From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

With the king's decree brought by Justice Maupp, Lawrence's military school life had to come to an end temporarily.

Although accompanying Crown Prince Louis and Duke Charles is also an important matter, at this critical moment of political change, Lawrence must also personally sit at No. 10 Champs Elysées.

The principal, General Barol, generously granted Charles Bornapart an indefinite leave. As for other matters within the military academy, Lawrence was very relieved to leave them to Duke Charles and Berthier.

"Let me lead His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's Golden Iris faction to express my consciousness to His Majesty the King."

In the Corsican Embassy, ​​Lawrence sat behind the desk, carefully recalling the news brought by Justice Maupp yesterday.

Due to the sudden deterioration of Louis XV's physical condition, the originally peaceful political situation in Paris and Versailles gradually became undercurrents.

Various factions and political parties are probably gearing up to carve up a piece of the sweet fruit of power on the upcoming transfer of the throne.

Among the many intrigues and negotiations, the most eye-catching and critical forces are undoubtedly the two forces - the royal family and Choiseul.

Louis XV would never want to leave a powerful Duke to the immature new king, and the Duke of Choiseul knew this very well, and had already set his sights and fangs on the ignorant Crown Prince.

Whether Choiseul can sideline the royal family and completely control the kingdom's affairs, or whether the royal family can take back power and return to the absolute dictatorship of the Sun King, the outcome of this power struggle will undoubtedly affect France for at least fifty years.

And if history goes according to plan, the Duke of Choiseul would have been forced to swallow the bitter fruit of failure last autumn.

Because he intensified the situation and advocated war during the Falkland Crisis between Spain and Britain, he touched the last bottom line of Louis XV, who had no intention of war. As a result, he was dismissed from office overnight by His Majesty the King who mobilized various forces.

Even so, the deposed Choiseul still had considerable political energy. On the day he left Paris, hundreds of ministers and officials insisted on seeing the Duke off despite the king's opposition and anger.

Even his younger brother, Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe's status was not greatly affected, and he was further promoted to Marshal of France during the Louis XVI era.

But in today's world, Duke Choiseul is still the Minister of War who is so popular that even kings are afraid of him.

"In other words, am I the biggest variable?"

Lawrence jotted down some thoughts on the paper and muttered to himself in a deep voice:

"Choiseul wooed me to take advantage of my relationship with the Crown Prince. His Majesty the King hopes that I will completely side with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Choose one of the two sides."

As for Lawrence, he did not have more time to vacillate. Since Justice Maupe had made it clear yesterday that he needed to make his own awakening, this also implies that Louis XV needed Lawrence to reveal his position today.

"We don't have much time to waste time. We need to stabilize the attitude of the royal family first."

Lawrence thought for a moment and put the quill back into the ink bottle:

"However, the Duke cannot directly establish himself as a mortal enemy. He has to do some maneuvering. As for the specific means."

Boom, boom!

Two crisp knocks on the door temporarily interrupted Lawrence's thinking. The old housekeeper of the mansion pushed open the door and handed over a beautiful gilded envelope:

"Excuse me, Your Excellency, this is an invitation letter from the Bishop's Palace."

"The Bishop's Palace? The Duke of Orleans."

Lawrence took the letter, opened the seal with a letter opener, took out the letter paper inside and glanced at it.

The handwriting on the letter was printed, and only the signature at the end was signed by the Duke of Orleans. The content was as usual, an invitation to Lawrence to go to Versailles three days later to attend a routine royal meeting.

Due to illness, the Duke of Orleans, the regent, presides over such regularly held royal meetings today.

As for the previous regular meetings, Lawrence naturally did not attend because he was at the Paris Military Academy.

"The imperial meeting in three days." Lawrence stared at the letter, silently calculating:

"Chiseul should not have rushed back to Paris by then. If you want to take action, it is best to take advantage of the time when Choiseul is not in Paris."

After a very short thought, Lawrence nodded and made a decision, then ordered:

"Reply to the Bishop's Palace and say that I will attend this royal meeting as scheduled."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

The old butler nodded in agreement and was about to turn around and leave when Lawrence suddenly added after hesitating for a moment:

"By the way, Charles Gravier, Count of Vergenin, he should be in Paris now, right?"

Information collection is the responsibility of the old butler, and Count Vergenin is not an unknown figure in the political world. After recalling it for a while, the old butler replied fluently:

"I think so. Count Vergenin was recalled from Turkey by the Duke of Choiseul a few years ago. He should now be officially in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is in a state of unemployment."

Lawrence nodded, stood up and ordered:

"I will now extend an invitation to Count Vergenin, and I hope to dine with him tonight."

At about seven o'clock in the evening, in front of No. 10 Champs Elysées.

A two-horse carriage painted with the coat of arms of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stopped here. The door opened, and a middle-aged man in his early fifties stepped out of the carriage and looked at the mansion in front of him with a solemn face, serious and nervous.

