Eagle's Glory

Aegron suddenly thought of something.

"By the way, that Miss Agnes, why is there such a good skill?" He asked the doubts in his heart. "Who taught her?"

Although the matter was rushed just now, from his professional point of view, Agnes is absolutely excellent in swordsmanship.

"She has been fond of swordsmanship since she was a child, and she practiced diligently every day, and it is said that her talent is astonishing. None of the sons who boasted that they are good at swordsmanship can compare with her, and there are many people who have been beaten by her, so your majesty, Don't be ashamed of what happened today, you have performed very well." Edgar replied, "As for who her teacher is, I don't know... She seldom mentioned it, and I don't know who it is." ask."

After finishing speaking, he shrugged his shoulders regretfully, "Tell me, what is a beautiful girl like Agnes doing learning swordsmanship? It's useless to detract from my charm... Why don't you learn to draw with me?" Woolen cloth."

"You don't have evil thoughts about her, do you?" Seeing his expression, Aigron asked in surprise.

"No, of course not. Agnes is beautiful, but she has too strong a personality, which is not my type. I still like sweet, gentle, and charming ladies. Besides, she and Alice get along day and night. If I make a move Then Alice will definitely not spare me...even my father will beat me to death." Edgar shook his head hastily, and then laughed. "However, Your Majesty, if you want to get to know her, I can make it easier for you..."

Aegron frowned again.

"If there is a chance in the future, I would like to compete with her—a fair fight."

"Are you still angry about what happened today?" Edgar asked with a smile.

"No, there's nothing to be angry about." Aegron shook his head, "I just want to defeat everyone who dares to show their swords against me."　　

12. Temptation and God-making

In the middle of the night, Eggron bid farewell to Edgar, returned to his residence to rest, and hastily ended this meaningful and unexpected day.

When he woke up again, it was already the next morning.

After a hasty wash, he walked out of the barn and came to the farmhouse of Second Lieutenant Favre, ready to have breakfast.

Now that he had met the Trevilles, there was no need for him to hide himself anymore. He swaggered to the dining table, and at this time the Trevilles and Agnes also happened to come over, so Egron smiled Nod hello to them.

Edgar de Treville smiled and waved to Egron smartly, while his wife Alice saluted the young man gracefully and said hello.

"Good morning, Herr Memmingen."

"Good morning, Mrs. Treville." Aigron also said to Alice with a smile.

As for Agnes who was sitting next to Alice, her expression was completely different. She was obviously embarrassed, but she still nodded slightly to the young man.

"Good morning... Mr. Memmingen..." she reluctantly greeted.

"Good morning, Miss Agnes." Aegron still maintained a decent smile and comforted the other party, "I have forgotten what happened last night, so this is the first time we meet, and I hope you are the same."

"Thank you for your magnanimity." Agnes visibly cheered up seeing the young man being so easy-going.

"Agnes, the past is over. Since Mr. Memmingen doesn't pursue it, you are lucky, but you must learn from it in the future and don't do such rash things again." Alice said seriously He said to his sister, "We are now in a foreign country, isolated and helpless, so we can't easily get into trouble with others. If we rely on force to cause trouble everywhere, it will only make us more dangerous."

Listening to her sister's lesson, Agnes didn't dare to speak back, she drooped her head and didn't dare to speak, and she seemed to be a different person from the awe-inspiring look she had in the middle of the night.

Although she drew her sword when they met for the first time, but looking at it now, Agnes just overreacted because of a misunderstanding. In daily life, she still knows etiquette, and she is not an unruly and willful young lady.

"Okay, that's the end of yesterday's topic. Now is a new day, let's toast to the good weather that God bestows on us." Aegron spoke up to save Agnes from the siege.

Then, he picked up the glass full of milk, saluted Edgar with dignity, and drank it down.

"Cheers." Edgar also picked up the cup and drank it down.

Breakfast on the table is very simple, just bread and milk, plus a little pickled vegetables.

