stuck to his hard bargaining. ¶ "This is not war, it is confiscation!" Thiers exclaimed one day in terrible anger, and eloquently he parleyed to have the amount reduced. ¶ Bismarck thereupon began to talk in German! ¶ "I have not enough French to answer such a charge as you have just made!" he thundered. "Henceforth, we carry on our affairs in German." ¶ M. Thiers threatened to appeal to Europe to intervene, but at this Bismarck broke into a hoarse laugh. He knew that he had in his pocket a secret quit-claim from Russia and Italy, Denmark and Belgium were tied in another way, Spain was hostile to the French, and as for England--he snapped his fingers! ¶ "Defy me, and I tell you what I will do! We have in Germany about 100,000 excellent French troops, captured at Metz, who are still wholly devoted to the old Imperial cause. I will release them and bring back the Bonapartists! I care not who is in power so long as the proper sovereign government of France signs our peace demands for indemnity. Napoleon cannot do it, as his throne is in ruins; and even if he did, the next party in power would probably set it aside. So part of my duty is not only to demand for my King the just rewards of our victory, but to start France again with some new form of government." ¶ Going behind this stern diplomatic language, what Bismarck really meant was this: "The longer the French Assembly hesitates to call an election the more we will starve the city into submission. Live on horseflesh, stale bread, cats and dogs!--die of fever and pestilence!--the sooner it is over! Our siege guns will continue to bark night and day, Paris will be reduced to ashes, crumble to ruins, but the demands of the Prussian King must be obeyed. No power on this earth can turn me from my project. I am resolved to wage a war of extermination--and I have spoken!"