The Troublesome Corsican Restorationists

Napoleon, clearly not expecting the Crown Prince to summon him for this matter, paused for a moment, then hurriedly stood up, patting his chest, and said, "I am very honored, Your Highness. 😾🐺 ൠ✌ I mean, of course I would like to join the Royal Guard Legion!"

Joseph found it quite amusing to see Napoleon, the once-powerful and influential Napoleon who had turned Europe upside down, so nervous and reserved in front of him.

He also anticipated that the young Napoleon would not refuse his offer, after all, his family still owed a large sum of money on their vineyards in Corsica and urgently needed him to earn money to supplement their income.

Joseph was about to offer Napoleon a few more words of encouragement to improve their relationship when he Napoleon blush and, as if Courage, say, "Your Highness, but I have another request, and I hope you will grant it."

"Oh? Please go ahead."

"Well, I need to take four to five months of leave each year to return to Corsica..." Napoleon clearly knew that the Royal Guard Legion's discipline was very strict, and it would be difficult for him to ask for leave as easily as he had in Valence, so he had no choice but to say it directly.

"As you know, my health isn't very good, and I need to have regular treatments. Also, I need to go back and help take care of the vineyards at home..."

Joseph narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself that aside from hemorrhoids, he hadn't heard of any other serious illnesses afflicting Napoleon. So what was he doing returning to Corsica every year?

He suddenly remembered that at this time, Napoleon was still a staunch Corsica Restorationism, and under the call of Pascal Paoli, the leader of the Corsica Independence Movement, he often secretly participated in some political activities.

Historically, Napoleon served in the army for four years before the Great Revolution, taking nearly three years of leave to participate in these events in Corsica. Thanks to the chaotic management of the old France army at the time, no one noticed what was happening...

Joseph sighed inwardly. It wasn't good for Napoleon be in Cao Cao's camp while his heart was in Han. He had to make him give up his idea of restoring Corsica as soon as possible.

However, this matter cannot be rushed, otherwise it may backfire. After all, young people in their twenties are bound to have a rebellious mentality. If Napoleon becomes determined to support the restoration of Corsica and turn against France, then things will get very complicated.

So we need to stabilize relations with Napoleon first and improve our relationship; we can deal with the rest later.

Joseph graciously nodded and said, "Your health is the most important thing, so taking leave is certainly possible. As for the vineyards in your hometown, I have some friends in Bordeaux, perhaps they can help manage them."

Napoleon had thought it would be quite a feat if the Crown Prince would grant him a leave of one or two months each year, but to his surprise, the Crown Prince agreed immediately.

Hearing the Crown Prince's caring words, he felt a warmth in his heart and quickly bowed again. "Thank you for your kindness and compassion. My brothers and I will be able to manage the vineyard now."

"Oh, I will certainly do my utmost to fight for the Royal Guard Legion and repay your appreciation with meritorious service!"

Joseph was very happy to Napoleon temporarily "in his pocket," and he took him to dinner. Afterward, he had two Guard sent by Kexer to escort him back to Paris so that he could report directly to the General Staff Headquarters.

As for Raphael's army, he simply wrote a note and had it sent to Valence. The old France army was now quite obedient, and as long as the officers themselves had no objections, he could basically move them around at will.

After Napoleon left, Joseph went to the courtyard of the Villa, enjoying the cool night breeze of late spring and looking at the distant starlight, while pondering how to eliminate Corsica's separatist tendencies.

Even if we don't dispel Napoleon's idea of restoring Corsica, this island, suspended outside mainland France, needs to be dealt with sooner or later, otherwise it will cause trouble.

First, we need to find a way to deal with Pascal Paoli. Without him stirring things up, the Lesser Nobility in Corsica will soon forget about their ridiculous idea of restoring their kingdom.

However, this guy has now gone to the United Kingdom, relying solely on publishing books and remotely Command Department Nobility to cause trouble, and rarely shows his face himself.

Perhaps the Intelligence Bureau could come up with a solution to this.

The second task is to deal with the Corsican Parliament.

When Louis XV bought Corsica, he did not intend to govern it properly, so he did not implement the civil service system used in mainland France, but allowed the Corsican Parliament to continue to exist.

This resulted in Corsica having a great deal of autonomy, and the members of Parliament, fearing they would lose power, went to great lengths to support Corsica independence.

Besides these, it's also necessary to strengthen France's national power, thereby improving Corsica's economic level. If the Corsica people live a stable life, who would want to follow you in pursuing independence?

Only a powerful France could inspire Napoleon's sense of identity. Over time, he would naturally integrate into France and become a true France. At that point, he would be the first to vehemently oppose anyone who dared to suggest the division of France territory.

Ironically, it was after Napoleon that he personally ordered significant restrictions on the power of the Corsican Parliament and unified the Corsica administrative system, thus ending the Independence Movement there.

Nine days later, after a bumpy ride, Joseph's convoy finally entered the city of Paris.

On the Carriage, he opened the latest newspaper that Eman had sent him, and saw that the front page of the Paris Business Daily was titled "Star of France Final Approaching, Fifty Contestants to Head to the Versailles Palace."

He smiled and shook his head. Actually, there were two other very important things happening today, with an impact far exceeding that of the Star of France competition.

The first event was the formal conclusion of the Duke of Chartres succession case after a lengthy trial. The Duke of Chartres inherited the entire estate of the Duke of Orléans, owing a total of 26 Livre in fines, and officially declared bankruptcy. A large number of properties, including the Royal Palace, as well as the Duke of Chartres ' annuity, were seized by the French Reserve Bank to pay off the debts.

However, Her Majesty the Queen was soft-hearted and could not resist the Duchess of Orléans ' tearful appeal, so she agreed to leave the Duke of Chartres an Manor and hundreds of Livre livres in order to maintain at least the dignity of the Nobility.

But given the Duke of Chartres' current Syphilis condition, he probably doesn't have many years left...

At the same time, the Duke of Orléans's fortune of over 60 million Livre officially fell into the hands of the France Finance, and the vast majority of it is currently being used to repay Government Bonds. Of course, as the largest holder of France Government Bonds, this money has basically gone into the accounts of the French Reserve Bank.

The second important thing was the formal sentencing of the hundreds of rioters who had been arrested, most of whom were sentenced to death— Joseph naturally wouldn't show any mercy to these gangsters.

However, under the immense influence of the Star of France, the entire nation of France is watching the 50 qualifying players closely, discussing their achievements and strengths, and placing bets on who will ultimately win the championship.

The happy and forgetful French People had long forgotten the poor Duke of Orléans and the rioters facing the death penalty.