From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

September 12, 1770

early morning

Two third-class ships flying black Moorish flags approached the waters outside Marseille Port and were preparing to sail into the port terminal.

These two naval warships are the only two third-class ships of the Corsican Navy. They received orders a few days ago to set out from the port of Ajaccio yesterday evening to escort Governor Bonaparte to Marseille.

However, what surprised the sailors on the ship was that the British ambassador, Baron Bertula, also boarded the voyage to Marseilles together with Governor Bonaparte.

At this time, the ambassador was leisurely leaning on the side of the ship, holding a small tray and a coffee cup in his hands, looking at the sea view comfortably in the cool and comfortable sea breeze in the morning. He did not look like a man with many official duties at all. Ambassador to France.

"You look quite happy." Lawrence walked up to the deck, glanced at the coffee cup and silver spoon in Baron Bertula's hand, and said casually.

Baron Bertula picked up the small cup and took a sip of black coffee with sugar. He turned to look at Lawrence, breathed out a leisurely hot breath, and said casually:

"Ah, that's because there are not many opportunities to get along with young talents like you, which makes me feel happy."

During the chats in the past two days, Baron Bertula also learned that Lawrence would go to Marseille Port today.

The ambassador naturally understood the meaning behind this action, that is, Governor Bonaparte accepted cooperation with him and had decided to send troops to the island of Malta.

Otherwise, a qualified Governor-General should never leave his country while receiving a visit from a foreign ambassador. This would be a sign of extreme diplomatic discourtesy.

After receiving this signal, Baron Bertula couldn't help but get a lot more excited, and the tone of his conversation with Lawrence unconsciously became enthusiastic.

After learning that Lawrence was leaving Ajaccio for Marseille, Baron Bertula also took the initiative to request to leave with Lawrence. After all, Lawrence, as the guest and host, was no longer in Ajaccio, so it was difficult for him as an ambassador to continue to stay in Ajaccio. Signia, and staying in the bustling Marseille is much more comfortable than living in the shabby Ajaccio.

Grosso followed closely behind Lawrence, and he knew very well that he did not choose to intervene in the conversation between the two big men. However, his sharp sword-like eyes were fixed on Baron Bertula.

Intuition told Grosso, the old sailor, that the series of actions of Baron Bertula when he came to Corsica were indeed abnormal, but like Lawrence, he was still not sure what the British's ultimate goal was.

Soon, the two warships sailed into the Port of Marseille along with the endless flow of trade ships.

Since the ship was carrying two important figures, Lawrence and Baron Bertula, the customs officials did not dare to be embarrassed. They quickly ended the routine inspection and then lined up neatly in two lines on the pier and bowed to welcome the two. Arrive at Marseille.

Not long after the group disembarked from the ship, a richly dressed, noble man and several followers found Baron Bertula on the dock.

Baron Bertula seemed to have known him for a long time. The two of them shook hands cordially and exchanged greetings for a while, but their voices were very low, as if they were concerned about the presence of Lawrence and Grosso.

"Then, Monsignor Bonaparte, let us bid you farewell here, and hope that I may hear some good news from you."

After the two people said hello, Baron Bertula turned to look at Lawrence and said goodbye to him with a smile.

The noble-looking man also looked at Lawrence, but did not introduce himself or say anything out loud. He just nodded slightly in greeting, and then walked with Baron Bertula to a large troika not far away.

"Betura's old friend?" Lawrence frowned as he watched the two of them get on the carriage and slowly leave the dock amidst the creaking of the wheels.

Grosso also stared at the carriage thoughtfully and suddenly said:

"Hey, Lawrence, didn't you notice? The clothes of the man just now are the typical fringed robes of the South Italian nobles. The nobles there like that style; and his accent, I just heard a little bit of it, although he said It’s French, but that way of pronunciation is undoubtedly unique to southern Italy.”

Lawrence raised his eyebrows. After all, he came from time and space. He is not as sensitive to elements such as clothing style and speaking accent as Grosso, an Italian. However, since Grosso has already made a judgment, Lawrence also believes in this conclusion:

"You mean, that nobleman is Italian and from the south? This is a bit interesting."

