The cheers of the Wehrmacht soldiers and citizens continued for nearly half an hour, until Lawrence and his group began to follow the predetermined route to the Doge's Palace, and the jubilant revelry on the quays gradually came to an end.

Even so, a large number of citizens of Ajaccio gathered on either side of Lawrence's route waving bouquets of flowers, just to see the Governor's car, which they admired, driving in front of him.

The boisterous and lively atmosphere, like the most mellow wine, has intoxicated almost every citizen of Ajaccio with a rare sense of collective identity.

However, the return of Lawrence Bonaparte was a source of excitement for most Corsica, but for some groups, the return of Doge Bonaparte only added to their worries and fears.

At this moment, Ajaccio is close to a small building facing the street in Dongcheng District.

The doors and windows of the building were tightly closed, and the curtains were tightly drawn, except in a room on the second floor overlooking the street, where the curtains were slightly opened.

Two pairs of eyes looked cautiously into the street below, watching Lawrence's motorcade slowly pass by to the cheers of the citizens.

It wasn't until the sound of the wheels had faded away that the two peeping in the room looked away from the window and closed the curtains completely.

The room was dimly lit, with only a three-pronged candlestick on the bedside table providing the only light source.

However, it can still be vaguely seen that the two people in the room are fat and thin, with linen short shirts and shorts, hard straw shoes of different sizes on their feet, and a blackened white shawl on their shoulders.

This kind of dress is rare in the city, because it is typical of Corsican peasants, and it is the slightly wealthier type of peasantry, after all, not every farmer can afford to wear shoes.

"It was indeed the Doge's Palace's car, and it seems that the news is correct, that Lawrence Bonaparte is really back in Corsica."

After the fat man had pulled the curtain back tight, he turned to his companion and said:

"I have to report this to the master as soon as possible."

"My lord has been worrying about this Bonaparte all these days..."

The thin man nodded, leaned over to the window and quietly glanced at the distant convoy, and suddenly said:

"You said that if we kill this Bonaparte with one shot, won't the lord reward us with a large sum of money, and maybe we won't even have to pay the taxes for the rest of our lives."

When the fat man heard this, he immediately stepped forward angrily and grabbed his companion's neck, and scolded angrily:

"you, you pig brain, the master hasn't spoken yet, you dare to assert yourself on this kind of thing?"

"I—" said the thin man very aggrievedly:

"Although the lord has not yet spoken, he must have hated Bonaparte to death. The master's youngest son was a member of parliament before, but he was removed from office by Bonaparte for no reason, and the old man must not be able to eat this breath. ”

"I said you are a pig's brain, you still don't believe it, is the master such a superficial person?"

The fat man let go of his companion and said disdainfully:

"I've heard that our governor has brought back a mountain of gold this time, the kind that will not be spent in a few lifetimes. Although the old men were very dissatisfied with Bonaparte, they were still waiting to see how the money would be distributed. If the money is divided well, then the previous unpleasantness will naturally be written off. ”

"Jin Shan..."The thin man swallowed, and his heart itched for a while before suppressing this thought, and then asked puzzledly:

"But Bonaparte must have wanted to cover up so much money by himself, so why should he share it with the old men?"

"Not divided? Hmph" The fat man snorted coldly, as if he expected Lawrence to give the ten million livres to the old man with both hands, and said disdainfully:

"As long as this Bonaparte is not stupid, he must know that the old man is the real master of Corsica. This was true when the Genoese ruled, it was the same when Paul ruled, and now that Bonaparte ruled, it will still be so. If he dares not to make a distinction, then..."

"So what?" The thin man asked curiously.

"So... That's... Oh, I don't know what will happen to the old man. The fat man thought for a while and didn't come up with a terrifying enough statement, so he waved his hand impatiently and said:

"Anyway, this Bonaparte won't end well, maybe he'll have to get out of Corsica in disgrace, oh, of course he has to leave the money before he gets out."

