North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 300 His Majesty Paul I

In late May 1856, Azu, Vivian, and Parker Parker arrived safely in the Vatican, escorted by a fleet and a full brigade of marines.

Surprisingly, the person who came to greet Azu and his party was none other than the Secretary of State of the Papal States, the undisputed second-in-command of the Church—Antonelli!
On the way to the Vatican, at Antonelli's repeated insistence, Azu shared a carriage with him.

"Your Excellency Antonelli, I don't quite understand why someone of your stature would personally come to greet me? And why you insist on sharing a carriage with me?"

Faced with Azu's question, Antonelli's face showed a hint of embarrassment: "Your Excellency Earl of Gold Mountain, this mission to welcome you was something I barely managed to obtain after repeatedly pleading with His Holiness the new Pope."

Upon hearing him say this, a strange expression appeared on Ah Zu's face.

Antonelli explained, "Your Excellency, you and I are both well aware that the new Crown Prince ascended to that position with your strong support."

"Without your support, the new His Holiness will not even be able to sit on the positions of Archbishop of California and Cardinal of America, let alone become Pope!"

Azu neither admitted nor denied it, but simply looked at him with a smile.

Antonelli rubbed his hands together and said, "But no matter what, the dust has settled now, and who gets that position is a done deal."

"Although I was once determined to get that position, and... to be honest, Your Excellency, in the months of open and covert struggle, both sides had to resort to some... some underhanded methods."

"As a result, both sides paid a considerable price; and as a result, we have developed some... hatred!"

"Once the new pope is crowned, he will surely launch an attack and seek revenge against me!"

Antonelli continued nervously, "After the election, I personally apologized to the new leader and tried to reach a reconciliation."

"However, His Holiness the Pope has not made any statement."

"Therefore, I have no choice but to place my hopes on you, Your Excellency the Earl!"

Azu understood: "Lord Antonelli, you want to get forgiveness and reconciliation from me, don't you?"

“Yes!” Antonelli said nervously, “Your Excellency, if we’re talking about who has the greatest influence on the new Crown Prince right now, it has to be you!”

"I have no expectation of continuing to serve as Secretary of State; I only hope to live out the rest of my life quietly."

“Even if I were sent to the most remote parts of Africa to preach, or even if I were placed under house arrest in some remote monastery, I would have no complaints.”

With that, Antonelli looked at Azu with hopeful eyes: "Your Excellency, I have no other wish than to live!"

A meaningful smile appeared on Azu's face: "Your Excellency Antonelli, I have also heard about the open and covert struggles between you and the new emperor over the past few months."

"I must say, apart from sending the Papal States' army, you've gone to extremes in everything you could!"

"Whether it's bribing and threatening the cardinals, or directly targeting the new emperor, bribing his entourage to poison him, or sending assassins to kill him in secret, you can use your power and connections to deliberately create all sorts of accidents and difficulties...!"

Azu smiled and said, "Lord Antonelli, I must say, you've been quite ruthless in your pursuit of that supreme throne!"

"If I hadn't dispatched a sufficiently strong security force, perhaps the new His Majesty would have already followed His Majesty Pius IX in death."

"Even so, the security team I dispatched suffered heavy casualties, with over a hundred people killed or wounded."

"Lord Antonelli, the price paid by both sides was so high. You, the mastermind behind it all, want to escape unscathed after your defeat. Isn't that a bit too much of a luxury?!"

Facing the sneer on Azu's face, Antonelli's face gradually turned ashen: "Your Excellency, when you first visited the Vatican, I treated you quite well...!"

Ah Zu nodded in agreement: "That's really good! That's why I gave you this opportunity to ride together, otherwise... hehe!"

Upon hearing this, Antonelli sensed a slight softening in Azu's words and quickly said, "Your Excellency, if you can spare me, I am willing to offer up everything I have accumulated and treasured over the years!"

Seeing that Azu shook his head slightly, Antonelli said urgently, "Your Excellency, I know you are one of the richest people in the world and are not short of money. But many of my private collections are priceless treasures that money cannot buy."

"Moreover... I also know about a secret vault of the Papacy containing countless treasures. After Pius IX's sudden death, I was the only one in the world who knew the location of that vault."

As he spoke, Antonelli, trembling and extremely reluctant, pulled a silver necklace from his neck. At the end of the necklace was an antique-looking copper key.

“Your Excellency, this is the key to the Vatican’s secret vault. If you agree to spare my life, I will hand over the key and the location of the treasure with both hands.”

Azu looked at Antonelli with great interest: "Aren't you afraid that after I get the treasure, I'll kill you to silence you?"

