Of course, the storm from Vienna will not reach the island of Monte Cristo, which is thousands of miles away. The young man who was favored by Teresa will certainly not know at this moment what the girl did for him. What a struggle and what a sacrifice.
He has now devoted his whole body and soul to his career, and is watching with joy as everything revolves around him.
On a foggy morning, a smuggling ship passed through the thick fog and secretly docked at the trestle on Monte Cristo Island. Then, Edmond Dantès, Count of Monte Cristo, walked down the cabin with a group of young people who followed him, and once again stood on the earth.
Everyone else looked at the island with surprise, but Edmond Dantès had already focused all his attention on what to do next.
Yes, he is back - that is to say, next he will meet the monarch to whom he is loyal, and then report what he has done during this trip and wait for his evaluation.
Although Edmond Dantès thought he had done a good job, he was still a little nervous.
He has been stepped on in the mud for too long. He was once on the verge of despair and managed to escape. He needs the recognition of others, especially the benefactor who gave him everything he has now.
With an uneasy mood, Edmond Dantès led the group of people along the path to the monastery ruins in the center of the island.
Then, Miss Chanel, the personal maid serving His Majesty, walked up to him with a smile and bowed respectfully.
"Your Excellency, thank you for your hard work."
Although he was indeed very tired, Edmond Dantès couldn't help but relax when he saw the other person's smile.
"Miss, may your Majesty be free now? I'm here to return my message to him."
"Your Majesty already knows that you are back, and he is waiting for you now!" Chanel replied with a smile, then turned sideways, "Please come with me."
Edmond Dantès quickly followed her and walked towards His Majesty's residence.
Chanel knocked gently on the door. "Your Majesty, the count has come to see you."
"Come in." The young man's calm command came from inside.
Chanel didn't hesitate anymore and opened the door directly.
Edmond Dantès walked in and saw the young man sitting behind the desk in the center of the room.
Compared with the last visit, the furnishings of the room have not changed much, but curtains and gauze have been installed in the bedroom next to it, which adds a lot of life style.
He just glanced at it, and then bowed to the young man with fear.
"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Mr. Earl, it really makes me happy to see you again after such a long time." Aigron smiled and nodded to him, "So how did you complete your mission?"
"Your Majesty, I have completed the mission you gave me." Edmond Dantès replied in a low voice.
Then, he took out a bundle that had been tied to his body from his arms, opened it, and handed it to Aiglon with both hands.
Aiglon took the bundle and took out the contents.
This is a large stack of Bank of France banknotes with a face value of 1,000 francs.
Then, under the banknotes, there was another pile of government bonds, some from the French government, but also from Britain and other countries.
Knowing that the journey was far away, Edmond Dantès always paid attention to turning the money he got into the easiest thing to carry while selling his gems.
With the help of the developed and prosperous financial market in Paris, the Count of Monte Cristo, with the help of the Marquis of Treville and others, purchased a large number of government bonds from France, the United Kingdom and other countries. Because the current environment in these countries is relatively stable, the value of these bonds The price and yield are also quite stable and can even be used as cash for discounts at various banks at any time.
Aigron had a clear understanding in his heart - this stack of paper is money that countless ordinary people will never earn in their lifetime.
"The total value of banknotes and public bonds is approximately 875,000 francs." Edmond Dantès spoke again, "Your Majesty, because I have limited time, I can only sell the gems quickly, which affects the price I sell. , it is indeed a pity.”
"No, this is a necessary loss. You have done a good job, even better than I expected." Aigron smiled and nodded to him, "Count of Monte Cristo, you have proven your ability, and you have also proved your ability." Proved that I saw the right person...Thank you."
Although his tone was serious, Edmond Dantès felt his whole body relax at this moment.
He got the recognition he wanted.
But he didn't expect that he could get something more.
"Come here, Edmund." Aigron greeted.
The Count obeyed and walked to the desk.
Then, Aigron pointed to the pile of paper in front of him.
"Okay, now you can take 75,000 francs from this."
"This?" The count was shocked.
"I have long said that I would be satisfied as long as I can get 800,000 francs, and you have exceeded the task, so I decided to give the extra part to you as a reward." Aigron showed a happy smile again Smile, "If you feel sorry, then you can understand it as the activity funds I allocated to you, because I will need you to continue to do similar things next, so you must maintain the character of Count of Monte Cristo, and this It will cost a lot of money... I can't give you tasks while being indifferent to the difficulties you face, so I made this decision. Now, please accept it, you deserve it."
Aigron's words made sense. After hearing this, Count Monte Cristo didn't know how to refuse.
So far, had he ever seen such generous kindness in this world?
How could a person who was destined to become an emperor not be excited when he placed such trust in himself?
After hesitating for a moment, he nodded in agreement.
"In order to better complete your mission, I am very honored to accept your reward, Your Majesty!"
After finishing speaking, he suppressed the excitement on his face, stretched out his hands on the pair of pieces of paper, and then carefully counted out the value of 75,000 francs.
This is your own property.
This was the first fortune he had gotten since leaving the dungeon - and the amount was huge, exceeding the amount that the little sailor could have imagined.
But now Edmond Dantès knows that this is just the beginning, and he can get more things in the future.
Because he was loyal to His Majesty and participated in a great cause...
The reason why Agron is so affectionate to Edmond Dantès is of course not because the other person is his favorite protagonist, but because he acted after careful consideration.
The situation he is currently facing makes him feel the need to establish his own power structure.
The clan (represented by his two cousins), the old masters (represented by the Marquis of Treville and other old officials of the empire and their descendants), and the newcomers he promoted, this is the triangular pyramid of Aiglon's current power.
