Eagle's Glory

As for the aftermath, there is nothing to talk about - 12 years in the dark prison, 12 years of blank life, he was stolen for such a long time, and he almost stayed in the gloomy Chateau If forever.

Marshal Soult listened quietly, seemingly surprised by his experience.

"So you have already made such a heavy sacrifice for the Bonaparte family!" After a moment of silence, the Marshal sighed. "Besides, I really didn't expect that our fate was somehow linked together... We are all victims of this tragedy."

The marshal's implication was that Edmund sent a letter to the emperor to communicate with his fellow party members in France, and then the emperor led his troops to land in France and returned to France, and Marshal Soult and Marshal Ney stood together again. On the side of the emperor, and together greeted the final curtain of the emperor's military career.

"Yes, we are all victims." Edmund nodded. "So we should seek justice, shouldn't we?"

"Fair? That's not enough." Marshal Soult shook his head again, "Since we can win, we must also afford to lose. When we win, we show our power to the enemy, and when we lose, we can only taste the bitter fruit. What is there to cry about? If a man's shoulders cannot bear failure, then he is not worthy of chasing victory. Yes, we won, we lost in the end, we may end up with nothing, but at least we made a great effort We have lived a life, and we are worthy of this life.”

Then, he sighed with emotion again, "You know? Edmund, during the Hundred Days Dynasty, anyone with normal sense knew that there were insurmountable difficulties before us, and our enemies united Now, and indestructible, we are facing the powers of the whole of Europe! In the past we have always had allies on our side, such as Spain, Bavaria, even Austria and Prussia and Russia are sometimes our allies, but this time we have There are no more alliances - so, we are likely to lose, everyone can guess the outcome, we are not fools. We know that even if we have defeated the Prussians and the British once, we will face the next The troops mobilized by the Russians and the Austrians add up to 30. How many people can we die? Even if God has mercy on us and we win again, how can we continue to fight with all the big powers? Before us is a dead end.

Yes, we all know that 99% of us will lose, maybe even die, but we still followed him and rushed towards the enemy again. We are not chasing the 1% victory, we are chasing what we used to be The glory to have, even if it is just a bubble!We want to finally prove what we have done, because we may never get another chance. "

Speaking of this, the marshal's originally rigid face suddenly became a little bit more sobbing, and his voice became hoarse unconsciously, "The emperor was unwilling to end the curtain here, so he fought hard in the end, and we were also at that time. We fought with him without hesitation. Knowing that the road ahead was not going to work, we still gritted our teeth and stepped on it once, because he deserves us to follow him blindly again! His ending has been performed twice, and our nation is so dead There are tens of thousands of people, we have never failed the emperor, and the whole nation has never failed him. There are enough spirits to follow him straight to heaven. They died like men and gave their lives honorably. You should cry out for them like a woman, that will only tarnish the awareness they have made, understand?"

Edmund listened quietly, feeling a lot of emotion in his heart. Even the Marquis de Treville, even though his heart was not so purely loyal, couldn't help but feel his nose sore at this moment.

Among the dead in 1815 were his comrades and friends, and even himself, who participated in a series of important battles in that imperial army at that time.

The marshal was right. Didn't they know that there was no way forward and hope was slim?But their willingness to do it again is heroic and deserves every word.

"True bravery is not brought about by ignorance and recklessness, but by reason! Knowing what the consequences will be and still not turning back, it is worthy of the word warrior." While speaking, he picked up the wine glass, " Cheers to the glorious warriors!"

"Cheers." The marshal and Edmund picked up the wine glasses together, and toasted those who died that year.

After drinking a glass of wine, Edmund - only felt that his heart was steaming, and the alcohol was burning in his blood vessels, making him full of energy.

"Edmund, those people died deservedly back then, and they were not wronged; but you are different, you are qualified to seek justice, you are a victim—" the marshal looked at him again, and then asked, "Did you die back then? Who was sent to prison?"

