From Corsica to the Fourth Rome.

Chapter 382: The French War Hero
Two weeks later, Paris, France

The dawn light 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 tireless newsboys running around the streets, the dawn of each day is the signal for the start of their work. After all, the morning paper with the scent of ink is the best-selling newspaper.

Each newsboy's bag was stuffed with three times the usual amount of newsprint. The heavy bags made them a little breathless, but all the newsboys' steps were light and cheerful.

They waved the newspapers in their hands and shouted to the passers-by. Even their shouts were louder than usual:

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

"Breaking news! The Kingdom of Sardinia was defeated and ceded Sardinia and Nice, and from now on it was renamed the Kingdom of Savoy!"

"The latest supplement of the Daily Observer! Monsieur Bonaparte has recaptured Nice for France, and 100,000 Nice citizens have returned to the Fleur-de-Iris banner!"

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

Passersby stopped in their tracks, unable to believe what they heard:
One month, a month passes in the blink of an eye. What can you do in these short thirty days?

A traveler could make a round trip between Paris and Nantes at most once, and a small trader could add a dozen silver coins to his safe at most.

And just this short period of thirty days 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 suffering from a full-scale invasion by the Kingdom of Sardinia and was in danger.

Many political commentators at the time expressed an extremely pessimistic attitude, believing that Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte, who volunteered to join the Italian War, was actually dragging 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 broke into Turin in a month, trampling underfoot this powerful neighbor that had coveted their land for fifty years.

If someone had predicted three months earlier, when the Siege of Ajaccio was still in a shambles, that the Corsicans would eventually force Charles Emmanuel III to sign a humiliating peace, no one would have given such idiotic remarks a second glance.

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 also a victory for the French.

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

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

Hundreds of thousands of people, millions of hectares of land, and billions of wealth were all ceded to the British, the people they hated the most, across the channel.

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

The national affairs were so difficult, and under such circumstances, the Corsicans' victory 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 overwhelming victory over the Kingdom of Sardinia was enough for the French people to cheer and celebrate. After all, they did not like their southern neighbor with territorial disputes and border frictions.

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

Even many illiterate poor people would take out their purses to buy a cheap copy of the Observer, and gather in groups of three or five to have literate citizens read it to them.

The Observer Daily published a special issue to commemorate this good news, which detailed the great achievements of Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte in a heroic and epic style, making people feel like they were the protagonist in a knight novel.

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

In Nice in the south, a French officer named André Davout, who was also a member of the Privy Council of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, led a small army to stubbornly resist the 10,000-strong army led by Crown Prince Vittorio of Sardinia.

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

At this critical moment, the second-level governor of Provence, Mr. Carlo Bonaparte, the 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.

Rumor has it that the Sardinian prince fainted from anger 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.

Governor General Carlo Bonaparte then led his troops into Nice and gave a moving public speech to the citizens, announcing that Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte had defeated the Kingdom of Sardinia and that the city was back in the arms of France.

All the audience members burst into tears after hearing the sound.

For more than twenty years, the Savoys have been bullying 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.

But those days are gone forever with the peace treaty signed by Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte.

At noon that day, Governor Carlo Bonaparte personally raised the French fleur-de-lis flag in the Town Hall Square amid thunderous cheers from the citizens, and chopped the replaced Savoy White Cross flag into pieces with his sword.

"Long live France! Long live Bonaparte!"

This thunderous cheer was shouted out countless times by the citizens of Nice within a single day.

Reading the newspaper reports about Nice's return, even Parisians thousands of miles away couldn't help but feel warmed in their hearts and smiled happily.

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

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, when Mr. Bonaparte stood up for the winter subsidies for the poor and fought to the end against the damned Madame du Barry.

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

Since then, the people of Paris have firmly engraved the name of Lawrence Bonaparte in their minds.

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

The war hero of France, that is how Lawrence Bonaparte is called in Paris today.

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

The street cafes were crowded, pedestrians were smiling, and the topic of discussion between neighbors was nothing more than Corsica's first great victory in Italy.

An atmosphere of celebration filled the city and beyond. The last time the citizens of Paris were so excited and so passionate was after the successful execution of Madame du Barry - and that was also a victory led by Mr. Bonaparte.

