From Corsica to the Fourth Rome.

Chapter 369: Province of Sardinia
July 7, seven days after the Corsican army landed in Sardinia from the town of Sainte-Mare.

To the surprise of Lieutenant General Essel and Governor Bertrand, the Corsican army did not immediately advance towards Cagliari after landing in Sardinia.

"Are you saying that the Corsican army did not go directly south to seize Cagliari, but took the initiative to divide its troops to occupy various local towns?"

In the meeting room of the Governor's Palace in Cagliari, after receiving the latest intelligence, Lieutenant General Ethel and Governor Bertrand once again discussed the issue of resisting the Corsican army.

Although the relationship between the two was already tense, such a major event still required the two to make a decision together. At least in name, Lieutenant General Ethel still needed the assistance of Governor Bertrand.

The two had just received news that the Corsican army did not march straight towards Cagliari after landing as Lieutenant General Essel had imagined.

Lawrence Bonaparte's army, on the contrary, took the initiative to slow down its advance, dividing its troops to occupy towns along the way and ensuring complete control of every occupied town.

In the eyes of Lieutenant General Essel, this was undoubtedly good news. After all, if the Corsicans had headed straight for Cagliari, that army should have been at the gates of the city two days ago.

Judging from the Corsicans' current advancement speed, it will take them at least a week to approach the surrounding areas of the capital Cagliari, which naturally gives Lieutenant General Ethel more time to organize forces to resist the Corsican army's attack.

"Hahaha, God bless you! This way, the Corsican army's attack on Cagliari will be delayed by more than ten days than expected. As expected, Lawrence Bonaparte, that yellow-haired boy, knows nothing about military affairs. He must be busy plundering treasures in various towns."

Lieutenant General Essel was obviously in a good mood. He had always looked down on the barbarians in Corsica and had no regard for the combat effectiveness of their army. He believed that the reason why the advance force of nearly 10,000 people was wiped out on Corsica was because of the damn French.

Now that he had more time to prepare, Lieutenant General Essel felt that he could not only defend Cagliari, but also have the opportunity to counterattack and push the front line back to Corsica territory.

As for why the Corsican army did not go straight to Cagliari, Lieutenant General Ethel was not interested at all. He just thought that Lawrence Bonaparte was busy burning, killing and looting to avenge the hatred of the siege of Ajaccio, and he did not care how many Sardinian towns were looted.

Governor Bertrand's focus was completely different from that of Lieutenant General Ethel. He frowned and asked the officer who reported the news:

"How many towns have been plundered by Bonaparte's troops so far? What damage has been done to the towns they have captured?"

As a nobleman from Sardinia and the governor of the island, Governor Bertrand was obviously more concerned about intelligence other than military affairs, and was more concerned about the losses suffered by the Sardinians in this war.

The officer hesitated, as if he himself was also very surprised by the next words:
"No, Your Excellency the Governor, we have not received any reports of towns being looted. The Corsican army basically only liquidated the landlords and nobles in various places. Some of the property they obtained was used as spoils of war by the soldiers, but the majority was directly distributed to the local people."

Governor Bertrand was stunned for a moment, and asked repeatedly:
"You mean they didn't attack the Sardinian civilians?"

"We can't draw a conclusion yet. We can only say that we haven't received any relevant information so far."

The officer also felt that the style of this army was different from the barbaric and brutal Corsicans in the rumors, but in front of Lieutenant General Ethel's gloomy face, he still gave a very euphemistic explanation:
"Moreover, the Corsicans not only carried out military occupation of the towns, but also tried to implement domestic reform bills in the occupied areas, redistributing the land and property of the landlords and nobles to the civilians, and issued new tax laws. In addition to announcing that the mining rights in various places would be nationalized by Corsica, Bonaparte did not seem to seize more. They even dissolved the local governments and announced that each town would elect a group of municipal officials. The elected officials could take office directly as long as they were appointed by him."

"Humph! Who does he think he is? The King of Sardinia?! If the Corsican army had headed straight for Cagliari, I would have found it difficult. I didn't expect this idiot to waste his time on those country folk."

