From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

Two weeks later, Paris, France

The sunlight of dawn poured down on the morning streets. There were few pedestrians on both sides of the road. At this time, most Parisians were still asleep.

But for the newspaper boys who worked tirelessly in the streets, the morning light every day was the signal for their work to begin. After all, the morning newspaper with the scent of ink was the best-selling newspaper.

Each newspaper boy's bag was filled with three times the usual amount of newsprint. The heavy bag made them a little breathless, but all the newspaper boys' steps were light and cheerful.

They waved the newspapers in their hands and shouted to the passers-by, and even the shouts of the hawkers were louder than usual:

"Special issue of Financial News! The Kingdom of Corsica defeated the Kingdom of Sardinia in one month, and Nice returned to France!"

"Extra! The Kingdom of Sardinia was defeated, ceded Sardinia and Nice, and changed its name to the Kingdom of Savoy!"

"The latest supplement of the Observer Daily! His Excellency Bonaparte recaptured Nice for France, and 100,000 Nice citizens returned to the iris flag!"

The endless shouting brought the good news from the south to the citizens of Paris.

Passers-by stopped one after another, and they couldn't believe what they heard:

One month, a month that passed in the blink of an eye, what can you do in these short thirty days?

Travelers can travel between Paris and Nantes at most once, and small vendors can add a dozen silver coins to their safes at most.

And it was this short thirty days that was enough for the Kingdom of Corsica to defeat the rich and powerful Kingdom of Sardinia? !

You know, three months ago, Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica, was still under a full-scale invasion by the Kingdom of Sardinia and was in danger.

At that time, many political commentators showed an extremely pessimistic attitude, believing that Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte, who volunteered to join the Italian War, actually dragged his kingdom into an abyss of no return.

But now, look at the reports in black and white on the newspapers. The Corsicans defended Ajaccio, counterattacked Sardinia, and even took a month to enter Turin, trampling on this powerful vassal who had coveted their land for fifty years.

If someone had predicted three months ago, when the siege of Ajaccio was still in a state of uncertainty, that the Corsicans would eventually force Carlo Emanuele III to sign a humiliating peace treaty, no one would have paid any attention to such idiotic remarks.

The French people also knew that the Kingdom of Corsica actually represented France in the Italian War, and the victory of the Corsicans was naturally a victory for the French.

For the Kingdom of France, such an inspiring victory was really rare.

The disastrous defeat of the Seven Years' War still remained in the hearts of all French people, becoming a scar that could never heal.

Hundreds of thousands of people, millions of hectares of land, and hundreds of millions of wealth were all ceded to the British on the other side of the strait, whom they hated the most.

The prestige of the European lion plummeted, so much so that when Louis XV saw the barren island of Corsica voluntarily surrender to France, he showed his ecstasy without concealing it.

The state affairs were so difficult, and under such circumstances, the victory of the Corsicans in Italy undoubtedly brought a breath of fresh air to the hearts of the dull and depressed French people.

Although this was not enough to heal the pain of the Seven Years' War, the victory over the Kingdom of Sardinia was enough to make the French people cheer and celebrate. After all, they did not like the southern neighbor with territorial disputes and border frictions.

The Parisians on the streets donated generously and read the newspaper eagerly after receiving it.

Even many illiterate poor people had to take out their wallets to buy a cheap copy of the Observer Daily, and gathered in groups of three or five to be read to them by literate citizens.

The Observer Daily specially issued a special issue for this victory, which described the great achievements of Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte in detail in the style of heroic epics, making people feel like the protagonist in a knight novel.

According to the Observer Daily, after Carlo Emanuele III handed over the peace treaty to the Corsican envoy at the Royal Palace of Turin, the war in the entire kingdom was basically over.

In Nice in the south, a French officer named Andre Davout, who was also a member of the Privy Knights of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, led a small army to stubbornly resist the 10,000 troops led by the Sardinian Crown Prince Vittorio.

At that time, the arrogant prince did not believe the fact that Turin had fallen and the kingdom had surrendered. After receiving the ceasefire order issued by his father himself, he still did not withdraw the siege of Nice, and even planned to capture Nice at all costs.

At this critical juncture, the second-level governor of the Provence Province, Mr. Carlo Bonaparte, the elder brother of Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte, personally led a small militia to Nice.

Although Prince Vittorio was unwilling to accept this reality, he had not yet suffered a mental breakdown to the point of losing his mind. In front of the fluttering French flag, he could only withdraw his troops in disgrace.