In the Invalides in Paris, the veterans of the White Shirts burst into tears and were filled with 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 Carlo Emanuele III of Sardinia was undoubtedly a difficult opponent for the French soldiers.

The disastrous defeat that Carlo Emmanuele III brought to the French army in the Battle of Arcita is still a nightmare for many veterans.

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 had participated in the Italian War felt ashamed of this.

For many a sleepless night, these aging officers tossed and turned in their beds, wondering when the lost territory would be recovered, and wondering whether their exhausted bodies would ever see that day.

And today, after hearing that the Corsican army forced Carlo Emanuele III to surrender in just one month, the entire Invalides in Paris was in an uproar.

The veterans found their old military uniforms that had not been worn for many years and were already covered in dust, put on medals shining like golden light on their chests, and joined the victory parade of the Parisian citizens with their heads held high.

All the White Shirts raised their heads proudly. After all, Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte was their honorary commander, and this honor also belonged to all the White Shirt veterans.

Deep in the sewers of Paris, the leader of the gray rats, the Beggar King Oga Kumas, was reading the newspaper infatuatedly, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised a clear arc. The gray rats looked at their leader's crazy look and looked at each other in bewilderment. They had never seen this calm, wise, and ruthless Beggar King smile so brilliantly.

It was not until a long while later that Oga Kumasi put away the newspaper with a look of reluctance.

After learning that the adult had taken Turin safely, Oga Kumasi finally put his mind at ease after months of worry.

You know, the reason why the gray rats in the sewers can become the kings of the underground world and crush other gangs of all sizes with absolute advantages is because of the protection of the upper class, in addition to the strength of the organization itself.

Lawrence Bonaparte is the current protector of the Grey Squirrels. Oga Kumas does not want anything to happen to this gentleman on the Italian battlefield. This gentleman is incomparable to the previous protectors in terms of power and character.

Moreover, that day, in the dungeon of the Duke of Choiseul, when Lawrence Bonaparte asked himself, "Do you want to see the sunshine of the upper world?", 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 ground might not be far away for him.

He shook his head slightly, put these vague thoughts aside, then threw the newspaper in his hand into the fire and watched the paper turn into ashes in the surging flames.

Oga Kumas stood up, his cold and thin face regained its usual expressionless look. He thought for a while, then gave a deep order to his subordinates around him:
"Mobilize all the forces of the grey squirrels 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 at the Kingdom of Corsica's victory.

In the evening, on the banks of the Seine, in a quaint and elegant Baroque-style restaurant, two guests in simple clothes sat on either side of a small round table, both of them looking very embarrassed.

Looking at their ordinary attire, no one would have guessed that they were the British ambassador to France, Baron Bertula, and the newly appointed director of the French Finance Committee, the Duke of Aiguillon.

The banks of the Seine were unusually peaceful under the setting sun, and the melodious, lingering violin music in the restaurant was also soothing, but it still couldn't alleviate the two men's darkened faces.

"What's going on?"

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

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

Baron Bertula, who was sitting across the round table, was extremely depressed and could only drink brandy to ease his embarrassment.

Since a year ago, Baron Betula's plan has been proceeding in an orderly manner:
He deliberately went to Corsica and leaked the news of the Royal Navy's impending attack on Malta to Lawrence Bonaparte, allowing France to eventually obtain the island of Malta.

He then launched an internal campaign in the Kingdom of Naples, prompting the Neapolitan Navy to occupy French Malta, which greatly alienated and damaged the relationship between the two countries and made 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.

Immediately afterwards, the bombardment of Calais Harbour, which was orchestrated by the Duke of Richelieu, directly became the fuse for the downfall 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 himself 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 together with the Duke of Choiseul. 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 of Lawrence Bonaparte's power would collapse immediately. At that time, the most he could do was stay in Paris and serve as an insignificant aide to Crown Prince Louis.

All these plans, everything, were executed perfectly, completely in accordance with Baron Bertula's plan.

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

"Relax, old friend."

Baron Betula held it in for a long time and could only force a smile and said:
"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 at war, we still have a chance."

