Eagle's Glory

"Chanel, since you don't want his life now, I'll keep him... But don't worry, no matter what I promise him, it's a problem between me and Prince Talleyrand, I I will not assume any obligation to him, and I will never forgive him because of his 'credit', as long as I can get what I want, his life is yours."

"Your Majesty...you don't need to explain so much to me, is it possible that I don't believe you?" Chanel asked with a smile, "It's okay, I've been waiting for so many years, I don't care to wait a while... With you here, I absolutely Don’t be afraid that justice will not be served.”

justice?Can I count 'justice'?Agron thought.

Although he kept saying justice and glory every day, he knew in his heart that those slogans were nothing more than slogans to smear himself, and in essence, he was no more glamorous than his opponents.

But in any case, at least for the most important people in his heart, he doesn't want to make any deals. There are too many people who have been purged or even massacred because they supported the empire. He actually doesn't care that much, and it is impossible to liquidate them one by one. Revenge, but Chanel's hatred is his personal hatred, no matter what Earl Taylor Win brought him, it can't change his mind - the earl must die!

He hugged Chanel again, and kissed her—but this time there was no lust between the two of them, but the honesty of complete trust, and he seemed to be using this method to declare his determination.

Following Aigron's instructions, after dinner, Leon took Earl Taylorwin to the reception room in the middle of the lake villa under the cover of night.

Just like all experienced diplomats, the Earl had a reserved yet slightly arrogant attitude, with a professional smile on his face, and walked into the reception room with his head held high.

And Aigron and Teresa were already sitting there, as if they were the king and queen receiving foreign ministers.

For such a scene, Earl Taylor Wen did not notice any disobedience-for the world, although the Duke and Duchess of Reichstedt do not have the name of a monarch, they already have the reality of a monarch, even if the country is small and weak. , the monarch is also the monarch.

With the help of bright candlelight, Taylor Wen glanced at the young couple.

Duke Reichstedt is still as handsome as before, but his eyes are much sharper, and he is a little more undisguised arrogance and fierceness, while Princess Teresa has both the brilliance of a girl and the beauty of a young woman. The swollen belly already proved that she was going to be a mother - and that the Bonaparte family had a successor.

He had met these two people before when he was in Austria. From an objective point of view, everyone felt that they were quite a good match, and it was a great joy to be able to get married—but Earl Taylor Wen was not the kind of person who cared about his family's shortcomings. He said the union of the couple, and the fact that they were about to have a child, were political events and could only be interpreted politically.

"Your Highness, I am honored to see you again." The tall earl walked up to the two people, and then saluted the young couple with skillful and elegant movements, "I wish you all the best, and wish your The child was born safely."

"Thank you, Earl. I am also very glad that we meet again." Aigron smiled and stood up actively, then walked forward and extended his hand to the other party. "You are a distinguished guest here, and this is not an official diplomatic visit but a private visit, so I don't think you need to be too reserved and polite, just get along as friends."

Although Aigron had already promised Chanel that he would kill this guy, the more murderous intent germinated in his heart, the more polite and polite he was, and he was full of kindness from the inside out, making it hard for anyone to see any flaws.

The Earl was a little flattered, but he reacted quickly, reached out and shook hands with Aigron. Of course, being so sophisticated, he couldn't really regard the other party as a friend, and still maintained a respectful attitude.

"Your Highness, since you left Vienna, I have been closely following all the news about you. I am very glad that you have participated in such a great cause with extraordinary courage and courage, and generously helped a troubled nation. , and brought it to a new life... Although the dynasty I represent does not allow me to publicly praise your achievements, please allow me to express my respect to you in my personal capacity."

"You are exaggerating. The career I created is dependent on my loyal and fearless officers and soldiers, as well as the Greek nation who dared to fight for freedom and fought bravely. What would I have done without their efforts? ? I personally just made a small contribution to it." Aigron replied humbly.

"Your humility is also an excellent quality that transcends ordinary people." Earl Taylor Wen continued to flatter Aigron, in order to narrow the distance between the two of them.

Then, he looked at Teresa again.

