From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

"Lawrence, you just need to wait for the crown prince to take the throne, why do you have to do this?"

Carlo Bonaparte still had some hope. In his opinion, as the confidant of Crown Prince Louis, Lawrence would naturally ascend to the pinnacle of French power as long as he waited patiently for the crown prince to take the throne.

But once their conspiracy in Provence was exposed by the Versailles court, Carlo Bonaparte could not imagine what kind of abyss the whole family would fall into.

Lawrence sighed softly. He knew that his brother was not a stupid person, but the situation in Paris and Versailles was really not something that an outsider like him could understand, so he just sighed:

"That's true, Carlo, but if you were a dying king, would you let another Duke of Choiseul serve as the confidant of your heir?"

"You mean!"

Carlo Bonaparte's eyes widened, and his expression was also stunned. He immediately understood the hint in Lawrence's words.

The reason why Louis XV was relieved to place Lawrence Bonaparte beside His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, in addition to the ability and loyalty that Lawrence showed in several events, the most important factor was that this young man was just the governor of an insignificant remote island.

Before this, Louis XV was not worried that Lawrence Bonaparte would pose any threat to the French monarchy. After all, it was the pinnacle for a Corsican to become the attendant of the future King of France.

But now, Carlo Bonaparte stared at Lawrence in a daze, and suddenly realized that his brother's status in the Kingdom of France was no longer what it used to be, and he was afraid that he could not match him.

Holding the military and political power of Sardinia and Corsica, commanding the internal affairs of the Golden Iris Party, controlling the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, making friends with the Regent, and deeply trusted by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince

Any of these powers is enough to make a person a powerful official in the center of French political power.

And Lawrence Bonaparte actually took all these powers in his hands. Such a terrifying influence is probably only slightly inferior to the Duke of Choiseul who once dominated the government.

Not to mention that the Kingdom of Corsica is now in a good situation in the Italian War. No one can determine how high the young Prime Minister Bonaparte will reach after the war.

And Lawrence is naturally very clear about his current situation.

Although Versailles has not made any response to the Kingdom of Corsica's annexation of Sardinia, Lawrence can fully predict that the old king on his sickbed has probably started his plan.

Moreover, as the Kingdom of Corsica continues to grow in the Italian War, Louis XV's fear of him will probably gradually deepen. It is impossible for him to continue to serve as the close confidant of Crown Prince Louis after he ascends the throne as he originally planned.

By then, when the smoke of war in Italy has cleared, no matter what the outcome of the war is, what awaits Lawrence in Paris will not be a triumphal feast, but a trap of conspiracy and intrigue.

At that time, Lawrence could not determine how chaotic the political situation in France would become.

But no matter what the future situation is, Lawrence, who came to power through a coup, knows very well that he must hold the gun tightly in his own hands.

In addition to increasing military investment in the Kingdom of Corsica, Lawrence knows that he must also maintain an armed force within France.

After all, if the worst happens, mobilizing troops within France and mobilizing Corsican troops into France have completely different political implications.

This is why Lawrence deliberately asked his brother to establish a large standing army in the name of militia in the province of Provence.

"Are you saying that the king no longer trusts you? This, this is too surprising to me."

Carlo Bonaparte's expression still did not return to calm. Although he had understood Lawrence's hint, he was still somewhat unwilling to accept this reality.

"From a personal point of view, I think His Majesty still trusts me, but he is a king. In such a major event as the succession of the throne, any king will become indifferent and ruthless."

Lawrence shook his head. He did not doubt Louis XV's trust in him, but as a ruler, he knew very well what choice an old king like Louis XV would make.

Putting political interests above personal feelings, Lawrence has always done so. He did not doubt or resent Louis XV for doing the same thing.

Carlo Bonaparte nodded heavily. At this point, he had no reason to refuse.

The position of the second-level governor was given by Lawrence. Carlo Bonaparte knew that it was impossible for him to separate from Lawrence and the Kingdom of Corsica and continue to retain his position in France. Their fates were originally tightly bound together.

