From Corsica to the Fourth Rome.

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

"The two districts of Ajaccio should belong to the Descartes family!"

"That's nonsense. You have already obtained the special trade license for Bastia. How can we give you Ajaccio as well?"

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

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

"You said it would be invalidated? The parliament hasn't even spoken yet!"

There was still no news about the battle situation at the front, but the dignitaries here were arguing heatedly and their faces were red.

Although the battle situation between the Republican Guard and the Corsican Army is still unknown, they have already begun discussing the distribution of interests among the major families on the island after retaking Corsica.

These powerful representatives are not familiar with state affairs or military affairs, but they are extremely shrewd when it comes to their own wealth. Even if it is for a distribution plan that they have no idea whether it can be implemented, they will fight for every penny, and they are even willing to lower their status and fight for it.

Governor Batista sat above, ignoring the quarrels of the representatives and having no intention of maintaining order.

There was only one thing that worried him now - what happened to the Republican Guard.

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

Finally, after who knows how many centuries of suffering like this, and after who knows how many useless words those powerful representatives said, the door of the great meeting hall was slammed loudly.

In an instant, hundreds of eyes turned towards the door, and the representatives tactfully stopped arguing. Calculating the time, it was time for news to be sent back from the front line.

Two guards stepped forward and together opened the golden door decorated with reliefs. Everyone's heart immediately rose to their throat.

Is it good news?

Is the person who appears at the door a Republican Guard soldier with his head held high, full of spirit, who has just returned triumphantly from the battlefield?
Everyone hopes so, but the reality is always disappointing:

Standing at the door was a defeated soldier covered in blood, exhausted, and with lifeless eyes. He had more than one bandage wrapped around his body, and could only stand on his right leg. It was obvious that he had just been seriously injured on the battlefield and had just managed to escape with his life by luck.

"My Lords, my Lords!"

The soldier's voice was already hoarse, perhaps because he had screamed too much during his escape. He screamed with his hoarse voice, and the only emotion that could be heard in his tone was despair:
"The Republican Guard has been defeated. The whole army has been annihilated! The Corsicans. Already!"

Before he finished speaking, he heard a sudden burst of gunfire coming 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 contracted violently, and then he fell to the ground powerlessly, completely lifeless.

There was silence in the great meeting hall, except for the faint echo of the gunfire.

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

"Ahhhh!"

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

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

Who shot and killed a Republican Guard soldier in the Doge's Palace in Genoa?

What answered them was the actions of the Corsicans - two teams of Corsican chasseurs quickly rushed into the council hall, with bayonets stuck in their guns, many of them with blood on their boots and trouser legs, and they walked on the marble floor leaving red footprints with every step.

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

The dignitaries dared not even breathe a word and could only stare blankly as more and more Corsican soldiers rushed into the meeting hall and surrounded the entire hall.

After ensuring that the hall was completely safe, a Corsican officer gestured to the outside, and a series of heavy footsteps were heard in the corridor, approaching from afar.

Lawrence Bonaparte walked into the hall escorted by several Privy Knights. He was wearing a colonel's uniform and a dress coat casually draped over it. He held a gun in his left hand and a sack in his right hand.

Although Lawrence hadn't 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 movements were so fast that even the Governor's Palace did not have the slightest reaction time.

"I suppose you must be the Reverend Monsieur Bonaparte."

Governor Batista considered his choice of words. Since the Republic of Genoa did not officially recognize Corsica's independence, they naturally did not recognize Lawrence as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Corsica:
"I really don't know what could have brought you here."

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

Under the gaze of a group of dignitaries, the sack smashed onto a long table, overturning several sets of silver candlesticks, and then a red spherical object rolled out from it.

"That is!?"

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

It was a human head, a bloody head.

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

"Oh my God!"

Governor Batista's eyes widened, not only because he had never expected Lawrence to throw a head at him, but also because he quickly recognized that it was the head on the neck of General Tiro Belland.

General Tiro Belland, who was considered a famous general in the Republic of Genoa, actually ended up in such a miserable way? !

What about us? ! What will become of us, the top leaders of the Republic? !
In the crowd, a nobleman who couldn't handle this kind of stimulation screamed out. He looked a few years younger than Lawrence and was obviously the heir of a noble family:

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

Perhaps it was because the young man had too much faith in the strength of his motherland and the poverty of Corsica that his roar at Lawrence contained a bit of toughness and pride.