"It's Prosecutor de Villefort." Now that this has been said, Edmond Dantès doesn't need to hide it anymore. He believes in the marshal's character and won't spread these things everywhere. "He was working in Marseilles at the time, and then he just received a letter of accusation against me, and then he arrested me and sent me to prison—"

"De Villefort..." The marshal frowned, as if he had a little impression of this person.

"He is the son of the Marquis de Noirtier—" added the Marquis de Treville duly. "Currently serving at the Superior Court of Paris."

"Marquis Noirtier?" Of course the marshal was more impressed by the name, "Isn't he a supporter of the Bonaparte family?"

"He is, and is still serving His Majesty," replied the Marquis de Treville.

Then, he added the Marquis of Noirtier to the side, and then explained the events of the year to the Count of Monte Cristo, and made an agreement with each other to "seek Villefort to seek revenge in three years". Everything was told to the marshal.

The marshal was even more surprised when he heard it, and then sighed with emotion.

"This is really a legendary story! It runs through the most painful history of our country. How many tragedies have we witnessed in those years? I have seen with my own eyes how many people lost their heads because of injustice... I hope this kind of thing will not happen in the future It happened again. Noirtier is a real man, and you are a real man."

Because he knew all this, he also knew about the past of the Count of Monte Cristo, and he no longer had any doubts or fears about him, and his impression became even better.

"Mr. Earl, you are unfortunate. You have been wronged and lost your most precious years. But you are also lucky. You survived, escaped from the dark prison, and came to the King of Rome, and Became his vassal, an earl... This kind of luck is beyond the imagination of the victims. I think God's compensation for you is quite fair. I wish you can continue to enjoy this in the future luck."

"By your good words, Your Excellency the Marshal." Edmund replied respectfully, "I cherish my luck. I know who pulled me out of the mud, so I will devote my loyalty to death. Loyal to my benefactor, those warriors of 1815 are my example, and I will live my life to emulate them."

Because of the effect of alcohol, his guts were already on fire at this time, and he looked at the marshal without fear, "Your Excellency, I don't know if you will be on our side, and I don't know if you will become His Majesty in the future." Friend or foe, but I promise, I will have the highest respect for you, you are a great man, and I am not worth mentioning before you-but if you stand against your majesty, I will also respect mine Life has come to challenge you, maybe I will die at your feet, but this is also a great honor for me, and I will die without regret like those people."

This challenging sight stunned the Marshal for a moment.

The Marshal wasn't angry, just looked at General Treville, and laughed.

"Victor, is he scaring me? Hahahaha! Good boy! Young man, has a future! Hahahaha..."

After laughing, he picked up the wine glass again, and then looked at the other two, "Then, let's have another drink. Whether we are enemies or friends in the future, we can always respect each other."

"cheers!"　　

145, planning

While Edmund Dantès and the Marquis de Treville were meeting the Marshal for His Majesty's cause, Egron, who was far away in Ioannina, was also preparing for his next move.

On this day, he took Haiide and several other important officials to the outskirts of the city to hold a celebration ceremony for the completion of the main project.

Under his strong attention, the officials of the principality invested their hard-earned manpower and material resources to build this key project as quickly as possible. After their day and night hard work, this project finally took shape today.

Undoubtedly, in order to catch up with the progress, some casualties occurred during the project, but for Aigron, these are all necessary "losses", which are completely acceptable.

Those who died for the project were hastily buried in the designated cemetery, and no one cares about them or commemorates them. The glory and merit will belong to Duke Reichstedt and His Royal Highness Haiide.

Aegron took Haiide to the long embankment of the canal, and saw the water flowing at a gentle speed along the cobbled bed, and the water would pass through the city of Ioannina and nourish A city that will grow in size in the future.

Beside them, there is a stone monument with exaggerated eulogies in both Greek and French, praising their outstanding contributions to city construction and the development of the principality, so that future generations can remember their " Merit".