After reaching a consensus, the two simply chatted about some details, and then Carlo Bonaparte said goodbye and left. After receiving two commissions from Lawrence, he had no time to travel.

After Carlo Bonaparte left, three officers who had been waiting outside walked into Lawrence's room.

Chief of Staff Berthier, Andre Davout, who had made great contributions in the conquest of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and Serurier, who was transferred from Corsica yesterday, stood in front of Lawrence's desk and saluted in unison.

"Please sit down. We are colleagues in the Knights Templar in private. Don't be shy."

Lawrence invited the three to sit down and poured each of them a cup of black tea.

Berthier and Sérurier, who had known Lawrence for a long time, took the tea cups naturally. However, Andre Davouton, a newcomer, was flattered and stood up to salute and thank him, but was gently pushed back to his seat by Lawrence.

After putting down the teapot, Lawrence took the lead in looking at Andre Davout, the general who had just entered his field of vision:

"By the way, Andre, I have considered the proposal you told me last time."

In the campaign against the Kingdom of Sardinia, Andre Davout, who was stationed in Vadolidore, deliberately recruited all the strong men around the town and incorporated them into the army to confuse the enemy and make Prince Vittorio misjudge the number of enemy troops.

Although they were only peasants recruited temporarily, Andre Davout still gave them basic training according to the standards of professional troops during the garrison period, and then led this army to Nice to resist Prince Vittorio's attack for several weeks.

After the battle, although Andre Davout paid the conscripts military pay and allowed them to return home, a large number of soldiers still expressed their willingness to stay in the army.

After all, these conscripts were originally poor peasants in the countryside, and many of them were wearing military uniforms. They were even the first complete set of clothes in their lives. Andre Davout offered them a very generous salary when recruiting them, and one month's military pay was equivalent to half a year of hard work.

For this reason, Andre Davout also made suggestions to Lawrence after careful consideration, requesting to retain the establishment of this army.

A major weakness of the Corsican army today is that it has too few soldiers.

Although these soldiers have not been in the army for a long time, they have also undergone complete training and actual combat baptism. Even if their combat quality is not strong, they are at least qualified.

In addition, the Corsican army now has the logistical support of the Kingdom of France, and its armed equipment and supplies are very rich, which can fully support a force several times the current size.

Of course, Andre Davout was still a little unsure whether this proposal could be passed.

After all, he requested to retain the organization of his own army, which meant retaining his position and title as commander. He was very worried that Mr. Bonaparte would misunderstand him as a villain who coveted power and status.

While Andre Davout was holding his teacup and feeling uneasy about this, Lawrence smiled and nodded:

"I have discussed this with Berthier, and I decided to accept your proposal and you will still be the commander of this army."

As soon as the voice fell, Andre Davout's face flashed a hint of joy, and he was so excited that he didn't know what to say, as he was not good at speaking.

When Andre Davout was previously granted the position of battalion commander by Mr. Bonaparte to lead more than 500 soldiers, Andre Davout had already felt great trust. Now he was directly authorized to lead an army of thousands of people, which made him feel unbelievable.

Lawrence did not say much. He believed that Andre Davout would repay his trust with his ability. Then he turned his head and looked at Major Serurier beside him:

"Have all the new recruits arrived in Genoa?"

After deciding to accept Andre Davout's proposal to expand the army, Lawrence also issued a conscription order to Corsica and Sardinia, and dispatched Major Serurier, who was responsible for the defense of the mainland, to Genoa with the new recruits.

The conscription work was also carried out very smoothly in the mainland, especially in Sardinia. Thanks to the national carnival brought by the news of the defeat of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Prime Minister Bonaparte's prestige in Sardinia was also pushed to a climax. After learning that they would fight side by side with Lawrence Bonaparte, the enthusiastic young men rushed to put on their military uniforms.

