After experiencing the diplomatic "winter" of December, the French Empire finally welcod its "spring" in mid-January.
On January 15, 1851, when Jero Bonaparte once again conveyed the slogan "Empire ans peace" to Europe, the then leader of the British Tory Party, who was also the new Pri Minister of Britain, Earl of Aladdin, dispatched his newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Earl of Malsbury, to convey the Kingdom of Britain’s welco to the French Empire joining the European family to the French envoy in Britain.
[PS: Earl of Aladdin of the Tory Party used the social panic triggered by the establishnt of the French Empire to accuse Pri Minister Russell of various political mistakes between 1848 and 1851. For a ti, public opinion surged, and Pri Minister Russell was overwheld by the tide of public sentint. After the fall of the Russell Cabinet, the forr opposition leader Foreign Minister Palrston was also kicked out of politics by the Earl of Derby, replaced by the timid and inexperienced Earl of Malsbury (a replica of Huck).
The fall of the Russell Cabinet occurred nearly a year earlier than in history.]
At the sa ti, a letter from the Hanover Royal Family (Queen Victoria) reached Jero Bonaparte through the secret channels of the Rothschild Clan.
In the letter, Queen Victoria affectionately addressed Jero Bonaparte as "my brother Napoleon III" (an appellation between legitimate kings).
Subsequently, she once again expressed her desire to travel to Paris to Jero Bonaparte.
Unable to discern whether Queen Victoria’s intentions were genuine or suggestive, Jero Bonaparte once more "invited" Minister of Foreign Affairs De Luy into the Tuileries Palace.
After a brief discussion between the two, Jero Bonaparte replied to Queen Victoria saying: Paris awaits the grand arrival of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at any ti.
The letter was once again handed over to Rothschild, to be delivered to Buckingham Palace.
Having "resolved" Britain, Jero Bonaparte no longer feared a sudden outbreak of war across all of Europe. In his view, the European Continent without Britain’s financial support was nothing but a scattered sand, not to ntion war; rely maintaining contact without collapse would be considered brave.
Of course, this was just a joke. Now, in the whole of Europe (referring to countries on the continent), apart from France, which major country is not troubled by its own finances? Cases of governnts going bankrupt halfway through mobilization are common. The idea of waging war with such armies against France is simply a pipe dream.
Sure enough, the day after the Kingdom of Britain recognized the French Empire, the Sardinian Kingdom, which had been lying low for nearly a month, brazenly declared its support for the French Empire.
Thereafter, Minister of Agriculture Cavour even apologized to Jero Bonaparte through secret channels, exhibiting such humility that Jero Bonaparte almost got the illusion that "this brother is worth associating with."
The reason, after all, was that the Sardinian Kingdom feared the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies would steal their top-tier sycophant position.
No one understands better than Cavour that the situation of the entire Apennine Peninsula does 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 allow the Sardinian Kingdom to complete its unification mission unless they are willing to give up Lombardy, Venice, and a number of Central Italian States. The French Empire, on the other hand, is different. As long as diplomatically advantageous, the French Imperial Army could be wholly enlisted to fight.
Regardless of Cavour’s thoughts, Jero Bonaparte had already determined in his heart that this "miniature Bismarck" was not worth much interaction.
To obtain France’s "understanding", Victor Emmanuel II replaced the forr president of the council of ministers, commonly known as the pri minister, with Cavour.
On January 19, the newly appointed Pri Minister of the Sardinian Kingdom, Cavour, sent a "request" to the French envoy in Sardinia, expressing his hope that the Sardinian Kingdom could also join the agricultural discussions between the French Empire and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
This blatant disrupting behavior was rcilessly rejected by the envoy. Even so, the undeterred Cavour gritted his teeth and applied for "funds" from Victor Emmanuel II, and then, as an "admirer", presented them in one swoop to Jero Bonaparte’s sister, Mathilde Bonaparte.
This subtle gift-giving thod naturally won Mathilde Bonaparte’s favor. Under Mathilde Bonaparte’s private invitation, Cavour seized the opportunity to lead a team of "agricultural experts" to France, among whom was Cavour’s "secret weapon".
On January 20, when Jero Bonaparte learned that his sister had been "captured" by Cavour’s jewels and had invited him to Paris, he felt a headache coming on.
