The dawn light shines on the morning streets, and there are only a few pedestrians on both sides of the road. At this time, most Paris citizens are still asleep.
But for the newspaper boys who work tirelessly in the streets and alleys, the morning light every day is the signal to start their work. After all, the morning newspaper exuding the fragrance of ink is the best-selling newspaper.
Each newsboy's satchel was stuffed with three times the usual amount of newsprint. The heavy satchel made them a little breathless, but the footsteps of all the newsboys were light and cheerful.
They waved the newspapers in their hands and shouted to the pedestrians passing by. Even the shouts from the vendors were a little louder than usual:
"Special issue of Financial News! The Kingdom of Corsica defeated the Kingdom of Sardinia in one month and Nice returned to France!"
"Excuse me! The Kingdom of Sardinia was defeated and ceded Sardinia and Nice. It was renamed the Kingdom of Savoy from then on!"
"The latest addition from the Daily Observer! Monsignor Bonaparte regained Nice for France, and one hundred thousand Nice citizens returned to the flag of the Iris!"
...
A steady stream of shouts brought the good news from the south to the citizens of Paris.
Pedestrians passing by stopped one after another, unable to believe what their ears heard:
One month, one month that flies by in the blink of an eye, what can I do in these short thirty days?
Travelers can make up to one round trip between Paris and Nantes, and vendors can add up to a dozen silver coins to their safes.
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 comprehensive invasion by the Kingdom of Sardinia and was in danger.
At that time, many political commentators expressed an extremely pessimistic attitude, believing that Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte, who volunteered to join the Italian war, actually dragged his kingdom into an abyss of destruction.
But now, look at the reports in black and white on the newsprint. The Corsicans defended Ajaccio, counterattacked Sardinia, and even invaded Turin in a month, killing this country that coveted their own land for fifty years.
The powerful country that had been in power for many years was severely trampled under its feet.
If anyone had predicted three months ago, when the outcome of the siege of Ajaccio was still in doubt, that the Corsicans would eventually force Carlo Emanuele III to sign a humiliating peace treaty, it would have been absolutely impossible.
No one will take a second look at such idiotic remarks.
The French people also know that the Kingdom of Corsica actually represents France's participation in the Italian war, and the victory of the Corsican people is naturally a victory for the French.
For the Kingdom of France, such an inspiring victory is really rare.
The tragic 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 on the other side of the strait, whom they hated most.
The prestige of the European Lion plummeted, so much so that when Louis XV saw the barren island of Corsica voluntarily surrendering to France, he unabashedly expressed his joy.
The country's affairs are so difficult, and under such circumstances, the victory of the Corsican people in Italy undoubtedly brought a breath of fresh air to the hearts of the dull and depressed French people.
Although this is not enough to heal the pain of the Seven Years' War, being able to achieve a hearty victory over the Kingdom of Sardinia is enough for the French people to cheer and celebrate. After all, they do not like this country in the south.
Territorial countries with territorial disputes and border frictions.
Parisian citizens on the streets donated money generously, and after receiving the newsprint, they read it eagerly.
Even many illiterate poor people had to spend their money to buy a cheap copy of the Observer Daily, and gathered in groups to have literate citizens read it to them.
The Daily Observer published a special issue in response to this good news, describing the great achievements of Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte in detail in a heroic epic style, which makes people feel like the protagonist in a chivalric novel.
According to a report by the Observer Daily, after Carlo Emanuele III submitted a peace treaty to the Corsican envoy at the Turin Palace, the war in the entire kingdom basically ended.
In Nice in the south, a French officer named Andre Davout, who was also a member of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's Privy Knights, led a small army to tenaciously resist the 10,000-strong army led by Sardinian Crown Prince Vittorio.
At that time, this arrogant prince did not believe the fact that Turin fell and the kingdom surrendered. Even after receiving the ceasefire order from his father, he still did not withdraw from the siege of Nice, and even planned to capture Nice by force at any cost.
At this critical moment, His Excellency Carlo Bonaparte, the second-level governor of Provence and the brother of Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte, personally led a small militia to Nice.
Although Prince Vittorio was unwilling to accept this reality, he was not mentally broken to the point of losing his mind. In front of the flying French flag, he could only withdraw the army in despair.
Rumor has it that the Sardinian prince fainted from anger on the day he withdrew his troops.
