Eagle's Glory

Edmond Dantès thought for a while, although the bandit had a bad reputation and must have done a lot of bad things, at least for now, he has no right to be picky.

"Are they reliable?" he asked again, "What if they just want to find out my whereabouts, and then take the opportunity to rob me once?"

"That guy is different from other bandits, he's a little bit more moral..." Syndicate de Mayne replied.

But he also knew that this kind of reason was really not convincing, so he laughed again, "Sir, I understand your concerns, and I dare not vouch for him, but... how many people in this world do you think are Trustworthy?"

Edmond Dantès thought about it, and felt that there was nothing wrong with what the other party said.

In the final analysis, he can't pin his hopes on anyone's morality, not to mention bandits are not trustworthy, and Greeks and Egyptians are also not trustworthy. If so, what difference does it make?

However, that doesn't mean he should take it lightly.

Although I have never seen this group of people, but based on Edmond Dantès' experience in dealing with things, most of the bandits are predatory and advocate violence. If you can't suppress them, then even if they have nothing before If you have bad intentions, you may end up choosing to kill and rob.

Therefore, they can be recruited, but they must be deterred.

He felt painfully that he needed to find a way to get some direct armed forces.

Hurry up to contact Monte Cristo Island, report his current progress to His Majesty, and then ask His Majesty to send some people to assist me - he quickly made a decision in his heart.

In an instant, many thoughts turned in his mind, but he didn't show any expression on the surface.

"Okay then, you can help me contact the bandit leader and let him come to negotiate with me. I am willing to pay him and his men to participate in my business—if he is not willing to come alone , then I will treat him as insincere, and there is no need to talk about other things."

"Your conditions are a bit harsh." Syndicate-de-Main said awkwardly, "In this day and age, everyone is a bit timid."

"It is he who asks me and not the other way around, so I have the right to raise conditions. We must establish initial trust, don't we?" Edmond Dantès asked forcefully, "During our cooperation during this period, you You should also see that I am a man of my word, and a generous man, willing to spend money for a friend—so, as long as that friend of yours proves worthy of my trust, I can compensate him for his concessions."

"Okay then, I'll pass on your conditions to him..." Syndicate de Mayne thought for a while, then nodded.

"I have one more thing to entrust to you." Edmond Dantès spoke again.

"Please speak."

"I negotiated with the Egyptian military officer you introduced today. He is willing to make a deal with me, and I have already paid the deposit. The first transaction will be made tomorrow. I need you to help me transfer these goods to Store in a safe place."

"Okay! In the name of our family's great name, I assure you that I will be able to complete the task." This time Syndicate de Meyne regained his energy, and he responded loudly.

Edmond Dantès has never studied the genealogy of European aristocracy, nor does he understand heraldry, but he is not a fool, on the contrary, he has extensive knowledge, so of course he will not believe the aristocratic status claimed by the other party.

But what is there to worry about?

After all, even the "Count of Monte Cristo" himself is nondescript, so why should he care about the authenticity of other people's aristocratic pedigree?

In short, this M. de Mayne is very useful now, and that is enough.

Then, Edmond Dantès seemed to think of something again.

"The bandits you mentioned have always been bandits, or did they come here from other places?"

His question stunned Syndicate de Meyne for a moment.

Then he laughed again, "You are really perceptive... Well, let me tell you straight, he was originally Ioannina Pasha's subordinate, and later the Pasha was beheaded by someone sent by the Sultan ? They have no leader, so they have to wander around, and they have no other way of making a living, so they have to make a living as bandits..."

It turned out to be the case.

Edmond Dantès probably understood why Syndicate de Meine would be friends with this kind of person.

Just as the Greeks were torn apart, the once glorious Ottoman Turkish Empire is now infected with a disease unique to the end of the empire-political corruption and chaos, various forces are torn apart, internal strife continues, and warlords are divided.

The pashas (governors) stationed by the empire in various places have become local emperors one after another. They often listen to the instructions and do not listen to the announcement. Some even directly monopolize the local military and political power. They only obey the sultan in name, just like the towns in the late Tang .

