From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

1771, late February

The cold wave that hit Paris since mid-January has finally begun to subside after torturing Parisian citizens for more than a month.

The wind and snow are no longer as sharp as a knife, and the temperature at night has gradually risen to above freezing. Although most of the snow on the streets has not yet melted, with the arrival of early spring, citizens have gradually taken to the streets and begun to prepare for this year's winter. Running for a living.

For the poor at the bottom, this is a very rare winter that makes them feel comfortable.

There was finally enough firewood in the stove, the kitchen pockets were stuffed with potatoes and brown bread, and the drafty shack had been reinforced for the first time in a long time.

Although the fatal low temperature still took away the lives of many poor people, finally no more piles of frozen corpses could be found on the streets at dawn like in previous years.

Of course, when the poor people at the bottom draw the refreshing warmth beside the dancing fire, no one will forget the savior who gave them all this - the benevolent Crown Prince and the generous Bonaparte.

In addition to the abundance of supplies, what pleased the citizens most was undoubtedly the news of Madame Du Barry's death.

After the woman was hanged in public, her body was kept in the crypt of Notre Dame for more than two weeks.

The king did not give any instructions for Madame Du Barry's burial, and no friend or relative dared to come to bury her.

In the end, an old nun in Notre Dame couldn't stand it anymore and held a very simple funeral for the body before it started to rot. Then she hastily buried the body in an overgrown cemetery in the suburbs.

It is said that the driver who transported the body felt so unlucky that he charged three times the price, and waited until midnight before quietly transporting the body out of the city, for fear that the citizens would discover that the car was carrying the skeleton of the vicious woman. .

For citizens, this is really the best news they have received since the New Year.

As for Lawrence, he did not pay more attention to this dead man. His attention was more on the new regent, the Duke of Orleans and Prince Louis.

However, the Duke of Orleans remained quite low-key during the first month of his tenure as regent, and did not perform any noteworthy behavior.

Perhaps this is also because Duke Choiseul has not returned to Paris, and the Richelieu faction has become insignificant after losing Madame Du Barry, so the political situation in Paris does not require too much intervention from him.

Especially after Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe, the second-in-command of the Choiseul faction, left Paris in early February to take up his long-delayed post of Governor of Lorraine, the situation in Paris was even more stable than before. many.

The departure of Lieutenant General Philip is also a mixed news for Lawrence.

On the one hand, Lieutenant General Philippe was indeed a reliable ally, as was evident on the day of the Paris riots.

But on the other hand, the Choiseul faction, which has temporarily lost the Duke of Choiseul and Lieutenant General Philip, will become very weak. After all, the Foreign Minister Caesar Gabriel who took over the leadership is not very capable. This might give Lawrence some opportunities to take advantage of.

Of course, only time will tell whether Lieutenant General Philip's departure is a good or bad thing.

At the moment, Lawrence has an equally important matter to deal with-accompanying Prince Louis to enter the Paris Military Academy.

In late February, at the transition from late winter to early spring, it was time for a new batch of students to enroll at the Paris Military Academy.

February 24, Paris

East of the Champ de Mars and west of Les Invalides, the nearly one thousand acres of land in between belong to the famous Paris Military Academy.

When Louis XV founded this military school in 1750, it only admitted children of noble descent whose ancestors were four generations old.

Although birth and blood are no longer the only constraints under Choiseul's reforms, there are undoubtedly only a few outstanding ones who can enter this military academy.

Early in the morning, Lawrence, Crown Prince Louis, and Duke Charles, who was accompanied by the king's order, crowded into a narrow cheap taxi and arrived at the Champ de Mars.

"Wow, this is the Champ de Mars. This is my first time here."

As soon as the carriage stopped, Prince Louis jumped out of the car excitedly and looked curiously at this remote and unfamiliar place:

"It's better than I expected. I thought it was a muddy field before."

Laurence smiled, threw a livre's fare to the coachman, and stepped out of the carriage with Duke Charles.

Duke Charlie rubbed his sore lower back and buttocks, feeling like his whole body was about to fall apart.

