Chapter 1127: Young Italy Organization
The youth in the felt hat pointed toward the street. "In the past, the San Giovanni district had three iron workshops. Now, there isn't even one left."
"Cheap French ironware keeps flooding the city, stealing all their business! The craftsmen are forced to scrape by wiping down carriages for the nobility just to survive."
He paused, recalling his script, and threw his arms wide. "We must drive the French out! We must ban them from selling their goods here to protect our meager livelihood!"
The stirred-up crowd nodded in agreement. "He's right! It's all the fault of those Frenchmen!"
"Only the shops selling French goods are making any money."
"The sofa workshop where my father worked went bankrupt too! Now the wealthy only buy mass-produced French furniture..."
Seeing that the atmosphere was ripe, the youth in the felt hat immediately lowered his voice. "I've heard that early next month, many people will go to the Pitti Palace to protest. They intend to demand that His Majesty the King order the expulsion of French goods. You must all come!"
"Alright, I'll be there!"
"Count me in too!"
"We are the children of Rome! We once led the civilization of the entire world! Yet today, people seem to have forgotten all of that."
"We are the countrymen of Dante and Da Vinci. We even share the same accents. It is time to end this division and restore the glory of the Roman Empire!"
"The Austrians have been chased back across the Alps. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"When the day comes that we form the Italian Confederation, we will possess a territory, population, and market comparable to those of Austria and France."
"Every nation in Europe will have to respect Italy's will, just as they did the Roman Empire centuries ago!"
"Therefore, we must unite and break free from French control..."
The sudden shouts of "Get rid of French goods!" from outside made him frown. He gestured to the elderly servant standing nearby to close the window.
As the noise faded, he offered a polite smile to the dozen or so people seated around the long table. "In truth, we have already secured broad support from the royal houses of Northern Italy. We have ample funding and significant influence."
"We will assist those who wish to promote the great cause of the Italian Confederation in winning parliamentary elections, until they become presidents or speakers of their respective nations."
The middle-aged man sitting to his left spoke up excitedly. "Count Costantini, I firmly support the reunification of Italy!"
"You are truly a hero of Italy, Mr. Baroni. The Milanese Parliament must not be without a seat for you."
The others, regretting their slow response, scrambled to declare their allegiance. "For the Italian Confederation!"
"Great Rome shall rise again!"
"Let Italy unite!"
These men were influential politicians from republics like Milan, Genoa, and Lucca. With the backing of a large organization, they would likely win their elections.
Half an hour later, the meeting adjourned, and the group headed to the banquet hall for lunch.
Count Costantini walked to the window and looked down at the youth still preaching on the street. He turned to his old servant, Albano. "Who recruited that fellow? His speech doesn't seem quite right."
Albano bowed respectfully. "My Lord, he is not one of ours. He was likely hired by one of the guilds."
The Count nodded. "He has a silver tongue. See if you can bring him into our service."
"As you wish, My Lord."
That afternoon, Albano made contact with the young agitator. The two hit it off immediately. After several meetings, they arranged for their respective superiors to meet the following week.
In a Florence cafe, Wilson, the assistant to Sir Norris—the British trade representative to the Papal States—studied the noble across from him.
The man had just revealed his identity as a member of the Young Italy Organization. Wilson had heard the name; it was an Italian nationalist group dedicated to unifying the northern states.
Wilson wore a sincere smile. "By the way, you mentioned earlier that you have the support of certain royal houses?"
"Indeed, Mr. Matt," Count Costantini replied with a nod. "However, I cannot disclose that information to you just yet."
He wasn't bluffing. The Young Italy Organization truly had the backing of King Emmanuel IV of Sardinia.
In fact, the organization's rapid growth over the past two years was entirely due to the Sardinian royal family's massive financial investment.
The new King of Sardinia appeared submissive to France on the surface, but in reality, he harbored a deep resentment over the loss of Savoy.
But Sardinia was too weak to challenge France directly. It was then that he noticed the rising tide of Italian nationalism.
If the Italian states could be forged into a single entity under the banner of a common identity, they could form a power capable of rivaling France and Austria.
As the strongest nation in Northern Italy, Sardinia stood an excellent chance of leading such a unified state.
Under his guidance, the Young Italy Organization produced numerous essays arguing that all Italians belonged to a single nation and distributed them across the lands.
The recent wave of anti-French sentiment and widespread protests provided the perfect opportunity to promote nationalism.
Simultaneously, they worked through Milan and Genoa to push their parliaments toward legally accepting the concept of an Italian Confederation.
As for monarchies like Parma and Florence, once their neighbors joined the confederation, the economic and cultural pressure would be immense.
If all else failed, they could incite popular uprisings to force those royal houses to join.
Wilson asked again, "How many men do you have across the Italian states? To show our sincerity, I will share some of our own situation first."
"We can mobilize over ten thousand people simultaneously to demonstrate in Milan, Genoa, Parma, and other regions."
"Furthermore, we have connections within the high-ranking circles of several nations."
Count Costantini smiled proudly. "Our organization can mobilize more than a hundred thousand. However, I believe protests and marches won't be enough to further our cause."
Wilson's voice dropped. "Unless the French influence is purged from Italy, the various royal houses will continue to receive endless aid. You... ahem, we will never achieve true unification!"
The Count nodded thoughtfully. "You are correct. But mere protests cannot abolish the Common Market Agreement..."
Wilson smiled thinly. "And if those protesters were armed with flintlock muskets, what do you think the outcome would be?"
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