From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

April 3, 1770, the third day of Lawrence's coup in Ajaccio.

Inside the garrison of the Legion of the North in Corsica.

The Northern Army has been stationed in this ancient castle since leaving Bastia two years ago.

At this time, the castle's banquet hall was filled with the aroma of barbecue and the mellowness of wine. The long banquet table was piled with dinner plates, and even the extra dishes couldn't be accommodated and were piled on the small table nearby.

Only officers above the company commander level are eligible to receive such lavish hospitality in the army.

"Cheers, fellow Corsican warriors."

The person sitting at the head of the long table was undoubtedly General Nathan, the supreme commander of the Northern Army. He smiled, picked up the glass, and said to the officers:

"Soon, we'll be out of this damn place and no longer have to contend with those Genoese bitches."

The officers all smiled and nodded, raised their wine glasses and greeted General Nathan.

They also understood the meaning of General Nathan's words. General Pauli should have formally reached an agreement with the British two days ago, and they would no longer have to station in the north to compete with the Genoese.

Counting the time, they would receive the news from Ajaccio today. This is why General Nathan held a grand banquet today.

General Nathan held the wine glass and drank more than half of the brandy in one sip under everyone's greetings. Then he sat there with red cheeks and looked at the officers with a smile. He was already a bit drunk.

As the well-deserved number two figure in the Corsican military, Pauli naturally promised him generous terms in exchange for his support for the treaty, which made General Nathan long look forward to this day.

As for the rest of the ordinary officers, they are also looking forward to leaving this desolate north and returning to serve in the much prosperous Ajaccio.

The banquet continued amidst laughter and laughter, and the plates on the long table were changed one after another. Even the few barrels of brandy that General Nathan had collected for many years were only empty wooden barrels.

And when all the officers were drunk and shouting at each other, a soldier timidly and panicked opened the door of the banquet hall.

The soldier couldn't help drooling a few drops as he looked at the delicacies on the table. He was stunned for a while before he remembered his mission. He quickly ran to General Nathan, who was already blushing, and whispered:

"General, there is news from Ajaccio."

"Oh? Hahahaha."

General Nathan, who was completely drunk, raised the corners of his mouth crazily and burst out laughing. He had been waiting for this moment for a month.

"Hey! Y'all quiet down!"

General Nathan stood up directly, put one foot on the table gracefully, raised his hands above his head and clapped vigorously to signal the officers to quiet down, then pointed at the soldier and said:

"We finally have news from General Pauli. Come on, soldier, tell us quickly."

"Uh this."

The soldier saw all the officers' eyes fixed on him, and whispered with some fear:

"General Nathan, I'd better tell you alone."

"Huh? You bastard, what did you say?"

General Nathan stretched out his index finger and shook it in front of the soldier's nose, and said displeasedly:

"Forget it. Since today is a good day, I won't pursue you. Let's quickly tell everyone what happened to Ajaccio."

"yes"

Seeing that General Nathan smelled of alcohol, the soldier was afraid that he would be beaten up on the spot if he refused again, so he had no choice but to take a breath and organize his words.

The officers looked at the soldier with a smile, like an audience sitting in a concert hall waiting for the performer to perform a beautiful song.

"The newspaper reported that a coup had occurred in the city of Ajaccio. Laurence Bonaparte led his troops into the Governor's Palace, imprisoned Governor Paoli, and forced the Assembly to recognize him as the new Governor of Corsica."

The soldier gritted his teeth, closed his eyes and poured out all the words at once.

Damn it.

A certain officer's glass slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, breaking into several pieces.

Time seemed to be frozen. Everyone looked at the soldier blankly, and even stopped chewing the food in their mouths.

General Nathan's drunkenness subsided a little, but he still furiously pointed at the soldier and cursed:

"You damn thing, you dare to report any rumors wherever they come from!"

"I, I" the soldier spread his hands and hurriedly explained:

"Businessmen from the south all say this, and many soldiers have also received letters from home, and the letters also say that Laurence Bonaparte."

"That's enough! Get out of here!"

General Nathan was so angry that he picked up an empty wine bottle from the dining table and threw it at the soldier.

Upon seeing this, the soldier quickly dodged the flying wine bottles and ran out crawling.

"General Nathan!"

"General, what can we do?"

"That Laurence Bonaparte, I have known for a long time that he was not a loyal soldier."

The officers finally reacted to the soldiers' words, quickly stood up from the dining table, and asked General Nathan in a panic.

One second they were toasting to celebrate their bright future, but the next second, the news from the soldier completely shattered their dreams.

"Damn Laurence Bonaparte, how dare he."

General Nathan felt dizzy, both because of the effect of alcohol and because the news brought by the soldier was simply difficult for him to accept, so he could only hold his forehead with his hands, gritted his teeth and thought deeply.

After a long time, General Nathan patted his dizzy head, and his eyes regained clarity and calmness. He looked at the officers and said in a deep voice:

"I don't know what kind of ambition Lawrence has to dare to do such a despicable act of usurping the throne, but everyone, you should also be able to see that this is a God-given opportunity for us."

The officers' heads, drunk with brandy, were now a little more awake. After hearing General Nathan's words, they immediately reacted.

The Northern Army has more than 2,000 troops, and it is an elite force that has been on the front line for a long time. Even if Lawrence includes the Southern Army who rushed to reinforce from Bonifacio, he only has 1,000 troops at his disposal. .

With such a huge advantage, General Nathan could easily lead his troops to drive Lawrence out of Ajaccio and regain support for Governor Paoli.

And when that time comes, the officers who have made a contribution to the establishment will receive more benefits than Pauli originally promised them.

Even some ambitious officers could not help but look at General Nathan with fiery eyes. They were already thinking that after General Nathan invaded Ajaccio, they could completely depose Lawrence and Pauly and replace them with General Nathan. Become the new governor himself.

"It's just General Nathan." An officer suddenly raised his hand and said hesitantly:

"If we attack Ajaccio, it will be equivalent to completely abandoning the northern defense line. The Genoese may take the opportunity to occupy half of Corsica."

There was a brief silence in the banquet hall. The officers were obviously worried about this. As the front line against the Genoese, once they returned to Ajaccio, it would be equivalent to completely emptying the entire North Corsica.

And if they divided their forces into two groups, they were not sure they could defeat Lawrence's army.

General Nathan was silent for a moment and said:

"After we take Ajaccio, we can restore the treaty with the British, so that even if Genoa takes over the northern region, it will spit it out."

"But." The officer still hesitated:

"Although we will eventually take back the territory, the people living in the northern region will be robbed several times."

General Nathan took a deep breath, waved his hands resolutely and said:

"So what, the people should be considerate of the country's difficulties. If the people suffer, I will take the blame! It's settled, battalion commanders and company commanders, prepare for the march immediately. We will march to Ajaccio tomorrow March!”

"yes!"

The officer who made the suggestion had no choice but to follow the others and respond.

And as General Nathan's order was issued, everyone present also understood that the dark clouds of civil war had now shrouded the sky over Corsica.

Thanks to book friend "lp001735" for your monthly ticket support!