Garibaldi finally accepted Carlo's invitation to become a collaborator with the Italian 24 ORE newspaper, publishing his stories in the paper.
Although Garibaldi was initially hesitant, once Carlo obtained permission from his father, Victor Emmanuel II, all obstacles disappeared.
The reason Victor Emmanuel II agreed to let Garibaldi publish his articles was simple: since Carlo owned the newspaper, Garibaldi's articles would still be reviewed, making it impossible for articles of any nature to be published.
Victor Emmanuel II was completely unconcerned about whether Carlo would be deceived by Garibaldi and allow him to publish articles promoting republicanism.
Laurent was a talent he had personally selected, and his loyalty to the royal family and support for the monarchy were trustworthy.
Carlo was naturally very excited. At this time, the attitude of Italians towards Garibaldi was akin to the attitude of modern-day obsessive fans toward their favorite celebrities; the word 'frenzy' was almost insufficient to describe it.
Once Garibaldi's articles were published in the newspaper, Il Sole 24 Orewould immediately became one of the most famous newspapers in Italy and experienced extremely rapid expansion.
Perhaps the task Carlo assigned to Laurent could be completed in less than two years, giving Carlo more time to plan other matters.
Time flew by, and soon three and a half months had passed.
Thanks to Garibaldi's immense prestige, even though only two articles were published in three and a half months, it still made the Il Sole 24 Ore one of the most famous newspapers in the entire Kingdom of Italy, and it easily achieved the feat of selling 10,000 copies daily.
The current newspaper has already become profitable and is rapidly expanding by leveraging Garibaldi's fame.
Also, due to its location in the developed industrial area of northern Italy, the newspaper's expansion faced no obstacles, and it is expected to surpass 20,000 daily sales this year, becoming a truly major newspaper.
This era was different from later times; newspapers were the most effective means for people of this era to learn about the outside world.
Although only ten thousand copies were sold, the number of people reading the newspaper was more than ten thousand. Based on an average family size of 3 to 5 people, the Italian newspaper could influence nearly fifty thousand people.
Through word-of-mouth among these fifty thousand people, the news published in the newspaper could spread to hundreds of thousands of Italians in a short period.
This is the power that public opinion can demonstrate; in a time when people's leisure lives are not well-developed, the power of public opinion that a newspaper can wield is immense.
Both times, the manuscripts were delivered by Garibaldi's second son, Ricciotti. Carlo also developed a strong relationship with Ricciotti during their two meetings.
Like father, like son – this saying is quite appropriate to describe Garibaldi's two sons.
In Garibaldi's many military operations, both sons played relatively important roles, acting like Garibaldi's assistants.
Moreover, compared to the aging Garibaldi, his two sons were in their prime, the peak age for a person.
To be honest, Carlo was quite envious of Garibaldi's two sons.
Although they were not outstanding military talents compared to Garibaldi, their level was definitely above average, and having been influenced by Garibaldi for a long time, their personalities were not rigid.
It's a pity that Carlo was still too young; otherwise, he would have considered trying to invite Menotti to serve as his court official.
As time reached June 1866, Carlo's previously calm heart finally became a little nervous.
The good news was that the Austro-Prussian War would likely unfold as it did in history, as border clashes between Prussia and Austria had already occurred by the end of May.
This was indeed a war that was fundamentally unavoidable. Influenced by the trend of German unification, a showdown between the two major powers within the German sphere, Prussia and Austria, was destined.
Fortunately, Italy was on the side of the historical victor, Prussia. Moreover, Italy could achieve a 'lie down and win' victory, easily recovering the Venetian region while the Austrians were preoccupied with Prussia.
However, the bad news was that the Italian army showed an extremely poor performance in this war, setting a bad precedent for Italy in WWI and WWII.
If it weren't for the fact that Prussia was too strong at this time, perhaps the newly born Kingdom of Italy would have been a fleeting meteor on the Apennine Peninsula.
For the current Carlo, how to influence his father, Victor Emmanuel II, was the most difficult problem.
The Italian army that was quickly routed was led by his father, Victor Emmanuel II, who soon met his demise.
That is to say, the southern front simply couldn't affect the Prussians in the north; otherwise, the world situation might have been different.
Carlo understood that with his ability and status, it was impossible to influence the development of the Austro-Prussian War.
To change Italy's poor performance in the Austro-Prussian War, he had to bring in the true God of War of Italy at the time, Garibaldi, to command the Italian army.
But this was precisely the most troublesome issue. Under the current circumstances, Victor Emmanuel II was unlikely to agree to let Garibaldi command the Italian army.
Unable to do otherwise, Carlo could only use a roundabout approach, using another method to facilitate Garibaldi's early participation in the war.
As time reached June, the border clashes between Prussia and Austria intensified. It was impossible for the two major powers in the German region, north and south, to coexist peacefully for long; whoever won this conflict would unify the entire German region and thus achieve the strategy of dominating Central Europe.
The tense situation not only affected the entire German region but also affected Prussia's ally, Italy.
Victor Emmanuel II had already held two cabinet meetings regarding the tense situation in Germany and demanded that the Italian army be ready at all times.
Under such a tense situation, Carlo also began his attempt.
"My God, Carlo, do you understand what you are saying?"
In the small, luxurious dining room of the palace, Victor Emmanuel II, who had been enjoying his breakfast with a relaxed expression, now looked surprised, staring at his favorite son across the table and asking in disbelief.
"Of course, I understand, Father." Carlo nodded, took a deep breath, and then said, "That's why I understand the importance of this matter."
"I hope you can give me a reasonable explanation, otherwise I will consider the harmfulness of your closeness to Garibaldi." At this moment, Victor Emmanuel II looked more like the King of Italy than an ordinary father, his gaze deep and serious as he looked at Carlo, speaking word by word.