Make France Great Again-Chapter 124: Conquering Rome

General Reniao and Major Edgar Ney left the Bonaparte Palace together.

To prevent Prince Cono, residing in the Bonaparte Palace, from being unnecessarily disturbed, General Reniao specifically increased the guard around the palace to ensure the safety of both the Bonaparte Palace and Prince Cono.

Since the intelligence came from Prince Cono, General Reniao naturally chose to trust it without hesitation.

Riding on his horse, after pondering for a long time, General Reniao turned to look at Edgar Ney, who was also on horseback beside him, and asked, "Did you know about Prince Cono’s news from the start?"

Edgar Ney shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "If I had known that Prince Cono was in the city, how could I not have stopped you from shelling the city!"

Edgar Ney looked back with lingering fear at the Bonaparte Palace under the setting sun and said softly, "This is the residence of the Empress Dowager and two generations of Prince Cono! The Empress Dowager’s life’s work is in there! I just wonder if His Majesty has ever stayed here!" frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

After hearing Edgar Ney’s account, even someone as steadfast as General Reniao couldn’t help but feel a chill, and his body involuntarily shivered.

Fortunately, during the shelling of Rome, Piazza Venezia did not become a target of the artillery attack.

Otherwise, General Reniao really wouldn’t know how to explain the Bonaparte Palace to Mr. President.

With this in mind, General Reniao was determined to drive Garibaldi and others out of the inner city.

If they continued to make trouble, there was no telling what major mishap might occur.

"Pass my order, all units immediately accelerate the contraction! We must force Garibaldi to break through from St. John’s Gate!" General Reniao solemnly issued the command.

"Yes!" Edgar Ney, who received the order, swiftly spurred his horse to relay General Reniao’s command.

Just as General Reniao was determined to thoroughly expel Garibaldi from the inner city of Rome, inside the Bonaparte Palace, Prince Cono and his son Lucian were about to have a heart-to-heart conversation.

At this time, Prince Charles Bonaparte was standing by the window, gazing at the gradually setting sun.

"Knock, knock, knock"

The crisp and rhythmic knocking sound reached Prince Cono’s ears, and he blandly said, "Come in!"

The study door slowly opened, and Lucian entered the study.

"Have they left?" asked Prince Cono, with his back to Lucian, in a calm tone.

"They’ve left!" Lucian responded and added, "Now the French troops have occupied the entire inner city!"

"Indeed!" Prince Cono sighed, turning around and patting Lucian on the shoulder, speaking kindly, "From now on, you will have to walk your path alone!"

Prince Cono’s words left Lucian stunned; he didn’t quite understand his father’s meaning. "Father, I said the French Republic’s troops have occupied all of Rome!"

"I know!" Prince Cono nodded in response.

"Then why are you still leaving?" Lucian asked in confusion, "Even if you joined the Roman Republic, they wouldn’t drive you out!"

"Alas!" Prince Cono sighed deeply, lamenting, "The French troops might not expel me, but the Pope, his bishops, and those nobles who fled Rome won’t spare me. Once the Pope is restored, he might not trouble me for your uncle’s sake, but surely they will expel me! By then, not only will I be expelled, but you might also face the risk of expulsion!"

"Then let’s leave together!" Lucian suggested to Prince Cono, "We’ll leave Rome together; whether to Britain, France, or the United States, it doesn’t matter!"

"No!" Prince Cono said sternly to Lucian, "I will leave Rome with your mother, and you will stay here alone! Once I’m gone, the Pope and others won’t trouble you. Instead, for your uncle’s sake, they’ll promote you quickly! Haven’t you always dreamed of becoming a Cardinal like your great-uncle?"

"I..." Often thinking of escaping his father, Lucian was unwilling to part with his parents when it actually came time to separate, he stubbornly said, "I don’t care! I want to be with you!"

"What nonsense!" Prince Cono’s mustache bristled, his eyes wide, as his tone grew harsher, "What do you think I’m doing all this for? Isn’t it all for your and your brother’s future?"

"You’re doing this only for yourself!" Lucian retorted loudly, "You could have chosen not to get involved, but you went ahead regardless!"

Lucian’s words pierced through like a sharp blade, exposing Prince Cono’s restless heart beneath his determined exterior.

Ever since the news of Jerome Bonaparte being elected as President of the French Republic spread to Rome, Prince Cono’s ambitions were awakened by Jerome Bonaparte’s success.

The political desire inherent in his Bonaparte bloodline was activated, and Prince Cono began "stirring up trouble" in this Pope-less Pope State.

Jerome Bonaparte’s success made him blindly believe he could achieve fame just like his cousin.

At that time, his cousin would be President of the French Republic, and he would become President of the Roman Republic or even the Italian Republic.

Every time he thought about it, Prince Cono couldn’t help but feel elated.

With Prince Cono’s deliberate propaganda, his prestige gradually increased.

Rumors even spread in certain parts of Rome that Prince Cono should serve as the Governor.

His dream of becoming the Governor of Rome persisted from December until January, until Mazzini and others arrived and completely shattered Prince Cono’s dream.

The Roman Republic was established, and the triumvirate led by Mazzini formed, while the up-and-down Prince Cono had his victory fruit stolen.

