At this moment, Cavour still did not know that Victor Emmanuel II, after his departure, immediately appointed his Chief Steward, Marshal Lamamor of the Sardinian Kingdom, to temporarily replace Count Cavour, who had left Turin, as the interim Prime Minister.

Cavour left Turin for Savoy, a province of the Sardinian and French border region, to the city of Chambéry (currently Savoy Province, and still under Sardinian control). After more than ten hours of travel, he finally arrived here.

Chambéry, once the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, is now one of the most populous cities in the Sardinian Kingdom. The development of the entire city is not only supported by Turin but is also closely linked to nearby France and Switzerland. The low-end textile industries from France and financial sectors from Switzerland have settled here, helping Chambéry to develop rapidly.

Nowadays, Chambéry has become the city with the most foreign capital, and the city’s spiritual outlook is very different from that of other areas in the Sardinian Kingdom.

In this city, the most heard language is not Piedmontese, but French with a Sardinian accent.

Everyone in the city regards speaking French as a great honor, while the Piedmontese language has become a subject of disdain.

Only when you walk away from the city can you hear the pure Piedmontese.

Although the peasants in the countryside of Savoy speak Piedmontese, the person they discuss in their free time is not the King of Sardinia, but Emperor Napoleon.

Especially after the death of the older generation who personally experienced Napoleon’s devastation, the younger generation’s love for Emperor Napoleon is growing.

So much so that they often fantasize about the emergence of someone like Emperor Napoleon to help them overthrow the oppressive governance over them.

In short, this city... No, it should be said the entire Province of Savoy, is a thorough "Italian-style French province."

It’s just that the entire province is not under French control.

As Cavour stepped off the train, a strong French scent hit him, making him feel uncomfortable.

Although he did not personally resent French culture, the fact that the entire city of Chambéry was so Frenchified indeed made one feel quite helpless.

Especially since this city was the place where the Duchy of Savoy was founded.

The founding place of a proud family of Italian nationalists seems not so Italian.

It really brings some shame to Italy!

Just then, a voice speaking French with a Sardinian accent reached Prime Minister Cavour’s ears, "Welcome to Chambéry, Your Excellency the Prime Minister!"

Regaining his senses, Cavour quickly looked at the person speaking. It was a somewhat burly middle-aged man, who was Chambéry’s Governor Victor Camilo Valne.

"Governor Valne, hello!" Cavour responded with a smile in Piedmontese to the governor before him.

The Governor, upon seeing this, immediately realized that Prime Minister Cavour was a true nationalist. He quickly apologized to Cavour in Piedmontese, "Your Excellency the Prime Minister, I did not switch over just now!"

"It’s nothing!" Cavour shook his head and responded to Governor Valne, "Chambéry has a unique geographical location and is thus deeply influenced by French culture.

I can understand this!"

(Lyon: ??? My Italian is about to become the official language, what exactly is going on here?)

Seeing that Cavour was not blaming him, Valne immediately breathed a sigh of relief and then extended his hand to invite Cavour to join him in the banquet, stating that many merchants, bank managers, and textile industry owners were eagerly waiting to meet Prime Minister Cavour.

"Hmm!" Cavour did not choose to refuse but nodded in agreement to Governor Valne’s invitation.

Thus, led by Governor Valne, Cavour first arrived at the government office of the Province of Savoy, where he had a brief meeting with various government officials, encouraging them to work diligently for the Sardinian Kingdom.

Then, after being seen off by the government officials, Prime Minister Cavour followed them to the next venue—a former palace of the Duchy of Savoy, now purchased by a wealthy French merchant.

Valne told Prime Minister Cavour that this meeting was organized by this French merchant.

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Cavour couldn’t help but knit his brows slightly.

Seeing this, Governor Valne cautiously asked Prime Minister Cavour if he was dissatisfied with this arrangement.

Cavour shook his head and reassured Governor Valne, saying that he was just thinking of some unfinished business at the Turin Royal Palace.

Upon hearing this, the previously tense expression on Governor Valne’s face relaxed once again.

Soon, Cavour and Valne arrived there, and the two soldiers in Imperial Army Uniform guarding the old palace quickly made way for them.

Cavour’s brows furrowed once more, and he questioned Governor Valne again about why there were French soldiers in Chambéry.

