Eagle's Glory

After the knight conferring ceremony was over, Aigron's plan was launched in an orderly manner.

Those who were brought over by Edmond Dantès began to serve as officers on the island to assist in the training of these recruited and defected soldiers, and Edmond Dantès himself was sent to the island two days later. He will serve as Egron's secret envoy on a Greek ship, go there to serve as an outpost for His Majesty, and find out the local situation.

After sending off the Count of Monte Cristo, Aigron returned to his usual rhythm of life, and paid close attention to the training of the army at all times, watching his direct armed force slowly take shape.

However, the smug he did not expect that on this day, an unexpected visitor ushered in the island.

On this day, he was still processing paperwork in his room as usual, and Chanel came to inform his cousin Louis to come to see him.

He put down his work to recruit Louis, and then found the residual excitement on his expression.

"Has anything good happened, Louie?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Louis nodded happily, "I invited my father over."

"What?" Aigron suddenly suspected that he had heard wrong. "Your father? The King of the Netherlands?"

"Yes!" Louis nodded again, "I have someone invite him over, and now he can let him come to see you at any time. Although he doesn't know what we want to do, I think I can persuade him to sponsor our cause .”

Louis' excitement didn't infect the young man, in fact he was a little hesitant.

Historically, the relationship between Napoleon's third brother and Napoleon was not good, and it could even be said to be close to breaking up.

He was named King of the Netherlands by Napoleon at that time, but because he refused to cooperate with the emperor's mainland blockade policy, he repeatedly allowed the locals to smuggle British goods, which angered Napoleon and finally deposed him from the throne.

And he was also hit hard because of this, and he didn't want to see his brother now, preferring to wander outside.

After the destruction of the empire, he was not liquidated by the coalition forces. Although he lost the Dutch throne, his property was preserved.

It is precisely because he knew this allusion that after escaping from Austria, Aigron never contacted this uncle. He was not sure that the other party would support him, and he would rather choose to remain silent.

But he didn't expect that his cousin invited him directly.

Will this uncle really support my cause?There was a question mark in his heart.

However, no matter what, the other party is also a real uncle in name, since he has come here, he has to see him for reasons.

"Since it's an uncle, don't talk about seeing him, take me there to meet him." He smiled formulaically.

So, he followed Louis out of the room and came to Louis' own room.

As soon as he opened the door, Aigron saw a middle-aged man standing in a daze in the middle of the room. After hearing the sound of the door opening, the middle-aged man also turned around and looked at the young man in front of him in surprise.

This is an ordinary-looking person, perhaps because of the exhaustion of the journey, his expression also reveals a sense of fatigue, so the bags under his eyes are drooping, and the whole person looks lifeless.

He is 49 years old this year, but looks older than his actual age, and his gray hair and wrinkled forehead make him look sad and sad.

Even people who are not proficient in physiognomy can tell that this is a middle-aged man who has collapsed mentally and is getting by every day.

Since the destruction of the empire, he has been wandering outside, and later settled in Italy, living a life of seclusion without contending with the world, enjoying himself.

But even so, Aigron still showed him the necessary courtesy.

"I finally see you, my uncle." He bowed slightly, "Every time I see my relatives, I am very excited."

"I'm also very pleased to see you, child." The former Dutch king sighed, and then gently put his arms around the young man's shoulders, "I'm very happy to see you grow up so healthy and strong."

He didn't call me Your Majesty—Aigron's heart sank.

It's not that he is greedy for vanity, it's just that judging from the address of the other party when they met, the other party did not recognize his self-proclaimed status.

After escaping from Austria, the first relative he met was Queen Otance. Although the queen didn't have much expectations, she still recognized his status and gave him the necessary respect and help. With the husband, things seemed to be different.

"For the prosperity of the family, I must maintain my health and vitality, so that I can take on my due responsibilities." Aigron decided to give the other party another chance, so he emphasized again, "Now the burden of the family and the empire It's all on my shoulders, and I'm glad that relatives are willing to come and share some of it for me."

"I'm sorry, Aigron, but as far as I know, the empire has been wiped out more than ten years ago, and there is no burden you have to bear now." The middle-aged man smiled wryly and shook his head, thus He looked even more depressed, "Don't let those illusory chains hold you back, child..."

"Then why did you come here? I thought you came to pay your allegiance to me." Aigron was not very happy, so he was not very polite.

