Without any delay, after waking up, Aigron and his group immediately left their temporary shelter and sneaked into the wilderness of the countryside.
The carriage that had brought them here had to be abandoned now, because they would try to cross the Alps next and would no longer need these burdens.
After a night's rest, they had all regained their energy. Although they were all disheveled and in a mess during their wandering escape, everyone was full of fighting spirit at this moment.
This is the last part of the journey. As long as they muster up the courage to persevere, they will achieve perfect success.
They quickly sneaked into the mountain pass.
The mountain roads in the Alps are inherently winding. In order to avoid the sight of border sentries, they had to take more dangerous trails, so the journey was even more difficult.
They walked through the narrow mountain road in a long snake formation, and from time to time they had to use their hands to climb over obstacles. Fortunately, they had a guide (or smuggler) who was familiar with the local conditions, otherwise they would have been lost in this cold mountain range. .
In order to protect Aigron, he was placed in the middle of the crowd, while Chanel followed him.
This is a severe test of physical fitness. Fortunately, Aigron has received strict physical training since he was a child, so he can barely cope with it. He holds a hiking pole and walks on the rugged mountain road while looking around. , observe the surrounding situation.
As for Chanel next to him, it was not so easy - even though she had done a lot of work since she was a child, as a woman, she could not withstand such a harsh physical test, and she had been in the palace for many years. Living there, I have no experience in withstanding the harsh outdoor environment.
Even so, she still gritted her teeth and endured silently, without showing any weakness that would affect the mood of others, and tried hard to keep up with her master's footsteps.
However, the human body has its limits after all. No matter how strong you are mentally, you still cannot defeat objective reality.
After marching for several hours, Chanel felt that her feet were extremely heavy. She tried hard to move forward, but her body fell down.
Just when she was about to fall to the ground, Aigron quickly reached out and supported Chanel.
"Let's take a break," he then ordered to the others, before stopping himself.
Then, he helped Chanel and came to sit on a stone.
Then, he handed a piece of chocolate to Chanel. "Eat a little, Chanel, you need to regain your strength."
"Sorry... Your Majesty... I have caused you trouble." Chanel was moved and ashamed, and almost cried.
"No need to apologize, you have done very well so far, Chanel." Aigron comforted her with a smile. "I'm a little surprised you've managed to hold on until now. Don't worry, we've been fine so far."
Seeing the master's calm smile, Chanel's anxiety immediately disappeared, and she was greatly encouraged by this calmness.
She ate the piece of chocolate, and the sweetness made her weak body recover quickly.
When she sat down to rest, Aigron also walked beside her to take a rest and look at the scenery.
They were currently in the middle of a ridge. They could see the peaks of the Alps when they looked up, and they could see the bottomless valleys when they looked down.
At the moment, the sun shines on these snow-capped peaks, reflecting dazzling colorful light. The rolling peaks are like giant dragons entrenched on the earth, while at the bottom of the valley, translucent mist rises, hazy. You can see the village scenery at the foot of the mountain.
Looking at this magnificent scenery bathed in golden light, Aigron felt like he was standing in heaven overlooking the world.
"This is how the late Emperor crossed the mountain pass and entered Northern Italy." His cousin Louis sighed in a low voice next to him, "Presumably this is what he saw at that time!"
In 1800, Napoleon, who had just launched a coup to dominate France, led his army to take a shortcut across the steep St. Bernard Pass, bravely crossed the Alps, and entered the wealthy Northern Italy. Won a brilliant victory and finally crushed the second anti-French alliance.
In order to commemorate this great expedition, Napoleon asked his royal painter Jacques-Louis David to paint a series of oil paintings "Napoleon Crossing the Alps", which eventually became a classic in art history.
The complacent Napoleon soon ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor in 1804, turning the republic into the empire of the Bonaparte family.
How could he have imagined that in the next ten years the empire would be prosperous and then collapse, and then ten years later, the descendants of this family would dramatically restart this ambitious career!
This time, his successors were on an opposite expedition, crossing the Alps from Austrian territory, but with the same goal - to make the family king again.
How long until this day? Aigron didn't know it, but he believed that as long as he worked tirelessly, one day the imperial eagle flag would fly again in France.