"Your Highness, when you first appeared on the social scene, I secretly admired your demeanor, and now you are even more beautiful! I have been to the capitals of many countries, but among the royal families of various countries, I have never seen you. To find a princess whose beauty is comparable to yours..."

"You are honored, Mr. Earl, you are indeed a diplomat..." Teresa couldn't help but shook her head with a smile, but she was quite happy in her heart, "I heard that you have been transferred to be the ambassador to Istanbul? "

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied the count, "I have been transferred to Turkey by the Foreign Office of our country as ambassador. Although this is a normal transfer of work, it is indeed a pity for me, because I am leaving Vienna. Intoxicated by the scenery and air, I came to a pagan country that I never liked and suffered... However, from another perspective, I can take advantage of the opportunity of taking office to visit the two Highnesses, and maybe I can come again later. Come here for a stroll and listen to the teachings of the two Highnesses, this is enough to make up for the regret in my heart."

Aigron and Teresa looked at each other calmly. From the earl's tone, he not only came to visit him secretly today, but also plans to continue to come after officially serving as the ambassador to Istanbul in the future.

This is definitely not his decision alone, there must be many things hidden behind it.

Just as the two of them were thinking, Earl Taylorwin took out a small box from his arms respectfully, then knelt down on one knee, and held the box in front of Teresa.

"Your Highness, please allow me to present you with a small gift to congratulate you on your marriage and pregnancy. Although this is just a trivial little thing, if it can add luster to you and set off your beauty, it can be regarded as giving it something. It's worth it, please accept it..."

While talking, he opened the box, and then Aigron and Teresa discovered that there was a brooch inside, with many gemstones inlaid on the edge of the brooch, and a huge diamond in the middle, which had never been seen before. And the polished polyhedron, now shining brightly in the candlelight.

As long as you have a little discernment, you can tell that this is by no means a trivial gift, but a heavy gift of great value - being able to prepare such a gift naturally means that Earl Taylor's visit is well-prepared. Come, it's not a temporary idea.

Out of female instinct, Teresa was instantly dazzled by diamonds, but with Teresa's background, what grade of jewelry has she never seen since she was a child?So after a moment of surprise, she quickly regained her composure.

Since the other party gave the gift so respectfully, Teresa could only accept it. She glanced at Chanel next to her and asked Chanel to put away the box and brooch together.

Logically speaking, she should express her gratitude to the other party solemnly, but at this time because she was pregnant, she just bowed her body with difficulty, "Thank you, Earl, you are so kind! I like this gift very much, you have thought .”

"As long as you like this gift, then I am satisfied." The count said with a smile.

"This is not a small gift." Aigron interjected, "Count, although I know that you diplomats are quite rich, but I think even you should have a lot of money to prepare such a gift." It took a lot of effort to accept this gift from you for no reason, and we really feel sorry."

"Your Highness, you can just accept it. I don't have any additional conditions. I just want to express my admiration for you two." The count replied with a smile on his face. "It was originally my teacher, Prince Talleyrand. It is a gift for me, but I can't wear it, it is just a meaningless item to me, and it is the highest honor to be able to wear it on Princess Teresa since its birth... I believe Talleyrand The prince will be very pleased to know that what he gave me has played such a role."

coming!Eggron finally heard the long-awaited key word.

Obviously, although Earl Tellering said very cryptically, this brooch must be a gift from Talleyrand to his wife—it is also a token, proving that the Earl did come here with his entrustment on his shoulders, otherwise the Earl How could he be so generous as to casually offer such a gift?

Only a person with a lot of money who doesn't care about money at all will give such an expensive gift casually, and Prince Talleyrand happened to be such a person.

This prince has been standing for a long time in the era of the Great Revolution, the Directory, and the Empire, and he is greedy. He used his position as a high-ranking government official to amass money and tried every means to make money, although he was relieved of everything after falling out with Emperor Napoleon. However, his accumulated wealth has reached hundreds of millions of francs, which is enough for him to continue his romantic and wealthy life-it is only natural for such a person to give such a valuable gift casually.

Earl Taylorwin's remarks were just a superficial excuse, and the earl must have known that Aigron could understand the key point. He just kept silent, looked at Aigron with the inscrutable smile of a diplomat, and waited. his response.

