From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

At noon on June 4, a two-wheeled carriage was speeding along the gravel road from Paris to Versailles, driving as fast as if it were in no one's land.

The carriage and pedestrians who were nearly hit by the collision frowned at first, but fell silent when they saw the logo on the carriage clearly - it was the official vehicle of the Foreign Minister.

And after those well-informed passers-by saw the carriage speeding away, they almost understood what could make a cabinet minister so anxious.

The British-French military conflict that occurred in the Port of Calais two days ago is undoubtedly the event that politicians inside and outside Paris are most concerned about at the moment.

Even the major newspapers in Paris this morning unanimously used an entire front page to describe in detail this extremely sudden and rare military conflict.

French local newspapers basically reported the same thing on this incident, adopting the words of Lieutenant Colonel Cavell, the commander of the garrison:

The British disguised several warships full of soldiers as merchant ships and approached the Port of Calais, intending to directly seize this strategic location without declaring a war. Fortunately, all this was seen through by the wise Lieutenant Colonel Cavell, and the armies of both sides carried out a battle in the urban area. There was a fierce battle and continued exchange of fire with the British warships all night, and finally succeeded in crushing the British's dastardly conspiracy.

This story was confirmed by many merchants and citizens of Calais, who indeed witnessed the exchange of fire between the British and the French in the city, as well as the exchange of fire between Royal Navy battleships and shore artillery throughout the night.

Therefore, the French people were convinced of this. After reading the report, they were either filled with indignation and angrily denounced the British in the streets for their attempt to break up the peace; or they were worried, worried that the cloud of war would once again envelope France.

However, senior officials in the British and French political circles received a different story: all attacks were carried out on the initiative of the French military, and based on overnight interrogations of captured British sailors, French senior officials were also convinced that the British were plotting to seize the port of Calais. The plan was purely imaginary.

Lieutenant Colonel Cavell, who was the initiator of everything, also took the initiative to secretly confess to the top military officials after interrogating the British sailors, saying that he had misjudged the British Navy's actions and was willing to bear all responsibility for it.

And because the diplomatic impact of this incident is far from over, and Lieutenant Colonel Cavell now has a high prestige among the people, people think that he is a wise commander who thwarted the British ambitions.

Therefore, the French military has not yet dealt with Lieutenant Colonel Cavell, the famous and so-called war hero.

By June 4, the day when the news had reached Île-de-France, it was not just the French military that was worried about this incident.

It can be said that the entire palace and government were in chaos because of this unexpected incident.

"Sure enough, things are going to change."

Lawrence also rode in a carriage with the Foreign Minister, Count Vergenin, and rushed to the Palace of Versailles to see His Majesty.

He held in his hand a first-hand secret report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Calais Port incident. The Foreign Secretary was naturally qualified to know the entire inside story of this incident. Lawrence also borrowed the intelligence network of Count Vergequin to obtain all the information. .

Count Vergenin was even more exhausted physically and mentally, and his face looked haggard. He did not expect that this series of major events would happen one after another in less than a month after he, the new foreign minister, took office.

Of course, Count Vergenin would not complain at all. After tasting the sweetness of power, all difficulties and obstacles seemed worth mentioning.

"What do you think?" Count Vergenin asked with a sigh as Lawrence waited for Lawrence to finish reading the report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The British Ambassador, Baron Bertula, has arrived at the Palace of Versailles. It will be difficult to appease the British on this matter. Baron Bertula will definitely open his mouth. Alas, but if it is not handled well, the war in southern Italy will There is no conclusion yet, we will have to fight the British first. "

Lawrence did not jump to conclusions. After reading the inside report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he also read the reports of several mainstream newspapers in Paris. After pondering for a moment, he said:

"Almost all major newspapers have recognized the British aggression. Although this may be a cover-up specially instructed by the military brass to cover up their mistakes, after this public opinion campaign, the anti-British sentiment among the people is expected to reach a climax. Bar."

"Indeed." Count Vergenin agreed.

"In other words, in the eyes of the people" Lawrence held his forehead and looked solemn:

"We have successfully defeated the British conspiracy, and now it is time to launch a comprehensive counterattack. At least, we must make the British pay the price."

