"Based on what I know—"

The Ambassador of Naples spread out a map on the table, on which he briefly marked and sketched, and explained to the French ministers:

"It was here in Sicily, the region most affected by this famine, that the rebellion broke out; An Austrian nobleman got a large quantity of arms and supplies out of nowhere, and with these supplies he relied on to gather the victims in Sicily, and soon armed an army came out."

The ministers looked intently at the map on the table, and according to the ambassador's sketch, almost all of Sicily had fallen, and only a few large towns along the coast and a few fortresses near the strait were still resisting stubbornly.

As for the vast rural areas of the island, I am afraid that they are already under the direct control of the rebels.

Lawrence was not surprised by the fact that in a year of catastrophic such a cataclysm, a bag of black bread could reap the allegiance of a man in the prime of life, and if the Austrian nobleman had sufficient material aid, he could indeed build a large army from scratch at great speed.

As for the spoilers who provided the supplies, Lawrence could already conclude that the British were in the way, but he didn't know if there would be other forces interfering in it.

Moreover, Lawrence was also very concerned about what the ambassador of Naples said that the leader of the rebels was an Austrian nobleman:

"Your country has determined that the rebel is led by an Austrian-born nobleman?"

"At least that's what he calls himself."

The Neapolitan ambassador nodded, and while he was dismissive of the rebel leader's claims, he explained in detail:

"That man claimed to be a descendant of the Duke of Sicily, canonized by the previous Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, and this time he came to southern Italy to raise an army to regain the family's de jure territory."

"No wonder... Austria is indeed inextricably linked to Sicily." Lawrence nodded thoughtfully.

After the Sicilian Vespers War of 1268, the Franco-Ianjou dynasty was completely eliminated in Sicily, and Sicily was placed under the control of the Kingdom of Aragon.

With the Iberian marriage in 1469 and the union of Aragon and the Kingdom of Castile, Sicily came under the control of the Kingdom of Spain.

For more than 200 years, the abundant and fertile agricultural island was under the rule of the Spaniards.

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, France and Spain, as a defeated country, achieved their original goal of bringing the Bourbon royal family to Spain, but the Spanish Bourbon royal family was also forced to make a promise to the Grand Alliance that they would renounce their claim to the French throne forever.

At the same time, the Kingdom of Spain lost much of its overseas and continental territories due to its defeat, and Naples and Sicily were ceded to the Austrian Habsburgs.

Later, despite the promise of the Bourbon royal family of Spain to renounce the claim to the French throne, when the Sun King Louis XIV died and the poor and sickly five-year-old lord Louis XV succeeded to the throne, the then king of Spain, Louis XV's uncle, Felipe V, still coveted the French throne.

Such dangerous ambitions naturally attracted opposition from the other powers, and the three great powers of Britain, Austria, and the Netherlands formed the Triple Alliance, and together with the weaker Duchy of Savoy, began to fight together against Spanish ambitions.

At that time, Spain was also trying to obtain the French throne through political means and intrigues, and they appointed ambassadors to France, intending to plot to overthrow the Duke of Orleans, who was the regent of the young lord at that time, so as to make King Felipe V of Spain, who was Louis XV's uncle, the regent of France.

However, the layout of Spain's series of so-called Cerramare conspiracy was finally revealed, and the French court was also furious about it, and directly submitted a declaration against Spain, joining the three major powers, thus triggering the famous Quadruple Alliance War in the history of continental Europe.

After the end of the war, the Duchy of Savoy received Austrian Sicily as agreed for their participation in the war.

However, Austria, of course, did not want to be

This fertile land was handed over to Charles VI, the then Emperor of the HRE and the father of Maria Theresa, who forced the Duchy of Savoy to accept Austria's exchange of the less important island of Sardinia for fertile Sicily.

The Duchy of Savoy, which had an ordinary national strength, naturally had to submit to Austria, and was forced to cede Sicily to accept Sardinia, and thus established the current Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont.

Austria did not control Sicily for long.

In 1734, at the age of nineteen, Carlos III, now the king of Spain, the then Duke of Parma, took advantage of Austria's busy war of the Polish succession in its homeland and had no time to look south, directly sent troops to seize Naples and Sicily, and became the king of Naples and Sicily as the Duke of Parma.

It has been more than 30 years since then, and Naples and Sicily have once again returned to Spanish control.

