From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

November 20, Corsica

A month and a half had passed since Lawrence led his army to defend the Knights Hospitallers.

After the Royal Navy's Griffin detachment evacuated the island of Malta that day, Lawrence and his soldiers stayed on the island for a few more days. After seeing no further movement from the British, they led the army back to Corsica.

Erwin and Franche left Malta by ship on the third day after resigning from their duties in the Knights. Now, the only one left in the Knights who has the ability and prestige to lead everyone is Archbishop Giotto appointed by Erwin. The dean is here.

This fierce and determined warrior also resolutely took on the important task of leading the Knights and led the knights and citizens in the recovery and reconstruction of the Port of Valletta.

Although Malta could return to its former prosperity over time due to its unique geographical location, for a considerable period of time, the knights and citizens on the island had to experience unbearable pain.

After returning to Corsica, Lawrence also organized several batches of fleets to go to Malta for assistance, and passed a bill to provide export subsidies for all trade goods sold to Malta, in order to promote the recovery of trade on the island, and at the same time further Improve relations between Corsica and the Order.

Archbishop Giotto was even more grateful for Lawrence's assistance. He sent his own letters to the Governor's Palace many times, and said that after a church on the island was rebuilt, it would be named the Bonaparte Chapel.

However, Lawrence did not attach much importance to these reputations. The reason why he wanted to maintain a close relationship with the knights was because of the fearlessness and bravery displayed by the knights in battle, as well as the piety and loyalty shown by the knights in peacetime.

If we just talk about the quality of the soldiers, neither the Corsican Defense Force under Lawrence nor the French garrison in Serrurier are far inferior to those knights. In the battle, the fearless charge of these knights can play a decisive role.

It's a pity that their number is too small, and the training period is too long. Almost every monastery knight has joined the order since childhood to receive training and penance.

Even so, the two to three thousand knights on the island are still an elite force that cannot be ignored. Lawrence also wants to maintain a close relationship with the knights in exchange for their future military assistance to him.

For the Maltese, they still have a long and arduous journey to go, but for Lawrence, his series of events on the island of Malta can finally come to a successful end.

The British ambassador, Baron Bertula, also made a special trip to meet Lawrence after he returned to Corsica.

He told Lawrence that Colonel Mohan, who besieged the island of Malta that day, had been recalled to the mainland and seemed to be undergoing trial by a military court; No. 10 Downing Street seemed to want to blame all the failure of this operation and its negative impact on Mohan. Colonel Han was used as a scapegoat to appease public anger.

Of course, Baron Bertula's main purpose in coming to Corsica again was to ask Lawrence to release William Pitt and the sailors on the Reasonable ship.

Out of gratitude for the information provided by Baron Bertula, Lawrence readily released the captured sailors on the Reasonable. However, for old William Pitt, a valuable hostage, Lawrence decided to continue his mission in a short time. It's in your own hands.

Baron Bertula argued with Lawrence for several days, but in the end no consensus was reached.

The busy ambassador knew that Lawrence would try his best to extend the captivity of old William Pitt in Corsica. After several days of fruitless arguments, he had no choice but to inform the mainland to complete the island of St. Kitts as soon as possible. delivery, in order to prompt Lawrence to release the distinguished former prime minister.

Before leaving Corsica, Baron Bertula, with Lawrence's permission, visited William Pitt and conveyed to him the latest news about his homeland and his family.

After discovering that the health of Lord Peter, who had always suffered from gout, was much better than expected, Baron Bertula couldn't help but feel a little surprised while feeling reassured.

Especially after learning that Lord Pitt was taking the medicine invented by Laurence Bonaparte every day, the ambassador did not expect that Governor Bonaparte was still making outstanding achievements in medicine. After all, gout was a standard for rich people. I don’t know how many kings’ court doctors were helpless about this disease. They only knew how to bloodletting and aromatherapy.

After ensuring that Lord Peter would not be in any health danger in a short period of time, Baron Bertula left Corsica.

According to the report given to Lawrence by Mayor Josip, the ambassador returned to Paris after staying in Marseille for a week.

On the afternoon of the 20th, Lawrence was meeting with Coggero from the Ministry of Finance at the Governor's Palace to hear his latest report on Corsica's finances.

