"Lawrence...you just want to wait for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to succeed to the throne. Why do you have to do this..."
Carlo Bonaparte was still a little unwilling to give up. In his opinion, as long as Lawrence, a confidant of Crown Prince Louis, waited patiently until the crown prince succeeded to the throne, he would naturally reach the pinnacle of power in France.
But once their conspiracy in Provence was exposed by the court of Versailles, Carlo Bonaparte simply could not imagine the abyss into which the entire family would fall.
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 softly:
"Indeed, Carlo, but if you were a dying king, would you allow another Duke of Choiseul to serve as your heir's confidant?"
"You mean...!"
Carlo Bonaparte's eyes widened even more, his expression was one of astonishment, and he immediately understood the implications of Lawrence's words.
The reason why Louis XV felt confident in placing Laurence Bonaparte beside His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was that, in addition to Laurence's ability and loyalty shown in several incidents, the most important factor was that this young man was just an insignificant person.
Just the governor of a remote island.
Prior to this, Louis XV was not worried at all that Laurence Bonaparte would pose any threat to the French monarchy. After all, it was the pinnacle of a Corsican to become a valet of the future French king.
But now, Carlo Bonaparte looked at Lawrence blankly, and suddenly realized that his brother's status in the Kingdom of France was no longer what it was before, and he might have reached a point where he could not match him.
He holds the military and political power of Sardinia and Corsica, directs the internal affairs of the Golden Iris faction, controls the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has good relations with the regent, and is deeply trusted by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince...
Any one of these powers is enough to make a person a very important official in the center of French political power.
And Laurence Bonaparte actually held all this power in one body. Such a terrifying influence was probably only slightly inferior to that of the once powerful Duke of Choiseul.
Not to mention that the Kingdom of Corsica is still in control of the great situation in the Italian War. No one can be sure what heights the young Prime Minister Bonaparte will reach after the war is over.
And Lawrence is naturally very aware of his current situation.
Although Versailles has not yet made any response to the Kingdom of Corsica's annexation of Sardinia, Lawrence could fully predict that the old king on the sickbed would most likely have already begun his plot.
Moreover, as the Kingdom of Corsica continues to grow during the Italian War, Louis XV will most likely be more wary of him, and it is inevitable that he will not be able to continue to serve as Crown Prince Louis' confidant after he ascends the throne, as he originally planned.
By then, when the smoke clears in Italy, no matter what the outcome of this war is, what awaits Lawrence in Paris will not be a triumphal feast, but a trap intertwined with intrigues and intrigues.
At that time, Lawrence could not tell 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, is very clear - he must hold the gun tightly in his hands.
In addition to increasing military investment in the Kingdom of Corsica, Lawrence knew 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 surprises me."
Carlo Bonaparte's expression still had not returned 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, and any king will become indifferent and ruthless when it comes to such a major event as the succession of the throne."
Lawrence shook his head. He did not doubt Louis XV's trust in him, but as a ruler, he knew very well what choices an old king like Louis XV would make.
Putting political interests above personal emotions was what Lawrence had always done. He did not doubt or resent that Louis XV would do the same thing.
Carlo Bonaparte nodded heavily. At this point, he no longer had any reason to refuse.
His position as a second-level governor was given by Lawrence. Carlo Bonaparte knew that he could not break away from Lawrence and the Kingdom of Corsica and continue to maintain his position in France. Their fates were tightly tied together.
After the two reached a consensus, they only briefly discussed 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.
Berthier, the chief of staff, André Davout, who had made great achievements in the conquest of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and Serurier, who had just been transferred from Corsica yesterday, stood in front of Lawrence's table, neatly arranged.
A military salute was given.
"Sit wherever you like. This is a private occasion. We are fellow knights, so don't be constrained."
Lawrence greeted the three of them to sit down casually, and also personally poured them each a cup of black tea.
Berthier and Sélulier, who had known Lawrence for a long time, took the tea cup naturally. As a newcomer, Andre Davuton felt flattered and stood up quickly to salute and thank him, but was gently pressed by Lawrence.