Lieutenant General Ethel snorted disdainfully. In his opinion, it was foolish for Bonaparte to waste his precious time on these towns. As long as the war was over and the Kingdom of Sardinia took over Sardinia again, all his reforms and efforts would be in vain.

Governor Bertrand's eyes lit up, especially when he heard that Lawrence Bonaparte abolished the existing local governments and required each municipality to independently elect a new government team. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Given Sardinia's current situation, if local governments hold their own elections, the newly appointed municipal officials will certainly not be the Savoys who are deeply hated by the islanders, but native Sardinians.

In other words, if the intelligence is correct, then in the area occupied by the Corsican army, the Sardinians may have regained administrative power from the Savoy nobles and achieved a certain degree of national autonomy.

And this is exactly what Governor Bertrand has been dreaming of - a Sardinia governed independently by the Sardinians.

Although the Corsican army still holds the highest power in the occupied area, for Governor Bertrand, the Corsicans are after all fellow Sardinians, and Lawrence Bonaparte's reputation has long been widely spread in Sardinia. The governance of that great man must be better than the ruthless exploitation and oppression of the Savoys in any case.

The two major reforms carried out by the Corsicans in the occupied areas also made Governor Bertrand more convinced of his own views.

Although he himself was a nobleman and owned an estate, judging from the relationship between Sardinia and Savoy, he was well aware that these two major reforms would greatly enhance the social status and wealth of the Sardinians themselves.

Thinking of this, Governor Bertrand ignored Lieutenant General Ethel's dissatisfaction, suppressed his excitement and asked:

"What do the people think of the Corsican army's actions?"

The officer's expression immediately became serious, thinking that the Governor was worried about the morale of his troops:
"The situation is somewhat serious. As the news spread, many Sardinians in towns and cities welcomed the arrival of the Corsican army. Two days ago, a Savoy alderman in the central region planned to organize a militia to resist Bonaparte, but the local militia dared to start a rebellion and killed the alderman. Afterwards, they took the initiative to send people to request the Corsican army to take over, including in Cagliari. Now the city is in turmoil and people are uneasy."

Lieutenant General Ethel felt irritated after hearing this. He slammed his fist on the table impatiently and ordered angrily:

"These traitors, have they just believed in Bonaparte's schemes and forgotten the great grace of His Majesty the King? Without the grace of the kingdom, they are nothing, a bunch of ruthless people! Come, pass on my order. From now on, whether in the army or in the city, anyone who discusses the affairs of the occupied territories in private will be charged with treason!"

Governor Bertrand glanced at the general with dissatisfaction. It was obviously beyond Lieutenant General Ethel's power to issue such an executive order, but he did not say anything. The governor's mind had already drifted elsewhere.

Lieutenant General Ethel was still furious and cursed at Governor Bertrand:

"Hey, Bertrand, don't be idle. The Corsicans have given us a chance to organize a counterattack. If you delay the battle, I will still punish you by military law. The progress of recruiting peasants must be accelerated. In addition, I need to allocate some money from the treasury. I want to hire a mercenary group. The militia recruited are completely useless and can only be used to increase momentum. My personal soldiers and mercenaries will still be the main force."

Governor Bertrand frowned and complained:

"We just paid a large sum of money to the Genoa delegation not long ago. How can we afford to hire a mercenary group? In the final analysis, that expense should not be borne by us."

"So you want to just surrender to Lawrence Bonaparte? Give Cagliari to them?!"

Lieutenant General Ethel had no interest in listening to Governor Bertrand's complaints, and he opened his mouth and cursed mercilessly:

"Stop talking nonsense. The financial problem is nothing more than adding a few more taxes to make the Sardinians suffer. If you can't come up with the money, I'll let the army find a solution on their own."

As for the method mentioned by Lieutenant General Ethel, it goes without saying that he was going to swing the butcher knife at those Sardinian pariahs in their eyes.

Governor Bertrand suppressed his anger, but suddenly an idea flashed in his mind.

He pondered for a few seconds, then looked at Lieutenant General Ethel with a serious expression, pretending to be extremely embarrassed:

"You...! Oh, okay, but let me handle the communication with the mercenary group. You, a rough man with no idea of ​​finance, probably won't even notice if someone asks for an exorbitant price. Besides..."