Lawrence was too lazy to waste time talking to him. He simply raised the pistol in his left hand, aimed at the other person's head, and pulled the trigger.

boom!
A gunshot rang out, and the young man with luxurious clothes and fair skin trembled with shock on his face, then fell to the ground, motionless, and a mixture of blood and brain matter oozed from under his body.

Everyone was already standing there in a daze.

Governor Batista was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth. He knew that the boy was the heir of an aristocratic family, and his family bloodline could even be traced back to a duke in France. But Lawrence Bonaparte shot him on the spot without even asking any questions? !

Although it was the first time they met, many people had already heard of the name Lawrence Bonaparte and knew that he was a noble gentleman who was praised by everyone, whether in France or Corsica, by the upper class or the common people.

But today, this young man walked into the meeting hall and without saying a word, he first ordered his subordinates to kill the defeated soldiers in the Governor's Palace, then chopped off the head of the defeated general and threw it to everyone. Now he even shot and killed a powerful representative who had just made rude remarks.

This person is not a noble gentleman at all; he is clearly a devil from hell and a bloodthirsty executioner!

There was obvious fear on the faces of the representatives. For many of them, this was probably the closest they had ever been to death in their lives.

Lawrence silently reloaded his pistol, blew away the smoke from the muzzle, and looked back at the hundreds of terrified and powerful representatives.

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

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

Now that the Corsican army has defeated the Genoese army head-on, the next step is naturally to conduct peace negotiations to formally end the war relationship between the two countries.

Lawrence's top priority now is to go to war with the Kingdom of Sardinia. Of course, he cannot spend a year or two to slowly negotiate a treaty with the Genoese. Let alone a year or two, the Corsican army cannot afford even three to five days.

Therefore, in order to make the Genoese high-level officials accept his demands in a very short time, Lawrence had to scare them, make them panic, and make them feel that if the treaty was signed one day later, Genoa would be massacred by the Corsicans.

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

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

Lawrence finally spoke. This was the first thing he said to everyone after entering the Great Council Chamber:

"Genoa and Corsica, let's end our five hundred years of feud today."

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

“It’s over.”

Governor Batista swallowed hard, as he was not sure what Lawrence meant by the end.

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

Lawrence left the choice to them:

"Here are two documents that I have prepared 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 from the Republic of Genoa against the Kingdom of Corsica. If you feel that you have been greatly humiliated today, you can sign the declaration of war and we will meet again on the battlefield. The other is a peace treaty between the two countries. With just one line of ink, our two countries will put aside their past grievances and become friendly neighbors from now on. Whether to fight or make peace is up to you."

Governor Batista solemnly took the two documents, but without a second thought, he tore up the declaration of war on the spot and said with a forced smile:
"Genoa has followed the motto of peace and prosperity since its founding. Since Mr. Bonaparte is willing to lead your country to reconcile with our country, we will certainly not be ungrateful."

Even the most radical representatives of the dignitaries would not even look at the declaration of war. Now that the Republican Guard has been completely destroyed and the Corsicans have already broken into the Governor's Palace, what else can they use to fight the Corsicans again?

At this point, Governor Batista knew that it would no longer be possible to regard Corsica as an overseas territory of his country, and he immediately changed his address to Lawrence and Corsica to "Your Excellency" and "Your country".

As he spoke, Governor Batista opened another peace treaty. Although the final treaty still needed to be slowly negotiated by the two countries, he also needed to take a look at what the main demands of the Kingdom of Corsica were.

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

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

The children of the noble families present were shocked and hurriedly looked at Governor Batista, fearing that the governor had offended 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 Governor Batista, who was over 60 years old, lose his temper and shout out. Several bold representatives jumped onto the stage and stood behind Governor Batista to read it, and their faces instantly turned livid, and they dared not speak in anger.

"Your Excellency the Governor"

Lawrence spoke:

"Since this is a meeting room, you can just read the treaty to everyone."

Governor Batista nodded, suppressed his own gaffe, and jumped directly to the specific content of the treaty, reading aloud:
“First: formally recognize the Kingdom of Corsica as an independent sovereign state and give up 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: The Kingdom of Corsica shall be granted most-favored-nation trade treatment unconditionally, no tariffs shall be imposed on imported Corsican goods, no Corsican ships shall be seized, and the free trade activities of the Kingdom of Corsica shall not be interfered with.

