From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

At five o'clock in the morning on June 25, at dawn, the French Mediterranean Fleet officially entered the port of Ajaccio.

The battle in the city was not completely over. Although Colonel Bartland immediately ordered the entire army to abandon Ajaccio and retreat south after receiving the urgent report from the Sardinian fleet, in the haste, the retreat order was not fully conveyed to those who were still on the front line. In the ears of soldiers fighting fiercely.

Seeing the French fleet gradually approaching, Colonel Bartland had no choice but to abandon the soldiers who had not yet assembled, led the remaining army of less than 6,000 people, and fled south in panic in an almost defeated posture.

Since the soldiers of the Ajaccio city defense force were also exhausted, almost to the point of running out of fuel, Major Serurier was unable to order a pursuit and had to send a small reconnaissance force to closely follow the fleeing Sardinian army. .

As for the Sardinian soldiers who were abandoned in Ajaccio, they either continued to fight and died in a foreign country without knowing anything, or they chose to surrender in despair after discovering the fact that the French fleet was stationed and their main force was withdrawing.

It was not until around 7 a.m. that the sound of gunshots and clashes of swords in Ajaccio completely stopped. The fire that spread in the north and south cities was barely controlled with the concerted efforts of the city defense troops and citizens.

The fragile peace finally enveloped Ajaccio again. After confirming the safety of the city, Lawrence led the Privy Knights out of the warship and once again stood on the land that had always supported him.

Looking at the mess and ruins in front of him, Lawrence stood on the dock in silence for a long time.

Not far away, he saw a pitch-black crow jumping down from the treetops, jumping up onto the cheek of a dead soldier, leaning down and pecking out a sapphire-like eyeball with its beak.

A shiver of coldness crept up his back, Lawrence let out a long sigh, turned his head and stopped looking.

Soon, a Central Gendarmerie heard the news and rushed to the port area. The bodies of these soldiers were covered with dirty dust and blood, but when they saw Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte appearing in front of them again, they Everyone's eyes are extremely clear and fiery.

A captain of the military police took the lead in giving a standard military salute to Lawrence, and then looked at the blood stains and mud on himself and his subordinates with some embarrassment, saying that he asked Lord Bonaparte to forgive him, because they really did not have time to change into a clean uniform. , even just wash your face.

Lawrence's eyes were a little sore. He didn't say anything, but stepped forward to shake hands with each soldier one by one, and kissed their unkempt cheeks.

For Italians, a kiss on the face is a ritual performed when brothers who have not seen each other for a long time meet again.

Subsequently, under the escort of this central military police, Lawrence and the Privy Knights officially entered the city of Ajaccio and went to the Prime Minister's Office in Dongcheng District.

Along the way, many citizens also witnessed the return of Prime Minister Bonaparte. Although the war all night yesterday had made the citizens numb and exhausted, when Lawrence Bonaparte appeared in front of them, there was an explosive cheer. The sound still echoed throughout Ajaccio for a long time.

The citizens on both sides of the street roared at the top of their lungs. Their cheers were more like a kind of catharsis after being suppressed for a long time, mixed with the joy of surviving the disaster, the joy of defeating the enemy, and the excitement for the return of Prime Minister Bonaparte. Joy from within.

Amidst the farewell of the citizens of Ajaccio, Lawrence returned to the Prime Minister's Palace, where he had been away for a long time, and immediately summoned high-level government officials and cronies to understand what had happened in Ajaccio in recent days.

"Really? In other words, the main force of the National Defense Force has actually been transferred to the south, which is why this defensive battle will be so difficult."

Listening to Cabinet Secretary Anna's narration, Lawrence couldn't help but frown. If he said this, this battle would be many times more difficult than he imagined.

As for the strategic misjudgment of the top brass of the National Defense Force, Lawrence only felt that it was unexpected and reasonable.

After all, although the officers of the National Defense Force have accumulated rich experience in decades of continuous war with Genoa, their long-term confinement to the small Corsican battlefield also means that these officers' strategic vision must be flawed.

This time, it was precisely because the top brass of the National Defense Forces mistakenly believed that the British would be completely independent from this war, and thus misjudged the naval strength of the Kingdom of Sardinia, that they ignored the possibility of launching a landing operation.