For example, Ali Pasha of Egypt, who sent troops with Turkey this time, has in fact become the ruler of Egypt and is allowed to inherit his position. The Sudan only has nominal suzerainty.

This time the Sultan also paid a high price to allow him to send troops: the two parties signed an agreement, and the Sultan promised to hand over Syria, Crete and other places to the management of Ali Pasha after successfully suppressing Greece.

This is true of Ali Pasha in Egypt, and so is the case with other lords.

For example, Ali Pasha of Ioannina had publicly rebelled not long ago.

This pasha once relied on his own brutal means to rule Albania and a large area, and began to openly oppose the imperial center in Istanbul.

In 1820, Ali Pasha assassinated Pajobey, his political opponent in Istanbul, and Sultan Mahmud II Sultan took the opportunity to dismiss Ali Pasha from his post and asked him to return to the capital to report on his duties.

Of course Ali Pasha knew that if he reached the capital he would die, so he refused to resign and joined forces with other pashas in the surrounding area to openly fight against the Sultan.

By 1822, after two years of fierce fighting, despite initially gaining the upper hand, Ali Pasha was eventually defeated by the Sultan's army. In January 1822, the Ottoman army came to Ali Pasha's sanctuary and deceived him. Said the sultan would grant him a complete pardon.

Ali Pasha was fooled and prepared to lift the resistance, but when he was asked to surrender and be beheaded, Pasha chose to resist bravely to the end. In the final battle, the bullet pierced his body and his head was chopped off immediately down to the sultan.

His remaining remains were buried in a local mosque.

After Ali Pasha's death, his original army was also scattered. Some turned into bandits and wandered around, some disappeared, and some simply joined the rebellious cause of the Greeks and continued to fight against the Turkish Sultan.

Therefore, the current Balkan Peninsula is in chaos. The Turkish Empire and Greece, the warlord Pasha, and other various forces are intertwined with conflicts. They cooperate with each other and fight each other. The situation is chaotic, and the common people are the most direct victims. Of course, it also bears the deepest disaster.

[Ali Pasha of Ioannina is the historical prototype of Ali, the governor of Yannina who was betrayed by Fernand in "The Count of Monte Cristo".

In the original work, Alexandre Dumas fictionalized that Hai Dai was the daughter of this pasha, but in history, this pasha was already 80 years old when he was defeated and killed, while Hai Dai was only 4 years old... So, in order to be more To be more realistic, this work sets Haiide as the granddaughter of this pasha, otherwise it would be too scary...]

After learning about the previous experience of the other party, Edmond Dantès suddenly became more interested in this group of bandits. More useful.

Moreover, their embarrassing situation also left them with little choice-they were enemies of Turkey, but the Greeks did not welcome them, and they could only work hard for their own survival in a panic.

Maybe they could be our first defectors, he thought to himself.　　

66. Effectiveness and consensus

After negotiating with Syndicate de Meyne, Edmond Dantès sent the other party away.

It wasn't until he watched the other party's figure disappear into the shadows of the woods that he finally relaxed his tense nerves.

Now that I am finally alone, I can finally have a good rest, without having to be wary of bullets flying from nowhere.

Performing such a dangerous and complicated task in a foreign country has exhausted his brainpower excessively. Although he has already tempered himself to be strong-minded, in his heart, he still feels a little tired from time to time.

Although he knew that the identity of Syndicate-de-Main must be fictional, but he was willing to believe that the identity of the other party was the same as "French", so that he didn't have to be so careful when the two got along.

I hope my judgment is accurate.

Edmond Dantès let go of his selfish thoughts, walked back to the side of the hut, picked up the letter paper, leaned over a wooden board and started writing quickly.

With the help of dim lights, he wrote down his current situation, the progress he has made, and the help he needs now, and he also wrote down his views on the current situation in Greece.

