Unexpected Joy

Garibaldi's greatness is beyond question.

The famous French literary giant Victor Hugo once said, "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I must speak the truth. Of all the generals who fought for France, only Garibaldi was invincible."

After the Franco-Prussian War, Prussian General Voelker also admitted, "If all of France's armies were commanded by Garibaldi, then more than one captured banner would have been taken in the war of 1870."

Such a general, who evoked involuntary sighs and admiration from his enemies, did not rise to the highest echelons of the Italian government for various reasons. Instead, he lived in seclusion on the small island of Caprera.

The good news is that due to Garibaldi's high prestige among the Italian people and his contributions to Italy's unification, he was able to live a leisurely life in Italy without fear of arrest by the government.

For such a revered figure, Carlo naturally wanted to meet him.

An uninvited visit would only cause annoyance, and since Carlo was still young, there was no rush.

However, this did not mean that Carlo could not contact Garibaldi at this time.

In fact, Garibaldi lived a colorful life even in his retirement, even publishing the novel "The Thousand," which recounted his story of conquering the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies with just a thousand men.

Leveraging his reputation, Garibaldi received a hefty advance of 21,000 Lira for the book's first printing, equivalent to about 840 pounds.

Since Garibaldi had such an interest, Carlo certainly wouldn't mind inviting him to serialize some stories in the 24 Hours Sun Newspaper of Italy.

If it were Garibaldi's military exploits, Carlo believed most Italians would enjoy them.

Carlo's 24 Hours Sun Newspaper of Italy could achieve rapid expansion on the back of Garibaldi's fame, and Carlo could use this opportunity to get acquainted with Garibaldi.

However, all of this depended on Garibaldi's willingness. If Garibaldi was unwilling to publish articles in the Italy Sun, Carlo would be powerless.

In Italy, Garibaldi's personal prestige even surpassed that of the royal family, and the Italian people would not tolerate any slander against him.

In 1879, a journalist named Giovanni wrote two stories that personally attacked Garibaldi. Not long after, the journalist was assassinated.

If Garibaldi had not personally initiated a fundraiser and donated a pension to Giovanni's widow, Giovanni's family would likely have continued to live under the condemnation of the Italian people.

This indirectly proved Garibaldi's greatness. For Italy and the Italian people, Garibaldi was flawless.

To make a good impression on Garibaldi, Carlo revised his letter to him several times and asked Loren to check it for any improprieties.

A few days later, on the small island of Caprera in the northeast of Sardinia, Garibaldi's peaceful life was disrupted.

After Garibaldi announced that he would not receive any guests, the island seemed to become his domain, with little outside traffic.

Furthermore, the presence of many soldiers specifically "protecting" Garibaldi further deterred visitors.

Garibaldi, who should have been enjoying a leisurely fishing life, was frowning at a letter bearing the royal crest on his desk.

"What's wrong, Father?" Garibaldi's second son, Giotto, asked, looking at his frowning father with surprise.

This was the first time Giotto had seen his father frown since he retired to Caprera Island, and it was over a letter.

If Giotto didn't trust his father Garibaldi's character, he might have suspected that an illegitimate lover was demanding money.

"It's nothing, Giotto. Just a letter, a letter from the royal family," Garibaldi replied absently, looking at the letter on the desk and lost in thought.

"A letter from the royal family?" Giotto's surprise intensified, and he blurted out, "A letter to you from the royal family? Has something happened again?"

"It hasn't come to that, Giotto," Garibaldi said with a smile, shaking his head and adding self-deprecatingly, "Even if something happened, they would never come to me unless Vittorio's crown was in jeopardy again."

"Then this is?" Giotto's curiosity remained, and his gaze shifted to the envelope on the desk.

"It's a letter from His Highness Carlo," Garibaldi said with a faint smile. "Speaking of which, I met that little fellow before. Is he feeling better?"

"It's him!" Giotto nodded, looking pleased. "Of all the royals, I like His Highness Carlo. It's a shame he's not the heir to the throne."

"You can say such things to me, but it's best to keep your mouth shut outside," Garibaldi said, glancing at his son, who was getting excited. "If you don't want to live in seclusion with me on Caprera for the rest of your life, you'd better show some respect to those royals."

"I know, Father. Is there something about His Highness Carlo's letter?" Giotto's curiosity about Carlo's letter remained, and he asked continuously.

Garibaldi nodded, a wry smile on his face. "This is probably the first time someone in the royal family has praised me to this extent! Little Carlo wants me to publish articles in his Sun newspaper, preferably about the Redshirts."

Giotto's excited chatter brought Garibaldi and Carlo closer, and Garibaldi's address for Carlo shifted from "Your Highness" to "Little Carlo."

At this moment, Carlo was unaware that the Garibaldi he longed to meet had already interacted with the original owner of this body, and that Garibaldi had a very good impression of Carlo.

But it was understandable. Carlo (the original body) had been sickly since childhood, his father was busy with state affairs, and his mother died early. His personality naturally became meek and friendly.

Having seen the arrogance and extravagance of nobles, it was not surprising that Garibaldi had a favorable impression of young Carlo.

"Is the Italy Sun yours, Your Highness Carlo?" Giotto's excitement grew more apparent, and he said impatiently, "Didn't you say before, Father, that you wanted to write down your stories for more Italians to read? Isn't this a great opportunity?"

Looking at his son, who was cheering, Garibaldi shook his head with a hint of helplessness. "I can write these stories, but whether more Italians will see them is not up to me. If my stories were to affect His Highness Carlo's Italy Sun, it would be a loss. However, His Highness Carlo's invitation is hard to refuse. How about this: I'll write a few less offensive stories first and see how those old guys in Florence react."

Although it was said that Mazzini originated the idea of Italian unification, no one could deny that Garibaldi's pure and deep love for Italy had also influenced the vast majority of Italians.

Despite Garibaldi's outstanding contributions to Italian unification, he had been too close to republicanism in the past. Stories adapted from his real experiences might be popular with Italians, but not necessarily with the Italian government and the royal family.

For this very reason, Garibaldi did not want to affect others because of himself, especially Carlo, for whom he had a certain regard.

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