"Mr. Cavour, the country you speak of belongs to you, the wealthy, to the Savoy Royal Family, not to the oppressed Italian Nation and the Italian people!"

In the face of Mazzini’s sarcasm, Cavour showed no sign of annoyance.

Even when Cavour met with Garibaldi, Garibaldi had told him that Mazzini would be even harder to persuade.

Mazzini’s ridicule was something he had anticipated long ago.

After all, beyond the unification of Italy, Cavour and Mazzini had no other common ground.

Cavour wanted to transform the unification of Italy into a dynastic expansion, thereby eliminating the resistance arising during unification.

But Mazzini wanted to eradicate all oppressive forces on the Italian Peninsula (Kings, priests, and nobles all cleared away), to achieve a true rebirth for Italy.

In truth, for two individuals like Cavour and Mazzini, with fundamentally conflicting ideologies, being able to sit patiently together to talk was already a significant step forward.

"Mr. Mazzini, I understand your ideas! I am also willing to respect your thoughts!" Cavour said calmly to Mazzini, "But the disagreement between us is merely about ideology!"

Saying this, Cavour pointed to Mazzini, then to himself, speaking with particular sincerity, "You and I are both patriots, and we both hope for a nation of Italy and an Italian Nation!

Right now, the entire Italian Peninsula remains fragmented, so why can’t we join hands to first create a nation of Italy, and then consider other matters!"

"Mr. Cavour!" Mazzini raised his voice, angrily scolding Cavour, "I wish to ask what difference there is between an Italy formed by the Sardinian Kingdom and the present!

The people on the Italian Peninsula would merely be transferring from the hands of one foreign exploiter to those of another domestic exploiter!"

Saying this, Mazzini suddenly recalled something, a look of disdain turning up at the corner of his mouth, "Oh yes, I almost forgot!

The Savoy Clan to which you owe allegiance isn’t even pure Italian.

Their bloodline comes from the Holy Roman Empire (Holy Roman Elector), and their origin is from Savoy in France (this was also Mazzini’s way of ridiculing the Savoy Royal Family for being forced to cede Savoy and Nice to France)!

In them, I truly see no trace of the Italian Nation!

And their desire to unify the Italian Peninsula is nothing more than a wish to make their crown even more dazzling!"

Mazzini’s unabashed mockery of the Savoy Royal Family sparked Cavour’s discontent.

Though Cavour himself wasn’t truly a member of the Royalist Party, having long been regarded highly by the Savoy Royal Family, he inevitably developed a sense of respect for them.

"Mr. Mazzini!" Cavour responded coldly to Mazzini, "The alien Royal Family you speak of is tirelessly maintaining freedom of speech and assembly in Sardinia itself!

They respect the Parliament and are seeking a path to unify Italy!

And as for you, the great thinker, what have you done!

You talk incessantly about your love for the Italian Nation, yet since 1848, I’ve not seen any of your actions!

Is your so-called love nothing but a slogan?

If that’s the case, then loving Italy is far too cheap!"

Cavour’s frank sharpness successfully plunged Mazzini into silence.

In truth, ever since the fall of the Roman Republic, Mazzini hadn’t organized any significant actions on the Italian Peninsula, nor even managed to fully plan a single revolt.

The most recent planned uprising was supposed to occur last year, but due to the sudden troop increase by the Austrian Empire in the Lombardy Region, the planned revolt met an untimely demise.

[Here, a note: In the original history of 1858, Mazzini remotely orchestrated uprisings in the Lombardy and Venice regions from Switzerland.

Though this uprising had fewer numbers than in 1848, it still caused the Austrian Empire to lose some soldiers and highlighted the hatred for the Austrian Empire in the Lombardy and Venice regions.

In this reality of 1858, with the French Empire and Austrian Empire brazenly acting against the Sardinian Kingdom, Mazzini, who was residing in Switzerland at the time, deeply realized the difficulty of revolution and abandoned his plans for uprisings in Lombardy and Venice, returning to London to gather strength.]

Seeing Mazzini speechless, Cavour continued to press on, "Mr. Mazzini, I find that you only cherish an abstract Italian Nation, one that exists solely in the realm of words!

As for a real Italian Nation in the world, suffering under the oppression of the Austrians, you choose to ignore it!

