From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

Around one o'clock in the afternoon, the sky was clear and the sea was calm.

The Saint-Denis, a tall, second-class battleship with three gun decks and ninety guns, was sailing smoothly through thousands of waves towards the port of Ajaccio in Corsica.

A bright Union Jack flag hung high on the main mast of the battleship, fluttering in the sea breeze.

If ships within a radius of dozens of nautical miles see the Saint-Denis through telescopes, they will wisely choose to actively change their course and make a detour.

Because every experienced captain knows that the number of second-class battleships like the Saint-Denis does not exceed three digits even for a naval power like Great Britain, and they are generally used as the flagship of a squadron of the Royal Navy.

And the only people who can take such a warship to Ajaccio are noble people like Baron Bertula.

Baron Bertula stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the nearby Corsica in the gentle afternoon sunshine. From his current position, he could clearly see the outline of the city of Ajaccio, and he would soon be able to reach Ajaccio. Port Jacques.

There were two people standing behind Baron Bertula. The one serving on the left was a gentleman in a brown dress with a meticulous expression. If Master Justin was also on this ship, he would definitely recognize that this was the intermediary agent. Sir Robert.

On the right is a soldier wearing a triangular navy hat. Judging from his epaulettes, he is a Royal Navy colonel, the captain of the Saint-Denis.

The naval captain was also looking at the nearby Corsica. Occasionally, his eyes would stay on Baron Bertula, but the eyes he looked at Baron Bertula were full of displeasure and disgust.

The three of them looked at the scenery on the sea in silence for a while, and then Baron Bertula suddenly said:

"Sir Robert, tell me again how you lost this war?"

A hint of imperceptible shame flashed across Sir Robert's face when he heard this request, but he quickly adjusted his tone, lowered his head and responded:

"Yes, Your Excellency Baron. We have trained and armed the rebels in accordance with your requirements. Logically speaking, the army should have good combat effectiveness and have excellent weapons and equipment. The experienced commanders have also undergone the necessary training. , but under Bonaparte's attack, this army collapsed at the first blow, and many soldiers even turned their guns on their own people."

Baron Bertula rubbed his chin thoughtfully and seemed to be talking to himself:

"Is it going to collapse at the first touch? I have some sources, saying that Bonaparte implemented a set of drastic and even crazy reforms in Corsica. The failure of the rebels should be inseparable from that series of reforms. Look at it this way I can’t blame you, it’s just that we underestimated Bonaparte.”

As he spoke, the look of fear on Baron Bertula's face became more intense. He took a deep breath and said harshly:

"But it doesn't matter. Although Laurence Bonaparte is indeed an outstanding talent, with the fall of the Duke of Choiseul, his political life will soon come to an end."

"The Downfall of the Duke of Choiseul"

Sir Robert raised his head and glanced at Baron Bertula. Even as his direct subordinate, Sir Robert only knew that his lord and the Duke of Richelieu had a plan to bring down the Duke of Choiseul. As for the details of the plan, Even he didn't know anything about it.

Listening to the conversation between the two, the naval captain on the side suddenly snorted disdainfully and looked at Baron Bertula with an unkind expression:

"Huh, Mr. Ambassador, I don't know what tricks your Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still playing that even the Navy has to hide; and I have to tell you that the Navy is very dissatisfied with your failure in Corsica. More than ten thousand Soldiers’ weapons and equipment, and dozens of mid-level non-commissioned officers, this is not a small price to pay.”

As a soldier, the colonel was naturally dissatisfied with Sir Robert's failure in Corsica, especially because the operation to support the rebellion was funded by the Royal Navy and led by Sir Robert from the Foreign Office. , and finally ushered in a disastrous ending.

Especially when the colonel heard that Baron Bertula was still carrying out an unknown conspiracy that was kept secret even to the Royal Navy, this made him feel even more depressed and unhappy.

Upon hearing this, Baron Bertula turned his head and glanced at the colonel, frowned and said:

"Colonel Mohan, victory and defeat in war are like two sides of the same coin. You don't have to worry about a small failure."

