At one o'clock in the afternoon, the port of Ajaccio.

For the citizens of Ajaccio, there are very few important days when they can walk out of their homes like this, and thousands of people gather together to form a black and oppressive sea of people.

Even the Independence Day celebrations in Corsica are not so spectacular.

There was only one event that would have brought thousands of citizens to the port spontaneously and enthusiastically, and their beloved Doge Bonaparte was about to return to his loyal Ajaccio.

Although Corsica is more than 2,000 miles from Paris, the citizens of Ajaccio are always concerned about the deeds of the Doge Bonaparte, and the latest news about the Doge of Bonaparte in Paris will be heard from time to time in the streets.

Especially when the citizens heard that Lawrence used the Ajaccio silver vein to gather tens of millions of livres, Ajaccio fell directly into a small carnival that day.

The people raised their glasses and vied with each other to praise the name of Governor Bonaparte, and with red faces arguing about what an astonishing fortune the tens of millions of livres was, and most of Ajaccio was immersed in joy.

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You know, such a sum of money alone is divided equally among each Corsican in the hundreds of livres, and although Lawrence certainly will not distribute the money directly, the Corsicans also know that their poor life is finally about to usher in a turnaround.

At this moment, the streets around the quays were occupied by fanatical citizens, and almost every one of them had a face overflowing with joy and was discussing the matter of Doge Bonaparte:

"I heard that the Governor was about to arrive at the port, and I had no idea that he would be able to dig up tens of millions of livres in our ravine."

"Yes, the Doge of Bonaparte also brought peace to Corsica, which neither the Doge of Pauly did. Although to admit that Louis XV was king made me very uncomfortable... But in any case, there is finally no war in Corsica. ”

"Well, I still wish Corsica could be a fertile land of freedom, I mean... No one wants to see a king they've never met suddenly riding on their neck, right? ”

"Although it is... But man, peace, rare peace. I went to Bastia for a short vacation, which was unimaginable before. If Governor Bonaparte doesn't, the devil knows how long we're going to fight the Genoese. ”

"And Ajaccio has changed a lot lately, without the invasion and blockade of those damn Genoese bitches, there are far more merchant ships docking at the port of Ajaccio than before."

...

Compared with the noise and hustle and bustle of several surrounding streets, the scene above the pier is a completely opposite solemnity and solemnity.

The Wehrmacht soldiers at the Ajaccio garrison were almost all in force, heavily armed on the various paths in and out of the port, which looked like a dark green wall from a distance.

The soldiers were all high and their morale was high, and although their muskets were of different styles, some even rusty, each of them would not hesitate to obey the dictates of Bonaparte, as they had done on the battlefield before.

The soldiers near the shore stared expectantly and solemnly at the ocean in their sight, waiting for the return of the only commander they recognized.

On the deck of the dock, the cuirassiers, one of the most elite forces in Corsica at the moment, were already lined up to meet them.

The cavalry commander, Captain Matik, straddled a white-maned horse in a blue coat and gazed at the sea with the same solemn expression as his men.

Half a year ago, when Lawrence usurped power in Corsica from Pauly, Captain Matic, who was a loyal supporter of Pauly, still had great hopes for Pauly's restoration, so he was quite reluctant to accept Lawrence's orders.

Now, months later, Captain Matic finally accepted the fact that Corsican authority was firmly in Lawrence's hands.

And Captain Matic also deeply understands that if he still wants to wear armor and a knife and ride the war horse under his crotch to stay with these subordinates who are born and died behind him, then the object of allegiance can no longer be the general Pauli, who will be under house arrest for the rest of his life.

And before the array of cuirassiers, the first people who could see the Doge Bonaparte were two majors in different uniforms:

Major Trefalli of the Wehrmacht of Corsica and Major Serurier, commander of the French garrison in Corsica.