Legally, however, Austria did not recognize Spain's legitimate control over southern Italy.

According to the Treaty of Utrecht after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714, both Naples and Sicily had been formally ceded by Spain to the Austrian Habsburgs.

Austria had no time to take care of Carlos III's seizure of southern Italy, and now Austria has turned a blind eye to it because it wants to maintain an alliance with France and Spain, and has not taken the initiative to pursue it.

However, there is no doubt that Austria's de jure claim to South Italy still exists.

The Austrian nobleman who now holds high the banner of righteousness in Sicily, claiming to be the descendant of the Duke of Sicily canonized by Charles VI, undoubtedly used this jurisprudence as a reason for war for his rebellion.

It didn't really matter whether his true identity was a speculator who was stealing his name and waiting for an opportunity, or whether he was really the inheritor of an ancient and declining ducal family, as long as the rebel leader played this banner, he would be able to get the support of a group of Neapolitans, at least legally.

After all, it has only been more than 30 years since Carlos III recovered southern Italy, and there must still be a group of old tribes and remnants of the Kingdom of Naples who supported the former Austrian rule, and now the self-proclaimed Duke of Sicily is estimated to be able to easily recruit this part under his command.

"And beyond that—"

Lawrence listened silently to the Naples ambassador's explanation of the war, and realized in his heart that the situation in southern Italy would be more complicated than he had anticipated:

"Since the rebel leader claims to be the Duke of Sicily, canonized by the Holy Roman Empire, Austria's attitude towards this civil war will be ambiguous... There's a good chance it won't be on the side of France and Spain... Prince Neo... No wonder he accepted my cooperation so readily, and he was indeed a hidden man."

Although he had only just heard the news of the Neapolitan civil war, Lawrence was already certain that the Austrians would not miss this opportunity to regain influence in Italy.

Moreover, the self-proclaimed Duke of Sicily had already sent Austria this golden opportunity, and as long as the rebels could win the war and annex all of southern Italy, Austria would be able to regain its sphere of influence from the Neapolitan kingdom that had become independent from Spain.

In other words, the Austrians may not keep their alliance with France and join in the suppression of the rebels.

However, in the final analysis, Lawrence did not dare to make a conclusion about whether the Kingdom of France would intervene in this civil war by force.

...

After some eloquent remarks by the Ambassador of Naples, the ministers almost understood the current situation in Sicily.

The self-proclaimed Duke of Sicily was called: Marco Fosco-Leopoldo di Arlando.

He had already begun planning months before the official rebellion, sending people to spread the news on a large scale that the famine now spreading in southern Italy was all caused by foreign forces behind it.

As for which country brewed this battle that took the lives of hundreds of thousands of souls

In the famine, the Duke of Sicily unabashedly pointed the finger at their suzerain, Spain, and put all the blame on the West.

The Duke is said to have emphasized in several public speeches that the famine was nothing more than the unscrupulous exploitation of the Italians by the wealthy Spaniards.

The Duke of Sicily tearfully complained:

The fierce grain collectors and tax collectors did everything they could to squeeze the last wheat from the cellars of the Sicilian peasants, and then loaded boxes and bags of grain onto ships and sent them to the suzerainty of Spain, where the Sicilian peasants' life-saving grain was used for the Spaniards to eat and drink with open bellies.

If it weren't for the oppression and exploitation of the Spaniards, Sicily, known as the breadbasket of the Roman Empire, would not have had such a terrible famine without natural disasters.

Despite the extreme and suspicious rhetoric, the peasants, who were starving and destitute, were the most susceptible to agitation.

These poor people in a desperate situation unreservedly believed in the Duke of Sicily, and with anger against the suzerainty of Spain and resentment against the royal family of Naples, a large number of victims chose to follow the Duke of Sicily, vowing to break the shackles of their homeland and become an independent nation-state once and for all.

The Duke of Sicily also gained great prestige among the victims of the island, and even on the other side of the Strait in Naples, a considerable number of peasants and small townspeople supported his professed theory of Spanish exploitation, and were ready to resent the current royal family.

It was also thanks to this that when the duke officially began to raise an army, he gathered an army of more than 30,000 men in a very short time, and directly led this army to capture the capital of Sicily, the town of Palermo.

