Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: An Unexpected Delight

Garibaldi’s greatness is undeniable.

The famous French literary giant Victor Hugo once said: “I do not wish to speak harsh words, but I must tell the truth. Among all the generals who have fought for France, Garibaldi is the only one who is invincible.”

After the Franco-Prussian War, the Prussian general Vilder admitted: “If all of France’s armies were under Garibaldi’s command, the number of flags captured in the 1870 war would not be so few.”

This is a general who commands admiration and praise from his enemies, yet for various reasons, he never entered the upper echelons of the Italian Government, instead living reclusively on the small island of Capri.

The good news is that Garibaldi’s high standing and the contributions he made to Italy’s unification allowed him to reside leisurely in Italy without fearing government arrest.

For such a revered figure, Carlo naturally wished to see him.

An impetuous visit would only cause annoyance, especially since Carlo was still quite young, so he wasn’t in too much of a hurry.

However, this did not mean Carlo was unable to contact Garibaldi at that time.

In fact, Garibaldi lived a colorful life during his retirement, even publishing the novel “Thousand-Man Army,” which tells the story of how he led only a thousand men to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

With Garibaldi’s prestige, the first printing of the book earned him a handsome fee of 21,000 Lira, which was roughly 840 Pounds.

Given Garibaldi’s interest, Carlo certainly wouldn’t mind inviting him to serialize some stories in the Italian Sun Newspaper.

If it were tales of Garibaldi’s military exploits, it’s believed that most Italians would be quite fond of them.

Carlo’s Italian Sun Newspaper could rapidly expand through Garibaldi’s fame, giving Carlo a chance to become acquainted with Garibaldi.

But all this depends on Garibaldi’s willingness. If Garibaldi refuses to publish articles in the Italian Sun, there is nothing Carlo can do.

For in Italy, Garibaldi’s reputation even surpasses the Royal Family’s, and Italians absolutely do not permit any slander against him.

In 1879, a journalist named Giovanni wrote two stories attacking Garibaldi personally, and soon after, he was assassinated.

If Garibaldi hadn’t personally initiated a fundraiser to donate to Giovanni’s widow, Giovanni’s family would have continued to live under the Italians’ condemnation.

This indirectly confirms Garibaldi’s greatness. To Italy and Italians, Garibaldi has no flaws.

To make a good impression on Garibaldi, Carlo revised his letter to him several times and even asked Loren to check for any improprieties.

A few days later, on a small island called Capri northeast of Sardinia, Garibaldi’s peaceful life was disrupted.

After Garibaldi announced he would no longer receive any guests, the island seemed to become his territory, with few outsiders visiting.

Furthermore, the presence of many soldiers “protecting” Garibaldi further deterred outside visitors.

At a time when Garibaldi should have been enjoying a leisurely life of fishing, he frowned as he looked at a letter bearing the Royal Family’s crest on the table.

“What’s the matter, father?” Garibaldi’s second son Giotto asked in surprise, seeing his father frown.

Since retiring to Capri, this was the first time Giotto had seen his father frown, especially at a letter.

If not for his trust in Garibaldi’s character, Giotto might suspect his father had a pregnant mistress demanding property.

“It’s nothing, Giotto. Just a letter, a letter from the Royal Family,” Garibaldi said, looking at the letter on the table while subconsciously responding to his son’s question.

“A letter from the Royal Family?” Giotto’s curiosity heightened, and he couldn’t help but ask: “The Royal Family wrote to you? Has something happened again?”

“Not to that extent, Giotto,” Garibaldi chuckled and shook his head, saying self-mockingly: “Even if something did happen, they wouldn’t come to me unless Vittorio’s crown was in jeopardy.”

“And this is?” Giotto’s curiosity remained, as he glanced at the envelope on the table.

“It’s a letter from His Highness Carlo,” Garibaldi continued to smile as he said: “I met that young fellow earlier; is he feeling better?”

“Ah, it’s him!” Giotto nodded, expressing his joy: “Among the Royal Family, I only like His Highness Carlo; too bad he isn’t the Kingdom’s Crown Prince.”

“Some things you can say to me, but it’s best to keep quiet outside,” Garibaldi warned his excited son: “If you don’t want to live with me on Capri for the rest of your life, you’d better show some respect to those Royal Family folks.”

“I understand, father. Did His Highness Carlo write for a particular reason?” Giotto continued to inquire with a mix of curiosity and suspense.

Garibaldi nodded, half amused and half helpless, stating: “This may be the first time someone from the Royal Family has praised me to such an extent! Little Carlo hopes I can publish articles in his Sun Newspaper, ideally sharing some stories about the Red Shirt Army.”

Giotto’s enthusiastic words drew Garibaldi and Carlo closer, and Garibaldi’s reference to Carlo shifted from “His Highness” to “Little Carlo.”

Carlo didn’t yet realize that the Garibaldi he longed for had already interacted with the original owner of this body, and Garibaldi had a favorable impression of Carlo.

But upon reflection, it’s understandable; Carlo (originally) was frail from a young age, with a father engrossed in official affairs and a mother who died early, naturally shaping his character to be modest and kind.

Having seen the arrogance and decadence prevalent among nobility, it’s not surprising that Garibaldi had a good impression of Little Carlo.

“Is the Italian Sun Newspaper owned by His Highness Carlo?” Giotto’s excitement was apparent as he eagerly exclaimed: “Father, didn’t you say you wanted to write your story for more Italians? Isn’t this a great opportunity?”

Seeing his son’s exhilaration, Garibaldi helplessly shook his head and remarked: “I can write the story, but whether more Italians will read it is not up to me.

If my story influences His Highness Carlo’s Italian Sun Newspaper, it would be somewhat unwise.

However, His Highness Carlo’s invitation is hard to refuse. How about this, I’ll write a few stories that aren’t too bothersome and see how those old fellows in Florence react first.”

While it’s said that Mazzini created the idea of Italian unity, no one can deny that Garibaldi’s deep love for Italy also profoundly influenced many Italians.

Though Garibaldi made outstanding contributions to Italy’s unification, having been closely associated with a republic, stories adapted from real events might be favored by Italians but not necessarily by the Italian Government and Royal Family.

It’s precisely for this reason that Garibaldi doesn’t want his influence to extend to others, especially someone like Carlo, whom he quite appreciates.