But Aigron didn't care, and swallowed to satisfy his hunger.

Alice didn't eat much, but kept looking at the young man, paying attention to his every move, thinking.

"Mr. Memmingen, are you a local?" Aigron asked suddenly in the middle of her meal.

"Why do you ask that?" Aegron asked back.

"Based on the standards of foreigners, your French is very good, and the accent is completely different from the locals here, as if you have been taught by a tutor." Alice said her reason, "And you Your demeanor and words show that you have been extremely well-bred... I don't think that the environment here can cultivate it at least."

Smart, it seems that she was already suspicious when she met herself last night.

A hint of curiosity suddenly flashed in Aigron's heart—how far has Alice guessed?

However, he had discussed Alice's matter with Edgar a long time ago, even if she had guessed it completely, it would be an acceptable price, so he did not panic.

After all, can she still send her husband to prison?

"You're right. I'm not a resident here. I've been living abroad before, but I just came to Switzerland for some things recently." Aigron replied with a smile.

"Then you should have heard of the big news that has caused a stir in Europe recently?" Alice asked.

"What news?" Aigron asked back.

Alice glanced at her sister, and after hesitating for a moment, she still asked,

"There is news about the Duke of Lechstedt." She tried her best to make her words appear more cryptic, "As far as I know, he seems...too much your age."

"Oh! This is indeed a surprising coincidence." Aigron nodded kindly.

Looking at Aigron's reaction, Alice knew that all her guesses had come true.

For a moment she felt dizzy, but she quickly got herself under control.

She knew that without permission, she could only ask so far.

If you continue to ask, it will make everyone embarrassed.

"Yes, it seems that the world is really full of coincidences, of course you have nothing to do with him, you are just a relative of the owner of the farm." Alice forced herself to smile, "However, you You are very personable and well-mannered, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone said you have the airs of a prince."

"You think highly of me." Aigron replied with a smile, "Mrs. Treville, if someone said that you are the smartest lady in Paris, I would agree with it with my hands up."

Alice blushed slightly, and she wasn't sure if this "Your Majesty" was sincerely complimenting her or joking.

But she could clearly feel that her husband, as well as her father-in-law, General Treville, had sincerely attached themselves to this young man's command, so no matter how she looked at it, she had to maintain proper respect for him.

"You're flattering me. I'm not smart at all. I'm just a poor person who wants my family to be safe." She lowered her head slightly and answered him in a very soft voice. "I'm the daughter-in-law of the Treville family. Husband Wherever I go, I will follow."

Of course Aigron could hear it. When she said this, it was tantamount to promising herself that she would never report herself.

"Smart people can always recognize themselves correctly." He nodded and sent his compliment to Alice. "I wish you a lifetime of happiness."

"Thank you!" Alice sighed, both melancholy and uneasy, but also helpless.

After breakfast, Aigron called Edgar to his side again.

The two of them walked together and came to the side of the woods again.

Walking along the edge of the forest during the day is another scene, and what you see is a piece of greenery, full of vitality in spring.

"Edgar, when are you going to leave?" Aigron asked.

"I'll leave after staying here for a few days. After all, I'm going on a wedding trip with my wife in name, and I'm still going to Italy." Edgar replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, do you have any orders?"

"I have an idea, I hope you will cooperate with me next time." Aigron looked at Edgar, "Edgar, I need to borrow your talent."

"Huh?" Edgar was obviously surprised, "You... what do you want me to do?"

"You paint well, so I hope you can help me create a set of simple picture albums." Aigron expressed his thoughts, "After the paintings are finished, I will print them on a large scale and then distribute them in France, especially in rural areas—— The painting must be concise but full of appeal, so that even illiterates can understand it."

Although the conversation last night has proved that Edgar is indeed not an ambitious man suitable for doing great things, but based on the principle of making the best use of everything, Aigron will not let him go.

"Why did you suddenly think of this?" Edgar was obviously still confused, "Is there any point in handing over the album to the farmers?"

