From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

The morning of the next day, inside the patrol station in Ajaccio.

The patrols who were brought to Bonifacio by Lawrence stayed in the military camp for a night before returning to the station. As soon as these ten people stepped into the gate of the station, they immediately attracted the attention of all the patrols:

"Hey! Bank, you participated in that battle, please tell me what happened."

"Muse, I saw you in the parade yesterday! I never thought you were so handsome."

"Oh my God, I really envy you. How did Monsieur Bonaparte choose you?"

Facing the flood of questions from the crowd, these patrols just shook their heads and smiled bitterly, and very carefully answered some questions that had nothing to do with the battle.

When Lawrence selected them, the first criterion he looked for was loyalty, followed by their overall ability.

Therefore, these people always kept Lawrence's orders in mind and did not reveal anything about the situation on the battlefield at that time, let alone the effectiveness of the use of rifles.

"OK OK."

Old Sean in the crowd clapped his hands to signal everyone to quiet down, then waved and said:

"They are probably exhausted, so don't disturb them and take a good rest."

Just as everyone dispersed in disappointment, some sharp-eyed patrolmen suddenly noticed a young man walking in the door, dressed luxuriously, with ribbons on his cuffs, and wearing a full coat, vest, and shirt.

The patrols were stunned for a moment, staring at the young man for a while, and then they were surprised to recognize:

"It's Monsieur Bonaparte!"

"As expected! Your Excellency hasn't been to the station for a while."

Everyone came together to look at Lawrence very excitedly. At the same time, they were also a little surprised as to why their elders were not wearing uniforms or military uniforms today, but were specially dressed up so grandly.

Lawrence walked into the hall, waved to everyone, then went straight to Old Sean and whispered:

"Send someone to find Grosso and Ya'an. Be careful to hide your identity. The three of you come to the top to meet me."

Old Sean took one look at Lawrence's serious expression and immediately understood that something big was about to happen. So he nodded in agreement and motioned for the patrols to return to their posts.

The last time they had such a tense and serious meeting was when they planned to eliminate Ciro two years ago. This also made Old Sean full of energy and quickly sent people to Xicheng District to inform Grosso and Ya'an.

About an hour later, four people gathered here again in the secluded storage room on the top floor of the station.

"Hey, Lawrence, you are going to the dance or something. I have to say you have quite good taste."

Grosso still looked carefree. Although he was summoned urgently, he showed no signs of nervousness. When he came up, he made a novel comment on Lawrence's clothes.

Ya'an looked at Lawrence respectfully and said nothing.

Lawrence glanced at the three of them. Even though he knew that there were only four of them on the entire top floor, Lawrence stood up and closed the door of the storage room tightly.

Seeing Lawrence's serious actions, Grosso also quickly calmed down his expression and looked at Lawrence seriously, probably guessing that what he said next might not be simple.

"Remember that British ship that came into port a few weeks ago?"

Lawrence looked at the three of them and said in a deep voice.

All three nodded. Although Lawrence did not tell them about the subsequent progress after discovering Peter's identity, the incident itself caused a small sensation at the time.

Lawrence pondered for a moment, collected his thoughts, and then said coherently in one breath:

"I hope you will keep what I say next in your heart, and only in your heart."

After a while of whispering, just like the conversation with Major Trifali and Lieutenant Seth that day, Lawrence informed the three of them of the treaty between Pitt and Pauli, his struggle with Pauli, including yesterday's conversation with Pauli.

The storage room was as silent as a pool of stagnant water. The facts Lawrence mentioned really exceeded the information they usually came into contact with.

If anyone else had told them the same thing, the three of them would have regarded that person as a lunatic without hesitation.

Before this, none of the three people had any expectation that they would be involved in a struggle related to the fate of Corsica as a small patrol.

Ya'an recovered from the shock quickly and looked at Lawrence calmly, waiting for the next order. In any case, his fate was tied to Lawrence personally.

Grosso frowned and lowered his head in deep thought, trying his best to understand the context of this series of events.

Old Sean's eyes were still blank until Lawrence finished speaking, staring blankly ahead, and even his breathing weakened a bit.

As an old man, he joined the patrol since the founding of the Republic of Corsica, so his respect for Pauli continued for more than ten years.

When the person he admired became an irreconcilable enemy, it was difficult for Old Sean to recover from the gap.

"Boy, there's something wrong with this. I've seen what the British do."

Grosso slapped his hand on the table and said in a hateful voice:

"Corsica is no different from an American colony to them. The British policy towards the colony is endless taxes and military service. Old men like Old Sean can rush to the battlefield."

"I understand." Lawrence nodded and said:

"Moreover, the more important reason is that Britain's national power is on the rise. If this continues, I can predict that Corsicans will not have a chance to become independent within three hundred years."

After saying that, Lawrence glanced at Old Sean who was still stunned, sighed and said:

"This is also the reason why I broke up with Paulie. In this sense, I have to apologize to you for bringing you into this fight."

Ya'an shook his head and said firmly:

"I am with you, sir."

"Oh, I'm just hanging out with you anyway." Grosso, who has experienced strong winds and waves, shrugged indifferently and said:

"This little life will be fine if you don't throw it away."

Lawrence nodded solemnly to the two of them, and then all three of them focused their eyes on Old Sean.

Among the three of them, only Sean Lao took orders from Lawrence because of his position, and the other two directly followed Lawrence personally.

Now that Lawrence and Paulie have parted ways, Old Sean is also struggling in his heart, hesitating about which side he should choose.

"Old Sean, just let your heart choose."

Lawrence looked at him, slowed down his speech, and said in a deep voice:

"I know you are old. If you don't want to get involved in these things, I can allow you to continue to receive annuity from the patrolman's share and send you to leave Corsica to spend your old age."

As soon as the words came out, Lawrence said nothing again, just quietly closed his eyes and leaned back on the chair, waiting for Old Sean to make a choice.

"I"

Old Sean moved his lips and his voice trembled a little. After repeating it several times, he stabilized and said with determination:

"I am willing to serve Monsieur Bonaparte like the two of them. It was not until Monsieur Bonaparte came to the patrol that I found the meaning of being a patrolman in the past two years. Governor Pauli disappointed me very much. , I don’t want the patrol to go back to being looked down upon by everyone.”

"I accept your service."

Lawrence leaned forward, slightly tilted his head seriously, and then said to the three of them:

"In addition, I have already told Paoli that I will be away from Ajaccio for a while. During this period, I should be removed from the patrol duty."

The three of them looked at Lawrence and nodded without surprise. They all knew in their hearts that even if Lawrence's position was revoked, he would only be the sole leader of the patrol team of more than a hundred people.

After explaining the remaining trivial details to the three of them, Lawrence left the patrol station and walked towards the Xicheng District port.

"The only armed force that can be mobilized directly in the city of Ajaccio is already in my hands, and I still need it now."

Lawrence carried his luggage and murmured softly on the road:

"A sufficiently powerful outside force stepped in."