"Louis, when we come to Switzerland, can you send my news to France?" he asked.
"Of course, we have always had communication channels with France." Louis replied, "Although the Bourbon family has been severely suppressing it, we have many sympathizers in the army and ordinary people."
"So, is there an organization?" Aigron asked the most important question.
After all, no matter how many supporters he has, if they are not organized, they are just a mob and will not have much effect.
"There are some organizations...but we don't have many contacts, and I don't know the specific situation." Louis' eyes flickered, and it was obvious that even he was not sure how many useful supporters there were.
"Then, find a way to spread the news to France and ask them to send a few representatives to Switzerland as soon as possible to meet me." Aigron tapped the ground lightly with his hiking stick, making a dull sound. "I want to make my presence known to them as quickly as possible—and to let them know that I am worthy of their loyalty."
"Okay, I will do it as soon as possible." Louis nodded.
After a pause, he began to persuade Aigron again, "But Your Majesty, the news of your escape from Austria must be spreading rapidly throughout Europe at this moment. The French side will be especially nervous, so it will be very difficult for them to come over... So Don’t be discouraged if there aren’t enough people.”
"This is indeed a fact." Aiglon nodded slightly, "However, the loyalty of those who are still willing to come under such circumstances can naturally be guaranteed. I can regard them as the initial fire."
Then, he picked up his hiking pole and pointed at the changing clouds below.
"Louis, although France is temporarily calm now, I think this calm will not last long. The Bourbon family is not respected and loved by the people. It would be fine if they pay as much attention to compromise as Louis XVIII; but now Charles X The King of the World is a die-hard conservative, and he is against all non-aristocratic classes...I think he will never live long. So we need to get active as soon as possible and develop our own organization so that when this dynasty collapses again, Find a way to get what should belong to us..."
Historically, the Bourbon Restoration Dynasty was overthrown by an uprising in 1830 due to the perverse behavior of Charles X, and the Bourbon family's rule in France also completely collapsed. However, the current historical line has changed slightly due to Aigron's various actions, so Aigron cannot accurately predict when the reign of King Charles X will end, but the general trend of history has not changed yet. This king 's rule will inevitably arouse comprehensive confrontation between various classes and the restoration dynasty, and will eventually be overthrown.
Therefore, Aigron could not hesitate. From the first day he escaped, he had to consider how to profit from it.
"What you said is quite in line with my judgment." Louis nodded slightly, deeply agreeing with His Majesty's words, "However, we still have to listen to the judgment of the people in France on what to do. Here I will tell you I would like to recommend the Marquis of Treville - this old general is a very enthusiastic supporter of ours, and his connections are deep enough to become an important helper for us."
"Marquis de Treville?" Aiglon frowned and thought. He felt like he had heard of this name in class. "Is that the cavalry general?"
After a moment, he remembered that the Marquis de Treville was a cavalry general who fought with Napoleon after 1806. He was knighted by his father for his repeated military exploits. He also participated in the unfortunate Russian campaign with him and witnessed it together. The collapse of the empire.
When he was in class, whenever he mentioned this general, the comments were basically that he was brave, good at fighting, and loyal and reliable.
If that's the case...it's indeed worthy of trust.
However, Napoleon had been overthrown for so many years, and countless of his former loyal subordinates had defected to the Bourbon family. Even the marshals and generals who had received countless favors from him, most of them switched their allegiance to the king.
Therefore, he still instinctively had some doubts.
In addition, according to the historical knowledge he learned in heraldry, the Treville family was a very high-level aristocratic family in France. They once had free access to the court of Versailles and were favored by successive kings. Members of such a family , actually loyal to the Bonaparte family? It's really hard to imagine.
"The Marquis de Treville was originally the second son of a duke and had no chance to inherit the title. His Majesty the late Emperor gave him the favor and made him a marquis. He also gave him a large amount of money and land as a reward, so in his heart I have always been grateful to our family." Louis explained to Aiglon in a low voice, "Since the restoration of the Bourbon family, he has refused to be loyal to the king. As a result, he was fined and confiscated a large amount of his family property, but even so, he did not change his political stance. , chose to retire and live in seclusion, I think this is enough to prove his loyalty to the Bonaparte family."
