Chapter 374: Five hundred years of grudges, let’s settle them here
On the other side, in the large meeting 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 Bastia's special trade license. How can you give Ajaccio to you as well?"
"Humph, anyway, the taxation rights of Bonifacio Region should belong to our Chamber of Commerce. It is our legal property."
"What kind of legal property? Now that we are discussing the redistribution of Corsica's interests, all your rights in Corsica decades ago should naturally be invalidated!"
"If you say it's invalid, it's invalid?! The parliament hasn't spoken yet!"
There is still no news about the battle situation ahead, but the dignitaries here are noisy and their faces are red.
Although they still don't know the status of the battle between the Republican Guard and the Corsican Army, they have already begun to discuss 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 realized, they will fight for every detail, even at the cost of it.
Now he lowered his body and started fighting.
Governor Batista sat above and ignored the quarrels of the representatives, not caring about maintaining order.
There is only one thing that worries him now - what happened to the Republican Guard.
Time passes minute by minute, and in Governor Batista's feeling at this moment, even a minute can be stretched to the length of a century.
Finally, after suffering for countless centuries and listening to countless useless words from those powerful representatives, the door of the great council chamber was banged hard.
In an instant, hundreds of pairs of eyes were looking at the door, and the representatives wisely stopped arguing. Counting the time, it was time for news to come back from the front line.
The two guards stepped forward and worked together to open the golden door decorated with reliefs, and everyone's hearts immediately rose to their throats.
Is it good news?
The person who appeared at the door was a Republican Guard soldier who had just returned from the battlefield with his head held high and high-spirited?
Everyone hopes so, but the reality always disappoints:
Standing at the door was a bloody, exhausted and dead-eyed defeated general. He had more than one bandage wrapped around his body, and he could only stand on his right leg. He had obviously just suffered an injury on the battlefield.
He was seriously injured, but he was lucky enough to survive.
"My lords, my lords!"
The soldier's voice was hoarse. I don't know if he screamed too much during his escape. He roared with this hoarse voice, and the only emotion of despair could be heard in his tone:
"The Republican Guard... was defeated and the entire army was wiped out! The Corsicans... have... ah!!"
Before he finished speaking, he heard a burst of sudden gunshots coming from the corridor outside the door.
Several bullets were fired into the soldier's chest from behind, raising a cloud of blood mist in the air. The soldier's pupils shrank violently, and soon he fell to the ground helplessly, completely lifeless.
There was silence in the large meeting hall, and only the few echoes of the gunfire could be heard.
The representatives were stunned. They saw a Republican Guard soldier shot and killed in front of them, and saw the bright red blood splashing on the precious marble floor. For many pampered children of the powerful, this was their first time.
Once I saw a human life disappear before my eyes.
"Ahhhhh!"
Several noble ladies looked at the red and black blood, covered their faces and screamed like crazy. These noble ladies and ladies had never seen such a bloody scene.
Although the gentlemen did not scream in alarm, their pale faces showed that these people were completely panicked.
Who was it? Who shot a Republican Guard soldier dead in the Doge's Palace in Genoa?
What answered them was the action of the Corsican people - they saw two teams of Corsican chasseurs quickly rushing into the large meeting hall, with bayonets stuck in the muzzles of their guns, and many people's boots and trousers were still stained with blood.
Walking on the marble floor, there are red footprints one step at a time.
These hunters immediately controlled and disarmed the few guards in the chamber, and then pointed their guns and bayonets at the powerful representatives present.
The dignitaries did not dare to utter a word, and could only watch blankly as more and more Corsican soldiers broke into the meeting hall and surrounded the entire hall.
After ensuring complete safety in the hall, a Corsican officer made a gesture to the outside world, and heavy footsteps sounded in the corridor from far to near.
Laurence Bonaparte walked into the hall escorted by several privy knights. He was dressed in a school officer's uniform with a dress coat casually thrown over it. He held a gun in his left hand and a sack in his right hand.
Although Lawrence hasn't spoken yet, everyone can already identify him.
Governor Batista stood up tremblingly. When he saw the seriously injured Republican Guard soldier appearing at the door, his heart stopped for a while, and he guessed the outcome of the battle ahead.
However, it was not until he saw the Corsican soldiers rushing into the big meeting hall that he realized that the enemy troops were moving so fast that even the Doge's Palace had no time to react.
"I believe you must be the distinguished Mr. Bonaparte."