Third: The St. Marshall district of the Port of Genoa was ceded as a concession of the Kingdom of Corsica. Corsican and French citizens within the concession enjoyed extraterritoriality, and the Republic of Genoa had no right to interfere in judicial cases within the concession. Corsican and French citizens could invest freely within the concession, and all industries within the concession did 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 passage through the territory and territorial waters of the Republic of Genoa, grant the navy of the Kingdom of Corsica and the navy of the Kingdom of France permanent stationing rights in the port of Genoa, and allow the Kingdom of Corsica to station troops in concessions and embassies and consulates.

Fifth: All rights and interests of the Genoese government in the Bank of St. George, including equity, ownership, and management rights, will be transferred to the Kingdom of Corsica.

Sixth: Compensation for the previous exploitation and rule of Corsica, with a total amount of 630 million livres, payable in ten years, with a total principal and interest of 700 million livres, that is, 70 million livres or equivalent in gold and silver must be paid to the Kingdom of Corsica each year.

Seventh: Corsican citizens in Genoa should be allowed to participate in the political activities of the Republic of Genoa; the parliamentary seats for the Saint-Marcel concession should be reserved and Corsican citizens should be appointed as deputies.

第八：该条约自1771年12月1日零时开始实行，每年战争赔款的交付时间也应不晚于12月1日。

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

The treaty was drafted by Lawrence himself, so there were no minor legal details, and Governor Batista only took three or four minutes to read the entire content.

When the representatives in the conference hall heard this, their faces instantly became as embarrassed as Governor Batista's.

You know, the reason why the Republic of Genoa was regarded as a rich and prosperous golden country by the whole of Europe was that its foundation was the income brought by the two major industries of trade and finance.

In the peace treaty submitted by Lawrence, the two clauses of granting Corsica most-favored-nation trade treatment and ceding the Saint-Marcel district would undoubtedly completely destroy the trade industry of the Republic of Genoa.

After all, the Liguria region is already poor in resources, and the policy of zero tariffs on Corsican products will inevitably lead to Corsican merchants dumping their products in Genoa, which is something the Republic of Genoa, which has always practiced trade protectionism, absolutely does not want to see.

The St. Marcelle district is the largest and most prosperous port area in the Port of Genoa. Giving 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, there would probably be hundreds or even thousands of corpses on the surface of the Tyrrhenian Sea the next day. They would be Genoese merchants who committed suicide by jumping into the sea due to complete bankruptcy and utter despair.

The fifth article in the treaty, regarding the cession of the interests of the St. George Bank, almost made Governor Batista slam the table in anger.

Over the past few hundred years, St. George's Bank has always been the most important financial institution in the entire Republic, without a doubt.

Due to the limitations 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 Bank of St. George, which is very similar to the British East India Company.

From this, we can imagine how much wealth the St. George Bank has accumulated through hundreds of years of overseas trade and exploitation. Even the government of the Republic of Genoa holds 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 fully foresee that the entire financial industry of the republic would be completely monopolized and controlled by the Corsicans.

The golden river that once flowed to Genoa will now be diverted to Ajaccio in Corsica.

As for the demand for war reparations, it goes without saying that 70 million livres a year is a huge sum of money that can only be repaid by emptying the entire national treasury of the Republic.

Not to mention those clauses involving military politics and national sovereignty, just the three clauses involving financial trade and war reparations were enough to make Governor Batista's face turn pale and he was speechless for a long time.

If he signed his name on the 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 become just a cash cow that provided blood transfusions 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:
"Your Excellency, please do not doubt our determination to seek peace, but this treaty."

"You have eight hours."

Without paying any attention to Governor Batista's embarrassment, Lawrence looked at a golden clock in the meeting room and said to the pointer on it:
"There are still eight hours until midnight. If you do not sign this treaty before then, I will regard it as a signal that your country intends to fight again, and the treaty you get at that time will not be the same as the one in your hands. I think my monarch Louis XV will be happy to see the territory of France expanded to Liguria. Cherish your limited time, everyone."

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

As they watched the devil executioner leave the hall, the faces of the powerful representatives not only did not relax in the slightest, but became even more terrified.

Eight hours. Are they going to decide the fate of the Republic of Genoa in these eight hours? !
Indeed, at this moment, the hundreds of powerful representatives in this conference hall are 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 was too short for a diplomatic treaty. It was so short that they had to start making decisions immediately before they had time to recover from the shadow and fear left by Lawrence Bonaparte.