Major Serurier nodded and replied:

"Seven thousand three hundred and twenty-one, not one less, all of them have received military training to varying degrees, and as recruits, their quality is very good."

Despite the rush of time, Major Serurier still brought more than 7,000 excellent recruits to Genoa.

The Corsicans had developed the custom of universal military service during the war with Genoa, and the quality of their troops was naturally very good. A considerable number of recruits from Sardinia had participated in the Battle of Cagliari, and they had also received systematic training under Lieutenant General Ethel.

After thinking for a moment, Lawrence ordered:

"Incorporate 3,000 recruits into Davout's army, and 4,000 into the main force. In addition, Major Serurier, I hope you will serve as the chief of staff of Davout's army."

Although Lawrence did not doubt Andre Davout's ability, he was too young after all, which was why Lawrence deliberately transferred the experienced Serurier from his homeland to Genoa.

Moreover, after the surrender of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the risk of Corsica being attacked was greatly reduced, and Lawrence did not need to let this capable officer continue to stay in the mainland.

"Yes!"

Major Sérurier's tone was obviously a bit excited.

Although he had no complaints about Prime Minister Bonaparte's order to stay in the mainland, after hearing the news that the Corsican army defeated the Kingdom of Sardinia in a month, Major Sérurier could not help but feel a little regretful. He wished he had been in that victorious army at that time.

After receiving the order, Andre Davout and Serulier stood up in perfect agreement, saluted each other, and then clasped their hands tightly.

This was the first time the two met, and there was a dozen years difference in age between them, but they still had great respect for each other.

Major Serurier didn't feel it was a shame to serve as the staff adjutant of such a young man. He knew that the Corsican army's strategy of dividing its forces to bypass and attack Turin directly was proposed by this young man, and the opponent was in Valdolidore. The performance of playing with the main force of the Sardinian army with Nice also amazed Major Serurier.

What's more, every civilian child who can enter the Paris Military Academy is the best in each place. This Andre Davout can still stand out among these elites, and Major Selulier will not underestimate him at all. ability.

André Davout also heard Selulier's name many times from Lawrence and Berthier, and knew that the other party was the commander-in-chief of the Corsican garrison during the siege of Ajaccio. When he thought of the other party After defending Ajaccio at such a huge disadvantage, Andre Davout also admired Selulier.

As a result, the Corsican army stationed in Genoa also reached a size of 16,000 people. Andre and Serurier commanded the Davout tribe of more than 6,000 people, while Lawrence and Berthier commanded more than 10,000 people. The main force of the Corsican army.

After deciding on the distribution of troops, Chief of Staff Berthier also proposed the next action plan of the Corsican Army:

"Then, our only remaining enemies in Northern Italy are the Principality of Milan and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany controlled by Austria."

The Principality of Milan, located at the foot of the Alps, has been controlled by Spain since the 16th century. It was not until the end of the War of Spanish Succession in 1721 that Austria seized this rich Italian state from the Spanish.

The Grand Duchy of Tuscany, centered in Florence, has been ruled by the legendary Medici family for the past few centuries. However, with the death of the main line of the Medici family, Austria, which is world-famous for its marriage diplomacy, The Habsburgs also took advantage of this opportunity to acquire this birthplace of the Renaissance.

Currently ruling Tuscany and Milan is the third son of Queen Maria Theresa, the first heir to the Austrian Habsburg family, and the brother of Crown Princess Mary of France, Leopold A generation.

This twenty-four-year-old ruler was really diligent in governing. Since accepting the title of Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1765, he had carried out a series of internal reforms in the country.

He reformed the representative system, balanced taxes, weakened the church, and even made Tuscany the first country in history to abolish the death penalty and torture.

In order to reduce national expenditures to the greatest extent and use fiscal revenue for people's livelihood, he even reduced the entire country's army and navy, placing national defense security completely under the protection of Austria.

Many commentators in history believe that after the death of Carlo Emanuele III, Leopold I became the most enlightened ruler in all of Italy.

