From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

On the other side, in the Great Council Hall of the Governor's Palace in Genoa

"The two districts of Ajaccio should belong to the Descarans!"

"Nonsense, you have already obtained the special trade license of Bastia, how can Ajaccio be given to you."

"Humph, anyway, the taxation rights of the Bonifacio region should belong to our Chamber of Commerce, that is our legal property."

"What legal property? Now that we are discussing the redistribution of Corsica's interests, all your rights in Corsica decades ago should naturally be invalidated!"

"You said to invalidate it?! The parliament hasn't spoken yet!"

There is still no news of the battle in front, but the dignitaries here are arguing fiercely and red-faced.

Although they don't know the situation of the Republican Guard and the Corsican Army, they have already begun to discuss the distribution of interests of the major families on the island after retaking Corsica.

These powerful representatives were not familiar with state affairs or military affairs, but they were extremely shrewd about their own wealth. Even for a distribution plan that they didn't know whether it could be realized, they would fight for every penny, and even put down their status and fight for it.

Governor Batista sat above and ignored the quarrels of the representatives, and had no intention of maintaining order.

Now there was only one thing that made him anxious - what happened to the Republican Guard.

Time passed by minute by minute, and in Governor Batista's feelings at this moment, even a minute could be stretched to a century of long suffering.

Finally, after suffering for countless centuries and listening to countless useless words from those powerful representatives, the door of the Great Council Hall was slammed heavily.

In an instant, hundreds of eyes looked at the door, and the representatives stopped arguing very tactfully. Calculating the time, the front line should also send back news.

Two guards stepped forward and jointly opened the golden door decorated with reliefs, and everyone's heart immediately rose to their throats.

Is it a victory?

Is the person who appeared at the door a Republican Guard soldier who had just returned from the battlefield with his head held high and full of spirit?

Everyone hopes so, but reality always disappoints people:

Standing at the door is a bloody, exhausted, and lifeless remnant soldier. He has more than one bandage wrapped around his body, and his whole body can only rely on his right leg to stand. It is obvious that he has just been seriously injured on the battlefield and has just saved his life.

"My lords, my lords!"

The soldier's voice was hoarse. I don't know if it was because he screamed too much in the escape just now. He screamed with this hoarse voice, and only the emotion of despair could be heard in his tone:

"The Republican Guard was defeated, and the whole army was annihilated! The Corsicans. Already!!"

Before he finished speaking, he heard a sudden burst of gunfire from the corridor outside the door.

Several bullets shot into the soldier's chest from behind, raising a blood mist in the air. The soldier's pupils shrank violently, and then he fell to the ground with powerlessness, completely dead.

There was silence in the Great Council Hall, and only the faint echo of the gunshots could be heard.

The representatives were stunned. They saw with their own eyes a Republican Guard soldier being shot in front of them, and saw with their own eyes the bright red hot blood splashing on the precious marble floor. For many spoiled children of the rich and powerful, this was also the first time they saw a life disappear in front of their eyes.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

Several noble ladies looked at the black blood in red, covered their faces and screamed like crazy. These noble ladies and ladies had never seen such a bloody scene.

Although the gentlemen did not scream out loud, their pale faces also showed that these people were completely panicked.

Who? Who shot a Republican Guard soldier in the Governor's Palace in Genoa?

The answer was the actions of the Corsicans - two teams of Corsican hunters rushed into the Great Council Hall quickly, their guns were pierced with bayonets, many of them had blood on their boots and trousers, and they left red footprints on the marble floor.

These hunters immediately controlled and disarmed the few guards in the council hall, and then pointed their guns and bayonets at the dignitaries present.

The dignitaries dared not breathe, and could only stare blankly at more and more Corsican soldiers rushing into the council hall, surrounding the entire hall.

After ensuring that the hall was completely safe, a Corsican officer gestured to the outside, and a heavy footsteps sounded from far to near in the corridor.