Apparently he felt uncomfortable being squeezed by the fat Crown Prince in the car just now, and he couldn't help complaining:

"My waist. Can't we rent a bigger carriage?"

The ride in the small, cramped, creaky, unshocked hackney carriage left an indelible psychological scar on Duke Charles.

Lawrence shrugged and laughed softly:

"His Highness said that since we disguised ourselves as civilians, we must travel in the same way as civilians. His Highness initially wanted to walk here from the Tuileries Palace."

Perhaps because he had never experienced civilian life, Crown Prince Louis insisted on asking the three to enter the Paris Military Academy under the disguise of civilians.

"Walking from the Tuileries to the Champ de Mars? If he wants to lose weight, don't get involved with me."

Duke Charles glanced at the Crown Prince with disgust, muttered and complained:

"How long are you going to play this house? Damn it. This linen outfit makes me itchy."

Lawrence reluctantly pulled off the rags and linen clothes on his body. In the eyes of His Royal Highness, it seemed that only those dressed like this could be called civilians, which made ordinary citizens on the road think that there were three beggars sitting in the carriage.

However, despite repeated complaints, Duke Charles was forced to follow Crown Prince Louis, after all, this was an order from His Majesty the King.

The three of them approached the main entrance of the military academy. An officer who was waiting here stretched out his hand to stop the three of them. Then he looked at the rags on the three of them with sympathy. He couldn't help but sigh that these were really three young people from poor families and strong ambitions. :

"New students? Guys, bring out your admission notice and certificates, as well as letters of recommendation."

Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe had already prepared the documents for Lawrence and Prince Louis. Lieutenant General Philip had previously hoped that Lawrence could win over the cadets of the military academy in the name of Choiseul. This was both a request and a solicitation. of goodwill.

It was easy for Duke Charles to obtain an enrollment certificate. After all, he was the future Duke of Orleans, not to mention that he also obeyed the king's order.

The officer took the lead in taking Lawrence's ID, carefully reviewed it, stamped it, nodded with a smile and said:

"Well, Charles Bornaba is nineteen years old. He was born in Italy. His father is a lawyer. He entered the Military Academy of Brienne at the age of twelve and was recommended by the Military Academy of Brienne to enter the Paris Military Academy. He is really an outstanding young man. Riena is a good school.”

Lawrence also smiled and took back the stamped certificate.

His pseudonym, Charles Bornaparte, has a simple origin. Charles is a common French name, and Bornaparte transliterated the Italian pronunciation of the word Bonaparte back into French.

"Well, here's this little fat guy."

The officer frowned slightly, looked at the slightly nervous Prince Louis, and read:

"Ludwig August, sixteen years old, a Parisian, with aristocratic blood in his ancestors, was recommended by General Brinton to enter the Paris Military Academy. Okay, no problem, but your origin is really a pity. If you have blood If it is pure enough, it will be much better inside.”

Although the officer felt a little strange about a little fat man in ragged clothes but fair and clean, but since there was no problem with the set of documents, he didn't ask too much.

"thank you, sir."

Crown Prince Louis took the certificate back with joy and courtesy.

His pseudonym, Ludwig August, was simply a transliteration of the German pronunciation of Louis back into French.

Fortunately, the name Louis Auguste was known only to the upper class nobles, so Crown Prince Louis didn't have to worry about anyone guessing his true identity from his name.

After all, during the Great Revolution, many revolutionaries did not know what the name of Louis XVI was, so they forcibly gave him the name Louis Capet, because the revolutionaries believed that the Bourbon dynasty originated from the Capet dynasty, so The king's surname must be Capet.

"Finally, this handsome young man." The officer finally picked up Duke Charles's ID and read in surprise:

"Charlie Chartres, twenty-two years old, was recommended by Marshal de Broglie. Oh my God, it was recommended by the Marshal himself? This is my first time. No problem. Sir, please come in."

Duke Charlie took back the certificate and rolled his eyes in displeasure.

His pseudonym was derived from his ducal title, Charles, plus the place name of an ancestral fiefdom of the Orleans family, Chartres.

