From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

The Duke of Choiseul and General Jacques Philippe remained at the Tuileries until evening.

The chat between the four was very pleasant, and even General Jacques Philippe, who met Lawrence for the first time, showed obvious admiration and appreciation for Lawrence.

As a soldier, he had naturally heard of the several battles that Lawrence commanded on Corsica, in which few defeated many.

Although the troops invested by both sides in those battles were only a few thousand men, and in France they could only be regarded as battles between village officials and armed forces, General Jacques Philippe still had a strong interest in Lawrence's command and combat experience.

This also gave the two people a lot of common topics.

At about seven o'clock in the evening, the Duke of Choiseul and General Jacques Philippe, who were drunk at the dinner, were almost ready to say goodbye and leave.

"Ah, it's really late."

Duke Choiseul took out his napkin and rubbed the grease on the corner of his mouth, and said to Prince Louis with a red face:

"I think it's time to leave. I heard that Your Highness has something to do tomorrow."

The news that Lawrence and Prince Louis were going to hold a press conference at the Place de la Bourse had already spread throughout the city. Not only the financial world, but also most of Paris knew the news.

"Oh yes." Prince Louis smiled and nodded:

"Tomorrow is my first time giving a public speech, so I'm a little nervous."

Although he was a little nervous, Crown Prince Louis still looked very relaxed and not particularly worried.

After all, everything was handled by Lawrence. Even tomorrow's speech was written by Lawrence himself. Prince Louis only had to stand in front of the stage and recite it with great emotion.

In the view of the young and immature crown prince, there was nothing wrong with leaving these things to Lawrence, and it actually saved himself a lot of trouble.

"You are truly a diligent crown prince and will surely become a wise monarch."

Duke Choiseul narrowed his eyes and said with a smile.

He knew without guessing that this press conference was Lawrence's idea, so he was very supportive of it.

General Jacques Philippe on the side was still chatting with Lawrence.

The two were discussing how Lawrence led a thousand Corsican troops to defeat three thousand well-equipped Sardinian troops in the Battle of Bonifacia.

Of course, Lawrence deliberately concealed the role of precision shooters in this battle. He only mentioned that he took the lead in joining the charge and boosted morale, so he could defeat the enemy and win.

After hearing this, General Jacques Philippe couldn't help but pat Lawrence on the back. On the one hand, he reminded him that such behavior as a commander was risky, but on the other hand, he was really impressed by Lawrence's courage.

Even General Philip himself believed that under those circumstances he would not be able to lead a thousand Corsican troops with low morale and backward equipment to compete with the troops of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

"It seems we must take our leave. This conversation with you is really refreshing for me, Governor Bonaparte."

Jacques Philippe glanced at his brother and said to Lawrence with great regret.

After drinking a few glasses of brandy, Jacques Philippe's face was no longer as cold as when he arrived, and his eyes when he looked at Lawrence were full of admiration and admiration.

Jacques Philippe shook the wine glass in his hand, and there was still a light layer of brandy in it, so he took the initiative to touch a glass with Lawrence, swallowed the last sip of the wine, and said with emotion:

"I really can't believe you never went to a military academy for a day."

"The battlefield is the best classroom, and we are all still students."

Lawrence said with a smile, his tone was very humble.

This is not because Lawrence is pretending to be humble, but because he is self-aware.

Lawrence knew very well that his abilities and experience were still far from those of a general like Jacques Philippe who could command an army.

Commanding a thousand people and commanding 10,000 or 100,000 people are two completely different concepts.

In this aspect, Lawrence also knew that he still needed to learn. After all, his thinking came from a peaceful era, and he was not a natural commander like his three-year-old nephew.

"No, no, I am serious, Governor Bonaparte, I can see that you are a malleable talent."

Jacques Philippe suddenly stopped smiling, stared at Lawrence with a serious face and said:

"And you have proven your ability on the battlefield. If you can receive formal education at a military academy, you will become an outstanding general. I can send a message to the Paris Military Academy and you can be admitted at any time."

