The flames on board the Reasonable were still raging, and although the experienced sailors on board had brought the fire under control on the upper deck, there was nothing they could do about the tongues of fire that spread across the hull.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, a white flag flew over the Reason, announcing their formal surrender to the Corsican army.

The officers on board climbed down the gangway in an orderly manner, and as soon as they stepped onto the dock, they were immediately detained by the Corsican soldiers waiting by the side, and brought to Lawrence.

"We surrender to you, Governor Bonaparte."

One of the officers at the head bowed deeply and said politely:

"I hope you will treat the prisoners of war as they deserve and allow us to contact their families and the state to prepare our ransom."

"Phew!"

Before Lawrence could respond, Lieutenant Seth behind him could not bear it anymore.

Although Lieutenant Seth could not understand the officer's English, after seeing their pretentious expressions and hypocritical etiquette, Lieutenant Seth couldn't help but curse bitterly:

"This beast with a human face and a beast's heart! And every day they talk about gentlemen, their hands are full of Corsican blood, and the blood has not even dried up!"

After scolding himself, Lieutenant Seth apologized to Lawrence with a look of shame and said:

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm excited."

Lawrence just shook his head absently and said calmly:

"That's fine, that's what I thought."

After that, Lawrence moved his gaze to these sanctimonious British elders in front of him, and said expressionlessly:

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, I had to disappoint you."

"Huh? What do you mean?!"

The officer at the head froze in place, looking at Lawrence in bewilderment.

In his view, the conditions he had put forward were only the most basic rites of war, and what was the governor of Bonaparte to do if he could not even meet such demands.

While the officers were hesitating, Captain Morris, who was the most depressed, suddenly burst out laughing miserably, laughing at himself and mocking the stupidity of the officers.

A few weeks earlier, when Captain Morris and William Pitt were living in the Governor's House, Morris had been inquiring with Pitt about Lawrence and had some knowledge of Lawrence's style.

For this decisive young man, Captain Morris had long been determined that he would not let himself live, which is why Captain Morris never considered surrendering.

"Grosso, are you all ready?"

Lawrence ignored the officers' stunned expressions and asked Grosso behind him.

"When the stakes were set, they stood in the midst of the people, and they were all gathered there."

Grosso also put away his cynical face and said seriously:

"Are you really going to burn these people to death? You didn't make the decision on the spur of the moment, did you?"

Lawrence nodded slightly, he certainly didn't decide to put these officers to death on a whim.

The burning at the stake was both an explanation to the citizens of Ajaccio and a warning from Lawrence to the various forces in Ajaccio.

For those forces who had other intentions while Lawrence's foundation was unstable, the wails of these Englishmen were enough to make them settle down for a while.

"It's useless for me to keep these people, it's enough to have William Pitt on the hostage's side." Lawrence nodded in confirmation to Grosso.

"What about the sailors on board? And the men who were captured during the pursuit, I didn't have so many burns at the stake." Grosso asked with a frown.

Lawrence glanced at the Reasonable, the fire on the ship had been largely contained with the assistance of the Corsican soldiers, and the sailors had left the ship with their heads in their hands.

"No, they still have some effect." Lawrence shook his head and said:

"The Ajaccio Silver Mine is in ruins, and there is a shortage of labor. These Englishmen, along with the more than a thousand Sardinian prisoners of war, will work for Corsica to their deaths as atonement."

"Shhhh

Grosso took a breath of cold air and glanced at the British sailors with some pity, if he was to choose, it would be better for him to be burned on the spot than to spend the rest of his life in the mines like a slave.

"Governor Bonaparte, what the hell do you want to do?!"

Seeing that Lawrence had never answered them, the British officers asked anxiously and aloud.

Lawrence glanced at these people with cold eyes, especially at Captain Morris, who was pale at this time, and then completely took his eyes off them, waved his hand and ordered the soldiers around him:

"Take them away."

A group of soldiers immediately swarmed in, stepped forward and forcefully carried the officers and began to walk out.

