Chapter 369: The rift between monarch and minister
The end of August 1771
France, in a small monastery on the outskirts of Versailles.
Since the riots in Paris ended and Louis XV declared the Duke of Orleans regent due to his worsening condition, this clean and secluded abbey has become the regular residence of His Majesty the King.
Although retreating into the monastery was just an excuse for Louis XV to give the Duke of Orleans regency power to check the Richelieu faction, since he had promised to serve God for the rest of his life in front of the ministers, Louis XV simply moved into the monastery.
.
Anyway, for this old king, whose body was getting weaker and weaker and suffering from illness all the time, the singing and dancing at the Palace of Versailles that he was once accustomed to was now gone and he could no longer enjoy it.
The old king also knew very well that in his short lifespan, he had only one thing to do - to clean up the mess of the fifty-six years he had ruled France and pave the way for the crown prince's succession.
the way.
It was also for this purpose that Louis XV, who lived in a monastery, had no intention of meditating and cultivating himself, and he paid no less attention to political affairs than when he was in the Palace of Versailles.
Even if there was news about wars as far away as the Mediterranean, Louis XV was definitely the first person to know about it inside and outside Versailles:
"You mean, after successfully repelling the Sardinian army, the Corsican army went south and occupied Sardinia in one fell swoop?"
Louis XV, dressed in plain white silk clothes, sat on the bed slightly tired and listened to a report from an attendant beside him, his expression very focused.
The attendant unconsciously raised his voice a few times, and reported the good news from Sardinia to His Majesty the King with a face of joy:
"Yes, Your Majesty, Laurence Bonaparte defeated the last resistance in Sardinia in Cagliari, and then accepted the oath of allegiance from the Governor of Sardinia in the city of Cagliari, and declared that Sardinia will become Corsi
A province of the Kingdom of Jia.”
In the eyes of this attendant, such rare good news will definitely make the King, who is physically and mentally haggard, happy for a while.
However, after listening to the report, Louis XV just nodded expressionlessly, without saying anything, and then closed his eyes and leaned on the bed to rest.
The attendants beside the bed couldn't help but look at each other in confusion and were at a loss. According to their experience, His Majesty the King was very happy to hear the news about Laurence Bonaparte, especially this kind of good news, which should be able to make His Majesty happy.
It’s only right to be happy and smile.
The silence in the room lasted for a long time, and then Louis XV opened his eyes and gave orders to the attendants on the left and right.
The king's order was brief and his voice was weak:
"Send a message immediately to the Duke of Orleans, the regent, to come to see me."
...
After receiving the order, the Duke of Orleans, who was in the Bishop's Palace, only meditated for a short time in front of his desk. Then he immediately put down all government affairs and rushed to the bedside of Louis XV.
Louis XV did not exchange too many greetings with the Duke of Orleans. He only exchanged a few casual greetings and then went straight to the topic:
"Philip, have you received news from Sardinia over there?"
The Duke of Orleans' answer was watertight and without any subjective color. He simply repeated the facts:
"I only received the news from the Admiralty this morning that Laurence Bonaparte had secured Corsica, occupied Sardinia to the south, and declared the establishment of the province of Sardinia."
"What do you think?" Louis XV asked expressionlessly.
Although the Duke of Orleans has no interest in politics, he is an extremely good politician. He immediately saw that His Majesty the King had concerns, so he tentatively responded:
"Laurence Bonaparte's approach... is somewhat unsound. Let's not talk about whether the Kingdom of Corsica can still keep Sardinia after the war. Even if the Kingdom of Sardinia is forced to cede Sardinia, he will
It should not be brought under the rule of the Kingdom of Corsica without consulting the court."
After hearing this, Louis XV first nodded approvingly, and then let out a long sigh, which was full of His Majesty the King's displeasure and depression:
"You told me everything I thought, Philip."
The Duke of Orleans, who received the approval, was not proud. As early as when he was notified of the summons by His Majesty the King, he had already guessed the reason for the meeting.
Sardinia is different from the poor and backward Corsica. Although its prosperity is still not as prosperous as Sicily, Sardinia's rich mineral resources are enough to make a king jealous.
Especially the Argentiera silver mine near Cagliari, which is a giant mine that has not been exhausted after hundreds of years of mining, and is far larger than the rumored Ajaccio silver mine.
