Chapter 494: Avoiding Napoleon's Mistakes
The dozen or so people in the room were overjoyed, never expecting to receive such an unexpected windfall.
£20,000 was equivalent to 500,000 francs, and with such a large sum of funding, each person could get a significant portion.
Immediately, the group enthusiastically surrounded Chalmers, showering him with praise: "You are truly a messenger of freedom and justice!" "Your generosity brings hope to all the people of Corsica!" "On behalf of the people of Corsica, we extend our deepest gratitude to you. May God bless you…"
Chalmers smiled as he exchanged pleasantries with them, then suddenly adopted a stern expression and said, "However, I have one condition for the use of this money: anyone who receives funding must sever ties with Paoli."
Hearing this, the group quickly nodded in understanding. After all, Paoli had embezzled £25,000 from Chalmers. Anyone in his position would be furious. Besides, they had just confirmed that Paoli had betrayed the organization, and they were already planning to oust him.
Girolamo was the first to speak up: "Mr. Chalmers, rest assured, I will not rest until Paoli is expelled from the independence movement!"
Chalmers nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent, Mr. Girolamo. I've decided to allocate £1,500 to support your campaign for the Corsican Assembly."
The coordination between the intelligence agent and the internal informant instantly ignited the passions of those present—£1,500 was equivalent to 37,000 francs, more than enough to secure victory in an election. In fact, for a provincial assembly seat, this amount was more than double what was necessary.
Bartorio quickly declared that he would cut ties with Paoli, followed by Elock, Cesare, and others.
Before long, all 13 senior members of the independence movement had secured 30,000 to 40,000 francs each, leaving them elated and deeply satisfied. They responded with even more effusive praise for Chalmers.
However, they overlooked one key issue: although £20,000 could support many assembly candidates, Chalmers had distributed the entire sum among just 13 people. As a result, their campaign funds were unusually excessive.
This was part of Joseph's strategy to dismantle the Corsican independence movement—divide and conquer, then shift their political focus.
With ample funding, these 13 individuals would soon become a dominant force within the organization, gradually distancing themselves from the rest of the group.
Chalmers could then use his influence over them to encourage them to break away and form a new faction.
In no time, the two factions of the independence movement would find themselves locked in a bitter struggle for political resources, with the original goal of independence fading from memory. Their fight would become solely about power.
After all, these leaders had at most 20 years of experience in election politics. For Joseph, who had studied the political machinations of the future, it was easy to manipulate them into disarray by borrowing some dirty tricks from party politics.
It was important to note that the Corsican independence movement had its own armed forces—the National Guard—and also employed many assassins. French officials dispatched to Corsica were often targeted for assassination, and violent uprisings were frequent. The most recent one had occurred just last year, with nearly 1,000 armed rebels clashing with the military for over a month before the rebellion was quelled.
Using the military to handle the situation, as had been done during the reign of Louis XV, was costly and not particularly effective—it had merely forced Paoli into exile without achieving any decisive victories.
Even Napoleon himself had faced defeat in Corsica.
It wasn't until Napoleon became emperor and sent a massive army to bloodily suppress Corsica that the independence movement was finally crushed. However, this brutal approach left the Corsicans with deep resentment. After Napoleon was exiled, they threw his statue into the sea and razed his family home to the ground.
Joseph had no desire to deploy excessive military force in Corsica. Beyond the enormous cost and the damage it would cause, a military crackdown would only deepen the Corsican people's hatred of the royal family, making it a futile endeavor.
Discontented citizens can never be expected to contribute meaningfully to national development.
Therefore, Joseph opted for a strategy of internal division.
By first dismantling Paoli's independence organization, the core of the problem would be eliminated, and there would be no one left to stir up the Corsican people against the government.
With appropriate policies to improve the lives of the people in Corsica, why would anyone bother with rebellion? Being a proud French citizen, admired and envied by Russians and Italians alike, would be much more appealing.
Without popular support, the Corsican National Guard would also fall apart. Even if there were a few remaining holdouts, dealing with them would be far easier than it had been historically.
So far, after months of efforts by the intelligence agency, Joseph's Corsican strategy was starting to bear fruit, with success just on the horizon.
…
Britain, London
Paoli's villa had been completely restored, with no visible signs of the fire that had once ravaged it.
Outside the gates, Mr. Paoli shared a tender moment with Miss Isabella, who was seated in a carriage. After a reluctant farewell, he turned around and heard someone anxiously calling out in Italian:
"Uncle! You're finally back—I've been waiting here for hours."
Paoli turned to see his nephew, Cesare Colonna Paoli, the second-in-command of the Corsican National Guard, standing at the door.
"Cesare! My dear boy, what brings you here?" Paoli smiled warmly and hurried to embrace him tightly.
Cesare gave his uncle a quick pat on the back before pulling away, his expression grave. "Uncle, things aren't looking good."
"Oh? What's going on?" Sensing trouble, Paoli grabbed his nephew's arm and led him inside, straight to the study on the second floor.
After locking the door, Cesare urgently explained, "At last week's assembly, Bartorio, Cesare, and others accused you of embezzling funds meant for the independence movement and colluding with the French. They've called for you to be stripped of your leadership and expelled from the organization!"
Paoli's face darkened at the news, but he quickly forced a smile.
"Those baseless accusations won't convince anyone," he said.
"No, Uncle. They've presented evidence." Cesare went on to explain about Paoli's properties in America and the leaked rebellion plans.
"They're framing me!" Paoli shouted in anger. "That money was lost in the fire, and I've never had any dealings with the French!"
"I believe you," Cesare quickly assured him. "But there's already a strong sentiment against you in the organization. In last week's vote, 19 members supported expelling you, and 12 voted to suspend your leadership. Five abstained."
"Those traitorous dogs!" Paoli seethed, his temples pulsing with anger. The independence movement had around 60 members with voting rights on major issues. Given that only about 50 of them had attended the meeting, Paoli now faced the reality that 31 of them had voted against him.
He was just two votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed for his removal!
(End of Chapter)
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