From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

The cheers of the National Defense Force soldiers and citizens lasted for nearly half an hour. It was not until Lawrence and others got into the prepared carriages and started heading to the Governor's Palace along the predetermined route that the celebratory carnival on the pier gradually came to an end.

Even so, a large number of citizens in Ajaccione, waving bouquets of flowers, gathered on both sides of Lawrence's route, just to see with their own eyes the governor's car they admired driving past them.

This noisy and warm atmosphere is like the most mellow wine, making almost every citizen of Ajaccio immersed in this rare sense of collective identity.

However, although the return of Laurence Bonaparte was exciting for most Corsica, for some groups, the return of Governor Bonaparte only made their worries and fears deeper.

At this moment, Ajaccio was approaching a small street-facing building in Dongcheng District.

All the doors and windows in the building were tightly closed, and the curtains were tightly drawn. Only in a room on the second floor overlooking the street, the curtains were opened slightly.

Two pairs of eyes looked cautiously at the street below through the gap, watching Lawrence's motorcade slowly drive by amid the cheers of the citizens.

It wasn't until the sound of the car gradually faded away that the two people peeping in the room moved their heads away from the window and closed the curtains completely.

The light in the room was very dim, with only a three-pronged candlestick on the bedside table providing the only source of light.

However, it can still be vaguely seen that the two people in the room are fat and thin. They are wearing short linen shirts and shorts. They have hard straw sandals of different sizes on their feet. They also have a blackened white shawl on their shoulders.

This kind of dress is not common in the city, because it is a very typical Corsican farmer's dress, and it is a relatively wealthy type of farmer. After all, not every farmer can afford to wear shoes.

"That is indeed the car from the Governor's Palace. It seems that the news is correct. Laurence Bonaparte has really returned to Corsica."

After the fat man drew the curtains tightly again, he turned to his companion and said:

"You must report this matter to the master as soon as possible."

"My master has been worrying about Bonaparte these days."

The thin man nodded, then went to the window and quietly glanced at the retreating motorcade, and suddenly said:

"You said that if we kill this Bonaparte with one shot, wouldn't the master reward us with a large sum of money, and maybe we won't even have to pay rent and taxes for the rest of our lives?"

After hearing this, the fat man immediately stepped forward angrily, grabbed his companion by the neck, and cursed angrily:

"What the fuck, you pig-brained idiot. The master hasn't even said anything yet, yet you dare to make your own decisions on this kind of thing?"

"I" the thin man said aggrievedly:

"Although the master has not spoken yet, he must hate Bonaparte to death. The master's youngest son was a member of parliament before, but he was dismissed by Bonaparte for no reason. The master must not be able to bear this tone."

"You still don't believe me when I say you have a pig's brain. Are you such a superficial person?"

The fat man let go of his companion and said contemptuously:

"I heard that our governor brought back a mountain of gold this time, the kind that will last a few lifetimes. Although the gentlemen are very dissatisfied with Bonaparte, they are still waiting to see what will happen to this money. As for the distribution. If the money is divided well, the previous unpleasantness will naturally be wiped out. "

"Jinshan." The thin man swallowed his saliva. It took him a while to suppress the thought, and then he asked in confusion:

"But Bonaparte must have wanted to keep it to himself when he got so much money. Why should he share it with the gentlemen?"

"No difference? Huh?" The fat man snorted coldly, as if he expected that Lawrence would give the tens of millions of livres to the old man with both hands, and said disdainfully:

"As long as this Bonaparte is not stupid, he must know that the gentlemen are the real masters of Corsica. It was like this when the Genoese ruled, and it was like this when Pauli ruled. Now it is Bonaparte who rules, and it is still the same. It will be like this. If he dares not to distinguish, then "

"So what?" the thin man asked curiously.

"Then. Well, I don't know what will happen to you." The fat man thought for a while but couldn't come up with a scary enough statement, so he waved his hand impatiently and said:

"Anyway, this Bonaparte will not end well. He may have to leave Corsica in despair. Oh, of course he must keep the money before leaving."

