Chapter 70

New book, seeking recommendations, seeking collections.

In October of 1843, Turin.

This ancient city, with its numerous classical and Baroque buildings, is now the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia. After the Napoleonic Wars, the briefly unified northern, central, and eastern regions of Italy once again split into seven small states, and the Kingdom of Sardinia was one of them. Its territory includes the northwestern part of Italy near France and the island of Sardinia, ruled by the ancient House of Savoy.

It has been nearly 30 years since the end of the Napoleonic Wars. After a long period of peaceful development, Turin has become the largest city and a center for light industry and finance in northwestern Italy. Textile mills, clothing factories, and shoe factories have sprung up like mushrooms on the city's land. The goods produced in Turin, known for their exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful appearance, are popular along the Mediterranean coast.

The entire city is bustling and noisy, with merchants and travelers from various countries crisscrossing the streets. Carriages and horse-drawn vehicles constantly pass through the city, the iron-rimmed wooden wheels sparking on the cobblestone streets. Of course, a few carriages have already been fitted with new rubber wheels, making their movements light and smooth.

Sardinian soldiers, dressed in orange-red uniforms and carrying smoothbore muskets, patrol the streets of Turin in a loose formation. They occasionally stop passing carriages for searches. Juzi Shi and Clementina's carriage was also stopped once, but after the driver paid a few francs in bribes, they were allowed to proceed.

"They are not just doing this for a few francs in bribes," Maria Clementina whispered, seeing the disdain on Juzi Shi's face. "These Sardinian soldiers are just following orders to search for Carbonari, but most of them are actually sympathizers of the Carbonari."

"Carbonari?" Juzi Shi had heard of this name before. It was a pan-Italian extreme nationalist political party. Well, that's what they are called now; in the future, when the Kingdom of Italy is established, they will be national heroes! However, from Maria Clementina's expression, it seemed she was also a sympathizer of the Carbonari.

"Do you also support the Carbonari's views?"

"Um, of course," Maria smiled. "They are just Italians who love their country. No matter how extreme their actions, such a spirit is still worthy of our respect."

Juzi Shi nodded, thinking that Maria might have Italian blood. In fact, he didn't know that the Bonapartists were allies of the Italian Carbonari—both were rebels! And Napoleon had Italian blood and had once worked towards Italian unification. The leader of the Bonapartists, Charles Bonaparte, had even participated in the Carbonari uprisings in his early years. Historically, the unification of Italy was inseparable from the support of Napoleon III.

"Jason, have you read Mazzini's works?" Maria Clementina suddenly asked. On the way to Italy, Juzi Shi had been reading various manuscripts and books in the carriage, mostly related to politics and military affairs. Maria, bored, also read these manuscripts to pass the time, occasionally offering comments that Juzi Shi found quite reasonable, clearly indicating that the nickname "bedroom politician" was not entirely a joke.

"Are you talking about Giuseppe Mazzini, the leader of the Young Italy Party?"

"Um," Maria nodded.

Juzi Shi had not read Mazzini's works, but he had heard many stories about him. This man's style of action was very similar to that of Sun Yat-sen, the pioneer of the Chinese revolution. First, both were doctors by profession—well, Juzi Shi himself seemed to be one too, so it seemed that doctors should be prohibited from changing careers, as it could be detrimental to social stability. Second, Mazzini's ideology was somewhat similar to Sun Yat-sen's, combining nationalism with a bit of socialism, though at present, extreme Italian nationalism was the dominant component. Third, Mazzini also advocated for the establishment of a republic and sought to achieve his ideals through armed uprisings. Fourth, the uprisings he organized were short-lived, only causing the rulers of the Italian states to be on edge for a while, seemingly without any real effect.

"You should still read his works and study his revolutionary actions; it will be very helpful for your future career," Maria Clementina, who seemed very enthusiastic about Juzi Shi's future "career," said with a smile. "Jason, don't underestimate nationalism. All the major European powers, including France, Britain, Russia, and Prussia, are so-called 'nation-states.' These countries are based on national identity, placing national interests first, with the monarch subordinate to the nation. This is how they unite the country's elites to work together for the nation's prosperity. Mazzini's works systematize this theory and apply it to the struggle for Italy's unification and revival. His cause begins with ideas and propaganda. As more and more Italians accept Mazzini's ideas, the unification and revival of Italy will become an unstoppable trend."

Juzi Shi nodded noncommittally. He didn't know much about history, so he wasn't aware of the conclusion that "the unification of Italy was due to Mazzini's ideas, Garibaldi's sword, and Cavour's diplomacy." In fact, Mazzini's ideas were the most important of the three, as without them, Garibaldi's "Thousand Expedition" would have had no chance of success.

"But... Maria, you don't understand the current situation in the Qing Empire," Juzi Shi hesitated but continued discussing political issues with the "bedroom politician" beside him. In fact, in terms of political experience, he really couldn't match Maria Clementina.

"The Qing Empire is a country ruled by a minority over the majority. The Qing emperor is a Tartar, and the people they rule are Han Chinese... If I promote the theory of the nation-state too much in the school I set up in Hong Kong, it might cause unnecessary trouble."

Maria Clementina smiled. "Jason, do you know that in Europe, except for France and the 17 German states, almost all countries are ruled by foreign monarchs? The current rulers of Britain are from the House of Hanover in Germany, the rulers of Spain are from the Bourbon dynasty in France, the rulers of Russia are from a German dynasty, the rulers of the Two Sicilies are from the Bourbon dynasty, and the rulers of Sweden are from France." She paused for a moment, looking at Juzi Shi seriously. "And the Bonapartists, whom we support, actually originated from Corsica. Napoleon was not a true Frenchman!"

"Maria, what are you trying to say?"

"In Europe, there are rulers who place the interests of their dynasty above those of the nation and the people, but the countries they rule are all weak!" Maria said. "The essence of a nation-state is that the nation and the people are above the rulers, not the other way around. In Europe, Britain, Russia, and Sweden are all recognized as nation-states, even though their rulers are foreigners. The Papal States are not a nation-state, and the Pope is an Italian."

"Does the Pope not represent the interests of the Italian people?" Juzi Shi asked uncertainly.

"No, he represents the interests of the Roman Church, which is a global institution, not just an Italian one. The Church is above the Italian people."

So, the essence of a nation-state is that national interests are above the interests of the rulers, and the rulers are subordinate to the nation-state, not the other way around. But could the Emperor and the princes of the Qing Empire accept such a concept?

After some thought, Juzi Shi slowly shook his head.

---

End of page AD

---

End of page AD