From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

Five days later, July 1st

In Cagliari, the largest city in southern Sardinia, the capital of Sardinia and the de jure capital of the kingdom.

"Repeat what you just said?!"

In a magnificent ancient castle in the center of the town, Governor Bertrand stared at the messenger in front of him in amazement, and even almost didn't hold the wine glass in his hand because of shock.

The messenger lowered his head tightly and repeated in accordance with the order:

"Yes, Governor, we have just received accurate information that the advance troops led by Colonel Bartram failed in the attack on Ajaccio and were pursued by Lawrence Bonaparte after retreating to southern Corsica. The entire advance troops have been annihilated!"

Clang!

The exquisite crystal wine glass slipped from the palm of Duke Bertrand's hand without resistance, and the crisp shattering sound echoed in the silent meeting hall, and the heartbeats of everyone in the hall seemed to stop for a moment.

As the governor of Sardinia, Governor Bertrand felt dizzy and almost fainted on the spot.

In order to carry out the raid on Ajaccio and seize the entire territory of Corsica, the kingdom deliberately reorganized almost all the standing troops on Sardinia into the advance force, which means that Sardinia is now completely defenseless.

If Colonel Bartland can successfully occupy Corsica as planned, then such a deployment is naturally understandable, but the advance force of nearly 10,000 people has now been completely lost at the hands of the damn Corsicans, so the fall of Sardinia is not just a matter of time? !

"There are thousands of soldiers captured by Corsica. Lawrence Bonaparte seems to want to use these prisoners as miners and coolies, but strangely, he also said that these prisoners can regain their freedom and be granted Corsican citizenship after three years of labor." The messenger didn't care about the pale face of the governor at this moment, and continued to report: "In addition, after defeating Colonel Bartland, Lawrence Bonaparte did not return to Ajaccio, but led the main force of the Corsican army to the south and stationed in Bonifacio, which means that they are only a 20-mile wide strait away from Sardinia." As soon as these words came out, hundreds of nobles and officials in the meeting hall couldn't help holding their breath again, and didn't utter a word for a long time. They also knew that the French Mediterranean Fleet could intervene in the war at any time. Therefore, before the diplomats got accurate information from Paris and eliminated the risks, the Sardinian Kingdom Navy could only hide in the port facing the poor and weak Corsican fleet. In other words, those barbaric and brutal Corsicans could cross the Bonifacio Strait, which is less than 20 miles long, at any time and sweep their troops to the land of Sardinia.

It can even be said that at this moment, the Corsican army may have already set foot on Sardinia and is marching towards Cagliari unstoppably.

Governor Bertrand's forehead was already covered with sweat. He wiped the cold sweat weakly. Facing the gaze of hundreds of officials, he was also unable to say a word for a long time.

At this time, an officer next to Governor Bertrand spoke. His ribbon and badge indicated that he was a lieutenant general of the army, and judging from his seat, his status was no less than that of Governor Bertrand:

"Governor, prepare to recruit peasants into the army immediately, and allocate a sum of money from the treasury. We need a large number of mercenaries to assist in defense, and let the towns mobilize their militias. In short, Sardinia cannot be handed over to Lawrence Bonaparte."

Although he was offering advice, the lieutenant general's tone was firm and unquestionable, leaving no room for argument for Governor Bertrand, as if he was the one giving orders for the entire Sardinia.

As the governor, Governor Bertrand was also angry but dared not speak, frowning and saying:

"Do you want me to give orders to let those unarmed civilians stop the Corsicans? Lieutenant General Ethel, you should also understand that unless we let a whole generation of Sardinians die on the battlefield, we can't stop the Corsican army, and I am unwilling to pay such a price, and I can't afford it."

The nobles and officials in the meeting hall seemed to agree with Governor Bertrand's views. Like Governor Bertrand, these people were basically native to Sardinia, and they looked at Lieutenant General Ethel with varying degrees of disgust and hatred, because the general came from Savoy overseas.

In the Kingdom of Sardinia, the conflict and disagreement between Sardinia and Savoy can be said to have continued since the establishment of the kingdom.