After that, the fat man remembered something again and reminded his companions harshly:

"By the way, you should put away the idea of ​​killing Bonaparte with one shot. I heard that there is a damn girl in Ajaccio who is tracking us spies recently. Don't show any clues."

"Young girl? Where did you come from? What's there to be afraid of?" the thin man said nonchalantly.

"Hmph, don't fall into her hands then." The fat man glared at him, frowned and said:

"That little girl named Xia Diya is not simple. You'd better be careful."

After returning to the Governor's Mansion after a long absence, Lawrence felt a lot more at home. Everything here was basically the same as when he left.

Pascual Paoli is still under house arrest under Lawrence's order. His residence is only a few dozen meters away from the residence of former British Prime Minister William Pitt, who is also under house arrest.

"I am astonished, Monsignor Bonaparte."

In the study room of the Governor's Palace, Rousseau, who was sitting opposite Lawrence, was still surprised and sighed. Before coming to Corsica, he had never expected that the people here had such cohesion:

"I often read about such scenes in poems praising wise kings, but this is the first time I have seen it with my own eyes. You are truly a ruler supported by the people."

"You are exaggerating, Mr. Rousseau. This is not an achievement to be proud of." Lawrence said with a smile:

"People's hearts are unpredictable like water, and people's hearts are even more so. If we want to win the long-term support of the people, we still have a long way to go."

This time, the citizens of Ajaccio loved and supported Lawrence so much. The main reason was the tens of millions of livres Lawrence brought back from France and the diplomatic means that helped Corsica end the long war.

Although these two events are exciting enough, their impact will not be too long-lasting. Lawrence also knew that if he wanted to win the support of the people in the long term, he still had to rely on the land and agricultural tax reforms he was about to carry out.

Rousseau nodded with deep approval and said with admiration:

"You have surpassed most European rulers simply by your can-do attitude."

"I hope Corsica can surpass most European countries." Lawrence responded casually, then opened the drawer, handed Rousseau a document he had just drafted and signed, and said seriously:

"According to our previous agreement, Mr. Rousseau, I am officially appointed as the Speaker of the Corsican Constituent Assembly. Since the Constituent Assembly has not yet been formed, you will temporarily serve as the Speaker of the Corsican Assembly. In addition, I also officially grant you the Corsican Constituent Assembly." Citizenship and all rights and obligations of citizens.”

Rousseau excitedly took the appointment document from Lawrence's hands. As a scholar who had been talking on paper for most of his life, Rousseau finally had the opportunity to apply what he had learned throughout his life to the governance of a real country.

Regardless of the considerations of fame and fortune, Rousseau has always been eager for this opportunity to test his theories in practice simply because of the scholar's nature of seeking knowledge.

"I really don't know what to say, Monsignor Bonaparte, this is definitely a day that I need to remember."

Rousseau looked at the appointment document, which was written in Italian and French, rolled it up and kept it with great treasure, patted his chest and said with tears of gratitude.

"I believe your talents can benefit Corsica a lot." Lawrence looked at Rousseau sincerely, smiled and nodded.

Being able to bring such a scholar with far-reaching influence in the future to Corsica, Lawrence had to admit that this was an excellent blessing. Using a speaker position with little real power can make the future Corsican government Become the orthodox heir to Rousseau's thought.

This would bring many legal benefits to Corsica in the future revolution.

As for the current Speaker of the Corsican Parliament, Bishop Icober, Lawrence only needs to issue another order to dismiss him.

The bishop was now thinking about how to present himself at the coronation ceremony soon, so that he could stand out in front of the French nobles and bishops and be promoted.

Lawrence also held the decision-making power on whether Bishop Ecobel could crown King Louis, so he naturally did not worry about whether he would willingly give up the position of speaker.

What's more, Lawrence has long wanted to completely expel the church from the political world, and the dismissal of Bishop Icobale this time is just the right thing to do.

