Just as Cavour was preparing to receive a storm of abuse from Jerome Bonaparte, the French emperor, who should have been angry, actually showed an abnormal side.
Jérôme Bonaparte generously not only expressed his understanding of the Kingdom of Sardinia seeking help from the Kingdom of Britain (f*ck), but also expressed his gratitude to Cavour for coming to Paris to explain the situation.
After hearing such an abnormal answer from Jérôme Bonaparte, Cavour not only did not feel at ease in his heart, but instead became even more frightened.
"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Sardinia has no intention of opposing the French Empire!" Cavour said to Jérôme Bonaparte in an increasingly humble manner. "The reason why we cooperate with the Kingdom of Britain is entirely due to the increasingly fierce domestic violence.
political pressure!”
"Mr. Cavour!" Jérôme Bonaparte frowned and complained to Cavour, "Didn't I say so!
The Kingdom of Sardinia is not a vassal state of the French Empire, you and we are two countries with equal status!
Therefore, the French Empire will not interfere in any diplomatic actions of the Kingdom of Sardinia!"
"Thank you for your generosity!" Cavour saluted Jerome Bonaparte again.
Cavour knew in his heart that the "state of equal status" mentioned by Jerome Bonaparte was just a rhetorical statement. However, since he (Jerome Bonaparte) was no longer pursuing the "transgression" of the Kingdom of Sardinia,
, then Cavour does not need to confess to him again and again.
Explaining too much will only arouse the other party's resentment.
So Cavour quickly switched to the next topic.
Cavour first pretended to congratulate France on its upcoming military exercises in the Mediterranean, and then curiously asked Jérôme Bonaparte why the military exercises would be held in Corsica (Cavour did not dare to speak outright why France would
Aim the artillery near Sardinia).
Naturally, Jérôme Bonaparte would not say outright that he just wanted to teach the Kingdom of Sardinia a "lesson" at that time, but used the excuse of "testing the French navy's ability to fight around the island" to deal with Cavour.
Jérôme Bonaparte told Cavour that the French Naval General Staff had recently trained a group of soldiers called "Marines" (actually this branch had been established by the emperor after the establishment of the French General Staff)
, but they have not been branched by the outside world). Their purpose is to assist the navy in landing operations.
Since this type of military unit is in its infancy, it is necessary to find a suitable island for experimentation, so Corsica has become the best experimental site.
Although Cavour did not understand the nature of the "Marine Corps", he understood the character of Jerome Bonaparte very well.
Naturally, Cavour would not believe Jérôme Bonaparte's far-fetched explanation.
However, Cavour could not openly refute Jérôme Bonaparte. He had to use a tactful tone to express to Jérôme Bonaparte that the Sardinian residents living in the Sardinia area might be dissatisfied with the French Empire.
The navy had an excessive mentality. He hoped that the emperor could order the French Imperial Navy to conduct military operations far away from Sardinia in view of the fact that the Kingdom of Sardinia and the French Empire had been on good terms for generations.
"But..." Jérôme Bonaparte said to Cavour with a deliberately troubled expression on his face, "A few days ago, the (Navy) General Staff had submitted their plan to me. If they change it rashly,
I’m afraid it will cost a lot of money!”
After thinking for a moment, Cavour gritted his teeth and said to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, all the costs of this French naval exercise will be paid for by the Kingdom of Sardinia!!"
Hearing that Cavour was willing to bear all the costs of this military exercise, Jérôme Bonaparte showed a little surprise on his face.
You should know that although the purpose of this military exercise was to "bring goods", nearly half of the Mediterranean fleet was dispatched.
(The main purpose before was to scare Sardinia. After careful consideration, Jerome Bonaparte decided to let Sardinia stir up tension in Italy. Therefore, the main purpose of the French Navy at this stage is to sell warships)
There is a saying that when a cannon goes off, there is a thousand taels of gold.
For such a large fleet, a single exercise would cost no less than five million francs.
This amount of money is indeed only a drop in the bucket for the entire French Empire, but for the Kingdom of Sardinia, a medium-sized country, it is a huge expenditure.
"Mr. Cavour, did you consult with my brother (Victor Emmanuel II) before making this decision!" Jérôme Bonaparte asked Cavour cautiously
One sentence.
With such a huge expenditure, Cavour has no legal effect at all without the king's consent.
"Before I arrived in Paris, His Majesty Victor had given me full confidence!" Cavour assured Jérôme Bonaparte.