After that, the fat man remembered something again, and reminded his companion fiercely:

"By the way, you throw away the idea of killing Bonaparte with one shot. I've heard there's a damn girl in Ajaccio who is tracking us spies lately, so don't show any of your feet, kid. ”

"Girl? Where did the little girl come from, what is there to be afraid of. The thin man said disapprehantly.

"Hmph, don't fall into her hands then." The fat man glared at him, frowned, and said:

"That little girl named Shadia is not simple, you better be careful."

......

After returning to the governor's palace after a long absence, Lawrence also felt a lot more friendly, and everything here was basically the same as when he left.

Pascuala Pauli is still under house arrest on Lawrence's orders, and his residence is only a few dozen meters away from the home of former British Prime Minister William Pitt, who is also under house arrest.

"It amazes me, Lord Bonaparte."

In the study of the Doge's Palace, Rousseau, who was sitting opposite Lawrence, was still amazed and sighed, he had no idea that the people here would be so cohesive before coming to Corsica:

"I often read such scenes in poems that praise wise kings, but this is the first time I have seen with my own eyes, and you are a ruler who is supported by the people."

"You're overrated, Monsieur Rousseau, and it's not an achievement to be proud of." Lawrence smiled and said:

"The unpredictable changes of people's hearts are like water, and the people's hearts are even more so, and we still have a long way to go if we want to win the people's long-term support."

This time, the citizens of Ajaccio were so fond of Lawrence, mainly because of the tens of millions of livres that Lawrence brought back from France, and because of the diplomatic means that put an end to Corsica's long years of war.

Both of these events are uplifting enough, but their effects are not too long-lasting. Lawrence also knew that in order to win the support of the people in the long run, he would have to rely on his own land and agricultural tax reforms.

Rousseau nodded approvingly, and said with admiration:

"By your aggressive attitude alone, you have surpassed most European rulers."

"I would prefer Corsica to surpass most of the European states." Lawrence replied casually, then opened the drawer, handed Rousseau a document that had just been drafted and signed by himself, and said earnestly:

"As we have previously agreed, Mr. Rousseau, I am formally appointed President of the Constituent Assembly of Corsica, and in view of the fact that the Constituent Assembly has not yet been formed, you will temporarily assume the functions of President of the Constituent Assembly. In addition, I formally grant you Corsican citizenship and the rights and duties of all citizens. ”

Rousseau excitedly took the appointment document from Lawrence's hand with both hands, and as a scholar who had spent most of his life on paper, Rousseau finally had the opportunity to apply what he had learned all his life to the governance of a real state.

Even for the sake of fame and fortune, Rousseau was always eager for this opportunity to test his theories in practice.

"I really don't know what to say, Lord Bonaparte, this is definitely a day to remember."

Rousseau looked at the instrument of appointment, written in both Italian and French, rolled it up with great dearity and put it away, patted his chest and said with gratitude.

"I'm sure your talents can benefit Corsica." Lawrence looked at Rousseau sincerely, smiled and nodded.

Lawrence had to admit that it was a great blessing to be able to bring such a scholar with great influence in the future to Corsica, and to make the future Corsican government the orthodox heir to Rousseau's ideas with a position of speaker with little real power.

This would bring many legitimacy benefits to Corsica in the future Revolution.

As for the current speaker of the Corsican Parliament, Bishop Ekobar, Lawrence only needs one more order to dismiss him.

The bishop was now preoccupied with how to present himself at the coronation ceremony that would soon be held, so that he could stand out to the nobility and bishops of France and be promoted.

Lawrence also holds the decision on whether Bishop Ecobar can coronate King Louis, so he is naturally not worried about whether he will willingly give up the position of speaker.

What's more, Lawrence has long wanted to completely expel the church from politics, and the dismissal of Bishop Ekobair this time is just the right thing to do.

Immediately after completing the formal appointment of Rousseau, Lawrence sent for Rousseau and his wife to be accommodated. In any case, Lawrence would not have treated the nearly sixty-year-old university scholar badly in terms of living conditions.