I'm afraid this noble prince also thought of the ugly situation of leading an army with absolute superiority, but being manipulated by the Corsicans like a headless fly.
Later, Governor Carlo Bonaparte led his army into Nice and delivered a touching public speech to the citizens, stating that Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte had defeated the Kingdom of Sardinia and that the city had returned to the embrace of France.
.
All the audience members shed tears upon hearing this.
It has been more than twenty years since the Savoys have been riding on their heads and dominating them.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! In the past, every French-speaking citizen seemed to be inferior in this city, and even the schools here were not allowed to teach French.
But these days are gone forever with the peace treaty signed by Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte.
At noon that day, Governor Carlo Bonaparte personally raised the French fleur-de-lis in the Town Hall Square under the cheers of the citizens, and chopped off the replaced White Cross of Savoy flag with a sharp sword.
smash.
"Long live France! Long live Bonaparte!"
This overwhelming cheer was shouted out countless times by the citizens of Nice in one day.
...
Reading the newspaper reports about the return of Nice, even the citizens of Paris thousands of miles away could not help but feel warm in their hearts and smile.
At a time when France's national consciousness is gradually awakening, hearing that nearly 100,000 French compatriots have returned to their motherland is enough to make the citizens of Paris rejoice.
As for the Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte who took back Nice with his own hands, the last time Paris citizens heard this name was at the beginning of the year. Monsieur Bonaparte stood up for the winter subsidies for the poor and fought against those who deserved death.
Madame Du Barry fought to the end.
The people, especially the poor at the bottom, all unanimously admitted that after the execution of Madame Du Barry, last winter was definitely the most comfortable, warm and peaceful winter they had ever experienced.
Since then, the people of Paris have firmly remembered Laurence Bonaparte's name in their hearts.
Now seeing this familiar name once again appear in the southern news, the citizens have eliminated all prejudices and barriers against the young Corsican.
France's war hero, this is what Paris today calls Laurence Bonaparte.
People excitedly took to the streets, waving newsprint in their hands, and spontaneously held a victory parade to celebrate Nice's return.
The street cafes were overcrowded, the pedestrians on the road were smiling, and the topic discussed among the neighbors was nothing more than Corsica's first victory in Italy.
An atmosphere of universal celebration permeated the city and beyond. The last time the citizens of Paris were so excited and excited was after the successful execution of Madame Du Barry - and that time was also a victory led by Monsignor 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 Austrian Succession and followed Prince Conti in his expedition against the Kingdom of Sardinia. The young and strong King of Sardinia, Carlo Emanuele III, was undoubtedly a figure that impressed all French officers.
A tough opponent.
In the Battle of Arcita, the disastrous defeat that Carlo Emanuele III brought to the French army has become a lingering nightmare for many veterans.
After the war, Carlo Emanuele III got his wish and incorporated Nice into the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the French veterans who had participated in the Italian War felt even more humiliated.
How many late nights have these old and aging officers been tossing and turning in their beds, imagining the day when they will regain their lost territory, and whether they will really be able to see their burnt-out bodies and shells.
Until that day.
And today, after hearing that the Corsican army forced Carlo Emanuele III to surrender in just one month, the entire Les Invalides in Paris was completely boiling.
The veterans found old military uniforms that had not been worn for many years and had long been covered with dust. They wore the shining golden medals on their chests and joined the Parisian citizens' victory parade with their heads held high.
All the White Shirts raised their heads proudly. After all, Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte was still their head of the Legion of Honor. This honor also belongs to all the White Shirt veterans.
...
And deep in the sewers of Paris, the leader of the chinchillas and the king of beggars, Oga Coomass, was reading the newspaper infatuatedly, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised an obvious arc.
The gray rats looked at each other with their leader's crazy look. They had never seen this calm, wise, indifferent and ruthless King of Beggars smile so brightly.
It wasn't until a while later that Oga Kumas put away the newspaper without finishing it.
After learning that the lord had captured Turin safely, Oga Coomas finally relaxed after being anxious for several months.
You must know that the reason why the gray rats in the sewers can become the kings of the underground world and can crush other gangs, large and small, with absolute advantage, in addition to the organization's own strength, they also rely on the protection of the upper class.