"I need to create a god." Eggron replied simply. "The peasants need a god, so I will help them build one. Although these peasants are scattered and powerless, they are huge in number. As long as someone can gather them and use their human and material resources, they will surely be able to achieve great things. Now I'm going to start working on gathering them."

"...Is this really okay?" Edgar was obviously a little embarrassed.

Hmph, what do you know?Aegron smiled disdainfully in his heart.

The peasants, of course, supported the Bonaparte family.

Although in the ruling system of the Napoleonic Empire, farmers were the class that suffered the most oppression.

Years of wars in the empire have brought endless military service for more than ten years, while the rich and urban bourgeois can rely on spending money to buy people to serve their sons, but farmers have no capital to escape military service. They are the most conscripted Groups - By the end of the empire, many peasants even mutilated themselves in order to avoid military service.

Here comes the question, why did the peasantry, who suffered the most exploitation and military service during the empire, miss the empire the most after the empire fell and loyally supported the Bonaparte family?

All kinds of coincidences in history often cause ironic phenomena.

Before considering this issue, we must first understand a premise—this was the beginning of the 19th century, when French society had just emerged from a static agricultural society, and most peasants were illiterate, let alone politically conscious.The slogans of "liberty, equality, fraternity" in the era of the Great Revolution were so far away from them that they could not even feel their meaning.

Most of these "country bumpkins" that Parisians look down on, most of them have never had the opportunity to go to neighboring provinces or read a few books in their entire lives. The splendid culture and art of France are all luxuries enjoyed by urbanites. , are nearly insulated from them.

Among such a group of people, the spiritual life can only be described as "poor".

The more poor people are, the more they need spiritual support, and they need to get rid of the fear of poverty, death and illness.Before the era of the Great Revolution, the Catholic Church assumed the responsibility of the spiritual life of the French peasants. The church priests who went deep into the countryside guided the lives of the peasants and witnessed their birth, marriage and death.

However, the Great Revolution destroyed this entire mode of life. The Republic was full of hostility to the church from the very beginning. In order to alleviate the financial crisis, the government confiscated a large number of church assets, massacred priests, and temporarily drove the two ruling classes, nobles and priests, out of France. soil of.

The Republic split up and sold a large amount of land owned by nobles and churches, so the peasants got the land during the revolution, but lost the life pattern they had followed for generations, and a vacuum of faith emerged.

The stormy revolution destroyed the old life, but it came to an end before establishing a new life pattern, leaving a group of confused peasants standing on the vast fields of France.

The Church suffered heavy losses during the Great Revolution, and had not had time to rebuild the original strict church system, but the spiritual vacuum of the peasants did not wait, but found other ways to fill it.

What they used to fill the spiritual vacuum was the name "Napoleon".

The republic cannot touch the peasants, and the restored Bourbon royal family is also just the king of Paris, too far away from them, only Napoleon, the great emperor, exists in each of them orally, and is a rare spirit in their poor lives adjust.

One of the few remaining forms of entertainment for the peasants after a hard day's work was to surround themselves with veterans of the Napoleonic era, listening to them recount their glorious journeys following His Majesty's expeditions, and to experience an experience they never had the chance to The world touched, a world full of brilliance.

Thus, "Napoleon" was added a sacred halo from the abdicated emperor and the Corsicans who died in a foreign land, and became the belief of their poor life, a real idol.

The old society that was beaten to pieces and the new society that was not built in time, the two are torn apart fiercely over France, and they have created this Napoleonic belief in the cracks in the countryside.

Who Napoleon himself was, and whether his rule did France more or more good than good, are no longer matters, and his death just made him greater—for a dead icon can never be broken again own sublime.

It is precisely because of this belief of the peasants that in the original history, in 1848 (that is, 27 years after Napoleon died), Napoleon III participated in the first direct election of citizens in French history, with 550 million votes to 150 Ten thousand votes won a landslide victory and became president.

