Chapter 368: Liberation of Sardinia

Five days later, July 1

The largest city in southern Sardinia, the capital of Sardinia and the de jure capital of the kingdom, is Cagliari.

"Repeat what you just said?!"

In a grand and ancient castle in the center of the town, Governor Bertrand stared at the messenger in front of him in stunned silence, and even almost stopped holding the wine glass in his hand out of shock.

The messenger lowered his head tightly and repeated as ordered:

"Yes, Lord Governor, we have just received accurate information. The advance force led by Colonel Bartland failed in the attack on Ajaccio. After retreating to southern Corsica, it was pursued by Laurence Bonaparte. The entire force The advance troops have been completely wiped out!"

Bang!

The exquisite crystal wine glass slipped from Duke Bertrand's hand without any resistance, and the crisp cracking sound echoed in the silent meeting hall, and the heartbeats of everyone in the hall seemed to have stopped for a moment.

As the Governor of Sardinia, Governor Bertrand felt dizzy and almost fainted on the spot.

In order to carry out the raid on Ajaccio and seize all of Corsica, the kingdom deliberately integrated almost all of the standing army on Sardinia into the advance force, which means that today's Sardinia can be said to be Completely undefended.

If Colonel Bartland could successfully occupy Corsica as planned, then there would be nothing wrong with such a deployment. However, the advance force of nearly ten thousand people has now been completely lost in the hands of the damn Corsicans. Then this Wouldn't Sardinia's fall happen overnight? !

"There were thousands of soldiers captured by Corsica. Laurence Bonaparte seemed to want to use these prisoners as miners and coolies, but strangely, he also said that these prisoners of war could be rehabilitated after three years of labor. Free and granted Corsican citizenship."

The messenger no longer cared about the governor's pale face at this moment and continued to report:

"In addition, after Lawrence Bonaparte defeated Colonel Bartland, he did not return to Ajaccio. Instead, he led the main force of the Corsican army southward and stationed himself in Bonifacio. In other words, they were only 10 kilometers away from Sardinia. A strait twenty miles wide."

As soon as these words came out, the hundreds of nobles and officials in the meeting hall could not help but hold their breath again, and did not utter a single word for a long time.

They all also know that the French Mediterranean Fleet may intervene in the war at any time. Therefore, until diplomats get accurate information from Paris and eliminate risks, the Navy of the Kingdom of Sardinia can still only face the weak Corsican Fleet. Huddled in the harbor.

In other words, those savage and rude Corsican people who drink blood from raw materials can cross the Bonifacio Strait less than twenty miles away at any time and sweep their troops to the land of Sardinia.

It is even said that at this moment, the Corsican army may have already set foot on Sardinia and is marching unstoppably towards Cagliari.

Governor Bertrand's forehead had begun to be covered with sweat. He weakly wiped away the cold sweat. Facing the gazes of hundreds of officials, he was also unable to say a word for a long time.

At this time, an officer next to Governor Bertrand spoke. His ribbon and badge showed that he was an army lieutenant general, and judging from his seat, his status was not inferior to Governor Bertrand as Governor:

"Your Majesty the Governor, please immediately prepare to recruit farmers into the army, and allocate a certain amount of money from the finance. We need a large number of mercenaries to assist in defense, and let the towns also mobilize their militias. In short, Sardinia cannot be conquered Give it to Laurence Bonaparte."

Although he was giving advice, the lieutenant general's tone was decisive and brooked no refutation, leaving Governor Bertrand no room for debate at all, as if he was the one giving orders in the entire Sardinia.

As the governor, Governor Bertrand also looked like he dared not speak out in anger. He frowned and said:

"Do you want me to issue an order to let those unarmed civilians stop the Corsican's iron hoof? Lieutenant General Ethel, you should also understand that unless we let an entire generation of Sardinians die on the battlefield, otherwise we will It is impossible to stop the Corsican army, and I am not willing to pay such a price, nor can I afford it.”

The nobles and officials in the meeting hall seemed to agree with Governor Bertrand's views. Like Governor Bertrand, these people were basically natives of Sardinia, and they looked at Lieutenant General Ethel. There were varying degrees of disgust and hatred in his eyes, because this general came from Savoy overseas.