Governor Bertrand paused and continued to ask:
"My administrative officials are also responsible for the conscription of the peasants. The army's conscription officers are eager to recruit three-year-old children into the army. If this continues, I'm afraid that by the time the Corsicans arrive, Cagliari will already be in a panic."

"Okay, you're still useful."

Although somewhat surprised by Bertrand's active cooperation, Lieutenant General Ethel agreed to the other party's request after hesitating for a moment.

The general also knew that Governor Bertrand still had a high prestige in the hearts of the Sardinian people. It would be much better if he could recruit soldiers. He was not good at bargaining with the mercenary leaders, so he left this difficult task to the Governor's Office.

After receiving the approval, Governor Bertrand finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his rapid heartbeat slowly calmed down. He knew that this might be the closest he would ever be to realizing his lifelong dream.

The Corsican army's actions were slower than Lieutenant General Essel had expected. They were not in a hurry to attack Cagliari, but instead focused on controlling and maintaining stability in local towns.

Bureaucrats from the Corsica Ministry of Finance were also pushing forward the reform process in full swing. Despite the tight time schedule, they were able to complete their tasks excellently based on their practical experience in Corsica.

Most of the population in the occupied areas have completed household registration, and land measurement and mapping are also being carried out in full swing.

Local town halls also completed emergency elections under the supervision of Corsican soldiers, allowing a group of Sardinians who had local prestige and supported the Corsican army to take over nominal administrative power.

As the supreme commander of the Sardinian garrison, Lieutenant General Essel did not order his troops to stop the advance of the Corsican army.

Due to Colonel Bartram's defeat in Corsica, Sardinia's defense forces were already very weak. Lieutenant General Essel had neither interest in nor extra forces to take care of areas outside the capital. He had decided to place the key to victory on the defense of Cagliari.

Thanks to Lieutenant General Essel's strategy of retreating to the capital, the Corsican army's advance in Sardinia encountered almost no hindrance.

Those towns that received the news from the north were not afraid of the arrival of the Corsican army. Instead, they were very much looking forward to it. They hoped that these blood relatives from the northern islands could really bring them unprecedented liberation as Lawrence Bonaparte said.

Although a few Savoy nobles and officials organized some sporadic resistance, such counter-trend actions could not stop the prairie fire from the north.

The Sardinians in the occupied areas sang the name of Bonaparte and celebrated their liberation and rebirth, while the islanders in the south looked toward the north expectantly, anxiously awaiting the day when they could bathe in the same glory as their compatriots.

On August 1771, 8, nearly five weeks had passed since the Corsican army landed in Sardinia and controlled nearly two-thirds of the land of Sardinia.

By now, not only the soldiers on both sides, but even the farmers in the countryside could vaguely feel the tense atmosphere in the air. People knew that a battle that would determine the fate of Sardinia might be about to begin. The Corsican army had already assembled and began to march towards the capital Cagliari.

Upon hearing that the final battle was about to begin, even the least pious Sardinians flocked to church to pray for their nominal enemies.

Although it was only for a little over a month, they had already tasted the sweetness of freedom and liberation and were unwilling to return to the slavery and whipping of the Savoy masters.

Carrying the faith of thousands of Sardinians, Lawrence Bonaparte began to gather his troops and march south towards Cagliari, and on the evening of August 8, he entered the Sestu Plain north of Cagliari - only fifty miles away from the capital of Sardinia.

That evening, the night deepened.

Lawrence was discussing the attack plan against Cagliari with a group of officers in the marching command post. They had just received information about the enemy's movements from scouts:

After realizing that the Corsican army was about to launch a general offensive, Lieutenant General Ethel immediately led a mixed army composed of mercenaries, conscripts and the general's personal soldiers to march northward and stationed in the Cestu Plain in advance to prepare for battle.

According to the intelligence information from the reconnaissance troops, the garrison camps of both sides are less than 20 miles apart. Once tonight passes and dawn comes, it will probably be the moment of the decisive battle between the two armies.