Major Serillier narrowed his eyes, stared closely at the several French heavy cruisers on the sea, which were already able to distinguish their outlines, rubbed his hands excitedly and expectantly, and said in a fairly fluent Italian:

"The frigates of France ... It must have been Bonaparte's satrap, but it was coming. ”

Major Trevary nodded in response, and then said with some curiosity:

"That's right, Major Serieri. But I really didn't expect you to offer to meet Doge Bonaparte with you, and it seems that you want to meet with him right away. ”

Since the last time Major Seriier and his garrison arrived in Corsica with the Duke of Choiseul, they have been stationed in a camp near Ajaccio, so there has been a great deal of work between Major Serurier and Major Trefarly, the commander of the Ajaccio garrison.

During these months, Major Créfari also more or less figured out the character of Major Serier.

He had little affection for a remote place like Corsica, especially Major Serire, who thought he had a lot of room for advancement in the army, but he did not expect to be assigned to such a poor country as commander of the garrison.

This made Celier, who had joined the army at the age of thirteen, feel that his future was bleak, and naturally he had no good attitude towards a small island country like Corsica.

Therefore, it is true that Major Trefali did not expect that Celeric would offer to join the formation to meet Lawrence.

In the face of Major Trevary's curious question, Serurier smiled and shook his head, looking a little ashamed, but still looked at the fleet not far away and said slowly:

"According to diplomatic etiquette, of course I have to attend such an important occasion. And... Nor was I mentally prepared to have foreseen that His Excellency Bonaparte would be able to do such things in Paris. ”

The historical Imperial Marshal subconsciously showed obvious admiration and admiration when he mentioned Lawrence's deeds in Paris, and his tone was even mixed with a bit of admiration, even if it had been a long time since he learned the news.

The twenty-eight-year-old Major Serrelière could be called a young man, but he was still ashamed of himself in front of Lawrence, who was only twenty years old.

"Yes, I don't know much about what happened in Paris, I only know that the Doge has brought us back a fortune that we will never spend a lifetime."

Major Trefalli ruffled his hair and looked at Major Serier.

Major Serier nodded in agreement, but his focus was not on the tens of millions of livres he had with Major Trefali and all the other Corsicans.

Major Serialier, who came from a small aristocratic family in Lyon, knew in his heart that although such a fortune of this magnitude was staggering, there were still many financiers and nobles in Lyon and Paris who could have assets of such a magnitude.

As a young and strong French soldier with a promising future, Major Serillier was more concerned with how to climb the ladder in this large and bloated army system.

After being assigned to Corsica as commander of the garrison, Major Serillier thought that his future was cut off by nine-tenths, and that he would spend almost the rest of his life on this island where birds don't.

However, after receiving news from Paris a few days ago, Major Serierier was shocked to discover that the ruler of this island was able to win the favor of the Duke of Choiseul and King Louis, and even to overthrow the invincible Duke of Richelieu in the center of the Kingdom of France.

Thinking of this, Major Serialier's gaze increased sharply with determination and heat, and he stared closely at the fleet that was getting closer and closer.

Celerier, who has been known for his accurate standing in line in history, has long analyzed and understood the current situation:

If you want to leave this remote and wild place and seek a brighter political future, the key is all on the slowly approaching sailboat.

...

After more than an hour, the much-anticipated fleet finally sailed into the port of Ajaccio to the sound of seagulls.

The eight French heavy cruisers escorted by the escort were anchored in the area of the military port, where they would remain for a period of time to demonstrate France's right to Corsica.

As for Lawrence's brig, the brig sailed straight into the dock that had been prepared long ago, and docked smoothly on the shore.

The soldiers who were guarding their posts couldn't help but sneak a few steps towards the dock at this moment, wanting to get a closer look at the only commander they were supporting.

Finally, accompanied by Grosso, Yaan, Anna and Rousseau, Lawrence walked slowly down the gangway in the eyes of everyone, and once again stepped on the land of Corsica.

Major Trevary and Major Serurier stepped forward in unison, raising their hands in a military salute to Lawrence, with a very clean movement.