He had obviously dressed up carefully for tonight's invitation, with a proper baroque gown, a wig sprinkled with silver powder, and a decorative three-cornered hat tucked under his arm.

It's just that his dressing style is really not in line with the current fashion in France. If it were thirty years ago, this meticulous dress style might have won the praise and appreciation of the gentlemen and ladies at the banquet.

Of course, this cannot be entirely blamed on Charles Gravier, Count of Vergenin.

As a fifty-four-year-old diplomat, he has spent more than thirty years of his life abroad. It has only been a few months since he returned to France. It is no wonder that he is not interested in the local fashion. Very understanding.

Count Vergenin took a deep breath, adjusted the scarf on his chest, and walked forward and knocked on the door of the mansion with an uneasy mood.

A moment later, under the personal guidance of the old housekeeper of the mansion, Count Vergenin met the famous Laurence Bonaparte in the drawing room.

Although he had heard about Monsignor Bonaparte's youth before, Count Vergenin was still taken aback. He was stunned for a moment before he quickly stepped forward and saluted:

"You are Prime Minister Bonaparte, a name I have admired for a long time."

Lawrence stepped forward with a smile and held the opponent's right hand tightly:

"Then you are Lord Gravier. I have also admired you for a long time."

Lawrence looked at the Count of Vergenin with great interest, not only because he was the foreign minister specially appointed by Louis XV in the shadow cabinet, but also because Lord Gravier was quite famous in history.

He was born into a diplomatic family. When he was only 20 years old, he served as an assistant to the ambassador to Portugal and began a career as a diplomat that lasted for more than 30 years.

Subsequently, he successively served as Ambassador to Trier, Special Envoy to the King of England, Ambassador to Sweden, and as Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Empire before being transferred back to his homeland this time. Count Vergenin can be said to be an experienced and extremely Seasoned diplomat.

In terms of personal ability alone, Louis XV's designation of him as Louis XVI's foreign minister is completely blameless.

In history, Count Vergenin's most famous policy is probably his firm leadership in France's full assistance to the American War of Independence.

A large part of the reason why Louis XVI was willing to sell his country to aid the United States was because of the support of Count Vergenin. After all, this foreign minister could be said to be Louis XVI's most trusted minister.

When Count Vergenin died, Louis XVI cried bitterly for him, saying that he was "a friend I can rely on, a minister who never deceived me."

However, regardless of Count Vergenin's historical policy controversies, judging from his current personal abilities, he is indeed a rare diplomatic talent.

Hearing Lawrence's compliment, Count Vergenin forced a smile and waved his hands bitterly:

"I cannot afford the admiration of His Excellency Bonaparte at all. I am just an idle count now."

At the end of last year, Count Vergenin, who was serving as the plenipotentiary ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, was transferred back to France from Constantinople, where he had been operating for many years, by an order from Duke Choiseul, waiting for the order that would be issued at an unknown time. One step of deployment.

As for the reason, Duke Choiseul hopes to further provoke the Russo-Turkish War between the Ottomans and Russia, rekindling the gradually extinguished war between the two countries, thereby trapping the Russians in Crimea and making them There was no time to look westward towards Poland.

The Duke of Choiseul did not trust the Count of Vergenex and believed that he was not capable of taking on this important task, so he easily instigated his cousin, the Foreign Minister Caesar Gabriel, to transfer the Count of Vergenex back to Paris. .

This was undoubtedly a major blow to Count Vergenin, who had been operating a diplomatic network in the Ottoman Empire for sixteen years.

As a diplomat who became an assistant to the ambassador at the age of twenty, Count Vergenin has lived abroad all year round and is almost helpless in his home country. This time he returned to Paris at the age of fifty-four, which is even more remarkable. He is completely unaccompanied and has no power of his own.

In fact, when Count Vergenin was promoted to Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1774, many people used this to attack him and ridiculed him as a complete "foreigner"

Of course, perhaps this is why Louis XV took a fancy to Count Vergenin - a minister who was already powerless but capable was undoubtedly the best candidate to assist the young king.

And this is the same for Lawrence. Count Vergenin, who is helpless in his hometown, is an excellent target to win over and control.

"Perhaps you returned to Paris to take on greater responsibilities."

Lawrence smiled and reassured, and stretched out his hand to motion for Count Vergenin to sit down.

Count Vergenin could only nod with a wry smile, sat down next to Lawrence with some restraint, and asked proactively:

"Then why did you invite me here this time?"

This meeting took place in the evening, but Lawrence's invitation letter was not delivered to Count Vergenin's home until noon. Therefore, Count Vergenin also knew very well that if there was nothing important, Monsignor Bonaparte would definitely not Meeting myself so urgently.

Lawrence took a sip of champagne slowly and asked with a smile:

"Didn't you get any news?"

"News." Count Vergenin frowned slightly, licked his lips, and said hesitantly:

"I did receive news from the Palace of Justice last night. They told me that they wanted me to serve as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Corsica. I thought they were asking me to..."