Within the Kingdom of Sardinia, the conflicts and differences between Sardinia and Savoy can be said to have continued from the very beginning of the kingdom's establishment to this day.

The Savoy nobles in Turin only regarded the island as a European colony. What they valued most was the extremely rich mineral resources on Sardinia. They felt that these mines could bring considerable economic benefits to the kingdom.

As for the hundreds of thousands of people in Sardinia, they were completely excluded from the civil class of the kingdom by the Savoy mainland, and were not taken seriously at all. Even the Sardinian nobles were in the Savoy mainland. It is also an inferior existence.

For example, during the Seven Years' War, France and Spain jointly attacked Cagliari, but in the end, the local people defended the city at a heavy cost of bloodshed, preventing it from falling into the hands of the French army. .

After this battle, the Sardinian nobles sent a request to the Turin Palace, hoping that His Majesty the King would reward them for their meritorious service and allow Sardinian native nobles to serve as representatives of the island in the Kingdom Parliament - previously The representatives in the Parliament of Sardinia were actually held by the nobles of Savoy.

But even such a small request still did not receive approval from within the kingdom.

During the thirty years that the Kingdom of Sardinia ruled the island, they never regarded the land here as their core territory, nor did they regard the people here as their own citizens. They ruled Sardinia for thirty years. , the exploitation and oppression of Sardinia continued for thirty years.

In fact, if it were not for maintaining stability and order, the Turin Palace would not even be willing to let Governor Bertrand and the Sardinians in the audience hold even one official position.

And this is why Lieutenant General Ethel, as an officer, has more influence than the governor Bertrand - he is actually the representative of the Kingdom of Sardinia on this island.

"So what if one generation dies? Don't those islanders have the consciousness to devote themselves to His Majesty the King and the entire kingdom?"

Lieutenant General Ethel raised his eyebrows, his voice low and oppressive:

"Or do you want to surrender Sardinia to Laurence Bonaparte?"

Seeing that the other party regarded the lives of hundreds of thousands of Sardinians as child's play, Governor Bertrand instantly suppressed his blush and clenched his fists.

Although he was born into a noble family, his father was only an earl. His position as governor was not obtained by virtue of his bloodline and origin, but by his prestige and popular support.

After all, the Turin Palace would not trust a local Sardinian nobleman to serve as governor. A small nobleman like Bertrand who was popular among the people was easier to control.

And it is precisely because of the support of the people that Governor Bertrand feels strangely angry at this moment. Although he is not a saint, and he cannot love the people like a son, at least he cannot watch General Ethel turn those people around. The unarmed compatriots were sent to the battlefield after several days of training.

As for the other nobles and officials in the meeting hall, they did not completely sympathize with the innocent Sardinian compatriots and opposed the desperate resistance, but they were worried that if they resisted the Corsican army to the end, not to mention whether they could succeed, it would only be temporary. Mobilizing a large number of troops and mercenaries will consume a lot of financial resources.

As for where this additional and heavy financial expenditure should come from, the answer is already obvious - naturally it is them middle-class bureaucrats and wealthy little nobles.

Even Governor Bertrand, who did not understand military affairs, knew that even if Laurence Bonaparte occupied Sardinia, the Turin Palace would not be able to cede the island to Corsica. At most, it could Just let Bonaparte have some advantages in future peace negotiations.

When the war ends, Sardinia will inevitably return to the rule of the kingdom.

In other words, in the eyes of Governor Bertrand, whether Sardinia fell or not was not important at all in this war, at least not as important as the lives of thousands of Sardinian compatriots.

And Lieutenant General Ethel didn't understand this truth. He asked Governor Bertrand to defend Sardinia at all costs, purely to protect his own honor, but he just didn't want to return to his homeland as a defeated general.

When he thought of this, Governor Bertrand became even more angry.