Governor Batista considered the wording of his title. Since the Republic of Genoa does not officially recognize the independence of Corsica, they naturally do not recognize Lawrence's status as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Corsica:
"I really don't know what could attract your visit..."
Lawrence smiled, said nothing, and casually threw the sack in his right hand towards Governor Batista.
Under the watchful eyes of all the dignitaries, the sack was smashed on a long table, overturning several sets of silver candlesticks, and then a red spherical object rolled out from it.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "That is!?"
When the dignitaries saw clearly what was in the sack, their breathing almost stopped. Several young ladies and ladies turned pale and fainted on the spot, as if they had seen something terrifying that they had never seen in their lives.
It was a human head, a bloody human head.
When the head rolled on the table, the bloody cut on the neck was still dripping with blood.
"Oh My God!"
Governor Batista's eyes widened, not only because he did not expect that Lawrence would throw a human head, but also because he quickly recognized it as the head on the neck of General Tilo Belrain.
General Tilo Belrain, who was also considered a famous general in the Republic of Genoa, ended up with such a miserable end?!
What about us?! What will happen to us, the top leaders of the Republic?!
In the crowd, a nobleman who couldn't bear such excitement screamed out. He looked several years younger than Lawrence. He was obviously the heir to a certain aristocratic family:
"You barbarian! Scum! Look what you have done, you shameless traitor! Our armies will soon be regrouped, and your poor island will soon be back under the rule of the Republic!
"
I wonder if it was because the young man believed too much in the strength of his motherland and the poverty of Corsica that his roar towards Lawrence actually contained a bit of toughness and arrogance.
Lawrence, too lazy to talk nonsense, directly raised the pistol in his left hand, aimed at the opponent's head, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
With the sound of a gunshot, the richly dressed, fair-skinned young man trembled in shock, and immediately fell to the ground, motionless, with a mixture of blood and brain fluid oozing out from under his body.
Everyone was already dumbfounded.
Governor Batista was even more shocked. He knew that the young man was the heir of a noble family. His family bloodline could even be traced back to a certain Duke in France, but Lawrence Bonaparte didn't even ask.
Shoot him on the spot without asking any questions?!
Although this was their first meeting, many people had already heard the name of Laurence Bonaparte and knew that he was a person who was praised by all, whether in France or Corsica, from the upper class dignitaries to the lower classes.
A noble gentleman.
But today, without saying a word when this young man walked into the meeting hall, he first ordered his subordinates to kill the defeated soldiers in the Governor's Palace, then cut off the defeated general's head and threw it to everyone, and now he shot him directly with his own hands.
A powerful representative who merely made rude remarks.
This is not a noble gentleman, this is clearly the devil of hell, a bloodthirsty executioner!
There was obvious fear on the faces of all the representatives. For many of them, this should be the closest to death in their lives.
Lawrence silently reloaded the pistol, blew out the smoke from the gun, and looked again at the hundreds of frightened representatives of the powerful.
Dozens of Corsican chasseurs also took a few steps forward at the right time, shrinking their encirclement.
Seeing the panic expressions on everyone's faces, including Governor Batista's, Lawrence knew that his goal had been achieved.
Now that the Corsican army has defeated Genoa's army frontally, peace negotiations will naturally be needed to formally end the war relationship between the two countries.
Lawrence's top priority now is to fight the Kingdom of Sardinia. Of course, he cannot spend a year and a half slowly negotiating a treaty with the Genoese, let alone a year and a half, even if it is only three or five days.
The current Corsican army cannot afford to waste time.
Therefore, in order to get the Genoese top brass to accept his demands in a very short period of time, Lawrence had to make them fearful, make them panic, and make them think that if they signed the treaty one day late, Genoa would be bloodbathed by the Corsicans.
Deliberately showing force and cruelty in front of this group of powerful representatives was nothing more than a diplomatic method used by Lawrence to exert pressure.
"Your Majesty the Governor, you just asked me why I came here. I will answer you now."
Lawrence finally spoke. This was the first sentence he said to everyone when he entered the big meeting hall:
"Genoa and Corsica, our five hundred years of grudges will be settled today."
Everyone's expressions changed again. Could it be said that the day of revenge for the Corsican people has finally come?!
"Finished..."
Governor Batista swallowed hard. He still didn't know what the end in Lawrence's words meant.
Signing a contract and shaking hands to make peace between the two countries is the end; letting soldiers loot Genoa for seven days and nights, and destroying the entire city of Genoa with fire is also the end.