After hearing this, Colonel Mohan became even more angry, his beard turned up in anger, and he pointed his hand directly at the tip of Baron Bertula's nose:

"Grudged? What you civil servants say is really easy. The supplies to aid the Corsican rebels this time were all from my squadron. What did we get on that damn island? Nothing! Instead, we got those The brand new equipment was handed over to Bonaparte. Your Excellency, Baron, you should be lucky that you are directly under the Foreign Secretary, otherwise you will be court-martialed!"

Facing the furious Colonel Mohan, Baron Bertula, as a diplomat, wisely chose to avoid his edge. After bowing slightly to apologize, he took Sir Robert back to the cabin.

He also knew that the fundamental reason why Colonel Mohan was so angry was actually because the supplies for this operation were provided by the squadron commanded by Colonel Mohan.

You must know that in this era, the naval captains and commanders of most countries have the power of the purse, which means that they can freely use funds and materials to replenish the fleet in real time without waiting for higher-level command organizations. Review and approve.

The purpose of such a system is naturally to enable naval ships to maintain good combat status at all times. Otherwise, if a fleet far away from homeland needs to report everything to the headquarters, its mission efficiency will undoubtedly be greatly reduced.

However, the disadvantages of giving commanders purse power are also obvious, that is, the funds allocated to each fleet basically become the commander's personal treasury, and a considerable part will flow into the officers' own pockets.

This time Baron Bertula took out such a large amount of weapons and equipment to support the Corsican rebels, which was equivalent to taking a large amount of money directly from Colonel Mohan's small coffers. No wonder he was so angry and angry.

Seeing the two people leaving, Colonel Mohan became even more angry. He cursed and punched the side of the ship to vent his anger, and loudly called for the orderer and ordered:

"Go full sail to Ajaccio! I really don't want to waste a second of my time in this damn place."

About two hours later, the Saint-Denis approached the port of Ajaccio and slowly sailed into the port's military dock under the escort of two third-class ships of the Corsican Navy.

After the ship stopped and the gangway was lowered, dozens of sailors climbed off the ship and lined up on both sides of the dock road with their heads held high. The three of them immediately climbed off the Saint-Denis and stood on the Corsica. on land.

"This is Ajaccio, it's as dilapidated as a small fishing port." Baron Bertula looked around the surrounding environment and smacked his lips and said:

"It's hard to imagine that someone like Laurence Bonaparte could come out of this place."

Colonel Mohan covered his nose with disgust, shook his head and said:

"I only smell the stench of bird droppings. Damn it, if it hadn't been for your failure in the south of Corsica, we wouldn't have to deal with that Bonaparte at all now!"

Hearing that Colonel Mohan was still talking about the defeat of the war, Baron Bertula was also a little sullen. He turned his head and stared at him and shouted:

"That's enough, Colonel. This is a diplomatic occasion. Do you want the Corsicans to see the ugliness of the British government?"

"Ugly? Huh!" Colonel Mohan was not to be outdone and showed no restraint:

"Isn't the so-called ugliness caused by you civil servants? Have our Royal Navy ever caused even a slight lapse in the face of His Majesty the King?!"

Baron Bertula laughed angrily when he heard this, pointed to the wreckage of the Reasonable moored in the port of Ajaccio not far away, and said sarcastically:

"Really? I would like to know who dumped the wreckage of that battleship there. Can you answer me? Colonel."

"You!" Colonel Mohan took a step forward, his whole face already flushed with anger.

Hearing that Baron Bertula was teasing him about the Reason, Colonel Mohan was so angry that he couldn't say a word for a long time. After all, the officers and captains of the Royal Navy were on the island of Corsica. Being publicly burned at the stake was an absolute shame in the heart of every Royal Navy officer.

Sir Robert, who was behind the two men, saw this and hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade him:

"Your Excellency Baron, Colonel, you see Governor Bonaparte's team is in front. If we quarrel here, wouldn't we be ridiculed by these Corsican savages?"

Baron Bertula and Colonel Mohan calmed down a little. They looked at each other and snorted at the same time. Then they straightened their messy clothes and walked straight forward towards the welcoming team.