Tomorrow, he will go to the port of Lavrion again, and then secretly send this letter of his infinite hope to the owner who is still on the island of Monte Cristo. It is expected that he will receive the letter in a few days.

Since he came to Greece, he would write to His Majesty regularly every few days. On the one hand, he would report his progress and raise his needs; on the other hand, he would report his safety and let him know that he was still alive.

Judging from the current activities, although Edmond Dantès cannot be said to be too optimistic, he feels that it is relatively smooth, so he also has the confidence to claim credit for his master.

He also believes that what he has done so far is enough to satisfy him.

After writing the letter, Edmond Dantès tidied up hastily with a satisfied sense of security, and then lay down on a bed made of broken wooden boards, ending this fruitful day.

In the next few days, with the help of Syndicate de Meine, Edmond Dantès successfully completed the transaction with the Egyptian officer Yousuf Naqif, and got a lot of money from him. arms.

Seeing that the other party took out a batch of weapons for sale so easily, he couldn't help being curious about Yusuf Naqif's specific position, but he also knew in his heart that the less you ask about some things, the better, so he didn't ask any more questions. Do a test.

Together with his own people, he found a hidden cave nearby and carefully hid these weapons.

But if nothing else happened, not long after, when his loyal master came to this land with volunteers, these secret caves would become one of their supply warehouses.

After successfully completing this transaction, Edmond Dantès' energy was finally liberated and he could focus on other aspects.

At this time, Syndicate-de-Mayne also brought him good news—his bandit leader friend, after several days of hesitation, finally decided to come out of his hiding place and ask to see this Rich Mr. Wilmore, see if he can find a new way of making a living for himself and his bandits.

Edmond Dantès was overjoyed in his heart, but he still maintained an indifferent attitude on the surface, and then discussed the meeting place with Syndicate de Meyne.

Early the next morning, under the leadership of Syndicate de Meyn, he came to a hill near the port of Lavrion.

It can be seen that this is a cemetery, with some crooked crosses erected on it, but because no one has taken care of it for a long time, it has already been covered with weeds, leaving only small bumps of slightly undulating soil.

Edmond Dantès didn't care about the environment here, he looked around among the weeds, waiting for the promised person to arrive.

He didn't wait long, and soon, a tall figure appeared in his field of vision.

This man was dressed in ordinary burlap clothes and a tattered wide-brimmed felt hat on his head. He didn't look like a murderer and robber, but more like a submissive farmer.

However, from his strong and powerful arms, and the occasional flickering sharp eyes, one can still see the traits of a desperado in this man - at his waist, Edmond Dantès found A hidden hilt.

Because of the felt hat on his head, Edmond Dantès couldn't see the opponent's face clearly, he could only see the beard on the lower half of the opponent's face, but the figure that was approaching from the opponent, as well as the syndicate-de- From Mayne's expression, he still judged that the other party was the person he was looking for this time.

He opened his hands and made a welcoming gesture, showing that he was not hostile; and the other party also opened his hands when he came over, indicating that he was only here for negotiation.

Soon, the two came to a position facing each other.

The sea breeze reverberates between this desolate cemetery, scratching the weeds up and down, adding to the desolate atmosphere.

"Isaac Valleolio." Under Edmond Dantès' gaze, the other party took off his hat, bowed to him, and then saluted him in Greek.

And at this time, Edmond Dantès could finally see the other person's face clearly - this is a young man with short hair, about 30 years old, with a broad forehead full of strength, but now he is a little thin , and his thick beard was stained with some dust, which made him look even more dusty.

It seems things have been pretty bad lately.

[Extras*3, the original book friend made up the name Edward Paleolo, but this name is too un-Greek, so I changed to the Greek name Isaac, forgive me~]

"It's a great pleasure to meet you." Edmond Dantès saluted the other party in the Greek he had just learned.

Then, he had some doubts again.

"you are not***?"

"Not everyone who has served Pasha is a ****. For example, I am an Orthodox Christian, and some European military officers have also served him." Isaac Paleolo shook his head, " Sometimes fate is so strange."

