From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

"This, me!"

Listening to Lawrence's plaintive words, Franche's face became increasingly ugly.

Compared to the so-called leaving his fame and bones in the Knights, France wants to return to Florence and continue to be his handsome aristocratic young master. He is so conceited that he will not be willing to devote everything to the Knights. This knighthood has nothing to do with him.

Franche looked around, looking very impatient, but in the end he sighed helplessly:

"If that's the case, it would be a nightmare. I don't want to die in the British artillery fire, but my uncle is the one who makes the decision within the Knights. No matter how much I say, he will not change his mind."

"Perhaps there is still a chance?"

Lawrence suddenly interrupted Franche's complaint and said softly:

"With your cooperation, Guard Captain, I think Grand Commander Erwin will change his mind."

"My cooperation?" Franche repeated in confusion, not knowing what Lawrence was talking about.

Having said this, Lawrence stopped being polite to Franche and said bluntly:

"As the captain of the guard in charge of castle defense and city security, it should be your duty to catch those spies who are liaising with foreign countries, right? If those spies are liaising with the British, I think Erwin's group must be I’ll have some ideas.”

"Spies.? How do you know there are spies in the city?"

Franche's eyes widened, his head seemed to have not turned yet, and he looked at Lawrence in confusion.

Grosso, who was standing by, couldn't stand it anymore. He wondered in his heart whether these aristocratic children were all so stupid. He couldn't help but stepped forward and poked Franche's chest, and whispered:

"Whether a person is a spy or not is not decided by you, the captain of the guard."

"Ah! You mean!" Franche suddenly woke up and opened his mouth in shock, but said nothing. Then he looked at Lawrence and was speechless for a moment.

Even France, who was as slow as France, understood at this time that what Lawrence meant by cooperation was to let him find a few citizens to accuse them of being British insiders, so as to convince Grand Captain Erwin that the Royal Navy was indeed Coveting the island of Malta.

"Coco is."

After understanding what Lawrence meant, French couldn't help but a layer of fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and the robe on his chest was slightly soaked with cold sweat. He hesitated and thought for a while, as if he had thought of something terrible. , even his face turned pale, he shook his head and said:

"Once this kind of thing is exposed, my uncle will never get around me. Last time I just accepted a bribe of a few gold coins from a businessman, and my uncle had me whipped in accordance with the monastic rules; if he knew about this kind of thing, Yes, he will definitely burn me as a traitor! Your Excellency, I will not mention this conversation to anyone, but I really can’t cooperate with you on this matter.”

After saying that, Franche stood up in a panic, wiped the sweat from his forehead and left Lawrence's room.

"I don't think you need to be so hasty to refuse, Your Majesty the Guard Chief." Lawrence sat in his seat and did not move. He just said:

"If the plan succeeds, you will be our well-deserved hero, and Corsica will never treat those who have merit; even if the matter is exposed, I will come forward to protect you. Grand Commander Erwin will not risk Disobey me at your own risk."

Franche, who had already reached the door, suddenly stopped. He looked back at Lawrence, frowning, as if he was thinking about what Lawrence said.

Even if the matter is really exposed, with the guarantee of His Excellency Bonaparte, Grand Commander Erwin will not take the risk of military conflict with Lawrence's army to forcibly execute himself.

And once he succeeds, for a person of Bonaparte's status, the reward he will give himself will definitely be unimaginably rich.

After weighing it for a while, Franche bit his lip, forced a sneer, and returned to his seat.

"Hehehe, it was me who was rude, Your Excellency." Franche swallowed his saliva, with a flattering smile on his slender face, and said quickly:

"I believe you will provide me with protection, but as you said, what is the reward after it is accomplished...?"

For Franche, who has always been eager to return to a luxurious life, his way of making money in the Knights was almost completely cut off by Erwin. Now, the only chance to get a large amount of wealth is Governor Bonaparte in front of him. .

