After Jero Bonaparte repeatedly emphasized the need to enforce military discipline to Trocch, he left the camp with Nie’er and a few high-ranking generals, heading to Chambéry Railway Station.
Led by Trocch, the officers of the command escorted Jero Bonaparte from the camp all the way to Chambéry Railway Station. When Jero Bonaparte, astride his horse, arrived near Chambéry Railway Station, he saw the roadblock set up on the path to the station.
Around the roadblock, there were approximately half a company of French soldiers stationed.
Seeing this, Jero Bonaparte quickly halted his horse and pointed at the distant roadblock, asking Nie’er, "Chief of Staff Nie’er, what’s the situation with that roadblock in the distance?"
Nie’er also appeared puzzled as he turned his gaze to General Trocch, who was half a body length behind him, seemingly asking General Trocch what was going on.
Trocch lightly kicked his horse, and the signal received, the warhorse moved forward slowly, bringing Trocch to Jero Bonaparte’s side.
"Trocch, what’s the story with the roadblock?" Jero Bonaparte asked Trocch.
Trocch respectfully answered Jero Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, the roadblock in the distance was set up overnight by the French Army yesterday!
The purpose is to prevent others from entering the train station. There are roadblocks like this not only here; every road leading to the station has one!"
"Who instructed you to do this?" Jero Bonaparte frowned tightly, asking in a stern tone.
"Your Majesty, it was Governor Camilo Valne who requested us to do so!" Trocch responded calmly to Jero Bonaparte, "Last night, Governor Valne personally visited the camp and asked to help them block here!"
"So that’s how it is!" Jero Bonaparte murmured, his expression much more relaxed than before, and then sighed pointing at the distant roadblock, "Let the troops return!"
"Yes!" Trocch saluted Jero Bonaparte, then turned his horse towards the soldiers.
After a bit of discussion, the soldiers saluted Trocch and then removed all the roadblocks.
Trocch turned his horse head back to Jero Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, I’ve ordered them to clear all the roadblocks and return to camp!"
"You’ve done well!" Jero Bonaparte praised slightly.
Then, Jero Bonaparte and his group continued forward and quickly reached the interior of the train station.
At this mont inside Chambéry Railway Station.
Perhaps because the roads leading to the train station were blocked, the once bustling Chambéry Railway Station was now almost empty, with only the officials from Chambéry who ca to see off Jero Bonaparte to Turin and a steam train ready to depart.
As the highest-ranking official in Chambéry, Governor Camilo Valne naturally stood at the forefront of the farewell team. Upon seeing Jero Bonaparte from afar, he hurriedly ran to him and said, "Your Majesty, the train is ready for you and can depart at any ti!"
Jero Bonaparte glanced at the steam train on the tracks, nodding slightly and praising Camilo Valne, "Thank you for your efforts, Mr. Valne!"
"It is my honor, Your Majesty!" Valne replied to Jero Bonaparte.
Following Valne’s guidance, Jero Bonaparte entered the carriage.
Upon entering the carriage, Jero Bonaparte was slightly shocked because the interior decoration of this carriage was excessively luxurious.
Jero Bonaparte had never thought that the Rococo style decoration would one day appear inside a train carriage.
Therefore, Jero Bonaparte turned his head to Valne and asked, "Whose exclusive carriage is this?"
"Your Majesty, this carriage belongs exclusively to Victor Emmanuel Your Majesty! After Emmanuel Your Majesty learned of your arrival in Chambéry, he ordered his exclusive train to be dispatched overnight to pick you up!" Valne seed eager to impress, running to Jero Bonaparte and responded with a slightly flattering tone.
"No wonder!" Jero Bonaparte murmured, squeezing his jaw twice.
"Your Majesty, don’t you like this carriage?" Governor Valne asked Jero Bonaparte.
"I do!" Jero Bonaparte answered without hesitation, "But this is the first ti I’ve seen anyone use Rococo style decoration in a train carriage!"
Governor Valne smiled slightly but said nothing.
Later, Valne bid farewell to Jero Bonaparte.
Before leaving, Valne tactfully inquired whether Jero Bonaparte could have the soldiers captured at the border area by France returned.