Lawrence was stunned for a moment, and after thinking for a moment, he still said with a wry smile:

"Thank you for your kindness, General, but I really can't get away recently. I will contact you as soon as I have enough time."

At the same time, Lawrence also saw that Jacques Philippe was indeed a commander who cherished talents.

After all, the Paris Military Academy can be regarded as the highest level military academy in France.

Although people in later generations may be more familiar with the military academy Brienne, where Napoleon studied for seven years, Brienne actually trained reserve sergeants, which is equivalent to a military high school.

France still uses the Paris Military Academy to train elite officers. Napoleon also transferred to this school to continue his studies after graduating from the Brienne Military Academy.

Arranging for Lawrence to enter such a military academy was just a greeting to General Jacques Philippe. It seemed that he did have considerable influence in the military.

Naturally, Lawrence can't get away from going to military school at the moment. There are a lot of stalls waiting for him to clean up in Paris and Corsica.

However, Lawrence did not block this road. When he really had enough time, he planned to go to the Paris Military Academy to stay for a while.

Expanding one's own abilities is only one aspect. The more important reason is that those who graduate from the Paris Military Academy are the mainstays of the French army.

Getting to know these characters and expanding his network will undoubtedly make it easier for Lawrence to insert his hands into the French army.

Lawrence, who had the experience of seizing power in Corsica, knew very well how important it was to hold the barrel of the gun tightly in his hand.

Even if you can't hold the gun yourself, the person holding the gun must hold it in your hand.

"Really? You can write to me anytime."

General Jacques Philippe shook his head regretfully and said, thinking that Lawrence was politely rejecting him.

On the other side, Duke Choiseul also ended his conversation with Crown Prince Louis, stood up, patted his brother, smiled and joked:

"Come on, dear Philippe, this young man will be one of the people who will live in Versailles, so don't drag him to a battlefield full of mud and gunpowder smoke."

"I understand, brother."

Jacques Philippe sighed helplessly, stood up and said goodbye to Prince Louis:

"Then, Your Highness, please excuse us."

At dawn the next day, the Place de la Bourse on the right bank of the Seine was already crowded with people.

Today's Exchange Square is no longer the exclusive venue for financiers and investors.

Nobles, bureaucrats, petty bourgeoisie, middle class, wealthy craftsmen or ordinary citizens with free time, people from all walks of life have been waiting in the square early.

There were even some lower-class poor people who crowded in the crowd without caring about the excitement, even though their dirty shirts made the gentlemen around them frown.

For everyone, they want to see with their own eyes the first public appearance of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who has lived in the palace for a long time.

After all, that is the monarch who will rule them in the future.

What kind of person is Crown Prince Louis and what kind of king he will become? This question is undoubtedly directly related to the interests of the French people, and therefore has also attracted great attention from the citizens of Paris.

The outermost edge of the square was full of people, and the noise was endless.

People loudly discussed the rumors they heard about Prince Louis from nowhere, and argued with red faces whether he could be a wise king:

"I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a good man, a truly good man. He treats his servants very kindly. He will become a wise king."

"Pull him down, the current King is also a good man, but what did he bring to us? Famine and rising prices!"

"Yes, there is still war! The failure of the Seven Years War is simply a shame. Without those colonies, even a bite of sugar has become a luxury for us!"

"I don't think it's entirely the king's fault. The nobility and priests are the worms in France!"

The huge crowd was also divided into two groups because of whether they supported Crown Prince Louis, fighting with each other.

Supporters believe that under the leadership of a benevolent monarch like Crown Prince Louis, their lives will gradually improve.

Opponents cited the current king as a counterexample. Louis XV was also very loved by the people in the early days of his accession to the throne and was even called a "favorite". However, this did not prevent his reputation from plummeting after the Seven Years' War.

Of course, for the financiers in the crowd, they obviously had no interest in participating in such boring discussions.

