From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

As soon as these words came out, all the ministers immediately looked at Louis XV.

Everyone knew very well that letting Duke Richelieu preside over the negotiations with Baron Bertula would mean allowing the Duke who was under house arrest to return to politics and return to the top position of French power.

Not to mention that Louis XV entrusted the Duke of Richelieu with such an important task while he was under house arrest. From a human and moral perspective, His Majesty the King must compensate the Duke of Richelieu.

If this is the case, the Richelieu faction, which was devastated by the loss of Madame Du Barry, may not really be able to rise again.

The one who least wants to see this situation is undoubtedly the Choiseul faction, which already has enemies on all sides.

On the throne, Louis XV's originally gloomy expression gradually dissipated, and turned into a very playful one, as if he was seriously thinking about Duke Aiguillon's proposal.

Frankly speaking, the Duke of Aiguillon took the initiative to stand up at this time and said that the Duke of Richelieu could perfectly solve the bombardment of Calais Port. This really made Louis XV feel a little strange.

However, at this critical moment, His Majesty the King does not care.

As long as Duke Richelieu could really reach an agreement with Baron Bertula, and even complete the non-aggression treaty between Britain and France in one fell swoop, Louis XV would not care whether there was any unknown conspiracy hidden between them.

Moreover, supporting the Duke of Richelieu back into politics to fight against the Duke of Choiseul was originally a move in Louis XV's plan, but the king did not expect that it would come in handy here.

Looking at the firm and confident expression on Duke Aiguillon's face, a smile finally appeared on Louis XV's lips:

"Come here, go immediately and ask Duke Richelieu how he is doing. If he is okay, invite him to have dinner with me tonight."

Although it was not stated explicitly, the king's order undoubtedly made all the ministers present clearly realize that Duke Richelieu would soon return to this game of power.

The Duke of Aiguillon was even more proud of himself. He saluted Louis XV with a grin and immediately returned to his seat.

As long as the Duke of Richelieu takes action, the bombardment planned by him and the British ambassador will naturally be solved, and His Majesty the King will also receive the long-awaited non-aggression agreement between Britain and France.

By that time, Duke Richelieu, who had outstanding achievements, would naturally let Louis XV see clearly who was the duke worthy of trust and capable of entrusting him with important tasks.

But of course, not everyone is happy to see Duke Richelieu come back:

"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty."

I saw the gloomy Duke of Choiseul walking out of the queue, standing directly in front of Louis XV, and said righteously:

"I don't believe that the Duke of Richelieu can achieve anything with just one mouth. At this point, if we blindly seek solutions at the negotiating table, it will only make the British greed more unscrupulous; and the people will be critical of our decisions. How do you think about it? After we have successfully defeated the British conspiracy, do we have to surrender to them and sue for peace? What we have to do is to stand up for France and tell the British that we will never give in!"

Lawrence in the crowd nodded slightly. It seemed that public opinion was indeed controlled to a great extent by Duke Choiseul.

And instead of immediately dealing with Lieutenant Colonel Cavell, the culprit, he was hailed as a war hero in public opinion. This was probably a deliberate move by Duke Choiseul to use the power of the military.

Louis XV's tone instantly turned cold. Today, when the struggle between the two sides has entered a fever pitch, the king's words have already omitted the false politeness:

"Stand up your spine? Never give in? All of this today is because of the trouble caused by your Ministry of War. What do you dare to talk about now about "Standing up your spine?!"

The Duke of Choiseul was about to respond, but Louis XV interrupted him with a wave of his hand:

"And if I remember correctly, the Lieutenant Colonel Cavell who attacked the British was transferred to Calais by your personal order, right?"

Obviously, after learning everything that happened in the Port of Calais, Louis XV immediately conducted a small-scale investigation and learned that Lieutenant Colonel Cavell was personally ordered by the Duke of Choiseul to be deployed to the Port of Calais for garrison. of.

Although the actual purpose of the Duke of Choiseul was to send the lieutenant colonel loyal to Richelieu to the remote border, in Louis XV's view, this was a major evidence that the Duke of Choiseul secretly caused the bombardment. .

