Garibaldi's greatness is beyond doubt.
The famous French literary giant, Victor Hugo, once said, "I don't want to be offensive, but I must speak the truth. Among all the generals who fought for France, only Garibaldi was invincible."
After the Franco-Prussian War, the Prussian general Werder admitted, "If all of France's armies had been commanded by Garibaldi, the number of military flags captured in the 1870 war would likely have exceeded just one."
Such was a general who inspired involuntary awe and admiration in his enemies, yet for various reasons, he did not enter the upper echelons of the Italian government, but instead lived in seclusion on the small island of Caprera.
The good news is that because of Garibaldi's high prestige among the Italian people and his contributions to the unification of Italy, he was able to live a leisurely life in Italy without worrying about being arrested by the government.
Naturally, Carlo wanted to meet such a universally admired figure.
A hasty visit would only cause annoyance, and considering Carlo's young age, there was no need to rush.
However, this didn't mean Carlo couldn't contact Garibaldi at this time.
In fact, Garibaldi's life in retirement was also quite colorful; he even published a novel, *The Army of a Thousand*, recounting the story of how he conquered the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies with an army of only a thousand men.
Thanks to Garibaldi's reputation, the first printing of this book earned him a manuscript fee as high as 21,000 lire, which was about 840 pounds sterling.
Since Garibaldi had such an interest, Carlo certainly didn't mind inviting him to serialize some stories in the Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper.
If they were stories about Garibaldi's military exploits, most Italian people would likely enjoy them.
Carlo's Il Sole 24 Ore could also achieve rapid expansion thanks to Garibaldi's reputation, and Carlo could use this opportunity to become acquainted with Garibaldi.
However, all of this depended on Garibaldi's willingness. If Garibaldi was unwilling to publish articles in the Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper, Carlo would have absolutely no way to force him.
This was because in Italy, Garibaldi's personal reputation even surpassed that of the royal family, and the Italian people would not tolerate any slander against him.
In 1879, a journalist named Giovanni wrote two stories personally attacking Garibaldi, and not long after, the journalist was assassinated.
If Garibaldi himself had not initiated a fundraising effort for him and donated compensation to Giovanni's widow, it is likely that Giovanni's family would have continued to live under the condemnation of the Italian people.
This point also indirectly confirmed Garibaldi's greatness. To Italy and the Italian people, Garibaldi had no flaws.
To make a good first impression on Garibaldi, Carlo revised the letter he was sending him several times and even had Lorenzo check it for any improprieties.
A few days later, on a small island named Caprera in the northeastern part of Sardinia, Garibaldi's tranquil life was interrupted.
After Garibaldi announced he would not receive any visitors, the small island seemed to become his domain, with few outsiders coming and going.
Furthermore, with many soldiers specifically "protecting" Garibaldi on the island, visits from outsiders were even more strictly prevented.
At this moment, Garibaldi, who should have been enjoying a leisurely fishing life, was frowning, his brow furrowed as he looked at a letter with the royal emblem on the table.
"What is the matter, Father?" Garibaldi's second son, Ricciotti, asked with surprise, looking at his frowning father.
Since retiring to Caprera Island, it was the first time Ricciotti had seen his father frown, especially while looking at a letter.
If he didn't trust his father Garibaldi's character, Ricciotti might even have thought that his father's mistress from outside was pregnant and demanding property.
"Nothing, Ricciotti. Just a letter, a letter from the royal family." Garibaldi answered his son's question almost subconsciously, contemplating the letter on the table.
"A letter from the royal family?" Ricciotti's surprise grew stronger, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "A letter from the royal family to you? Has something else happened?"
"It hasn't come to that yet, Ricciotti." Garibaldi smiled and shook his head, saying with a touch of self-deprecation, "Even if something happened, they would never seek me out, unless Victor's crown was in danger again."
"Then what is this?" Ricciotti's curiosity in his eyes still hadn't dissipated, and his gaze shifted to the envelope on the table.
"It's a letter from His Highness Carlo." Garibaldi still had a faint smile on his face as he said, "Speaking of which, I met that young fellow before. Has his health improved?"
"It's him!" Ricciotti nodded and said somewhat happily, "Among those royal family members, I like His Highness Carlo the most. It's a pity His Highness isn't the Crown Prince of the kingdom."
"You can say some things here, but it's best to keep your mouth shut when you're outside." Garibaldi glanced at his somewhat excited son and reminded him:
"If you don't want to live in seclusion with me on Caprera for the rest of your life, you'd better show some respect to those members of the royal family."
"I know, Father. Is there something in His Highness Carlo's letter?" Ricciotti was still full of curiosity about Carlo's letter and asked continuously.
Garibaldi nodded, saying with a wry smile, "This must be the first time someone in the royal family has praised me to this extent!
Carlo hopes I will publish articles in his newspaper, preferably recounting some stories about the Redshirts."
Ricciotti's excited words brought Garibaldi and Carlo closer, and Garibaldi's address for Carlo also changed from 'His Highness' to Carlo.
At this time, Carlo didn't know that the Garibaldi he was thinking about had actually already met the original owner of this body, and Garibaldi had a very good impression of Carlo.
But it was understandable. Carlo (the original owner) had been sickly since childhood, his father was busy with state affairs, his mother died early, and his personality naturally became timid and friendly towards others.
Having seen much of the arrogance and extravagance among nobles, it was not surprising that Garibaldi had a good impression of Little Carlo.
"Is the Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper His Highness Carlo's?" Ricciotti's excitement became even more apparent, and he said somewhat impatiently, "Father, didn't you say before that you wanted to write down your stories for more Italians to read? Isn't this a great opportunity?"
Looking at his somewhat cheering son, Garibaldi shook his head helplessly and said, "Although I can write these stories, whether more Italians get to see them isn't up to me.
If my stories negatively impact His Highness Carlo's Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper, it would be a bit counterproductive.
However, His Highness Carlo's invitation is also hard to refuse. How about this, I'll write a few less bothersome stories first and see the reaction of those old fellows in Florence before deciding."
Although it is said that the idea of Italian unification was created by Mazzini, no one can deny that Garibaldi's pure and deep love for Italy also influenced a large number of Italians.
Although Garibaldi made significant contributions to the unification of Italy, he had a strong historical association with republicanism. While stories inspired by his genuine achievements may be popular among Italians, they might not be well-received by the Italian government or the royal family.
It was precisely for this reason that Garibaldi did not want to negatively affect others because of himself, especially Carlo, for whom he had a certain fondness.