Even if Sardinia's strategic value is not considered, its economic and trade value alone are enough to make Louis XV feel excited, especially as France's financial crisis becomes increasingly severe.
However, if Sardinia is really incorporated into the governance of the Kingdom of Corsica as planned by Laurence Bonaparte, although Louis XV will be the nominal monarch of Sardinia, neither he nor France will be able to benefit from this.
Get any benefits from the Silver Island.
After all, when Lawrence led Corsica to surrender to Louis XV, the two countries had already made an explicit agreement. The Kingdom of Corsica enjoyed a high degree of autonomy and economic autonomy, and naturally Sardinia, which was governed by the Kingdom of Corsica, also enjoyed a high degree of autonomy.
in this way.
"Alas, Laurence Bonaparte..."
Louis XV sighed again and complained grumblingly:
"He is an outstanding and loyal minister, but this is the second time in this period that he has made me unhappy. He has not yet finished arbitrarily mobilizing the Mediterranean fleet to Corsica two months ago. The British Ambassador is still
Accusing us of violating the treaty and intervening in the war."
Two months ago, in order to understand the siege of Ajaccio, Lawrence used the connections of the Duke of Choiseul and used the French Mediterranean fleet to push back the Sardinian army that attacked Ajaccio.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Louis XV was naturally extremely unhappy about this. The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Corsica arbitrarily mobilized the French Mediterranean Fleet, which was a serious overstep of authority, and this move was even more likely to directly destroy France.
dragged into the quagmire of the Italian War.
If a conflict really broke out between the Sardinian fleet and the French Mediterranean fleet, then Louis XV would probably risk everything and recall Lawrence to Versailles to investigate.
Listening to His Majesty the King's complaints, the Duke of Orleans took the initiative and said after pondering for a moment:
"Your Majesty, the matter of Prime Minister Bonaparte mobilizing the fleet without authorization has been basically settled through diplomatic means. Count Vergenin is indeed an excellent foreign minister; and Prime Minister Bonaparte's behavior can be said to be excusable.
, I heard that the situation in Ajaccio was completely critical at that time, and the entire city was almost reduced to rubble under the fire..."
Although it was not stated explicitly, the implication of the Duke of Orleans was very obvious - the Kingdom of Corsica had suffered such heavy losses in order to participate in the war for France, so there was no need to be too harsh on these matters.
"You have said these things to me before." Louis XV waved his hand in annoyance:
"I also know that the Kingdom of Corsica responded to the call of Spain and Naples on behalf of France and got into the quagmire of war for us, so I did not pursue the matter with Lawrence Bonaparte, but this time the Sardinian matter...
."
"Your Majesty, what do you mean...?"
"Is there any way to convince Lawrence to turn Sardinia into a direct royal domain?"
"This... I'm afraid it's difficult. The ownership of Sardinia has not yet been officially determined, and the end of the war is still far away. If you directly ask Prime Minister Bonaparte to return Sardinia at this time, I am afraid that it will make Sardinia
Prime Minister Nabal is heartbroken."
Louis XV nodded silently, agreeing with the Duke of Orleans' statement. It does seem too hasty to covet Sardinia now.
Upon seeing this, the Duke of Orleans also added:
"And if the Kingdom of Corsica really gets Sardinia in the end, then it would be a good choice to leave Sardinia to the Corsicans for early integration for the time being..."
Louis XV turned to look at the Duke of Orleans and motioned for him to continue.
"The Italians have always been resistant to French rule. If France directly rules Sardinia, it will probably provoke local civil unrest, just like the Vespers War four hundred years ago. It is better to let Corsica
France can integrate Sardinia early, and France can seek opportunities to take over Sardinia later."
"After that...my time is running out."
After closing his eyes and thinking for a moment, His Majesty the King took the initiative to change the subject, which seemed to be a tacit approval of the other party's suggestion, and then asked the Duke of Orleans about other aspects of government affairs.
...
Towards evening, the Duke of Orleans left Versailles and returned to the Bishop's Palace in Paris, while Duke Charles had been waiting in his study for a long time.
"Father!"
Before the Duke of Orleans could take off his frock coat, Duke Charles rushed forward impatiently and asked about the conversation in the abbey:
"Did the king summon you because of Lawrence? How is the situation?"
The Duke of Orleans slowly took off his coat and put it on the hanger, his face not particularly pretty.
