"It's been so many years, it's been too long since I've seen such a grand occasion."

A pale-haired old man trembled and huddled in the mountains of people on both sides of the street, muttering stupidly, looking at the long line of triumphant warriors in the middle of the road.

A citizen of onlookers glanced at the old man, waved feverishly at the soldiers, and said excitedly:

"It's the first time I've seen such a scene, and I dare say all the people of Ajaccio have run out of their houses, and see, from the East to the West, every street is flooded. Oh my God, I didn't even know there were so many people in Ajaccio. ”

The old man kept nodding his head and muttered:

"But once a long time ago."

"Huh? When? ”

"Almost twenty years ago, when General Paulie liberated Ajaccio, that scene was far from what it is now."

......

When the Sardinian captives marched in front of the people, every citizen shouted and cursed, and the most unpleasant words that they would not normally use were thrown out loudly by the citizens.

The captives, dressed in blood-stained and tattered uniforms, stinky and with their hands tied behind their backs, walked past them with their heads bowed in the face of the people's insults.

And when the Corsican soldiers walked in front of the crowd with their heads held high, they were greeted by deafening cheers and flowers thrown from the crowd.

Even the shopkeepers of the shops on both sides of the street closed their storefronts early and carried their goods directly into the street, generously stuffing all kinds of food and wine glasses into the hands of passing soldiers.

Even peasants who have spent their lives in Corsica have heard of the existence of the Kingdom of Sardinia and know that it is a country far richer and more powerful than Corsica.

But, citizens of Ajaccio, now, look before your eyes.

Look at the grizzled captives, who can't hold their heads up like slaves in ancient Rome, ask them where they came from, and ask who they were defeated.

The Corsicans, who were discriminated against because of their poverty and backwardness, and who were contemptuously called savages in the mountains, can also raise their eyebrows in front of foreigners today.

As the leader of the entire team, Lawrence was rightfully the center of attention.

Countless freshly picked flowers that still exuded an aftertaste flew towards Lawrence, and even the road in front of him was cheered by the citizens who paved the petals in advance.

Even the war horse under Lawrence's crotch is so lively and lovely in the eyes of the citizens at the moment, and from time to time someone squeezes out from both sides of the street and enthusiastically stuffs fresh carrots into the horse's mouth.

Lawrence let go of the reins and let the horses walk freely, smiling and waving to the people on both sides of the street, and even on the surrounding rooftops.

"Lieutenant Colonel Bonaparte, I can't handle this kind of scene."

Major Trefarley rode up to Lawrence's side and said with a little crying and laughing.

Lawrence turned his head to glance at Major Trefali, who, like Lieutenant Seth, was laughing and dusting off the petals.

And the two of them also wore a beautifully woven wreath on their heads, which was shyly given to them by a few young girls who had squeezed out of the crowd.

Lawrence hesitated for a moment, but still smiled and said to the two:

"Enjoy the moment."

The reason Lawrence deliberately marched around the city with his troops was not for vanity and show, but for the sake of Major Trevary and Lieutenant Seth.

Only by pulling the two of them into the sun and exposing them to the attention of the public will Poly have more scruples when he wants to do something to these two.

Lawrence had just lowered his head and pondered for a moment when he heard a sudden commotion in front of him.

The citizens in front of them seemed to be more excited, and the cheers became more and more deafening.

Lawrence was stunned for a moment, and then he realized what was making the citizens even more excited.

"Calculate the time, it's really time to come forward."

Lawrence sighed slightly, shook the reins, and rode his horse forward.

I saw that at the corner in front of me, a neatly arrayed cuirassier cavalry slowly walked out, their armor shining with dazzling silver light in the sunlight, and the chestnut-haired war horses under their crotch were even more powerful.

Their leader, Pasquale Pauli, also rode a solid white horse, smiling at the townspeople on either side more skillfully than Lawrence.

The two teams were still tens of meters apart, but Lawrence could already see Pauly's outfit:

On such a special day, Poly really wore his unique general's uniform, and rarely wore a saber and pistol around his waist.

Even the white horse under his crotch was dressed in a set of leather outfits according to the standards of war horses.

Such a dress is undoubtedly a signal: he Paulie is not only a soldier, but also Lawrence's direct superior, and today's glory also has his share of Pauly.

"It's a hot one."

Lawrence said to himself with a blank face.

Behind him, Major Trefali and Lieutenant Seth had much more complicated expressions.

After learning the inside story that Lawrence had told them, it was the first time the two of them had seen the general who had given them so much blood.

"General Paulie, I'm back."

Lawrence turned over and dismounted, took the reins and walked towards Paulie, and said with a non-smiling smile.

Paulie did not dismount, but nodded to Lawrence on horseback, maintained a seemingly enthusiastic smile, and deliberately said loudly:

"Lieutenant Colonel Bonaparte, and the warriors of Corsica, most sincerely greet you for your triumph."

In stark contrast to the cheers of the townspeople, Lawrence and the soldiers behind him were in stark contrast.

The soldiers looked at Pauly without any waves, and this set of hypocritical statements could not erase the pain they had suffered on the battlefield, on the contrary, many soldiers also saw that Pauly deliberately dressed up to divide the honor they had bought with blood.

At this moment, in the eyes of the soldiers, Lawrence, who was undoubtedly bathed in artillery fire with them, was more worthy of follow.

"Just do my duty." Lawrence said without humility or arrogance to Pauly.

Pauly nodded to Lawrence, but did not speak, but ordered the cavalry to turn their horses' heads and deliberately walk in front of Lawrence's group, continuing the unfinished procession.

Lieutenant Seth frowned and whispered beside Lawrence:

"Sir, they're obviously trying to steal the limelight from us, but we're the ..."

Before the lieutenant could finish his words, Lawrence shook his head and made a boo gesture, and after a pause, he pointed to the soldiers behind him covertly, and said in a deep voice:

"You know, and they know."

With that, Lawrence took the reins and followed the group, and Lieutenant Lyusett remained stunned for a long time.

......

The march lasted until the evening, and when Lawrence and Paulie returned to the Doge's Palace, the streets were still full of discussion about what had happened during the day.

Walk into one of Ajaccio's taverns and you'll see people gulping beer and telling stories of the afternoon to their fellows who missed the parade.

Paulie and Lawrence, the old and the young, have begun to be discussed on an equal footing.

Many people have begun to sincerely hope for, and even pray, that in the future, when their beloved Governor Poly leaves his post due to old age, this remarkable young man will continue to lead Corsica.

Of course, no one can say exactly when this future will happen.