However, although Leopold I did his best in domestic affairs and people's livelihood, he still did not gain the support of the local Italian people.

The people at the bottom did not benefit much from the political reforms, and they naturally had no particular favorable impression of the German Archduke.

As for the local nobles and dignitaries in Tuscany, due to Leopold I's very tough repressive attitude towards local Italian dignitaries, and the fact that the Medici family still has considerable influence in Tuscany, the locals The nobles will also not stand on the same side as the Shinra prince.

The title of Duke of Milan was originally held by Maria Theresa. It was not until the eve of the Italian War that Maria Theresa awarded the Duchy of Milan to Leopold in order to show her support for the war. De I, the young Archduke had not yet established formal rule in Milan.

After briefly introducing the situation of Austrian forces, Berthier distributed his plan to several people and quickly elaborated:

"Current intelligence shows that Tuscany and Milan under Leopold are weak in military strength and will hardly organize any effective resistance to our offensive. I propose that Davout and Serrurier attack Milan and Milan to the north. Mantua, the main force of our army will go south to take the Florence region. If everything goes well, we can pacify northern Italy before the cold winter arrives. "

Major Serurier read the plan meticulously and asked seriously:

"Didn't Austria provide military aid to Tuscany and Milan?"

Even Great Britain, which signed a treaty declaring not to interfere in the Italian war, secretly provided naval assistance to the Kingdom of Savoy. Serurier did not believe that Queen Maria Theresa would be honest and not provide any assistance to her son.

What's more, under Leopold's disarmament, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany had almost no standing army.

"It can be confirmed that Austria secretly sent an army into Tuscany." Berthier explained:

"But that army marched south with the Milan army a few weeks ago. They planned to cross the Papal State and directly attack the northern mainland of the Kingdom of Naples. Therefore, Tuscany and Milan are almost undefended."

André Davout also pointedly added:

"They probably didn't expect that the Corsican army's battle in Piedmont would go so smoothly, so they completely left the mainland empty."

The Austrian generals did not believe that the Corsican army could achieve any results at the hands of Carlo Emanuele III. The most likely thing was that this group of stupid Corsicans would be annihilated in Piet. On the battlefield of Monte.

Even if there is a one percent chance that the Corsican army will gain an advantage over the Sardinian army, their war in the Kingdom of Sardinia will never end in a year and a half.

After coming to this conclusion, the Austrian generals and Leopold I did not regard the Corsican army in the west as a threat at all, and directly concentrated their main military forces on the battle in the Kingdom of Naples, trying to capture Naples. Directly ending the Italian War.

I am afraid that after learning the news of the Corsican army's victory in Turin, the most panicked person was probably Prince Leopold at the Pitti Palace in Florence.

"What is the possibility of the Austrian and Milanese armies abandoning Naples and returning to defend their homeland?" Major Serurier still discussed cautiously.

"The probability is very low." Berthier obviously took these situations into consideration:

"The biggest goal of the Austrians is to capture Naples and end the Italian war. The fall of Milan and Tuscany is not important to them, not to mention the size of the enemy army is more than 10,000 people, even if they really abandon Naples and return to defend their homeland , our army can also try to engage in battle with it.”

For an independent country like the Kingdom of Sardinia, the loss of the capital Turin would mean the defeat of the country, but for Austrian dependent states like Milan and Tuscany, even if the mainland falls, it will only leave the Corsican people It's just to take advantage of the post-war treaty.

What the Austrians care more about is whether they can take advantage of the opportunity of this war to extend their sphere of influence to southern Italy.

After asking for other details of the plan, Andre Davout and Major Serurier saluted and left, immediately preparing to lead the army to attack Milan.

Only Lawrence and Chief of Staff Berthier were left in the huge room.

Lawrence looked at the map solemnly. During the discussion just now, he had remained silent and looked very worried.

Berthier also quickly noticed something strange about Lawrence:

"What's wrong Ciel, there shouldn't be any hindrance to the war in Tuscany."