Lawrence Bonaparte walked into the hall escorted by several Privy Knights. He was dressed in a school officer's uniform, with a dress coat casually draped over it, holding a gun in his left hand and a sack in his right hand.

Although Lawrence had not spoken yet, everyone was able to recognize his identity.

Governor Batista stood up tremblingly. When he saw the seriously injured Republican Guard soldier appear at the door, his heart stopped and he guessed the outcome of the battle ahead.

However, it was not until he saw the Corsican soldiers rushing into the Great Council Hall that he realized that the enemy's action speed was so fast that even the Governor's Palace did not have a moment to react.

"I think you must be the respected Mr. Bonaparte."

Governor Batista considered the wording of his title. Since the Republic of Genoa does not officially recognize Corsica's independence, they naturally do not recognize Lawrence's status as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Corsica:

"I really don't know what could attract your visit."

Lawrence smiled, said nothing, and just threw the sack in his right hand to Governor Batista.

Under the watchful eyes of all the dignitaries, the sack was smashed on a long table, overturning several sets of silver candlesticks, and then a red spherical object rolled out from it.

"That's it!?"

When the dignitaries saw clearly what was in the sack, their breathing almost stopped. Several young ladies and ladies turned pale and fainted on the spot, as if they had seen something terrifying that they had never seen before.

It was a human head, a bloody head.

When the head rolled on the table, the bloody cut on the neck was still dripping with blood.

"Oh My God!"

Governor Batista's eyes widened, not only because he did not expect Lawrence to throw a human head over, but also because he quickly recognized it as the head on the neck of General Tilo Belrain.

General Tilo Belrain, who was also considered a famous general in the Republic of Genoa, ended up with such a miserable end? !

What about us? ! What will happen to those of us at the top of the Republic? !

In the crowd, a nobleman who couldn't bear such excitement screamed out. He looked several years younger than Lawrence. He was obviously the heir to a certain family:

"You barbarian! Scum! Look what you have done, you shameless traitor! Soon our armies will be regrouped and your poor island will be back under the rule of the Republic!" "

I don’t know if it was because the young man believed too much in the strength of his motherland and the poverty of Corsica that his roar towards Lawrence actually contained a bit of toughness and arrogance.

Lawrence didn't bother to talk nonsense, he directly raised the pistol in his left hand, aimed at the opponent's head, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

With the sound of a gunshot, the richly dressed, fair-skinned young man trembled in shock, and immediately fell to the ground, motionless. A mixture of blood and brain fluid oozed out from under his body.

Everyone was already dumbfounded.

Governor Batista was even more shocked. He knew that the young man was the heir of a noble family. His family bloodline could even be traced back to a certain Duke in France, but Laurence Bonaparte didn't even ask. Shoot him on the spot without asking any questions? !

Although this was their first meeting, many people had already heard the name of Laurence Bonaparte and knew that he was a man who was praised by all, whether in France or Corsica, from the upper class dignitaries to the lower classes. A noble gentleman.

But today, without saying a word when this young man walked into the meeting hall, he first ordered his subordinates to kill the defeated soldiers in the Governor's Palace, then cut off the defeated general's head and threw it to everyone, and now he shot him directly with his own hands. A powerful representative who just made rude remarks.

This is not a noble gentleman, this is clearly the devil of hell, a bloodthirsty executioner!

There was obvious fear on the faces of all the representatives. For many of them, this should be the closest they have come to death in their lives.

Lawrence silently reloaded the pistol, blew out the smoke from the gun, and looked back at the hundreds of frightened and powerful representatives.

Dozens of Corsican chasseurs also took a few steps forward at the right time, shrinking their encirclement.

Seeing the panic expressions on everyone's faces, including Governor Batista's, Lawrence knew that his goal had been achieved.

Now that the Corsican army has defeated Genoa's army frontally, peace negotiations will naturally be needed to formally end the war relationship between the two countries.

Lawrence's top priority now is to fight the Kingdom of Sardinia. Of course, he cannot spend a year and a half slowly negotiating a treaty with the Genoese, let alone a year and a half, even if it is only three or five days. The current Corsican army cannot afford to waste time.