The Savoy nobles in Turin only regarded this island as a colony in Europe. What they valued most was the extremely rich mineral resources on Sardinia, and they thought that these mines could bring considerable economic benefits to the kingdom.

As for the hundreds of thousands of people on Sardinia, they were completely excluded from the citizen class of the kingdom by Savoy. They were not taken seriously at all. Even the nobles of Sardinia were inferior to people in Savoy.

For example, during the Seven Years' War, France and Spain jointly attacked Cagliari, but in the end, the local people still defended the city at the heavy price of bloodshed and did not let it fall into the hands of the French army.

After this battle, the Sardinian nobles sent a request to the Turin Palace, hoping that His Majesty the King would reward them for their meritorious service and allow Sardinian native nobles to serve as representatives of the island in the Kingdom Parliament - previously The representatives in the Parliament of Sardinia were actually held by the nobles of Savoy.

But even such a small request still did not receive approval from within the kingdom.

During the thirty years that the Kingdom of Sardinia ruled the island, they never regarded the land here as their core territory, nor did they regard the people here as their own citizens. They ruled Sardinia for thirty years. , the exploitation and oppression of Sardinia continued for thirty years.

In fact, if it were not for maintaining stability and order, the Turin Palace would not even be willing to let Governor Bertrand and the Sardinians in the audience hold even one official position.

And this is why Lieutenant General Ethel, as an officer, has more influence than the governor Bertrand - he is actually the representative of the Kingdom of Sardinia on this island.

"So what if one generation dies? Don't those islanders have the consciousness to devote themselves to His Majesty the King and the entire kingdom?"

Lieutenant General Ethel raised his eyebrows, his voice low and oppressive:

"Or do you want to surrender Sardinia to Laurence Bonaparte?"

Seeing that the other party regarded the lives of hundreds of thousands of Sardinians as child's play, Governor Bertrand instantly suppressed his blush and clenched his fists.

Although he was born into a noble family, his father was only an earl. His position as governor was not obtained by virtue of his bloodline and origin, but by his prestige and popular support.

After all, the Turin Palace would not trust a local Sardinian nobleman to serve as governor. A small nobleman like Bertrand who was popular among the people was easier to control.

And it is precisely because of the support of the people that Governor Bertrand feels strangely angry at this moment. Although he is not a saint, and he cannot love the people like a son, at least he cannot watch General Ethel turn those people around. The unarmed compatriots were sent to the battlefield after several days of training.

As for the other nobles and officials in the meeting hall, they did not completely sympathize with the innocent Sardinian compatriots and opposed the desperate resistance, but they were worried that if they resisted the Corsican army to the end, not to mention whether they could succeed, it would only be temporary. Mobilizing a large number of troops and mercenaries will consume a lot of financial resources.

As for where this additional and heavy financial expenditure should come from, the answer is already obvious - naturally it is them middle-class bureaucrats and wealthy little nobles.

Even Governor Bertrand, who did not understand military affairs, knew that even if Laurence Bonaparte occupied Sardinia, the Turin Palace would not be able to cede the island to Corsica. At most, it could Just let Bonaparte have some advantages in future peace negotiations.

When the war ends, Sardinia will inevitably return to the rule of the kingdom.

In other words, in the eyes of Governor Bertrand, whether Sardinia fell or not was not important at all in this war, at least not as important as the lives of thousands of Sardinian compatriots.

And Lieutenant General Ethel didn't understand this truth. He asked Governor Bertrand to defend Sardinia at all costs, purely to protect his own honor, but he just didn't want to return to his homeland as a defeated general.

When he thought of this, Governor Bertrand became even more angry.

Previously, he was very dissatisfied with the plan to raid Ajaccio and recruited a large number of Sardinian soldiers. He knew that the reason why the kingdom wanted to recruit soldiers from Sardinia was only because the lives of Sardinian people were far more valuable than those of Savoy citizens. Despicable, suitable for carrying out fierce and tragic battles such as landing operations.

