While Edmond Dantès was having a detailed conversation with the bandit leader Isaac Valleolo, thousands of miles away on the island of Monte Cristo, his master was also reading the report he had recently written.
Although Aigron had high hopes for the Count of Monte Cristo's ability from the beginning, he was still very happy that he had made significant progress so quickly.
As Edmond Dantès had hoped, Agron is very pleased with his recent performance.
He has already given many rewards to the other party, and he will give more rewards in the future.
In a very happy mood, he took the letter and walked to Father Faria's room.
On the one hand, he wanted to make Father Faria happy; but on the other hand, he also wanted to discuss the next steps with the priest.
Since receiving the priest's allegiance, Aigron has gradually regarded him as his own think tank, and Father Faria has worked hard to dedicate his wisdom and experience in order to realize his own life wishes and for the future prosperity of his adopted son. , to help His Majesty analyze the situation and make suggestions.
"Good morning, Father." After meeting, Aigron greeted him with a smile.
"Good morning, Your Majesty." Father Faria, half lying on the rocking chair, also greeted the young man with a smile.
Compared to the desolate look he had when he first arrived on the island, he was now much more energetic and his originally pale face was a little more rosy, although the years had inevitably left many marks on his face. There are no traces of it, but it can be clearly seen that his eyes are bright and he has got rid of the death aura wrapped around his body.
It seems that Chanel took good care of him - of course, more importantly, he saw hope for his future life.
"This is the letter Edmund sent recently. Please take a look." Aigron said as he handed the letter to the other party.
"Thank you!" The priest thanked him first, then took the letter with his left hand that could still move, put it on the armrest with difficulty, and then read it carefully.
"Your Majesty, congratulations!" After reading, he raised his head with joy and looked at the young man with a smile on his face. "all the best."
"This is all Edmund's credit." Aigron was still smiling. "According to the description in the letter, he has now found collaborators in the Egyptian army, and has also attracted a group of bandits who are willing to surrender to us. Now I think it’s time for us to take the next step.”
"You are right," the priest agreed.
"Then do you have any opinions now?" Aigron asked.
"First you have to give him some stronger support." Father Faria replied immediately. "He is recruiting collaborators there. Money is important, but the primary reliance is the direct force in his hands. If he cannot let others feel his strength, then it is impossible to join him. And he has already explained it in the letter , he hopes to get support——"
"I agree with this." Aigron nodded. "I will immediately send several reliable officers and some well-trained soldiers to arrive in Greece as an advance team and follow his orders. As his direct force, I will I believe this will be helpful to him.”
"Edmund will not let you down." Father Faria smiled happily, "Then next, I think you'd better get in touch with the Greek Independent Government as soon as possible... And not in Edmund's name, but in your name. In the name of the individual.”
"Why?" Aiglon was a little confused. "I don't mind associating with them, but the current Greek government is weak and divided. Even their president is a Russian agent..."
"Because of this, you should take the initiative to contact them." Father Faria raised his voice, "Think about it, since you came in under the banner of volunteering to help Greece become independent, what if the Greek government knew nothing about it? Isn't that strange? Besides, although they are now divided, in the eyes of the Greeks, this is their government after all, representative, and it is also the existence that you will have to deal with in the future. In this case, you might as well deal with them earlier contact with."
"But what if they clearly refuse my help?" Aigron was still a little worried. "Don't forget, there are many Russian agents among them, and the Russians hate me - if the Greek government makes it clear that it doesn't want me to help them, wouldn't I become the laughing stock of many people?"
This is indeed a barrier in Aigron's heart.
He keeps saying that he wants to save Greece from the fire and organize a volunteer army for this purpose. But if the Greek government publicly says that it has not invited him and does not need his help, revealing his intention to fish in troubled waters, then won't he end up in disgrace?
Therefore, he prefers to lead people to stand on Greek soil first and create a fait accompli. It is best to achieve some meritorious service before contacting the Greek government, so that they will not be able to drive him away again.
However, his opinion was rejected by Father Faria.