"That's generally the case, Mr. Governor, the autumn taxes have basically been collected."

Mr. Coggello sat opposite Lawrence. There was a three-finger-thick report data in front of him, but he did not look at it. Instead, he reported the report confidently:

"It's really a miracle. The amount of taxes we collected is 180% of last autumn. There is even a large surplus in the fiscal revenue and expenditure, and the burden on farmers is lighter than ever before."

Lawrence listened silently, while flipping through a summary of a report filled with figures that Mr. Cogello handed over.

The substantial increase in fiscal revenue was also expected by Lawrence. This is essentially a matter of wealth distribution. Since the landlord class was eliminated, the social wealth they occupied has naturally flowed into the hands of the government and the people.

"If this continues, it won't be long before our fiscal deficit can be wiped out."

Mr. Coggero is excitedly thinking about future plans. For a financial official like him, seeing the sudden increase in the national budget is even happier than seeing his own pockets bulge:

"Many proposals that were previously canceled due to lack of budget are now on the agenda. Infrastructure construction in the Ajaccio region, building schools, expanding the size of the navy, replacing equipment for the National Defense Forces, and increasing the number of public employees. Oh my God, I want to put it in a reasonable way. It’s not easy to spend so much money.”

"Priority should be given to education and infrastructure. After the Ministry of Finance's budget for the coming year is completed, it will be handed over to the Government House and then to the Parliament."

Lawrence smiled and nodded, put the summary of the report on the table aside, and asked casually:

"By the way, how's the census going?"

"Oh! It went very well, Mr. Governor." Mr. Coggero blinked, quickly searched for relevant memories, and said skillfully:

"You know, without the obstruction of those landowners, our investigators will have a much easier time doing this work. Especially now that the poll tax has been abolished, and rural land needs to be distributed according to household registration, so farmers We rushed to register with the local city hall, and we didn’t even need to take the initiative to visit and investigate. I think underreporting the population has become a thing of the past.”

After saying that, Mr. Cogelo thought for a while, nodded and added:

"As for the population of the island, it will take some time for accurate statistics to come out, but I can confirm that the island's permanent population is around 120,000, and they are basically distributed around Ajaccio and in the south."

"One hundred and twenty thousand?"

Lawrence kept this number in mind, but he remembered that during the era of Pauli's administration, the official population of Corsica was less than 50,000, which shows how deeply entrenched the power of the previous landowners was.

As for the issue of population distribution, it is normal. The north of Corsica has always been a battlefield between the National Defense Forces and the Genoese army. Naturally, not many people live there permanently. With the arrival of peace, more residents will return to their homeland. From my hometown in the north.

Just as Lawrence was about to discuss budget expenditures for the coming year with Mr. Coggello, private secretary Anna suddenly opened the door and walked in, reporting in a soft voice:

"Sir, a royal envoy from France has arrived in Ajaccio and wants to see you."

"Royal envoy? Let him in."

Lawrence was a little surprised. He had thought that he would stay in Corsica until the next year before getting news about Paris and Versailles. After all, Louis XV would not have sent him to France too early in order to check Richelieu and Choiseul. Recall to Paris.

But from this point of view, it seems that his actions on the island of Malta this time have been recognized by King Louis, and the king who was in a happy mood summoned him in advance.

Mr. Coggero quickly packed up the report materials on the table and stood up. Of course, he knew that meeting the royal envoy was a more important matter.

As Mr. Coggello left quickly, a middle-aged man wearing a field gray woolen coat walked into the room under the guidance of Anna.

He holds a black-trimmed three-cornered hat under his arm, and the silver wig on his head is neatly styled, reflecting a little silver light under the sunlight. The cuffs of his shirt are wide and trumpet-shaped, all of which are the hallmarks of the Palace of Versailles. popular fashion.

The envoy bowed respectfully at the door, and after receiving Lawrence's permission, he walked lightly to the table and sat down, saying:

"Your Majesty the Governor, I am here to convey His Majesty the King's decree."

Lawrence tilted his head slightly, with a serious face, gesturing for him to continue speaking.

The envoy opposite the desk took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his coat. The seal was varnished with the emblem of the Bourbon royal family. He handed it to Lawrence and reported:

"His Majesty the King orders you to return to Paris as soon as you have made all preparations to lead the Corsican people to surrender to him."