It is rumored that the Sardinian prince fainted on the day of the withdrawal.

Perhaps this noble prince also thought of the ugly situation of himself leading an absolutely superior army but being played around by the Corsicans like a headless fly.

Afterwards, Governor Carlo Bonaparte led his troops into Nice and delivered a moving public speech to the citizens, saying that Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte had defeated the Kingdom of Sardinia and the city had returned to the embrace of France.

The audience was in tears.

For more than 20 years, the Savoys had been riding on their heads and dominating them.

In the past, every French-speaking citizen in this city seemed to be inferior, and even the schools here were not allowed to teach French.

And such days are gone with the peace treaty of Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte.

At noon that day, Governor Carlo Bonaparte personally raised the French iris flag in the town hall square under the cheers of the citizens, and smashed the replaced Savoy white cross flag with a sword.

"Long live France! Long live Bonaparte!"

This cheering like a mountain and sea was shouted out by the citizens of Nice countless times in one day.

Reading the newspaper reports about the return of Nice, even the citizens of Paris, who were thousands of miles away, could not help but feel warm in their hearts and smile.

At a time when the French national consciousness was gradually awakening, hearing that nearly 100,000 French compatriots had returned to their homeland was enough to make the citizens of Paris excited.

As for Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte, who personally took back Nice, the last time the citizens of Paris heard this name was at the beginning of the year. Mr. Bonaparte stood up for the winter subsidies for the poor and fought against the damned Madame Du Barry to the end.

The people, especially the poor at the bottom, all admitted in unison that after the execution of Madame Du Barry, last winter was definitely the most comfortable, warm and peaceful winter they had ever had.

Since then, the people of Paris have firmly remembered the name of Lawrence Bonaparte.

Now seeing this familiar name appear again in the victory news from the south, the citizens have eliminated all prejudices and barriers against the young Corsican.

The war hero of France, this is what Paris calls Lawrence Bonaparte today.

People excitedly took to the streets, waving newsprint in their hands, and spontaneously held a victory parade to celebrate the return of Nice.

The street cafes were crowded, pedestrians on the road were smiling, and the topic discussed by neighbors was nothing more than Corsica's first great victory in Italy.

The atmosphere of universal celebration permeated the city. The last time Parisians were so excited and so passionate was after the successful execution of Madame du Barry - and that was also a victory led by His Excellency Bonaparte.

In the Invalides of Paris, the veterans of the White Shirts were in tears and full of emotion after learning the news of Nice's return.

Many of them had participated in the War of the Austrian Succession and followed Prince Conti to conquer the Kingdom of Sardinia. The young and strong King of Sardinia, Carlo Emanuele III, was undoubtedly a difficult opponent for the French soldiers.

In the Battle of Assita, the disastrous defeat brought to the French army by Carlo Emmanuel III is a nightmare that many veterans still cannot get rid of.

After the war, Carlo Emmanuel III got his wish and incorporated Nice into the territory of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the French veterans who participated in the Italian War felt ashamed of it.

How many late nights have these old officers tossed and turned in bed, fantasizing about when the lost territory would be recovered, and whether their exhausted bodies could really see that day.

And today, after hearing that the Corsican army forced Carlo Emmanuel III to surrender in just one month, the entire Invalides in Paris was completely boiling.

The veterans found the old military uniforms that had not been worn for many years and had long been covered with dust, put on the golden medals on their chests, and joined the victory parade of the Paris citizens with their heads held high.

All the white shirts raised their heads proudly. After all, Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte was still their honorary commander, and this honor also belonged to all the veterans of the white shirts.

In the depths of the Paris sewers, the leader of the gray rats, the beggar king Oga Kumas, was looking at the newspaper infatuatedly, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised a clear arc.

The gray rats looked at their leader's crazy appearance and looked at each other. They had never seen such a bright smile on the face of this calm, wise, and ruthless beggar king.

It was not until a long time later that Oga Kumas put away the newspaper with reluctance.

After learning that the adult had taken Turin safely, Oga Kumas finally let go of his heart that had been hanging for several months.

You know, the reason why the gray rats in the sewers can become the king of the underground world and crush other gangs of all sizes with absolute advantage is that in addition to the strength of the organization itself, they rely on the protection of the upper class.

As the protector of the Grey Squirrels, Lawrence Bonaparte, Olga Kumas never wanted this gentleman to encounter any accidents on the Italian battlefield. This gentleman was not comparable to the previous protectors in terms of power and character.

