From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

Amid polite cheers from the audience, the actors on the stage bowed to the audience one last time, and then the dark red curtain slowly closed, announcing the end of the morning performance.

"Let's go to the theater lounge for a drink together again?"

Duke Richelieu stood up with his cane and invited Baron Bertula with a smile.

Baron Bertula did not respond for a long time as if he had lost his soul. It was not until Duke Richelieu came to him that he woke up, quickly stood up and bowed and said:

"Oh, sorry, I was distracted. What did you just say?"

Duke Richelieu smiled nonchalantly, waved his hand and said:

"You don't have to be so shocked by what I just said. It won't become another Seven Years War."

"Uh, okay, of course I believe you, but..."

Baron Bertula shrugged and said:

"I feel that we cannot take any war lightly, and this time is no exception. I think I have to ask the mainland for instructions."

"Of course, it's a good thing to be vigilant. Mr. Ambassador, you can ask for instructions from the mainland. It's still early anyway."

Duke Richelieu stood in front of Baron Bertula, patted him on the shoulder, and said sincerely:

"There are many people in your government who hope that Choiseul will fall, and they will not oppose this plan. Moreover, as long as Choiseul falls, you will become the founder of peace between Britain and France, which is no small feat. ”

"Yes. I understand."

Baron Bertula nodded with deep understanding and said that if France's foreign policy can really be changed from radical to conservative, Baron Bertula will very likely be transferred back to the country to serve with this merit. In terms of political future, this is comparable to Being an ambassador abroad is much brighter.

Duke Richelieu also nodded with great satisfaction. His plan was beneficial to both Baron Bertula's personal interests and England's national interests. Baron Bertula would naturally not refuse.

"Then I'll look forward to the good news. The play is over. Let's go have a drink together?"

Duke Richelieu said with a smile, slowly walking towards the door.

Baron Bertula also nodded quickly and followed, and together with the Duke of Richelieu, they walked out along the not crowded flow of people.

As soon as the two of them walked out of the theater together, they were greeted by an official who had been waiting for a long time.

He directly ignored Duke Richelieu and said directly to Baron Bertula:

"Excuse me, Mr. Ambassador, but Minister Choiseul invites you to join us for tea."

Baron Bertula and Duke Richelieu looked at each other and couldn't help but frown slightly. Unexpectedly, they bumped into each other just now when they mentioned Duke Choiseul.

"Is this a coincidence, or..."

Duke Richelieu guessed silently in his heart, but still said with a smile on his face:

"It seems that I have no choice but to excuse myself first. It's hard for you to refuse Duke Choiseul's invitation."

"Yes, thank you for your consideration."

Baron Bertula scratched his head and said to Duke Richelieu with some embarrassment.

Although he has decided to devote himself to defeating the Duke of Choiseul, before that, Baron Bertula, as the ambassador to France, still needs the cooperation of the Duke of Choiseul to a large extent, and he does not dare to The relationship between the two was too tense.

After all, the Duke of Choiseul has the right to request the replacement of the ambassador to France.

Duke Richelieu had been an outstanding diplomat in his early years, and he was certainly aware of this kind of interest relationship, so he waved to Baron Bertula indifferently and left first.

Walking on the way to the back garden of the Palace of Versailles, Baron Bertula frowned and asked the official who was leading the way:

"Why did the Duke of Choiseul suddenly invite me to tea? What happened?"

The official who led the way did not want to say more, but said with a precious word:

"You will know when you go there. His Excellency Bonaparte, the Governor of Corsica, is also there."

"Governor of Corsica? That's it." A trace of imperceptible anger flashed in Baron Bertula's eyes, he nodded slightly, and then followed the official who led the way silently.

In a corner near the Grand Canal in the back garden of the Palace of Versailles, Baron Bertula found the Duke of Choiseul at a long, secluded table.

The midday sun was very bright, and it shone out with bursts of dazzling golden light on the rippling green Grand Canal, but Baron Bertula's mood did not improve at all because of the beautiful scenery.

For this tough Minister of War who is in charge of French foreign policy, Baron Bertula would not want to be with him for a moment if it were not required by his duties.

"Ah, Mr. Ambassador, you are here, please sit down."

Duke Choiseul saw Baron Bertula from a distance and waved to him.

Baron Bertula forced a smile while carefully looking at the surrounding environment:

It looked like there were only the three of them present in this garden, and there weren't even any servants. This was not normal in the Palace of Versailles. It seems that the others were specifically rejected by Duke Choiseul, which means that what they want to discuss next is definitely not what the weather will be like today.

After confirming this, Baron Bertula took a deep breath to adjust his thoughts, then turned his eyes to the young man next to Duke Choiseul and said:

"Thank you for the invitation, Your Excellency Duke. So, is this the famous Laurence Bonaparte?"