Now hearing that Lieutenant General Ethel would sacrifice tens of thousands of lives to protect his false glory, Governor Bertrand was already on the verge of being unable to restrain his anger:

"So what if we give it to Laurence Bonaparte! At least then Sardinia won't have to be a river of blood, and at least Laurence Bonaparte is willing to grant the Sardinians the status of Corsican citizens! Unlike you, who talk all day long What kind of king is so generous, yet he only regards Sardinians as slaves and prostitutes!”

Although it was just an angry remark, Governor Bertrand's roar still attracted the attention of all the officials in the department. People had rarely seen this governor dare to contradict Lieutenant General Ethel.

Lieutenant General Ethel's face instantly darkened. He raised his right hand and made a gesture. Immediately, four fully armed guards rushed forward in a majestic manner and pointed their halberds at Bertrand. Governor:

"Bertrand! You traitor, believe it or not, I will put you to death right now!"

But Governor Bertrand gritted his teeth and did not take a step back. Instead, he stepped forward and actively pressed his chest against the tip of the guard's halberd:

"As long as you can prevent people from suffering this disaster, you can cut me to pieces here and there."

"you!"

Lieutenant General Ethel's pupils were also shocked. Of course he did not dare to kill the popular governor on the spot in the Cagliari Council Hall. That would only make the already tense relationship between the two factions even more tense. He It was even less possible to organize the Sardinians to resist the Corsican army.

At this critical moment, an astute consul also jumped forward and stood between the two of them, mediating:

"General, Your Excellency the Governor, now that we are facing a powerful enemy, we must not create any internal rifts. Whether it is war or peace, we all need to work together."

Governor Bertrand and Lieutenant General Ethel looked at each other. Both sides knew very well that the contradictions and rifts between them had reached an irreconcilable level. After all, their contradiction was not a personal grudge, but a conflict between Savoy and the mainland. The physical embodiment of this thirty-year conflict in Sardinia.

But at this moment, they still used the consul to smooth things over, each taking a step back and giving each other a step down.

"Humph, Your Majesty the Governor, let me remind you that the military power of Sardinia is under my control."

Lieutenant General Ethel snorted coldly, and after saying a harsh word, he led the guards out of the meeting hall without looking back:

"If you dare to dictate military affairs again, I will definitely take you, the traitor, back to Turin for trial."

Just as the Governor's Palace in Cagliari was panicking and arguing about the arrival of the Corsican army, the northernmost town in Sardinia - San Mare, across the sea from Bonifa in Corsica Within the town.

This is a coastal town with a population of only a few thousand. Except for a small number of fishermen and swamp hunters, the residents here are basically engaged in dangerous and hard mining work.

In Sardinia, which is rich in mineral resources, the mining industry is also the lifeblood that supports the island's economy.

In fact, Sardinia, which is rich in coal, copper, silver, lead and other mineral reserves, was also the first place in Europe to start metal smelting - metal smelting and processing technology existed here as early as the third millennium BC. These technologies It also gradually spread to ancient Rome through maritime trade routes.

During the Roman Empire, the Argentiera silver mine in Sardinia was the most productive silver mine in Italy. Even in the 21st century, 80% of the lead and zinc in Italy are mined in this small mine. of Sardinia.

It's just that at the moment, these rich mines cannot bring even a slight improvement to the poor and miserable lives of the islanders. After all, the nobles and businessmen from Savoy took control of this island thirty years ago. Island Economy and Politics.

Sardinian miners risked seeing the light of day to pull out truckloads of priceless ore, but the hot profits continued to flow into the pockets of the Savoy people, leaving only dust and debris for the native islanders. The soup is served cold.

In the town of Saint-Mare, a Baron of Savoy serves as the consul here. He monopolizes the production and trade of several surrounding mines with the royal franchise, and uses power and capital mergers to control the town. More than 70% of the land and wealth.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Baron of Savoy is already the only lord of this town, and this situation is common in local towns throughout Sardinia.

On weekdays, on such a sunny noon, the Baron of Savoy is accustomed to sitting on the castle lookout and admiring the bright coastal scenery while sipping Naples red wine after a sumptuous lunch.