Moreover, that day, in the dungeon of the Duke of Choiseul, when Lawrence Bonaparte said to himself, "Do you want to see the sunshine of the world above?", Olga Kumas had already decided to be loyal to Lord Bonaparte to the end.

And Oga Kumas also felt that the day when he could escape from the sinking of the sewer and go to the world above might not be far away for him.

He shook his head gently, put aside these illusory thoughts, and then threw the newspaper in his hand into the stove, watching the paper turn into ashes in the tumbling flames.

Oga Kumas stood up, and his cold and thin face returned to his usual expressionless expression. He thought for a while and ordered his subordinates in a deep voice:

"Mobilize all the forces of the gray rats to publicize the victory of the Kingdom of Corsica in Italy. Within three days, I want all 600,000 people in Paris to remember this great victory brought by His Excellency Lawrence Bonaparte."

Of course, not all Parisians were overjoyed by the victory of the Kingdom of Corsica.

In the evening, on the banks of the Seine, in an ancient and elegant Baroque-style restaurant, two guests in simple clothes sat on both sides of a small round table, and each other's faces were very embarrassed.

Just looking at their ordinary attire, no one would have thought that they were actually the British ambassador to France, Baron Bertula, and the newly promoted director of the French Finance Committee, Duke of Aiguillon.

The Seine River was unusually peaceful under the setting sun, and the melodious and long violin music in the restaurant was also refreshing, but this still could not relieve the two people's faces that were about to turn black.

"What is going on?"

The Duke of Aiguillon suppressed his anger and stared at Baron Bertula opposite him:

"You promised me that the Corsicans would be annihilated in Piedmont, and that damn Lawrence Bonaparte would bury his kingdom in Italy!"

Baron Bertula, who was opposite the round table, was extremely depressed and could only drink brandy to relieve his embarrassment.

Since a year ago, Baron Bertula's plan has been proceeding in an orderly manner:

He deliberately went to Corsica and leaked the news that the Royal Navy was about to attack Malta to Lawrence Bonaparte, so that France finally got the island of Malta.

After that, he launched an internal campaign in the Kingdom of Naples, prompting the Naples Navy to occupy French Malta, which greatly alienated and damaged the relationship between the two countries, making Louis XV even more reluctant to interfere in the Sicilian War of Independence, which in turn triggered a fierce conflict between the king and the Duke of Choiseul.

Following this, the bombardment of Calais Port, which was concocted by the Duke of Richelieu, directly became the fuse for the fall of the Duke of Choiseul. The Duke of Richelieu and the Duke of Aiguillon successfully restored their political status, and Great Britain also obtained a non-interference agreement with France.

Although Lawrence Bonaparte wisely separated from the entire Choiseul faction on the eve of the fall of the Duke of Choiseul, this was also within Baron Bertula's expectations. After all, Louis XV was unwilling to defeat Lawrence and the Duke of Choiseul together. The king even took the initiative to remove Lawrence Bonaparte from the Choiseul faction.

When they learned that the Kingdom of Corsica would participate in the Sicilian War of Independence, the Duke of Aiguillon and Baron Bertula were overjoyed.

As long as the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed Corsica in the war, all the power of Lawrence Bonaparte would collapse immediately. At that time, he could only stay in Paris and be an insignificant staff member beside Crown Prince Louis.

All these plans, everything, were executed perfectly, and were carried out completely according to Baron Bertula's plan.

Until they learned that Carlo Emmanuel III surrendered to the Kingdom of Corsica.

"Relax, old friend."

Baron Bertula could only force a smile after holding back for a long time:

"I don't know what happened in northern Italy, but this does not affect the overall situation. As long as the Kingdom of Corsica is still in the war, we still have a chance."

"Chance? Humph." The Duke of Aiguillon obviously had no patience for this perfunctory and polite talk:

"The Corsican army will most likely go directly eastward into Tuscany next. I don't believe that the little Austrian prince can stop the Corsican army's offensive."

"No, no, no, I mean when the Corsicans enter Sicily."

Baron Bertula finally regained some confidence and promised in a low voice:

"Our country's aid is mainly given to the Duke of Sicily who led the uprising army. Therefore, the war on the island is very unfavorable to the Kingdom of Naples. They will definitely ask the Corsicans to enter Sicily to fight together. By then, Naples has our insiders and Sicily has our troops to assist. The Corsicans can no longer repeat their victory over the Kingdom of Sardinia."

