Eagle's Glory

"I see, sir." Aigron thanked the count, "Bad guys have their uses, don't they?"　　

89, the name behind

As the earl said, it didn't take long for Egron to receive the news that Marshal Marmont was coming to Schönbrunn Palace.

Compared to the previous visit to the French ambassador, Earl Taylorwin, the reception of Marshal Marmont by the court was much more formal this time. After all, although he temporarily lost power and was about to go to distant St. The personal connections are still there, and he can continue to be active on the stage as a political figure, which is by no means comparable to an ordinary ambassador.

His Majesty the Emperor personally received the delegation led by Marshal Marmont in his meeting hall.

Aigron had no chance to participate in this meeting, and he didn't know what Marmont Marmont had talked with His Majesty the Emperor, but he knew that he would also play a certain role in this ceremony.

On the afternoon of this day, the court servants led a group of people in military uniforms to Aigron's residence.

Then the marshal strutted into Duke Reichstedt's room, while the others were left in the outer room, sitting on sofas and waiting.

The two met each other like this.

When Marshal Marmont walked into the room, Aigron stood up from his seat and looked at the Marshal.

Although he was over fifty years old, Marshal Marmont's body was still quite strong, his steps were strong, and his eyes were piercing.He has short brown hair, a high and straight nose, and looks dignified.

When Aigron was looking at him, he also held his head high, looked at Aigron silently, and then looked straight ahead, deliberately emphasizing the pride and dignity of a marshal in this way.

This posture looks strong, but it vaguely seems a little lack of confidence. Maybe he still has a guilty conscience when facing Napoleon's son.

"Good afternoon, Duke of Ragusa." Aigron offered to extend his hand to the other party, and then said in French, "I am very honored to meet you."

"Good afternoon, Your Highness." Marshal Marmont nodded to the young man with a respectful but reserved attitude, "I'm really glad that you can grow into such an outstanding young man."

"You are too much, I have nothing good, how can I be called excellent?" Aigron replied with a smile, "I still have a lot to listen to the teachings of my predecessors, and I hope that if I have the opportunity, I can get your guidance in the future. "

"If there is a chance, I would be happy to help you a little bit." Marshal Marmont also laughed.

After the initial pleasantries, both sat down.

Then, Marshal Marmont took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to the young man in front of him.

"His Majesty has a letter, and he wants me to hand it over to you." He explained in a low voice, "Your Majesty is very glad that you are able to recognize the real situation in France and have made a decision that is beneficial to the French people and to yourself. decided, he wishes you a bright future in Austria, and perhaps one day there will be a truly historic reconciliation between the Houses of Bourbon and Bonaparte."

"I also believe that we will achieve historic reconciliation, Mr. Marshal." Aigron took the letter calmly, then put it aside, and looked at Marshal Marmont again, "Duke Ragusa, I am very happy to see a French Marshal come to see me - this is definitely an extraordinary guest for me."

"Compared to Grand Duke Karl, I am not necessarily so unusual, Your Highness." Marshal Marmont replied. "He is the real expert. He is both a theoretical school and a practical school. I am full of admiration. If you are interested in military affairs, you can ask him for advice. I believe he will be very happy to give you advice."

With this reply, Aigron could only laugh without saying a word.

He couldn't help but wonder in his heart, is it because the European countries began to re-evaluate themselves as "the son-in-law of Grand Duke Karl" now that he is slowly being valued by others.

In any case, although King Charles X obviously meant to humiliate himself, on the surface his etiquette has been very sufficient, so Aigron can hardly get angry for a while, so he can only deal with Marshal Marmont patiently.

"To be honest, I'm still a little curious until now. What advice do you have for coming to see me?" Aigron decided to find out the situation first. "Your Excellency Marshal, what do you expect from me?"

"It's not about advice, but rather anticipation." Marshal Marmont leaned forward slightly, staring at the young man opposite, "Your Highness, the world says you plan to live as a vassal of the Habsburg family, But I don't really believe it."

Aigron was not disturbed by such a simple temptation, and remained calm.

"It's your freedom to believe it or not. Is it useful to say what I say?" He asked back.