Therefore, in order to get the Genoese top management to accept his demands in a very short period of time, Lawrence had to make them fearful, make them panic, and make them feel that if they signed the treaty one day late, Genoa would be bloodbathed by the Corsicans.

Deliberately showing force and cruelty in front of this group of powerful representatives was nothing more than a diplomatic method used by Lawrence to exert pressure.

"Your Majesty the Governor, you just asked me why I came here. I will answer you now."

Lawrence finally spoke. This was the first sentence he said to everyone when he entered the big meeting hall:

"Genoa and Corsica, our five hundred years of grudges will be settled today."

Everyone's expressions changed again. Could it be said that the day of revenge for the Corsican people has finally come? !

"Finished."

Governor Batista swallowed hard. He still didn't know what the end in Lawrence's mouth meant.

Signing a contract and shaking hands to make peace between the two countries was the end; allowing soldiers to plunder Genoa for seven days and nights, and destroying the entire city of Genoa with fire was also the end.

Lawrence left this choice to themselves:

"Here are two documents that I have drawn up for you."

As he spoke, Lawrence motioned to a Privy Knight beside him to hand over the two documents:

"One is the official declaration of war by the Republic of Genoa against the Kingdom of Corsica. If you feel that you have been humiliated today, you can sign the declaration of war and see you on the battlefield; the other is the peace treaty between the two countries. With just one line of ink, we and I The two countries have settled their old grudges and become friendly neighbors from now on; whether it is war or peace, please do as you please."

Governor Batista solemnly took the two documents, but without thinking, he tore the declaration of war into pieces on the spot, holding on and laughing:

"Since the founding of the country, Genoa has adhered to the motto that peace is the most important and peace brings wealth. Since Your Excellency Bonaparte is willing to lead your country to reconcile with our country, of course we will not be ungrateful."

Even the most radical representatives of powerful people would not take a second look at the declaration of war. Now that the Republican Guard has been wiped out and the Corsicans have already entered the Palace of the Governor, what else can they do to fight with the Corsicans? war.

At this point, Governor Batista also knew that it would no longer be possible to regard Corsica as an overseas territory of his country in the future, and his address to Lawrence and Corsica immediately became Your Excellency and Your Country.

With that said, Governor Batista opened another peace treaty. Although the final treaty still needs to be slowly negotiated by the two countries, he also needs to take a look at what the main demands of the Kingdom of Corsica are.

However, as Governor Batista's eyes slowly moved downward, his expression became even more ugly. After reading the entire treaty, he even forgot that he had dozens of muskets pointed at his head and screamed. cried:

"No, no, no, it's impossible, it's absolutely impossible!"

The children of the aristocratic families present were startled and quickly looked at Governor Batista, fearing that the governor would offend Lawrence Bonaparte and his soldiers.

At the same time, they were also very curious about what was written in the treaty that could make the usually calm, sixty-year-old Governor Batista scream out in anger.

Several bold representatives jumped on the stage and stood behind Governor Batista to take a look. Their faces instantly turned livid and they dared not speak in anger.

"His Excellency the Governor"

Lawrence spoke:

"Since this is a meeting hall, you can read the contents of the treaty to everyone."

Governor Batista nodded, suppressed his gaffe, jumped directly to the specific content of the treaty, and read aloud:

“First: formally recognize the Kingdom of Corsica as an independent and sovereign country and renounce all legal claims to Corsica and its affiliated islands. The two countries will establish normal diplomatic relations, build embassies and send ambassadors to each other.

Second: Unconditionally grant most-favored-nation trade status to the Kingdom of Corsica. Tariffs must not be levied on imported Corsican goods, Corsican-registered ships must not be seized, and free trade activities of the Kingdom of Corsica must not be interfered with.