The several royal garrisons scattered on the island were already inferior in strength, and as a result, they were also slow to react to this sudden rebellion, and were defeated by the Duke of Sicily before they could gather and converge.

After several crushing battles, the Duke of Sicily can be said to have taken control of the entire island, with the exception of a handful of coastal towns and fortresses that are still stubbornly resisting.

Now, the Duke was not in a hurry to march on Naples proper, but relied on the dangers of the strait between Sicily and the mainland to confront the royal army.

He also seemed to know that his improvised peasant army would inevitably fall behind in the face of the same number of royal army, so he chose to stick to Sicily, training and expanding the army while receiving material aid from abroad, and should wait for the time and combat power to be ripe before launching an offensive against Naples proper.

And Lawrence, after sorting out the causes and consequences of this rebellion, couldn't help but admit that he was able to do this in such a short period of time, regardless of whether the identity of the Duke of Sicily was true or not, he could be regarded as a man of outstanding talent.

"Guys, that's the way it is on our doorstep." The Ambassador of Naples sighed, and turned to look expectantly and sincerely at the French ministers:

"To tell you the truth, the situation in our country is not optimistic, although the top officials of the kingdom, including the lower ranks, have also taken precautions against the outbreak of this rebellion, but no one expected that the rebel leader would be able to recruit and arm an army of tens of thousands in such a short period of time."

The Ambassador of Naples put down his quill pen and pleaded even more earnestly:

"I must ask the Kingdom of France to come to my aid in the midst of the war, for it is too much for me alone to withstand the advance of the rebel leader, and, in accordance with the family pact between His Majesty the King of France and His Majesty Carlos, I think it is also incumbent upon your country to join in the suppression of these lawless rebels with the Kingdom of Spain."

The ministers could not help but look at each other at the request of the Ambassador of Naples, after all, none of them could give a definite consent or refusal to the request until His Majesty had made a will, not even the Count Vergeg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The atmosphere in the room was silent for more than half a minute, and Lawrence took the initiative to put aside the topic and asked in a deep voice:

"Before discussing the matter of aid, Mr. Ambassador, I would like to ask you to explain your country's right

The attack on the island of Malta, until this humiliating diplomatic incident is resolved, I am afraid that no one will accede to your request for assistance."

"Malta? Attack?" The Ambassador of Naples suddenly became puzzled, and the expression was not a deliberate disguise, but he did feel a little inexplicable:

"There have been no attacks, Sir Bonaparte, and our navy has only temporarily borrowed the port of the Order; As you know, it is extremely important to block the rebels' routes to receive overseas aid in this war, so our navy is in great need of the island of Malta, a port base in the heart of the enemy."

Grand Imam Giotto on the side couldn't bear the resentment in his heart any longer, and directly slapped the table and got up and shouted angrily:

"What you mean by borrowing is shelling our ports, expelling our knights, and slaughtering our civilians?!"

The Neapolitan ambassador was stunned, and he quickly recognized the meaning of the octagonal cross on Grand Imam Giotto's body, but this only made his expression more confused:

"There must be some misunderstanding, monk, I am sure that our navy is only amicably stationed in the port of Malta, and there is a legal basis for this, and the island of Malta was originally leased by our country to the Knights, and it is entirely reasonable to borrow the port of the Knights because of the urgency of war..."

"I'm a *** fart!"

Grand Imam Giotto roared angrily, he was already a pirate, and he didn't care about any red tape at the moment, he directly lifted the monk's robe on his body, and pointed to several scabbing knife wounds and bullet marks on his chest, which were obviously left by his bloody battle with Neapolitan soldiers not long ago:

"You want to say I made these scars myself? Do you want me to recreate these wounds on you?"

"I... Sir, please calm down, my information will not go wrong." The Neapolitan ambassador took half a step back timidly, and was threatened in the face of a strong man like a bull like Grand Imam Giotto, and anyone would have felt terrified.

"Archimam, calm down." Lawrence also lightly pressed Giotto's arm, and he could see that the ambassador of Naples was indeed not lying, and the information from the mainland probably did not mention the specific process of the attack on Malta.

Grand Imam Giotto was also convinced by Lawrence, so he glared only at the Neapolitan ambassador fiercely, and then stood silently in the corner of the room.