Watching the carriage drive up the busy street and finally disappear around a corner, Lawrence silently remembered the information provided by Grosso in his heart.

The British ambassador's meeting with a South Italian nobleman in Marseille does not sound like an ordinary thing, especially when the Kingdom of Naples is undergoing a drastic change.

As Baron Bertula left in the car, Lawrence and Grosso did not stay where they were. After all, this is the city of Marseille in France. Lawrence does not have much power and intelligence network here, so it is impossible to send people to follow and inquire. Who exactly did Baron Bertula go to meet?

Due to the rush, Lawrence did not write a letter to inform the mayor of Josip in advance, so the two had to rent a few carriages on the roadside and drove Lawrence, Grosso and a few necessary entourage to the Marseille City Hall.

The Marseille City Hall still looks that grand. The City Hall Square is paved with neat marble slabs decorated with lapis lazuli patterns. The buildings around the square are also beautifully restored, as if they had just been built.

When Josip, the alderman who was born in the third class and pinned his hopes of climbing on Lawrence, heard from his subordinates that Governor Bonaparte was coming to visit, he didn't even have time to put on his formal clothes and three-cornered hat. Wearing only a white shirt and shorts, he hurried to the door to greet him personally.

"Your Excellency Bonaparte! You are here. Oh my god, I actually let you condescend to come to the city hall in such a dilapidated taxi. It is really a sin. Please forgive me, Your Excellency. Why didn't you come to Marseille in advance? Announcement, ah, I know, those stupid secretaries must have missed your letter. I have told them long ago that your letter should be regarded as important as His Majesty the King's order! "

Mayor Yosip saw Lawrence and his party from a distance, and trotted all the way to Lawrence. As soon as he opened his mouth, he started to speak a series of flattering words. If other people were standing here and listening to this, they might feel comfortable and itchy in their hearts. of.

It seems that his ability to go from being the son of a judge to the mayor of Marseille is indeed outstanding. At least his ability to talk is far beyond ordinary people.

And Lawrence just smiled and shook his head and said:

"Okay, Mr. Yosip, let's talk about business. My time is very tight."

"Of course, of course, time for a person like you is more precious than gold. Please come with me, Your Excellency."

Hearing Lawrence's words, Mayor Yosip immediately suppressed the warm and somewhat hypocritical smile on his face, turned around and called for Lawrence and his entourage to follow him into the city hall. At the same time, he ably ordered his men to entertain Grosso and other entourage. He himself took Lawrence to the private office.

Just like the last time Lawrence arrived, Mayor Yosip warmly greeted Lawrence to sit down, then opened the wine cabinet, took out two crystal glasses and a bottle of champagne from Bordeaux, and personally poured some for Lawrence. of two-thirds cup.

While the other party was pouring wine, Lawrence pointed at the calendar hanging on the wall of the office and said casually:

"Mr. Alderman, today is September 12th."

The astute Mayor Yosip naturally knew what Lawrence was talking about. He quickly handed the poured wine glass to Lawrence and said skillfully:

"Yes, Your Excellency, I remember that the delivery time for the commission you gave me is about to be delivered. Fortunately, I can proudly tell you that the purchase of grain was very successful. Those brown bread you requested The beans and black beans are stored safely and cleanly in the dock warehouse, which is enough to fill four warehouses, and you can pick them up at any time.”

Listening to Mayor Yosip's report, Lawrence also accepted the wine glass from the other party with satisfaction, then gently clinked the glasses with Mayor Yosip, and continued to ask:

"So, how much grain did you purchase in the end?"

Mayor Yosip licked his lips, looked sideways and began to think, and then replied nervously:

"Black beans are not grown around Marseille, so the food purchased this time is basically freshly baked black bread. As for the quantity, as you know, the procurement work is very intensive, and I don't have specific numbers on hand. But according to the merchants' guild's accounting estimates, this food is enough to feed 300,000 people within ten days."