Lawrence opened the envelope directly, unfolded the letter paper inside and glanced at it twice. The cursive characters on the letter paper were as neat and beautiful as if they were copied. It was obviously not an autographed letter from King Louis, but was ghostwritten by a professional scribe from the Secretariat. Only at the end is Louis XV's signature.

Although the letter filled a whole page with eloquence, the content was basically the same as what the envoy said: King Louis was eager to summon Lawrence back to Paris and Versailles.

"It seems that this trip to Malta was not in vain."

Looking at the affectionately worded royal edict in his hand, Lawrence could not help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly, knowing that his status in Louis XV's heart had risen to a higher level.

In order not to be disrespectful to etiquette, Lawrence carefully read the edict from beginning to end, then carefully folded it and stored it, and looked up at the envoy opposite:

"Does His Majesty the King have any other wishes?"

"That's all, Your Excellency Bonaparte." The envoy shook his head and said without missing a beat:

"But you'd better finish the Corsican crown as soon as possible. I heard that preparations have already begun in the Palace of Versailles for His Majesty's coronation as King of Corsica."

"That's it, I understand." Lawrence nodded. Now that he has received the summons from Louis XV, he also wants to return to Paris as soon as possible. After all, there are many more opportunities and resources in Paris than in Ajaccio. More than ten times.

As for the preparations for the establishment of the Kingdom of Corsica, Lawrence's work in this area has now reached the final stage.

The constitution of the Kingdom of Corsica compiled by Jean-Jacques Rousseau has been basically completed. As long as this constitution is approved by the Constituent Assembly, a new kingdom will be born on this ancient island in a legal sense.

The subsequent departmental restructuring, government system reform and other matters are only administrative issues. With Lawrence's current prestige and power within the government, there is no obstacle to promoting these changes.

The royal envoy cleared his throat, prepared to stand up and said goodbye:

"Now that you have received the king's order, I will take my leave."

"Wait a minute." Lawrence suddenly stopped the envoy and asked after thinking for a moment:

"Has the Duke of Choiseul not yet completed his inspection at the Parlement de Dijon?"

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that Duke Choiseul's so-called inspection in Dijon is just a cover, a check and balance made by the king in order to restrict this powerful duke.

The envoy hesitated for a while, wanting to say that reporting these matters was not within the scope of his duties, but he decided not to offend Governor Bonaparte, who had recently become a hot topic in the Palace of Versailles, and told the truth:

"No, the Duke of Choiseul is still in Dijon, and His Majesty the King has not summoned him. And as far as I know, His Excellency the Duke has frequently sent his inspection reports to the palace recently, indicating that everything in Dijon has been completed. Work, but the king seemed not satisfied with his report, saying that if the duke did not conduct a detailed inspection of the judicial environment in Dijon, he would let Justice Maupp take over the appointment and dismissal of judges of the High Court of Dijon, and then the duke stopped. ”

Lawrence listened silently, and from these words, he could tell that Louis XV was threatening the Duke of Choiseul.

If Duke Choiseul insists on returning to Paris, the king will let Justice Maupp put his hands in the High Court. This is naturally unacceptable to Choiseul, a staunch ally of the High Court.

"That is to say, the Duke of Choiseul will be staying in Dijon for a long time. I can't say whether this is good or bad."

Lawrence secretly thought that if there were no urgent or unexpected matters in Paris, the Duke would have to stay away from the political center of France in a short time.

And Lawrence is still not sure about the impact of the Duke's absence in Paris. On the one hand, Lawrence has indeed temporarily lost his biggest supporter; but on the other hand, without the constraints of the Duke of Choiseul, Lawrence can also be in Paris. Go and develop some of your own power.

"Well, no matter what, we still have to return to Paris as soon as possible."

After making up his mind, Lawrence stood up, shook hands with the envoy, and said goodbye to him with a smile.

When the footsteps of the royal envoys gradually disappeared in the corridor of the Governor's Palace, Lawrence called Anna and ordered:

"Inform Mr. Jean-Jacques Rousseau that I will see him at nine o'clock tomorrow morning; also inform the five members of the Parliament to wait in the parliament hall in the afternoon to prepare for a public vote on the kingdom's constitution."