Laurence Bonaparte is the current patron of the Gray Rats, and Oga Coomas never wants anything unexpected to happen to this gentleman on the Italian battlefield. This gentleman is neither in power nor character as the previous patrons.
Comparable.
Moreover, on that day, in the dungeon of the Duke of Choiseul, when Laurence Bonaparte said to his dying self, "Do you want to see the sunshine of the earthly world?", Oga Coumas had already
Determined to be loyal to Monsieur 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 earthly world might not be far away for him.
He shook his head slightly, putting aside these ethereal thoughts, and then threw the newspaper in his hand into the stove, watching the paper turn to ashes in the churning flames.
Oga Kumas stood up, and his cold and thin cheeks returned to their usual expressionless expression. He thought for a while, and then ordered in a deep voice to his subordinates:
"Use all the power of the Gray Rats to publicize the victory of the Kingdom of Corsica in Italy. Within three days, I want 600,000 people in Paris to remember this great victory brought by His Excellency Laurence Bonaparte."
...
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Of course, not all Parisians were overjoyed by the victory of the Kingdom of Corsica.
In the evening, in a simple and elegant Baroque-style restaurant on the banks of the Seine, two plainly dressed guests sat on both sides of a small round table, both looking very embarrassed.
Just looking at their ordinary attire, no one would have guessed that these two were actually the British Ambassador to France, Baron Bertula, and the newly appointed director of the French Finance Commission, the Duke of Aiguillon.
The bank of the Seine River was extremely quiet under the setting sun, and the long and melodious violin music in the restaurant was also refreshing, but this still could not alleviate the two people's faces that were almost turning black.
"What's going on here?"
Duke Aiguillon suppressed his anger and stared at Baron Bertula opposite:
"You promised me that the Corsicans would be annihilated in Piedmont, and that damned Laurence Bonaparte would bury his kingdom in Italy!"
Baron Bertula across the round table was extremely depressed and could only drink brandy to relieve his embarrassment.
Since a year ago, Baron Bertula's plan has been proceeding in an orderly manner:
He deliberately went to Corsica to leak the news to Laurence Bonaparte that the Royal Navy was about to attack Malta, so that France finally obtained the island of Malta.
Later, the Naples Kingdom's internal line was launched, prompting the Naples Navy to occupy French Malta, which greatly 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 the conflict between the king and Choiseul
Violent conflict with Duke Er.
Immediately afterwards, the bombardment of Calais Port orchestrated by the Duke of Richelieu directly became the trigger for the downfall of the Duke of Choiseul. The Dukes of Richelieu and Aiguillon successfully restored their political status.
Great Britain also received a non-intervention pact with France.
Although Laurence Bonaparte wisely separated from the entire Choiseul faction on the eve of the fall of the Duke of Choiseul, this was also expected by Baron Bertula. After all, Louis XV was unwilling to take Lawrence with him.
The King even took the initiative to remove Laurence Bonaparte from the Choiseul faction.
When they learned that the Kingdom of Corsica would participate in the Sicilian War of Independence, both the Duke of Aiguillon and Baron Bertula were overjoyed.
As long as the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed Corsica in the war, all the power of Laurence Bonaparte would immediately collapse. At that time, the most he could do was stay in Paris and serve as an insignificant aide beside Crown Prince Louis.
All these plans, everything, were executed perfectly, and were carried out completely according to Baron Bertula's plan.
Until they learned about the surrender of Carlo Emanuele III to the Kingdom of Corsica.
"Take it easy, old friend."
After holding it in for a long time, Baron Bertula could only manage to smile and said:
"I don't know what happened in Northern Italy, but it does not affect the overall situation. As long as the Kingdom of Corsica is still at war, we will still have plenty of opportunities."
"Opportunity? Humph." Duke Aiguillon obviously had no patience for this perfunctory politeness:
"The Corsican army will most likely go directly eastward into Tuscany next. I don't believe that the little Austrian prince can stop the Corsican army's offensive."
"No, no, no, I mean after the Corsicans entered Sicily."
Baron Bertula finally regained some confidence and lowered his voice and promised:
"Our country's aid is mainly given to the Duke of Sicily who leads the rebel army. 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 fighting. By then, we will have our inside line in Naples.
, with our supporting troops on Sicily, the Corsicans will never be able to repeat their victory over the Kingdom of Sardinia."