In your eyes, we are no different from the Austrians!

But I’d like to ask, would the Austrians respect the voices of the local people as we do? Would they convene a Parliament like ours?"

Before Mazzini could speak, Garibaldi said to himself, "No, they won’t! They absolutely won’t respect the opinions of the Italian Nation, nor will they provide a voice for the people living in the Lombardy and Venice Region!

In their eyes, Lombardy and Venice are nothing more than the wallet of the Austrian Empire!

To maintain Austria’s rule, they must impose various heavy taxes in Lombardy and Venice!

Only in this way can they truly secure the throne!

However, even though the Austrian Empire has persecuted the Italian Nation so much, in your heart, we and the Austrian Empire are still birds of a feather!"

"No matter what you say, you’re still sucking the blood of the Italian Nation!" Mazzini stubbornly replied to Garibaldi, "You’re just parasites entrenched on the Italian shell!"

Garibaldi’s mouth broke into a cold smile, his eyes also showed a disdainful expression, a look that mirrored Mazzini’s previous mocking demeanor.

"Mr. Mazzini! According to your theory, which government in the world today isn’t a blood-sucking parasite on their own nation’s shell!" Garibaldi retorted to Mazzini.

"Of course!" Mazzini replied, "All governments are blood-sucking parasites on their own nation!"

"Unless the organization of government is completely eradicated, this behavior can never be prohibited!" Garibaldi replied coldly to Mazzini.

"Then eradicate government!" Mazzini’s tone carried a hint of resignation.

Years of failure had gradually shifted Mazzini’s thoughts into the camp of anarchism.

"Mr. Mazzini! If there is no government to organize the people, then how should we form an army to resist foreign invasion!" Garibaldi asked Mazzini.

"We can form a citizen army, relying on the collective recognition of Italy by all the people to resist foreign enemies!" Mazzini replied to Garibaldi.

"Mr. Mazzini, we are engaging in a technological war, not a tribal war!" Garibaldi continued to refute Mazzini, "Without government, it means we cannot mobilize the people to produce for the war. Your so-called citizen army will wield spears to battle foreign enemies!

No government means no standing army, all armies must be formed from scratch. How should we select our soldiers, how should we choose our officers, and how should the general commanding this army emerge!

More critically, how can an army starting from scratch wielding spears resist a battle-hardened invader!

Honorable sir, I truly can’t imagine a scenario, without God, in which this army could defeat foreign adversaries!"

"The French Republic relied on a citizen army to resist foreign enemies, why can’t we!!" Mazzini said angrily and embarrassedly to Garibaldi

"The French Republic also has a government!" Garibaldi seized Mazzini’s flaw and pursued relentlessly, "Moreover, the wars of the French Republic against external threats did not improve because of the citizen army. Once the external aggression slightly slowed down, they began to fight internally!

It was Napoleon’s rise that finally put France on the right track, making it an unbeatable nation!

Government is an essential institution for a country!"

"Even if a government is needed, it certainly shouldn’t be a government composed of the privileged!

A government composed of the privileged simply cannot protect the interests of the people!" Mazzini continued to reply to Garibaldi.

"Mr. Mazzini, I have said that we must first consider Italy’s unification!

If Italy cannot unify, then saying more is to no avail!" Garibaldi said to Mazzini, "Moreover, do the people of the Italian Region truly have the capacity to manage a country?

The vast majority living on this land cannot effectively exercise their rights at all!

Has the tragedy of the French Republic not warned you?

This region of Italy can only achieve true stability if the elite class engages in politics!

If those who cannot even write participate in management, it will only lead the country to slaughter and destruction!"

Upon hearing Garibaldi’s words, Mazzini immediately fell silent.

In fact, Mazzini previously admired governance by the elite, and the Roman Republic was a typical example back then.

It was just that a long string of failures had led Mazzini into anarchist thoughts.

Now Mazzini vaguely agrees with some of Garibaldi’s ideas, but given their different political positions, Mazzini cannot agree with Garibaldi’s words.

"Mr. Mazzini, think of the Italians deeply suffering! How much they yearn for an Italy, we truly need to come together and jointly construct a whole new alliance!

Only in this way can Italy possibly become a reality in our hands!"