Governor Valne firmly responded to Cavour, saying these are not regular French soldiers but are wearing uniforms purchased by the French merchant himself because of his love for the Empire!

Such situations are not very common in Chambéry.

These "troops" in French military uniforms also participate in the formation of the National Guard in the Chambéry region...

After listening quietly to Governor Valne’s response, Prime Minister Cavour’s face grew increasingly grim.

He sternly told Governor Valne that it was necessary to stop foreign allies from joining the National Guard organized by the Savoy Kingdom.

"This will affect the security of the entire city!" Governor Valne retorted to Cavour.

"Better to spend a little more money than to let those people occupy positions in the National Guard!" Count Cavour responded uncompromisingly to Governor Valne.

Seeing this situation, Governor Valne could only say on the surface that he would certainly follow Prime Minister Cavour’s instructions.

Anyway, Cavour’s stay in Chambéry wouldn’t be long.

Once he leaves, Chambery is still under his control.

Of course, Governor Valne did not know that Cavour was already considering replacing Governor Valne.

For Cavour, although replacing a governor was somewhat troublesome, it was possible if he so desired.

With different thoughts in mind, the two quickly arrived at the gate of a palace, and Governor Valne opened the door, inviting Cavour to disembark.

Cavour jumped off the carriage and followed Valne into the palace’s interior.

Upon entering the hall, Cavour was immediately greeted by a middle-aged man in a simple black coat, who extended his hand and said to Cavour, "Prime Minister Cavour, welcome!"

Looking at the man in front of him, Cavour felt as if he had seen him somewhere before.

While shaking hands with the middle-aged man, Cavour inquired, "I think I’ve seen you somewhere?"

The middle-aged man was momentarily taken aback, then smiled and said to Cavour, "Prime Minister Cavour, we might have met in Paris a few years ago!

At that time, I was fortunate to attend the banquet held by His Majesty the Emperor for you!

However, I didn’t have enough funds back then to shake hands with you directly!"

Cavour smiled slightly at the middle-aged man and said with a touch of teasing, "Now you are an important figure in all of Chambéry, even our governor has to give you face!"

The middle-aged man responded modestly, "I have to thank Governor Valne for giving me this opportunity, otherwise, I would just be a nobody!"

"May I ask, what is your occupation?" Cavour asked the middle-aged man again curiously.

"Currently, my primary business is to provide support for high-quality enterprises in the Chambéry region (that is, white papers)!" The middle-aged man responded to Prime Minister Cavour.

"Mr. Wilson’s bank has already provided ample loans to many enterprises in Chambery, and our railway has also benefited from the help of Wilson Bank!" Governor Valne chimed in.

"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, I believe Chambéry’s location is favorable, with great potential for development..." Wilson enthusiastically pitched the idea of expanding the Chambéry urban area to Cavour.

After listening to Wilson’s words, Cavour took some action.

However, he was somewhat concerned if this would change the debt situation of Chambery’s provincial government.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, to my knowledge, the Paris Province government has also borrowed a lot, yet their current debt remains good!

Therefore, we don’t need to worry about this issue!" Wilson confidently responded to Cavour.

Of course, Wilson didn’t mention the substantial amount of housing held by the Sena Province government.

If housing prices in the Paris Region rise excessively, Jerome Bonaparte would naturally order the Sena Province to release housing to meet market demand.

Meanwhile, continue to set up numerous low-rent housing to suppress the increasing rent prices.

Ultimately, housing prices and demand are interrelated.

With greater demand, housing prices naturally increase.

Unfamiliar with Paris housing, Cavour believed Wilson’s narrative, nodding in agreement with Wilson’s ideas, "Mr. Wilson, you can discuss this issue with Valne!

As long as it benefits Chambery!"

Wilson and Valne’s eyes gleamed with delight, as their plan to expand Chambéry could finally be implemented.

Of course, the two had different motives for expanding Chambéry: one genuinely wanted Chambéry to become an international city, attracting more people, while the other aimed to use the real estate plan to indirectly issue banknotes from Sava Bank, thereby transferring the crisis from the French Industrial Bank to the Sardinian Kingdom.

Forgotten to mention, the Sava Bank, the only one in the Savoy Region with the authority to issue banknotes, was already under Wilson’s control, and behind Wilson Bank stood the Paris Industrial Bank.