Previously, he was very dissatisfied with the plan to raid Ajaccio and recruited a large number of Sardinian soldiers. He knew that the reason why the kingdom wanted to recruit soldiers from Sardinia was only because the lives of Sardinian people were far more valuable than those of Savoy citizens. Despicable, suitable for carrying out fierce and tragic battles such as landing operations.

Now hearing that Lieutenant General Ethel would sacrifice tens of thousands of lives to protect his false glory, Governor Bertrand was already on the verge of being unable to restrain his anger:

"So what if we give it to Laurence Bonaparte! At least then Sardinia won't have to be a river of blood, and at least Laurence Bonaparte is willing to grant the Sardinians the status of Corsican citizens! Unlike you, who talk all day long What kind of king is so generous, yet he only regards Sardinians as slaves and prostitutes!”

Although it was just an angry remark, Governor Bertrand's roar still attracted the attention of all the officials in the department. People had rarely seen this governor dare to contradict Lieutenant General Ethel.

Lieutenant General Ethel's face instantly darkened. He raised his right hand and made a gesture. Immediately, four fully armed guards rushed forward in a majestic manner and pointed their halberds at Bertrand. Governor:

"Bertrand! You traitor, believe it or not, I will put you to death right now!"

But Governor Bertrand gritted his teeth and did not take a step back. Instead, he stepped forward and actively pressed his chest against the tip of the guard's halberd:

"As long as you can prevent people from suffering this disaster, you can cut me to pieces here and there."

"you!"

Lieutenant General Ethel's pupils were also shocked. Of course he did not dare to kill the popular governor on the spot in the Cagliari Council Hall. That would only make the already tense relationship between the two factions even more tense. He It was even less possible to organize the Sardinians to resist the Corsican army.

At this critical moment, an astute consul also jumped forward and stood between the two of them, mediating:

"General, Your Excellency the Governor, now that we are facing a powerful enemy, we must not create any internal rifts. Whether it is war or peace, we all need to work together."

Governor Bertrand and Lieutenant General Essel looked at each other. Both sides knew that the contradictions and rifts between them had reached an irreconcilable point. After all, their contradictions were not personal grudges, but the concrete manifestation of the thirty-year conflict between Savoy and Sardinia.

But at this moment, they still took advantage of the consul's roundabout way, each taking a step back and giving each other a way out.

"Hmph, Governor, let me remind you that the military power of Sardinia is controlled by me."

Lieutenant General Essel snorted coldly, threw down a harsh word, and left the meeting hall with the guards without looking back:

"If you dare to interfere in military affairs again, I will definitely take you, the traitor, back to Turin for trial."

Just as the Cagliari Governor's Palace was terrified and arguing about the arrival of the Corsican army, in the northernmost town of Sardinia-the town of San Mare, which is across the sea from the Bonifacio in Corsica.

This is a coastal town with only a few thousand people. Except for a small number of fishermen and swamp hunters, the residents here are basically engaged in dangerous and hard mining work.

In Sardinia, which is rich in mineral resources, the mining industry is also the lifeline of the island's economy.

In fact, Sardinia, which has rich reserves of coal, copper, silver, lead and other minerals, is also the first place in Europe to start metal smelting - metal smelting and processing technology existed here as early as 3000 BC, and these technologies gradually spread to ancient Rome through maritime trade routes.

During the Roman Empire, Sardinia's Argentiera Silver Mine was the highest-yielding silver mine in Italy. Even in the 21st century, 80% of Italy's lead and zinc were mined in this small Sardinia.

However, at present, these rich mines and caves cannot bring even a little improvement to the poor and miserable lives of the islanders. After all, the nobles and businessmen from Savoy controlled the economy and politics of this island as early as 30 years ago.

Sardinian miners risked not seeing the sun to pull out cartloads of priceless ore, but the hot profits flowed into the pockets of the Savoys, leaving only dust and leftovers for the local islanders.

In the town of San Mare, a Savoy baron served as the governor here. He monopolized the production and trade of several surrounding mines with the royal franchise, and used power and capital to merge and control more than 70% of the land and wealth of the town.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Savoy baron is already the only lord of this town, and this situation is common in local towns throughout Sardinia.