Although he only spoke half of his words very implicitly, Count Vergenin's meaning was already obvious - he thought that he was going to be sent to a place like Corsica where no one shits, as a dispensable person. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

To be honest, when Count Vergenin received the news last night, he was almost stunned as if struck by lightning. After all, this was undoubtedly a death sentence for his political and diplomatic career.

Lawrence was not angry at this small offense. He still smiled and handed the other party the list that Justice Mopp had given him yesterday.

Count Vergenin took the list with suspicion, but soon his eyes couldn't help but widen:

"This is.?!"

Although he did not recognize most of the names above due to his long-term living abroad, Count Vergenin noticed that there were important officials in the court such as the Marquis de Maupe and the Duke of Orleans on this list.

If it was just to send a group of nobles to Corsica, these two ministers would not be included in the list.

Lawrence gently took the list:

"A brand new party, the Golden Iris Faction, was formed by His Majesty's will. We take His Highness the Crown Prince's interests as the criterion and His Highness the Crown Prince's will as the criterion. Everything is for His Highness."

"For His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Count Vergenin's eyes widened, as if he hadn't come back to his senses yet.

"Your name is also on it, Your Excellency," Lawrence said softly:

"You should know what this means, right?"

Count Vergenin swallowed hard. He had served as the British King's special envoy and he understood this system and organization very well, but this sudden surprise and news still made him stutter:

"This is His Highness's Shadow Cabinet."

After all, Count Vergenin seemed to be aware of his gaffe. After all, last night he thought he was going to be sent to a wilderness to end his political career. At this moment, he was informed by His Excellency Bonaparte that he had been selected as the crown prince. His Royal Highness's Shadow Cabinet.

Fortunately, as an experienced diplomat, Count Vergenin adjusted quickly and suppressed his surprise and asked:

"That is to say, on the day when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wears the crown, I will be promoted."

Lawrence squinted at the other party, and could naturally read the ecstasy in Count Vergenin's heart, but he still slowly shook his head and said in a deep voice:

"It's not that simple, Your Excellency. Whether this list can become a reality is still unknown. It depends on certain unstable factors."

"You mean?" Count Vergenin's eyes darkened and he said slowly:

"The Duke of Choiseul?"

"Yes, you are very smart." Lawrence nodded and affirmed:

“If the Duke of Choiseul had been able to stand unharmed in the Palace of Versailles on the day of his coronation, all this list would have been for naught.”

Count Vergenin nodded silently. He had always been at odds with the Duke of Choiseul, and he knew very well that Monsignor Bonaparte was right.

With the power of the Duke of Choiseul, if Louis XV did not resolve it before his death, there would certainly not be any place left for the Duke's political opponents in the new king's cabinet.

Therefore, Count Vergenin also vaguely realized that the Golden Iris faction mentioned by Bonaparte was essentially a political party faction that wanted to compete with the Duke of Choiseul.

And if you decide to join this faction, you will undoubtedly have to go to war with Duke Choiseul.

The two may have just hated each other before, but since then, the two have been unrelenting political enemies. The Choiseul faction will undoubtedly bring huge trouble to Count Vergenin.

"but."

After sorting out all this, Count Vergenin was still a little confused. He frowned and looked at Lawrence, and asked hesitantly:

"Why did you go out of your way to meet with me tonight?"

There were dozens of names on the list, and Count Vergenin was puzzled as to why His Excellency Bonaparte would invite him alone or in such an urgent invitation.

"If you have the consciousness to confront Duke Choiseul, then I have an important task that I hope to entrust to you."

Lawrence said seriously:

"Of course, if you don't want to completely offend the Duke, I won't force you. I will intercede with His Majesty after removing your name and find you a new ambassadorship as soon as possible so that you can continue your diplomatic career."

"I"

Even someone as experienced as Count Vergenin could not help but hesitate at this moment.

There is no doubt that all the decisions he made in the first fifty-four years of his life were not as important as a nod or a shake of the head at this moment.

"call"

Count Vergenin took a long breath, pretended to smile easily, and had already made his decision:

"You really have posed a difficult problem for me, but for the sake of Your Highness and France, I can't let Choiseul continue to do this. No matter what important task it is, please leave it to me."

"Very wise, Your Excellency."

Lawrence smiled slightly and handed a glass of champagne to Count Vergenin, and said slowly:

"As for the tasks entrusted to you, I hope that you will be the foreign minister."

Count Vergenin had just taken the wine glass, and when he heard Lawrence's words, he couldn't help but froze before he could even take a sip:

"Corsican?"

"French."

"What...?!" Count Vergenin was stunned again, and didn't even notice that the drink in his hand spilled on the ground:

"You, you mean after His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's coronation?"

"No, it doesn't have to be until then."

Lawrence said seriously and solemnly:

"In three days, I hope that you will serve as the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of France."

Count Vergenin opened his mouth wide and did not recover for a long time:

"Does this feel like an imperial decree?"