But the good news is that it was precisely in order to eliminate this strategic risk that Lawrence brought everyone from the Privy Knights to Italy, and they established the Corsican Army Staff.

Lawrence listened to Anna's story and suddenly asked:

"By the way Anna, that is to say, you persuaded Pasquale Paoli to lead the Citizen Volunteer Army in combat?"

Anna lowered her head carefully and whispered:

"Yes, sir, please forgive me for taking my own initiative."

"No, you did it right. If it were you, I would probably do the same thing."

Lawrence waved his hand without any intention of blaming him, but he immediately changed the subject and asked in a deep voice:

"But where is Pasquale Paoli now?"

Although the Citizen Volunteer Army was only a temporary levy force, after repelling the invading enemy, Lawrence was not worried about letting Pauli continue to lead an armed force even for a minute. After all, for General Pauli who was under house arrest all day long , now may be the best time for him to regain power.

Anna blinked and turned to look at Xia Diya, who was in charge of the secret police station. Xia Diya also added understandingly:

"General Pauli was seriously injured while commanding the operation and seems to be receiving rescue now."

Lawrence squinted his eyes slightly, and he already realized something just from the fact that the person who answered him was Xia Diya and not Anna:

"Did the doctor express the possibility of successful rescue?"

Xia Diya nodded briefly:

"Minimal."

"That's it"

Lawrence sighed softly, already understanding everything that happened to General Pauli, and stopped asking any more questions.

Lawrence's attitude toward Pasquale Paoli, the former governor, was also quite complex.

On the one hand, he indeed led the Corsican people to gain independence and freedom from the colonial rule of Genoa, and implemented a series of enlightened and progressive policies and laws, from mining to building water conservancy, from banning vendettas to establishing universities, It can be said that Pasquale Paoli successfully opened a corner of enlightenment and progress for the ignorant and barbaric Corsica.

The Corsican Constitution he promulgated and implemented was even the first legal text in modern history to be named a constitution.

This is why not only contemporary Enlightenment scholars, such as Rousseau and Voltaire, were excited about Corsica's independence, but even many scholars of later generations believed that the independence of Corsica under Pasquale Paoli was Corsica is a true revolutionary land that precedes Paris, France.

But on the other hand, whether in history or in this current timeline, Pasquale Paoli has indeed taken actions to try to sell Corsica's sovereignty to Great Britain.

In this sense, Pasquale Paoli is fully worthy of the despicable title of traitor.

The relationship between Lawrence and Pauly cannot be summed up in a few words.

The two had had heart-to-heart conversations, and had also been at loggerheads; Lawrence launched a coup to seize Pauly's administrative power, and in the last stage of his life, Pauly fully recognized Lawrence as his successor, knowing that there was no way he could make a comeback. .

But no matter what, everything about Pasquale Pauli can now be left to Lawrence to seal the coffin.

"Take note of my orders, Anna."

Lawrence shook his head. Now he didn't have any time to express any unnecessary emotions:

“If General Paoli unfortunately dies, he will be buried in Ajaccio with a state funeral as soon as possible. This funeral must be directly prepared by the Prime Minister’s Office and presided over by the Archbishop of Corsica. In addition, General Paoli can be named the great liberator. Permanently retain the title and status of his country's general, and provide life-long allowances to his family; if his children are willing to return to Corsica, arrange some idle positions in government departments for them, but his children are not allowed to Participate in politics in the future”

After all, Pasquale Paoli died for Ajaccio and for Corsica. Lawrence will naturally follow his previous promise and give him a good death, so that the name of Pasquale Paoli will always be known as the liberator and war. The image of the hero was remembered by future Corsicans.

Perhaps it won't be long before Pasquale Paoli's secret secrets unknown to the public will be completely lost in the long river of history, and will forever remain in the hearts of Corsican people as a symbol of great justice.

After having a general understanding of the siege of Ajaccio and dealing with General Paoli's funeral, Lawrence immediately focused on war affairs and left the officers alone in the conference room.

Although the landing force of the Kingdom of Sardinia suffered a major defeat in Ajaccio, if their remaining effective forces are fully rested, the enemy force will still be strong.