At the same time, the team on Lawrence's side also had a panoramic view of the two people arguing.

"Hey, that's interesting. We started arguing right after we landed? Why don't they two have a fight here, hahaha." Grosso was just watching the excitement and didn't take it too seriously. He laughed when he witnessed the quarrel between the two. , I wanted to get closer to hear what the quarrel was about, but I hurriedly restrained myself after Lawrence stopped me.

Lawrence watched the quarrel between Baron Bertula and the strange officer thoughtfully. It seemed that there was indeed a deep discord between the two, otherwise they would not have had a big quarrel on such an occasion.

As for the patrols in the queue, they all couldn't help laughing. They didn't expect that the dignified diplomatic envoy of Great Britain would be so graceless.

Seeing Baron Bertula walking up, Lawrence took the initiative to greet him, maintaining a polite smile and greetings:

"Mr. Ambassador, I'm glad we meet again."

Baron Bertula also adjusted his mood very quickly, and immediately put on a warm smile and shook hands with Lawrence tightly:

"It's an honor to come to Corsica, Your Excellency Bonaparte. I have a feeling that this trip to Corsica will be a fruitful journey."

"I hope so." Lawrence released his hand holding Baron Bertula's hand without changing his expression, turned to look at Colonel Mohan, and greeted:

"So, who is this?"

Colonel Mohan obviously did not have the emotional control ability of a diplomat like Baron Bertula. He was still angry at this moment. He just casually stretched out his hand to shake Lawrence's hand and introduced himself like gold:

"Jadler Mohan, Captain, Royal Navy, Captain of HMS Saint-Denis, Commander of Griffin Squadron, Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet."

Grosso, who was on the side, whispered in surprise: "A commander of a Royal Navy squadron? No wonder they came on a second-class ship."

Lawrence glanced at the tall ship shape of the Saint Denis behind them, nodded in understanding, and finally looked at Sir Robert.

"Just call me Robert, Your Excellency the Governor. I am the private secretary of His Excellency Bertula." Sir Robert lowered his head and introduced himself to Lawrence calmly. It was difficult to tell from his calm face that just a few days ago, he had Find yourself in the midst of a rebel army seeking to overthrow the Corsican government.

Lawrence nodded slightly and didn't pay too much attention to this inconspicuous secretary.

Even if the simple welcome ceremony ended here, due to the tense relationship with the British, Lawrence did not think about preparing such a grand ceremony for Baron Bertula. As an experienced diplomat, the other party must have felt the same way. Quite understandable.

The group of people quickly moved from the pier and took the prepared carriage to the Governor's Mansion, where they discussed important matters.

After returning to Government House, Lawrence immediately arranged for Colonel Mohan and Sir Robert to be taken to their residence, where they had their private dinner.

As for Baron Bertula, the protagonist of the negotiation, there was no doubt that Lawrence invited him to his office and study for a private meeting.

"Your study is really nicely decorated." As soon as he entered the door and sat down, Baron Bertula turned his head and glanced at the surrounding furnishings, and praised deeply:

"I believe His Excellency William Pitt must have said the same thing about this study."

Lawrence looked up at him, chuckled and shook his head. Unexpectedly, the ambassador was so anxious that he directly mentioned William Pitt without even having a cup of tea.

As for what the other party meant when he mentioned William Pitt, it was obvious. On that day in the Palace of Versailles, Lawrence reached an agreement with Baron Bertula:

Lawrence exchanged William Pitt for the island of St. Kitts, a British colonial island in the West Indies. Later, Lawrence transferred the small island to Louis XV as a royal domain, and Louis was delighted. On the 15th, he was appointed as the tax collector of the royal family and the first attendant of Prince Louis.

Now that Lawrence has reaped all the benefits, Baron Bertula will naturally come to ask for their former prime minister, old William Pitt, to be taken back.

Of course, for Lawrence, the longer the hostage of old William Pitt was in his hands, the better. Of course, he was not willing to return him to Baron Bertula so easily.