"Before I left Paris, Talleyrand mentioned you to me. He said that you have great ambitions and will surely make a career." Marshal Marmont retracted his gaze, and then continued, "I don't I don't know why he made such a judgment without meeting you, but I believe that since you have contacted him, it means that you must not be reconciled to women, and you hope to make a career .”

Talleyrand...has already secretly started to make noise for himself?

Or to someone like Marmont?

Aigron was at a loss for a while, not knowing whether to be happy or afraid.

God knows what would happen if Marmont told the Emperor of Austria that he had different ambitions.

"Don't worry, Your Highness, what's wrong with being ambitious?" Marshal Marmont seemed to see what he was thinking, "Don't worry, I didn't speak ill of you to His Majesty the Emperor—you can even Said that he would be happy to see you contribute your talents to Austria, and of course only in Austria."

Fortunately, it wasn't the worst outcome... Aigron finally settled down a little.

"Then what do you need to tell me?" He changed the subject.

"I came to see you, the most important thing is to see what Napoleon's son looks like, it's as simple as that." The marshal's expression suddenly became a little nostalgic and sighed, "I didn't expect that the once glorious empire would end up It ended like this."

"You also played a role in its demise, Your Excellency." Aegron interrupted abruptly.

His words immediately brought the marshal's tingling sensation.

"No matter what you think of me, I don't care, I just act according to my conscience."

Then, he looked at the young man again, "As my best wishes to you, I hope that you can restrain your ambitions while making great achievements, and don't make the same mistakes as your father, Your Highness."

"What do you mean?" Aegron asked back.

"I want to explain to you, or to explain to history." Marshal Marmont suddenly stood up, "Your Highness, although you are receiving me with a smile on your face, I can see the disgust hidden in your heart. Wrong, the world also sees me in the same way... I can bear this kind of malice, but I don't allow people to forcibly bear the responsibility that I shouldn't bear when my life is going to decline."

"Are you trying to say that it is not your responsibility to lead the army to surrender?" Egron asked suspiciously.

"No, I accept my responsibility." The marshal nodded dejectedly, "But before that? Who forced us to surrender, who lost the empire? This is something I can take on Is he responsible? The real responsible person is himself, right?"

"I don't quite understand what you mean." Aigron frowned.

"He defeated the anti-French alliance, but he provoked the anti-French alliance again and again. He dragged us into endless wars with his endless ambitions, and finally had to let everyone unite to destroy him, otherwise , what else can there be?" Marshal Marmont became emotional, "You have received an education, so please evaluate it objectively. In the end, is it the countries that want to destroy France, or is he endless? Greed leads to self-destruction? We were born to die, why did everyone abandon him?"

"Isn't it just to keep my own glory and wealth?" Aigron was also angry, so he didn't hold back.

"You are wrong!" Marshal Marmont shouted back at Aigron, "We just don't want to bleed for the Bonaparte family anymore!"

Before Eggron could ask again, the Marshal continued talking endlessly.

"Napoleon took down France with a knife and a gun, and beat all European countries into a guilty conscience. Even if he stole the republic as emperor, everyone can still find some reason to be convinced; but what are his brothers? Joseph, What qualifications do weird guys like Louis and Jerome have to wear the crown? They have neither blood nor led an army to expand their territories. They became kings only because they had the same mother as Napoleon!"

When Marshal Marmont talked about the excitement, his face was a little red, "He relied on the lives of young French people as a bet, and wanted to turn Europe into his own private property. Is this reasonable? The French have no reason to bleed for Joseph. Well, what reason do the Spaniards want to take Bonaparte as their master? They revolted, and in the end Napoleon wanted to take the life of the French to fill the hole he dug himself! Other countries were also frightened by this madness, They have been cornered, and they can only fight desperately-and the war continues, and he is going to squander the lives of the French! How many lives has he squandered?"

Marshal Marmont frowned, apparently remembering the bloody scenes in his memory, "Just because of his fantasies, 10 more people died in Europe! Aren't these hundreds of thousands of innocent souls precious lives? Didn't they have a bright future of their own? Shouldn't Napoleon be responsible for the fact that their lives withered at their peak because of your father? With all due respect, by that time, he would have had nothing but early Step down to bring happiness to the French!"

……

Aigron listened quietly to the other party.

This is what he has been holding back in his heart for a long time, and it really makes sense.

Although he didn't understand why he had to speak out in front of him, but now, it was impossible for him to shrink back.