Eggron also understood why Prince Talleyrand had to talk so twists and turns—because he wanted to leave room.

In the later period of Emperor Napoleon's reign, the two had fallen out. The emperor felt that the foreign minister was too cautious and only thought of his own selfishness; while Talleyrand felt that the emperor had been too greedy, and was dazzled by the desire for power, forgetting restraint and peace. Balance, so the two had a serious conflict, which ended in Talleyrand's dismissal.

After being dismissed, Talleyrand did not stop. He communicated with Metternich in private and sold all the secrets of the empire to Austria, which was completely like a traitor.

In other words, he is the "sinner" of the Empire and the Bonaparte family - if Aigron is entangled with Liangzi in the past, he can completely scold this bastard with the same attitude.

Talleyrand's gift from Earl Tellering was essentially testing Aegron's attitude towards him, leaving room for each other.

After Aigron figured it out, he fell silent.

After a moment, he spoke again.

"We have already talked about Prince Talleyrand when we were in Austria. At that time, I was not deeply involved in the world, and I couldn't understand many things. Although I don't hold any grudges, I also complained about many of the prince's actions. But now, I have personally experienced how to survive in this sinister and treacherous world, and I have tried my best to preserve myself and those who are loyal to me, and for this reason I no longer even care about my reputation... and at this time I have already I understand some of Prince Talleyrand's position." Aigron sighed, "You know his reputation even if we don't tell you, to this day, there are still many people who want to throw stones at him every day. I think many of his actions , and there is no need to defend, but - we have to see the positive side, in those turbulent, bloody days, Prince Talleyrand had to protect himself wisely, he did not care about morality and reputation; During his time as the emperor, he really did his best to assist the emperor, and worked together with him to expand the interests of France... I think he has contributed to the empire."

After confiding these "peaceful" signals, Aigron finally gave a qualitative statement, "Undoubtedly, some of Prince Talleyrand's later actions greatly damaged the interests of the empire and also damaged his relationship with the emperor. The dismissal is purely self-inflicted, but... those things have become a thing of the past. We should see the positive side. I believe that his mind and his superb ingenuity should not be buried in the long river of history. He can also contribute to France, just like the Bonaparte family..."

In the end, Aigron made a final decision, "In short, Prince Talleyrand is a useful person to France."　　

111, keen temptation

"In short, Prince Talleyrand is a useful man to France."

In front of Earl Telewin, Aigron expressed his current views on Prince Talleyrand with some half-truths and half-truths.

Earl Taylor Wen listened carefully, not missing a word, and at the same time carefully chewing the subtext of every word of Aigron.

From the young man's words, I can't hear any resentment or disgust towards Prince Talleyrand, but this is also normal. When Emperor Napoleon and Prince Talleyrand fell out, he was not born at all. There is no intersection between individuals, it would be strange if he has always been full of resentment towards the prince.

To be honest, Emperor Napoleon had offended so many enemies, even if he had to make a list of grievances, Talleyrand would not be at the top of the list. Why would the Duke of Reichstedt bother with him about passing things?

From the tone of his voice, he could clearly feel that the Duke wanted to cooperate with Prince Talleyrand—and this was an excellent political signal, and it was also something the Prince wanted.

"Your Highness, I am very grateful that you can evaluate my teacher so objectively and fairly." Earl Taylor Wen looked at Aigron with a very moved expression, "I know that the world has a lot of misunderstandings about Prince Talleyrand. Even proud to mock him, but what did these people do? When it comes to the contribution to France in 1814 and 1815, there are few people higher than him! He did his best to preserve France at the Congress of Vienna , pulled her back from the haze of failure on the battlefield, and won her the status of a big country that she deserved. How many people can do better than him?

Similarly, for me, the prince is also a very wise and gentle teacher, who can often give me some thought-provoking teachings as a senior in the diplomatic circle.The society's reputation cannot erase the sparkle in his soul. Isn't he a role model for us diplomats?If you want me to say, we will never be short of lofty moralists, but we are too short of Talleyrand! "

Aigron also knew in his heart that in order to protect his teacher and increase his status, the count deliberately exaggerated Talleyrand's contribution at the Vienna Peace Conference, as if France would not have existed without him. Still the British, out of the consideration of continental balance, they never thought of completely withdrawing France from the ranks of great powers (in fact, they did not have the ability to dismember France). Among them, they managed to keep their capital as much as possible for the French of the Bourbon royal family-of course, even if they just "take advantage of the trend", this is already very remarkable.