Lawrence must also solve this hidden danger in Corsica as soon as possible, especially before the enemy discovers that the French Mediterranean Fleet will not actually interfere in the war situation.

"Major Serrurier, on behalf of the Corsican Army, I apologize to you."

Lawrence was the first to look at the actual commander-in-chief of this defensive battle. Major Serurier on the side apologized sincerely:

"It was our army's wrong judgment that led to it paying such a heavy price for this battle. Your ability to defend Ajaccio under such difficult conditions is really indispensable. I think your talents are definitely not only Limited to commanding a garrison."

Berthier also looked at Serrurier in amazement. When he just heard that the Ajaccio city defense force only had more than 3,000 people plus the temporarily formed citizen volunteer army, he was really shocked. He was simply shocked. I can believe that such a force can withstand the fierce attack of nearly 10,000 Sardinian troops.

Because of the high-intensity command all day and night, Major Serulier was still a little groggy and exhausted, but when he heard the words of praise from His Excellency Bonaparte, he sobered up almost instantly and even got a little excited. Incoherent:

"No, no, no, Your Excellency, how can I accept your apology? Besides, it is my duty to protect Ajaccio, and I don't dare to ask for any reward."

Despite what he said, Major Serulier's heartbeat was already racing and he was extremely excited. He had been waiting for the day when he would be appreciated by His Excellency Bonaparte.

As long as His Excellency Bonaparte is appreciated, given his current status in France, recommending a young major like him to a higher status is simply a piece of cake.

Lawrence rubbed his chin and looked at the excited Major Serurier and thought for a moment.

Although Serurier in history did not appear to be outstanding among the ranks of imperial marshals, both in terms of military ability and reputation and prestige, he was extremely ordinary, even far inferior to the young chief of staff Berthier next to him.

But if compared with other officers of the same era, Serurier's talents are undoubtedly comparable to those of the top generals, and he indeed proved it perfectly in the just-concluded siege of Ajaccio. own ability.

If it weren't for Major Serrurier's accurate and ruthless judgment and flexible and random deployment, it would be almost impossible for the defenders of Ajaccio to persist until the arrival of the French Mediterranean Fleet with such a large gap in military strength.

Once Ajaccio is captured in advance, the situation will be completely different. The army of the Kingdom of Sardinia can stay in the city of Ajaccio and observe the movements of the French fleet, instead of fleeing south in a hurry. In this way, , Lawrence will have to pay a heavy price if he wants to regain Ajaccio.

Therefore, Lawrence's praise of Serurier for his contribution was not an exaggeration.

As for this officer with outstanding talents and outstanding achievements, Lawrence believed that it was time to formally incorporate him into his own power group:

"By the way, have you heard of the Privy Knights that was established in Paris not long ago? If you are interested, I will now invite you to join as the Grand Master of the Privy Knights. You have proven it with your actual actions. Your talents and loyalty are enough to earn you a place in the Order."

Although the current members of the Privy Knights are all members of the Charles Gang who came from the Paris Military Academy, Lawrence's eyes are naturally not just focused on the interior of the Paris Military Academy. Lawrence is quite happy to work with rare talents such as Serurier. In the name of the Knights, he absorbed them into his command.

Faced with Lawrence's invitation, Major Serurier was stunned for a moment, as if he was overwhelmed by the big surprise.

Even the French officers behind him suddenly stared at Major Serulier with envy. They really wished they could rush forward and accept Bonaparte's invitation to join the regiment.

After all, according to rumors, the Privy Knights are an organization of officers who are directly loyal to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Not to mention these small officers stationed in remote places, even a general would probably try to infiltrate the knights. In the regiment, just to get this opportunity to serve His Majesty the King directly.

Naturally, Serulier would not let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He finally recovered from the frenzied surprise, and immediately stood up, bowing to Lawrence humbly, expressing his willingness to serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. and went through fire and water with Monsignor Bonaparte.

Lawrence also nodded with satisfaction, pointed at Berthier behind him and said:

"This is the Chief Secretary of the Knights, Louis Alexandre Berthier. He will introduce you to the situation of the Knights and other members later."