But today, he obviously can no longer be so leisurely and leisurely. The entire town of Saint-Marie is now in chaos:

"Open the door quickly! Please!"

"Adults, gentlemen! Let me in!"

"Well, at least let this kid stay inside, he won't take up space."

"That group of people is already here, didn't you see it?!"

Crowds of townspeople were already crowding outside the baron's castle gate. They all looked frightened and panicked. Many people rushed outside the castle gate with all their belongings and their families.

They begged and begged the castle guards, even kowtowing and kneeling, almost unaware of the bleeding on their foreheads, just so that they or their wives and children could enter the safety of the castle.

There is only one reason why the townspeople of Saint-Mare are so frightened - the Corsican fleet entered the town port an hour ago. Those Corsican people who are rumored to be brutal and rough, and drink blood from raw materials, Already arrived on the land of Sardinia.

The old people who had experienced the Seven Years' War were mentally prepared to accept that their homes would be reduced to ruins under the looting of Corsican soldiers, just like the Sardinian soldiers did to the Corsicans.

"Get away, the Baron said, no one can be allowed in now!"

A group of castle guards firmly held the door, and they had even pointed their guns at the unarmed and desperate townspeople outside. Although this group of guards did not have the courage to resist the Corsican army, they were willing to throw their weapons at the group. The people of Ding Island will never lose their courage to open fire.

After all, in the eyes of these Savoy-born guards, Sardinians have never been equal members of the country's society. Their treatment of Sardinians is only slightly better than the Spanish's treatment of Native Americans.

On the terrace of the castle, the current baron was also nervously observing the movements of the Corsican army.

He knew that his guard of more than a hundred people could only deal with some rogues and thieves and robbers in peacetime, and it was absolutely impossible to cause any interference to the Corsican army, which was estimated to have more than 5,000 people.

All the baron can do now is to pray that the Corsicans will be satisfied after looting the towns and massacring the residents, and continue southward, thereby sparing his insignificant little fortress. After all, the Corsican attack It still takes a lot of effort to get down to this castle.

As long as the castle, wealth and lives can be saved, it doesn't matter how many townspeople die. The Sardinians in the countryside are nothing more than a group of talking animals.

Time passed by, and as all the Corsican troops landed at the port and completed their reorganization, the citizens of Saint-Mare became increasingly desperate.

War and destruction, this seems to be the final outcome of this mediocre coastal town, at least in the hearts of the Sardinian people.

They knew that their army had done the same thing to the Corsicans, so no matter how angrily the Corsican army vented their hatred on this land, it seemed not to be an exaggeration.

And while everyone was waiting in horror for fate to pronounce the death sentence, the baron on the observation deck suddenly noticed something unusual:

"Why don't the Corsicans go into the town? They want to camp outside the city?"

Standing at a high place, the baron could clearly see that the Corsican army only sent a small force into Saint Mare, and its main force moved into an open space on the outskirts of the town after landing and reorganizing. .

Not to mention looting and massacring the city, the main force of the Corsican army did not seem to intend to enter the town of Saint Mare.

The Corsican soldiers who entered the town quickly dispersed and took the initiative to maintain order in the streets of the town, instantly frightening those profit-minded people who took advantage of the situation to cause chaos.

More than an hour later, the baron in the stands was even more surprised to find that most of the frightened townspeople surrounding the gate of his castle had gradually returned to the town, as if the heavily armed Corsi Chia soldiers don't exist at all.

At this time, a servant who was out looking for news returned to the castle, and his expression was equally weird:

"Sir! Those Corsican soldiers seem to be maintaining law and order on the streets. They also said that this time they were led by Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte himself. Prime Minister Bonaparte swore an honorary oath to all the townspeople that his troops would not harm No civilian life, nor take any civilian property.”

"What the hell, does he think he is the lord here?"

The baron frowned and cursed, not understanding what Bonaparte wanted to do at all. This is not how the rules of war work:

"How could those untouchables believe such a lie?"