"Opportunity? Humph." Duke Aiguillon obviously had no patience for this perfunctory and polite talk:
"The Corsican army will most likely head eastward into Tuscany. I don't believe that the little Austrian prince can stop the Corsican army's offensive."

"No, no, no, I mean when the Corsicans came into Sicily."

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

"Our country's aid was mainly given to the Duke of Sicily who led the uprising. Therefore, the war on the island is very unfavorable to the Kingdom of Naples. They will definitely ask the Corsicans to enter Sicily to cooperate in the war. By then, Naples will have our insiders and Sicily will have our troops to support it. It will be impossible for the Corsicans to repeat their victory over the Kingdom of Sardinia."

After hearing this, Duke Aiguillon nodded doubtfully, and his furious look gradually faded away, replaced by an obvious viciousness.

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

The topic of their after-dinner conversation was naturally not art philosophy or humanities. Like the citizens of Paris, their eyes inevitably turned to Italy in the south.

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

The internal military reports were certainly different from the exaggerated newspapers on the market. They recorded in great detail and objectiveness all the actions of the Corsican army from the landing at Vadodore to the liberation of Nice.

"It seems that I really underestimated that Corsican."

Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe quickly read through the more than 20-page military report and said with a hearty laugh:
"Taking Turin in one month, this is something that you and I dare not even think about. Tsk tsk, I really want to know how old man Carlo Emanuele III feels now."

"Humph, if Carlo Emanuele III was younger and could lead the army himself, the outcome would be completely different. He wouldn't make as many decision-making mistakes as his useless son."

The Duke of Choiseul at the side could not laugh, his face was extremely gloomy:
"And this is not just the credit of Bonaparte alone. Those key decisions were made by the so-called Privy Knights, especially Andre Davout. General Barol and I recommended this good seedling several times. Lawrence, that bastard, took all the most elite students of the Paris Military Academy to Italy."

The Paris Military Academy was originally a place where Duke Choiseul had the final say. Every year, the best students who graduated would be arranged by Duke Choiseul to be trained in his own troops and to build his own group of trusted followers.

This time, the more than one hundred cadets that Lawrence took away in the name of the Privy Knights were all the best in the Paris Military Academy without exception. Duke Choiseul felt depressed when he thought that he had lost so many talents in vain.

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

"Ahem, anyway, this is good news."

Lieutenant General Philip coughed twice, shrugged and changed the subject:
"The people of Paris must be overjoyed. His Majesty the King must be very happy too. The Corsicans took him back to Nice after only three months of war. Oh, and your eldest daughter, little Elvie, is so happy that she is jumping up and down. She is probably locked in her room writing love letters to Bonaparte now."

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

He held his forehead and pondered for a while before he said slowly and in a low voice:
"No, it is good news for the people, for the king, and for France, but it is completely bad news for us."

"Why do you say that?"

"If the Kingdom of Corsica is doing well 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 intense the war, the more dangerous the Corsicans are, and the more hope the French army has to enter Italy; if nothing unexpected happens, the next goal of the Corsican army will be to attack Milan and Tuscany, where they will not encounter any strong resistance."

Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe nodded and recalled his time serving in the Austrian court:

"The Grand Duke of Tuscany and the Duke of Milan, as I recall, was Leopold, the third son of Queen Maria Theresa and the first heir to the Habsburg family. The last time I saw him, he was still an annoying little guy. I heard that he did a good job in Tuscany's internal affairs."

The Duke of Choiseul made no secret of his disdain for such a pampered prince of the Empire:
"He is far inferior to Lawrence Bonaparte. I heard that he disbanded the standing army of the entire Grand Duchy to save money. I really want to know how they will resist the Corsicans. Anyway, Bonaparte will not encounter any strong resistance in Tuscany and Milan, so the only thing that can hinder the Corsicans is the rebels in Sicily."

"Hmm." Lieutenant General Philip nodded slightly, agreeing with his brother's judgment:
"Indeed, I heard that the Kingdom of Naples is having a hard time fighting in Sicily, and the capital Palermo is almost lost. They are likely to ask the Corsicans to join the war in Sicily."

"That is our only chance. Regardless of whether the Sicilian War of Independence ends in victory or defeat, this war must not be ended in a short period of time."

The Duke of 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.