Edmond Dantès' Greek is not pure, and some of them need to be translated for De Meyne next to him.

However, from the other party's dejected expression, he unexpectedly found a sense of sympathy.

As a Greek, he worked for Ali Pasha who was entrenched in Albania, and then became a bandit after Pasha was killed... His life must be a tortuous story.

Because of this, he didn't want to get to the bottom of it.

"In this case, after Pasha was killed, why didn't you go back to your hometown?" Edmond Dantès asked, "I think you can find a place to stay?"

"I offended some people in my hometown, and they couldn't tolerate me, and I don't want to be a farmer for the rest of my life." Isaac Paleolo shook his head again, "Besides, if I go back to my hometown, my The men have nowhere to go, most of them have nowhere to go."

After hearing what the other party said, Edmund Tanteston changed his opinion of him even more.

"I didn't expect you to be so particular about friendship."

Edmond Dantès knew well that the other party must be desperate now, so he ran over to try his luck at the risk of putting all his eggs in one basket—but on the surface, he always maintained a polite and polite attitude so as not to anger this person. Bandit leader.

"If you've lived and died with a group of people for so many years, you'd think the same thing." Isaac Balleo replied nonchalantly, "Okay, you've asked me enough questions, now it's my turn I’m asking you—Mr. Wilmore, I heard that you are willing to pay for us, so how much can you pay?”

"It depends on your performance. If you meet the standard that satisfies me, I am willing to pay a high salary." Edmond Dantès replied calmly.

While speaking, he took out a gold coin from his pocket and shook it in front of the other party, "You should have heard de Mayne say that I am rich, yes, I am an idealist And it happens to be very rich, I am willing to spend a lot of money for my dream, and if you can help me, then part of the money will be yours."

"Ideal..." Isaac Valleo curled his lips slightly, and smiled with a little disdain. "If you just come here to experience the ideal, I advise you to go back to your comfortable nest as soon as possible. There is no ideal in this ghostly place, only constant betrayal and killing."

"You don't have to deal with this issue, I am responsible for all my actions." Edmond Dantès ignored the other party's advice.

Then, he changed the topic, "How many people are there in your team now?"

"There are more than 20 people." Isaac Balleo hesitated, and then replied. "Although the number is not large, they are all veterans and are familiar with the situation here."

Well, indeed a force to be harnessed.

Edmond Dantès thought for a while, and then asked another question, "How much blood debt do you have on your body?"

Although he doesn't care much about the other party's criminal record, if their reputation is too bad in the local area, it will be troublesome to use, and it will damage His Majesty's reputation.

Fortunately, his worries were quickly dispelled.

"We just want to survive and don't like to kill people. Besides, we have such a small number of people, so we don't dare to do things too badly." Isaac Paleolo replied, "But we did kill people."

Syndicate-de-Mayne next to him also nodded suddenly, and cheered for his friend, "Mr. Wilmore, I swear on our noble family reputation, what he said is true, Isaac is not a lunatic who kills innocent people indiscriminately, otherwise we won't be friends either."

That being the case, Edmond Dantès doesn't care.

What else could he expect from bandits, not angels, who came to him?As long as it's not the kind of gangster who is full of blood and debts, it doesn't matter.

It seemed that all worries had been eliminated, and Edmond Dantès suddenly felt that this was an ideal partner for cooperation.

These bandits can be used as their initial strength, and they can temporarily arm them with the weapons they just bought.

But... Now, of course, he wouldn't be so naive as to believe in the bandits' sincerity so quickly.

In particular, he still doesn't have the power to deter this group of people, and he can't expect them to obey his command loyally.

However, he believes that he will be able to do this soon.

"Well, I have no other questions." After a moment of silence, he stated his decision, "Paleolo, I can hire you and pay you adequate salaries, but in exchange, I ask you You must be loyal to me and obey my orders."

Isaac Valleolo narrowed his eyes, looked at the man in front of him, and then nodded slightly.

"I have no opinion."