Lawrence left this choice to themselves:
"Here are two documents that I have drafted 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 by the Republic of Genoa against the Kingdom of Corsica. If you feel that you have been humiliated today, you can sign the declaration of war and see you on the battlefield; the other is the peace treaty between the two countries. With just one line of ink, we and I
The countries have settled their old grudges and become friendly neighbors from now on; whether it is war or peace, please do as you please."
Governor Batista solemnly took the two documents, but without thinking, he tore up the declaration of war on the spot, holding on and laughing:
"Since the founding of the country, Genoa has adhered to the motto that peace is the most important and peace brings wealth. Since Your Excellency Bonaparte is willing to lead your country to reconcile with our country, of course we will not be unappreciative."
Even the most radical representatives of powerful people would not take a second look at the declaration of war. Now that the Republican Guard has been completely destroyed and the Corsicans have already entered the Palace of the Governor, what else can they do to fight with the Corsicans?
war.
At this point, Governor Batista also knew that it was impossible to regard Corsica as an overseas territory of his country in the future, and his address to Lawrence and Corsica immediately changed to "Your Excellency and Your Country".
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! As he spoke, Governor Batista opened another peace treaty. Although the final treaty still needs to be agreed upon by the two countries, he still needs to take a look first.
What are the main demands of the Kingdom of Corsica?
However, as Governor Batista's eyes slowly moved downward, his expression became even more ugly. After reading the entire treaty, he even forgot that he had dozens of muskets pointed at his head and screamed.
shouted:
"No, no, no, it's impossible, this is absolutely impossible!"
The children of the aristocratic families present were startled and quickly looked at Governor Batista, fearing that the governor had offended Laurence Bonaparte and his soldiers.
At the same time, they were also very curious as to what exactly was written in the treaty that could make Governor Batista, who was always calm and in his sixties, cry out in anger.
Several bold representatives jumped on the stage and stood behind Governor Batista to take a look. Their faces instantly turned livid, and they dared not speak in anger.
"Your Majesty the Governor..."
Lawrence spoke:
"Since this is a meeting hall, you can read the contents of the treaty to everyone."
Governor Batista nodded, suppressed his gaffe, jumped directly to the specific content of the treaty, and read aloud:
“First: formally recognize the Kingdom of Corsica as an independent and sovereign country, and renounce 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: Unconditionally grant most-favored-nation trade status to the Kingdom of Corsica. Tariffs must not be levied on imported Corsican goods, Corsican-registered ships must not be seized, and free trade activities of the Kingdom of Corsica must not be interfered with.
Third: The Saint-Marshall district of the Port of Genoa is ceded as a concession of the Kingdom of Corsica. Corsican citizens and French citizens in the concession enjoy extraterritorial rights. The Republic of Genoa has no right to interfere in internal judicial cases in the concession; Corsican citizens and French citizens can
You can invest freely within the concession, and all properties within the concession do 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 rights of passage in the territorial waters of the Republic of Genoa, grant the navy of the Kingdom of Corsica and the navy of the Kingdom of France permanent port rights in the port of Genoa, and allow the Kingdom of Corsica to operate in the concession.
and troops stationed inside the embassy and consulate.
Fifth: Transfer all the equity, ownership, management rights and other rights of the Genoa government to the Bank of St. George to the Kingdom of Corsica.
Sixth: Compensation for the previous exploitation and rule of Corsica. The total amount of compensation is 630 million livres, paid in ten years. The total principal and interest is 700 million livres, which means that the Kingdom of Corsica needs to be paid every year.
Pay compensation of seventy million livres or its equivalent in gold and silver.
Seventh: Corsican citizens in Genoa are allowed to participate in the political activities of the Republic of Genoa; the parliamentary seats in the concession of St. Marshall District should be reserved and Corsican citizens serve as members.
Eighth: The treaty came into effect at 0:00 on December 1, 1771, and the annual war reparations should be delivered no later than December 1.
Ninth: The Kingdom of Corsica will retain all powers, including military means, to ensure the smooth implementation of the treaty."
...
The content of the treaty was drawn up by Lawrence himself, so there were no minute legal details. Governor Batista read the entire content in only three or four minutes.
And when the representatives in the chamber listened, their faces instantly became as embarrassed as Governor Batista's.
You must know that the reason why the Republic of Genoa can be regarded as a rich and prosperous golden country throughout Europe is that the foundation of its founding is the income brought by the two major industries of trade and finance.