Lawrence then looked at the ambassador of Naples and said tentatively:

"Since your country claims to have borrowed the port of Malta only in good faith, it should be possible for the now scattered members of the Order to return to Malta, right?"

"This... I can't guarantee it, Your Excellency." The Ambassador of Naples hesitated for a moment before shaking his head:

"The borrowing of the island of Malta is an act of the military, and it has nothing to do with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially now that it is a time of war, and our ministries must take the initiative to cooperate with the military's actions, and we are also very sure that your request will be approved by the military."

"What do you mean—" Lawrence's face immediately darkened:

"Are you planning to return the island of Malta?"

"It is only a temporary loan, and after the end of the civil war, we will naturally give up our right to stay in Hong Kong on the island of Malta; Well, I think this is the end of the matter on the island of Malta, and we can now talk about the entry of the Kingdom of France into the war..."

"What if I say no?" Lawrence had already noticed the anomaly of the ambassador, and he seemed to be very obsessed with occupying the island of Malta, so he coldly pressed:

"I am also a member of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and my monarch is the Grand Master of the Order, and I don't think Lancey will rush into war until the Maltese incident is resolved."

And just as the ambassador of Naples was about to open his mouth to refute, a majestic and majestic shout suddenly came from outside the room:

"Bonaparte, there's something wrong with that."

The ministers in the room were astonished, for they were all too familiar with the voice, and although they had not heard it for months, they would never forget its owner, the Duke of Choiseul.

The ministers subconsciously stood up from their chairs and looked neatly at the door.

Lawrence and Count Vergergon sat unmoved, though they had already recognized the owner of the voice.

And with the creak of the door open, the Duke of Choiseul, who had been away from the center of French power for several months, once again stood before the ministers.

The Duke of Choiseul ignored the surprise of the crowd, did not pay attention to his nemesis in the diplomatic circles, the new Count of Vergerg, the new Foreign Secretary, and did not even show any special emotion towards Lawrence Bonaparte, who had just betrayed him, and still smiled confidently as before:

"It is my opinion, Mr. Ambassador, that Lancey will soon provide all necessary assistance to your country, and that we will actively consider the intervention of force, and that we will do our utmost to guarantee your country's freedom and independence; As for Lord Bonaparte, the island of Malta is important, but it is nothing compared to the civil war of the Kingdom of Naples, an ally, so please think twice."

Hearing these words, the Naples ambassador couldn't help but laugh in surprise:

"Oh! Your Excellency, this is—"

As a foreign envoy, the ambassador of Naples was naturally extremely sensitive to changes in diplomatic power.

He knew very well that Laurence Bonaparte and the Count of Vergegue were now in charge of the French Foreign Office, but in a short period of time, the only person who could manage the entire foreign policy of France was still the Duke of Choiseul.

Since the duke had already promised war aid in front of all the ministers, there was no doubt that the matter was nine out of ten.

However, just as the Ambassador of Naples was putting together a magnificent set of words of praise in his mind to compliment the Duke of Choiseul on his wise decision, a sudden old and haggard voice outside the room completely disrupted everyone's thoughts:

"You're the one to think twice, Choiseul."

The faces of the ministers changed again, and without hesitation, they bowed their heads to the door with the most respectful gesture, and even the ambassador of Naples hurriedly joined in the bow.

This time, the voice is undoubtedly His Majesty the King of France.

Louis XV stood at the door of the room with great difficulty, supported by two maids, his face covered with the marks of his sickness, and the nerve syphilis was like a sharp blade that left a sickly scar on the king's face.

But despite being haggard and old, Louis XV's face at the moment was still as cold as frost, and the power of a king did not appear angry.

The king's gaze swept over the courtiers, and finally rested on the ambassador of Naples:

"France will not send a single soldier to Italy, Mr. Ambassador, please come back."

As soon as the words fell, before the others could react, the Duke of Choiseul subconsciously looked at him, turned to face the king and hurriedly retorted:

"It is not in the interest of France to watch the fire from across the strait."

Louis XV's gaze was equally gloomy, staring straight at the Duke of Choiseul:

"Foreign affairs are not your concern, my brother."

Duke Choiseul's pupils shook, but he didn't retreat half a step; Louis XV was not angry, and stared into the eyes of the Duke of Choiseul, and the two spoke almost at the same time:

"Your Majesty, please put the interests of the country first!"

"Choisel, don't cross the line!"