Make France Great Again

Chapter 331 The Emperor and the Crown Prince

After experiencing the diplomatic "severe cold" in December, the French Empire finally ushered in its "spring" in mid-January.

On January 15, 1851, after Jérôme Bonaparte once again conveyed the slogan "Empire is Peace" to the European continent, the then leader of the British Tory Party and the new British Prime Minister, Count Aladdin, sent his The new Foreign Secretary, the Earl of Malmesbury, conveyed to the French Ambassador to Britain that the Kingdom of Britain welcomed the French Empire to join the European family.

[PS: The Tory Count Aladdin blamed Prime Minister Russell for various political mistakes between 1848 and 1851 through the social panic caused by the establishment of the French Empire. For a time, public opinion surged, and Prime Minister Russell was defeated by the surging public opinion. After the collapse of Russell's cabinet, Foreign Minister Palmerston, who had served as the first opposition to Russell's cabinet, was also kicked out of the political arena by the Earl of Derby and replaced by the timid and inexperienced Earl of Malmesbury (a replica of Harker). )

The collapse of Russell's cabinet occurred nearly a year earlier than historically expected. 】

At the same time, a letter from the Hanover royal family (Queen Victoria) reached Jérôme Bonaparte through the secret channels of the Rothschild family.

In the letter, Queen Victoria "affectionately" called Jerome Bonaparte "my brother Napoleon III" (the title between orthodox kings).

Then, he once again expressed his desire to travel to Paris to Jerome Bonaparte.

It was unclear whether Queen Victoria was sincere or had some intentions. Jérôme Bonaparte once again "invited" Foreign Minister De Ruys into the Tuileries Palace.

After a brief discussion between the two, Jérôme Bonaparte wrote back to Queen Victoria saying: Paris is always waiting for the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

The letter was once again given to Rothschild and the others, who sent it to Buckingham Palace.

Jérôme Bonaparte, who had "solved" Britain, was no longer afraid of a sudden war across Europe. In his view, the European continent without Britain's financial support was a mess, let alone a war. To be defeated is to be brave.

Of course, this is just a joke. Apart from France, there is no big country in Europe (referring to the countries on the continent) that is not troubled by its own finances. There are many examples of half-mobilized governments going bankrupt. Think about it. Relying on such an army to fight a war with France is simply a fantasy.

Sure enough, on the day after the Kingdom of Britain recognized the French Empire, its younger brother, the Kingdom of Sardinia, which had been lurking for nearly a month, declared its support for the French Empire in a high-profile manner.

After that, Agriculture Minister Cavour apologized to Jérôme Bonaparte through secret channels. His attitude was so humble that Jérôme Bonaparte almost had the illusion that "this brother can get along."

The reason is simply that the Kingdom of Sardinia is afraid that the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies will take away their position as the most famous licking dog.

No one knew better than Cavour that the situation in the entire Apennine Peninsula did not depend on Sardinia and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, but on the French Empire and the Austrian Empire.

The Austrian Empire is destined not to let the Kingdom of Sardinia complete its great cause of unification unless they are willing to abandon Lombardy, Venice and a number of Central Italian states. The French Empire is very different. As long as the diplomacy is successful, the French Imperial Army can help fight the war. White work.

No matter what Cavour thought, Jérôme Bonaparte had already decided that this "shrunk version of Bismarck" could not be used too much.

In order to gain France's "understanding", Victor Emmanuel II replaced the original Chairman of the Council of Ministers, often referred to as the Prime Minister, with Cavour.

On January 19, Cavour, the new Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia, sent a "request" to the French Ambassador to Sardinia. He hoped that the Kingdom of Sardinia could also join the agricultural talks between the French Empire and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

This obvious disruptive behavior was naturally rejected by the ambassador without mercy. Even so, Cavour, who still refused to give up, gritted his teeth and applied for "funding" from Victor Emmanuel II, and then gave it to Jérôme Bonaparte as an "admirer". Sister Mathilde Bonaparte.

Such a tactful way of giving gifts naturally won the favor of Mathilde Bonaparte. At Mathilde Bonaparte's private invitation, Cavour took advantage of the situation and led a team of "agricultural experts" to France. Hidden among the group of experts is Cavour's "secret weapon."

On January 20, when Jérôme Bonaparte learned that his sister had been "captured" by Cavour's gem and invited him to Paris, he suddenly felt a headache.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Kingdom of Sardinia already have some irreconcilable conflicts on the issue of Italian unification. If the two sides fight over certain issues, things will be completely messed up.