"We do have a shortage of smart and capable diplomats, but Prince Talleyrand, one is enough. There is absolutely no one who can be as annoying as he is lovable at the same time. He cannot be copied. To me, he A genius who is 70% brilliant wit plus 30% extravagant, cunning, and corrupt, but who is not a little sick these days? We can't expect everyone to be a saint—" Eggron said with a hint of You Ruowu sarcastically said, "I respect this senior very much, and if I have the opportunity, I am also very willing to listen to his teachings in person."

Aegron's words are a bit heavy, but it is also necessary.

In 1821, Emperor Napoleon died on the island of St. Helena, and left a special will. One of them was "When France was still rich in resources, it suffered two unfortunate invasions. The consequences should be attributed to Marmont, Augereau, The treachery of Talleyrand and Lafayette. I forgive them—may the descendants of France do the same."

Although the emperor deliberately said later that he forgave them, he still remembered Talleyrand's name before he died, which can also reflect the accumulated resentment in his heart for Talleyrand's actions.

[By the way, Marmont was the rebellious Marshal of the Empire who took the initiative to persuade his subordinates to surrender to the coalition forces; Marshal Augereau asked Napoleon to abdicate in person in 1814, and later refused to fight for Napoleon; Lafayette was in The parliament publicly questioned why France continued to shed blood for the Bonaparte family in such a desperate situation; privately thought that apart from Talleyrand and Marmont who were indeed rebellious against the Lord, Augereau and Rafa Yeter doesn't seem to be a serious betrayal. At most, he made a personal choice in a desperate situation. Napoleon should not have criticized the two of them at the end of his life.

Perhaps the emperor felt that the situation in 1814 or 1815 was not desperate enough, and there were still enough consumables for him to gamble, so he felt that the "anti-war" Augereau and Lafayette ruined the fate of the empire, so he felt resentful... 】

Out of respect for the late emperor, and out of his own dignity, Aigron could not show a posture of ignoring the past, as if he was asking Prince Talleyrand for help; but on a practical level, if Prince Talleyrand and Prince Talleyrand His cooperation will bring him great benefits, so Aigron can only play the qualitative rhetoric of "the merits and demerits are divided into three parts".

Neither did he damage his dignity, but also implicitly pointed out that he had not forgotten everything at the beginning, and Prince Talleyrand needed to make up for it with actions.

If you are a person who attaches great importance to reputation, you will definitely be very angry when you hear this kind of characterization. After all, [-]% of the fault means a huge stain, but both Aigron and Earl Tellering know that Prince Talleyrand will never be angry. I guess I'll laugh out loud instead—someone is willing to praise me like that, this kid is really promising!

"You really made a wonderful metaphor. I have never heard anyone describe the prince so accurately before. I think he will also be sincerely happy that you have evaluated him so pertinently." Earl Taylor Wen said to Aigron He was sincerely convinced by the description, and obviously he didn't want to wash away Talleyrand's personal morality, which is a well-known thing after all.

Then, he suppressed his smile again, and then looked at Aigron seriously, "If you want to have an interview with him, I believe there will be many opportunities in the future——His Royal Highness also cares about you very much. He had already asked me to meet you when he was in Beijing, and for more than a year, he has been paying close attention to your movements and is sincerely happy for your achievements. He is very grateful that you have such a gift , worthy of the late emperor's reputation."

Of course, Aigron didn't believe a word of the count's words. Prince Talleyrand couldn't have any sincere feelings for anyone, and the only thing he cared about was his personal power and wealth.

But this is not important. It is precisely at this point that the two people have a common language.

Because Talleyrand had supported the revolution back then, the Bourbon royal family hated Talleyrand very much. King Louis XVIII chose to tolerate the nuisance for the time being.