Duke Choiseul took a deep breath. Of course he knew that Louis XV was doubting him.

No, it should be said that Louis XV had already identified himself as the mastermind the moment he learned the news. After all, in the entire Kingdom of France, he was the only one who was most eager for war to break out, the Duke of Choiseul.

Therefore, Duke Choiseul also understood that all sophistry and refutations were useless. He had no way to prove that there was someone else behind the incident in such a short period of time, and he had no way to prove his innocence.

Even if the real mastermind left behind some clues, it would be impossible to find strong evidence without half a year and a few months, and by that time, the outcome of the struggle between the Duke and the King would have been settled long ago.

"All important personnel arrangements are made by me personally, Your Majesty. It's just a pity that I misjudged Lieutenant Colonel Cavill's ability."

The Duke of Choiseul just defended himself very briefly, answering Louis XV's question, and then changed the topic to the issue of fighting against Britain:

"It is extremely unwise to negotiate with the British. They are not prepared for war at all. The British ambassador is just bluffing. Our army has been preparing for ten years. France has no need to make any concessions!"

"Enough! Choiseul!" Louis XV roared angrily, his expression extremely gloomy:

"Put your war plan in the box, lock it, and throw the key into the sea! France does not need war. The army exists to maintain peace, not to provoke another bloody storm!"

Anyone can see that His Majesty the King is extremely angry.

But Duke Choiseul still did not give in. With a flick of his cloak, he stood directly on the throne, stood less than three feet in front of His Majesty the King, clenched his fists and roared:

"With all due respect, it is not in the interest of France to blindly seek peace. I should be leading an army that can avenge the shame of the Seven Years' War, and should not be an army that behaves like a coward in front of the British. The army!”

"If that's the case" Louis XV stood up in anger, took two shaky steps forward, and stared at Choiseul:

"If you insist on bringing a war to France, you should not continue to lead the army!"

Duke Choiseul did not take a step back, nor did he even look away:

"The army still needs me!"

"No, it won't be needed from now on."

Louis XV's voice suddenly became louder, and he looked at Duke Choiseul and announced word by word:

"I now deprive you of your position as Minister of War, and all your positions and titles in the cabinet, the court, and the government. Choiseul, my brother, there is nothing for you to worry about here. I limit you to twenty-four Return to your territory within an hour."

All the ministers were dumbfounded, staring blankly at the two people on the throne.

Will the powerful Duke of Choiseul be dismissed from his post in public by His Majesty the King like this? !

Justice Mopu was even more shocked. Did he not expect that his biggest enemy on the road to judicial reform would end up on the political stage like this?

Lawrence couldn't help being surprised. This scene was almost consistent with the historical scene in which Choiseul was demoted.

Historically, the Duke of Choiseul was also dismissed from all posts by His Majesty the King and expelled back in the autumn of 1770 because he encouraged France to unite with Spain to declare war on Britain through the outbreak of the Falkland Crisis, thus offending the war-weary Louis XV. own fiefdom.

However, despite being surprised, Lawrence quickly noticed one detail, that is, Louis XV only announced that Duke Choiseul would be relieved of his position in the government.

In other words, the Duke still retains the rank of Army General.

"It seems that His Majesty the King doesn't dare to go too far."

Lawrence frowned slightly, retaining the rank of Duke of Choiseul showed that Louis XV still left a glimmer of hope and did not completely offend the military forces.

On the throne, Duke Choiseul, who was publicly announced by Louis XV to be relieved of his duties, was extremely calm and nodded slightly, as if he had already anticipated the immediate result:

"If you insist."

After saying that, Duke Choiseul took off the seal of the Minister of War, the keys to the residence, and the sword in front of everyone and handed them to a courtier next to him.

Then, before everyone could react, the Duke strode out of the Apollo Hall without looking back.

The Duke of Aiguillon did not look at the Duke of Choiseul, but the corners of his mouth could not help but raise with pride. I don't know if it was because of the end of this powerful political opponent, or for other reasons.