During the election, Napoleon III traveled to various places to canvass votes, and wherever he went, the peasants cheered.

Napoleon III had been in a foreign country for decades and was penniless at this time. Why was he able to receive such enthusiastic support?

There is no doubt that there is only one reason - he has the name of an idol.

He has only one capital, but he needs only this one capital to be invincible in the election.

Later, Napoleon III finally launched a coup and became the emperor of the Second Empire, realizing the restoration of the Bonaparte family. In 1852, he launched a referendum again and held a referendum in France on whether to restore the monarchy. The results showed that , As a result, 782.4 million votes were in favor and 25.3 votes were against. The French once again cheered the idol's return with an overwhelming vote.

——The things that happened in the original history also gave Egron extremely accurate guidance.

For Aigron, his greatest reliance is also the name he inherited, and even his orthodoxy is higher than that of his cousin, because he was originally the sole heir of the empire.

He needs to use the idol fanaticism among the villages to help him restore the empire.

If ignorant zealotry works for him, he embraces ignorant zealotry.

"I want to make up a myth, no matter how outrageous the myth is, it will be useful to me." Looking at the forest in the distance, Aigron said calmly, "For farmers, the most direct means of publicity is picture books, and you are said to be a genius Painter—Edgar, I hope you will not disappoint my expectations."　　

13. Successors

"—Edgar, I hope you will not disappoint my expectations."

Aigron looked straight at Edgar as he spoke.

Edgar understood that although the young man's tone was very polite, this was not a request—it was an order.

For some reason, looking at his eyes, Edgar suddenly felt a palpitation.

"Okay, I'll do my best—no, I'll do my best, Your Majesty." He blurted out hastily.

"Very good." Seeing that he was so obedient, Aigron nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he patted Edgar on the shoulder to encourage him. "Then thank you, Edgar, since you don't have much time, let's start as soon as possible."

"Start now?" Edgar was a little confused.

"Start now." Eggron replied decisively.

Then, with his hands behind his back, he walked up and down in the grass, as if he was conceiving a script in Schönbrunn Palace.

"First of all, the image of Napoleon himself must be highlighted. He must occupy the center position and be taller than anyone in the picture-I know he is not tall, but it doesn't matter, no one can steal the limelight from His Majesty the Emperor." Aigron While pacing, he explained to Edgar, "Have you seen His Majesty the Emperor?"

"I've seen it." Edgar quickly nodded and replied, "Before the empire fell, my father took me to participate in court activities, and gave me the honor of meeting the emperor... Although I was still young at the time, But his face is etched in my memory forever."

"Very good." Eggron nodded.

To be honest, even if he was not a time traveler but the original Roman king, he probably didn’t remember what Napoleon looked like—after all, he was brought to Austria when he was four years old.

"When you draw him, you should try to beautify it, preferably holding a scepter or riding a horse. You should portray him as Jupiter holding a thunderbolt. His expression should be solemn and majestic, but without losing kindness. Enemies kneel down in front of him, remember, there must be no bloody and cruel pictures! We can't remind the peasants of the endless military service, and we have to create a romantic idol instead of a terrifying devil." Aigron continued, "In addition, when I appeared in the picture book, I was portrayed as a child standing next to the god, enjoying his incomparable expectations. Let everyone know that Jupiter gifted me to France, I am destined to bear my life and complete his legacy."

After thinking about it, Aigron added, "I have been away from France for more than ten years, and no French person has really witnessed my growth. This is too fatal...so in order to let the French people know what I am now, your The picture book should be developed step by step, enriching my image little by little around Napoleon, from my childhood to my youth, and I want the farmers to witness my adulthood with God.”

Aigron chattered for a long while, and Edgar listened, dumbfounded.

"Edgar, remember?" Eggron asked.

"...Didn't remember it all, Your Majesty, your speech is a bit fast." Edgar replied with a little embarrassment, "Can you explain in more detail?"