Count Vergen's pupils trembled, and he suddenly realized that he couldn't help but sucked in a breath of cold air:

"However, what the court is discussing is how to make compensation and concessions to the British to calm the situation. However, the people think that we are the victors of the battle, and they will definitely not accept it. In this case, the government and the palace instead acted to humiliate the country. Decide."

Lawrence tilted his head slightly, closed his eyes and sighed:

"The person who is most happy to see this situation is undoubtedly the Duke of Choiseul. And this time he completed the control of public opinion in such a short period of time. I think it was also his handiwork."

As long as the anti-British sentiment among the people reaches its peak, and under this turbulent public opinion, Duke Choiseul's attempt to provoke a war will undoubtedly be easier to achieve.

"What do you mean?" Count Vergenin frowned:

“The bombardment of Calais Port was caused by the Duke of Choiseul?”

Lawrence hesitated for a moment, but then shook his head:

"This is not like the Duke's style. It's too radical, but it can indeed make his war plan a big step forward. That's all. It doesn't matter who is behind the scenes. What's important is"

Count Vergenin understood, nodded and added:

"Who does His Majesty think he is?"

In the afternoon, Versailles Palace.

The French ministers and several distinguished dukes all gathered in the Apollo Hall, which is the throne room. Even His Majesty the King got up from his bed for a long time and sat on the silver throne in the Apollo Hall.

Everyone looked solemnly at the only foreign ambassador in the Apollo Hall - the British Ambassador Baron Bertula.

Naturally, the ministers and the British Ambassador gathered here for only one reason: to discuss with the British Ambassador the solution to the shelling of Calais Port two days ago.

It can be seen that Louis XV took this incident very seriously.

If it were an ordinary diplomatic incident, all the foreign minister would need to do was negotiate with the other party's ambassador, and Louis XV would only need to stamp his signature on the final negotiation agreement.

But today, Louis XV not only set the location to meet Baron Bertula in the most gorgeous and solemn Apollo Hall, but the size of the people involved in the negotiations was completely comparable to a small royal meeting, not to mention that he was still ill today. His Majesty the King of France was present in person, which was enough to show that Louis XV valued it.

Lawrence, who stood among the ministers as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Corsica, could also understand the importance Louis XV attached to it. The king did not even want to participate in the potentially risky small civil war in southern Italy, let alone the Anglo-French war with Great Britain.

Louis XV also wanted to use this highest-level interview to show Baron Bertula his sincerity that he had no intention of exacerbating the situation.

After the participants were almost all present, Louis XV looked at Baron Bertula and tried his best to endure the pain and squeezed out a friendly smile:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ambassador."

Louis XV greeted Baron Bertulat cordially for a while, followed by a set of platitudes about the friendship between England and France and the value of peace, before finally turning the topic to the bombardment of Calais.

Baron Bertula was also polite to Louis XV without being humble or condescending, and after several false greetings, he set out his own conditions:

"I am pleased to hear from you, Your Majesty, that this appalling incident was a misunderstanding, but there is an extremely angry feeling within our country, both in Whitehall and His Majesty, that this was a provocation by your country. We are very concerned about this matter. If your country cannot properly compensate our country for its losses, I am afraid it will be difficult for our country to forgive your country’s offensive behavior.”

Louis XV nodded. Of course he knew that France needed to make concessions in order to stabilize the situation, so he directly motioned to Baron Bertula to continue.

Although the specific final treaty will certainly not be finalized at today's meeting, Louis XV at least wanted to hear the British attitude first.

Baron Bertula smiled proudly. It seemed that he was already prepared for the lion to open his mouth:

“First of all, your country needs to pay a one-time compensation of no less than 60 million livres to the Chinese people who were harmed in this incident; secondly, in order to prevent similar incidents from happening again, we ask your country’s The military withdraws from the Port of Calais and its surrounding areas, and sets the Port of Calais as a demilitarized zone, leaving only police and customs personnel; third, British merchant ships should receive inspection-free and tax-free treatment at the Port of Calais to prevent your country from inspecting it again In the name of making things difficult for our country’s merchant ships; fourth.”

The English ambassador stated his terms to Louis XV with great fluency.

However, listening to this series of non-stop requests for concessions, not only Louis XV, but also the faces of the ministers present gradually darkened.