"Gulp!" Antonelli swallowed hard. "Your Excellency, I'm desperate. I can only gamble on your luck."

"Based on what I know of you, although you show no mercy to your enemies, you are a person of your word and always keep your promises, so... I have no choice but to gamble!"

"Hehe!" Azu grinned: "I never thought that sometimes character and reputation could bring such unexpected benefits."

Antonelli asked eagerly, "Well? Your Excellency, have you agreed?"

Azu waved his hand: "Lord Antonelli, don't be impatient. After I've seen your private collection and the Vatican's secret treasury, then we'll see if it's enough to buy your life!"

"But don't worry, you're safe until then."

"Hoo...!" Antonelli finally let out a long breath, and a trace of human color returned to his pale and haggard face.

Since failing to secure the throne, Antonelli has been sleepless, constantly on guard against the possibility of sudden death.

After his defeat in the election, almost all the people and forces that had supported him abandoned him and rushed to kneel before the new pope.

The Secretary of State of the Papal States, who was once second only to the Pope and above millions of others, became a lonely figure almost overnight.

If the new pope hadn't temporarily refrained from taking action against him in order to stabilize public sentiment and cultivate a benevolent image, he would have already passed away and joined Pius IX in heaven.

Finally feeling somewhat relieved, Antonelli said, "Your Excellency, please rest assured, whether it is my private collection or the Vatican's secret treasury, it will absolutely satisfy you!"

“These treasures, which the Vatican has collected for one or two thousand years, cannot be bought with money alone.”

"In terms of quantity, it may not be as good as the British Museum and the Louvre, but in terms of the value of its treasures, it surpasses them!"

Antonelli continued, "At the same time, I will also take the lead in proposing that His Holiness the new Pope directly elevate your title to Grand Duke...!"
"Grand Duke...heh!"

To leap from earl to grand duke is equivalent to crossing the chasm between marquis and duke.

Earl is merely the threshold of a great noble family, while Grand Duke directly becomes a top-tier great noble family.

Even Empress Sisi's father, Joseph, was just a duke with no real power. He seemed to be only a step away from being a grand duke, but that was an insurmountable gap.

In European tradition, dukes were merely the highest nobility, but grand dukes had the power to establish grand duchies.

In Latin and German, "duke" means military commander, while "grand duke" means great ruler.

A duke is merely a feudal vassal under a monarchy, while a grand duke is the head of state of a sovereign state and the highest secular ruler after the emperor and the king.

For Azu, who was already prepared to establish a new country, the title of Grand Duke was no longer of much importance.

However, in old Europe, a grand duke conferred by the papacy was still a highly prestigious title.

Prior to this, when Azu met the Tsar, the King of Prussia, the Queen of England, and the Emperor of France, he could only use the etiquette of a subordinate paying homage to a superior.

If one has the title of Grand Duke, then when meeting emperors and kings, one can basically look them in the eye as equals, with their status essentially equal.

A powerful grand duke undoubtedly held a higher status and greater influence among the European powers.

Azu didn't really care whether the pragmatic Lord Antonelli lived or died.

The life or death of a cardinal who has failed in his bid for the throne and lost power is of no importance, and he can't cause much trouble.

If this disgraced Lord Antonelli still has any remaining value to be exploited, then it doesn't matter if he lives.

At most, we'll send him to the heart of Africa to preach to cannibal tribes...!
……

When the massive convoy arrived at the Vatican, Evan... no, now the new His Majesty, personally came out of the Apostolic Palace and greeted Azu and his entourage in the square in front of the palace.

More than half a year has passed since we last met, and Evan looks radiant and even younger!
Indeed, power is the elixir of youth for men, making them energetic and exceptionally young.

"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope...!"

As he spoke, Azu, along with Vivian, Boyd Parker, and the others, prepared to kneel down on one knee.

"No, no, please don't do this...!"

Evan quickly stepped forward and personally helped Azu, Vivian, and Boyd Parker to their feet, saying with great emotion, "You are my family, my blood relatives. Never do this under any circumstances...!"

Ah Zu was just putting on an act in front of everyone; he naturally straightened his posture.

"Your Majesty...!"

As soon as Azu opened his mouth, Evan interrupted him directly: "You should just call me Uncle Evan, it sounds better to me."

"Well... alright, Uncle Evan!"

Evan, holding Azu's hand with one hand and Vivian's hand with the other, walked towards the Papal Palace.

Behind them, a large group of people, including Zhou Hongwen, Peter Parker, and Secretary of State Antonelli, followed closely.