"Your Excellency the Governor, the land of Corsica holds you up as always."

With a shallow smile on his serious countenance, Major Trevary said in a deep voice:

"Your return also brings the glory of this country back to wholeness."

"My glory is with the people of Corsica." Lawrence nodded in response.

Major Serreier then said:

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, the French garrison in Corsica salutes you the highest respect, and we are willing to defend the peace of Corsica with our lives under your banner."

Lawrence glanced at Serurier, somewhat surprised that the future Imperial Marshal had come to meet him on the docks.

However, after a few seconds of empathy, Lawrence also understood why Major Serurier would take the initiative to show favor, so he responded with a smile:

"Major Serrelière, Corsica will not forget the exploits of anyone, especially those who fought for Corsica, no matter what nationality they are."

Major Serier's eyes lit up at this, and then he nodded heavily, knowing that the Bonaparte governor had accepted his overture.

And the reason why Lawrence is so kind to Serulier is not only that he is ready to bring this rare talent under his command in the future, but also because Lawrence also needs this garrison in Serulier's hands at the moment.

The situation in the Mediterranean has become more and more confusing, and even Lawrence admits that he can't understand what secrets are hidden behind it.

But one thing Lawrence is for sure, he already smells gunsmoke in the Mediterranean.

Under these circumstances, any force that could be won over by Lawrence was worth courting, especially the well-armed French-style force of 3,000 men of Seriurier.

After the two majors took turns to welcome Lawrence, the atmosphere on the docks was much more relaxed, after all, they were all companions who had shared Lawrence's weal and error.

Major Trefari turned his head to look at the agitated soldiers, laughed and shouted:

"Soldiers, come and cheer three times for our governor!"

The soldiers who received the order completely opened their voices and shouted with red faces:

"For Corsica! For Bonaparte! ”

"For Corsica! For Bonaparte! ”

"For Corsica! For Bonaparte! ”

"For Corsica! For Bonaparte! ”

...

The deafening cheers resounded throughout the area, far beyond the three cheers that Major Trefali had spoken, and even the soldiers who couldn't see Lawrence in person immediately joined in the cheers.

Even the citizens outside the docks joined the soldiers in cheering loudly as they celebrated the return of a leader they had supported from the bottom of their hearts.

"Oh my God, Mr. Paulie didn't say anything about Corsicans like this... Fanaticism, such a national identity is really rare, and it has to be taken into account when legislating..."

Rousseau looked at the cheering soldiers in front of him in amazement, listened to the sound waves in his ears, and said with emotion.

"No, not so, Monsieur Rousseau."

Anna smiled and basked in the cheers, and the young girl was overjoyed to hear the name of Lawrence being sung, and then she said to Rousseau, in barely fluent French:

"Corsicans have nothing to do with their fanaticism, and they are so excited to flock to trust and support a man simply because it is Monsieur Bonaparte."

"Just because he is Lord Bonaparte..."

Rousseau was stunned for a moment, as if suddenly he thought of something, and smiled at Anna and said:

"Thank you for your explanation, little girl. But I've been to a place where people have the same opinion of their rulers as you do. ”

"Really?" Anna asked, tilting her head, puzzled.

Rousseau looked at Lawrence, who was surrounded by the soldiers, and watched Lawrence chatting with the soldiers without any arrogance, and said slowly:

"Do you know the Kingdom of Prussia?"

"Prussia? I seem to have heard from the governess. Anna poked her chin and thought for a moment.

"The people there used to revere their king as much as you say, and although he pushed absolutism to its peak, his people still revere his enlightened rule."

Rousseau closed his eyes, recalled those days in exile in Prussia, and continued:

"It was such a great king that some people have even called him 'the Great,' and although his people have not supported him as much over the years, Frederick II is still a monarch of the world... I had always thought so before, but now I seem to see a shadow of King Frederick in His Excellency Bonaparte..."