"Your Majesty, the danger you mentioned does exist, but you cannot stop doing it just because there is danger." Father Faria shook his head slightly, and then smiled slyly, "And I think that if the Greek government It might actually be a good thing for you to refuse your aid.”
"How do you say this?" Aigron was a little surprised.
"Don't forget, the current Greek government is the product of internal strife. They have a lot of enemies both internally and externally. They have temporarily maintained their position because of the critical situation and the support of the great powers. That's all." Father Faria patiently explained to him, "Their situation is very bad now, and your support at this time is nothing more than providing help in times of need. If they still refuse at this time, even a fool can see that they The decision was made not from the interests of Greece, but from the interests of the Russian Empire..."
The priest's voice became lower and lower, and Aiglon understood Father Faria's hint.
yes! You can do this! An idea flashed in his mind.
"Yes, if they reject me, then we will expose their true colors, denounce them as slaves of the Russian Empire, ignore the safety of the nation, and refuse precious assistance for their own selfish interests when Greece's survival is at stake. I The more heroic they appear and the more credit they have accomplished, the more shameful they will appear and will give their opponents more confidence to overthrow them!”
"You are right." The priest smiled and nodded, with a cowardly expression on his face, "In fact, you can make two preparations, one is to contact the Greek government, and the other is to contact the opposition - that is, you will be defeated in the internal strife. Those rebels, I believe these people will never refuse to use your power to regain their great motherland——"
"By the way, we will overthrow the current government that they hate." Aigron completed the rest of the priest's words, and then couldn't help laughing, "Hahahaha! You are right, if you want to play, play big."
He understood what the priest meant - if this situation really develops and the Greek government refuses his help, then he will simply support the local opposition in Greece, and then overthrow the current independent government in one fell swoop - in this precarious situation Under this situation, those who had failed in the previous internal strife must have been filled with resentment.
He extended an olive branch. If this group of people were unwilling to accept it, then he would simply come to punish the traitors from outside and punish the traitors at home, and re-select a Greek government that suits his wishes.
When he thought of this, his heart was filled with excitement.
However, he also knows that all fantasies that seem full of color require careful practice in the end before they can be implemented on paper.
So he calmed down again.
"Well, let's do this. When I send the advance team there, I will also send my cousin there, let him contact the Greek government as a representative, and then let him contact the Greek opposition secretly." Aigron thought about it in an instant. He came up with the idea, "My cousin is a clever guy. He has the ability to deal with those people well. It would be best to let him be responsible."
"You can do what you want, I think it's good." Father Faria nodded slightly, "But... I suggest you be nicer to his father."
As soon as he heard the priest mention the King of Holland, Aigron's face suddenly fell.
Every time he thought about how his uncle actually ignored the interests of the family, refused to recognize his status as the patriarch and was unwilling to provide him with financial support, his heart was filled with sincere anger and disgust.
He did not get angry in front of the King of the Netherlands, but only made sarcastic remarks and ridiculed him a few times. He was considered to be well-mannered.
"Your Majesty, I know what he did hurt you, and you hate him, which is reasonable. But no matter what, he is your uncle after all, and your attitude towards him will also be reflected in the eyes of others... You You should not be too distant from him, lest your cousins worry about their status and affect their motivation to serve you." When he said this, the priest lowered his voice again, "Especially, after all, Prince Louis He once sat on the throne, had many supporters around him, and now has many friends in the Netherlands, so he is still very useful to you."
What the priest said was indeed true. Prince Louis did have a pretty good reputation in the Netherlands and had extensive connections.
In 1806, he was sent by Napoleon to become the king of the Netherlands. In July of that year, King Louis of the Netherlands imitated Napoleon's practice of establishing the Legion of Honor and formed the "Knights of the Royal Union" (l039ordre royal de l039unn) to attract local people to the Netherlands. The ruling elite, serving themselves,
During his several years of rule, he had been paying attention to maintaining the remaining economic sovereignty of the Netherlands, and even indulged in the smuggling of British goods. Although this was a shameful betrayal in Napoleon's eyes, the Dutch business class was very grateful to him for what he had done for the Netherlands. Do everything.