Third: The Saint-Marshall district of the Port of Genoa is ceded as a concession of the Kingdom of Corsica. Corsican citizens and French citizens in the concession enjoy extraterritorial rights. The Republic of Genoa has no right to interfere in internal judicial cases in the concession; Corsican citizens and French citizens can You can invest freely within the concession, and all industries in the concession do not need to pay taxes to the Republic of Genoa.

Fourth: Grant the armies of the Kingdom of Corsica and the Kingdom of France permanent military rights of passage in the territorial waters of the Republic of Genoa, grant the navy of the Kingdom of Corsica and the navy of the Kingdom of France permanent port rights in the port of Genoa, and allow the Kingdom of Corsica to operate in the concession. and troops stationed in embassies and consulates.

Fifth: Transfer all the equity, ownership, management rights and other rights of the Genoa government to the Bank of St. George to the Kingdom of Corsica.

Sixth: Compensation for the previous exploitative rule of Corsica. The total amount of compensation is 630 million livres, paid in ten years. The total principal and interest is 700 million livres, which means that the Kingdom of Corsica needs to be paid every year. An indemnity of seventy million livres or its equivalent in gold and silver was to be paid.

Seventh: Corsican citizens in Genoa are allowed to participate in the political activities of the Republic of Genoa; the parliamentary seats in the Concession of Saint-Marshall should be reserved and served by Corsican citizens.

Eighth: The treaty came into effect at 0:00 on December 1, 1771, and the annual war reparations should be delivered no later than December 1.

Ninth: The Kingdom of Corsica will retain all powers, including military means, to ensure the smooth implementation of the treaty. "

The content of the treaty was drawn up by Lawrence himself, so there were no legal details. Governor Batista read the entire content in only three or four minutes.

And when the representatives in the chamber listened, their faces instantly became as embarrassed as Governor Batista's.

You must know that the reason why the Republic of Genoa can be regarded as a rich and prosperous golden country throughout Europe is that the foundation of its founding is the income brought by the two major industries of trade and finance.

In the peace treaty submitted by Lawrence, the two clauses granting Corsica trade most-favored-nation status and ceding the St. Marshall District will undoubtedly completely destroy the trade industry of the Republic of Genoa.

After all, Liguria is already poor in products, and the zero-tariff policy on Corsican products will inevitably lead to Corsican businessmen dumping Genoa. This is something the Republic of Genoa, which has always practiced trade protectionism, is absolutely not willing to see. .

The St. Marshall District is the largest and most prosperous port area in the Port of Genoa. Allocating this large area to the Corsicans means that the Republic of Genoa will lose the huge income and profits brought by the Port of Genoa.

If these two clauses were implemented, I am afraid that there would be hundreds of bodies on the surface of the Tyrrhenian Sea the next day. They were all Genoese merchants who committed suicide by jumping into the sea due to complete bankruptcy and complete despair.

And the fifth article of the treaty, about the cession of the rights and interests of the St. George Bank, almost made Governor Batista slam the table.

In the past hundreds of years, the St. George Bank has always been the most important financial institution in the entire republic, without a doubt.

Because of the restrictions of the political system of the Republic of Genoa, this country cannot nominally own overseas territories. Therefore, for overseas territories including Corsica, the Republic of Genoa governs them under the name of the assets of the St. George Bank, which is very similar to the British East India Company.

And from this, we can imagine how much amazing wealth the St. George Bank has accumulated in these hundreds of years of overseas trade and exploitation. Even the government of the Republic of Genoa has less than 20% of the shares in the St. George Bank.

If all the rights and interests of the St. George Bank were transferred to the Kingdom of Corsica, Governor Batista could have fully anticipated that the entire Republic's financial industry would be completely monopolized and controlled by the Corsicans.

The long river of gold that once flowed to Genoa would be diverted to Ajaccio in Corsica from then on.

As for the request for war reparations, let alone 70 million livres per year, this is a huge sum of money that can only be repaid by emptying the entire Republic's national capital.

Not to mention the clauses involving military politics and national sovereignty, the three clauses involving financial trade and war reparations alone have made Governor Batista's face turn pale and speechless for a long time.