However, Jérôme Bonaparte believed that Cavour was not such a politically minded guy.

That evening, Jérôme Bonaparte went alone to the Palace of Fontainebleau to meet with the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

The Crown Prince and the Emperor, two people of different identities and ages, were sitting on chairs in the Palace of Fontainebleau. Above their heads was an ancient Greek portrait with gold rims. There was also a table next to the seats. Vessels engraved with ancient Greek patterns.

Most of these ornaments are from the Bourbon dynasty, and some items even witnessed the entire process of the Bourbon dynasty from its rise to its decline.

Now that the Bourbon dynasty has been "fallen", they are still intact at the Palace of Fontainebleau. We have to admit that sometimes the lifespan of cultural relics is much longer than that of a dynasty.

Looking at the young boy in front of him, Jérôme Bonaparte couldn't help but think of himself in his previous life. He vaguely remembered that he was still in high school at that time and didn't understand any major national affairs at all.

Jerome Bonaparte's eyes gradually softened, and he asked slowly: "Do you know why you were sent to France by your father?"

"No... I don't know!" Francesco II, who was only sixteen years old, responded timidly.

Francesco II, who has a slightly timid personality, does not understand why his father asked him to come to the French Empire, and what is the purpose of his coming here. Since arriving in Paris, Francesco II has never Take a step outside the gate of the Palace of Fontainebleau.

Looking at the future king of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies who had some shortcomings in character, Jérôme Bonaparte suddenly understood why the Kingdom of Two Sicilies in history was collapsed.

In a country with an absolute monarchy, the character of the monarch will affect the future.

Especially when the Italian Unification War was in full swing, a weak monarch was destined to be abandoned by his subjects.

Jerome Bonaparte decided to instill some political experience into this guy whose political experience was still a blank slate. The unification of the Apennine Peninsula was not a good thing for France.

"The purpose of your father sending you to France is to open your eyes and see the world clearly!" Jerome Bonaparte explained to Francesco II while slowly adjusting his cuffs.

"Open your eyes to see the world?" Francesco II's eyes were full of doubts. This was a word he could not hear from his teachers and priests. His teachers would only teach him to be pious to God. , be full of kindness to the world.

"Take the previous example! Why was the Kingdom of Sardinia not overthrown by their people? Why did your father Ferdinand II have to suppress the army?" Jerome Bonaparte asked a sharp question.

Francesco II had an expression of disgust on his face, and he was not good at pretending. He spoke ill of Sardinia to Jerome Bonaparte and said: "The Kingdom of Sardinia has betrayed the Lord and is associated with the mob. !”

"If you really think so, I can tell you that the rule of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies will end in your hands!" Jerome Bonaparte responded with a cold tone: "You will become a sinner!"

Francesco II's face turned pale at Jerome Bonaparte's cold words. He could not imagine what would happen if the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ended in his own hands.

"No...it won't!" Francesco II shook his head desperately and retorted: "We still have loyal troops and loyal nobles!"

"Loyalty?" Jerome Bonaparte still tore through Francesco II's disguise without mercy: "You mean those Swiss Guards? Don't forget how His Majesty the Pope was Kicked out! The so-called loyalty is just a relative term. When the army's guns are facing a mob of 10,000 or even 100,000 people, can they really be ruthless? Even if your army can resist The mob, how can you resist Garibaldi? The Kingdom of Sardinia?"

Under Jerome Bonaparte's words, Francesco II's face became increasingly pale, and the scene of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies seemed to appear in his eyes.

"I...I..." Francesco II was speechless intermittently. Find the bookstore www.zhaoshhuyuann.com

Jerome Bonaparte looked at Francesco II quietly, sitting on the chair with his legs crossed.

After a while, Francesco II finally realized the purpose of his father asking him to go to France. He said humbly: "You must have a way, right?"

Francesco II looked at Jérôme Bonaparte with earnest eyes. Due to the influence of Ferdinand II's liberal thoughts, Francesco II was very interested in Jérôme Bonaparte. Tomoe is not as disgusted as a true orthodox monarch. He believes that the guy who relies on himself to build an empire must have his own merits.

"It's a pity! I don't have a complete solution!" Jerome Bonaparte spread his hands, and then added: "The situation in the Apennine Peninsula is far more complicated than you think!"

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