Recalling the bliss of having fun and enjoying the mountains and rivers in Italy, and then thinking about the hardships he had suffered in the monastery in the past two years, the huge gap between them made Franche clenched his fists, and he had already made up his mind to do this. One vote.

"It's a pity that I didn't bring any money with me when I came to Malta this time."

Lawrence sighed slightly, glanced at Franche's disappointed and lost expression, and then, like a magic trick, he immediately took out the cross that had attracted everyone's attention during the day and displayed it in front of Franche, laughing softly:

"But maybe you can use this to offset your reward?"

"I, I, I! You!"

Franche looked at the golden color in front of him, and his mind went blank for a moment, as if the golden color had occupied all his thoughts. His words became incoherent for a while, and he couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time.

At noon, France watched his uncle playing with and admiring the cross, and listened to Grand Master Erwin conclude that this was indeed a precious holy object.

At that time, he was still imagining that if he had such a treasure, he would sell it into money as soon as possible, and then buy land to become the owner of a large manor who only wanted to eat, drink and have fun. It was a dream-like life.

Now, the key to that dream life is right in front of him, in the hands of Governor Bonaparte. Franche has begun to tremble unconsciously, a little unbelievable that this is real.

"Are you serious?" Franche's voice couldn't help but become sharp and thin, and a pair of black eyes stared directly at Lawrence's hand.

However, the guard captain did not lose his mind immediately. After falling into a dizzy trance, he regained consciousness a little bit, grunted his throat, and asked in a low voice:

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, the information you mentioned about the British Royal Navy is not false, is it?"

Although Franche is a good-for-nothing playboy, he is not hopelessly stupid.

When he saw Lawrence using such a precious sacred object to win over him, Franche also felt that something was wrong. He thought that Lawrence had deliberately fabricated a false news to plot something against the Knights, and that was why he was so willing to pay the price.

Of course, what he didn't know was that the Royal Navy's attack on Malta was true, and Lawrence's plot against the Knights was also true.

And Lawrence didn't want to talk too much with him here. He just shook the cross in his hand gently, like a dog trainer waving a big bone stick to train his hound, and said in a deep voice:

"I swear on the honor of the Bonaparte family that I have never lied in this matter; and, Your Excellency, Captain of the Guard, didn't you say that you would return to Italy after collecting the money? Then the fate of the Knights What does it have to do with you? Are you, like those knights, ready to take up your shield and sword and fight the British to the end?"

"Of course not!" Franche shook his head twice without hesitation. Just letting himself suffer on the island of Malta was already a kind of torture. How could he have to bury his life in this desolation? of sea areas.

Having said that, Lawrence didn't say anything more. He took the initiative to smile, put the cross in his hand on the table, and gently pushed it to Franche.

The young guard captain was still struggling internally, but it was obvious that his greed for the sacred object in front of him gradually gained the upper hand.

Soon, in less than half a minute, Franche's last psychological defense was defeated. He could no longer restrain his possessiveness and yearning for the luxurious life in the past. He directly reached out and tightly grasped the cross on the table. In the palm of his hand, he said firmly:

"How do you want me to cooperate? Just tell me!"

Looking at Franche who had completely bowed before money, Lawrence finally achieved his goal. He took out his pocket watch with a smile and looked at the time, stood up and said:

"Someone will tell you tomorrow what you need to do specifically. There should be a suitable place to talk in Valletta Port, right?"

Franche nodded. After all, he was also a powerful guard captain, so there was no problem in finding a few places where he could talk without being monitored by Grand Captain Erwin.

"Very good, you can leave first."

Lawrence bowed gracefully and made a gesture of invitation toward the door, then added with a chuckle:

"To show my sincerity, you can keep the cross. It belongs to you now."

Franche nodded wordlessly, carefully stuffed the cross into the deepest part of his pocket, and then left Lawrence's room with his legs a little weak.

Listening to Franche's footsteps fading away, Grosso frowned slightly and said:

"Aren't you afraid that this kid will get the cross and run away from Malta?"