"I haven't seen my sons for too long, and as far as I know they are involved in a very dangerous business... In this case, I hope to visit them." The King of the Netherlands continued to answer with a wry smile. "They're all that's left of me in this world."

Then, he looked at his son Louis again, "Louis, don't take any more risks... I don't think all this is worth the risk, come back with me."

"No, Dad." Louis shook his head immediately, "Your Majesty needs my help, and our family's great cause of revival also needs my efforts. I can't stop now-but you, you should be loyal to His Majesty, this is Your obligations as a member of the family."

"Your Majesty?! Where is your Majesty?" The King of the Netherlands frowned, then sighed, "Stop playing such childish tricks, the Empire no longer exists, let it disappear, we did not It is necessary to regret everything that has been lost—didn’t our family sacrifice enough for my brother back then?”

As soon as he heard this, Aigron became angry, and he spoke suddenly, interrupting the other party's words.

"Sacrifice? What do you call sacrifice? Is being on the Dutch throne called sacrifice? Or the king of Naples, the king of Spain, and the king of Westphalia? You won the throne by relying on your brother, although you lost it because of him, But after all you got the title of prince and a lot of money, I want to ask - without him, if you continue to nest in that bloody Corsica, have you ever had a chance to touch any of them in your life ?You get so much from him, and you end up feeling dissatisfied because you lost a little of it, but why don't you think about it, you have nothing, and you fled Corsica in panic, not much better than beggars, and he rewarded everything It’s for you, no matter how much you get back, it’s a matter of course!”

Egron's angry reprimand made the King of the Netherlands' complexion even uglier.

"I have no intention of arguing with you about what happened back then...and I don't want to join your current career." After a while, he spoke with difficulty, "I just came to visit my son, Aigron, you can do what you want want to do, but I have the right to stay out of it."

Now that this has been said, Aigron couldn't help but make it clear.

"Then what if I ask you to sponsor me as the head of the family?"

"I refuse to recognize the identity of your Patriarch. Firstly, my mother is still alive, and secondly, my eldest brother is still alive. Regardless of seniority or age, I am not obliged to obey your orders, am I?" the former Dutch king retorted calmly.

It seems that the discussion is deadlocked.

The other party is unwilling to admit his identity no matter what, and it is even more impossible to sponsor.

Unsurprisingly, Aggron thought.

He frowned, then made a gesture, calling for Louis to come out together.

"Your Majesty... I didn't expect that the conversation would fall apart as soon as you met." Louis' face turned pale, "I'll try to persuade him again."

"There's no need to persuade, since he doesn't want to sponsor, that's fine." Aigron shook his head.

A moment of silence.

"Louis, this is something you provoked, and you need to finish it." Aigron suddenly raised his head and looked at his cousin.

"I'm sorry...Your Majesty..." Louis had helplessness and shame on his face, "I thought my father would be inspired by the family honor after seeing you, but I didn't expect that his heart was already ashes, even if you The light can't be ignited anymore... Then I'll let him go and send him back, let's pretend nothing happened."

"How can we just send him back like this?" Aigron asked coldly, "Aren't we going to let everyone know that even my own uncle is unwilling to work for me?"

Although his tone was still understated, Louis felt that the atmosphere suddenly became cold.

"You...you..." He looked at the young man, then asked in a trembling voice, "Aren't you going to let him go?"

"It's not that I forbid him to leave, but the current situation does not allow him to just leave." Aigron frowned slightly. "It's fine if he doesn't come. Now everyone thinks that I summoned my uncle... Then they found out that we broke up. My uncle didn't like me and didn't want to support me. After leaving like this, what do others think?!"

This was a blow to the head, and Louis, who was originally dissatisfied, was instantly stunned.

"If outsiders know that at my most critical moment, even my own uncle doesn't think highly of me...doesn't plan to help me, and doesn't even want to call me Your Majesty, how will they treat me and evaluate me?" Aigron Keep asking out loud. "Louis, I'm not a self-centered person. I never think that all people are born to obey me and help me. If it were at another point in time, I would respect your father's opinion and allow him to leave us and say goodbye to us." As long as he doesn't use the banner of the Bonaparte family in the future, I will even feel that I can't see it for nothing-but it's different now. At this point in time, I won't allow me to show such a terrible flaw. We must not let our followers lose even a little bit of confidence!"