Crown Prince Louis frowned, pulled Duke Charles aside, and complained softly:

"Hey, Charlie, didn't I tell you to keep a low profile? Do you have to ask a marshal to write a letter of recommendation for you?"

Duke Charles curled his lips indifferently: "The results are the same anyway, Your Highness."

"Don't call me Your Highness, call me Ludwig here!" Prince Louis warned angrily, beginning to regret that he agreed to let this rude guy accompany him.

"Yes, yes, His Highness Ludwig, alas." Duke Charlie sighed, his expression very helpless.

"You!" Prince Louis felt that he just wanted to punch the other person's face that deserved a punch.

Lawrence was also very helpless when he saw this. It seemed that it was not an easy task for the two to get along well.

However, this should be the reason why Louis XV specially arranged for Duke Charles to be with the crown prince - in an attempt to allow the future Orleans family and the royal family to continue to maintain a close relationship.

Just thinking that he was still shouldering this level of tasks made Lawrence suddenly feel a lot of pressure.

After successfully passing the document verification, the three of them found their residence for the next period of time, an apartment-style dormitory, and stored their luggage inside.

When Louis XV founded this military academy, the Paris Military Academy did not provide any accommodation. After all, it was simply impossible for those noble children of noble blood to live in collective apartments. They would rent villas in the surrounding areas on their own.

Later, the Duke of Choiseul believed that the Paris Military Academy must simulate a military camp environment of collective living, so he forced all trainees to live in apartments and dormitories.

At the same time, this is also to reduce the financial burden on civilian students who come to Paris from local areas to study.

Each student can be assigned an independent room. The area is not large, only about ten square meters, but it is very clean. The facilities such as tables, chairs, cabinets and cabinets are also available, which is enough for daily life.

As for washrooms and toilets, they have to be shared with others.

Although Duke Charles complained about this, when he saw that even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince didn't say anything, he silently kept his mouth shut.

After a short rest, the three of them gathered in Lawrence's room.

"Well, the room is not bad."

Although the environment here is naturally very different from that of the Tuileries Palace, it seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can still barely overcome it:

"Before, I was worried about sharing a bed with others."

Duke Charlie couldn't help but rolled his eyes again, feeling that he was on the verge of collapse:

"What a ghost! The pits in the public restroom are almost touching each other. I don't want to be butt-to-butt with anyone! And even the bathroom is shared!"

At the thought of his noble ass being pressed against someone else's, Duke Charlie suddenly felt that he was suffering from severe constipation.

When Lawrence saw this, he had no choice but to smooth things over and said:

"This is at least a much better environment than the military camp. Your Majesty, it's not easy to take a hot bath during the march."

As a leader who has won several battles, Lawrence has a good say on this issue.

"Just call him Charlie, Laurence. Oh no, Charles." Prince Louis reminded cautiously.

"Forget it, whatever you say, okay?"

Duke Charlie sat down on Lawrence's bed, and was about to lie down and collapse for a while, when he heard a loud noise coming from the corridor outside:

"What are you doing outside? It's so noisy. The soundproofing of this room is also a mess."

Lawrence also instantly noticed the movement outside. It seemed that someone was pushing and scolding, and he could also hear the sound of heavy hitting on the ground, so he stood up and greeted:

"Let's go, Ludwig, Charlie, let's go out and take a look."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince seemed very satisfied with his new name and immediately stood up and followed Lawrence. Although Duke Charles was very reluctant, he sat up from the bed obediently and sighed.

More than twenty people have gathered in the corridor to watch. Judging from their different styles of clothes, they are all new students who have just entered the school like Lawrence and others.

In the center of the crowd were a domineering aristocratic young man, and a civilian student who was pushed to the ground and did not dare to get up. Luggage and belongings were scattered around him.

The aristocratic young man glanced disdainfully at the civilian students who dared to be angry but dared not speak, and said with a cruel smile:

"Pack your things and get out of my sight right now, bitch, this room is mine."