It was precisely because the two brothers broke up early that Napoleon deposed Louis from the throne. Therefore, in the eyes of the Dutch, this was another sacrifice he made for the Netherlands. Therefore, after the fall of the empire, many people in the upper class of the Netherlands still said good things about him. .
For Aiglon, this goodwill is also a resource that can be used.
Securities traders in Amsterdam could finance his undertaking, and maritime merchants in Rotterdam might also be able to facilitate his smuggling business.
In this sense, it is also valuable to treat Prince Louis well.
Sometimes you need to control your disgust.
"I understand." Thinking of this, Aigron nodded, "I will have a better attitude towards him. Although he is not willing to serve me, I can discuss cooperation with him. If he can contribute enough to me, I don’t mind sharing him a little bit of the profits—but I will never give him a place in the Bonaparte family again.”
"This is your right, Your Majesty." Father Faria smiled slightly.
What he likes most about this young man is that although he is proud, he does not have the arrogant and bad temper of a prince and grandson. He can face the current situation calmly and pragmatically, even if he gets angry, he will not be swayed by temporary emotions, and he has a high level of understanding. With a little help, you can listen to opinions.
This trait requires years of cultivation, and it seems that the rough experiences in his early years gave him a lot of help.
When he thought of this, he found that he couldn't wait to see the prosperity of the Bonaparte family after they returned to the throne.
And this is exactly what he has been working hard for so far.
If that day comes, I will definitely leave a mark in the history books, just like Richelieu, Mazarin, Dubois, Fleury and other cardinals.
What an honor that would be...
The more he thought about it, the more he hoped that this young man would succeed. He carried everyone's hopes on his shoulders.
If ordinary people bear such huge pressure, they will only be crushed, but great people will only use it as motivation and move towards their goals step by step with infinite energy.
"Your Majesty, I have one more thing. I solemnly suggest to you -" he said suddenly with a slight sigh.
"Huh? Please tell me." Aigron was a little strange.
"I am happy to see you fighting for the future of the family, but with all due respect, you have also neglected the most noble and important family obligations."
"Why do you say that?" Aigron was even more surprised. "Did...did I do something wrong?"
"Your mistake is that you did nothing." Father Faria shook his head slightly, "Think about it, you have no brothers or sisters, and you are the only one in the royal family. What a dangerous situation it is? Just a moment. If you are not careful, careerists will take advantage of the situation. Even if there are no careerists, if something unexpected happens to you, your subordinates will be confused and at a loss..."
"What do you want to say?" Aigron probably understood something in his heart.
In fact, they all knew that Napoleon had another illegitimate child, but of course this did not count.
"Your father only got you after he was 40 years old. This situation is intolerable to you. After all, he has several brothers to safeguard this career, but you do not." Father Faria relaxed. In one breath, "Instead of risking life and death, you should open up branches and leaves for the royal family as soon as possible and let the Bonaparte family multiply and grow. Only in this way can the future of the royal family be reliably guaranteed."
"..." Aigron was speechless.
"As your subject, I am not qualified to dictate your private life, but..." The priest hesitated. "You should go and fulfill your sacred duties as soon as possible. In fact, some people have already spread rumors secretly..."
"What rumors?" Aigron asked.
"They think you may...may have a hidden disease, or simply have no interest in women." The priest continued boldly, "Otherwise, the charming Miss Noelle is right next to you, why didn't you take action? What? I can see that she...she is still perfect."
Aiglon's face suddenly turned red.
If there are any rumors, this old guy is obviously doubting it himself!
I really didn't expect that one day I would be suspected of not being a womanizer... Damn it, he didn't think he had abnormal sexual interest, right?
Old man, you don’t know what I did in Austria before!
"You don't have to worry about this. I've always been a normal boy whose mind has been filled with lust." He gritted his teeth and replied, "I just have too many things to do now and no time to be distracted."