Lawrence also raised his head and looked at Baron Bertula, but did not speak to him. He just nodded with a smile and ignored Baron Bertula.

Baron Bertula couldn't help but twitch his lips when he saw Lawrence completely ignoring his greetings. In his opinion, this so-called Governor of Corsica was not even as good as an American chief, and he dared to be so negligent to himself, the ambassador to France.

If Duke Choiseul had treated him like this, he would have tolerated it, but Baron Bertula couldn't accept such contempt for him by a yellow-haired boy of such a status.

Although he was already very unhappy, Baron Bertula still looked at Duke Choiseul with some fear, and tried not to have an attack.

Duke Choiseul was the first to speak after seeing the two simply greeting each other:

"Mr. Ambassador, my hasty invitation should not disrupt your arrangements, right?"

Baron Bertula turned his attention away from Lawrence and said with a sophisticated and familiar smile:

"Tea with the Duke of Choiseul is far more important than my arrangements."

"Really?" Duke Choiseul looked at Baron Bertula with a smile and said meaningfully:

"I heard that you were going to accompany the Duke of Richelieu. I hope the old guy won't be angry about it."

Baron Bertula's expression froze for a moment, but he immediately adjusted himself, laughed twice and omitted the question.

Lawrence, who had been observing all the time, also noticed the strangeness of Baron Bertula at this moment, and he probably believed that there was indeed some secret between the ambassador to France and the Duke of Richelieu that should not be revealed.

So Lawrence secretly gave the Duke of Choiseul a look, suggesting that he should bring the topic to today's topic. There was no point in continuing to test the secret between Baron Bertula and Duke Richelieu. Baron Bertula His mouth must be locked.

Duke Choiseul nodded understandingly. Judging from his interactions with Baron Bertula over the years, the ambassador to France's ability, not to mention how outstanding it is, has at least reached the passing level, and he is not stupid enough to say a few words. These secrets were revealed immediately.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Ambassador, there is still an unresolved conflict between England and Corsica."

Duke Choiseul glanced at Lawrence, rubbed his throat and said:

"It just so happens that Governor Bonaparte is also here. Why don't you come and communicate? I think both of you can negotiate on behalf of your respective countries, right?"

Baron Bertula nodded without surprise. It seemed that the main purpose of today's tea party was to initially solve this problem.

However, after mentioning the Corsica incident, Baron Bertula couldn't help but look at Lawrence with a bit more resentment.

The young man in front of him not only caused the Kingdom of England to lose a Mediterranean base with an excellent geographical location that it was almost ready to acquire, but also caused the former Prime Minister of England and a Royal Navy third-class battleship to be stranded on the island.

Not to mention that Corsica now relies on the protection of France, which has basically eliminated the possibility of British retaliation in a short period of time. Even if the British liquidate Corsica in the future, it will be a matter of time.

Although these facts made Baron Bertula feel a little humiliated, as a qualified diplomat, he still tried his best to control his personal emotions and seriously thought about how to solve this problem at the negotiation table with the Corsican Governor. event.

Lawrence was unhurried and waited leisurely for Baron Bertula to speak first.

William Pitt in Lawrence's hands and the sailors on the Reasonable were full bargaining chips, and after obtaining French asylum, Lawrence did not have to worry about British retaliation for the time being, so it was Bertou who was anxious at the negotiation table. Pull the Baron to one side.

"Ahem, since I am the one negotiating with Governor Bonaparte, I have a bold proposal."

Baron Bertula coughed twice, still looked at Duke Choiseul with some fear, and said in a deep voice:

"Since this is a negotiation between the English Ambassador and the Governor of Corsica, would it be inappropriate for Your Excellency the Duke to be here? If possible, I hope you can avoid it for a while."

For Baron Bertula, if the Duke of Choiseul joins the negotiations, the difficulty will undoubtedly rise to a higher level, which is something he does not want to see.

Of course Lawrence would not allow his request. After all, letting Duke Choiseul assist him in negotiating with the British was one of the conditions for the two to reach an agreement. So before Duke Choiseul could speak, Lawrence took the lead and said with a smile:

"I don't think it's necessary. This is not a formal negotiation, it's just an ordinary tea party, but our topic happens to be the affairs between the two countries."

Duke Choiseul smiled and nodded approvingly at Lawrence, without any intention of getting up to avoid it.

When Baron Bertula saw this, he could only grit his teeth helplessly. He did not have the ability to drive away Duke Choiseul.

"Well, Governor Bonaparte, let's be casual."