Then, Aigron raised his hand and pointed out the window, "You can see it, you can hear it! Outside, there are a group of members of the Knights who have sworn allegiance to me, and they are using their knowledge and experience to train our soldiers, training Our family's army! They are full of hope, waiting to fight for our family's cause, and the result!? Shall we let them know that not even Napoleon's own brother cares about the family's cause, or even their honor? How many people would ask themselves if it was all worth it then?"

Aegron's violent scolding made Louis dumbfounded, and he couldn't speak for a while.

But he quickly realized that what the young man said was correct.

It’s okay if it’s a normal moment, but at this moment when the arrow is on the line, the Bonaparte family must not show open rifts; what’s more, if Napoleon’s own brothers are willing to sacrifice for the family, there is no reason to ask others to do it for them. What about family sacrifices?

After thinking about it for a while, he agreed with the young man's words.

But the affection between father and son from the heart made him unable to say anything derogatory to his father.

Since the destruction of the empire, King Louis of the Netherlands and Princess Otangs have been living apart, each with a son. As the eldest son, he has been growing up with his father.

Compared with the younger brother who has always been with his mother, he has more affection for his father.

He knew that his father had no ambitions, and because of the abolition of the Dutch throne, he had always harbored resentment towards Uncle Napoleon, but he still believed that, as a member of the Bonaparte family, his father should also work hard to restore the family's glory.

Because of this, more than anyone else, he hoped that his father would recognize His Majesty and his own ideals and careers.

In the end, he didn't expect that things would eventually slip into the direction he least wanted to see.

"Then what do you think should be done?" He finally asked in a low voice.

"It's very simple. Keep him on the island and give him the most basic courtesy, but try not to let him come into contact with other people, lest he spread defeatism." Aigron replied angrily, "Louis, don't blame me, I I don’t hate him at all, it’s just that the current situation makes me have to make this judgment—when our situation improves, I can send him away as a gift, and I will never embarrass him again.”

Aigron's words were reasonable, and despite all the reluctance in Louis' heart, he still accepted his opinion.

I'm sorry for my father, but that's all I can do for the time being.

"My father is getting old, I'm afraid he can't bear too much shock, Your Majesty... we'd better pay attention to the method." He made his final opinion.

"Of course I will pay attention to this." Aigron nodded, "So, Louis, I will leave this to you and your brother, and we will beg him as a nephew to stay here and teach us for a while... ..."

"Every time I feel that you are beyond your age, Your Majesty." Louis looked at the young man with a little fear and admiration, "Your Majesty, I will take care of it."

"Louis, please remember that whatever you do for me is not just for me, but for yourself, and our interests are bound together. I love the members of our family more than anyone else in the world Anyone is more worthy of my closeness and trust than you." Aigron patted his cousin on the shoulder, then looked at his cousin with his most sincere expression, "My brother, I will always remember that I promised I have passed your mother, as long as you are loyal to me, then I will definitely repay you with everything I have, and please remember that this is a common cause of our family, and you are a part of it."

"Yes, Your Majesty! That's my idea too." Louis held his head high and saluted his cousin with the most sincerity. "Okay, I'll go back and keep him."

That's right, you are still needed now - at this moment, a thought flashed through the minds of the two cousins ​​almost at the same time.　　

61, loved ones

After negotiating with his cousin Louis, Aigron followed Louis back to the room just now.

Although he had entrusted this task to Louis, they were father and son after all, and he still didn't want to pin his hopes on his cousin's awareness, preferring to watch by himself.

After returning to the room, this time he didn't bother to put on a respectful and polite look to his uncle, but stood in front of him indifferently.

"Father..." Lu Yi's face was a bit ugly, but he hesitated and said, "I hope you can stay here for a while and accompany us brothers."

"Accompany you?" The Dutch king suddenly opened his eyes wide, as if he understood something. He raised his head, passed his son, and looked at the young man behind him. "You won't let me go?"

"I'm sorry, my uncle." Aigron nodded lightly, "In the name of family interests, I think you need to stay here for a while."

"Are you going to imprison me?" The King of the Netherlands turned pale, "I am your uncle, how could you do such a thing?"

Why can't I?There are too many monarchs in history who killed their fathers and sons, let alone an uncle... Aigron complained in his heart.

Of course, on the surface, he still maintained a basic politeness.

"You said it too seriously. Of course I didn't intend to imprison you. You are my uncle, and I will always remember this. But...in the interests of the family, I need you to do this."