Haiide knew in her heart that this project had nothing to do with her from the start of the project to the construction. It was entirely up to His Majesty to decide. But even so, she was very happy that her name could be left on the monument.

This is the territory her grandfather once laid down. Although she is not the real ruler now, she is still the heir of the principality. Of course, she hopes to "benefit her hometown", at least to comfort her grandfather's spirit in heaven.

After Aigron and Haidee attended, the guard of honor who followed them fired their guns to salute them, and at the same time, the surrounding people also gave out loud cheers—for the people, whether they like them or not The new rulers, the benefits that this project can bring to them are real, so their cheers are still somewhat sincere.

Although she is still young, Haiidee already has mature experience and knows how to play her role well. With a smile on her face, she is reserved and gentle, waving to her people from time to time, as if she is already a bit like a queen. tolerance.

She is now an Orthodox Christian, and she has planned to believe in the God she converted to. She hopes that her principality can exist in the world for a long time under the blessing of God.

Even if she will never be able to actually govern, as long as the principality can survive, then she will be satisfied.

Haidee is immersed in the joy of "having fun with the people", but for Aigron, this kind of cheering is just an embellishment of life, and he pays more attention to those more important things.

He looked around, and André Davout, as the captain of his personal guard, was standing nervously not far away, watching the people around vigilantly, not letting any suspicious people approach, and in the distance, there was a group of people Walking towards Aegron.

The leader was none other than Michel Ney.

Although it was just an ordinary celebration today, Michelle Ney seemed to be accepting a review, wearing a military uniform with the Grand Cross awarded by Aigron himself, shining like a proud peacock ——Looking at him dressed up like this on this occasion, instead of looking majestic and serious, it makes people feel a little bit amused.

Aigron couldn't help laughing secretly in his heart.

Michelle Ney has been designated as the next governor of Ioannina, just to avoid the fact that Aigron and Teresa have left, so it will not be announced.

Because of his proud career, Michel Ney can be said to be in high spirits now. After sweeping away the previous decline, he found the original feeling again, and also wanted to deliberately show off his current status.

"André!" Eggron called to André Davout, "let Michel come and see me."

"Yes!" Andre immediately took the order, then ran to Michel Ney and told him His Majesty's order.

As soon as he heard that Aigron summoned him, Michelle's spirit was lifted even more. He quickly quickened his pace and walked in front of Aigron.

"Your Majesty! Your achievements will be passed down here forever and won the admiration of all peoples." He bowed to Aigron and then complimented him.

"It's too early to talk about immortality, Michelle, the project is not finished yet, and you need to continue to work hard." Aigron replied indifferently.

Michelle Ney froze for a moment, obviously surprised by Eggron's sudden indifference, he was a little panicked, for fear that the "favor" he had finally obtained would suddenly disappear because of His Majesty's change of mind.

In his nervousness, he saw Haidee out of the corner of Aigron's eye, and suddenly realized.

Damn it!How could I forget such an important thing.

He remembered that when he was summoned by His Majesty last time, His Majesty told him that he planned to let him serve as the left-behind governor, and at the same time told him to respect Haiide—although she cannot really interfere with power, but the proper etiquette must not few.

As soon as he thought of this, he regretted so much that he secretly scolded himself for being overwhelmed with complacency and forgetting such an important detail.

In order to make amends, he walked up to Haiidee again, and once again respectfully saluted the young girl whose height was only as high as his abdomen. "Your Highness, I, like the people of Ioannina, thank you for your contributions to the country. Your name and your Majesty's name will always shine brightly in the history of the Principality."

Haiidee was a little surprised, but she still maintained her proper demeanor, and nodded to Michelle Ney indifferently.

"This is what I should do, sir. You have also made great achievements for this country, and I will always remember it in my heart. Please continue to contribute your talents to the principality in the future."

After seeing the conversation between the two, Aigron's expression finally softened a lot, and he gave Michelle a look of "you're a sensible boy".