"It seems that Laurence Bonaparte also has considerable influence among Sardinians. Because of the land reform implemented in Corsica last year, many Sardinians yearn to live in Corsica. You must still remember , we also arrested a group of untouchables who wanted to smuggle into Bonifa last month."

The servant hesitated for a moment and tried his best to explain:

"Just now the townspeople were afraid of the Corsicans, but after they heard that Laurence Bonaparte personally led the army and swore an oath on his honor, many people seemed willing to believe Bonaparte's promise."

"whispering sound"

As the largest local landowner and lord, the Baron naturally scorned Corsica's land reform. He firmly believed that the group of serfs would only make a mess of their land after losing the protection and leadership of the lord:

"What a bunch of ignorant low-class people. This must be Bonaparte's lie. He wants to deceive everyone so that he can catch them all! Forget it, as long as the Corsican people don't make plans for me, those untouchables will be fine no matter what." ”

Of course, another hour passed, and the concentrated massacre that the baron expected did not appear.

The Corsican army peacefully took over the town of Saint-Mare without any casualties. After ensuring order in the town and eliminating dangers and hidden dangers, Laurence Bonaparte and a group of officers approached him nearby. Escorted by a hundred soldiers, they entered the town.

The townspeople looked at the young man riding a horse in the center of the team with complicated expressions. In name, he was an enemy of the kingdom, but emotionally, they hoped that they could become subjects under the young man's rule.

During this year, various rumors from Corsica have become the most common topics of conversation among Sardinians.

The islanders found in disbelief that their neighbors living on the other side of the sea, who had the same skin color, same language, and same culture as them, had actually lived a life they had dreamed of or even dared to imagine.

Originally, under the rule of Pasquale Paoli, the Sardinians were already very envious of Corsica's ability to gain independence from Genoa and become an independent nation-state, instead of suffering the same abuses from the Savoys as they did. Bullying and exploitation.

After hearing the news about the emancipation of serfs, economic development, and independent elections in Corsica, the island across the sea suddenly became the paradise in the hearts of many Sardinian people.

In addition, Lawrence Bonaparte had already instructed the Corsican government to be open to immigrants from Sardinia. In just one year, thousands of people immigrated to Corsica, and even many poor people immigrated to Corsica. The Bonifa foreign national who could not afford a boat ticket risked his life to come to San Mare and swim across the channel, trying to sneak across the sea.

Although they knew it was just an unattainable dream, at this moment, these low-level townspeople did not hope that the young man in front of them could stay and turn Sardinia into the second Corsica.

Under the expectant and admiring gaze of the townspeople, Laurence Bonaparte led the team to the square in the center of the town, and quickly built a simple speech platform here.

Subsequently, Lawrence sent a message to the castle in the center of the town, asking the alderman here to meet with him within an hour, otherwise, the Corsican army would completely raze his castle.

Under this strong coercion, the baron in the castle had no choice but to lead a few followers and guards to the square in the center of the town. Under the gaze of hundreds of townspeople, he sat uneasily and sat down with Lawrence Bonnet. Opposite the bus.

The baron took a deep breath, calmed down a little, and then glanced at the untouchables in the audience with a look of disdain. He did not want his ugly appearance to be seen by these lowly townspeople. As a lord, he should always be great and majestic. That's right.

"Greetings to you, distinguished Prime Minister Bonaparte."

The baron bowed gracefully, thinking he was very humble:

"I am the consul of this place, a baron from Piedmont. I am very sorry that our countries are enemies of each other, but I swear to God that I have no hostility towards you and your army. I also believe that , with your noble reputation, you will definitely not do any hostile behavior towards a noble who takes the initiative to express goodwill."

As he spoke, the baron quickly gestured to the two servants behind him, and the two servants walked up with difficulty carrying a heavy box.

Opening the lid, the box was actually filled with gold bars and silver ingots, which shone brightly in the sunlight, making people unable to open their eyes. This jewelery immediately made the people in the audience exclaim. Seeing that their lord Much richer than imagined.

Even the members of the Privy Knights behind Lawrence couldn't help but stare. These military cadets, most of whom were civilians, had never seen such huge wealth before.