Under Zhou Hongwen's piercing gaze, which was as sharp as a knife, Antonelli felt extremely uncomfortable and had no choice but to take his leave.

A moment later, only his own people remained in the study of the Apostolic Palace.

As usual, Evan personally poured a glass of red wine for everyone.

Then everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together heavily.

After taking a small sip, Evan sighed and said, "I never imagined that I would have this day, sitting on the highest throne that I never dared to dream of before."

“Li, this is all thanks to you… On my own, I could only ever reach the rank of archbishop, and that would be the limit. I wouldn’t even dare to dream of becoming a cardinal.”

As he spoke, Evan showed off his white robe embroidered with gold trim: "As for this platinum holy robe... heh, I wouldn't even dare to dream of it." "Even now, I feel like I'm in a dream...!"

Azu smiled and said, "Uncle Evan, your coronation ceremony is in three days. Is your baptismal name ready?"

Baptismal names are equivalent to the reign titles of Chinese emperors; for example, Pius IX was a baptismal name.

Evan replied, "I'm prepared to use the name of John Paul I!"

"It's good that they didn't use the baptismal names of previous popes, but instead created new ones."

Azu said, "This at least shows that you, Uncle Evan, intend to reform the old and establish the new, and are determined to make progress."

Evan shook his head with a wry smile: "According to the original agreement, I did have the determination to reform the old and establish the new, and to forge ahead, but now that I'm actually in it, I find it really too difficult!"

"The current Papacy and Papal States are rife with various forces and powers, intertwined and mutually restraining each other, so that a single move can have far-reaching consequences!"

"Within the country, the secular power of the Papal States is almost entirely in the hands of local nobles and large landowners."

"Furthermore, various powers, both overtly and covertly, have interfered in the affairs of the Papal States and the Holy See, especially France, Prussia, and Austria, which have a great influence in the Papal States and the Holy See."

"Within the Vatican, both the Vatican and churches around the world, conservative forces are extremely powerful, especially in old Europe."

"While most churches in the Americas, Asia, and Africa support reform, they are too weak and their voices are too small to have a substantial impact on the Vatican."

Evan sighed, “Although I am determined to reform, I have few supporters within the church, and I can’t find any driving force to support the reform.”

"The forces opposing reform within the Vatican, both domestically and internationally, are simply too strong; I have no idea where to begin."

"Let's cut to the chase! Let's start with the easiest target!" Azu said calmly. "Let's start with the nobles and large landowners throughout the Papal States, issue decrees, forcefully promote land reform, equalize land ownership, and abolish the real power of the nobility."

"Those nobles and landowners will certainly resist, so this time, I brought a brigade of six thousand men. Once I have dealt with western Italy, there will be a steady stream of reinforcements arriving in Italy!"

"All those who dare to resist will be suppressed by force, their titles will be abolished, all their land will be confiscated, and all power will be taken into our own hands."

"With power and prestige, the reformists will be promoted to key positions, gradually replacing the conservatives, and then internal church reforms will be implemented."

"Then unify Italy!"

If Azu wanted to stir up the stagnant waters of old Europe, he had to establish a powerful Papal State.

This is the European-style stirring stick that Ah Zu prepared; it can't be too thin or too short!
……

Next, Azu explained his strategy to Evan in detail.

If Evan follows this plan, and with his full support, he believes he can build a powerful Papal State.

After listening to Azu's detailed strategy, Evan felt enlightened, his blood boiling, and he was full of energy.

After discussing the matter, Evan added, "Now, the Crimean War between the great powers and Tsarist Russia is escalating and becoming increasingly brutal and bloody."

"According to statistics from both sides, this war has claimed more than a million young lives and left millions more wounded."

"To this day, both sides still have millions of troops stationed in the Black Sea and Crimea regions, and are locked in fierce fighting. However, the war remains deadlocked, with no clear victor, and tens of thousands of people die every day."

“Various European countries have already voiced their requests for the Vatican to intervene as soon as possible and mediate between the two sides.”

"Li, what do you think?"

"Mediate the Crimean War? Ha!" Azu laughed. "Uncle Evan, now is the perfect time to fully promote reforms and unify Italy while the great powers are preoccupied with other matters."

"How could we miss such a golden opportunity?"

"Once the great powers recover, they will definitely continue to interfere in the affairs of the Papacy and the Papal States."

"Uncle Evan, why make yourself miserable at a time like this?"

"Therefore, not only should you not step in to mediate the Crimean War, but you should also try to fan the flames of this war."

Evan pondered for a moment, then realized the logic in his statement: "So how should we fuel this?"

