The Shadow of Great Britain

Garibaldi, while speaking, grew increasingly emotional.

"At the time, I barely understood his words, but soon after, when I arrived in Egypt by ship, and saw these Saint-Simonists using their hands to shovel earth, fulfilling their promises and realizing their dreams, it was as if my mind was struck by a heavy blow after a drunken stupor.

This flash of strange brilliance suddenly enlightened my heart, and I began to no longer see my ship as a mere vessel for international trade, but as one carrying the prayers of the Bible and the sword of the Archangel. After parting with this noble group of Saint-Simonists, I was eager to figure out new things, and at the same time, I began to ask myself: Do I understand what it means to be passionate about a noble mission?"

Arthur, as he listened, leaned back on the sofa, leisurely taking notes. Without lifting his head, he asked, "And then, you hurriedly sailed to France to find Young Italy?"

No one knew whether Arthur's note-taking appeared too natural, or perhaps because the three drunkards had little judgment left, so no one present seemed to blame Arthur, as if taking notes while drinking in a private room was entirely normal.

Garibaldi nodded repeatedly, saying, "Exactly! After parting with them and returning from the East, I immediately accepted a job to Marseille, because I heard that Marseille was the headquarters of 'Young Italy.'"

Upon hearing this, Arthur stopped writing and gently shook his head, saying, "Young and passionate..."

"Did you say something?" Garibaldi hiccupped, "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"It's nothing." Arthur smiled and poured him more wine, "I said, you really have guts."

Being praised, Garibaldi couldn't help but smile at the corners of his eyes, "Arthur, don't be modest. I heard from Alexander that many things you've done are far more daring than mine."

Arthur did not deny this, sipping his wine, "That's right, which is why I ended up in a coffin."

Garibaldi laughingly patted him on the shoulder, "We are indeed kindred spirits. Speaking of which, your early experiences must have been similar to mine. When I first arrived in Marseille, I heard that the Piedmont uprising had already failed, and disturbances had occurred in places like Chambéry, Alexandria, and Genoa.

Hearing this news made me restless, and to join Young Italy, I roamed the taverns at the docks every day, trying to encounter their informants. My luck was good, so I soon befriended a man named Kofer, and through his introduction, I met Mazzini.

At that time, Mazzini was calling for resistance. He wrote in the 'Young Italy' magazine he edited: 'Italians! The time has come, if we want to keep our name, we must let our blood flow together with the blood of the Piedmont martyrs.' The moment I read this, I knew I had found the right person.

I told Mazzini: You can trust me, the two of us, Giuseppe, can achieve great things!

But as you know, such calls for resistance in France were unlikely to remain peaceful. Before long, after I said this to him, the Kaidao Sai Mansion explosion occurred, prompting the French Government to require Mazzini to leave France within a set time. Heaven knows if Mazzini was destined to be exiled all his life, for though he wasn't much older than us, this was already his third exile.

Now, France was no longer an option, and going to Austria meant jumping into a trap. Every small state in Germany was filled with Prussian police, and though the Prussians held no particular animosity toward us, the Prussian police were too close to Austria, making Mazzini uneasy. So, after careful consideration, he could only hide in Geneva, Switzerland, this time."

Arthur joined the conversation, saying, "Switzerland? As I see it, that's not a bad choice. If you plan to launch an expedition or uprising, given Switzerland's proximity to Italy, your uprising would be quite feasible."

Garibaldi shook Arthur's hand with excitement, "My God! Arthur, your mind is almost as sharp as Mazzini's; you both came up with the same idea. Mazzini thought of Switzerland's proximity to the Kingdom of Sardinia, allowing us to stand at the city gates by setting out from the border region that very day."

"At the city gates that very day?"

The room was filled with the rustling sound of writing, quickly followed by Arthur's questioning tone. As the temporary military advisor for 'Young Italy,' having participated in the 'Tower of London Special Military Operation,' Sir Arthur Hastings offered his opinion.

"With all due respect, Giuseppe, if you're planning to face the Kingdom of Sardinia head-on, I don't think the odds are in your favor. How many people do you have in your rebel forces? At most, you might have a thousand. If you get delayed too long in a small border town and the Kingdom of Sardinia responds, you're finished. Don't count on the local populace joining you voluntarily; those are uncertain factors, highly unreliable. An uprising can't rely solely on luck."

Garibaldi couldn't help but admire, "Arthur, you truly have a knack. On this point, you are completely in sync with Mr. Ramorino. Do you remember him? He was the Polish officer by my side when we collided that day. Mr. Ramorino believes that after setting out from Switzerland, we should march through Savoy straight to the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Piedmont. Mr. Ramorino believes that this is like the French Revolution; conquering Paris is equivalent to conquering all of France."

"So, whose plan ultimately won out? Mazzini or Ramorino?"

"Neither. The relationship between the two was not very harmonious, and Mazzini didn't quite trust a Pole like Ramorino; he was like I used to be, skeptical of internationalism, so he always felt that Ramorino might have ulterior motives. However, most of 'Young Italy' supported Ramorino, just like I did, because of his rich combat experience, having once led troops to defeat the army of Tsarist Russia.

So, Mazzini eventually conceded to the majority, but the final plan was modified to some extent. An international brigade made up of exiles from Poland, Spain, Germany, and other places, led by Ramorino, would march through Savoy towards Piedmont. Another national brigade composed of French and Italians would take the route through Genoa to outflank and block the reinforcements of the Kingdom of Sardinia."