Harry Potter Morning Light

Chapter 3513 Green Hills (I)

There is also a horse in David's painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps. This horse is an Arab horse that Napoleon bought from Egypt. It originally had an Arab name, which roughly means "dust storm", but this name is too common for horses, just like "thunder" and "star chasing". This gray Arabian horse was not very eye-catching in Napoleon's stable. The reason why David chose it was because it was Napoleon's mount during the Battle of Marengo. It was later renamed "Marengo".

David's painting actually over-beautified Bonaparte, so much so that the person in the painting hardly resembles the real person.

Horse riding was basic for the nobility, even for the noble ladies who were trained according to etiquette. However, at this time, most of them still wore women's clothes and sat sideways, while Georgiana changed into men's clothes and rode astride. They went to the fisherman's town on the shore of Lake Como together.

There were indeed a lot of fresh fish early in the morning. Georgiana bought some at the vegetable market and a bunch of roses at the flower market in the town. The other two also bought some things. No one dislikes elegant and polite people. After buying everything, they rode back to the villa.

Riding a horse for a long time actually consumes a lot of physical strength and is not much easier than walking, but riding a horse can cover a longer distance than walking. They missed lunch a little and returned to Villa Melzi.

At this time, General Ney had decided to return to France tomorrow. He gave Georgiana a "note" with his signature and seal on it. She could use this note to find Devry, the current President of the Swiss Republic. He was also from the Swiss Guard of Louis XVI. He advocated moving the capital of Switzerland from Bern to Freiburg. He could provide Georgiana with a "private guard", although the number might not reach the 16,000 stipulated in the "Act of Mediation".

The Swiss territory covered by the Mediation Act did not include Valais. After the signing of the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, the French left Switzerland in accordance with the treaty, but soon a civil war broke out in Switzerland, and Valais immediately declared itself an independent republic.

If we trace the root causes of the entire dispute, it was because the Swiss Republican government wanted to control a trade route across the Alps into Italy, which led to the three old Swiss cantons taking up arms in resistance.

In order to build this tunnel, the French Republic, Italy and Switzerland all contributed manpower, not only French engineers and Italian beggars, but also mercenaries from the Canton of Valais.

At this time, Switzerland's military strength is still of paramount importance. A large number of Swiss troops can be assembled to rush to the battlefield within 1 hour. It can also be used for disaster relief. The Simplon Tunnel has many shelters similar to the Saint Bernard Valley Monastery. When encountering danger, travelers can take refuge in these houses.

Compared with blizzards, avalanches and floods caused by melting snow, the Swiss are more afraid of landslides. In addition to granite, there is also a kind of "conglomerate" in the Alps. There used to be a village where Radetzky and his gang were ambushing. After the conglomerate fell, the village at the foot of the mountain disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye. Only outsiders like them dared to hide there.

The day after Ney left, Georgiana returned to Milan with Bougainville and Lorbonne.

Although they were about to go to the Castle of Stuppini, they had to pick up Pauline and also say hello to Saint-Cyr. Regardless of whether Murat would be transferred back to Paris as Napoleon said in the letter, Saint-Cyr had to deal with the military supplies contract first.

"Buyout" is a medieval term that means hoarding goods and then reselling them. Before news of a new round of grain harvests in the Baltic Sea came out, this unexpected "conflict" gave grain merchants a good opportunity to raise prices.

When Massena was trapped in Genoa, rats were sold for exorbitant prices, but sending him bills of exchange and coins was useless in this situation.

Saint-Cyr was originally the son of a tanner. His mother ran away from home when he was less than four years old. After his younger brother died, his father often used him as a punching bag. This may have led to his sensitive and domineering personality as an adult. He rarely showed his true emotions and was easily angered by well-intentioned jokes.

Saint-Cyr was not the name of Gouvion’s father, but that of his mother. When he grew up, he added his mother’s name to his own. At the age of 18, he went to Italy, aspiring to become an artist.

In 1798, Saint-Cyr was sent to Italy to command the Roman Legion. Upon his arrival, he ordered some French generals to return the jewels and artworks. This incident made Saint-Cyr a group of political enemies and he was soon dismissed. In early 1799, Saint-Cyr commanded the Danube Army, and in May he was transferred to the Army of Italy.

As soon as Murat left, the Italians with their "vouchers" rushed to the Sforza Castle to "exchange" them.

Saint-Cyr was not Napoleon's confidant, and he had openly refused to cooperate with Moreau. The two even had a public dispute. His nickname came from the Army of the Rhine.

"I heard about a countess who met an Estonian nobleman in Vienna," Marchioness Krysol said to Oshana of the Hacock family.

"Where is Estonia?" Oshana asked curiously.

"It was by the Baltic Sea. Later, they left Vienna and returned to her husband's home. I think the young lady was already a well-educated lady. She didn't like to attend parties. Her biggest hobby was reading. But when she passed through Russian customs, the books she brought were either confiscated by the censor or blacked out. She had no choice but to go to a big city in Estonia to subscribe to magazines. But when she got home, she was questioned by her mother-in-law. She asked her why she read so many books. A good housewife had to take care of the whole family, and she also gave her instructions on what to wear. According to local customs, married women can only wear black and not brightly colored clothes."

"Isn't black mourning?" said 17-year-old Mary with a sullen face.

"In the eyes of her parents-in-law, the most important task of a woman is to bear children. Once, a peasant dared to sing the Marseillaise and was beaten half to death by her husband with a stick." Mrs. Bolter lowered her voice and said, "She later fled back to Switzerland and recovered there. She vowed never to return to Estonia again."

The young girls screamed in fear, but Georgiana smiled indifferently.

"Love" in Vienna and "life" in Estonia are different.

"So it's better to marry a man from your own country. At least there won't be such a big cultural difference," said Mrs. Bolt.

"Madam and the First Consul are not from the same country!" Mary retorted, with her chin raised high, as if she felt she was right.

"What does Madam like about the First Consul?" asked the Marquise de Crusole in a soft voice, as if it were a private conversation between close friends.

Georgiana thought of the famous blue dress, although in France such topics would not ruin a politician's career, and everyone was used to it, as if they were not talking about a married man.

"For many reasons," Georgiana smiled. "I think he's a good man."

The pupils of the Marquise de Crusol shrank, but she still kept smiling stiffly.

Mary seemed to like this answer very much. Although her braided hair was now styled into a fashionable style, she still had that rustic temperament in her bones. Her reaction was in stark contrast to the silence in the car.

I'm afraid only little girls believe that you are a good person, Leon.

She smiled bitterly helplessly and continued to look at the peaceful scenery outside her window as if she was out of the picture, while listening to the idle chatter in the carriage with one ear.

(End of this chapter)