The time he stayed in the principality is getting less and less, so before leaving, it is necessary to establish a strong enough power framework so that the principality can run smoothly after he and Teresa leave. Michel Ney To stay behind the governor is naturally the most important part of it.

The reason why Aigron forced him to bow his head to Haiide was because he and Teresa really regarded Haiide as family on the one hand; but on the other hand, it also reminded Michel that the Principality of Ioannina is a monarchy. Even if he becomes the governor who acts as the supreme power, he must understand where his power comes from, and he must show due respect to the monarch.

Ambition and arrogance grow with time, and if one day he thinks he can snub Haidee, he might disrespect himself tomorrow, and Eggron must guard against it and let him see who really rules.

"Michelle, have you adjusted to your new life recently?" Aigron smiled again, and asked the other party kindly.

Others may not be able to figure it out, but Michel knows what His Majesty means—since he received the new mission, he left the manor he just built and came to the city of Ioannina, next to Farley He lived in Father Ya's official residence, and stayed next to Father Faria every day, watching him preside over every meeting, and asking the priest for his opinion from time to time.

During this period of time, he has become familiar with the Principality a lot, at least in his heart he feels that he can take charge of it alone.

"I am very comfortable with my current life, Your Majesty." He replied immediately, "Father Faria's teachings have benefited me a lot. Before, I only focused on leading soldiers to fight, but now I realize that I still have too much There are things I need to learn...Your Majesty, I will regard the priest as my best teacher and learn all the necessary knowledge from him."

"Very good." Seeing Michelle's statement, Aigron felt relieved.

As long as Michel Ney corrects his attitude, respects Haidee, listens to Father Faria, and his own prestige in the Knight Order, then the Principality will not fall into civil strife for a long time .

Eggron looked around again, then made a gesture.

"Andre, Michelle, you come with me."

Then, he led the two of them along the river embankment, and behind them, the guards formed a separation wall, blocking everyone from approaching, and cleared a large open space for the three of them at once.

Aigron stood in the middle of the open field, looking at the slowly flowing water under his feet. The other two dared not speak because he didn't speak, so they could only stand silently, waiting for the young man's instructions.

"We've shed blood, we've taken risks, and now we've managed to own this land, which is completely at our mercy. But, André, Michel, I know, for you, here It will never be your ideal burial place, the place you dream of, will always be there—and so will I.” After a long time, Eggron finally spoke leisurely, “We are guests here, and we will always be guests.”

"Yes, Your Majesty, I also feel the same way." Michelle Ney replied quickly. "We all want to follow you back to France. Except for a very few people, no one wants to die of old age in this place."

"But the status quo is like this, we can only wait. We are too far away from the power before the dynasty, so that we can't afford the consequences of hitting a stone with a pebble, and can only wait for it to collapse amid civil strife-but, fortunately, All this is not our delusion, but something that is actually happening... Our waiting is not meaningless, now we only need the last bit of patience, and we can get what we want!"

Michelle and Andre looked at each other, feeling a little excited about each other.

"The two of you are high-level knights, and you know almost every member quite well, so I hope you two will draw up a list for me next. The number does not need to be large, but the best candidates--the best To be loyal, reliable, brave and resourceful at the same time, I don't expect each of them to be the same as the Count of Monte Cristo, but at least there must be some shadow of him." After he finished his emotion, Aigron continued to issue orders, "These people, After you draw up the list, you can notify them individually so that they are ready to follow me on the road, we can't get together, so we can disperse our actions, and listen to my instructions after I arrive in Switzerland."

André Davout beamed.

"Your Majesty, I understand! I will definitely do it for you."

As the captain of Aigron's personal guard, Andre Davout would naturally follow him. He felt in his heart that the more people he led, the more brave he was, the more secure his Majesty's life would be. This was also his job.

But Michel Ney, as the supreme officer, has more things to think about.

"Your Majesty, such a person must be the best officer in our knight order—if they are transferred away, the combat effectiveness of the Principality's army will definitely be greatly affected..."