For Lawrence and a group of officers in the marching tent, this night was destined to be long and torturous. Everyone discussed the deployment plan of this battle with a serious face. Although the Corsican army did have a considerable advantage, no one could easily say that they had achieved a complete victory in Sardinia before officially attacking Cagliari.

"According to the existing intelligence, the enemy's army may be as large as ours, and its main force is deployed on three high grounds here."

Inside the tent, Major Serurier placed several crude and simple war chess pieces at corresponding positions on the map and explained his analysis of the battlefield situation to everyone.

Although Major Sérurier was a new member of the Order and not a member of the Nechal Gang of the Paris Military Academy, as the greatest contributor to the Siege of Ajaccio, he quickly won the respect of everyone in the Privy Order. At this moment, the staff officers in the tent were listening attentively:

"However, most of the enemy's troops are conscripted soldiers who were temporarily organized and trained. What we really need to pay attention to are the guards of the enemy general Lieutenant General Ethel and the several Genoese mercenary groups he hired. These should be the core strength of the enemy."

"Genoa Mercenaries? That's a bit strange." Lawrence frowned slightly and repeated it softly.

Sérurier explained ably:

"Our scouts have just confirmed that the soldiers stationed at the edge of the enemy camp, who are obviously wearing different uniforms and organizations, are all mercenaries from the Republic of Genoa. It is roughly estimated that there are six battalions."

Berthier on the side also realized that Lawrence seemed to care about these mercenaries, and added:

"That's not surprising. Genoa is a commercial republic that is extremely wealthy but sparsely populated. Their mercenary business is already very developed. I heard that you can find mercenaries from almost all over Europe in the Port of San Giorgio in Genoa."

"No, I care about their size." Lawrence shook his head slowly.

"To be able to recruit six battalion-sized mercenary groups in such a short period of time is not something that can be achieved with financial resources alone. I'm afraid the assistance of the Genoa government is indispensable."

Berthier also immediately realized that although he still lacked experience, he was indeed talented:

"Are you saying that the Genoese government is also secretly involved in this war? Could it be that those short-sighted merchants still have some ideas about Corsica?"

Lawrence held his forehead and thought for a while, but he couldn't come to a definite conclusion at the moment, so he shook his head and put the matter aside for the time being:
"Forget it. No matter what the Genoese are up to, I will soon go to the Governor's Palace in Genoa and ask them all with gun and sword. Since these vampires have already fled Corsica, they had better pray that I don't find them looking back at this land. Now let's discuss the battle plan against the Sardinian army tomorrow morning."

The officers nodded. The top priority now was to defeat the enemy as soon as possible, officially enter Cagliari, and thus completely capture Sardinia. The Sardinian army that stood in front of them was indeed a force that could not be underestimated, so they had to make a careful plan.

Just as the officers were preparing to discuss tomorrow's battle deployment, a guard suddenly walked into the tent and respectfully reported:
"Prime Minister Bonaparte! We arrested a suspicious man outside the camp. He was alone on a fast horse and claimed to be from the enemy camp. He said he had something important to discuss with you in person."

On the eve of dawn on August 8, the eastern horizon was already turning pale. In more than an hour, the rich and fertile Setu Plain would be bathed in brilliant sunshine. At that time, the dazzling golden light would become an unspoken signal for the two armies to start a war.

In the Sardinian army camp, Lieutenant General Ethel rubbed his sleepy eyes. In order to cope with the offensive of the Corsican army, he had almost stayed awake all night, waiting for the moment of a decisive battle with those damn Corsican barbarians.

As dawn approached, Lieutenant General Ethel took out his pocket watch and looked at the time. He spoke with confidence:

"These lowly Corsican idiots, in two hours I will let them know that I am completely different from that useless wretch like Bartram."

Although he led a makeshift army, Lieutenant General Ethel was confident that he could stop the Corsicans outside Cagliari by relying on the combat effectiveness of the guards and Genoese mercenaries.

As long as they could hold on to the extremely important port city of Cagliari, reinforcements and supplies from the mainland would arrive continuously, and then they could completely launch a counterattack against the Corsicans. Thinking of the praises of the Corsican army and Lawrence Bonaparte that he had heard in the enemy-occupied areas these days, Lieutenant General Ethel was furious and looked forward to the day of the counterattack day and night.