"You! Governor Bonaparte, what are you going to do?"

The officer at the head was locked behind his back with his hands locked behind his back, but he still did not give up, and struggled and shouted:

"We are prisoners of war who surrendered voluntarily, you must treat us preferentially!"

Lawrence just waved his hand as if he hadn't heard, and motioned directly to the soldiers to take them away.

The two soldiers who were holding the officer, after receiving Lawrence's signal, also unceremoniously smashed an elbow on the officer's head, and scolded bitterly:

"Be honest, you bastard!"

The soldiers hated these inhuman executioners.

The rest of the officers watched as the man had been elbowed firmly, and gave up the struggle with all his strength, and was parried by the soldiers with a weak body and a blank eye.

At the same time, a soldier on the dock also came to salute Lawrence and reported:

"Governor Bonaparte, and the sailors are also under control."

Lawrence nodded, and saw that the sailors on the dock were already crouching on the ground with their heads in their hands, surrounded by soldiers.

"That's right." Lawrence suddenly remembered something, and asked the soldier:

"Is there a little boy in there?"

"Yes, sir."

"Bring him to me."

"Yes."

After a few moments, little Nelson staggered to Lawrence, whose face had not recovered from his panic until this time, and which he had been since Captain Morris ordered the massacre.

"Your Excellency Bonaparte... Mr. Grosso—" Little Nelson looked up and looked at Lawrence and Grosso with a complicated expression.

"Alas, that's a pity." Grosso shook his head in embarrassment, thinking that Lawrence was also going to send Nelson into the mines, and said regretfully:

"This kid was originally a good seedling."

Lawrence looked down at Nelson's saber, which was still smooth and neat without a trace of blood, and it seemed that Captain Morris had not yet lost his mind enough to allow the twelve-year-old boy to join in the slaughter.

"Horatio Nelson, you must have seen the atrocities you committed in Ajaccio."

Lawrence asked in a deep voice as he stared into Nelson's eyes.

"It's... Lord Bonaparte—" Nelson whispered, bowing his head in shame.

"Even though you weren't personally involved, you can't escape the blame you deserve."

Lawrence's voice suddenly became a little harsh, and he said almost scoldingly:

"Now you have two choices, one is to spend your life in the mines as a laborer, and the other is to join the Corsican Navy to clear your name, the choice is yours."

"I—" Nelson's eyes widened, and although he didn't know why Lawrence had two conditions on himself, he quickly thought about comparing the two options.

"Hey, Lawrence, you're going to bring this kid over? He's still an Englishman."

Before Nelson could reply, Grosso frowned and reminded Lawrence.

"It doesn't matter, he's only twelve years old after all, he's still a blank slate, and in ten years he'll call himself Corsican."

Lawrence said with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

"I... I chose to join the Corsican Navy."

Nelson, who had hesitated for a long time, finally gritted his teeth and looked at Lawrence with determination.

In any case, little Nelson is still not willing to bury all his life that has not yet begun in the endless mountains.

"Very well, very well—" Lawrence patted Nelson on the shoulder with a little satisfaction, and said to Grosso:

"I'll leave this kid to you, you don't mind multiple students, right?"

Grosso saw that Nelson had agreed, and he had to say helplessly:

"Well, it's up to him what this kid can learn."

And just as the three of them were talking, they suddenly heard a miserable howl behind them.

The wail broke through the shouts of the citizens, sharp and piercing, and it lasted for a long time, penetrating into the marrow of the listeners, so that Lawrence and Grosso couldn't help but shudder slightly when they heard it.

Lawrence turned his head to look behind him, and in the center where the citizens had gathered, several conspicuous flames had been ignited, and black smoke was constantly rising upwards at the moment.

Several human figures could be faintly seen on the stake, writhing in pain with the wail.

"What's wrong?"

When Nelson heard this, he quickly turned his head to find out the situation, but Lawrence directly covered his eyes with his hands:

"Alright, good boy, close your eyes and don't look."

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Chapter 125: The Disposition of the British, Free Read.