"The interests of the family..." The King of Holland curled his lips and laughed, "In the name of family interests, your father asked me to marry his stepdaughter, which made my marriage unhappy for the rest of my life; in the name of family interests, he Deposed me, and driven me out of my wits; he despised me, scolded me, made me a thrashing servant, and now will you injure me with the same words?"

"I admit that those things did cause you emotional trauma, but are you going to complain like this for the rest of your life? It's been so many years, and your brother has turned into loess, how long will you hold grudges?" Aigron became a little impatient, "To be honest, I really don't think he owes you anything - when he bestowed the throne, why didn't you say it was forced and violated your feelings? Instead of doing this, you He happily put on the crown that did not belong to him.

When the crown is taken away, you will complain!What are you complaining about?Complaining about being robbed of something you never had?It's useless, you have to have the awareness of being a slave if you accept what is given to you, if you are not convinced, go and grab a kingdom by yourself, then no one will shout at you again! "

Aigron was really angry, so he was not polite when he spoke to his uncle, and a sneer with a gun and a stick was sprinkled on the opponent's head and face.

The Dutch king was extremely angry, but for a while he didn't know how to refute him.

Aigron frowned and calmed himself down again.

"In short, whether you admit it or not, I am now the patriarch of the Bonaparte family, and my orders are valid within this family. Don't bring out my grandma to scare me. I have already met her in Rome. She Bless my career, and entrust this family to me! If you obey my order, then I will let this family have a place for you, but if you don’t know good and bad, then I’m not polite, I can You will be punished justifiably."

After finishing speaking, Aigron secretly winked at Louis.

"Your Majesty... I beg you to calm down." Louis understood, so he pretended to beg him, "Although my father is disrespectful to you, I haven't seen you for so many years. It's normal for him to be a little strange. I think as long as he is on the island After getting along for a long time, he will definitely respect you from the bottom of his heart just like us. Please give us some more time."

"As long as he doesn't insist on opposing me like this, of course I won't embarrass him." Aigron softened his tone.

Then, he looked at the King of Holland again, "Since you have come to the island, I will treat you as a distinguished guest, and I will try my best to entertain you. The exchange is that you stay here for a while. I don't have any requirements, as long as Just don't make trouble. If you don't accept it, then I have another solution."

"In what way?" asked the King of Holland.

"Sponsor one-tenth of the family wealth to me as a donation to the family business. As long as you do this, you can leave whenever you like, and I will never stop you." Aigron replied, "This is my contribution to the family business." Member’s request, only if I fulfill the request, I will treat him as a loyal member—just like your wife.”

"Otangs!?" Louis exclaimed.

He had just heard about it, so he looked at the boy in astonishment. "Did you force her like this?"

"How is it possible? I will never use violence against my relatives." Aigron sneered, "Your wife is much more enlightened than you. She decided to donate the money to help our cause, so I am very grateful to her. She is worthy of being a loyal member of our family—and you, make a choice too! Do you stay here, or donate the family wealth?"

Without any hesitation, the King of the Netherlands immediately shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I'm so poor that I really don't have any money left to support your ambition."

Hmph, would you rather be under house arrest than give money?Aegron sneered.

But this is also expected.

He never expected these uncles and uncles to donate their family wealth with peace of mind just because of his few words. They didn't even listen to Napoleon's words back then, and now they don't pay much attention to this nephew.

But it doesn't matter, this is a hard threshold he deliberately set. If he is not willing to donate money, it means that loyalty is not enough. Then if they achieve great things in the future, they will not be qualified to ask for rewards from him as the elders of the Bonaparte family .

"Okay, I respect your choice. Since you want to keep your money, then I won't take any money, so you can keep it. I have no interest in blackmailing my uncle." Aigron raised his head proudly and looked at the other party, "Then For the next period of time, you stay here well, and when the time comes, I will naturally let you go, and then we will have nothing to do with each other from now on, and you will not act in the name of the family in the future, just live your secluded life."

"I am so happy," said the King of Holland stubbornly. "So how long do you think this period is?"

"Within a month or two, I promise." Eggron replied. "I don't expect you to follow my orders from the bottom of your heart, but please think about what the surname Bonaparte has brought to you. Is it simply a shackle? If you can feel something else, Then you just cooperate, you just do a little thing for this family!"

Under his intense gaze, the King of Holland's eyes began to recede.

Although he quarreled with his nephew as soon as they met, and although he still harbored resentment towards his elder brother, family affection still had a place in the corner of his heart after all.

Finally, he nodded with mixed feelings.