He is located at the apex of this triangular pyramid, and these three people each have their own resources and power. For his own career, he must rely on these people at the same time, so he must win them over one by one, exert their power, and work hard to avoid them. There was a fierce conflict between them.
In the short term, his cousins and veterans are definitely the most useful. These people have experience and resources and can help immediately to solve his urgent needs in the initial stage. The newcomers are the weakest and have the least resources.
But, from a long-term perspective, he's definitely going to end up focusing on these new guys whose resumes start entirely with him.
The clan holds the family's inheritance rights, which affects his absolute authority; and those imperial patriarchs and their descendants also have a very difficult problem - these people are now princes and princes, and have seen the world. The corresponding desire and appetite are much larger than ordinary people, which is very difficult to satisfy.
How much should he pay to buy them all?
Napoleon spent money like water in order to feed the civilian marshals. Now the descendants of this group of people have become imperial aristocrats. As their horizons have improved, their appetites will also grow. I am afraid that it will be difficult to satisfy the mere rewards.
Therefore, rationally speaking, in the end he can only rely on those new people who were completely promoted by him.
This group of people come from humble backgrounds, and their corresponding wealth is not too high. If they are given a little favor, they will be grateful easily, and because they have no other way out, their loyalty will be higher.
Edmond Dantès, Count of Monte Cristo, was an outstanding representative and the template he was preparing to elaborate - others could look to Edmond Dantès as an example to inspire them to work hard to win and win the peace of Christ. The same grace as the Earl of the Mountain.
Of course, this is a long process. At the moment, he can only face the status quo and work hard to bridge his small team and let them move towards a common goal.
This is not an evil intention, but an issue that an organizational leader must consider - if he wants his organization and his own life to last, he must think about these issues.
These are the things he has studied and thought about since he was a child. Although his methods are still very immature now, he has already understood the basic theories.
He just buried these thoughts deep in his heart, and did not even reveal them to Chanel, who had been serving by his side. Maybe this was the loneliness of the king.
"In addition to money, did you also bring people?" After the count accepted the reward, Aigron asked him again.
"Yes, they have been brought. There are a total of more than a dozen people who have volunteered to serve you. They have all been strictly selected and have experience in military service. They are also very loyal to the empire and to you, and are eager to make contributions." As he said, Ed Mont-Dantes took out another page from his arms and handed it to Aiglon, "This is their list and resume."
Aigron took the page and scanned it roughly.
"The Duke of Elchingen...interesting! Has Ney's son also come to serve me?" Sure enough, he couldn't help laughing when he saw the first name, "Very good, I hope he can help me." , command my army."
After returning from Rome, he was naturally not idle during this period.
His two cousins also purchased arms and recruited manpower through smugglers and various channels. The small island of Monte Cristo has now become much more lively, and Aiglon's small volunteer army has finally begun to take shape.
However, the army does not just become an army by bringing people together. It requires rigorous training and qualified officers, as well as military discipline that cannot be disobeyed.
And these require people with military experience to help him complete and implement them.
Therefore, the people brought to him by the Count of Monte Cristo also gave him great help.
"Where are they now?" Aigron asked.
"They are now in the hall of the monastery, waiting for your reception." Edmond Dantès replied immediately.
"Okay, then you go and notify them first, and I will go to see them right away." Aigron made a gesture.
"Yes!" The count nodded and accepted the order, then bowed again and turned to leave.
After the Count of Monte Cristo left, the door was closed again.
And Aiglon finally stood up from the desk and picked up the baggage that the Earl had just left.
He handed the baggage to Chanel, and Chanel immediately understood. Taking the baggage, he opened the curtain of the room next to him, and then walked into Aigron's bedroom.
Then, she lifted the hem of the sheet, revealing some boxes inside. Then she opened a box that was not yet filled, carefully placed the banknotes and bonds inside, and then closed it again.
In these ordinary-looking boxes, there are handfuls of precious jewels.
Considering that there are more and more people on the island, and the probability of the treasure cave being discovered is also increasing, Aigron certainly does not want to take the risk of being discovered.
Therefore, during these times, he and Chanel have been using the method of moving mice to move all the gold and jewelry in the money box to his own residence, and there is only a damaged iron money box left there, and there is no one left there. One can guess its former glory.
And Aiglon is like a dragon in a fantasy story, sleeping on these jewels every day.
To be honest, this didn't make his sleep quality any better.
"Your Majesty, put it away." Soon, Chanel turned around and came back.
"Thank you, Chanel." Aigron said with a smile.
There is no doubt that Chanel has shared his most important secret right now.
However, he was not worried at all.
He didn't want to play tricks or scheming with Chanel. Chanel, who had been following him and being unreservedly loyal to him, had no guard up in his heart.
This is also his luck - if a person lives in an environment where he plots against everyone all day long, how tiring it would be to live.
How many emperors have fallen into madness because no one can trust them? Aigron didn't want to end up like this.
However, he also understood that there were some words and thoughts that he could not share with Chanel after all.
At this moment, there were several thunders in the distant sky.
Then, the roar of the sea waves also reached his ears.
The storm is coming.
Aigron suddenly felt something in his heart and looked up at the gloomy sky in the distance.
If...if Theresa were here, maybe she would fully understand my situation and considerations, and would accompany me to do this, the boy suddenly thought to himself.
The monarch claims to be a widower, but how can he be a king alone...
Now that two people have made a lifelong agreement, he must consider this based on this premise.
Hope everything goes well for her there.