On weekdays, at such a sunny noon, the Savoy baron is used to sitting on the castle's observation deck to enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery while sipping Naples red wine after a hearty lunch.

But today, he obviously couldn't be so leisurely anymore. The whole town of Saint-Mare was in chaos:

"Open the door! Please!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen! Let me in!"

"Please, at least let this child stay inside, he doesn't take up space"

"That group of people is here, don't you see?!"

The townspeople have crowded outside the Baron's castle. They are all terrified and panicked. Many people brought all their belongings and rushed to the castle gate with their families.

They begged the castle guards and even kowtowed and knelt. They were almost unaware of the blood on their foreheads, just to allow themselves or their wives and children to enter the safe castle.

And there was only one reason why the townspeople of Saint-Mare were so terrified-the Corsican fleet entered the town port an hour ago. Those Corsicans who were rumored to be barbaric and brutal and bloodthirsty had already arrived on the land of Sardinia.

The old people who had experienced the Seven Years' War were mentally prepared to accept that their homes would be reduced to ruins by the looting of Corsican soldiers, just as the Sardinian soldiers did to the Corsicans.

"Get out of here, the Baron said that no one can be allowed in now!"

A team of castle guards firmly held the gate, and they even pointed their guns at the unarmed and desperate townspeople outside. Although these guards did not have the courage to resist the Corsican army, they would never lose the courage to fire at these Sardinians.

After all, in the eyes of these Savoy-born guards, the Sardinians have never been equal members of the national society, and they treat the Sardinians only a little better than the Spaniards treat the Native Americans.

On the terrace of the castle, the current baron was also anxiously observing the movements of the Corsican army.

He knew that his guards of more than 100 people could only deal with some ruffians and thieves in normal times, and it was absolutely impossible for them to cause any interference to the Corsican army of more than 5,000 people.

All the baron could do now was to pray that the Corsicans would be satisfied after looting the town and slaughtering the residents, and continue to move south, thus leaving his insignificant little fortress alone. After all, it would take a lot of effort for Corsica to capture the castle.

As long as they could save the castle, their wealth and their lives, it didn't matter how many townspeople died. Those rural Sardinians were just a group of talking animals.

Time passed by, and as all the Corsican troops landed at the port and reorganized, the citizens of Saint-Mare became increasingly desperate.

War and destruction, this seems to be the final outcome of this mediocre coastal town, at least in the minds of the Sardinian people.

They knew that their army had done the same thing to the Corsicans, so no matter how angrily the Corsican army vented their hatred on this land, it seemed not to be an exaggeration.

And while everyone was waiting in horror for fate to pronounce the death sentence, the baron on the observation deck suddenly noticed something unusual:

"Why don't the Corsicans go into the town? They want to camp outside the city?"

Standing at a high place, the baron could clearly see that the Corsican army only sent a small group of troops into Saint Mare, and its main force moved into an open space on the outskirts of the town after landing and reorganizing. .

Not to mention looting and massacring the city, the main force of the Corsican army did not seem to intend to enter the town of Saint Mare.

The Corsican soldiers who entered the town quickly dispersed and took the initiative to maintain order in the streets of the town, instantly frightening those profit-minded people who took advantage of the situation to cause chaos.

More than an hour later, the baron in the stands was even more surprised to find that most of the frightened townspeople surrounding the gate of his castle gradually returned to the town, as if they were fully armed Corsi. Chia soldiers don't exist at all.

At this time, a servant who was out looking for news returned to the castle, and his expression was equally weird:

"Sir! Those Corsican soldiers seem to be maintaining law and order on the streets. They also said that this time they were led by Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte himself. Prime Minister Bonaparte swore an honorary oath to all the townspeople that his troops would not harm No civilian life, nor take any civilian property.”

"What the hell, does he think he is the lord here?"

The baron frowned and cursed, not understanding what Bonaparte wanted to do at all. This is not how the rules of war work:

"How could those untouchables believe such a lie?"

"It seems that Laurence Bonaparte also has considerable influence among Sardinians. Because of the land reform implemented in Corsica last year, many Sardinians yearn to live in Corsica. You must still remember , we also arrested a group of untouchables who wanted to smuggle into Bonifa last month."

