Count Butafuoco wasted no time in striking while the iron was hot, having Girolamo push forward a bill in the Parliament to revoke the qualifications of the Paoli Faction's members.
Naturally, Bartolomeo lent his full support—once the Paoli Faction's members were gone, the parliamentary seats would largely fall into the hands of his own faction.
The Paoli Faction, however, was not going to sit idly by.
They quickly formed an alliance with the neutral faction to jointly resist in Congress. The latter, too, was on tenterhooks, fearing that once the Paoli Faction fell, they would be next.
Nonetheless, even with their alliance, they did not occupy a third of the seats in Congress and were unable to withstand the passage of the bill.
Unless, of course, another force could lend them aid.
Just then, Count Butafuoco made his appearance.
"So, I can assure you that my people will not vote for the bill to cancel your qualifications as members."
In the rest room of the Ajaccio tennis court, Count Butafuoco smiled as he looked at several individuals before him, who expressed their gratitude. He continued, "As you know, I've just become Governor, but many others are vying for this position as well.
"If we can work together to foster a bill that abolishes the National Self-Defense Force, a thorn in the government's side, my position will be much more secure."
The National Self-Defense Force, as an armed force of the Restoration organization, was deemed illegal by the French Government, but the Corsican Parliament recognized it, which was an important reason it continued to enjoy Corsican support.
Giuseppe and Eloc exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads resolutely: "This is absolutely unacceptable!"
"You're exploiting our vulnerabilities, we can't use the Self-Defense Force as a bargaining chip, even if we have to deal with Bartolomeo."
Count Butafuoco chuckled: "Once you lose your positions as members, the Self-Defense Force will belong to Bartolomeo. What's the point of defending it then?"
Both the Paoli Faction and the neutrals fell silent.
How many of the Restoration Faction truly wanted to establish a Corsican Republic? There were no notably prestigious states in Corsican history, and with nationalism yet to rise, weren't their separatist movements just a way for them to become 'founding heroes' and retain high positions?
Now, they were about to be overthrown, and once Bartolomeo took control of the Self-Defense Force, they would have no chance of turning the tables.
Finally, Giuseppe took a deep breath, nodded, and said, "Alright, I accept your suggestion."
Eloc, leader of the neutrals, after some thought, suddenly said, "My Lord Earl, even if we support you, our combined factions still don't make up two-thirds of the seats in Congress."
Bartolomeo's faction held 35% of the seats in Congress, and legislation required a 66% majority to pass.
Count Butafuoco nodded calmly: "Don't worry, as long as your people vote in favor of abolishing the Self-Defense Force when the time comes, the agreement will be fulfilled."
What a joke, Chalmers, the major financier, could just lift a finger, allocate a little funding, and swinging a few members of the Bartolomeo faction wasn't a hard task.
Moreover, there was Girolamo the Speaker, who also had his own power within the Bartolomeo faction and could serve as a reserve.
Tuileries Palace, second floor.
Joseph, seeing the report just delivered by the Governor of Corsica, couldn't help but smile.
According to the letter, although the Corsican Parliament had not yet begun voting, the current political landscape indicated that the bill to abolish the National Self-Defense Force was certain to pass.
All that remained was to send troops to wipe out this illegal armed force. Without the guise of legitimacy, this band of irregulars would struggle to garner support from the Corsican people—this was a decision by the Corsican Parliament, an entity which carried great local influence—hence becoming easier to deal with.
With the armed force gone, and the Restoration organization's severe internal divisions, it would no longer pose a threat.
Whether through continuous political assimilation or by finding a pretext for direct prohibition, the problem of Corsican separatism could be thoroughly resolved.
Joseph slipped the report into an envelope, pondering who he should send to eliminate the illegal force.
He found it somewhat amusing; wasn't this exactly what Napoleon had done historically? This time, he might as well go himself; familiar with the task, certainly no mishaps would occur.
Plus, once Napoleon personally took care of the Self-Defense Force and saw the ignoble actions of his idol Paoli and the disunity of the Restoration organization, he would likely lose interest in the idea of Corsican restoration.
With this thought, Joseph immediately drafted an order for the General Staff, entrusting Major Napoleon Bonaparte to lead a battalion, along with the Corsican-stationed French Army, in charge of eradicating the Corsican National Self-Defense Force.
Upon completion of the mission, Bonaparte would be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and assume the position of acting Commander of the Corsican forces.
He knew Napoleon was ambitious, and while disillusioned with the restoration group, a high-ranking position like the commander of Corsican forces might very well tip the scales, making him lean towards becoming a true Frenchman.
Once Corsica was fully incorporated into the French Government's administration, any chance of a restoration movement would be gone.
In time, this brave soldier would truly be recruited to his own ranks.
Having finished writing the orders and handing them to the messenger, Joseph then picked up another document on the table.
It was from the Tax Administration, stating that the local tax offices were ready and the transfer of duties from the Tax Farmers was nearly complete, poised to take over the taxation tasks.
Joseph massaged his temples; less than a month remained until the end of the year, and they had only raised 80 million francs, far short of the target.
Though he had already instructed the banks to begin "payment and remittance rectification" to prevent large sums of funds from fleeing abroad, so far, only Charles, a Tax Farmer magnate, had pledged allegiance to him.
Those financial moguls really knew how to keep their cool. Joseph shook his head, determining that if there was no progress by next week, they might have to resort to high-interest loans.
At that moment, he heard Eman's voice from outside: "Your Highness, Mr. Fouche is here."
"Ah, let him in," Joseph replied.
The head of the intelligence bureau stepped into the room, greeting the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, 'the Lender' wishes to see you urgently."
The Lender? Joseph's eyes lit up. This was the code name for the "inside agent" he had bought from the Tax Farmers Association, though the individual had been silent up till then, almost forgotten by Joseph.
Could it be that he had some breakthrough news?
Joseph nodded and inquired, "Where is he?"
"At Madame Bertrand's house."
Half an hour later, Joseph met "the Lender" at Madame Bertrand's house—none other than the Bank of England's banker Godemid.
Already there waiting, Godemid bowed respectfully upon the Crown Prince's arrival: "It is an honor to meet you, Your Royal Highness. I apologize for the impromptu nature of this meeting, but I have good news to share with you."