"Don't worry about this." Aigron shook his head, "Next, I will meet with King Otto in the south of us at the border, and the two sides will formally sign an alliance treaty. As long as we unite, the Principality will not be subject to any military threats for the time being. -"

Michel was right in thinking, but he still felt a pity in his heart. After all, Aigron took away all the best officers, but only served as his entourage. It was a bit overkill.

But soon, he had a flash of inspiration and thought of something else.

Who said that His Majesty must just want them to be followers?

"Your Majesty, do you want these people to serve as officers over there?"

Agron smiled and nodded to Michel Ney.

"Michelle, it seems that you have made some progress, and I have more confidence in your next position."

Michelle smiled awkwardly, but finally understood in her heart.

His Majesty intends to secretly organize a small army obedient to him on the border in order to serve his next actions. If this is considered, it is indeed necessary to recruit the most capable candidates-this is not considered overkill.

Michel didn't know what fate these people would face next, but at least they were loyal to His Majesty.

"I'll take care of that for you."

"Now, there is another problem before us." Aigron frowned suddenly.

"What do you mean?" asked André Davout hastily.

"Keep secret! Be sure to keep secret." Aigron seemed to be saying to them, but also seemed to be talking to himself, "Andre, Michel, you must have guessed that there must be a French government in the Principality With the eyeliner cast by other countries, they may not care about the principality, but they definitely care about me... If Teresa and I disappear together one day, and then many people in the principality also disappear, what do you think they will think? Surely they'll think I'm off to new adventures! The Bourbons will be on their guard."

Both Andre and Michelle were lost in thought.

"Your Majesty, I have an idea!" Michelle said suddenly after a while.　　

146, ingenious plan

"Your Majesty, I have an idea!"

As soon as he heard this, Aigron suddenly became energetic, "What idea?"

"Well..." Michelle Ney suddenly showed embarrassment again. "It's just my immature idea... If you think it's not feasible, please pretend that I didn't say anything—"

"Michelle, you can speak freely in front of me. I always like to listen to the suggestions of my subordinates. No matter whether the suggestions are reasonable or not, at least I won't blame the person who proposed—" Aigron frowned, "Talk , you can talk about it, there is nothing you can’t talk about.”

If I believed what you said, I would have died long ago... Michelle Ney secretly cursed in her heart.

While pretending to be relieved, he carefully organized his words, "Her Majesty is the beloved daughter of Grand Duke Karl. Now that the father and daughter have been separated for so long, the father and daughter must be deeply concerned. Now that Her Majesty is about to give birth, it will affect the parents' feelings even more. Heart. If her homesickness and homesickness are unstoppable after giving birth, and she definitely wants to go back to her hometown to visit relatives and meet her parents, surely you will not object? And other people will also have compassion... ..."

Having said that, he stopped talking, but looked up at Aigron, waiting for his lord's instructions.

Hmph, what kind of compassion?Aigron sneered in his heart—there are countless marriages among European royal families, but it has always been "married daughters are like splashed water". No, for her mother's family, she is already a member of another family, and there is no reason to visit relatives.

However, in history, in the second half of the 19th century, due to the development of science and technology, the ties between countries became closer. In addition, Queen Victoria became the grandmother of Europe, and her children married with the royal families of various countries. This kind of "family gathering" will become a normal phenomenon when you become relatives.

All in all, at this point in time, Teresa's request to "go home to visit relatives" is really against the rules.

But from another point of view, there seems to be nothing shocking in the world-because of the previous incidents, Teresa has long been a "rebellious and her own way" princess in the eyes of the royal families of various countries. If they do something that surprises them, I'm afraid they will be familiar with it.

So... the idea seems to be feasible?If Teresa leaves Ioannina in the name of returning to China to meet her parents, she will definitely not cause too much commotion, and then she will quietly come to Switzerland to join her, and she will stay with her father-in-law in name, so that she can avoid other people. out of sight.