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Sardinian Kingdom inherently had irreconcilable conflicts regarding the unification of Italy. In the event that conflicts arose and they clashed over certain issues, things would escalate significantly.
However, Jero Bonaparte believed that Cavour should not be such a politically shortsighted person.
That night, Jero Bonaparte went alone to Fontainebleau Palace to et with the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
The Crown Prince and the Emperor, two people with different identities and ages, sat on the seats of Fontainebleau Palace. Above them was a gold-frad painting of Ancient Greece, and on the table beside the seats were vessels carved with Greek patterns.
These furnishings are likely from the Bourbon Dynasty period, with so items even witnessing the entire rise and fall of the Bourbon Dynasty.
Now that the Bourbon Dynasty has already "perished," they still remain intact at Fontainebleau Palace. It’s undeniable that sotis the lifespan of artifacts far exceeds that of a dynasty.
Looking at the young and inexperienced boy before him, Jero Bonaparte couldn’t help but recall his own self in his previous life. He vaguely rembered that back then, he was still in high school, completely ignorant of national affairs.
Jero Bonaparte’s gaze gradually softened, and he slowly asked, "Do you know why your father sent you to France?"
"N...No, I don’t!" The sixteen-year-old Francesco II timidly responded.
With a slightly timid personality, Francesco II did not understand why his father sent him to the French Empire and what his purpose was in coming here. Since arriving in Paris, Francesco II had never stepped out of the gates of the National Fontainebleau Palace.
Looking at the future king of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, who had so personality flaws, Jero Bonaparte suddenly understood why the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in history was so easily overthrown.
In an absolute monarchy, the monarch’s character can influence the future direction.
Especially at the crucial point when the Italian unification war was in full swing, a weak monarch was destined to be abandoned by his subjects.
Jero Bonaparte decided to impart so political experience to this person, who was still a blank slate when it ca to politics. The unification of the Apennine Peninsula was not necessarily a good thing for France.
"Your father sent you to France to open your eyes to see the world clearly!" Jero Bonaparte explained to Francesco II as he slowly tidied his cuffs.
"Open my eyes to the world?" Francesco II’s eyes were filled with confusion. This was a phrase he could not hear from his teachers and priests. All his teachers did was relentlessly teach him to be devout to God and to view the world with goodwill.
"Let’s take a previous example! Why was the Sardinian Kingdom not overthrown by their people? Why did your father, Ferdinand II, have to suppress the army?" Jero Bonaparte posed a sharp question.
Francesco II showed a look of disgust and, unable to disguise his feelings, spoke ill of Sardinia to Jero Bonaparte: "The Sardinian Kingdom betrayed the Lord and allied with mobs!"
"If you really think that, I can assure you that the rule of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies will end in your hands!" Jero Bonaparte responded coldly, "You will beco a sinner!"
Jero Bonaparte’s cold words left Francesco II’s face pale. He couldn’t fathom what would happen if the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ended in his hands.
"No... it won’t!" Francesco II shook his head violently in rebuttal, "We still have loyal troops, loyal nobles!"
"Loyalty?" Jero Bonaparte rcilessly tore apart Francesco II’s facade: "Are you referring to those Swiss Guards? Don’t forget how His Holiness the Pope was expelled! So-called loyalty is relative. When the army’s guns are facing ten thousand, even a hundred thousand mobs, can they really harden their hearts? Even if your army can resist the mobs, what will you use to fend off Garibaldi? To fend off the Sardinian Kingdom?"
Faced with Jero Bonaparte’s verbal assault, Francesco II’s complexion grew even paler. It seed as if he envisioned the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies being overthrown.
"I... I..." Francesco II stamred, unable to speak.
Jero Bonaparte quietly watched Francesco II, crossing his legs as he leisurely sat in the chair.
After a while, Francesco II finally realized his father’s purpose for sending him to France. Humbly, he said, "You must have a solution, right?"
Francesco II looked at Jero Bonaparte with eager eyes. Influenced by the liberal ideas of Ferdinand II, he did not harbor the sa disdain for Jero Bonaparte as a truly orthodox monarch might. He believed that soone who had built an empire must have sothing extraordinary about him.
"Unfortunately, I don’t have a complete solution either!" Jero Bonaparte shrugged, then added, "The situation on the Apennine Peninsula is far more complex than you imagine!"
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