Chapter 515: Let Napoleon Do What He's Supposed to Do
Afterward, Count Buttafuoco struck while the iron was hot, having Girolamo push a bill in the assembly to revoke the qualifications of Paoli's faction members.
Bartolio naturally offered his full support—eliminating the Paoli faction's assembly members would mostly mean these seats would fall into his own faction's hands.
On the other side, Paoli's faction wouldn't simply sit by and await their demise.
They quickly allied with the neutral faction, jointly resisting in the assembly. The latter also felt the chill, fearing that once Paoli's faction fell, their turn would come next.
However, even united, they didn't hold a third of the seats in the assembly and couldn't possibly prevent the bill from passing.
Unless another power could lend them a hand.
It was then that Count Buttafuoco appeared.
"Therefore, I can assure you that my people will not vote for the bill to revoke your assembly member qualifications."
In the lounge of the Ajaccio tennis court, Count Buttafuoco smiled at the people before him. After they expressed their gratitude, he continued, "As you know, I've just become Governor, but many others are vying for this position.
The Corsican National Guard, as the armed force of the Restoration Organization, was designated an illegal organization by the French government, yet the Corsican assembly recognized it. This was a significant reason why the National Guard consistently received support from the Corsican people.
Giuseppe and Elioc exchanged glances, both emphatically shaking their heads. "That is absolutely out of the question!"
"You are taking advantage of our peril. Even if we must deal with Bartolio, we cannot use the National Guard as collateral."
Count Buttafuoco smiled. "Once you lose your assembly member qualifications, the National Guard will belong to Bartolio. What point would there be in defending it then?"
Both Paoli's faction and the neutral faction fell silent.
How many of these restorationists truly wished to establish a Corsican Republic? Corsica had no illustrious history as an independent nation, and nationalism hadn't yet truly risen. Weren't they pursuing secession solely to become 'founding heroes' and secure high positions for themselves permanently?
Yet now they were on the verge of being ousted, and once Bartolio seized control of the National Guard, there would be no chance for any of them to ever regain power.
Finally, Giuseppe took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, I accept your suggestion."
Elioc, the leader of the neutral faction, pondered for a moment before suddenly saying, "Your Excellency, Count, even if we support you, our three parties combined still won't hold two-thirds of the assembly seats."
Bartolio's faction held 35% of the seats in the assembly, but 66% were needed to pass a decree.
Count Buttafuoco nodded calmly. "You needn't worry. As long as your people vote in favor of outlawing the National Guard, the agreement will be fulfilled."
Seriously, with Chalmers, that major financier, all it would take was a flick of his finger and a small allocation of funds to sway a few of Bartolio's faction members. It wouldn't be difficult.
Moreover, there was Girolamo, the speaker, who also had his own influence within Bartolio's faction and could serve as a reliable vote.
...
Second floor of the Tuileries Palace.
Joseph smiled as he read the report freshly delivered by the Governor of Corsica.
According to the letter, while the Corsican assembly hadn't yet begun voting, given the current political landscape, the bill to outlaw the Corsican National Guard was already a foregone conclusion.
All that remained was to dispatch troops to clear out this illegal armed force.
Without the protection of legal legitimacy, this disorganized rabble would find it difficult to gain support from the Corsican populace—as this was a decision by the Corsican assembly, which held high authority locally—thus making them not difficult to deal with.
And after losing its armed forces, the internally fractured Corsican Restoration Organization would no longer pose any significant threat.
Afterward, whether through gradual assimilation in successive political games or by finding an excuse to directly outlaw them, the Corsican separatist issue would be completely resolved.
Joseph tucked the report into an envelope, pondering in his mind who should be sent to clear out the illegal armed forces.
He suddenly found it amusing; wasn't this precisely the task Emperor Napoleon had performed in history? This time, he decided, it would be best to let him handle it again. He was very familiar with the situation and surely wouldn't make any mistakes.
Furthermore, once Napoleon personally dealt with the National Guard and saw the ignoble deeds of his idol Paoli, as well as the disorganized state of the Restoration Organization, he would likely become disheartened with the whole idea of Corsican restoration.
Thinking this, he immediately took up his pen and wrote an order to the General Staff Headquarters—commanding Major Napoleon Bonaparte to lead a battalion, along with all Corsican garrisons, in clearing out the Corsican National Guard. Upon completion of the mission, Bonaparte was to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and appointed acting commander of the Corsican garrisons.
Joseph knew that Napoleon was an ambitious man. While disillusioned with the Restoration Organization, if he could obtain a high-ranking position like commander of the Corsican forces, then the idea of becoming a true Frenchman would prevail.
Once Corsica was fully integrated into French government administration, he would no longer have any opportunity to pursue further restoration movements.
At that point, this formidable general would truly become his to command.
Joseph finished writing the order and handed it to a messenger, then picked up another document from his desk to read.
This was from the General Tax Bureau, stating that local Tax Bureaus were ready, the handover from the tax farmers was largely complete, and they could take over tax collection at any time.
Joseph rubbed his brow. Less than a month remained until the end of the year, and the funds collected so far amounted to only 80 million francs. The deficit was still substantial.
Although he had already initiated the "Rectification of Payments and Exchanges" in the banking sector to delay the flight of large amounts of capital abroad, so far only one major tax farmer, Charles, had pledged allegiance to him.
Those powerful magnates certainly knew how to keep their composure. Joseph couldn't help but shake his head. If there was no progress by next week, he would have no choice but to start offering high-interest loans.
Just then, Eman's voice sounded from outside the door. "Your Highness, Monsieur Fouché has arrived."
"Oh, please show him in."
The Director of the Intelligence Bureau quickly entered the room and bowed to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, 'The Moneylender' has something important to discuss with you."
'The Moneylender'? Joseph's eyes lit up at the mention. This was the codename for the informant he had cultivated within the Tax Farmers' Guild, but the individual had been silent for so long that Joseph had almost forgotten about the matter. He mused, 'To think he suddenly wants to meet me now—could there have been some breakthrough?'
Joseph nodded. "Where is he?"
"At Madame Bertrand's residence."
Half an hour later, Joseph met "The Moneylender" at Madame Bertrand's residence—who turned out to be the British banker Goldsmid.
The latter had already been waiting there. Seeing the Crown Prince arrive, he quickly stepped forward and bowed. "It is an honor to meet Your Royal Highness. I took the liberty of asking you to come because I have excellent news to deliver."
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