In 1814, the Bourbon Dynasty was restored for the first time, and Talleyrand was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs by Louis XVIII. In 1815, following the second restoration of the Bourbon Dynasty after the Battle of Waterloo, the King appointed him Prime Minister this time, allowing He came to restore order to the royal family.

Whether in domestic affairs or foreign affairs, Talleyrand, who was entrusted with important tasks, did his best to temporarily stabilize the situation. However, in the eyes of the king at this time, his use value has been lost, and Talleyrand still treats the royal family in private. The disrespect annoyed King Louis XVIII even more, so the king dismissed him after three months as prime minister.

Of course, in order to show the decency of the royal family, and at the same time, in order to appease the minister who has made some contributions, the king appointed him as a member of the House of Nobles (the Restoration Dynasty continued the bicameral parliament of the empire, but changed it to the Senate)

In 1824, King Louis XVIII died, and his younger brother, King Charles X, succeeded to the throne. This king was much more conservative and reactionary than his elder brother. Talleyrand was even more disgusted, and he didn't intend to show him any good looks at all. As for Qifu, he was delusional.

Prince Talleyrand already has money that he can't spend in several lifetimes. After being forced to retire, he lives in the beautiful castle of Valensais and enjoys a luxurious life, but for such a person, he has lost power. It is equivalent to losing half of his life. He will not be reconciled to it. He wants to regain his power and regain his infinite glory in the past—even though this old man is now 74 years old, the flame of ambition in his heart has never been truly extinguished. Pass.

Moreover, he who has already betrayed the current government n times, naturally he would not mind betraying the royal family of Bourbon again. Since Bourbon cannot give him what he wants, he wants to get it from others—he wants to rely on the outside world The power to overthrow the Bourbon dynasty again, and then let the new master of France give him power again.

In the original historical line, Prince Talleyrand did practice this idea. After retiring, he changed from a royalist to a liberal again, and openly mixed with the opponents of those dynasties. The money made them wave their banners and shake the prestige of the dynasty.

Later, he colluded with the Orleans family and used the Duke of Orleans to realize his plan.

After the July Revolution of 1830, the Duke of Orleans drove out the Bourbon royal family and usurped the throne, and he immediately summoned Talleyrand as his diplomatic adviser.

In September 1830, he was sent to the United Kingdom by the royal family of Orleans and coordinated the positions of the two sides. In November of that year, he transformed into a representative of France at the London International Conference and participated in the resolution of the dispute between the Netherlands and Belgium. The issue of armed conflict, thus, Prince Talleyrand also fulfilled his long-cherished wish, and finally returned to the stage he has never forgotten, and continued to "play the remaining heat".

Aigron knew these stories, so he didn't mind throwing an olive branch to Prince Talleyrand.

Since Talleyrand can do business with the Orleans family, why can't he have an affair with the Bonaparte family?Presumably in the old man's heart, it doesn't matter who is on the two sides, as long as he can give him a higher position.

Aigron even felt that Talleyrand was very happy to see another family he could go to, because in this way he could be "up for sale".

And from Egron's own point of view?

If he really seized the French power, he just needs such a person, an old face who is familiar to everyone in the diplomatic arena, and is "highly respected" and well-known, to paint his career and let the outside world recognize him. rule over France.

Although the Orleans family is a traitor, they are descendants of the Bourbon royal family after all, and it is "legal" to seize the throne of the long branch, at least it is easier for the big powers to accept.

But the Bonaparte family is different. It does not have a long history and lineage, and it has only been more than ten years since its demise. People still fully remember the bloody disasters that the empire brought to the outside world at that time.

In theory, Aigron needs a veteran diplomat to convince foreigners that the new Bonaparte dynasty does not mean disaster, and he is a rational and willing to work within the existing international framework. To solve the problem, instead of thinking about revenge every day.

Aigron has actually thought about this issue. He believes that among the international powers, Austria will be the least opposed to the Bonaparte family's return to the throne (his grandfather doesn't care about it, and Grand Duke Karl may be very happy that his daughter became queen ), while the attitude of Britain is more ambiguous, and it needs to fight for it with all its strength-it is better to say that Britain simply hates Napoleon than he hates the empire. They even accepted Napoleon's proposal to abdicate and pass the throne to his son.