After a pause, Louis added, "I have been to France before and was personally received by the Marquis himself. He expressed his admiration for the late emperor to me, and also personally promised to continue to be loyal to Napoleon II. Your Majesty...so I think he will be overjoyed once he gets the news that you have escaped from Austria."
"Is that so...?" Aigron was probably convinced. "Well, let's focus on inviting this Marquis. I need this kind of capable and prestigious person to serve me. One of these people can be worth a hundred."
"You are absolutely right, Your Majesty!" Louis nodded heavily, "The Treville family is a noble family. Even though the Marquis himself broke with the dynasty, his family's reputation and connections are still there. If nothing else, he Your brother, the Duke of Treville, serves in the dynasty and holds a high position of power. I think the Marquis can gain more support for you through this network of relationships. However, because the two brothers have too different political opinions, they currently have no What kind of contact..."
"Oh?" Aigron was surprised.
It seemed that the situation was more complicated than he imagined.
Two brothers, the older brother is loyal to the king and has prospered, the younger brother is loyal to the Bonaparte family, and would rather live a life of abjection than compromise...
Is the Marquis de Treville's loyalty really so solid? Or is this a ploy to hedge your bets?
But then he thought about it, it didn't matter. Whether this loyalty came from gratitude for the reward, or from the family choice of hedging its bets, at least the Marquis of Treville was worthy of a good win.
He doesn't care whether others serve him for a noble purpose or a despicable purpose, as long as the other person is useful.
He looked again at the magnificent scenery in the distance, and then ended the conversation.
"Okay, let's talk about the rest in detail after we get to Switzerland. It's enough to rest for so long."
Then, he walked to Chanel's side.
"Chanel, are you feeling better? Let's go."
"I'm much better now, Your Majesty, let's go!" Chanel forced herself to stand up unsteadily.
"Let me help you." Aigron held her arm.
"Your Majesty?" Chanel was a little panicked. "Please do not……"
"Your health is very important to me, and I won't allow you to fall down because you are trying to be brave." Aigron said, helping her move forward without any explanation. "If you feel guilty, then continue to be loyal to me from now on."
"Okay... Your Majesty." Chanel was so moved that she almost cried, but she no longer refused, but leaned on her master's arm.
In order not to make the young man work too hard, she tried to muster up her remaining strength and make her steps as steady as possible.
Aigron helped her continue walking through the mountain trails, and sometimes even carried her directly over obstacles.
He valued Chanel so much because she was his only true follower, devoted to him wholeheartedly.
He doesn't like to scheming and scheming with everyone, but he knows in his heart that from now on, his life will most likely be filled with such annoying things.
In this case, Chanel becomes even more precious... After all, I don't want to live in an environment where I am wary of everyone.
In this way, the group of people walked and stopped along the winding paths in the mountains. As time passed, the sky gradually turned from bright to dark.
The wind began to roar violently, and the Alps tore apart their gentle veil and began to reveal their violent side to these travelers.
Aiglon took Chanel and continued to move forward despite the strong wind. The wind mixed with snow particles made his face hurt, and his steps on the snow became more and more solemn.
This was a difficult situation that he had never encountered in his life - he had been enjoying palace life since he was born, even after arriving in Austria. Although his freedom was limited, there was not much difference in living conditions.
But... everything is gone now.
This is the risk you voluntarily take, and this is the price you voluntarily pay.
You can't go back, there's no way out!
With a strong momentum, he gritted his teeth and moved forward without fear.
Just before nightfall, they walked out of the last valley, and suddenly a bright view suddenly opened up in front of them.
Under the hazy night, a small village appeared in front of them.
The village is unprepossessing, even a little shabby, almost indistinguishable from the Austrian village on the other side of the mountain.
But in Aigron's eyes, it seemed to be surrounded by a dazzling halo.
...He has arrived in Switzerland.
The people nearby let out uncontrollable cheers.
But Aigron tried hard to suppress his urge to shout loudly. He knew that it was not the time to cheer yet.
On the snowy ridge, he lifted his cane and raised it high into the air.
Yes, a new world, a free world, here I come!
