A Conspiracy Against His Own Subordinates
Thanks to France, the Holy See's prestige has waned over the years. Now, even in Rome, people dare to satirize the Holy See. It's not that the Holy See doesn't want to suppress these individuals; it's just that heresy has been rampant in Italy in recent years, and many have been misled. Even the books of apostates like Voltaire are circulating widely, and because of the France influence, the Holy See cannot ban them. As a result, blasphemous phrases like "the devil of superstition and the rabid hydra" are openly circulated in the streets. If the Holy See were to take decisive measures to suppress these people, they might actually rebel.
As for the military forces in the Holy See's hands, well, ever since Napoleon's invasion of Rome and the subsequent defection of the Holy See's army, from the Pope himself to underage thieves in Rome, and even the Papal States' own army, no one really believes that the Papal States's army would be loyal to the Holy See and turn against the rebellious citizens of Rome. In fact, it's quite possible that the Papal States's army might even side with the people of Rome. Of course, if it's the "people of Rome" in someone's plan, then there's no doubt about it.
Therefore, he dares not suppress it, and he will never dare to suppress it in his lifetime. Only by letting those Switzerland mercenaries wearing half-armor and carrying halberds come out and patrol frequently can he barely maintain a semblance of the Pope's face.
Furthermore, the people potentially causing trouble behind the scenes are likely the Austria nobles. Although the Austria Emperor—no, His Majesty the King—fully understands the Holy See's difficult situation in this matter, and that the Holy See has genuinely faced unavoidable difficulties, and in fact, Austria and the Holy See have reached a de facto agreement on many issues, these things cannot be discussed openly. If a few confused Austria nobles cause minor trouble, can the Holy See not tolerate it? Without the support of the Austria, those Italy might actually dare to partition the Papal States. And the France would probably be very happy to welcome the Pope to Avignon.
Therefore, although such blasphemous acts occurred during the torch relay, the Holy See has made up its mind—we saw nothing.
As the Olympic flame continues its relay, countries are beginning preparations for the Olympic Games. Each nation is establishing its own Olympic Committee and preparing to send its own teams to the Paris Olympics.
At this time, the French Olympic Committee also officially announced the competition events and registration rules for the Olympic Games. The competition events had actually been leaked through various channels long ago, so everyone already knew about them. This official announcement essentially confirmed these rumors.
This Olympic Games mainly featured the following events. First, there were track and field events, including the 100-meter sprint, 200-meter dash, and Marat. Field events included discus throw, javelin throw, high jump, and long jump.
In addition, there were ball games, but basketball hadn't been invented yet. Football existed, but it lacked rules and was basically considered a low-class pastime; competing in it was beneath one's status in that era. As for golf, later considered an aristocratic sport favored by the upper class, even by King Trump, it was only just beginning to transition from Scotland shepherd's game to a ball sport. Of course, these weren't the most important reasons. The most important reason was that the France weren't good at these kinds of games. Therefore, the only suitable ball sport for this era was tennis, a sport deeply rooted in France culture.
Tennis originated as a game for the nobility, later spreading to the common people and becoming a tool for gambling. The Sun King banned it from the general public, but it remained a legal sport in the aristocratic courts. After the French Revolution, tennis returned to the general public, and today it is arguably the most familiar ball sport to the France. During the France military campaigns, the game spread to other Europe countries, so it's not unique to the France. Consequently, tennis became the only ball sport in the France Olympic Games. To promote France culture, the France shamelessly divided tennis into "clay court tennis" and "lawn tennis," and then added singles and doubles categories, thus creating several new "firsts."
Besides these, another important competition event is equestrianism. This Olympic Games features two events: speed racing and steeplechaser.
Then there's fencing and shooting.
In fencing, competitors use unsharpened flat-headed swords, and there are two events: rapier and doubles (a longsword and a dagger for auxiliary defense).
As for the shooting events, they were naturally designed to serve the Bonaparte Arsenal, including 10-meter pistol targets, 100-meter rifle targets, and skeet shooting, which simulated hunting.
In these competitions, the firearms used were brought by the competitors themselves. However, the Bonaparte Arsenal provided France competitors with firearms specifically optimized for the competition, making it virtually impossible for athletes using firearms from other companies to win. These competitions thus became the best advertisement for the Bonaparte Arsenal.
After traveling through Italy, the Olympic flame was finally loaded onto a ship bound for Spain. The France fleet escorted the ships carrying the flame throughout the journey. When the flame arrived in Spain, the Pashas of Barbary finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the French Army and Spain fleets outside their port finally turned back and left.
The Pashas of Barbary couldn't help but thank God for His protection and for letting the infidels leave. Little did they know, a conspiracy against them was being plotted in the Turkey royal palace.
France envoy Saint-Mélan is discussing the Barbary issue with the supreme Turkey Selim III.
"Your Majesty, let us face reality. Acknowledging reality itself does not harm anyone; it is refusing to acknowledge reality that truly harms the nation. The Pashas of Barbary today, though nominally still submitting to Your Majesty, are in reality already independent states. As Your Majesty's Pashas, shouldn't they frequently come to pay their respects? But since you ascended to this throne, when have they ever come to see you?"
Furthermore, if the Barbary are indeed Turkey territory, shouldn't they pay taxes to Your Majesty? Over the years, the Barbary Pashas have made a considerable fortune, yet Your Majesty's reforms have consistently been hampered by insufficient funds. Why don't you exercise your authority there?
"Your Majesty, if you wish to reclaim your legitimate rights in Barbary, we, the France, as Turkey's long-standing ally, can offer our assistance. Of course, we are not unconditional; in fact, in this matter, we can achieve a win-win situation..."