Because his son had a good personal relationship with Lawrence Bonaparte, and the Duke of Orleans also recognized that Prime Minister Bonaparte was an excellent partner, he had just tried his best to defend Lawrence's position in front of Louis XV.
But even so, the Duke of Orleans could still feel that there were inevitable cracks in the relationship between Louis XV and Laurence Bonaparte.
Although under his own persuasion, Louis XV decided not to deal with the ownership of Sardinia for the time being, the Duke of Orleans was not sure whether the dying old king would make other moves in the future.
"The situation is not particularly optimistic..."
The Duke of Orleans walked behind the desk and sat down, holding his forehead and saying in a deep voice:
"His Majesty the King is very dissatisfied with Laurence Bonaparte's unauthorized establishment of the province of Sardinia. Sardinia's products and population are not comparable to Corsica. Even a king would do it.
And tempted.”
Duke Charles couldn't help frowning when he saw this. He not only regarded Lawrence as a friend, but also regarded him as a major ally after he inherited the Orleans family and entered the political world:
"Perhaps some agreement can be reached between Lawrence and the king? For example, the Kingdom of Corsica transfers part of the tax revenue directly to the French treasury..."
"No, no, no, kid, that's not the crux of the problem."
The Duke of Orleans interrupted Duke Charles's suggestions and began to patiently teach his extremely smart but still too young heir:
"His Majesty the King values not only Sardinia, but also Lawrence Bonaparte himself."
"itself?"
"If the Kingdom of Corsica really annexes Sardinia, then Lawrence Bonaparte's own power will far exceed His Majesty's expectations, and this will inevitably arouse His Majesty's concerns."
"You mean...?" Duke Charlie didn't react for a moment.
The Duke of Orleans looked out the window at the sunset and said earnestly:
"The reason why His Majesty the King is confident that Laurence Bonaparte will become the whip of the Golden Iris faction and let him lead the party of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, apart from the friendship between Laurence Bonaparte and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the most important thing is that he
Without his own political foundation in France, he has the only option to be loyal to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"But Lawrence still rules Corsica after all."
"It's just a barren, backward, insignificant island. Compared with our aristocratic families, Bonaparte's power in Corsica alone will not give him much say in the kingdom; but if
Laurence Bonaparte is also in charge of Sardinia? Then the situation is completely different. The military and political power of the two islands is in his hands alone. Which governor in the kingdom can have such power as him?"
Duke Charles, who was already extremely intelligent, reacted instantly and broke out in a cold sweat:
"At that time, Bonaparte held the military and political power of the two islands. Even if he did not rely on the influence of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, his power in France would not be inferior to that of the princes and dukes."
The Duke of Orleans sighed with relief:
"His Majesty the King originally hoped that Laurence Bonaparte could stay with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the name of Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Corsica, manage the palace for His Highness, and command the ministers. But if the current situation continues, Bonaparte will be in the future.
As both the head of the palace and the official of the feudal territory, his power will be far greater than that of Choiseul and Richelieu today. Alas... Even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has no objection to this, how can His Majesty the King tolerate this?
What about the birth of a powerful minister?"
"But...Laurence Bonaparte is loyal to His Majesty the Crown Prince, and even His Majesty the King has praised his loyalty many times." Duke Charles still refused to give up.
"Your Majesty does not doubt Bonaparte's loyalty, but what about Bonaparte's descendants? What about his successors? Who can guarantee that they will always be loyal to the royal family? As a king, your Majesty will not tolerate this kind of dissatisfaction.
An element of stability appeared in his kingdom."
"Then...what will your Majesty do?"
"Your Majesty will not take any action against Bonaparte during the war, but once the war is over, there are only two roads left for Bonaparte."
The Duke of Orleans closed his eyes and said skillfully:
"Either he leaves Paris and Versailles forever, leaves His Highness the Crown Prince's side, and becomes his feudal official in Sardinia and Corsica with peace of mind, or he abandons his power in the two Mediterranean islands and stays with His Highness wholeheartedly to lead the inner court."
"What would Laurence do?" Duke Charles asked, as if talking to himself.
The Duke of Orleans shook his head:
"This is the question I should ask you. I don't know that young man well. Based on your relationship, what choice do you think he will make?"
Duke Charles bowed his head and remained silent for a long time, and finally said something that even he found incredible:
"I think he will choose the third path."
The Duke of Orleans glanced at his child calmly, without making any comments, but simply repeated: