Chapter 8: Persuasion

Carlo understood that if he could not persuade his father at this moment, not only would his plans for the Austro-Prussian War vanish into thin air, but even the independent management of his assets, which he had obtained with such difficulty, would once again be subject to the supervision of Victor Emmanuel II.

Looking at the stern expression on Victor Emmanuel II's face, Carlo organized his words in his mind: "Father, I believe there is no harm in letting General Garibaldi prepare his army in advance at this time.

There will inevitably be a war between Prussia and Austria, and as Prussia's ally, we are bound to participate in this conflict.

Austria is also our enemy; if we wish to recover the Venice region during this opportunity, we must make preparations in advance rather than rushing into battle after the war has broken out."

Victor Emmanuel II nodded, quite satisfied that Carlo was able to see these things clearly.

However, satisfaction was one thing, but when it came to the matter of Garibaldi regaining military power, Victor Emmanuel II would not compromise so easily.

"Continue," Victor Emmanuel II said, his face devoid of any expression, continuing to watch Carlo with a stern look.

"As you know, Father, General Garibaldi enjoys immense prestige among the Italian people and can easily organize a powerful army of tens of thousands.

If we can utilize this point, we might be able to deal an unexpected blow to the Austrian army in the Venice region, which could perhaps accelerate our progress in recovering the territory," Carlo continued.

Victor Emmanuel II rubbed his brow and asked, "Compared to the role these tens of thousands of soldiers could play, I am more worried about the harm these tens of thousands of soldiers could cause to the Kingdom."

"That is precisely what you do not need to worry about, Father," Carlo said with a smile.

Seeing the look of surprise on Victor Emmanuel II's face, Carlo knew his words had taken effect and hurriedly added:

"After the war between Prussia and Austria breaks out, you can take the initiative to order Garibaldi to join the campaign against Austria.

If Garibaldi's army achieves good results, the credit will naturally be yours. But if Garibaldi fails in the campaign against Austria, the public's disappointment will have nothing to do with you, will it?"

Such methods were not unfamiliar to monarchs of various countries: positioning oneself in a place where one could share the credit without having to bear the responsibility.

However, this could not completely dispel Victor Emmanuel II's concerns.

"Child, you do not understand how terrifying that fellow Garibaldi's prestige is among the people. If his prestige were to rise again, it would be a fatal blow to the entire House of Savoy," Victor Emmanuel II said to Carlo in a grave tone.

Garibaldi's prestige among the people was already a threat in itself, and to make matters worse, he had once leaned toward republicanism.

This was a great danger to a monarchical state, and it was the reason why Victor Emmanuel II risked sending a certain number of soldiers to "protect" Garibaldi's army at close quarters.

"But he is already nearly 60 years old, Father," Carlo replied.

Garibaldi was old; this was the only thing Victor Emmanuel II found comforting.

In this era of extremely poor medical technology, even in Europe, the most developed region in the world, the average life expectancy remained a brief 30 to 40 years.

Yes, the average life expectancy in Europe at this time was only a little over 30 years; it was rare to see someone like Garibaldi nearing the age of 60, which was why Victor Emmanuel II felt relatively at ease.

Watching Carlo, who kept outputting reasons that moved him, Victor Emmanuel II stared for a long time before finally squeezing out: "My child, I admit you have a talent for being a diplomat."

"Then do you agree, Father?" Carlo asked, somewhat delighted and unable to wait.

"I need to discuss this with the cabinet; some things cannot be decided by the King alone, understand? Carlo." Looking at Carlo, who still could not freely hide his emotions, Victor Emmanuel II felt conflicted.

But regardless, Carlo showing his intelligent side was beneficial to the royal family. Victor Emmanuel II also needed more helpers to assist him in stabilizing the royal power, especially a child like Carlo who was of his own flesh and blood.

"And even if the cabinet agrees, the country has no funds to help Garibaldi rebuild his army. Alright, regardless of whether the cabinet agrees or not, this matter no longer concerns you, Carlo. Someone will notify Garibaldi once there is a result; your primary task now is to complete your studies at the Military Academy." Victor Emmanuel II patted his son's head, finally returning to the role of a father.

After this conversation, Victor Emmanuel II looked forward to Carlo's growth even more.

Although there was only one Crown Prince, this did not mean the future Crown Prince would not need close assistants.

If both Amadeo and Carlo could grow into excellent military commanders, then the future Italian Kingdom would see a wonderful situation: the entire Royal Italian Army would be controlled by the royal family, and the position of the House of Savoy would be even more secure.

"I understand, Father," Carlo nodded.

Of course, Carlo also knew he could not directly persuade Victor Emmanuel II to agree to let Garibaldi reorganize an army.

Although Victor Emmanuel II said he would seek the cabinet's opinion, if he, the greatest opponent of Garibaldi, did not refuse, then surely the Italian government would not refuse this opportunity to gain tens of thousands of troops for free.

As for Garibaldi's military talent, Carlo was not worried in the slightest.

In history, whether it was the Austro-Prussian War or the subsequent Franco-Prussian War, Garibaldi had demonstrated excellent military talent.

It could be said that the current Garibaldi was the last fig leaf of the Italian Army. At the very least, the army led by Garibaldi could still trade blows with the armies of Prussia, France, and Austria.

If he could truly facilitate Garibaldi's participation in the war as soon as it broke out, perhaps the performance of the Italian army on the southern front would not be so poor.

This might have a significant impact on the entire Austro-Prussian War; Italy might be able to get a bigger piece of the pie in this war, and the position of the House of Savoy would be even more secure.

If this suggestion achieved good results, he believed that some of Carlo's subsequent plans would also go more smoothly, at least in terms of persuading Victor Emmanuel II, it would be much easier.

Seeking collections, seeking recommendation tickets, seeking monthly tickets, seeking follow-up reads!

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(End of this chapter)