Just as Panos Kolokotronis stormed into the National Assembly in a clean and tidy manner and threatened the members to pass the bill, the same coup was quietly taking place at the headquarters of the independent Greek government.
A group of heavily armed soldiers broke into the official residence of the President of Kapodistria. After a brief but fierce exchange of fire, they disarmed the guards and then broke into the president's office.
"You are under arrest, President," the leading officer said to President Capodistria.
"What are you doing?" The president was still in shock and looked at the people in front of him at a loss. "Why do you do this?"
No one paid attention to his question. At the officer's greeting, several soldiers stepped forward, picked him up, and then dragged him out of the official residence.
In desperation, the president could only follow the soldiers away in confusion and horror, and was then escorted to a residential house not far away. Then, he found a person waiting here.
This man was probably in his fifties, with gray hair, but he was still tall and tall. He was wearing a military uniform and looked at him seriously.
Of course he recognized that this man was none other than Theodoros Kolokotronis, the commander-in-chief of the Independence Army.
And he instantly understood what happened.
"Theodoros! Are you crazy?" he couldn't help but asked loudly.
No wonder he was so excited, because the relationship between the two of them was actually not bad on weekdays.
Although President Kapodistria is very pro-Russian and has even served the Tsar for a long time, he himself hopes that Greece can become a republic after independence - but he must always follow the pro-Russian line, and this position of his is also inconsistent with Theodoros and Kolokotronis had the same wishes, so after being released from prison, the two of them cooperated closely and finally maintained the current situation.
Therefore, President Capodistria simply couldn't understand why his commander-in-chief suddenly turned ruthless and launched a coup to arrest him.
"I'm not crazy." When questioned by the president, Theodoros Kolokotronis calmly replied, "Your Excellency, what has happened does not affect your current position. I only hope that you can be exactly Issue a statement appointing me to act on behalf of the country, and at the same time publicly invite His Excellency François Bonaparte to come and assist our country’s cause of independence.”
"Bonaparte!" After hearing this name, the president immediately understood everything, "You are being used by the Bonaparte family!"
Some time ago, envoys from the Bonaparte family had contacted the Greek government. However, he and his cronies sternly rejected the family's offer without any hesitation.
They do not hate this family, but in their view, joining forces with the sunk Bonaparte family will only increase the disgust of the European powers towards the Greek government, and will ultimately harm the country's interests.
However, it seems today that the family did not give up their efforts after being rejected. They found help elsewhere.
"They are taking advantage of us, but so are we." Theodoros Kolokotronis replied. "We can't be too picky now, can we? In this precarious situation, as long as If someone is willing to reach out, we should not refuse.”
"But they obviously have other agendas!" the president retorted loudly, "Do you think they can solve the current problem?"
"It's worth a try at least," Theodorus replied. "We won't suffer any more losses anyway."
"The Tsar will have different opinions." President Capodistria replied, "We have finally won the favor of His Majesty the Tsar, but now if we cooperate with the Bonaparte family, what will he think? Will he? Will you angrily withdraw all aid to us?"
"We have always placed hope on the Tsar, but the Tsar has not saved us yet." Theodoros Kolokotronis replied angrily, "In this case, how can they point fingers at us now? "
Since the outbreak of the Independence War, the Greek Independence Army knew that it was weak and could not resist the pressure of the Turkish Empire, so it focused on seeking external assistance from the beginning.
Internal factions also quarreled over which European power to seek help.
A party was secretly negotiating with France to give the Greek throne to the Duke of Nemours in France; Kolokotronis once formally sent a letter to Russia, proposing to surrender to Russia after independence in exchange for Tsarist assistance; and in 1825 In July, Greek leaders reached a very rare consensus and jointly signed a document that was sent to London shortly after. The document, dated August 1, 1825, stated that "Greece places its sacred freedom, independence and political existence under the absolute protection of the British Empire".
However, these three major powers did not actively respond to the Greeks' request. At first, they firmly opposed Greek independence.
After more than 20 years of bloody baptism by the French Revolution, European countries, which had finally recovered their breath, had a headache every time they heard the word "revolution"; the Holy Alliance, led by the Czar, was even more committed to "maintaining the monarchy" and "maintaining the existing status quo" "European order" is regarded as a rule of heaven that must not be violated.
From this perspective, the Ottoman Turkish Empire, although its rule was decadent and brutal, was still part of a monarchy and part of the European balance of power, so its rule and territory could not be easily touched or changed.
The major powers that destroyed the revolution now have an absolute fascination with the "existing order" that outweighs their hatred of the Turks.
Because of this, the Holy Alliance, headed by Tsar Alexander I, even made a public statement that it would never support the Greek independence movement. This approach also broke the hearts of these Greek leaders.
Although with the death of Tsar Alexander I and other events, Western countries' sympathy for the Greek independence cause has quietly risen, and the policies of various countries have also undergone drastic changes. Even major countries have begun private consultations to adopt a tough approach. Solve the problem between Turkey and Greece - But now, Theodoros Kolokotronis, who is already in a desperate situation, is not willing to wait any longer.
Since the aid from the great powers he dreamed of has yet to come, he would rather accept the olive branch handed over by the Bonaparte family. Even if the olive branch contains some trouble, he can't care about it at the moment.
Ozoros-Kolokotronis’s words left the president speechless.
Indeed, he did not know how to defend his views.
"The Bonaparte family has more enemies than us and they are more difficult to deal with." After a moment of silence, he asked in a low voice, "If the Western powers take drastic action out of anger, how should we face the consequences? "
"No consequences can be stronger than they are now. I don't believe they will send troops to annihilate Greece. They can't do such a thing in terms of public opinion or diplomacy. After all, the Bonaparte family is just volunteering to help us." Ozo Ross-Colokotronis replied, “Using the Bonaparte family, we can attract the attention of the great powers. Perhaps this is a good catalyst that will prompt those great powers that have been hesitant to make up their minds and solve us as soon as possible. Problem here."