If he signed his name on this treaty, Governor Batista knew that he would be nailed to the pillar of shame in the history of the Republic, because within a year, the Republic of Genoa would have nothing to do with the impression of prosperity and wealth, and would be completely reduced to a cash cow that transfused blood and money to the Kingdom of Corsica.

Governor Batista wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, trembling with fear, and wanted to say something else:

"Dear sir, please do not doubt our determination to seek peace, but this treaty."

"You still have eight hours."

Ignoring Governor Batista's embarrassment, Lawrence looked at a golden clock in the conference room and said to the pointer on it:

"There are still eight hours until midnight. If you don't sign this treaty before then, I will regard it as a signal that your country wants to fight again, and the treaty you get at that time will not be the one in your hand. I think my monarch Louis XV will be happy to see the territory of France expand to Liguria. Cherish your only time, everyone."

After that, Lawrence led the guards out of the conference hall without looking back, leaving only a team of Corsican hunters here to monitor the venue and maintain order.

And watching the devil executioner leave the hall, the faces of the powerful representatives not only did not relax a bit, but became more panicked.

Eight hours, are they going to decide the fate of the Republic of Genoa in these eight hours? !

Indeed, the hundreds of dignitaries in this chamber are already able to make decisions on behalf of the entire Republic of Genoa, after all, the seats in the Republic's parliament are basically in the hands of the families and forces behind them.

But eight hours is too short for a diplomatic treaty, so short that they have not even had time to recover from the shadow and fear left by Lawrence Bonaparte, and they have to start making decisions immediately.

Governor Batista looked even more ashen at this moment. He naturally heard Lawrence's threat before he left - Louis XV would be happy to see the territory of France expand to Liguria.

Lawrence's implication is very clear: if the Republic of Genoa rejects this treaty, then the second treaty received will be the annexation request of the Kingdom of France.

The French Foreign Minister, Count Vergennes, was originally supported by Lawrence, so he would naturally cooperate with all of Lawrence's requests, and the dignitaries of the Republic of Genoa were also very clear about this.

The reason why Governor Batista had the confidence to bargain with Lawrence Bonaparte and asked for careful discussion of the terms was because Governor Batista was sure of one thing:

Even if the Kingdom of Corsica achieved a comprehensive military victory, the Corsicans still did not have the ability to annex the entire Republic of Genoa.

There are dozens of complex and intertwined interest groups within the Republic. The difficulty and cost of governing this tiny place are far greater than that of Sardinia, and it is definitely not something that the Kingdom of Corsica can easily deal with.

If the Corsicans insist on annexing Liguria, then what they get is nothing more than a Liguria with rebellion and low morale.

Moreover, if the Kingdom of Corsica, which had just announced that it would incorporate the province of Sardinia into its territory, annexed Liguria, this excessive expansion would inevitably arouse the vigilance and hostility of surrounding countries.

In fact, Lawrence was also aware of this, so his intention in the treaty was not to expand the territory, but to turn the Republic of Genoa into an economic vassal of Corsica.

But if it was in the name of the Kingdom of France, everything would be different.

With the size of France, it was easy to suppress the various factions of the Republic of Genoa. Louis XV, who was so happy with his success, was also very happy to see France's territorial boundaries extended again.

And this is not good news for Governor Batista and a group of dignitaries. Compared with signing this unequal treaty but retaining independence and sovereignty, it is undoubtedly more difficult to completely become a province of the Kingdom of France. Bad choice.

There was a period of silence in the big chamber. No one would want their noble republic to become a province of the Kingdom of France, even those dignitaries who had inextricable ties with France.

"Say something, everyone."

Governor Batista's voice suddenly became hoarse, and his whole person seemed to have aged twenty years in an instant:

"You have also heard the Corsicans' request. How to deal with this treaty?"

