From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

It was approaching noon, more than an hour had passed since Lawrence's public execution, but the square outside the station was still crowded with people.

Many citizens who missed the execution came here to check on the situation, including poor people from Xicheng District and gentlemen from Dongcheng District.

"Well, it feels much better to be regarded as a hero than as a villain."

In the hall of the station, Lawrence sat at the table and said to a group of patrols.

Although the protagonist of this execution was Lawrence, the other patrols also received the respect and admiration of the citizens. In just over an hour, a large number of citizens spontaneously piled flowers at the gate of the station.

At the same time, Lawrence also knew that although this execution brought great prestige, it was only temporary. To win the long-term respect of the citizens, it still depends on the future performance of the patrol team.

Therefore, how to correct the bad style in the patrol team is also an urgent problem that gives Lawrence a headache.

The patrolmen all scratched their heads, embarrassed to reply to Lawrence's words. Although they didn't do any evil on weekdays, they still took advantage of the citizens a lot. Today, they were cheered by them, which really made the patrols feel a little guilty.

Seeing all the guards lowering their heads in shame, Lawrence continued:

"You have seen the people's expectations of you, don't let them down."

Although Lawrence didn't expect to change their minds through a few words, taking this opportunity to strike while the iron was hot would have a considerable educational effect.

Just when Lawrence wanted to continue speaking, the door of the station was suddenly pushed open, and then two burly men walked in.

Both men were wearing uniforms similar to Lawrence's patrol uniform, only green. At the same time, they all carried a musket with a bayonet on their backs and looked well-trained.

Lawrence glanced at them and recognized that they were soldiers from the army of the Republic of Corsica, and they seemed to be coming for him.

The military power of Corsica is firmly in the hands of only one person, Governor Paoli, who holds the position of General of Corsica.

Therefore, it is self-evident who these two soldiers represent.

"Mr. Bonaparte, Governor Paoli has invited you." As soon as the two soldiers entered the door, they said to Lawrence concisely.

Lawrence glanced at the clock on the wall and said casually: "Can you be late? I have something to do later."

At noon, Lawrence also made an appointment to meet Anna, the slum girl. Although the girl's status was low, Lawrence didn't want to break the appointment because of this.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bonaparte, but the order we received is to invite you to the Governor's Palace immediately." The soldier shook his head and said firmly.

After hearing this, Lawrence frowned slightly. It seemed that Governor Pauli was not satisfied with the big battle he had created.

If he refused, the two soldiers might use force to "invite" him.

"Okay, okay, let's go." Lawrence waved his hand helplessly and told Old Sean to control the situation, and then followed the soldiers to the Governor's Mansion.

The second time Lawrence met the Governor was still in the study. When he opened the door and walked in, Paulie was holding an exquisite teapot and pouring black tea into a white porcelain cup.

"Ah, Lawrence, you're here." Paulie said hello briefly when he saw Lawrence coming in.

Lawrence nodded, walked to the desk, pulled out a chair and sat down. At the same time, he observed Paulie's face, and he was indeed quite unhappy.

So Lawrence took the initiative and smiled and said, "What's wrong, Governor Pauly, you don't look very good."

"Hmph." Paulie snorted coldly, and smashed the teapot on the table, causing a lot of hot black tea to splash out.

"You have only been in office for a few days, and you have already caused such a big thing." Pauly rolled his eyes at Lawrence and said.

Lawrence responded easily: "Isn't it good? The people are very supportive."

After hearing this, Pauli's beard curled up in anger and said, "You executed those prisoners without going through the court trial. Based on this alone, I can remove you from your post right now!"

Faced with Paulie's threat, Lawrence remained unmoved. He knew that Pauli was a smart man and that he would not forcefully remove him from his position against the will of the people.

Even if Paulie wants to deal with Lawrence, he will wait until the storm calms down, and by then, Lawrence believes that he can have other means to contain Paulie.

"It was indeed my fault, but those three people were all guilty," Lawrence responded.

"Guilty? Do you want to execute a person just because he is guilty? You don't even look at their identities!" When Pauly heard this, he became even angrier, pointed at Lawrence and said repeatedly:

"If the King of France is guilty, will you also push the King of France to the guillotine?"

Lawrence glanced at Paulie with a strange expression, thinking that he was not a prophet, and replied casually: "Of course, maybe you can still see that scene in your lifetime."

Seeing that Paulie was about to get angry, Lawrence quickly brought the topic back to business:

"Ahem, what did Governor Pauly mean when he just said to check the identities of those people?"

"Hmph, didn't they tell you before they died?" Paulie snorted dissatisfied.

Lawrence thought about it and said, "I think I said he was a union member or something."

"That's right!" Paulie slapped the table and said, "And it's the dockworkers union. Do you know what kind of organization that is?"

Seeing Lawrence shaking his head in confusion, Pauly added:

"That's a group of hooligans and gang members who occupy more than 80% of the port jobs. The captains who load and unload cargo in Ajaccio have to give them some benefits."

Lawrence nodded thoughtfully, this kind of dock gang is not uncommon in all parts of the world. Even in later generations, some ports in backward areas still maintained such organizations.

The three people Lawrence shot today were all union members, and it was by virtue of this status that they were able to stay in the dungeon of the patrol team without accepting trial in court.

At this time Lawrence also understood why Paulie was so angry:

This dock union is also a thorny existence for Governor Pauly, and Lawrence is the vice-captain whom Pauly single-handedly promoted. Lawrence shot three union members today, which could easily be misunderstood by the union as an order from Paulie and regarded as a signal of hostility.

"Okay, I understand, which means that the Governor has taken the blame for me." Lawrence said sincerely.

After hearing this, Paulie was a little less angry. At the same time, he was surprised by Lawrence's quick thinking, and he could understand the interest relationship behind it in a moment.

"Hmph, for the sake of your brother and the way you provided information last time, I won't pursue you here, but there must be no second time!"

After saying that, Paulie paused, then lowered his voice and said:

"In addition, I would like to give you a kind reminder. Although I can come forward to block you from the official pressure of the dock union, their union is not monolithic. There will definitely be people who will avenge their brothers. You should be more careful, you don't want you to be like this. Let the young and clever heads be cut off and thrown into the sea.”

Lawrence nodded solemnly, thanking Pauly for the reminder.

After hammering Lawrence, Pauli quickly turned the conversation to the issue that concerned him most - the fate of Corsica.

There is only less than half a year left in May when France and Genoa reached an agreement as Lawrence said!