Baron Bertula had a slightly stiff smile on his face and said slowly:

"My appeal is simple. His Excellency William Pitt, Earl of Tatum of England, must be released, including the sailors on the HMS Reasonable. At the same time, the Corsican government must apologize and compensate for this incident. Whether in the name of the government of the Republic or the government of the Kingdom, in addition, the senior members of the former Corsican government who were politically persecuted by you, including Pasquale Paoli, also need to be released and their right to freedom guaranteed."

Lawrence always kept a slight smile on his face and listened silently to Baron Bertula's many requests without interrupting him.

"I think I should have made it clear."

Baron Bertula talked non-stop for a full two minutes, and then closed his mouth until his mouth was dry. After taking a sip of hot tea, he looked at Lawrence and asked for his opinion.

Lawrence looked directly into Baron Bertula's eyes and said:

"Your conditions are quite detailed, but have you forgotten that the Corsicans are the victims of this incident?"

"Victim? Stop joking." Baron Bertula snorted coldly, shook his head as if he had heard some funny joke and said:

"You used such cruel methods to kill dozens of loyal and brave officers of the Royal Navy, and you actually said that you were the victim? If the Duke of Choiseul hadn't been sitting next to you, you would have been in the London Military Court now."

Lawrence's smile gradually disappeared, and he looked at Baron Bertula and said coldly:

"Then have you forgotten what kind of atrocities the sailors and officers of the Reason committed against the civilians of Corsica?"

Baron Bertula shook his head directly and said:

"I have reason to believe that Corsican civilians were the first to attack the officers and soldiers of the Reasonable. They were just acting in self-defense."

"You mean unarmed civilians attacked heavily armed soldiers?" Lawrence asked, tapping the table lightly.

"Anyway, I trust my intelligence source more." Baron Bertula ignored Lawrence's words and insisted on his opinion.

Lawrence's tapping on the table became slower and slower, and his expression became more and more grim. After half a minute of silence, Lawrence slowly said:

"In this case, I have reason to believe that your country's former Prime Minister, Mr. William Pitt, was involved in the massacre of the Corsican people. I will immediately ask the Corsican court to try him for war crimes, and after his conviction, he will have a reasonable The officers also burned him at the stake.”

"You!! You are pushing three countries to the brink of war!"

Baron Bertula really didn't expect Lawrence to say such taboo words, his face suddenly turned red, he slapped his hand on the table and yelled angrily.

If William Pitt really died in Corsica or was executed by the Corsican government, then Baron Bertula's diplomatic action could be said to be a failure. He might even be recalled to the country and kicked out directly. Retire in the House of Lords.

The Duke of Choiseul on the side did not show any signs of nervousness when faced with the tense situation between the two. Instead, he watched the confrontation between the two with a smile.

After seeing that both of them were silent, Duke Choiseul took the initiative to mediate and said:

"Okay, okay, you two, there are only three of us here, you might as well speak more directly."

Baron Bertula nodded patiently. He actually knew that the sailors on the Reasonable were massacring Corsican civilians, but admitting this fact would put him at a disadvantage in the negotiation.

Lawrence followed up what Duke Choiseul said:

"Then I will no longer be secretive. Mr. Ambassador, your demands are mainly for two points. One is to release Lord Pitt and the captured soldiers, and the other is to apologize to the British government. As for the release of Pauly and others you mentioned "People, I think you also know that such regulations are just a make-up, and I can't accept them."

"That's right." Baron Bertula confirmed through gritted teeth.

"The most important of these is your former Prime Minister William Pitt, right?" Lawrence asked with a smile.

Baron Bertula gritted his teeth, but he still said firmly:

"In fact, Lord Pitt is not that important. Our current Prime Minister is the Prime Minister who stepped on William Pitt. The two of them can be regarded as political enemies, so you don't expect our Prime Minister to think much of Lord Pitt." important."

"But the British government can't accept their former leader being imprisoned in a foreign country, right? Especially by a small country." Lawrence exposed Baron Bertula's trick at a glance and shook his head.

After hearing this, Baron Bertula was silent for a moment, and then nodded very slightly.

"For such an important person, you must be willing to pay some price to redeem him, right?" Lawrence said like a shrewd businessman.

Baron Bertula sighed slightly and asked irritably:

"Well, you want a ransom, right? Corsicans are just like kidnappers. Tell me, how much do you want?"

"I don't want money." Lawrence shook his head.

"No money? Then what do you want?" Baron Bertula frowned slightly, not knowing what Lawrence wanted to do.

Duke Choiseul also looked at Lawrence with interest. He did not know in advance what Lawrence was going to talk to Baron Bertula.

Lawrence leaned closer, stretched out his index finger, and said slowly:

"An island, I would like to exchange William Pitt with the Kingdom of England for an island."