Jero Bonaparte feigned ignorance as he asked Nie’er beside him, "Nie’er, do you know about our army detaining the Sardinian Kingdom’s forces?"
Nie’er also showed a puzzled expression and said, "Your Majesty, I’m not quite sure either! Shall we call General Troche over and ask him about it?"
"What do you think, Mr. Valne?" Jero Bonaparte asked with a slight smile.
"Your Majesty, there’s no need!" Camilo Valne shook his head and replied to Jero Bonaparte, "I’d better go and ask General Troche myself!
Your ti is very precious and shouldn’t be wasted here!"
"Alright then! I’ll make sure Troche cooperates with you properly!" Jero Bonaparte nodded to Camilo Valne.
After stepping off the train, the steam locomotive let out a sharp whistle, and thick black smoke billowed from its chimney.
As the "clunk clunk clunk" sound approached, the station outside the window gradually receded as the train slowly left Chambery Railway Station, heading towards the Turin Royal Palace.
Bored inside the carriage, Jero Bonaparte and Nie’er began playing chess they took out from a drawer, while discussing Camilo Valne, "Do you think Valne realized we were deliberately brushing him off earlier?"
"Your Majesty, I think Valne understood that point!" Nie’er replied, pushing a pawn forward, "After all, the excuse we used was too clumsy!
But he didn’t want to expose it!"
"Hmm! You and I think alike!" Jero Bonaparte responded to Nie’er by picking up a pawn, "Valne is like a pawn in chess; he can only move forward according to the preset rules!"
Then, Jero Bonaparte picked up the king piece and said, "And we are the ones who make the rules!"
"Your Majesty, you are the rule-maker!" Nie’er corrected, also picking up a rook.
Jero Bonaparte glanced again at the king in his hand and sighed, "Sotis, even the rule-makers find themselves constrained by the rules they’ve set!"
...
After a lengthy journey lasting several hours, Jero Bonaparte and Nie’er finally arrived near Turin around 7 pm.
As the steam locomotive approached Turin Railway Station, it let out another sharp whistle, followed by a few noticeable jerks. Jero Bonaparte, sitting in the carriage, understood that the train was slowing down, and he turned his gaze back outside.
Outside was pitch black, and only by concentrating could one see the sparse specks of light in the distance.
After a while longer, the steam train stopped at Turin Railway Station.
Under the glow of gas lamps on either side of the station, Jero Bonaparte saw Lamamor standing by the tracks, along with a short-haired middle-aged man with a mustache and bearded chin in front of Lamamor. He was Victor Emmanuel II, King of the Sardinian Kingdom and the chief of the Savoy Clan.
Still on the train, Jero Bonaparte looked at Victor Emmanuel II and Lamamor below, and with a smirk, quietly said to Nie’er beside him, "I didn’t expect Victor would co in person!"
"Your Majesty, we should hurry down!" Nie’er urged Jero Bonaparte.
"Very well!" Jero Bonaparte gave a slight shrug, then with a radiant smile, slowly disembarked from the train.
Upon seeing Jero Bonaparte, Victor Emmanuel II, whose face was previously solemn, also smiled. He extended his arms to welco Jero Bonaparte, "Welco to Turin! My dear brother!"
Jero Bonaparte likewise opened his arms and, with a touched expression, replied, "My dear brother, I’m glad you could co in person!"
After saying this, the two pretended to embrace each other as a show of goodwill.
A few seconds later, Victor Emmanuel II and Jero Bonaparte parted once again.
"My brother, you’ve co all the way from Paris! That must have been exhausting!" Victor Emmanuel II displayed a warm and kind expression while he exchanged pleasantries with Jero Bonaparte.
"Not at all! It wasn’t tiring in the slightest!" Jero Bonaparte responded to Victor Emmanuel II with equal fervor, "But you, my elder brother! You’ve probably been waiting here a long ti!
Really, I told you there’s no need to wait here for (though Jero Bonaparte had never said this before), I could have just found a hotel myself!"
"Hahaha!" Victor Emmanuel II laughed heartily and, with a hint of wit, replied, "I wouldn’t dare let you just find a hotel; otherwise, other European monarchs would accuse us of poor hospitality!"
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