Having said that, Mayor Yosip held the wine glass even more nervously and looked at Lawrence with raised eyebrows, wondering whether this figure would satisfy His Excellency Bonaparte.

After all, in the contract between the two, Lawrence would regularly spend 500,000 livres to buy cheap food. As for how much he bought in the end, it all depended on the ability of Mayor Yosip.

"Enough to feed 300,000 people for ten days?" Lawrence nodded slightly in surprise. This number was much greater than his estimated purchasing power of 500,000 livres.

According to the current price of goods in France, five suls copper coins, which is a quarter of a livre, can allow an adult to fill his stomach with the lowest and cheapest food.

Calculated in this way, the food purchased for 500,000 livres is probably enough to feed 200,000 people for ten days. This does not include the various losses, warehousing, logistics, and favors during the procurement process. If Including these costs, the figure is much lower.

The quantity purchased by Mayor Yosip really exceeded Lawrence's expectations. It seems that the mayor did his best and exerted his political influence in the city hall.

"Your Majesty Bonaparte, what do you think?" Mayor Yosip asked cautiously.

Lawrence picked up the wine glass and took a sip of champagne, feeling the wonderful feeling of the bubbles exploding the mellow aroma of the wine on his tongue. Then he put down the wine glass, clapped his hands gently and said:

"I must say that your work has exceeded my expectations, Mr. Alderman. I think I have seen your ability and sincerity in this cooperation."

"You! Are you serious?!"

Even a mature man like Yosip couldn't help but look at Lawrence excitedly at this moment.

Mayor Yosip still remembered that Lawrence said last month that if this cooperation could satisfy him, then subsequent cooperation would be possible, and more Lifre silver coins would flow in. Enter Marseille.

Even in the end, His Excellency Bonaparte would say a few nice words in front of Duke Choiseul, recommending himself as a talented person who was born in the third class but has excellent ability. By then, France might really have a talented person. A rare local governor who comes from a commoner background.

Lawrence sat back on the sofa, crossed his legs, crossed his fingers and said:

"Of course, I, Laurence Bonaparte, am a man of my word. I think we can talk about subsequent cooperation."

"Oh! Yes, please tell me about the follow-up cooperation."

Mayor Yosip quickly sat up straight, stood up slightly and picked up the memo on his desk, then put on his gold-rimmed glasses and held a quill in his hand, as nervous as a civil servant who was about to be promoted and was being evaluated by his superiors. ,Excited.

Lawrence also saw the performance of Mayor Yosip and was very satisfied at the same time. With the cooperation of such an almost tamed mayor, Lawrence's plan to cultivate his own power in the south of France will undoubtedly be much easier.

"Ahem." After a slight cough, Lawrence rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, then said:

"First of all, I will pay you the five hundred thousand livres as the purchase price soon. However, I hope that the purchased food can continue to be temporarily stored in the warehouse in Marseille. It is not the time to prepare the food yet."

The more than 10 million livres in Lawrence's hand were naturally not in the form of cash. Otherwise, this amount of silver coins would weigh dozens of tons, and there would be no mention of bringing this money back to Corsica from Paris.

This wealth is basically stored in several large banks in Paris, most of which are located in the French Commercial Bank under the name of Mr. Montmartre, Lawrence's ally in the Paris financial community. Lawrence will only need to make an appointment later. The mayor of Sipp just needs to write a bank draft. After all, the Banque Commerciale de France must have a branch in a big city like Marseille.

"I understand, there is no problem at all." Mayor Yosip quickly wrote down the memorandum and promised at the same time.

Although the storage fees in the port warehouse are a large expense for ordinary businessmen, they are insignificant in the cooperation between Mayor Yosip and Lawrence.

"In addition, I need to rent several large merchant ships, preferably converted from decommissioned warships." Lawrence continued to order.

According to the plan to seize the island of Malta, in order to hide from others, the soldiers must be sent to the island of Malta on merchant ships to avoid being discovered by the Royal Navy in advance.