"Your Excellency Marshal, what you said made me feel a little strange." Aigron also stood up and stared at the other party.

"What's so strange?" Marshal Marmont asked back.

"You claim to be his best friend once, and enjoy the glory and wealth he bestows on you; on the other hand, you tell me here that he has made all kinds of big mistakes, and that he has only taken the blame for that fate," Aegron said coldly, "Okay, Your knowledge and experience are richer than mine, I dare not say that I know Napoleon better than you, maybe you are right, but I still have the same question - what were you doing at that time? Why did you enjoy those rich and luxurious days Have a peace of mind, and wait until the end of his life before remembering to fight for justice?"

Aigron knew that if he debated with the opponent "Whether Napoleon was wrong" and "Should he be abandoned by the French", he would be at a disadvantage no matter whether he won or lost, because Napoleon did make frequent mistakes in the later period of his administration and eventually destroyed himself The empire, also let himself fall to the end of death in a foreign land.

Since it is doomed to be irrefutable, then he simply bypassed the historical issue and killed a truth-even if Napoleon made thousands of mistakes, you who enjoyed the glory and wealth he rewarded at that time, what qualifications do you have to say? ?Why didn't you correct or resist at that time?

"When Napoleon made a mistake, if you had the backbone, or cared about the country and the people as you claimed, you should stand up and speak up. If he doesn't listen to his opinions, then you can passively cooperate and hide from the world; or even You can go to America as far as General Moreau, and never allow yourself to be responsible for France, but what have you done? You did nothing, but kept silent, enjoying the wealth he bestowed, and turned yourself into an accomplice member!"

Aigron squinted his eyes and questioned the other party in a calm tone, "When you were the marshal and duke, you followed Napoleon and turned the country into your own playground with peace of mind. When the empire was about to perish, you jumped out and fought back. strike, and lay all the blame on him... Is this how you love France? Or is this how you treat your benefactor?"

Aigron's series of questioning left Marshal Marmont speechless for a while.

His face turned red and white, but he couldn't say a word of rebuttal for a long while.

Indeed, these cross-examinations hit him at the core—Napoleon's enemies could shout out any crimes against Napoleon;

"You are right, Your Highness." He sighed and gave up arguing with Aigron.

Finally, he sat down dejectedly.

"I can't escape my responsibility."

"It's okay, we are all born guilty, since you are the winner now, then you are innocent." Aigron said with comfort and mockery, "Your Excellency Marshal, if you want to get hypocrisy from me You won't get your forgiveness, but don't worry, my heart is not influenced by emotion, and I won't hate you rashly. If you care about your reputation behind you, you don't have to convince me, history has its own Arbitration, even I can't control it."

"In this way, I believe you will indeed achieve something, you have this talent." Marshal Marmont regained his composure, then he smiled wryly, and extended his hand to Egron again, "I wish you good luck in Austria Prosperity, Your Highness."　　

90, deserter

"I wish you great success in Austria, my lord."

Aigron held the wrinkled hand of the other party, "Thank you, I will work hard, Your Excellency the Marshal."

Marshal Marmont was obviously a little depressed. He neither overwhelmed the young man in front of him in momentum, nor won the opponent in the debate, so he was full of frustration in his heart.

Now that he is facing a loss of power, he knows in his heart that his era is over, and the younger generation will fill the vacancy.

Talleyrand once told him in private that he believed that the Roman king who was approaching adulthood would achieve something. He was skeptical, but in his heart he hoped that he could really achieve something in Austria.

So when he was visiting Austria, he stopped by to see the son of the deceased.

As far as the result is concerned, this visit was not a pleasant one. He found that he could not wash off the title of "betrayer" in front of this young man-a title that would accompany him for the rest of his life.

As His Highness said, only history can make a judgment.

"Being an Austrian prince may be the best solution." He glanced at the young man sullenly, and then sighed, "In the past 30 years, the disputes in France have caused bloody rivers; These disputes are still endless, and whoever gets involved will be unlucky. Stay away from those vortexes, and you can have a peaceful and prosperous life. This may be God's last mercy for Bonaparte—Your Highness, take care."

After speaking, he turned and left.

When he walked out the door, the officers waiting outside hurriedly got up from the sofa, saluted the marshal, and then prepared to leave with him.