The servant hesitated for a moment and tried his best to explain:

"Just now the townspeople were afraid of the Corsicans, but after they heard that Laurence Bonaparte personally led the army and swore an oath on his honor, many people seemed willing to believe Bonaparte's promise."

"whispering sound"

As the largest local landowner and lord, the Baron naturally scorned Corsica's land reform. He firmly believed that the group of serfs would only make a mess of their land after losing the protection and leadership of the lord:

"What a bunch of ignorant low-class people. This must be Bonaparte's lie. He wants to deceive everyone so that he can catch them all! Forget it, as long as the Corsican people don't make plans for me, those untouchables will be fine no matter what." "

Of course, another hour passed, and the concentrated massacre that the baron expected did not appear.

The Corsican army peacefully took over the town of Saint-Mare without any casualties. After ensuring order in the town and eliminating dangers and hidden dangers, Laurence Bonaparte and a group of officers approached him nearby. Escorted by a hundred soldiers, they entered the town.

The townspeople looked at the young man riding a horse in the center of the team with complicated expressions. In name, he was an enemy of the kingdom, but emotionally, they hoped that they could become subjects under the young man's rule.

During this year, various rumors from Corsica have become the most common topics of conversation among Sardinians.

The islanders found in disbelief that their neighbors living on the other side of the sea, who had the same skin color, same language, and same culture as them, had actually lived a life they had dreamed of or even dared to imagine.

Originally, under the rule of Pasquale Paoli, the Sardinians were already very envious of Corsica's ability to gain independence from Genoa and become an independent nation-state, instead of suffering the same abuses from the Savoys as they did. Bullying and exploitation.

After hearing the news about the emancipation of serfs, economic development, and independent elections in Corsica, the island across the sea suddenly became the paradise in the hearts of many Sardinian people.

In addition, Lawrence Bonaparte had already instructed the Corsican government to be open to immigrants from Sardinia. In just one year, thousands of people immigrated to Corsica, and even many poor people immigrated to Corsica. The Bonifa foreign national who could not afford a boat ticket risked his life to come to San Mare and swim across the channel, trying to sneak across the sea.

Although they knew it was just an unattainable dream, at this moment, these low-level townspeople did not hope that the young man in front of them could stay and turn Sardinia into the second Corsica.

Under the expectant and admiring gaze of the townspeople, Laurence Bonaparte led the team to the square in the center of the town, and quickly built a simple speech platform here.

Subsequently, Lawrence sent a message to the castle in the center of the town, asking the alderman here to meet with him within an hour, otherwise, the Corsican army would completely raze his castle.

Under this strong coercion, the baron in the castle had no choice but to lead a few followers and guards to the square in the center of the town. Under the gaze of hundreds of townspeople, he sat uneasily and sat down with Lawrence Bonnet. Opposite the bus.

The baron took a deep breath, calmed down a little, and then glanced at the untouchables in the audience with a look of disdain. He did not want his ugly appearance to be seen by these lowly townspeople. As a lord, he should always be great and majestic. That's right.

"Greetings to you, distinguished Prime Minister Bonaparte."

The baron bowed gracefully, thinking he was very humble:

"I am the consul of this place, a baron from Piedmont. I am very sorry that our countries are enemies of each other, but I swear to God that I have no hostility towards you and your army. I also believe that , with your noble reputation, you will definitely not do any hostile behavior towards a noble who takes the initiative to express goodwill."

As he spoke, the baron quickly gestured to the two servants behind him, and the two servants walked up with difficulty carrying a heavy box.

Opening the lid, the box was actually filled with gold bars and silver ingots, which shone brightly in the sunlight, making people unable to open their eyes. This jewelery immediately made the people in the audience exclaim. Seeing that their lord Much richer than imagined.

Even the members of the Privy Knights behind Lawrence couldn't help but stare. These military cadets, most of whom were civilians, had never seen such huge wealth before.