He had already decided in his mind that when the day came to retake Sardinia and counterattack Corsica, the first thing he would do was to massacre Ajaccio, and then eliminate all the disloyal elements on Sardinia.

After looking around at the officers in the tent, Lieutenant General Ethel was about to give the order to start the deployment, but suddenly frowned:

"Wait, why hasn't Governor Bertrand arrived yet?"

The officers looked at each other, but no one could answer the question. They had not seen the Governor in person all night last night.

Lieutenant General Ethel became even more angry when he saw this, and slammed his fist on the table:
"That damn Sardinian, at this time! Guards, find Governor Bertrand and bring him here!"

Although Lieutenant General Ethel did not want Governor Bertrand to get involved in war affairs, at this critical juncture, he still needed the governor to be by his side.

After all, Governor Bertrand enjoyed high prestige among the recruited Sardinians, and his presence could greatly boost morale. Moreover, those Genoese mercenaries were directly hired by the Governor himself, and they only obeyed the orders of Governor Bertrand.

Just as Lieutenant General Ethel was stamping his feet and beating his chest in anger, he saw the curtain of the tent being gently lifted:

"I'm sorry General, I'm late."

Lieutenant General Ethel was about to get angry, but when he turned his head and looked at the door, he was stunned for a moment. Not only him, but all the officers in the tent turned pale and their expressions changed drastically when they saw this.

It was true that the visitor was Governor Bertrand, but right behind him were hundreds of fully armed mercenaries. The muskets in these mercenaries' hands were obviously loaded and were aiming directly at Lieutenant General Ethel and a group of officers in the tent.

Even Governor Bertrand himself was holding a silver-plated pistol, aiming the crosshairs at Lieutenant General Ethel in front of him.

Since the general's guards had been deployed on the front battlefield to prepare for the battle, the guards around the tent were very limited. They panicked in the face of this sudden change and were controlled by these aggressive mercenaries without any resistance.

Lieutenant General Ethel swallowed hard. Although he tried to remain calm, the slight tremor in his voice showed that this battle-hardened general had lost his composure and was completely at a loss:
"Bertrand, what on earth do you want to do!"

"I have only one request, surrender to the Corsican army, General." Governor Bertrand said in a deep voice, and took two steps closer to Lieutenant General Ethel with a gun.

"Surrender? You traitor! Traitor!"

Lieutenant General Ethel widened his eyes and shouted in pain to hide his fear and panic:

"The kingdom didn't care about your background and promoted you to the high position of governor. Is this your way of repaying the kingdom? What benefit did Lawrence Bonaparte give you?!"

This series of roars did not cause any ripples on Governor Bertrand's face. He had not held a gun for a long time, but at this moment he was calmer and more composed than ever before:

"My position does not come from the promotion of the Kingdom of Sardinia, but from the support of the people of this land. I will not be loyal to this country that oppresses my compatriots. I am only loyal to the people who protect me. Facts have proved that Lawrence Bonaparte's governance is in the interests of tens of millions of Sardinians!"

"You bastard who deserves to go to hell!" Lieutenant General Ethel clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.

"Make your choice, General."

"Let me surrender? Don't even think about it!"

The two men confronted each other, and even the air around them was so tense that it seemed to be burning.

Although the two sides had had many conflicts and differences on government affairs before, this was the first time that they had come to a life-and-death confrontation.

At this moment, a burst of hurried horse hoof sounds suddenly came from the front.

A messenger rode a fast horse and rushed to the camp. Although he was a little overwhelmed by the battle in front of him, he still walked to the front of the tent and reported loudly:
"General! Governor! The Corsican army has begun to attack our positions. They are charging directly and are about to engage in a firefight with our army!"

This announcement made the already pale Lieutenant General Ethel even more embarrassed. He gritted his teeth and finally squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth:

"At this very moment, Bertrand, you and Lawrence Bonaparte have colluded, right?"

As a general who had experienced many battles, Lieutenant General Ethel had now completely lost all hope.