Obviously, this box of valuable gold and silver is the baron's goodwill to Lawrence. His intention is also very obvious. He hopes to use this box as his ransom payment, begging Lawrence's army to let him go and leave this place. A town.

Normally, a noble leader with a high reputation should happily accept this treasure and keep his promise to lead the army out of here. This is also a noble but hypocritical rule of war between nobles.

Lawrence's eyes only stayed on the shining golden treasure for a moment and then moved away. Instead, he asked with interest:

"Are you a baron from Savoy?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, I was born in the rich and elegant Po River plain, and I am a hereditary baron."

The baron's waist straightened subconsciously, and his voice became much tougher.

As a hereditary baron of Savoy, he not only believed that he was nobler than the untouchables in the audience, he even felt that he was better than Laurence Bonaparte in terms of blood. After all, the other party was just a declining earl family. descendants.

Lawrence nodded slightly and said nothing. Instead, he took two documents from a civil servant behind him and threw them to the baron in front of him:

"Since you took the initiative to express your goodwill, I think you would be happy to do me another favor and cooperate with me in implementing these two bills in this town, right?"

"Of course! Let alone two, even if it is two hundred, I will firmly cooperate with you to implement it. Wait!"

The baron was about to pat his chest and agree, but when he saw the contents of the two bills, his expression instantly froze:

"This is the land reform and agricultural tax reform bill you implemented in Corsica?"

As soon as these words came out, the Sardinian people in the audience widened their eyes one after another, thinking that there was something wrong with their ears.

What would happen, would Laurence Bonaparte implement directly in Sardinia the reforms he had implemented in Corsica? ! The Kingdom of Corsica only maintains military occupation of this town and has not legally incorporated it into its territory.

"Is there any problem?" Lawrence asked with a smile.

"I don't, I mean there's something inappropriate about it."

The baron suddenly started to hesitate and speak incoherently:

"Your Excellency, I am the consul here and the lord here. I am loyal to my king, and His Majesty the King has given me the legal power to govern this land and obtain profits, but your reform bill will take my land away. My hereditary fiefdom and all my legitimate sources of income will be taken away and distributed to these untouchables who are inferior to pigs and dogs!"

Although the baron knew that the Kingdom of Corsica would not be able to force the Palace of Turin to cede Sardinia after the war, the Kingdom of Sardinia would definitely continue to rule Sardinia after the war.

But once he agrees to transfer his land, property and management rights to civilians, can he still ask for these rights back after the war? After all, no one knows when this war will end.

The baron's voice rose a few degrees. Even though he knew he was powerless to resist Bonaparte, he still couldn't help but argue with all his wealth and property:

"You are illegal! Prime Minister Bonaparte, you are only occupying this land. Only the Savoy Dynasty has the legal right to rule this land!"

Although he understood the other party's resistance, Lawrence's smile still disappeared, and his voice immediately turned cold:

“Wherever my armies go, I rule.”

"If you insist on having your own way." The baron's momentum suddenly weakened, and he could only grit his teeth and threaten:

"The nobles of Savoy will definitely not support you. We are the masters of Sardinia. Without our support and support, you will be unable to move in Sardinia! If other consuls violate their rights so unreasonably, rights, you will be revolted throughout Sardinia!”

Lawrence shook his head slightly and said calmly:

"I don't need your support, the people of Sardinia will support me."

"This is Monsignor Bonaparte!"

"That's enough. Take him away."

As soon as the baron finished speaking, before he could say anything else, Lawrence signaled the soldiers to step forward and arrest the arrogant and self-proclaimed noble Baron of Savoy and put him in jail.

The people stared at their lord being dragged off the platform, and at the once majestic and domineering Baron being taken out of everyone's sight like a dead dog. The townspeople didn't react for a long time.

"As for the baron's property."

Lawrence glanced at the box of gold and silver and the castle not far away, and casually ordered his left and right:

"After counting, half will be used to reward the soldiers, and the other half will be distributed to the people here."