Hearing this, the Duke of Aiguillon nodded doubtfully, and his furious look gradually faded, replaced by an obvious viciousness.

In the Lorraine region on the French border

In the Lorraine Governor's Palace, the first-level governor here, Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe, is entertaining his brother, the Duke of Choiseul, who lives here.

The content of the two people's after-dinner chat is naturally not about art philosophy or humanistic scenery. Like the citizens of Paris, their eyes inevitably look to Italy in the south.

Although the Duke had been demoted by Louis XV, it was not difficult for him and Lieutenant General Philippe to obtain a top-secret report on the war in the Kingdom of Sardinia with his prestige in the army.

The internal military report was of course different from those exaggerated newspapers on the market. It recorded in great detail and objectively all the actions of the Corsican army from landing in Vadolidore to the liberation of Nice.

"It seems that I really underestimated that Corsican."

Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe quickly read this more than 20 pages of military report and said with a hearty smile:

"To win Turin in one month is something that both you and I would never dare to think about. Tsk tsk, I really want to know how that old man Carlo Emanuele III feels now."

"Hmph, if Carlo Emanuele III were younger and could lead the army in person, the outcome would be completely different. He would not make as many decision-making mistakes as his good-for-nothing son."

The Duke of Choiseul on the side could not laugh, his face was extremely gloomy:

"And this is not just the work of Bonaparte alone. Those key decisions were made by the so-called Privy Knights, especially Andre Davout, whom General Barol and I recommended several times. This good boy, this bastard Lawrence, took all the most elite cadets from the Paris Military Academy to Italy."

The Paris Military Academy is the hall of the Duke of Choiseul. Among the batch of graduates every year, the best ones will be arranged by the Duke of Choiseul to be trained in his direct troops and establish his own group of confidants.

And this time, the more than one hundred students that Lawrence took away in the name of the Privy Knights were without exception the best in the Paris Military Academy. Thinking that he had lost so many talents in vain, Duke Choiseul also suddenly felt... depressed.

Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe scratched his head in embarrassment. After all, he seemed to be the one who asked Lawrence to enter the Paris Military Academy to find officers for the Duke of Choiseul.

"Ahem, no matter what, this is good news."

Lieutenant General Philip coughed twice, shrugged and changed the topic:

"The people of Paris must be overjoyed, and His Majesty the King must be extremely happy too. The Corsicans brought Nice back to him just three months after joining the war. Oh, and your eldest daughter, little Elvie, is jumping up and down with joy. Yes, he is probably shutting himself in his room and writing a love letter to Bonaparte."

Duke Choiseul rolled his eyes, his expression still very ugly.

He held his forehead and thought for a while, then said slowly and lowly:

"No, it is good news for the people, for the king, for France, but for us it is absolutely bad news."

"Why do you say that?"

"If the Kingdom of Corsica goes smoothly in the war, what reason does the Kingdom of France have to interfere in the Italian war?"

Duke Choiseul clenched his fists and looked out the window:

"The more anxious the war becomes and the more dangerous the Corsicans are, the more hope the French army has of marching into Italy; if nothing else, the Corsican army's next goal is to attack Milan and Tuscany, and they will not be able to do so there. What strong resistance will be encountered?”

Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe nodded and recalled the time when he served in the Austrian court:

"I remember the Grand Duke of Tuscany and the Duke of Milan were Leopold, the third son of Queen Maria Theresa and the first heir to the Habsburg family. The last time I saw him He's still an annoying little guy, but I heard he's doing a pretty good job in Tuscany's internal affairs."

Duke Choiseul made no secret of his disdain for such a pampered imperial prince:

"He is far behind Laurence Bonaparte. I heard that he disbanded the entire Grand Duchy's standing army in order to save money. I really want to know what they are going to do to resist the Corsicans. In short, Bonaparte is in Toss Cana and Milan will not encounter any strong resistance, so the only thing that can hinder the Corsicans is the rebels on Sicily. "

"Yeah." Lieutenant General Philip nodded slightly and agreed with his brother's judgment:

"Indeed, I heard that the Kingdom of Naples is having a very difficult time fighting in Sicily. The capital Palermo has almost been lost. They are likely to ask the Corsicans to join the war in Sicily."

"That is our only chance. Regardless of the outcome of the Sicilian War of Independence, victory or defeat, this war must not end in a short time."

Duke Choiseul's tone was unquestionable. He knew very well that if he wanted to return to the pinnacle of power in Versailles, the only way was to drag the entire Kingdom of France into a new European war.