To appease Prince Cono’s emotions and to maintain the relationship between the Roman Republic and the French Republic, Mazzini handed the position of Minister of Education to Prince Cono.

The immense emotional gap left Prince Cono despondent all day long, and the Ministry of Education could not see a trace of Prince Cono. Mazzini gradually forgot about Prince Cono as well.

It wasn’t until France landed at Civitavecchia Port and appeared in the outskirts of the Roman Republic that he remembered Prince Cono. He hurriedly summoned Prince Cono, hoping he would write a letter to Jerome Bonaparte, with the hope that the French Republic and the Roman Republic could join hands to strive for the cause of national liberation.

Looking at the impassioned Mazzini, Prince Cono was more convinced that the man before him was nothing more than a "charlatan" cloaked in the guise of Italian unification. He immediately tendered his resignation to Mazzini.

Mazzini, after a few seconds of silence, still agreed to Prince Cono’s resignation.

Withdrawing from the Roman Republic, Prince Cono returned to Bonaparte Palace until the French Republic entered the inner city.

"I... I am an irresponsible father!" Prince Cono said in a low tone, "I’ve done my duty as a father!"

"No, Father, you have already paved a path for my brother and me!" Lucian comforted Prince Cono, "Brother will inherit the title of Prince Cono, and I will become the Cardinal of Rome! Such an arrangement is already enough!"

"Really!" Prince Cono lifted his head, his eyes carrying a trace of earnestness. He hoped for recognition.

"Yes!" Lucian nodded in response, "Our lives are already something many can only envy, all thanks to your achievements!"

Prince Cono revealed a bitter smile. He, of course, understood that it was Lucian’s comfort. His so-called achievements were merely embellishments under the Bonaparte aura.

"Alas!"

...

As night fell, a bright moon and countless stars adorned the pitch-black sky.

Under the clear, water-like moonlight, a small squad clad in red shirts and high hats adorned with black feathers quietly moved through the streets of Rome’s inner city. Their expressions were solemn, their formation neat like a well-battled veteran force. They were Garibaldi’s personal guard, and at the forefront of the team was Garibaldi himself, a middle-aged man with a full beard.

The squad reached their assembly point, St. Latran Church, without encountering any attacks. Garibaldi took out his pocket watch and waited for the scheduled time to arrive.

Veterans in the squad, holding muskets, watched the surroundings warily, fearing sudden ambushes. The newly enlisted recruits, who had barely experienced one or two battles, trembled with both hands, continuously swallowing their saliva to ease their deep-seated anxiety.

As time ticked by, over twenty squads arrived one after another, expanding Garibaldi’s force from the original 200 to a massive 4,000-strong team.

The quiet environment made Garibaldi sense a whiff of something unusual. Years of war had honed his instinctive and alert war intuition, and he frowned deeply in thought.

His black wife, standing beside him, looked at Garibaldi puzzled and asked in Spanish, "What’s wrong? Aren’t we supposed to break through?"

"Something just feels off! Don’t you think the current environment seems a bit too quiet?" Garibaldi also responded in French.

"It is quite quiet!" His black wife nodded, urging, "But we’re running out of time!"

Indeed! The time left for Garibaldi was running out!

Since they had already reached the Lateran Church, the plan had to remain unchanged.

It must be known that the French "bandit army" was in Rome, and they needed to break through quickly to the outer city and then engage in guerrilla warfare!

"The original plan remains unchanged!" Garibaldi gave the order.

The troops quickly moved out and soon arrived near St. John’s Gate.

The team responsible for guarding St. John’s Gate had received an early notice from General Renio. After engaging Garibaldi’s army twice, the French Army "retreated."

The hasty retreat by the French Army once again raised Garibaldi’s vigilance, but this vigilance was quickly interrupted by his wife’s urging voice.

"Quick! Charge!" Garibaldi dashed out of the inner city to the outer city.

Once they reached here, everything would get better!

Garibaldi showed a joyful smile as he broke through the inner city.

However, Garibaldi’s smile did not last long, as a cannonball flew into the middle of the team and exploded, followed by the surrounding ringing with murderous shouts: "Kill!"

Garibaldi then realized that he probably had walked into a meticulously planned trap by the French Army.

No time to think about who had betrayed him, Garibaldi led the breakthrough.

Facing the formidable French Army, Garibaldi and his volunteer forces showcased astonishing fighting will. However, given the newly established army faced the enemy under numerous disadvantages such as combat skill, weapon level, and manpower, they eventually lost, being outnumbered and beaten.

The battle continued until around three in the morning, with Edgar Ney, covered in enemy blood, reported to General Renio: "Reporting to the commander, in this battle, we annihilated 2,700 people, captured 1,000, and the remaining 300 have broken through and are fleeing around; our forces are in pursuit!"

"What about Garibaldi? Was he captured?" General Renio asked Edgar Ney.

Edgar Ney glanced around, and after making sure there was no one else nearby, he whispered to General Renio: "I have followed your instructions to open a path for Garibaldi, whether he can escape successfully depends on his skills!"

General Renio showed an approving look, for the French Army stationed long-term in Rome, a living Garibaldi was more useful than a dead one.

In simple terms, France’s current behavior could be called nurturing a viper.

"Also, please write to Mr. President immediately, informing him that we have occupied Rome!"

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