"Your Excellency, Marshal, may I treat you all to lunch?" Aigron chased him out and asked Marshal Marmont. "After all, I haven't had the chance to see French soldiers for a long time."

The marshal looked back at the young man, he was a little surprised at first, and then he seemed to understand something.

Then, he hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

"Of course, Your Highness, this is our honor. But... Please forgive me for not being able to participate. I still have to meet with Metternich. You can have lunch with them."

Then, he turned his head and looked sternly at the officers in front of him, "It's a rare honor for you to have dinner with His Highness. If anyone dares to disrespect His Highness, he will bear the consequences himself!"

"Yes!" These officers did not dare to neglect, and stood at attention one after another.

Then Marshal Marmont left the room, leaving the officers behind.

Aigron looked around at these officers. They were all in their thirties, wearing brand-new uniforms, and they were all tall. They looked like they had experienced the battlefield.

However, none of them dared to look at him now.

Aigron could understand their feelings—they didn't know what attitude they should take to deal with this extremely special young man, so they could only put on a respectful, serious and indifferent look.

If you had a good conversation with Napoleon's son, wouldn't you be in bad luck if you were sued with a black case when you return to China?

"Everyone, I'm really sorry, because of my wayward behavior, I put you in a difficult situation." So he first apologized with a smile, "But I think that eating a meal will not affect your future, and since Your Excellency the Marshal has kept you, so he will not take this matter to heart... So, I suggest that you let go of your worries and just enjoy a lunch and satisfy the curiosity of me, a poor man. For reasons you all know, I have always had affection and respect for the French military."

After speaking, he motioned the officers to sit down again.

At this time, Chanel also came over with a plate, and put the prepared meals on the coffee table one by one.

"This is just a light meal, so it's a bit crude, please don't mind." Aigron picked up the tableware, cut open the belly of the roast chicken, cut it into small pieces and ate it. "Okay, let's get started."

Driven by the young man, these officers also began to eat, but they were obviously still a little cautious.

"Everyone here, has anyone been involved in the recent fighting in Spain?" Eggron asked.

The "battle in Spain" he refers to does not refer to the expedition to Spain in the late empire, but the war in 1823, when the Bourbon royal family sent troops to help the Spanish Bourbon royal family suppress the rebellion.

The officers looked at each other, then nodded.

"Oh! That's great, I have a group of real battle heroes in front of me." Aigron laughed immediately, "Can you tell me about your experience in battle? Just treat it as a dessert for lunch, I am very interested in this kind of story. Gentlemen, can you satisfy my little curiosity?"

"Your Highness, if you don't mind, let me tell you about my experience in this war." At this time, an officer finally spoke and responded to Aigron.

Aigron immediately looked at the officer.

He has a square face and looks honest and honest, but his eyes are very agile, flashing shrewd light at any time, which proves that he has a lot of scheming.

Perhaps it was because of traveling around all the year round, his skin was dark and his hands were covered with calluses, but against the background of the military uniform, his robust body looked particularly straight and energetic.

His eyes flickered, and a flattering smile appeared on his face.

Obviously, he wanted to take the opportunity to have a relationship with himself.

Fine, take risks, he likes that kind of guy.

Although this kind of stalking guy is not flattering, it is also very useful, especially now that Aigron urgently needs to accumulate contacts, so he also looked at him very kindly.

"Okay, please tell me!" He nodded.

Then, the officer Tao Tao continued to talk.

It has to be said that he is not a person who is good at narrating, his eloquence is not good and his French accent is also very heavy. Aigron had a little difficulty listening, but he still listened to the other party's narration with the greatest enthusiasm.

When he was half full, the officer finally finished speaking, and then looked at the boy cautiously like a student waiting for the teacher to judge.

"Thank you for telling me this, sir. I appreciate what you have done for your country, and I admire your courage and perseverance." He smiled kindly. Whoever is on the throne will be safe."

Seeing Aigron being so kind, the officer was obviously flattered, and his smile was even more flattering. "Your Highness, I grew up in the age of the empire. Although he unfortunately left the world due to a trick of fate, he is still a hero. I look forward to your great achievements in Austria and live up to his reputation."

Logically speaking, it was already taboo for him to say these words, it seemed that he really wanted to make friends with himself.