The humiliated civilian student did not dare to say anything. He could only grit his teeth and bend down on the ground to collect the things scattered on the ground. He was extremely unwilling but helpless.

Crown Prince Louis among the crowd of onlookers frowned, looked at the poor commoner worriedly, and asked in a low voice:

"What are you doing? Stealing a room? But doesn't everyone have their own room?"

At this time, a young student next to Lawrence seemed to have heard the crown prince's question and took the initiative to come closer.

He is tall but thin. He is wearing a simple thickened cotton dress. His eyes are dark, bright and full of energy. He seems to have great vitality and wisdom contained in them. He does not feel like a military cadet, but more like a military cadet. A gentle philosopher.

Seeing that the three Lawrences were all dressed like poor people, the student calmly answered in a low voice:

"Just trying to grab a room, sir. This small birdcage-like room can't even accommodate the luggage of those noble young men. You know, each of their luggage can be pulled by a carriage, so many people will Go grab other students’ quarters and use them as utility rooms.”

"Where will this student live?" Prince Louis frowned even more tightly and pointed at the student on the ground with his chin.

"Who knows, maybe he went to work as a follower, that is, a lackey, for the noble young masters, so that he could be given a utility room to live in." The young student replied sadly:

"The nobles in the school all need one or two attendants. After all, many noble young masters may not even be able to wear clothes without attendants."

Prince Louis touched his nose. At least he knew how to dress himself.

Duke Charlie also grinned and joked nonchalantly: "That makes sense, I'm going to grab a few rooms and collect a few followers."

After being glared at by Crown Prince Louis, Duke Charles spread his hands and said, "Okay, just kidding."

Prince Louis turned his attention back to the poor man and asked sympathetically:

"Then he can only watch himself being kicked out? Aren't we all classmates in the same school?"

The young student nodded heavily. He knew very well that even in the Paris Military Academy, it was almost impossible for civilians to resist the nobles:

"Sir, even though we will all wear the same military uniform tomorrow, it is impossible for that clothing to make up for the class gap between us and them, and that military uniform cannot conceal their noble blood. Is it possible for a nobleman to wear commoner clothes? Not a noble?"

Duke Charlie looked at the linen clothes on his body and nodded in agreement: "You are absolutely right."

Lawrence looked at the young student with some surprise. He didn't expect that he, who was also a new student, had already understood the situation of the Paris Military Academy so thoroughly:

"It's interesting, sir. I can't tell you are a freshman too."

The student who was praised scratched his head in embarrassment, took out a notebook filled with dense text from his pocket, and explained in a low voice:

"This is a habit of mine. Before entering a new environment, I usually collect all necessary information in advance. Not only the situation of the school, but also important students of the same period as us, I also conducted investigations, such as this Noble, I know that his father is Count Isaac, the chief executive of a town below Paris, so he dares to be so arrogant. "

Looking at this portable notebook, which was a finger thick, Lawrence became even more interested in the thoughtful young student, and couldn't help but reach out and ask:

"Surprising, I am Charles Bornaba, nineteen years old, from Marseille, my father is a lawyer, who are you?"

The young student quickly held Lawrence's hand and introduced himself enthusiastically:

"Louis-Alexandre Berthier, seventeen years old, came from Versailles. His mother was a maid serving the royal family. His father was a lieutenant colonel in the Île-de-France military region. He was a surveying engineer. I joined the army when I was thirteen. The second time I got the opportunity to come to the Paris Military Academy for further study.”

Hearing the name, Lawrence couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

etc.

Berthier? Napoleon's chief of staff Berthier?

"You can't be wrong. He is seventeen years old and comes from a family of surveying and mapping engineers. He joined the surveying and mapping army at the age of thirteen. There is no doubt that this is the Imperial Marshal and Napoleon's Chief of Staff, Louis Alexandre Berthier."

Looking at the young man in front of him, and thinking that he was the second Imperial Marshal he had met after Major Serulier, even someone as steady as Lawrence couldn't help but get excited at this moment.

It seems that I really found a treasure on my first day at the Paris Military Academy.