President Kapodistria finally understood what the other party was thinking.
Needless to say, the Tsar's hostility to the Bonaparte family, France's current Bourbon royal family, is certainly not willing to see the Bonaparte family causing trouble, and they will have enough motivation to solve the problem as soon as possible.
As for what they will do, no one can predict it.
"You're gambling." He frowned.
"Yes, I am indeed gambling. We have almost lost anyway, why can't we bet bigger? Maybe we will get God's favor for this." Theodoros Kolokotronis nodded, " Okay, Mr. President, please make the statement I requested."
President Kapodistria lowered his head in silence, seeming to be still hesitating.
"Just write and let me take all the responsibility! Who can blame you in this situation?" Theodoros Kolokotronis urged impatiently, "If the situation really comes to the worst So you can naturally put all the blame on me, and you can use me to seek help from the Tsar again."
Now that the words had been made so clear, President Kapodistria no longer hesitated and nodded in agreement.
"I can only wish you good luck." After a pause, he added in a low voice, "I also wish Duke Leichstadt good luck..."
"No, we call him the Master of the Knights of Fontainebleau." Theodoros Kolokotronis corrected his title.
------------------------------------------
While things are changing in the Peloponnese, the little island of Monte Cristo is calm today.
Aiglon took Teresa for a walk on the rocks by the sea.
He said nothing, looking at the sea in the distance from time to time, listening to the sound of the tide lapping against the rocks and splashing around.
Of course he knows what is about to happen in Greece - these days, he has been communicating closely with the men he sent to Greece, guiding them in negotiations, making various honest or false promises, and encouraging Theodoros. -Colokotronis launched a coup as soon as possible to give him an official name.
If everything goes well, within a few days, he will receive a formal invitation from the Greek Parliament and the Greek President, and then he will arrive on Greek soil in a legitimate manner and formally participate in their great independence cause.
At that time, he was the defender of Christians in Greece and even the Balkans, fighting for their freedom and glory with all his strength.
If everything doesn't go well... well, that just means that his efforts during this period have returned to their original point, and he will participate in this war in another way.
This was a critical moment, and it was impossible to say that he was not nervous. However, he had learned the ability to keep his emotions and anger hidden since he was a child, so he could always remain calm, and his words and actions were as usual.
Of course, this kind of calmness can only scare people who rarely see him. The people closest to him can feel his tension at the moment from his slightly strange behavior.
"Your Highness... don't worry, everything will be fine." Amidst the sound of the waves, Theresa gently grabbed Aigron's shoulders, and then whispered to comfort him, "Although I have never seen the Ed you mentioned. Mr. Mont-Dantes, but judging from your usual description, he should be a thoughtful and courageous man, and he will definitely not let down your trust."
"I hope so." Aigron smiled and nodded, "Teresa, I have great confidence in Edmund, but I also know that fate is a very mysterious thing. Even if something is certain, sometimes it is inevitable. Something could go wrong, so I always have some doubts in my mind."
"This is a very good habit. Many people are destroyed by their own arrogance, so only by being vigilant at all times can they continue to win." Teresa also laughed. "You will definitely have more nervous moments than this time in the future, but Your Highness, we will all get through it!"
Teresa's comfort made Agron feel a lot better.
Yes, we have already reached this point, what is the point of worrying so much anymore? It's better to wait patiently for the results. At worst, it won't be worse than what you were a year ago.
When he thought of this, he relaxed, then he faced the blue sea and breathed a long sigh of relief.
"So I'm going to pack my bags. No matter what the outcome is, I'm going! No one can stop me."
"I'm going with you, too," Teresa whispered.
Aiglon withdrew his gaze, and then looked at Teresa worriedly.
Recently, she has been suffering from persistent fever due to cold and acclimatization. Until now, she is still a little weak and has not fully recovered. Aigron didn't want Teresa to have to endure the hardship of a bumpy journey in this situation.
"Teresa, you can wait here." He couldn't help but persuade the other party, "Anyway, after I go there, you can come over at any time."
"No, no." Teresa's reaction was beyond Aigron's imagination. She held the young man's hand tightly and refused to change her mind. "Your Highness, I want to go with you, starting from the first day."
Then, Teresa bit her lip and looked unhappy, "Your Highness, didn't we agree to share weal and woe? In this case, how can there be any reason for you to take risks without me by your side?"
Aigron was shocked to find that this was the first time Teresa insisted on her opinion in front of him so persistently.
This must be very, very important to her.
"It's not that I won't let you go, I just want you to recuperate first, and it won't be too late to come back when your body recovers..." Aigron replied helplessly.
"No, I will recover faster if I am with His Highness." Teresa replied stubbornly, "If I don't see you for a long time, I will feel worried and feel even more uncomfortable in the end... I have experienced this kind of life, and it is much more uncomfortable than a cold and a fever. .Besides, if I'm here, I'll definitely be able to help. Your Highness, just let me go with you..."
Originally, Aigron wanted to persuade her a few more times, but seeing Teresa's insistence, he had no choice but to agree. "Okay...since you insist on insisting, let's do it. But, promise me, you must take care of yourself."
"I will, Your Highness!" Seeing Aigron's concession, Theresa was overjoyed, and a slight blush appeared on her weak and pale face. "For us, I will overcome all obstacles. A mere cold is nothing. ……trust me!"
Then, she leaned into the young man's arms, closed her eyes and quietly enjoyed the moment of peace.
