As the sun rises from the eastern continent, the small island of Monte Cristo welcomes a new morning.
As usual, the soldiers on the island began to assemble into a team under the leadership of their officers.
And Aigron also made a special trip to review them today to see their recent training results.
After learning that His Majesty the Emperor would come in person, soldiers in black military uniforms lined up tightly in a square formation on the open space by the seaside. Then they held their heads high and welcomed His Majesty's review with the most energetic attitude.
Although it was a hot summer day and the blazing sunshine made everyone sweat on their foreheads, everyone remained motionless and looked ahead quietly.
Although there is a reddish-brown rock under their feet, at this moment they are like a black jungle, covering the rock, and their faces are as serious as the rock.
Aigron, who was also wearing a black military uniform, stood in front of the crowd and looked at the soldiers in front of him with satisfaction.
This is the wealth he finally accumulated after a lot of hard work.
With the help of the Marquis de Treville, he attracted these followers with military experience from France, and then won them over by making them honorary knights. Under the training of these honorary knights, his army gradually took shape. .
And this is exactly the result he wants to see.
Although these assets are still insignificant now, he believes that given time, the seeds sown now will take root and sprout, and eventually he will have a towering tree that can sustain the entire empire.
"salute!"
At this moment, under the officer's loud command, the soldiers raised their flintlock rifles in unison, and the jungle of bayonets shone with blazing light.
Aiglon looked at the solemn scene in front of him calmly. Now he was used to being watched by everyone.
He raised his hand, calmly took off the bicorn hat on his head, and then waved it gently.
"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
Following his gesture, the silence on the beach was broken by neat and loud slogans.
Aiglon smiled and nodded, then shouted. "Long live victory!"
Then, he put the hat back on his head, and then walked away surrounded by the guards around him.
With the help of the details of this daily interaction, he has subconsciously established a habit that allows these officers and soldiers to subconsciously accept his authority.
So far, it's working pretty well.
So...it's time to take the next step.
Aigron raised his head and looked at the boundless sea in the distance.
After all, the small Monte Cristo Island cannot accommodate itself, and it also limits the size of its organization. At present, only a few hundred people have already crowded the island, and it is time to rush to a new world.
When the young man left with satisfaction, Andre Davout, a member of the guard next to him, also followed him and looked at the young man's back with great respect.
He came to the Island of Monte Cristo with full enthusiasm and hope, and after arriving on the island, he was happy to find that his hope had not been disappointed. His Majesty Napoleon II was indeed enough to shoulder the important task of reviving the empire.
Although he is young now, he has enough personal charm and brains to rule them. He firmly believes that His Majesty will receive God's favor, overthrow the unpopular Bourbon royal family, and let the empire stand on the land of France again.
"Andre." Just when he was still thinking, the young man in front of him suddenly stopped and called his name.
"Your Majesty!" Andre Davout quickly stopped and stood up straight to listen to the order. "What are your orders?"
"You have been on the island for a while, and I think you have seen almost everything you should see... I want to ask you, do you have confidence? After all, we will face enemies that are much larger than us next." Eggron asked.
"I have absolute confidence, Your Majesty." Andre Davout immediately replied loudly, "Our cause is absolutely just, while our opponents are torn apart, corrupt and chaotic. As long as we are full of enthusiasm and move forward indomitably, God will definitely take care of us. , and you will be invincible.”
"Okay, you are talking about these words for other people. There are just two of us here. I want to hear your true thoughts." Aigron interrupted him with a smile, "If you are really like this If you are a reckless man with nothing but passion, then I have to re-evaluate my opinion of you."
"Sorry, Your Majesty, I shouldn't sing high-pitched words." Andre Davout laughed sheepishly. "However, I am not exaggerating too much. The lack of numbers is indeed our fatal weakness, but our spiritual unity and stronger fighting will can make up for this weakness to a certain extent. What's more, you also have dual appeal: you are both When you are fighting for the Bonaparte family, you are also fighting for God. So I think you should avoid a decisive battle when you arrive in Greece, and use small-scale harassment to delay time until you have attracted enough supporters and judged that your strength is sufficient. , you attack decisively and defeat your opponent in one fell swoop.”
"That's true. It seems that you are indeed enough to assist me in my work." Aigron finally nodded with satisfaction.
Yes, both logically and realistically, this is the most reasonable approach if he wants to win.
Although he now has some chips, these chips are still too weak compared to his opponents. Although his supporters have strong potential energy, there is nothing he can do until these potential energies are stimulated. Use them all.
Therefore, he must take risks while being cautious at the same time, and strive to preserve and strengthen himself by all means.
And this is not without precedent.
In 1688, the Glorious Revolution occurred in the UK. The British Parliament invited Prince William of Orange, who was in power in the Netherlands, to come to the UK with his troops and together with his wife Princess Mary overthrew the throne of his father-in-law James II. King James II was forced to bring His family fled England in panic and took refuge in continental Europe.
His descendants did not forget their lost crown, and the Stuart family sought restoration in the following decades.
James II's son James Francis Edward Stuart and grandson Charles Edward Stuart became the leaders of the Jacobites.
King James II died in 1701, and in the following decades, his sons and grandsons continued to seek to restore the throne, even with the help of foreign funds and power.
In 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, with the support of France, raised funds to acquire two ships, and then on July 23, he took the two ships to Elishkai, Scotland.
With the support of the Jacobites in Scotland, His Royal Highness achieved immediate and brilliant success and quickly raised a loyal army. On September 21, Charles defeated the British government forces at the Battle of Prestonpans. In November, Charles captured Carlisle and moved south to Derbyshire in England.