After hearing this, Duke Aiguillon nodded doubtfully, his furious expression gradually fading away, replaced by an obvious hint of viciousness.
...
And in the Lorraine region on the French border
In the Governor's Palace of Lorraine, Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe, the first-level governor here, is entertaining his brother, the Duke of Choiseul, who lives here.
The content of the chat between the two after dinner was naturally not about art philosophy or humanistic scenery. Like the citizens of Paris, the two of them inevitably looked towards Italy in the south.
Although the Duke himself had been demoted by Louis XV, with the prestige of him and Lieutenant General Philip in the army, it was not difficult to obtain a top-secret report within the army on the war in the Kingdom of Sardinia.
The internal reports of the army are of course different from those exaggerated newspapers on the market. They record all the actions of the Corsican army from the landing of Valdolidore to the liberation of Nice in a quite detailed and objective manner.
"It seems that I really underestimated that Corsican."
Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe quickly read this more than 20 pages of military report and said with a hearty smile:
"To win Turin in one month, this is something that both you and I dare not even think about. Tsk tsk, I really want to know how that old man Carlo Emanuele III feels now."
"Hmph, if Carlo Emanuele III were younger and could lead the army in person, the outcome would be completely different. He would not make so many decision-making mistakes like his good-for-nothing son."
The Duke of Choiseul on the side could not laugh, his face was extremely gloomy:
"And this is not just the work of Bonaparte alone. Those key decisions were made by the so-called Privy Knights, especially Andre Davout, who General Barol and I recommended several times.
This good young man...this bastard boy Laurence brought all the most elite cadets from the Paris Military Academy to Italy."
The Paris Military Academy is the hall of the Duke of Choiseul. Among the batch of graduates every year, the best ones will be arranged by the Duke of Choiseul to be trained in his direct troops and establish his own group of confidants.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! And this time, the more than one hundred students Lawrence took away in the name of the Privy Knights were without exception the best in the Paris Military Academy. When I think of it,
Having lost so many talents in vain, Duke Choiseul suddenly felt depressed.
Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe scratched his head in embarrassment. After all, he seemed to be the one who asked Lawrence to enter the Paris Military Academy to find officers for the Duke of Choiseul.
"Ahem, no matter what, this is good news."
Lieutenant General Philip coughed twice, shrugged and changed the subject:
"The people of Paris must be overjoyed, and His Majesty the King must be extremely happy too. The Corsicans brought Nice back to him just three months after joining the war. Oh, and your eldest daughter, little Elvie, is jumping up and down with joy.
Yes, he is probably shutting himself in his room now and writing a love letter to Bonaparte."
Duke Choiseul rolled his eyes, his expression still very ugly.
He held his forehead and thought for a while, then said slowly and lowly:
"No, this is good news for the people, the king, and France, but it is absolutely bad news for us."
"Why do you say that?"
"If the Kingdom of Corsica goes smoothly 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 is and the more dangerous the Corsicans are, the more hope the French army has of marching into Italy; if nothing else, the Corsican army's next goal is to attack Milan and Tuscany, and they will not be able to do so there.
What strong resistance will be encountered?”
Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe nodded and recalled the time when he served in the Austrian court:
"The Grand Duke of Tuscany and the Duke of Milan... I remember it was Leopold, the third son of Queen Maria Theresa and the first heir to the Habsburg family. I met him last time.
He was still an annoying little kid when he arrived, but I heard he was doing a pretty good job in Tuscany's internal affairs."
The Duke of Choiseul made no secret of his disdain for such a pampered imperial prince:
"He is far behind Laurence Bonaparte. I heard that he disbanded the entire Grand Duchy's standing army in order to save money. I really want to know what they are going to do to resist the Corsicans... Anyway, Bonaparte is here
Tuscany and Milan will not encounter any strong resistance, so the only thing that can hinder the Corsicans is the rebels on Sicily."
"Well..." Lieutenant General Philip nodded slightly and agreed with his brother's judgment:
"Indeed, I heard that the Kingdom of Naples is having a very difficult time fighting in Sicily, and its capital, Palermo, has almost been lost. It is very likely that they will ask the Corsicans to join the war in Sicily."
"That is our only chance. No matter whether the outcome of the Sicilian War of Independence is victory or defeat, this war must not end in a short time."
Duke 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.