"That's so embarrassing!" Jerome Bonaparte smiled reservedly, and then said without reservation, "I will give you all the expenses after summarizing them before the military exercise begins!"
"Your Majesty, thank you very much!" Cavour said excitedly to Jerome Bonaparte.
The "blockers" that blocked Garibaldi from going south had been "cleared" by him, and the next step was to order Garibaldi to launch an attack on the Kingdom of Naples.
Later, Jérôme Bonaparte asked Cavour bluntly whether he was prepared to become an enemy of the Austrian Empire.
Cavour replied to Jérôme Bonaparte with a serious face, "Your Majesty, I have never wanted to be an enemy of the Austrian Empire!"
"Come on!" Jerome Bonaparte shrugged his shoulders and said to Cavour unceremoniously, "You are not willing to be an enemy of Franz Joseph, and Franz Joseph will not let you go.
Mess with Italy!
The revolution 12 years ago (1848) fully demonstrated that as long as there is turmoil in one country in Italy, turmoil will inevitably occur in countries in other regions!
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Mr. Cavour, tell me honestly, don’t you have some back-ups that you haven’t used yet?”
"Your Majesty, I don't know what you are talking about!" Cavour showed a confused look, and he was not willing to reveal his trump card easily.
"Mr. Cavour, I advise you to be more honest!" Jérôme Bonaparte threatened calmly, "I may not have the ability to accomplish anything, but I still have the ability to destroy it.
OK!
To be honest with you, the reason why I am willing to provide you with convenience is because I want to use you to weaken the Austrian Empire's control in Italy, thereby weakening the Austrian Empire's strength.
Now that the French Empire has been satisfied in Italy, I don't want to interfere with any Italian things that don't belong to France.
As long as the Kingdom of Sardinia does not choose to attack the Papal State under the protection of France, then no matter what the Kingdom of Sardinia does, we will not object.
But there are still shackles that bind the French Empire in some places, and we must break them again!
On this issue, our direction is consistent with yours to some extent!”
Even though the second half of Jérôme Bonaparte's words were euphemistic enough, for Cavour, whose political ability was almost full, Jérôme Bonaparte's words couldn't be easier to understand.
It was nothing more than that the French emperor turned his attention to the land of the Rhineland after acquiring Savoy and Nice.
However, it is normal if you think about it carefully. Napoleon III has always been committed to stabilizing his position at home and abroad, and the Rhineland will inevitably become the object of Napoleon III's thoughts.
Although Cavour had already guessed Jérôme Bonaparte's actions, when this guess came out from Napoleon himself, Cavour felt an inexplicable joy in his heart.
As long as Napoleon III shifts his attention from the Italian peninsula to the German region, the likelihood of the success of this operation by the Kingdom of Sardinia will greatly increase.
Thinking of this, Cavour decided to inform Jerome Bonaparte of part of his plan. He was also afraid that Jerome Bonaparte would help the Austrian Empire.
After all, Jerome Bonaparte was sometimes too willful.
"Your Majesty, let me tell you the truth! I have already contacted Garibaldi and Mazzini, and I am just waiting for Garibaldi to launch an attack on Sicily!"
Mazzini would incite the Carbonari in Lombardy, Venice, and even Central Italy to launch an uprising.
By then, the Austrian Empire will inevitably choose to suppress Lombardy and Venice first, followed by the Kingdom of Central Italy!
When it comes to the Kingdom of Naples, General Garibaldi will probably have already occupied the whole of Naples."
"What will you do if the Austrian Empire chooses to divide its forces?" Jérôme Bonaparte asked Cavour.
Cavour was silent for a moment, then spread his hands and said to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, it depends on General Garibaldi!
I think with the current finances of the Austrian Empire, it is simply unable to mobilize a large army to enter Italy!"
"So, your plan is based on the fact that the monarch of the Austrian Empire is afraid of financial difficulties and dare not take large-scale actions!" Jerome Bonaparte chuckled, "Unexpectedly, you, who have always been steady, actually started to implement it.
, such a frivolous plan!”
"Your Majesty, I am a Sardinian and also an Italian!" Cavour said firmly to Jerome Bonaparte, "The fate of Italy should be in the hands of the Italians themselves!"
After listening to Cavour's words, Jérôme Bonaparte couldn't help but feel a little respect for Cavour.
Despite all respect, Jérôme Bonaparte was still not optimistic about Cavour's actions this time.
Cavour's strategy is like walking an endless tightrope. If you are not careful, you will be shattered.
However, in the absence of a major country willing to step forward for it, Cavour's strategy is already the best one.