Berthier also stood up, and extended his right hand to shake hands with Serurier in a friendly manner. From today on, these two historical imperial marshals will serve the same lord.

After inviting Major Serulier to join the Knights as a reward, Lawrence immediately focused on the Sardinian troops who were still on the move.

Major Serurier quickly recovered from the surprise and calmly analyzed:

"Although the enemy suffered heavy losses in Ajaccio, based on available intelligence, it is speculated that they should still retain the strength of three infantry regiments."

Lawrence frowned slightly, which meant that the strength of the Sardinian army was almost the same as the current standing army of Corsica. Once the opponent is given enough rest time, the combat power of this Sardinian army may be even better than that of the Corsican Defense Force.

Although Lawrence also deliberately brought the new muskets produced by the Trifali Arsenal to Ajaccio, the use of this rifled gun is still slightly different from the current smoothbore gun. Before the large-scale deployment of troops to form combat capabilities, It still takes a period of training and adaptation.

Moreover, Lawrence was vaguely aware of the enemy’s intentions from his behavior:

The Sardinian army deliberately retreated towards the south, where the main force of the Defense Forces was stationed, instead of retreating to the north, where defenses were empty.

This means that the enemy does not intend to stay in the north to regroup and continue to capture the entire territory of Corsica. Instead, it plans to break out of the main force of the defense forces in the south after a short rest, cross the Bonifacio Strait, and retreat back. To the Sardinian mainland.

After all, in the eyes of the commander of the Sardinian forces, there is a high probability that the French Mediterranean Fleet has provided reinforcements to Corsica, so the strategic purpose of continuing to capture the entire territory of Corsica is obviously not feasible. The top priority now should be to do everything possible Retreat and maintain your troop strength.

Lawrence's original plan was to annihilate the Sardinian army in Corsica. If this large enemy army was allowed to successfully break through and return to Sardinia, it would undoubtedly be a return to the enemy.

"We must take advantage of the fact that the enemy troops are trapped and exhausted to pursue them."

Lawrence thought for a while and then ordered:

"Their soldiers originally came across the sea, and after a day and night of continuous high-intensity fighting, they are still marching southward and retreating. That unit must now have low morale and exhaustion. We must seize this opportunity."

Major Serurier also agreed with Lawrence's analysis, but his expression immediately became very embarrassed:

"Having said that, our soldiers have also just gone through a bloody battle, and their condition is no better than that of the enemy. Moreover, the performance of the citizen volunteers on the field battlefield is definitely far inferior to that of street fighting. If we only rely on the Central Gendarmerie and the French As for the garrison, our strength disadvantage is too obvious, and we are likely to be counterattacked by the enemy. It will take about two days for the main force of the southern defense force to arrive around Ajaccio. "

The faces of all the officers in the conference room were a little ugly. They all knew that now was a God-given opportunity to pursue the Sardinian army, but unfortunately, their own soldiers were also in a state of almost exhaustion.

Now as long as there is a unit with high morale and good condition that can be dispatched, that unit will definitely be able to achieve an overwhelming effect of one against ten when facing the exhausted Sardinian army.

But just to defend Ajaccio last night, the defenders in the city spent almost all their strength, and even recruited a large number of civilians to take up arms and participate in the battle. Under such circumstances, how could they find a good-looking army to accept the battle? Dispatch.

Major Serurier sighed reluctantly and suggested with some hesitation:

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, if we want to pursue a forceful pursuit, we can only quickly recruit a larger citizen volunteer army. We hope that we can use morale to make up for the gap in organization and training with the enemy. But such a conscripted army will not I'm afraid you will be very vulnerable to the enemy's counterattack, and such a move may also be very unfavorable to you politically, and there will definitely be a lot of criticism among the people."

The officers in the conference room watched Lawrence with bated breath, waiting for Prime Minister Bonaparte to make the final decision.

"It doesn't have to be this way."

Lawrence just closed his eyes and thought for a moment, suddenly remembered something, shook his head and ordered:

"There is still an elite force in Corsica that can be used. Let them be the main force in the pursuit. I'm afraid those people's swords can't wait to drink the blood of the Sardinians."