He fully understood that if Governor Bertrand insisted on defecting to the Corsican army, then the Genoese mercenaries and a large number of Sardinian soldiers who followed Bertrand would join the rebel ranks. At this time, the Corsican army launched a full-scale charge, and his own army had completely lost any chance of winning.

Lieutenant General Ethel lowered his head, unable to say anything. He never expected that the Governor of Sardinia, whom he had despised for more than ten years, would stab him in the back at the critical moment.

The officers in the tent obviously did not have the general's determination. They also knew that they had no chance of winning the battle against the Corsican army. There was no need to let themselves die tragically under hundreds of muskets in front of them for a battle that was bound to be lost.

So, led by a lieutenant colonel, the officers present unanimously accepted Governor Bertrand's request for surrender and immediately went to various troops to notify all soldiers to lay down their arms.

Lieutenant General Ethel remained silent, but no one would ask for his opinion now.

Less than an hour later, the Corsican army took over the Sardinian camp without any resistance and temporarily detained all the Sardinian soldiers.

There are no more obstacles on the road to Cagliari.

On the morning of August 8, Lawrence officially led his troops into this prosperous ancient port city. The de jure capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia fell into the hands of the Corsicans less than two months after the war began.

The citizens of Cagliari were not frightened by the arrival of an enemy army. On the contrary, many citizens spontaneously took to the streets and cheered generously to the Corsican soldiers marching through the streets.

Over the past month, Lieutenant General Ethel has exploited the citizens of the city to the extreme in order to build up an army to the greatest extent possible to fight against the Corsicans.

Conscription officers and tax collectors ran around the streets of Cagliari day and night, snatching the last coin from the hands of the poor and children from their mothers' arms, all in the name of defending their country. As for how many corrupt officials took the opportunity to enrich themselves, there was no way of knowing.

Before the Corsican army arrived in Cagliari, the people of this city were already suffering and struggling to survive.

Especially after hearing the rumors about the Corsican army's occupation area, the citizens of Cagliari were even looking forward to the arrival of the Corsican army. Only a very small number of Savoy nobles, as vested interests, insisted on resisting to the end.

At the front of the entire team, Governor Bertrand was personally walking and leading the way for Lawrence Bonaparte's mount.

He did not feel that his act of betrayal was shameful, especially when he heard the deafening cheers of the citizens on both sides of the road, he became more convinced that his choice was correct.

Soon, Governor Bertrand led Lawrence and his party into the Royal Palace, welcomed by the citizens.

This magnificent building has been the official residence of the rulers of Sardinia since the Kingdom of Aragon and is a symbol of the ruling power of the entire Sardinia. There is no doubt that this residence will welcome a new owner from today.

The accompanying officers and attendants enjoyed their celebratory banquet in the banquet hall, while Lawrence himself met alone with Governor Bertrand in the Council Room.

"Congratulations, Prime Minister Bonaparte. At least for now, the jewel of Sardinia has been set on your scepter."

Governor Bertrand took a sip of sherry, with a very calm smile on his face, not flattering:

"I also hope you still remember our agreement last night."

Lawrence also took a sip of sherry, savoring the fragrance in his mouth while looking at the calm man in front of him, and did not rush to respond.

It was last night that Governor Bertrand came alone to the Corsican army camp and proposed a cooperation to Lawrence:
He would strike back on the battlefield the next day and completely eliminate the last obstacle to the Corsican army. In return, Governor Bertrand hoped that the Sardinians would get the rights they deserve under the rule of the Kingdom of Corsica in the future.

At least, Governor Bertrand did not want to see the oppression of the island by the Kingdom of Sardinia also appear under the rule of the Kingdom of Corsica.

After careful consideration, Lawrence accepted the deal. It would be great to be able to capture Cagliari without bloodshed. Besides, he had originally planned to govern Sardinia as a core territory, so it was only natural to grant the Sardinians full citizenship.

"Of course I remember, Your Excellency the Governor, that the Sardinians and Corsicans are blood relatives. I have no reason to create a rift between blood relatives. I can publicly promise this."