After completing the formal appointment of Rousseau, Lawrence immediately sent people to arrange accommodation for Rousseau and his wife. In any case, Lawrence would not treat this nearly sixty-year-old scholar poorly in terms of living conditions.

After Rousseau left, Lawrence immediately ordered Anna to summon Mr. Coggello, the Minister of Finance.

Lawrence returned to Corsica this time to fundamentally solve the money bag problem, so the assistance of the Finance Minister was naturally indispensable.

"Mr. Governor! You are back."

Mr. Coggello, the Finance Minister, hurriedly opened the study door, held his forehead with his left hand, and greeted Lawrence slightly tiredly.

He also had a large pile of paperwork under his arm, and it seemed that Mr. Coggello's job was not easy these days.

This is actually not surprising. After all, Lawrence handed over the experimental tax reform and census tasks to the Ministry of Finance. In addition, the Ministry of Finance is already the most important and busy functional department. The burden on Mr. Coggello must be Quite heavy.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Coggello, you look a little tired."

Lawrence looked at Cogelo, put his chin on his hands and said:

"Ana, bring Mr. Coggero a cup of coffee."

"Yes, sir." Anna replied. After returning to the Governor's Palace, she put on the original maid uniform and white stockings because she remembered that M. Bonaparte preferred this outfit.

"Oh, no, Miss Anna, Mr. Governor, I'm fine." Mr. Cogelo quickly shook his head with a wry smile and waved his hand.

Mr. Coggello has a very good grasp of his political situation. He knows that he is neither a figure who shares weal and woe with Governor Bonaparte like Old Sean of the patrol or Major Trifalli of the army, nor is he a figure like Carlo Bo Senator Nabal is a relative of the Governor.

Under such circumstances, Mr. Coggello still holds the important position of Minister of Finance. He understands that if he wants to stay in this position for a long time, he must use actions and loyalty to show his loyalty to Governor Bonaparte. It's nothing to work hard to express your worth.

Lawrence nodded slightly, looked at the large stack of documents brought by Mr. Coggello and asked:

"What's going on in Corsica these past few months? Especially economically?"

Mr. Coggero nodded excitedly, and after talking about his professional field, he was no longer as reserved as when he entered:

"The economic situation is very good, mainly in terms of trade. Genoa's warships have lifted their blockade and attacks on us, which has gradually increased the number of merchant ships traveling to and from the port of Ajaccio. This includes Bastia in the north, where It also has the potential to become a bustling transit port.”

"Corsica is an excellent Mediterranean transit base. Unfortunately, it has been devastated by war for too long." Lawrence nodded and commented.

"Yes, that's right, Mr. Governor, there is another matter worthy of attention."

Mr. Coggello did not look at the information he had brought, but added skillfully to Lawrence:

"Since the news that Corsica will submit to France has become a well-known thing, our trade with France has become increasingly close. After the two countries reach a customs union to form a common market, trade exchanges will become even closer. Ajac There are already some citizens in Chaunet who are accustomed to using French currency."

"Well, this is also a good thing." Lawrence said slowly, touching his chin.

In the completed treaty of surrender, the future Kingdom of Corsica will integrate economically with France, including using the same currency, building a common market and a customs union.

Although this would cause Corsica to lose the power to independently formulate monetary policy, compared with the benefits of joining the French market, Lawrence certainly looked down upon this meager coinage power.

"As for the use of French currency, the Ministry of Finance can take the lead in encouraging Corsicans to exchange and use French currency."

Lawrence told Cogelo:

"At the same time, your department must also be prepared to recycle old Corsican coins. These coins will soon be withdrawn from circulation."

"Yes, I understand." Mr. Coggello responded ably, and while recording Lawrence's instructions in the book, he sighed casually:

"Although these coins have only been issued for more than ten years, they are probably memories that many Corsicans cannot erase. They never expected that they would become a pile of scrap copper and iron so soon."

"Even so, Corsica must move on anyway. And"

Lawrence lowered his head and took out a bronze Corsican gold coin from his wallet, held it tightly in his hand, and said in a deep voice:

"These coins will be of great help to us right away."