However, at the Battle of Culloden Moor on April 16, 1746, Charles's Restoration Army was unfortunately defeated by the British government troops. Almost the entire army was destroyed and had to flee in panic.
Next, the unlucky prince had to escape in Scotland to avoid being pursued by the British government. Finally, he disguised himself as a maid, boarded a French ship, and returned to France in September 1746. And his escape also ruined the last hope of the restoration of the Stuart dynasty, and the cause of the pretender to the throne also declared complete failure.
It is common for pretenders to the throne to go outside the country to stir up troubles, or even use foreign forces to counterattack.
The fate of Prince Charles served as a warning to Agron and taught him a lesson.
He has many supporters, but after all, the empire has been destroyed, and these people can only be reduced to opposition parties and are short of resources. Therefore, he must cherish his small capital. When his strength and reputation are not enough, he will never do anything to defeat the stone with an egg. He would rather gain more chips at a lower cost, and then wait until the chips are enough. Give it a try.
This means that he must be at his best both politically and militarily.
If it is Aiglon alone, of course it is impossible to be perfect in all aspects at the same time, but if there are loyal and thoughtful people like Father Faria, Edmond Dantès and Andre Davout, If he had a counselor around him at all times and a group of ambitious and capable people to carry it out, he would have the confidence to give it a try.
From this point of view, Greece is a good touchstone, enough for him to slowly temper himself and the team around him.
In this process, he must get along with his senior advisers and confidants and have absolute trust in each other. Only in this way can he unleash all the capabilities of his small team and achieve his goals.
This kind of dialogue is also essential communication and running-in.
Unknowingly, the two people were talking and walking back to Aigron's residence.
"Your Majesty!" As soon as she saw the young man coming back, the maid Chanel immediately put down her work and stood in front of Aiglon.
"Thank you for your hard work, Chanel." Aigron smiled and nodded towards her.
Then he took off his hat, and Chanel immediately took it and put it on the shelf next to him.
Then she took out her handkerchief and carefully wiped the sweat stains on the young man's forehead.
Seeing the intimacy between the two people, Andre Davout looked calm and completely unsurprised.
From the first day on the island, Andre Davout was told face to face by the young man that his relationship with Miss Chanel Noel was unusual.
Moreover, he has been working as a guard beside His Majesty these days, and he has long seen that the relationship between master and servant has gone beyond an ordinary relationship.
However, he didn't find it strange.
Your Majesty is young after all, so it's normal for him to be a bit romantic.
In his observation, the young man's harmless hobby did not affect his judgment and ability to act, nor did it affect his ability to exert his authority.
And this is enough, other things are not issues that he needs to care about.
In a sense, Miss Noel is so loyal and enthusiastic about restoring the empire. It is a good thing for His Majesty to be influenced by her and he will always be inspired by her.
So Andre Davout quietly gave a military salute to Aiglon, and then exited the room as quietly as possible.
After he left, Chanel continued to wipe Aigron's forehead, and Aiglon held Chanel in his arms.
Since the two of them crossed that boundary, he has lost a lot of taboos in his heart.
Although he was a little entangled before and didn't want Chanel's pure heart to be stained, but now that it has been like this, there is no need to be entangled anymore, it is better to enjoy the time together.
Maybe this is what Chanel wants to pursue.
Just as he was thinking this, Shanel's face seemed to be getting closer and closer to him.
He unconsciously moved his face towards Chanel, wanting to kiss Chanel. Chanel seemed to have felt his actions, but did not show any resistance. She just lowered her eyes slightly, waiting for what would happen next. Things that happened.
Summer is always a time full of hormones.
Just when his lips were about to touch Chanel's face, there was an annoying light sound outside the door.
"Who is it?" Aigron stopped and asked unhappily.
"It's me, Your Majesty! I have something to tell you."
This is Charlie's voice.
Hearing that it was his cousin, Aigron had to suppress his unhappiness a little.
"What's wrong? I have something to do now." he asked.
"I have something very important to tell you." Charlie still insisted on his request.
It seems like something really important.
Aigron smiled helplessly, then let go of his hand, and Chanel stood up with a blush on her face, then walked to the door and opened the door for Charlie.
"What happened again, my cousin?" After he came in, Aigron shrugged, and then made a joke, "Isn't it because we have another uninvited guest?"
"You are right, Your Majesty." Unexpectedly, Charlie nodded and confirmed. "That man calls himself Captain Foresty..."
"What?" Aiglon was shocked.
"...He also claims to be the representative of Princess Theresa and wants to see you to prepare for the arrival of Her Royal Highness the Princess." Charlie continued.
Although he maintained his composure, he looked just as shocked as Agron. "Your Majesty, what is going on?"
Aiglon and Chanel looked at each other.
Then, he covered his face in embarrassment.
"Okay, I understand, you go out first, I'll go see him right away." He said covering his face.
"Okay." Charlie didn't ask any questions, nodded, and then exited the room. But at the end, he glanced at the maid secretly, as if confirming something.
After he left, the room fell into dead silence again.
"It's so fast? Didn't we agree to meet in Greece..." After a moment, Aigron whispered to himself.
"Maybe... I miss you too much, so I would rather come first." Chanel replied in a low voice. "It's not that I can't understand Her Highness the Princess's thoughts."
"What do you mean?" Aigron was a little confused.
"On your way forward, she doesn't want to be a bystander, but would rather be a witness, so she hopes to share the difficulties with you." Chanel lowered her head and replied, "Although it is a bit presumptuous to say this, if it were me, I would You will do the same, Your Majesty."
"Really..." Aigron sighed.
Although what Chanel said was just a guess, it should be true.
So, what did he do just now... He shook his head slightly distressed.