In the peace treaty submitted by Lawrence, the two clauses that granted Corsica trade most-favored-nation status and ceded the Saint-Marshall district would undoubtedly completely destroy the trade industry of the Republic of Genoa.
After all, Liguria is already poor in products, and the zero-tariff policy on Corsican products will inevitably lead to dumping by Corsican merchants to Genoa. This is something the Republic of Genoa, which has always practiced trade protectionism, absolutely does not want to see.
.
The Saint-Marshall District is the largest and most prosperous port area in the Port of Genoa. Allocating 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 are implemented, I am afraid that there will be hundreds of corpses on the Tyrrhenian Sea the next day. They are all Genoese businessmen who committed suicide in the sea because of complete bankruptcy and despair.
And Article 5 of the treaty, regarding the cession of the rights and interests of St. George Bank, made Governor Batista almost unable to hold back and start a lawsuit.
Over the past hundreds of years, the Bank of St. George has always been one of the most important financial institutions in the entire Republic.
Due to the restrictions of the political system of the Republic of Genoa, this country cannot have overseas territories in name. Therefore, the Republic of Genoa manages its overseas territories, including Corsica, under the assets of the Bank of St. George.
, this is very similar to the British East India Company.
From this, we can also imagine what an astonishing amount of wealth the St. George Bank has accumulated in these hundreds of years of overseas trade and exploitation. Even the government of the Republic of Genoa, their equity in the St. George Bank is
Only less than 20 percent.
If all the rights and interests of the Bank of St. George are transferred to the Kingdom of Corsica, Governor Batista can fully expect that the financial industry of the entire republic will be completely monopolized and controlled by the Corsican people.
The golden river that once flowed to Genoa will now change its course to Ajaccio in Corsica.
Not to mention the requirement for war reparations, 70 million livres per year, which is a huge sum of money that would have to drain the national capital of the entire republic to repay it.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Let’s not talk about the clauses involving military politics and national sovereignty. The three clauses involving finance, trade and war reparations have already made Batis
The governor of the tower turned pale and was speechless for a long time.
If he signs his name on this treaty, Governor Batista knows that he will be nailed to the pillar of shame in the history of the Republic, because in less than a year, the Republic of Genoa will have nothing to do with the impression of prosperity and wealth.
It has been completely reduced to a cash cow that provides blood and money to the Kingdom of Corsica.
Governor Batista wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, tremblingly, and wanted to say something more:
"Your Excellency...please do not doubt our determination to seek peace, but this treaty..."
"You still have eight hours."
Ignoring Governor Batista's embarrassment at all, Lawrence looked at a golden clock in the chamber and said to the hands on it:
"There are still eight hours until midnight. If you don't sign this treaty before then, I will take it as a signal that your country intends to fight again, and the treaty you get at that time will not be in hand.
Having accepted this offer, I think my lord, Louis XV, would be happy to see the territory of France extend to Liguria... Cherish the little time you have, everyone."
After saying that, Lawrence led the guards out of the large meeting hall without looking back, leaving only a team of Corsican Jaegers here to monitor the venue and maintain order.
As they watched the demonic executioner leave the hall, the expressions of the powerful representatives not only did not relax at all, but became even more frightened and uneasy.
Eight hours, are they going to decide the fate of the Republic of Genoa in these eight hours?!
It is true that the hundreds of powerful representatives in this chamber at this moment can already 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 even had time to recover from the shadow and fear left by Laurence Bonaparte.
Governor Batista's face was even more ashen at this moment, and he naturally heard Lawrence's threat before leaving - Louis XV would be happy to see France's territory expanded to Liguria.
The implication of Lawrence's words is very obvious: if the Republic of Genoa rejects this treaty, the second treaty received will be the annexation request of the Kingdom of France.
Count Vergenin, the French Foreign Minister, was supported by Lawrence. He would naturally cooperate with all Lawrence's requests. The dignitaries of the Republic of Genoa also knew this very well.
The reason why Governor Batista had the confidence to bargain with Laurence Bonaparte and ask for careful discussion of various terms was because Governor Batista got one point right:
Even though the Kingdom of Corsica achieved a complete military victory, the Corsican people still did not have the ability to annex the entire Republic of Genoa.
There are dozens of intricate and criss-crossed interest factions within the Republic. The difficulty and cost of governance in this tiny place are far greater than those in Sardinia, and it is by no means something that the Kingdom of Corsica can handle easily.
If the Corsicans insist on annexing Liguria, what they will get is a Liguria full of rebellions and low public morale.