Obviously, this box of valuable gold and silver is the baron's goodwill to Lawrence. His intention is also very obvious. He hopes to use this box as his ransom payment, begging Lawrence's army to let him go and leave this place. A town.

Normally, a noble leader with a high reputation should happily accept this treasure and keep his promise to lead the army out of here. This is also a noble but hypocritical rule of war between nobles.

Lawrence's eyes only stayed on the shining golden treasure for a moment and then moved away. Instead, he asked with interest:

"Are you a baron from Savoy?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, I was born in the rich and elegant Po River plain, and I am a hereditary baron."

The baron's waist straightened subconsciously, and his voice became much tougher.

As a hereditary baron of Savoy, he not only believed that he was nobler than the untouchables in the audience, he even felt that he was better than Laurence Bonaparte in terms of blood. After all, the other party was just a declining earl family. descendants.

Lawrence nodded slightly and said nothing. Instead, he took two documents from a civil servant behind him and threw them to the baron in front of him:

"Since you took the initiative to express your goodwill, I think you would be happy to do me another favor and cooperate with me in implementing these two bills in this town, right?"

"Of course! Let alone two, even if it is two hundred, I will firmly cooperate with you to implement it. Wait!"

The baron was about to pat his chest and agree, but when he saw the contents of the two bills, his expression instantly froze:

"This is the land reform and agricultural tax reform bill you implemented in Corsica?"

As soon as these words came out, the Sardinian people in the audience widened their eyes one after another, thinking that there was something wrong with their ears.

What would happen, would Laurence Bonaparte implement directly in Sardinia the reforms he had implemented in Corsica? ! The Kingdom of Corsica only maintains military occupation of this town and has not legally incorporated it into its territory.

"Is there any problem?" Lawrence asked with a smile.

"I don't, I mean there's something inappropriate about it."

The baron suddenly started to hesitate and speak incoherently:

"Your Excellency, I am the consul here and the lord here. I am loyal to my king, and His Majesty the King has given me the legal power to govern this land and obtain profits, but your reform bill will take my land away. My hereditary fiefdom and all my legitimate sources of income will be taken away and distributed to these untouchables who are inferior to pigs and dogs!"

Although the baron knew that the Kingdom of Corsica would not be able to force the Palace of Turin to cede Sardinia after the war, the Kingdom of Sardinia would definitely continue to rule Sardinia after the war.

But once he agrees to transfer his land, property and management rights to civilians, can he still ask for these rights back after the war? After all, no one knows when this war will end.

The baron's voice rose a few degrees. Even though he knew he was powerless to resist Bonaparte, he still couldn't help but argue with all his wealth and property:

"You are illegal! Prime Minister Bonaparte, you are only occupying this land. Only the Savoy Dynasty has the legal right to rule this land!"

Although he understood the other party's resistance, Lawrence's smile still disappeared, and his voice immediately turned cold:

“Wherever my armies go, I rule.”

"If you insist on having your own way." The baron's momentum suddenly weakened, and he could only grit his teeth and threaten:

"The nobles of Savoy will definitely not support you. We are the masters of Sardinia. Without our support and support, you will be unable to move in Sardinia! If other consuls violate their rights so unreasonably, rights, you will be revolted throughout Sardinia!”

Lawrence shook his head slightly and said calmly:

"I don't need your support, the people of Sardinia will support me."

"This is Monsignor Bonaparte!"

"That's enough, take him down."

As soon as he finished speaking, before the baron could say anything more, Lawrence directly signaled the soldiers to come forward, detain and imprison the arrogant and noble Baron of Savoy.

The people watched in amazement as their lord was dragged off the platform, and as the once majestic and domineering Baron was brought out of sight like a dead dog, the townspeople did not react for a long time. come over.

"As for the baron's fortune."

Lawrence glanced at the box of gold and silver and the castle not far away, and casually ordered to the left and right:

"After counting, half will be used to reward the soldiers, and the other half will be distributed to the people here."

Hearing this, there was another uproar among the people below. Many townspeople were so excited that they even swallowed their saliva. They knew how much the Baron had accumulated through his monopoly operations and land mergers over the years. A fortune.