Hearing this, the people below once again set off an uproar. Many townspeople were salivating, and they even swallowed their saliva. They knew how much wealth the baron had accumulated through monopoly operations and land mergers over the years.

An elder who was quite prestigious in the local area was so excited that he trembled all over. He led the people around him to kneel on the ground and shouted: "Master Bonaparte! Your kindness and merits must be seen by God. This great kindness will be praised in this town for a hundred years!" Looking at the civilians kneeling on the ground like reeds in the wind, Lawrence frowned slightly, jumped off the platform and helped the elder up: "Please stand up. There is no master in Corsica, and there should be no master in Sardinia. From today on, you don't need to kneel to anyone, and this is not a great kindness at all. These properties are your hard-earned money. I am just returning them to their original owners." The elder was stunned and didn't react for a while. It was not until Lawrence helped him up that he suddenly felt that this Lord Bonaparte seemed different from the previous lords. The people were also stunned. Before this, not many people felt that the Baron's legal property had anything to do with them. It was as if the boxes of gold and silver in the Baron's castle fell from the sky. "And fellow Sardinians, please allow me to address you this way, because Corsicans and Sardinians have been blood relatives since ancient times."

As the people gradually stood up, Lawrence also stood back on the podium and shouted passionately:

"I, Lawrence Bonaparte, came to Sardinia for only one purpose, not destruction, nor revenge, but liberation! In the three hundred years of oppression by Genoa, the Corsicans have suffered from exploitation and oppression, so we can deeply understand your hardships and bitterness, and we can empathize with your sorrow under the rule of the Savoys; when I heard that the consul just now regarded the entire town as his own private property, I can even imagine how much power and wealth that should belong to you he has taken for his own use!"

These passionate words instantly resonated among the Sardinians.

The lonely widow covered her face and cried bitterly. Her husband died in corvée for the Baron and did not even leave a single copper coin for the family. The old and frail man was sad. His son was forcibly conscripted not long ago and was probably dead on the battlefield in Corsica.

As for the Sardinians who died tragically in this land due to the exploitation and oppression of the Savoys in the past thirty years, if their wronged souls could wail, there would be thousands of cries at this moment.

Thinking of the arrogant appearance of the Savoy nobles and bureaucrats, thinking of their own hard-working but impoverished status, thinking of the Corsicans on the other side of the sea who had escaped oppression and were enjoying unprecedented economic and trade prosperity, a large number of townspeople shed tears on the spot.

"Let me say, enough! Everything is enough! My fellow Sardinians! From now on, this situation must be ended. I, Lawrence Bonaparte, can no longer sit idly by while my fellow countrymen are in dire straits. The Sardinians themselves should govern this land, and the workers themselves should enjoy the fruits of their labor. Let those robbers and thieves go back to northern Italy. My army and I are here for this!" Witnessing the tears of the townspeople, Lawrence raised his arms and shouted: "We will never leave this suffering land before the whole of Sardinia is liberated! I hereby declare that the land reform and agricultural tax reform bills will be officially implemented in the town of San Mare today, and the existing San Mare City Hall will be dissolved immediately, and elections will be organized immediately for Sardinians to serve as municipal officials! Hold your heads high and be proud of it, fellow countrymen, you deserve it! Because this town will open the curtain for the liberation of the whole of Sardinia!" The people looked up at the blond young man on the stage in a daze, watching him raise his right arm and declare his power. This is completely unheard of in the past hundred years. From Pisa to Spain, from Austria to Savoy, the outsiders who ruled Sardinia have changed one after another, but no ruler has ever told them that the people of Sardinia also have innate rights.

For a time, the people were in tears and felt a little at a loss.

Autonomy, land to the tiller, light taxes, equality and freedom, are these no longer the moon in the water and the flower in the dream? !

The townspeople once dreamed of living the life of Corsican freemen, but now they don’t have to risk thousands of difficulties and dangers to sneak to Corsica. Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte in front of them has brought them the dawn of a new era.

Thousands of words surged into their throats, but in the end they only turned into a unified tsunami:

"Long live Bonaparte!"

"Long live Bonaparte!"

"Long live Bonaparte!"