I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 806: Turin Agreement

A strange light suddenly flashed in Amedeo III's eyes, and he even licked his lips subconsciously.

The Papal States barely existed before the rise of the Carolingian dynasty, and the Papal States were established by relying on the lands that Pepin the Short and Charlemagne of the Carolingian dynasty seized from the Italian states.

Therefore, all Italians were concerned about the land occupied by the Papal States.

This is also the reason why the Holy See has had little control over the Italian states around it, but has been able to influence faraway countries such as Spain and Austria.

It is no wonder that Amadeus III was so excited - after all, the Papal States were larger than two Sardinias.

If Sardinia could take a bite out of the Papal States, it would be so full that it would die.

More importantly, Sardinia and the Papal States do not currently border each other.

This means that if Sardinia wants to go to the Papal States, it must first occupy part of the territory of Parma or Venice.

The words of the French Foreign Minister indicate that France will turn a blind eye to such behavior!

Sardinia's military strength is insignificant compared to France and Austria, but looking at the entire Italian peninsula, only the Two Sicilies can compete with it.

Even Venice is no match for Sardinia, let alone small countries like Parma.

Amedeo III was a very ambitious king. It should be said that his family had always been ambitious since his ancestor, the Duke of Savoy. Historically, it was King Carlo Alberto of Sardinia who finally unified the Italian peninsula through various political speculations more than half a century later.

Now, there is a good opportunity to reach out to the heart of Italy. How could Amedeo III not be tempted?

In comparison, Savoy's little piece of land was nothing.

Savoy was originally separated from the Alps by the Alps, which made it difficult to manage. And because it was close to France, where the French-speaking population was increasing, it would definitely be more difficult to manage in the future.

It would be better to give it to France in exchange for as much benefit as possible in other areas.

Besides, there are French troops stationed in Savoy now, so he can't come back even if he wants to.

Amedeo III turned his head to look at Talleyrand: "So, what do you think about this?"

The latter sat upright and nodded, saying, "His Majesty the King has indeed authorized me to sign an agreement with you, which will include the ownership of Cham and understanding of certain military operations in Sardinia."

Amedeo III nodded, still a little hesitant, and said, "Or, can we wait until General Dimopin has occupied Mantua before we talk?"

Talleyrand smiled and said: "Excuse me, you can't wait until you are starving before you start planting wheat.

"Now is your only chance to show your friendship. Otherwise, you should be able to imagine how General Dimobin will mobilize his troops after defeating the Austrians."

Amedeo III was silent for a few seconds, then he looked up, took a deep breath, and said to Talleyrand:

"Perhaps, we can discuss the details..."

The next morning, Talleyrand and the Count of Provence quietly left the Turin Palace.

On the latter is the newly signed French-Sardinian Turin Agreement.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sardinia recognized France's sovereignty over Savoy and the area east of Monaco, including the Catibona Pass.

At the same time, Sardinia would cease all hostile actions against France, end any support for the Austrian army, and provide the necessary supplies to the French Dimaubin Corps.

France compensated Sardinia with the province of Cham in northwestern Lombardy and supported Sardinia's claim to the territory of the Papal States.

The Count of Provence looked much more relaxed than when he arrived, and whispered to Talleyrand, "I didn't expect the matter to be resolved so quickly." The latter said calmly, "This is the inevitable result of political diplomacy, Count."

In fact, although he said this, he was also very surprised in his heart.

Savoy is the hometown of the Sardinian royal family. When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that Amedeo III would definitely hand it over, he didn't quite believe it.

Unexpectedly, the King of Sardinia actually agreed to it without even putting forward any other conditions.

He couldn't help but secretly admire: His Highness's control over the international political situation is more than one level higher than his own. I really don't know how he accurately analyzed the direction of Sardinia's diplomacy?
Of course, Joseph did not rely on analysis. He just knew that Sardinia ceded the territory east of Savoy and Nice to France during the reign of Napoleon III in exchange for France's support for their military operations against Lombardy and Venice.

Sardinia has great ambitions to unify Italy, and if faced with conditions similar to those in history, they will most likely accept them.

However, according to Joseph's plan, he did not intend to allow Sardinia to unify Italy as it had done in history.

After the unification of Italy, its national strength will rank fourth or fifth in Europe, which will have a considerable influence on the European landscape.

From France's geopolitical perspective, it is more advantageous to have a bunch of weaker small countries on its doorstep.

Small countries do not have the strength to challenge France in terms of politics, economy, industry, and market.

As long as France can defeat Austria, the Italian peninsula will become France's backyard.

To achieve this goal, at least two of the countries of Parma, Modena, Genoa and Venice must be preserved.

Among them, the king of Parma was named Bourbon and had no ambition. He was the one that Joseph was most satisfied with.

Modena is also relatively pro-Franco, so if he can perform well, we can support him.

Tuscany, controlled by the Habsburg family, and the Papal States were to be used as "cakes" to be divided among everyone.

As for the Two Sicilies in the south, it is currently the most powerful state in Italy. As long as it does not commit suicide, it should be difficult to be annexed by other countries.

In this case, there will be at least four countries on the Italian peninsula, plus the Vatican, which is fragmented enough.

Talleyrand closed the carriage door for the Count of Provence and bowed, "I wish you a good mood on the journey."

The latter glanced at Talleyrand's carriage and asked in surprise: "Why don't you go back with me?"

"I was originally going back to Paris," Talleyrand said, "but His Royal Highness the Dauphin gave me some new diplomatic work yesterday.

"I think the battle in Alexandria might be over soon, so why not just wait here for a while."

He will then go to Parma and other countries to begin planning the future political landscape of the Italian peninsula.

……

Italy.

The north bank of the Po River.

Pavia.

Napoleon, wearing a brand new cavalry uniform, was smiling as he brought Brigadier General Carnot, sent by the General Staff, through two rows of neatly lined soldiers and welcomed him into the tent to the sound of military music.

Brigadier General Carnot took off his hat and handed it to his attendant, then took out a stack of documents and shook them at Napoleon:
"Colonel Bonaparte, I have some orders from the General Staff to read to you."

(End of this chapter)