"Indeed, there is a high probability that we can capture Florence and most of Tuscany within three months."

His fingertips lightly traced the map, and Lawrence said in a deep voice:

"If the Principality of Milan and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany can be brought into the Corsican sphere of influence, it will only be a matter of time before they acquire the entire Northern Italy."

The countries that currently have influence in the entire northern Italy are the Kingdom of Savoy occupying Piedmont in the west, Milan and Tuscany controlled by Austria in the center, and the Republic of Venice in the northeast.

As for others, such as the Republic of Genoa, the Principality of Modena, the Republic of Lucca and the Principality of Parma, they are just small countries that adapt to the wind.

Now that the Kingdom of Savoy has been defeated by the Kingdom of Corsica, the island of Sardinia and the country's financial monopoly have been handed over to others. In addition, the wise Carlo Emanuele III is about to pass away. Prince Torrio's ability and prestige are far less than those of his father, and the decline of the entire kingdom is inevitable.

The decline of the Republic of Venice has been irreversible since the last century. Repeated suppression by the Ottomans and Austria caused the Republic to lose a large area of ​​territory. Even by the end of the 18th century, only four ships of the once powerful Venetian Navy were left. Line ships and seven oars, and even the merchant fleet only had about 300 small ships left.

If Milan and Tuscany are really included in the sphere of influence, then the Kingdom of Corsica will definitely become a pivotal presence in northern Italy even without the influence of France.

"This! But!"

However, Berthier was shocked when he heard this. Of course he knew how rich Tuscany and Milan were, but he still hurriedly tried to dissuade him:

"Char, Corsica has already obtained Sardinia in this war. Regardless of the outcome of the war, it is almost impossible for us to make territorial claims to the Apennine Peninsula."

If the Sicilian rebels successfully win independence from the Kingdom of Naples, then the defeated Kingdom of Corsica will naturally be unable to make any demands on Tuscany and Milan.

And even if the Kingdom of Naples successfully suppresses the Sicilian rebels, the Corsicans, who have already won a lot of money from the Kingdom of Savoy, are unlikely to win more in the peace treaty. After all, it is just an island of Sardinia. This more than doubled the population and size of the Kingdom of Corsica.

"It doesn't have to be annexing the two countries directly." Lawrence shook his head.

"You mean to establish a puppet regime first?"

Berthier immediately understood what Lawrence meant, but his expression was still ugly:

"But Austria will never tolerate our illegal seizure of Tuscany and Milan. In the worst case scenario, we will be at war with an empire."

"What if France provides protection to that puppet regime?"

"If so"

Berthier bit his lip tightly and thought for a moment before reluctantly nodding:

"The Austrians may not act rashly, but"

Before the current Spanish King Carlos III succeeded to the throne, he took advantage of Austria's succession war and directly sent troops to seize the Kingdom of Naples. Austria, which was hampered by Spain's national power, had to swallow this humiliation.

If France really recognizes the puppet regime established by the Kingdom of Corsica and provides it with asylum, Austria will naturally not go to war directly, but there is no doubt that the relationship between the two countries will be greatly damaged, and it will even lay hidden dangers for the next war.

And this is definitely what Louis XV, who is on his deathbed, does not want to see. This may even be accused by the British of France violating its promise not to interfere in the Italian war.

"The only question is, will France really provide asylum?"

Berthier also realized this problem instantly:

"I know that the Foreign Minister Count Vergennes is your friend, Charles, and Charles can also persuade his father to lean towards you, but this is not enough for the Kingdom of France to issue that crucial statement. After all, Count Vergennes does not have complete control over foreign affairs."

Although Lawrence did help Count Vergennes to the position of Foreign Minister, it was less than half a year before Count Vergennes took over the position. It is impossible for him to eliminate the influence of Duke Choiseul in such a short time and take control of such a large department.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide them with all their support, after all."

Faced with this questioning, Lawrence remained calm and just said softly:

"I think my old friend will be happy to help me with this." (End of this chapter)