Lawrence frowned and looked at the back of Duke Choiseul. He didn't believe at all that this Duke would honestly and honestly spend the rest of his life in the fief according to Louis XV's order:

"Choiseul. What is his back-up plan?"

After the Duke of Choiseul swaggered out of the Palace of Versailles, the meeting was quickly declared over.

Although many ministers reacted as if they had woken up from a dream, and persuaded His Majesty the King to calm down, they all expressed that it was inappropriate to attack two cabinet ministers in such a short period of time, let alone such a powerful minister as the Duke of Choiseul.

But Louis XV was obviously determined and turned a deaf ear to these objections. He directly dissolved the meeting and returned to the king's suite.

Seeing this, Lawrence and Count Vergenin had no choice but to leave the Palace of Versailles and get on the carriage back to Paris.

When their carriage reached the outskirts of Versailles, suddenly, more than ten galloping riders caught up from behind and stopped their carriage.

The Count of Vergenin was a little nervous at first, but Lawrence soon recognized that the rider leading him was the manor steward of the Duke of Choiseul. The two had met once at a hunt organized by the Duke of Choiseul. .

"I'm sorry to disturb you two sirs."

The manor steward took the initiative to get off his horse, bowed politely and apologized, then pointed to a motorcade not far behind and said:

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, my master's carriage happens to take this road. The Duke invites you to go to his carriage for a chat."

Lawrence glanced at the carriage behind him. It was indeed the Duke of Choiseul's car. However, Lawrence naturally did not believe the manor housekeeper's statement that he happened to meet him.

Lawrence also didn't expect that the Duke would specifically name him to meet with him before leaving Versailles. After all, Louis XV only gave him twenty-four hours to return to the fief.

Now that the Duke had put down his attitude and was waiting not far away, Lawrence had no choice but to follow the manor's butler to the Duke of Choiseul's carriage.

Louis XV should not be too upset about the meeting between the two before they parted. After all, the king had entered a state of disregarding his deeds in the last stage of his life. As long as a minister could help the king in action, Duke Choiseul, the king doesn't care what the minister really thinks.

"Long time no see, Lawrence."

Duke Choiseul took the initiative to lend a hand, pulled Lawrence into the carriage, and greeted him with a smile.

The Duke at this time was completely unlike the Minister of War who had a tough confrontation with the King in the court. Instead, he felt like a simple, honest and trustworthy old friend for many years.

However, the appearance of politicians is ever-changing, and Lawrence will not be affected by such basic techniques. He just nodded calmly:

"In fact, we just met at Versailles."

"Hahaha you have become much more humorous, Lawrence."

The Duke of Choiseul smiled and poured Lawrence a cup of tea from a small silver teapot, and personally took a box of snacks and placed them on the table. His carriage was as spacious and luxurious as the king's bedroom:

"No, no, no, I mean we haven't had a private chat like this for a long time, so don't be so uptight, Lawrence, and don't be too uptight about Caesar Gabriel."

Lawrence narrowed his eyes slightly. He certainly knew what Duke Choiseul meant when he specifically mentioned Caesar Gabriel - "You still owe me a favor regarding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

It is true that the Duke of Choiseul did not fight back against Lawrence's betrayal, but instead acquiesced in allowing Lawrence and Count Vergenin to control the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was indeed a clever move.

After all, even if Lawrence did not take action, Louis XV would get rid of Caesar Gabriel and take back the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the hands of others. In this case, it would be better to give the entire Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Lawrence Bonnet as a favor. Ba Yi has won over people's hearts.

"Isn't it true that you invited me here just to catch up with old times?"

Lawrence chose to test it out with words first. He knew that Duke Choiseul wanted something from him, so Lawrence neither denied nor admitted the favor that the Duke hinted he owed. As for whether he wanted to repay the favor or not, it still had to depend on the Duke. The request is not in one's own interests:

"Besides, this is not a good place to reminisce. If His Majesty the King knew that we talked for too long, it would be detrimental to both you and me."