An elder who was quite prestigious in the local area was so excited that he trembled with excitement. He led the people around him to kneel on the ground and shouted:

"Master Bonaparte! Your kindness and merit will definitely be seen by God. This great kindness will be praised in this town for hundreds of years!"

Looking at the civilians kneeling on the ground in front of him like reeds in the wind, Lawrence frowned slightly, jumped off the platform and helped the elder up:

"Please get up. There are no lords in Corsica, and there shouldn't be any lords in Sardinia. From today on, you don't need to kneel to anyone, and this is not a big favor at all. These properties belong to you." I just want to return the blood and sweat to the original owner.”

The elder was stunned and did not react for a while. It was not until Lawrence helped him up that he suddenly felt that this Lord Bonaparte seemed different from the previous lords.

The people were also stunned. Before this, not many people felt that the Baron's legal property had anything to do with them. It was as if the boxes of gold and silver in the Baron's castle had fallen from the sky.

"And fellow Sardinians, please allow me to call you this, because Corsicans and Sardinians have been relatives of the same blood since ancient times."

As the people gradually straightened up, Lawrence stood back on the podium and shouted impassionedly:

"I, Laurence Bonaparte, have only one purpose in coming to Sardinia. This purpose is not destruction, nor revenge, but liberation! During the three hundred years of being suppressed by Genoese rule, the Corsicans have suffered exploitation and oppression , so that we can deeply appreciate your hardships and bitterness, and we can sympathize with your sorrow under the rule of the Savoys; when we hear that the consul just now regarded the entire town as his own as a matter of course, When it comes to private property, I can even imagine how much power and wealth he has taken away from you for his own use!"

These passionate words instantly aroused a resonance among the Sardinian people.

The lonely widow covered her face and cried bitterly. Her husband died doing corvee service for the baron, leaving not even half a copper of savings to the family; Chances are he died on the battlefield in Corsica.

As for the Sardinians who died tragically on this land due to the exploitation and oppression of the Savoys in the past thirty years, if their wronged souls could mourn, there would be thousands of cries and howls at this moment.

Thinking about the arrogant appearance of the Savoy nobles and bureaucrats, thinking about the current situation of poverty despite their hard work, thinking about the Corsican people on the other side of the sea who have got rid of oppression and are enjoying unprecedented economic and trade prosperity. A large number of townspeople They shed tears on the spot.

"And let me say, enough! Enough is enough! My fellow Sardinians! From this moment on, this status quo must end. I, Laurence Bonaparte, can no longer sit back and watch as my compatriots are in dire straits. Well, it is the Sardinians themselves who should govern this land, and it should be the workers themselves who enjoy the fruits of their labor. Let those robbers and thieves go back to Northern Italy. This is why I and my army are here!"

Seeing the tears of the townspeople, Lawrence raised his arms and shouted:

“We will never leave this suffering land until all of Sardinia is liberated! I hereby declare that the Land Reform and Agricultural Tax Reform Act will be officially implemented in the municipality of San Mare today. The council will be dissolved immediately and elections will be organized for independent Sardinian municipal officials! Hold your head high and be proud, fellow citizens, because this town will kick off the liberation of all Sardinia! !”

The people looked up in confusion at the blond young man on the stage, watching him raise his right arm high to declare his power. This was something completely unheard of in a hundred years.

From Pisa to Spain, from Austria to Savoy, waves of outsiders ruled Sardinia, but no ruler ever told them that the people of Sardinia also had innate characteristics. that power.

For a time, the people were filled with tears and were at a loss what to do.

Self-government, land to the tiller, light corvee and low tax, equality and freedom, are these no longer the moon in the water or the flower in the dream? !

The townspeople once dreamed of living the lives of free Corsican citizens, but now they no longer have to brave the dangers of smuggling to Corsica. Prime Minister Laurence Bonaparte has ushered in a new era for them. of dawn.

Thousands of words rushed into their throats, but in the end they only turned into a unified mountain roar and tsunami:

"Long live Bonaparte!"

"Long live Bonaparte!"

"Long live Bonaparte!"