After Rousseau had left, Lawrence ordered Anna to summon the Minister of Finance, Mr. Coggier.

Lawrence's return to Corsica was to solve the problem of the money bag fundamentally, so the help of the finance minister was indispensable.

...

"Your Excellency! You're back. ”

Mr. Cogello, the Minister of Finance, hurriedly pushed open the door of the study, put his left hand on his forehead, and greeted Lawrence with a little tiredness.

He also had a large stack of papers under his arm, and it seemed that Mr. Cogello's work was not easy these days.

This is not surprising, given that Lawrence has entrusted the Treasury with experimental tax reform and census tasks, and with the Treasury being the most important and busy function, Mr. Cogello must have a heavy burden on him.

"You may be seated, Mr. Cojero, you look a little tired."

Lawrence looked at Cojero, put his chin in his hands and said:

"Anna, bring a cup of coffee to Mr. Cojero."

"Yes, sir." Anna replied that when she returned to the Doge's Palace, she had changed into her original maid's outfit and white stockings, for she remembered that Monsieur Bonaparte preferred it.

"Oh no, Miss Anna, Lord Doge, I'm fine." Mr. Cogiro hurriedly shook his head with a wry smile and waved his hand.

Monsieur Coggero had a good grasp of his political situation, and he knew that he was neither a man of the old Sean of the patrol or Major Trefali of the army who was in trouble with the Governor of Bonaparte, nor was he a relative of the Governor like Councillor Carlo Bonaparte.

Under these circumstances, Monsieur Cogiero held the important post of Minister of Finance, and he knew that if he wanted to stay in that position for a long time, he would have to show his worth to Governor Bonaparte with his deeds and loyalty, and that it was nothing to work tirelessly for that.

Lawrence nodded slightly, looked at the large pile of papers that Mr. Cogiro had brought, and asked:

"Has anything happened in Corsica these months? Especially economically? ”

Mr. Cogiro nodded excitedly, and after talking about his area of expertise, he was no longer as reserved as he was when he walked through the door:

"The economic situation is very good, mainly in terms of trade. The revocation of the blockade and attack on us by Genoese warships has led to an increase in the number of merchant ships passing to and from the port of Ajaccio. This includes Bastia in the north, which also has the potential to become a bustling transit port. ”

"Corsica is a great transit base in the Mediterranean, but unfortunately it has been devastated by war for too long." Lawrence nodded in comment.

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"Yes, Lord Governor, there's one more thing worth paying attention to..."

Instead of looking at the materials he had brought, Mr. Coggiero expertly added to Lawrence:

"Since the news of Corsica's submission to France has become well known, our trade with France has become more and more intimate, and will be even closer after the two countries have reached a customs union to form a common market. There are already some citizens in Ajaccio who are accustomed to using French currency. ”

"Hmm... That's also a good thing. Lawrence touched his chin and said slowly.

In the completed treaty of conversion, the future kingdom of Corsica and France would be economically integrated, including the use of the same currency, the establishment of a common market and a customs union.

Although this would have deprived Corsica of the power to set its own monetary policy, Lawrence certainly did not value the meager coinage rights compared to the benefits of joining the French market.

"With regard to the use of French currency, the Ministry of Finance could take the lead in encouraging Corsicans to exchange French currency."

Lawrence instructed Cojero:

"At the same time, your department should be prepared to recycle old Corsican coins, which will soon be taken out of circulation."

"Yes, I see." Mr. Cogello replied competently, and while recording Lawrence's command, he casually sighed:

"Although these coins have only been issued for more than a decade, I am afraid that many Corsican people will not be able to erase the memory, I did not expect that they will become a pile of scrap copper and rotten iron so soon."

"That said, Corsica has to look forward. And..."

Lawrence looked down and pulled out a bronze gold Corsican coin from his wallet, squeezed it tightly in his hand, and said in a deep voice:

"These coins will do us a great favor right away."