Lawrence smiled and responded:

"Besides, there are not many leaders like you who are aware of the overall situation. There are even fewer who dare to take risks and bear the infamy for the sake of national interests. With an outstanding talent like you, I think I can still leave the administrative affairs of Sardinia to you."

Although he verbally affirmed Governor Bertrand's talent and courage, Lawrence did not really think that he was a saint who dared to sacrifice himself for the Sardinians.

The reason why the other party rushed to the military camp overnight to join him was not only because he was worried about the fate of the Sardinians, but the bigger factor was probably for his own status and future.

If Sardinia fell completely, even if the kingdom took back Sardinia in the future, Bertrand's governor hat would inevitably be taken off. If Lieutenant General Ethel defended Cagliari or even achieved a counterattack on Corsica, his power and influence as governor would be further squeezed by Lieutenant General Ethel, who had made great military achievements, and became even more insignificant.

From the perspective of his own interests, Governor Bertrand had no choice but to betray the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Although Lawrence could see that Governor Bertrand had some selfish motives, he still decided to let him continue to perform his duties as Governor of Sardinia.

After all, for the Kingdom of Corsica, integrating Sardinia is by no means an easy task that can be done overnight. Sardinia is much more populous and wealthy than Corsica. In this case, if you want to complete the territorial integration as quickly and stably as possible, you will inevitably have to win over a figure like Governor Bertrand who has great prestige among the Sardinians.

After hearing this, Governor Bertrand finally breathed a sigh of relief. With Lawrence's words, at least under the rule of the Kingdom of Corsica, his position as Governor of Sardinia was secure.

"I have another question, Your Excellency the Prime Minister."

Governor Bertrand hesitated for a moment before speaking, his tone full of obvious worry:
"You have indeed occupied the entire island of Sardinia, but this is only a military occupation. The Kingdom of Sardinia will never be willing to give up their throne. Do you really have the confidence to get Carlo Emmanuele III to sign the cession treaty?"

"He'll sign it."

"When?"

"When my army entered Turin."

Governor Bertrand opened his mouth but said nothing. In the end, he could only smile tactfully and did not continue the topic.

The private meeting between the two did not last long.

At noon that day, Governor Bertrand changed into formal attire and led officials from various departments and citizen representatives to formally swear allegiance to Lawrence Bonaparte in the Council Room of the Royal Palace.

Under the attention of hundreds of people on the spot, Governor Bertrand first gave a short speech, stating that Corsicans and Sardinians are natural brothers and sisters and undisputed family members. This speech was also warmly applauded by the citizen representatives present.

Then, Governor Bertrand solemnly took out a pure silver scepter from an ancient wooden box. This scepter was made of silver produced in Sardinia and had witnessed countless kings, princes and generals who ruled this land over hundreds of years.

Governor Bertrand held the scepter in both hands and walked towards Lawrence Bonaparte, who was sitting on the marble seat, step by step. His steps were heavy and majestic, like the most devout pilgrim.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he walked up to Lawrence, knelt on one knee, first kissed the back of Lawrence's right hand, then lowered his head respectfully and presented the silver scepter with both hands.

Lawrence took the scepter wordlessly and nodded.

Governor Bertrand stood up and returned to the ranks of officials from various ministries. He cleared his throat and took the lead in taking the oath:
"I swear on my life, soul, and honor."

The bureaucrats from various departments repeated loudly like a choir:

"I swear on my life, soul, and honor."

"I will devote all my energy to this land and do everything I can to benefit the people of this land."

"I will devote all my energy to this land and do everything I can to benefit the people of this land."

"Always loyal to our King Louis XV"

"Always loyal to our King Louis XV"

"Forever loyal to the head of the royal government, parliament, cabinet and army, Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte."

"Forever loyal to the head of the royal government, parliament, cabinet and army, Prime Minister Lawrence Bonaparte."

The sound of people's oaths echoed in the huge government hall for a long time.

Although the Kingdom of Sardinia has not yet made any response, for the people of this island, they have become indisputable citizens of the Kingdom of Corsica from this moment on.

The first overseas province of the Kingdom of Corsica, the Province of Sardinia, was officially established from this moment on.