Moreover, if the Kingdom of Corsica, which has just announced that it will incorporate the province of Sardinia into its own territory, annexes Liguria, this over-expansion will inevitably arouse the vigilance and hostility of surrounding countries.
In fact, Lawrence knew 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 is in the name of the Kingdom of France, everything is different.
With the size of France, it was easy to suppress the various factions of the Republic of Genoa. Louis XV, who was so happy with his success, was also very happy to see France's territorial boundaries extended again.
And this is not good news for Governor Batista and a group of dignitaries. Compared with signing this unequal treaty but retaining independence and sovereignty, it is undoubtedly more difficult to completely become a province of the Kingdom of France.
Bad choice.
There was a period of silence in the big chamber. No one wanted their noble republic to become a province of the Kingdom of France, even those dignitaries who had inextricable ties with France.
"Say something, everyone."
Governor Batista's voice suddenly became hoarse, and his whole person seemed to have aged twenty years in an instant:
"You have also heard the Corsicans' request. How should we deal with this treaty?"
A frowning representative suggested:
"Can we sign a 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 receiving the support of the Kingdom of Spain?"
Since the beginning of the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty, the Republic of Genoa has provided economic assistance and financial loans to the Kingdom of Spain many times, 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 intervened in this treaty, the Republic of Genoa would have every chance to regard this treaty as a piece of waste paper.
After 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 native 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, so the Spaniards are still counting on the Corsicans to
Help them put down the Sicilian rebellion. The Spaniards are unlikely to accept our request until the war is over."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! That means you are still not giving up:
"What happens after the war is over? The Sicilian rebellion will not last forever."
Governor Batista sighed, reread the part about the concession in the treaty, and said helplessly:
"Didn't you notice that this treaty specifically stipulates that the French also enjoy extraterritorial rights within the concession, and the French army also enjoys military passage rights in Liguria?"
"What do you mean?" The representative was stunned for a moment. As a banker, he really knew very little about foreign affairs.
"In other words, this treaty also involves the interests of France, and the French will also sign this paper."
Governor Batista closed his eyes, exhausted:
"Laurence Bonaparte... is really a good calculator. He deliberately added the French to these two innocuous clauses, dragging the Kingdom of France into the water. If we want to tear up this treaty in the future, we will
It’s not just the Corsicans we have to face.”
Everyone was suddenly shocked, and their faces immediately turned pale.
Governor Batista's words also mean that this paper contract will forever be a shackles on the Republic of Genoa, and it will never be able to turn around. After all, their small country cannot directly confront the French giant in any case.
The meeting hall fell into silence again.
Completely defeated militarily, isolated diplomatically, and politically harboring evil intentions, in the face of this heavy reality, even those who are famous for their intelligence are unable to do anything.
There was not much time left for everyone. Eight hours seemed like a lot of time, but if you included the symbolic processes of convening the parliament and emergency voting, they had no time to waste time here.
"well..."
Governor Batista sighed, his sigh full of bitterness and helplessness.
He picked up the quill and tremblingly signed his name at the bottom of the treaty. Every stroke he made seemed to become a chain that tied him to the pillar of shame of the Republic.
"Convene parliament to vote on this treaty. The overall situation has been decided and we cannot escape."
Governor Batista handed the treaty to the secretary beside him, and he suddenly slumped down on his chair as if frustrated, mumbling to himself:
"The five hundred years of prosperity of the Republic were finally buried in my hands, in the hands of the Corsican people, and in the hands of Laurence Bonaparte..."
...
In 1288, the Republic of Genoa defeated its old trade enemy, the Republic of Pisa, and captured the island of Corsica, thus starting a 500-year period of prosperity for the Republic.
Today, five hundred years later, the Corsicans, whom they regarded as remote barbarians, came across the sea and buried the last golden age of Genoa with their own hands.
October 5, 1771, what an ordinary day in early autumn.
The port of Genoa is still flowing, the Tyrrhenian Sea is still calm, and the early autumn afternoon sunshine is still pouring on the land of gold.
The citizens, businessmen, and high-ranking dignitaries in Genoa City may not realize that this ordinary day is actually the last prosperous day they can enjoy.
The grand feast has ended, and the prosperous times are no longer.
The Republic of Genoa is no longer a major player on this historical stage.
They were forced to take off their gold and silver costumes, retreat into the cold behind the scenes, and then watched with astonishment as Corsica slowly stepped into the center of the spotlight.