Following his stunning victory over Austria, Gaspard Lefebvre returned to a France divided between adoring masses who viewed him as a saint and a governing Council that viewed him as a dangerous liability. While the public celebrated the "Vermontais Boy" as the savior of the Republic, the political elite, led by the envious General Varennes and the rigid administrator Charles Delacroix, sought to neutralize him for his rampant insubordination. However, Armand de Marceau, a respected figure within the government and Gaspard’s distant cousin, successfully lobbied on the general's behalf, convincing the reluctant Council that punishing a national hero would be political suicide and that Gaspard’s talents remained necessary for the state.

Oblivious to the political machinations in Paris, Gaspard prioritized his personal life over military protocol. Instead of returning immediately to the capital with his army, he traveled to Wallonia to win the heart of Elsie Dupont, the noblewoman he courted. In a dramatic gesture, he presented her with the sword of the defeated Austrian General Hohenberg, securing her affection and beginning a high-profile romance. When he finally arrived in Paris, the head of the army, General Kersaint, attempted to have him arrested for his unapproved detour. However, Gaspard sidestepped this fate by delivering a rousing, albeit stuttering, speech to the Assembly, which shielded him from the police and solidified his untouchable status, forcing his enemies to back down.

For the next few years, Lefebvre lived in semi-retirement at the Dupont estate, adored by the public but kept at arm's length by a government that feared his influence. His restlessness grew until June 1799, when a casual conversation with Elsie regarding her desire for a specific ancient Egyptian ceramic mug sparked his next grand ambition. Motivated by a mix of romantic devotion and a strategic desire to sever British supply lines in the Indian Ocean by conquering the Kingdom of Sion, Gaspard resolved to invade Egypt. Operating completely outside of government oversight, he utilized his immense personal popularity to raise a private army of 35,000 men, recruiting loyal generals like Jean-Luc Dubois and Michel-Edouard Davout to his cause.

By September 1799, the self-styled "Army of Egypt" was assembled at Toulon, ready to embark on Madjriti ships for Alexandria. The Council, finally alerted to the scale of Gaspard’s unauthorized mobilization, realized the general was launching a private war that could be construed as treason or a prelude to a coup. They frantically issued an order for his immediate arrest and declared him a fugitive of the state. However, the government’s reaction proved too slow; by the time officials arrived at the port to detain him, Gaspard and his army had already set sail, leaving France behind to embark on a rogue campaign in the Near East.