Baron Bertula's requirements were not only too strict, but also to the point of being unacceptable.

The so-called compensation of 60 million livres alone is enough to make the French government, which has an extremely serious financial deficit, bleed. It is comparable to the war compensation after the defeat of a small war.

Not to mention the so-called demands to establish the Port of Calais as a demilitarized zone and to allow British merchant ships to be exempted from inspection and tax in Calais. This is almost to the point of humiliating the country. In that case, if the British really want to seize the Port of Calais in the future, they will Totally easy.

Not to mention the generals, marshals and ministers present, even Louis XV, who had no interest in political affairs, knew that Baron Bertula's request was absolutely unacceptable.

Once such a treaty is accepted, not only the British, but the entire European continent will probably re-examine the true national power of France, and the courts of various countries will consider whether the Western European giant in their eyes is actually strong on the outside and weak on the inside.

"Mr. Ambassador." Louis XV's face was already a bit unhappy:

"I met with you with full sincerity, but you don't seem to reciprocate the sincerity."

Baron Bertula is still neither humble nor arrogant, and will not retreat:

"To be honest, the Royal Navy of Great Britain has begun to assemble in the Port of Dover. His Majesty the King also ordered the night before yesterday to start dispatching three fleets from the Americas to the mainland and ordered five infantry divisions to mobilize to prepare for war. Your Majesty, Great Britain has already done so. Ready."

As the British ambassador, Baron Bertula certainly knew that the political struggle between Louis XV and the Duke of Choiseul had entered a fierce stage.

Therefore, Baron Bertula could use the threat of war unscrupulously to put pressure on the French court.

Although Great Britain is also trying its best to avoid war with France, in many cases, playing hard to get and retreating while advancing is the option with the greatest benefits.

And Louis XV's face turned completely dark. Just being threatened by the British ambassador in front of all the ministers, this kind of shame and humiliation had already made His Majesty the King furious. At this moment, he was just trying to hold back the anger in his heart.

Upon seeing this, several ministers on the side hurriedly stepped forward to negotiate with Baron Bertula, including Count Vergenin, who also stepped forward to argue and tried their best to show that Baron Bertula's request was completely nonsense and without sincerity. Performance.

Even the Duke of Aiguillon pretended to be angry at Baron Bertula, saying frankly that he had no respect for His Majesty the King.

But no matter how much the French ministers tried their best, Baron Bertula remained unmoved and did not make any concessions in the negotiation treaty. He did not even lose one of the 60 million livres in compensation. Copper.

The entire negotiation lasted for nearly two hours. Baron Bertula and the ministers were all a little thirsty, but the progress of the negotiation made no progress at all.

In the end, when both sides were almost speechless, Louis XV announced the end of the meeting with a gloomy face and sent someone to send Baron Bertula back to the British embassy and consulate.

As the footsteps of Baron Bertula gradually disappeared in the cloister, the Apollo Hall also fell into silence, the silence before the storm.

The ministers all lowered their heads tightly, not even daring to take a breath, silently waiting for His Majesty the King's instructions.

Louis XV glanced around at the ministers in the audience, and asked with uneasiness:

"Everyone, what do you think?"

The king's voice echoed in the throne room, but no minister came forward to offer advice for a long time. After all, no one was sure that they could get a better treaty from Baron Bertula.

Just when Louis XV was disappointed and ready to announce the end of the meeting, the Duke of Aiguillon suddenly stood up:

"My minister has an idea that may be able to properly resolve this matter, but I don't know if it's appropriate to bring it up."

Louis XV's eyes suddenly brightened. At this critical moment, he didn't care at all about the Duke Aiguillon's offense against His Royal Highness, and immediately allowed him to raise it in public.

The Duke of Aiguillon stood out of the queue, glanced at the expressionless Duke of Choiseul with his peripheral vision, and suggested loudly:

"Ahem, actually, my uncle, the Duke of Richelieu, has a good personal relationship with the British ambassador. My uncle had discussed the Anglo-French non-aggression treaty with Baron Bertula very early on, and the two sides had a very happy discussion about it. "If the Duke of Richelieu comes forward to negotiate with Baron Bertula, he may not only be able to resolve the shelling of Calais Port, but also obtain a non-aggression treaty between the two countries."