From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

April 6, 1770, the day after General Nathan sent his troops south.

Just two days ago, on the day General Nathan decided to march to Ajaccio, he immediately sent people to Ajaccio to build public opinion.

On the one hand, these people spread rumors about Lawrence in Ajaccio. On the other hand, they directly asked to see Lawrence at the Governor's Palace, demanding that Lawrence surrender and release Paoli in the name of the Northern Army.

Although Lawrence had quickly sent people to capture all of these people, the rumors they spread and their request to see Lawrence still aroused a lot of discussion.

"Sir, this is your schedule for today. Please take a look."

In Lawrence's study, Anna knocked on the door still nervously and entered, putting the schedule on the table and saying.

After Lawrence entered the Governor's Palace, he directly appointed his maid Anna as secretary.

For this kind of work that requires access to a large number of secrets, it is still necessary to leave it to the most trusted person.

Lawrence's appointment also caused a lot of discussion in the Governor's Mansion at the time. Since women in this era were generally poorly educated, it was the first time in many years that the staff in the governor's office had seen a female Secretary to the Governor.

Lawrence nodded and picked up the schedule and glanced at it casually. Since the situation in Corsica had not yet calmed down, the schedule was almost blank, so he said casually:

"How's work going lately, Anna?"

Anna lowered her head shyly. When she learned that she was appointed as secretary, she couldn't believe it at all. She was not even prepared for it. Until now, she was still wearing the maid uniform she usually wears at home.

However, in Lawrence's opinion, Anna's maid outfit was much more beautiful than the formal secretary dress, so he did not ask her to change into it.

"There are still many things I'm not familiar with, but I'm learning." Anna secretly glanced at Lawrence and whispered,

Lawrence nodded in approval. For such a low-tech but important position, loyalty is the first factor he values. As for ability, it can be cultivated later.

"By the way, are there any news or rumors in the city these days?"

Lawrence handed the agenda back to Anna and asked casually.

Anna was still responsible for collecting and organizing intelligence after serving as secretary, and Lawrence paid more attention to first-hand intelligence from the private sector after taking office in the Governor's Palace.

Anna opened her mouth slightly and thought for a while, then said:

"The latest words are those rumors about you."

"What's the rumor?" Lawrence asked with a smile and shook his head.

Anna glanced at Lawrence hesitantly, and it seemed that Lawrence really didn't care before she said:

"There are many versions, but the main content is that General Nathan received a secret order from Governor Paoli and came to attack you. They said you were a usurper. And these rumors should have spread throughout Ajaccio."

Lawrence listened thoughtfully, knowing that this should be a good thing done by those sent by General Nathan. In addition, his behavior of leading troops into the parliament was also seen by many guests at the time, so this rumor spread. It spread so fast.

Seeing Lawrence frowning and thinking, Anna also wanted to do something to share the burden for Lawrence, so she took the initiative and said:

“Do you need me to moderate these comments?”

The party hired by Lawrence can not only provide Anna with intelligence about various industries, but in turn can also quickly spread the news through them.

Lawrence still closed his eyes and thought about something. After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes and said with a smile:

"No, Anna, don't control these remarks. On the contrary, I want you to send people to actively spread these rumors."

"Take the initiative to spread the word?" Anna frowned slightly, her expression very puzzled.

"That's right, especially the part about General Nathan receiving the secret order from Pauli. It must be told more truthfully than the truth."

"This" Although Anna still didn't understand, she quickly bowed to Lawrence's order and said:

"I understand, sir. I will contact the leader of the party right away. Also, Major Trifali wants to see you. Is the current time available?"

"Let him in."

Lawrence looked at Anna who was becoming more and more skillful, and couldn't help but nodded in approval and said.

About a quarter of an hour later, Major Trifari sat in front of Lawrence.

"There is news from our sentry station in the north."

After Major Cui Farley took his seat, he said directly:

"Judging from the whereabouts of the Northern Army, they should be able to reach the outskirts of Ajaccio the day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow, which is April 8th? It's quite slow to be honest."

Lawrence nodded and said that the marching speed of the Northern Legion was much slower than he expected. Under normal circumstances, it would only take two days to travel from Ajaccio to the legion's station.

Major Cui Fali also agreed and said:

"Yes, judging from our scout report, they brought all the belongings of the entire Northern Army with them, so they slowed down their march."

"They brought all the supplies and luggage with them? It seems they don't want to leave it to the Genoese."

Lawrence smiled and said with understanding. In Lawrence's view, General Nathan still wants to keep all the supplies at this time. This is a sign of underestimating the enemy. It is undoubtedly good news for his own side:

"In this case, we need to mobilize immediately."

"That's right," Major Cui Farley said with deep conviction. Even though we don't have many troops, we still need to prepare in advance for mobilization.

"Oh, by the way, there is another detail about the Northern Army." Major Trifali suddenly remembered something and said casually to Lawrence.

"Details? What details?"

Lawrence frowned and asked. Although he was still just an apprentice in war, Lawrence already knew that every detail in using soldiers to fight might determine the final outcome.

"According to the visual inspection of the scouts, each of the Northern Legion soldiers had a piece of red cloth tied to their shoulders."

Major Cui Farley rubbed his chin and analyzed:

"This should be used for identification of friend or foe."

"That's it"

Lawrence nodded in understanding. The uniforms of the Northern Legionnaires and our own soldiers were all the same. It was indeed difficult to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy after the battle became intense.

After knowing this in advance, Lawrence quickly realized that he could do a lot in identifying friend and foe.

Lawrence raised his head and glanced at Major Trifari. It was obvious that both of them had thought of this.

"The scout has returned to Ajaccio."

Lawrence asked in a deep voice:

"Major, send someone to take him to the market or cotton workshop, buy cloth of the same color and cut it. The quantity does not need to be too much, it is enough to wear for a company of soldiers."

"I see."

Major Trifali nodded with understanding. At the same time, he also began to look forward to what General Nathan would look like when he discovered that there was an additional force of his own on the battlefield.

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