Moreover, the British are notoriously ignorant of feelings and only of interests. Although it is impossible for them to like the surname Bonaparte, at least they have no hatred for Napoleon II. As long as they can show their sincerity, they should be able to get them acquiescence.

As long as Britain and Austria acquiesce, he doesn't have to worry about any international issues anymore, because Prussia doesn't have the guts to act alone, and the tsar is far away, and he has no interest in fighting another big war.

So the key issue is that he has to find a person who is "highly respected" enough to mediate for him, so that the great powers can relax and recognize the status quo, at least acquiescing that he "responds to the voice of the French people."

Whether it is from the perspective of history or personal ability, the best candidate is naturally Prince Talleyrand.

And now at this point of time, the prince happened to be throwing a temptation at him...

It has to be said that although Talleyrand is old, he really has a keen sense of smell. He can judge Aigron's needs and express his sincerity at the right time.

In this case, why not cooperate?

Talleyrand also has another "advantage". He is too used to being a conspirator and never has the idea of ​​being the leader. For decades, he has always hidden behind the rulers and made a lot of money secretly. They will think about stealing the country, and only want to get enough benefits from the stealing country.

Obviously, Talleyrand's bid would not be low, because he knew he needed his help, and he would ask for it--as he had for many years.

But so what?Make an offer to bid!Talleyrand was useful to him, so he bid Talleyrand a higher price than the others.

He has little confidence in others, but he has great confidence in Prince Talleyrand, because he knows that as long as the price is right, there is nothing Talleyrand cannot sell, and as long as the price is right, he will do his best to keep things to the satisfaction of his employer.

As long as the goal can be achieved, it doesn't matter even if Talleyrand is satisfied.　　

112, Fate and Bid

Although he had already made up his mind to win over Prince Talleyrand, Aigron still pretended to be indifferent on the surface.

Negotiations are like this, the more impatient you are, the more you will be extorted by the other party, so even if both parties have intentions, you have to reserve space for each, showing that you don't have to cooperate.

Aigron deliberately put forward an argument of "seven to three times" to remind the other party that he has never forgotten those things back then, and Prince Talleyrand needs to show sincerity to cooperate.

Earl Taylorwin has been a diplomat for a long time, and of course he has already been familiar with similar negotiations, so he can easily understand his true intentions from Aigron's words.

He wasn't angry at Aigron's secretiveness, on the contrary, it met his expectations. If Aigron acted like a brat who didn't understand anything, he would be disappointed.

Although nominally the French ambassador to Istanbul, the earl has little loyalty to the royal family in his heart, and he cares more about his personal power and position.

At the beginning of the Restoration, when he returned to France with the royal family, in order to gain the favor of the royal family, he redoubled his efforts to suppress those rebels, and then he got promoted step by step; however, although he often served as an ambassador abroad, but Through his domestic relationship network, he is also very sensitive to the changes in the domestic situation in France. Now, he can feel that the restoration dynasty is in trouble, the king is unpopular and it is difficult to restrain the opposition forces.

In this case, in order to preserve his personal reputation, he began to look for another way out, and Prince Talleyrand, as his former "teacher", naturally became his important backer, and he secretly talked to his teacher Together, they hope to find their place among other forces.

Of course, from the bottom of his heart, he still prefers the orthodox royal family, so now he is just keeping a way out in secret, just in case.

Prince Talleyrand is different. This prince has been out of work for more than ten years since he was driven out by King Louis XVIII. As a politician with a long history, it is a severe torture to be away from the highest stage for ten years. , so Prince Talleyrand was impatient, and even wished for the immediate downfall of the royal family.

So after Earl Tellering's careful probing, the two hit it off. Prince Talleyrand entrusted the earl to visit the Duke of Reichstedt on the way to his post, and also prepared a heavy gift for this, in order to win the favor of Princess Teresa. good impression.

Talleyrand knew that what he did back then had offended the Bonaparte family severely, so he didn't expect the two sides to abandon their past in just one negotiation and cooperate sincerely from now on. Slowly figure it out

In the end, Talleyrand knew that the Bonaparte family needed a diplomatic talent to help them return to the stage, and Talleyrand thought he was the most suitable candidate. replaced.