Returned to the seat.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! After putting down the teapot, Lawrence also took the lead to look at Andre Davout, a general who had only recently entered his field of vision:
"By the way, Andre, I have considered the proposal you told me last time..."
During the campaign against the Kingdom of Sardinia, Andre Davout, who was stationed in Valdolidore, deliberately recruited all the strong men around the town and organized them into the army to confuse the enemy and make Vettori
Prince Ao misjudged the number of enemy troops.
Although they were only temporarily recruited peasants, Andre Davout gave them basic training according to the standards of a professional army while he was stationed in the army. Later, he led this army to Nice and resisted Prince Vittorio.
Weeks of offense.
After the battle, although Andre Davout paid military salaries to these conscripts and allowed them to return to their hometowns, a large number of soldiers still expressed their willingness to stay in the army.
After all, these conscripts were poor farmers in the countryside. The military uniforms many of them wore were even their first complete set of clothes in their lives. Andre Davout's salary when he recruited them was very generous.
A month's military pay is worth half a year's hard work.
For this reason, Andre Davout also made a suggestion to Lawrence after careful consideration, requesting to retain the establishment of this force.
A major weakness of today's Corsican army is that it has too few troops.
Although these soldiers have not been in the army for a long time, they have also undergone complete training and actual combat experience. Even if their combat qualities are not strong, they are at least qualified.
In addition, the current Corsican army has logistical support from the Kingdom of France, and is very rich in armed equipment and supplies, and can fully support an army several times its current size.
Of course, Andre Davout is still a little unsure about whether this proposal can be passed.
After all, what he requested was to retain the establishment of his own army, which meant retaining his position and title as commander. He was very worried that Bonaparte would misunderstand him as a villain who was greedy for power and status.
While Andre Davout was holding the teacup and feeling uneasy about this, Lawrence smiled and nodded:
"I discussed this matter with Berthier and I decided to accept your proposal and you will still serve as the commander of this force."
As soon as he finished speaking, Andre Davout's face flashed with joy. He was so excited that he didn't know what to say.
When Bonaparte was previously granted the position of battalion commander 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. This is even more...
It made him feel unbelievable.
Lawrence didn't say much. He believed that Andre Davout would repay his trust with his ability, and then turned to look at Major Serurier:
"Have all the recruits arrived in Genoa?"
After deciding to accept Andre Davout's proposal to expand the army, Lawrence also issued conscription orders to Corsica and Sardinia, and dispatched Major Serurier, who was responsible for local defense, to Genoa with the new recruits.
The recruitment work also went extremely smoothly on 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 new level.
At the climax, the excited young men rushed to put on their military uniforms after learning that they were going to fight alongside Laurence Bonaparte.
Major Serurier nodded and replied:
"Seven thousand three hundred and twenty-one people, many of them. All of them have received varying degrees of military training. As new recruits, their quality is very good."
Despite the tight schedule, Major Serurier came to Genoa City with more than 7,000 outstanding recruits.
During the war with Genoa, the Corsicans had already developed the custom of all soldiers being soldiers, and the quality of their soldiers was naturally very good. A considerable number of the recruits from Sardinia had participated in the Battle of Cagliari, and they were there
Lieutenant General Ethel also received systematic training.
Lawrence thought for a moment and then ordered:
"Three thousand new soldiers will be incorporated into the Davout Department, and four thousand of them will be integrated into the main force. In addition, Major Serurier, I hope you will serve as the chief of staff of the Davout Department."
Although Lawrence did not doubt Andre Davout's ability, he was too young after all, which is why Lawrence deliberately transferred the experienced Serurier from his native country 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 outstanding officer stay on the mainland.
"yes!"
There was obviously a bit of excitement in Major Selurie's tone.
Although he had no complaints about Prime Minister Bonaparte's order to stay in his homeland, after hearing the news that the Corsican army had defeated the Kingdom of Sardinia a month later, Major Serurier could not help but feel a little regretful. He wished he had done it at that time.
In that army that returned victoriously.
After receiving the order, Andre Davout and Sélulier stood up in perfect agreement, saluted each other, and then clasped their hands tightly.
This was the first time that the two met, and there was an age difference of more than ten years between them, but they still had great respect for each other.
To be continued...