A frowning representative suggested:

"Can we sign a treaty first, then vigorously seek the support of the Kingdom of Spain, and then announce the abolition of this unequal treaty imposed by force after receiving the support of the Kingdom of Spain?"

Since the beginning of the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty, the Republic of Genoa has provided economic assistance and financial loans to the Kingdom of Spain many times, and the two countries have therefore maintained good diplomatic relations.

Many governors of Genoa were even elected with the support of the Kingdom of Spain.

The size of the Kingdom of Spain is naturally not comparable to that of the Kingdom of Corsica. If the Spaniards really intervene in this treaty, then the Republic of Genoa has every chance to treat this treaty as a piece of waste paper.

After hearing this, many representatives' faces were full of hope, but Governor Batista immediately poured cold water on them:

"Now the Kingdom of Spain is fighting side by side with the Kingdom of Corsica in the Italian War. The native nobles of the Kingdom of Naples do not want the Kingdom of Spain to send troops to Italy to prevent their autonomy from being affected, so the Spaniards are still counting on the Corsicans to Help them put down the Sicilian rebellion. The Spanish are unlikely to accept our request until the war is over."

That means there is still some unwillingness to give up:

"What happens after the war is over? The Sicilian rebellion will not last forever."

Governor Batista sighed, reread the part about the concession in the treaty, and said helplessly:

"Didn't you notice that this treaty specifically stipulates that the French also enjoy extraterritorial rights within the concession, and the French army also enjoys military passage rights in Liguria?"

"What do you mean?" The representative was stunned for a moment. As a banker, he really knew very little about foreign affairs.

"In other words, this treaty also involves the interests of France, and the French will also sign this paper."

Governor Batista closed his eyes, exhausted:

"Laurence Bonaparte. What a good calculation. He deliberately added the French to these two innocuous clauses, dragging the Kingdom of France into the water. If we want to tear up this treaty in the future, we will have to face Yes, it’s not just the Corsicans.”

Everyone was suddenly shocked, and their faces immediately turned pale.

Governor Batista's words also mean that this paper contract will forever be a shackles on the Republic of Genoa, and it will never be able to turn around. After all, their small country cannot directly confront the French giant in any case.

The meeting hall fell into silence again.

Completely defeated militarily, isolated diplomatically, and politically harboring evil intentions, even those who are famous for their intelligence are unable to do anything in the face of this heavy reality.

There was not much time left for everyone. Eight hours seemed like a lot of time, but if you included the symbolic processes of convening the parliament and emergency voting, they had no time to waste time here.

"well"

Governor Batista sighed, full of bitterness and helplessness.

He picked up the quill and tremblingly signed his name at the bottom of the treaty. Every stroke he made seemed to become a chain that tied him to the pillar of shame of the Republic.

"Convene parliament to vote on this treaty. The situation is decided and there is no escape."

Governor Batista handed the treaty to the secretary next to him, and he suddenly slumped down on his chair as if frustrated, mumbling to himself:

"The five hundred years of prosperity of the Republic were finally buried in my hands, in the hands of the Corsican people, and in the hands of Laurence Bonaparte."

In 1288, the Republic of Genoa defeated its old trade enemy, the Republic of Pisa, and captured the island of Corsica, thus starting a 500-year period of prosperity for the Republic.

Five hundred years later, the Corsicans, whom they regarded as remote barbarians, came across the sea and buried the last golden age of Genoa with their own hands.

October 5, 1771, what an ordinary day in early autumn.

The port of Genoa is still flowing, the Tyrrhenian Sea is still calm, and the early autumn afternoon sunshine is still pouring on the land of the Golden Country.

The citizens, businessmen, and the high-ranking dignitaries in Genoa City may not realize that this ordinary day is actually the last prosperous day they can enjoy.

The grand feast has ended, and the prosperous times are no longer.

The Republic of Genoa is no longer a major player on this historical stage.

They were forced to take off their gold and silver costumes, retreat to the cold backstage, and then watch with admiration as Corsica slowly walked into the center of the spotlight. (End of this chapter)