Even though financiers are the center of this conference, they have already predicted the outcome of this conference:

It's nothing more than giving the financial market a life sentence that has been sentenced to death.

The noisy discussions and crowded crowds continued until the inner area of ​​the square.

A large area centered on the Paris Stock Exchange has been cordoned off since midnight, and any unauthorized persons are strictly prohibited from entering.

Royal guards wearing silver breastplates and red-tasseled pointed helmets formed a thick human wall, blocking the sea of ​​people from the exchange.

Almost all Parisian mounted police were dispatched, nervously patrolling around the square on their tall horses, sternly scolding anyone they found suspicious and expelling them from the square, and directly arresting those who made excessive remarks.

Today is the first time His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has made a public appearance, and these guards cannot afford the slightest mistake.

The current King Louis XV was assassinated in Paris more than ten years ago.

Although the king was only pricked with a blood spot by an iron awl that time, hundreds of policemen and guards were dismissed and imprisoned overnight.

In front of the gate of the Paris Stock Exchange, Lord Melly was even more anxiously waiting for the arrival of Crown Prince Louis.

According to Lawrence's instructions, the press conference will be held in the most spacious conference room in the stock exchange.

Dozens of reporters and hundreds of leading figures in the financial world are already in place, silently waiting for an unforgettable moment in their lives.

Time passed by minute by minute, but the passion of the crowd did not retreat at all.

They are still debating whether Crown Prince Louis can become a qualified king, but it seems that the side supporting the crown prince seems to have the upper hand.

It may also be because those who objected most vehemently have been taken back to the police station for tea by the mounted police.

It was also at this time that a shout suddenly rang out from the crowd:

"Look!"

Everyone's attention turned to St. Paul's Avenue adjacent to the square.

Under the escort of two armored cavalry phalanxes, the four-wheel carriage decorated with fleurs-de-lis drove slowly towards the Exchange Square.

The cart was pulled by four pure white horses with plump bodies and light steps. Their blue horse coats were also embroidered with irises in gold thread.

The pure gold dome of the carriage scattered bursts of golden light under the morning sun. This golden light seemed to wrap the entire carriage, sacred and majestic.

"It's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's carriage!"

"It's been a long time since a member of the royal family has been seen in Paris, so this is a rare moment."

"God, look at the dome and the golden statue. It's luxurious and holy. It's so perfect."

"Hmph, all the luxury of the royal family is sucked from the blood of the people, there is nothing to praise."

Amidst the roar of discussion, the carriage slowly drove into the Exchange Square and stopped outside the square.

A small group of royal guards immediately rushed forward to open a passage through the crowded crowd, and formed two human walls to maintain the passage, waiting for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to pass.

The car door was slowly opened, and the first person to step out was the first attendant of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Laurence Bonaparte.

Lawrence was also wearing the exclusive fiery red attendant uniform today. He walked out of the carriage under the astonished gaze of everyone, and then waited by the door, preparing to help Prince Louis get out of the car.

Just this detail triggered a discussion among the crowd:

"Oh my God, that's Governor Bonaparte!"

"He was indeed appointed as the First Attendant, but...he actually came in a carriage with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. This is really..."

"To be honest, this is not etiquette. The attendants should not ride in the same carriage as the royal family." A prim old gentleman said with a frown.

"This must be the acquiescence of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Tsk, tsk, it seems that the relationship between Governor Bonaparte and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very unusual."

In the carriage, Prince Louis glanced at the endless sea of ​​people in the square, took a deep breath, and walked out of the carriage with the help of Lawrence.

Thousands of unfamiliar eyes were staring at Crown Prince Louis, and the noisy sound waves enveloped him, causing the slightly immature Crown Prince to panic for a moment.

Prince Louis stood there blankly, swallowing, but his mind went blank, and he somewhat forgot what he should do.

He had never faced such a scene at Versailles.

"Wave to them, Your Highness, and remember to smile."

Lawrence on the side said softly and calmly.

It's like a director directing his actors.