Governor Batista looked extremely pale at this moment. He had naturally heard Lawrence's threat before he left - Louis XV would be happy to see the territory of France expanded to Liguria.

Lawrence's implication was very clear: if the Republic of Genoa rejected this treaty, the second treaty it would receive would be a request for annexation from 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. The dignitaries of the Republic of Genoa were also well aware of 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 though the Kingdom of Corsica achieved a complete 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 country are far greater than that of Sardinia, and it is definitely not something the Kingdom of Corsica can easily deal with.

If the Corsicans insisted on annexing Liguria, all they would get would be a Liguria full of rebellion and low morale.

Moreover, if the Kingdom of Corsica, which had just announced the incorporation of the province of Sardinia into its territory, were to annex Liguria, this excessive expansion would inevitably arouse the vigilance and hostility of surrounding countries.

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

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

Given the size of France, suppressing the various factions of the Republic of Genoa was a piece of cake. The ambitious Louis XV was also very happy to see the borders of France extended once again.

This was not good news for Governor Batista and a number of dignitaries. Compared to signing this unequal treaty but retaining independence and sovereignty, becoming a province of the Kingdom of France was undoubtedly a worse choice.

The Grand Council Hall fell into silence. No one wanted their noble republic to become a province of the Kingdom of France, not even the powerful people who had close ties with France.

"Say something, guys."

Governor Batista's voice suddenly became hoarse, and he seemed to have aged twenty years in an instant:
"You have heard the Corsican's request. How do we deal with this treaty?"

A frowning representative suggested:
“Can we sign the 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 obtaining the support of the Kingdom of Spain?”

Since the Spanish Habsburg dynasty, the Republic of Genoa has provided economic assistance and financial loans to the Kingdom of Spain on many occasions, 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 interfered in this treaty, the Republic of Genoa would have every opportunity to regard this treaty as a piece of waste paper.

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 local 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. Therefore, the Spanish are still counting on the Corsicans to help them quell the Sicilian rebellion. Before the war is over, the Spanish are unlikely to accept our request."

That means there is still some unwillingness to give up:

"And what happens after the war? The Sicilian rebellion won't last forever."

Governor Batista sighed, reread the part of the treaty regarding the concession, and said helplessly:

"Didn't you notice that this treaty specifically stipulates that the French also enjoy extraterritoriality within the concession, and that the French army also enjoys military access to Liguria."

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

"That is to say, this treaty also involves the interests of France, and the French will sign this paper."

Governor Batista closed his eyes, exhausted:

"Lawrence Bonaparte is really calculating. He deliberately added the French to these two insignificant clauses and dragged the Kingdom of France into the water. If we want to tear up this treaty in the future, we will have to face more than just the Corsicans."

Everyone was shocked and their faces turned pale.

Governor Batista's words meant that this contract would forever be a shackle on the Republic of Genoa, and they would never be able to turn over. After all, their tiny country could never directly confront the French giant.

The meeting room fell into silence again.

Complete military defeat, diplomatic isolation and helplessness, and political ulterior motives. Faced with this heavy reality, even a person known for his intelligence would be unable to come up with any solution.

There is not much time left for everyone. Eight hours may seem like a long time, but if you take into account symbolic procedures such as convening parliament and holding an emergency vote, they have no time to waste.

"Ugh"

Governor Batista sighed deeply, his sigh full of bitterness and helplessness.

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

"Convene Parliament to vote on this treaty. The outcome is set and there is no escape from it."

Governor Batista handed the treaty to the secretary beside him. He immediately slumped in his chair as if he was deflated, muttering to himself:
"The five hundred years of prosperity of the Republic were finally buried in my hands, in the hands of the Corsicans, and in the hands of Lawrence Bonaparte."

In 1288, the Republic of Genoa defeated its trade rival, the Republic of Pisa, and seized the island of Corsica, thus ushering in the Republic's years of prosperity.

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

October 1771, 10, what an ordinary early autumn day.

The port of Genoa is still bustling with traffic, the Tyrrhenian Sea is still calm, and the early autumn afternoon sunshine is still pouring down on the land of the Golden Kingdom.

The citizens, merchants, and dignitaries in Genoa might not realize that this ordinary day would be the last day of prosperity they could enjoy.

The feast is over and the prosperous times are gone.

The Republic of Genoa is no longer a major player on the 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)