Lawrence sat on the balcony and looked at the brightly lit Valletta Harbor across the sea. He shook his head nonchalantly and said:

"He doesn't have the guts. Besides, it would be a good thing if he really escaped, saving us from framing a few innocent citizens. 'France, the nephew of Grand Captain Erwin and the captain of the guard, turned out to be a British spy.' The news is much more shocking than catching a few spies."

If Franche really escaped from the Knights with the cross, then Lawrence, who last talked to him, would have all the power to explain his escape. It is not difficult for Lawrence to channel his identity into a British insider.

"But that kid looks stupid. Can he handle such a thing well?"

As a serf hunter, Grosso, who relied on his strength and experience to get to where he is today, naturally despises aristocratic children like Franche, and his words are full of contempt and worry.

"Of course he can't."

Lawrence obviously didn't believe in Franche's ability, but it was not out of discrimination, but Franche's weak performance in front of Grand Commander Erwin that day made Lawrence decide that he could not be allowed to carry out such an important and secretive mission alone.

"You go to Valletta Port to meet him tomorrow. You will carry out this series of actions, and he will just provide assistance. Be careful not to overdo it and let Erwin notice." Lawrence looked at Grosso, Instructions were given to him.

The reason why Grosso was chosen to carry out such an action of compiling evidence is also very simple. He can be said to be the most professional among Lawrence and others in the field of framing.

Moreover, his fleshy face with a ferocious scar would look very out of place in aristocratic courts and upper class society, but it is extremely common in the bustling port of Valletta, where people walking around are It is not easy for such a sailor to reveal his identity.

"Okay. I understand."

Grosso sighed openly, obviously not wanting to work with that useless nobleman, but since it was Lawrence's order, he had no choice but to nod and agree.

"By the way, there's one more thing"

Lawrence suddenly remembered something, got up and opened the bottom drawer of the bedside table, took out an unmarked and undecorated envelope and handed it to Grosso, saying:

"When you get to Valletta Port, find someone to send this letter back to Marseille City Hall."

Grosso took the envelope and stuffed it into his pocket, and asked casually: "Are you going to ask that alderman to do something for you again?"

"Ask him to help deliver a message, just as a backup." Lawrence looked out the window at the Mediterranean Sea shrouded in darkness, shook his head and said:

"I just hope this backhand won't be used."

For the next four days, Lawrence spent the whole four days in Manor Castle, quietly waiting for news from Grand Captain Erwin, Grosso and Franche.

This kind of life is also very leisurely. During the day, I read some books they have collected over the past hundreds of years in the monastery's library. At night, I take a walk in the castle garden. Whenever it is time for meals, there are monks from the Knights carrying them. Meals were delivered on large trays.

Major Serurier also accompanied Lawrence in the castle. As a devout Catholic, he still had a strong interest in the life of the monastery and did not find it boring.

Grosso left Fort Manoel and headed for the Port of Valletta the next day. The apparent reason was to return to the ship to stabilize the soldiers' emotions, but in reality, he followed Lawrence's instructions and began to meet François. Together they began to assemble the physical and personal evidence of the Royal Navy's attack.

This morning, he sent someone to secretly send a message to Lawrence, saying that he had found a suitable framed target, and that Franche could report to Grand Commander Erwin at any time.

The Knights still did not give Lawrence a definite answer. They just called all the senior officials again for an interview with Lawrence and asked for detailed information about the Royal Navy's attack on the island of Malta.

However, after that interview, Grand Leader Erwin still had not made a decision and seemed to still have a wait-and-see attitude.

Lawrence could understand the grand leader's indecision. After all, this was a decision related to the subsequent fate of this knightly order with a history of more than 700 years.

I am afraid that Grand Captain Erwin will not dare to make an easy decision until he sees the masts of the British ships appearing on the horizon.

However, it was impossible for Lawrence to wait until Grand Commander Erwin had the British gun pointed at his nose before making a decision.

Today is September 29th, and there is no more time to waste.

"It's time to give the Grand Commander a push and let him know which way to go at the crossroads."