Azu calmly said, "Isn't one of the causes of this war the struggle between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Vatican for control of the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem?"

“That’s right!” Evan nodded.

Azu said, "Uncle Evan, representatives from various countries will attend your coronation ceremony."

"Why don't you take this opportunity to ask the Ottoman representative directly for the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre?"

"This would certainly provoke strong dissatisfaction from Tsarist Russia and the Ottoman Empire, which would undoubtedly be one of the means to fuel the war."

Evan pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I think it's a good idea!"

At this point, Evan suddenly asked with a smile, "For what purpose did Lord Antonelli propose to elevate your title to Grand Duke?"

"Hehe, Grand Duke of Gold Mountain... what do you think?"

Azu didn't refuse: "I have no objection! A Grand Duke always sounds more prestigious than an Earl."

"Hahaha!" Evan laughed loudly, "You're not just someone who's after prestige!"

"The title of Grand Duke of the Goldberg undoubtedly made things much easier in old Europe."

"However, this would put the Vatican at odds with the United States federal government!"

The Pope's personal bestowal of the title of Grand Duke meant, in the eyes of old Europe and America, that Azuma now possessed diplomatic and constitutional powers, and that he could establish his own sovereign state whenever he wished.

Strictly speaking, the Pope's bestowal of the title of Grand Duke upon a governor of the United States is tantamount to openly interfering in the internal affairs of the United States and even openly supporting the division of the United States!
Azu dismissively said, "The United States can't afford to worry about me and the Vatican right now. Everything will have to wait until they finish the Civil War."

Evan nodded: "Right now, we don't need to pay too much attention to America's attitude, but once they finish the war...!"

“Once they finish the war, a divided America will be even less able to care about the Vatican!” Azu replied calmly.

"A divided America? What do you mean?" Evan asked curiously.

Azu smiled and replied, "The Northern State is one country, the Southern State is one country, and the Western States are another country. If it's not divided into four parts, then what is it?"

Evan understood: "So that's what you were planning!"

Evan remarked with deep feeling, "I've lived in America for over forty years, and to be honest, I have quite a lot of affection for this country."

"If it were a unified United States, with its vast territory, abundant resources, favorable climate, and extremely advantageous strategic location, it would inevitably develop into an extremely powerful country, perhaps even surpassing the current European powers."

Evan shook his head and sighed, "Unfortunately, a divided America will probably never see the light of day!"

What Ah Zu wanted was for it to never have a chance to rise again!
If it were to rise to prominence, it would become the biggest troublemaker in the world, and the whole world would never have peace!

Rather than doing that, it's better to cut it into pieces sooner rather than later.

After finishing his reflections, Evan brought up another matter.

“Li, since I became the new pope, representatives from various European countries have visited me one after another.”

"Countries including England, France, the Ottoman Empire, Sardinia, and Austria are all aware of the special relationship between you and me."

"They want to use me to pressure you to stop supplying advanced weapons and materials to Tsarist Russia. What are your thoughts on this?"

Azu replied, "Uncle Evan, you don't need to worry about this."

"If they find you again, tell them to come directly to me, and I'll deal with them."

Azu smiled slightly: "However, Uncle Evan, you can tell them directly that you have done my job and I have given in."

“I can stop supporting Tsarist Russia as long as they are willing to pay a sufficient price.”

In Azu's view, the various secret agreements signed with Tsarist Russia had been basically fulfilled.

The amount of money Tsarist Russia gave was the amount of goods they provided.

As for the remaining conditions, which were secured by tariffs and territory, Azu had no intention of continuing to fulfill them.

After acquiring advanced weaponry sufficient to arm more than one hundred divisions, Tsarist Russia's strength increased significantly, making it capable of contending with major powers such as Britain and France for a considerable period of time.

Tsarist Russia, this hungry beast, needs to be fed, but it must never be fully fed, otherwise it will tear the whole world apart.

The goal was to give Tsarist Russia the strength to stand up to the great powers, but not to make it ridiculously strong.

In Azu’s original plan, it was time to end cooperation with Tsarist Russia.

Since that's the case, why not give the great powers some face? If we can take this opportunity to squeeze some real benefits out of them, that would be even better.

Azu has many practical benefits to gain, but this time he can only seize the most crucial small part.

Azu already had a plan in mind, just waiting for the great powers to come to him.

……

With everything settled, the welcome banquet personally arranged by Evan was also ready.

Evan stood up and said with a smile, "Let's go, let me show you what the highest-level banquet of the Holy See tastes like."

"Oh, right, I've also invited a few old friends to the banquet. Can you guess who they are?!"

(End of this chapter)