In the bright morning light, Aigron opened his eyes.
The wooden frame of the window cuts the sunlight into mottled blocks of color, which are stuck to the bed like colored paper, and the gentle sea breeze blows in from the gaps in the wooden frame, making this morning particularly cool.
Nearly half a month has passed since he arrived in Mesoni. In this small port, the excitement and bustle when Duke Lechstadt first arrived has become history. It has returned to its usual calm, and everything around it has returned to normal. It was all so quiet, except for the chirping of seagulls echoing around the harbor.
Aigron, who was lying on the bed, gradually regained consciousness, and then looked down to see Theresa lying quietly in his arms, still sleeping with her eyes closed.
Strangely enough, although It hadn't been long since Theresa had been with him, he seemed to be used to the time Theresa was by his side.
Maybe they will sleep together like this for many years to come.
Such tranquility and warmth seem to be quite nice?
However, there are too many things waiting for him to do now, and he cannot let himself stop and enjoy this tranquility.
In order not to disturb Teresa, Agron moved very gently, then walked out of the bed, changed his clothes and left the bedroom.
"Good morning, Your Majesty." As soon as she saw him walking out of the door, Chanel, who was waiting outside, immediately saluted him, then came forward and helped him freshen up briefly.
Then, she reported to Aiglon.
"The Count of Monte Cristo wants to see you. Since you are still resting, I asked him to wait outside."
"Okay, let him come to the balcony." Aigron agreed, "bring us some breakfast by the way."
Edmond Dantès, who had been waiting for a long time, finally came to the balcony on the top floor of the hotel under the guidance of Chanel.
Normally, there would always be a few tourists stopping here, chatting and laughing while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the seaside. However, since Aigron came here, the entire hotel has been occupied and blocked, and the balcony on the top floor is only for his use. .
With a little anxiety, Edmond Dantès walked step by step and found that the lord he was loyal to was sitting next to a table. On the table were bread and fruits, as well as the unique Greek Bugasha. Cookies.
"Good morning." Aigron greeted Edmond Dantès with a smile and motioned for him to come next to him.
"Good morning, Your Majesty."
Edmond Dantès bowed obediently to him, and sat down.
"Have you had breakfast?" Aigron asked.
"Not yet," Edmond Dantès replied.
"Then you can have some too -" Aigron directly picked up a piece of cookie and handed it to him, "It tastes pretty good."
Although Aiglon's expression was relaxed and casual, Edmond Dantès did not dare to neglect. He quickly took the Bugasha cookie and ate it one bite at a time.
In his impression, this young man seemed to have never behaved so intimately with any of his subordinates, and this also proved that His Majesty had extraordinary trust in him.
This is what he earned with his own efforts.
"Mr. Earl, do you have any good news for me today?" After eating for a while, Aigron asked with a smile.
"It is indeed good news, Your Majesty." Edmond Dantès put down the cookie and replied seriously, "You gave me the task of secretly contacting the opposition before. I already have a clue - there is a person who is involved in the coup. The brother of one of the arrested officers is very eager to get your help, and he also asked to see you and tell you his role in you face to face."
"Want to see me?" Aigron laughed dumbly, "No, this is not possible. Edmund, I will leave all this matter to you. I can't come forward, and I can't leave any excuse for betraying my allies, at least for now. cannot."
"Okay, I understand." Edmond Dantès nodded, "Then I reject his request."
"Don't say it too harshly, we need more friends - you can continue to keep in touch with him. If you need money, I can give him a little money, as long as we continue to make him feel that there is hope for our help. Okay." Aigron continued his instructions, "Edmund, I now want a backup method that can change positions at any time, but since it is a back-up method, it means that I will only use it when needed in the future. , For now, Kolokotronis and his son are still our best friends, and there is no need for us to abandon them."
For Aigron, contacting the opposition of Kolokotronis is to maintain his initiative. However, it is far from the time to fall out. At least for now, the opponent is still cooperating with him, so this move is secretive. Chess can only be placed in a dark place.
"How many Greeks are there who are secretly asking you to surrender?" Aiglon ate a piece of bread, and then looked at Edmond Dantès.
"More than expected." Edmond Dantès immediately replied, "I have to say that your performance was very successful. Now everyone knows that as long as they devote themselves to your service, there will be endless money. remuneration, so they were very enthusiastic.”
"I've known for a long time that money is more effective than any righteous speech." Eggron laughed sarcastically.
After gaining an in-depth understanding of the actual situation of the various factions in Greece fighting among themselves, Aiglon knew that talking about national justice to these people was tantamount to asking for fish in a tree, so he showed off his wealth from the first day he came here.
Since money can impress them the most, he simply uses money to open the way.
And since he showed his huge wealth in front of everyone that day, it immediately caused an uproar, and many people immediately conveyed their desire to join Aigron in various ways.
In a short period of time, Aiglon's team has grown in a way that is visible to the naked eye.
However, Aigron did not accept all the Greeks who came over, but strictly restricted the scale of recruitment.
On the one hand, this is to fulfill the promise he made to Panos Colokotronis and not to steal people from them; but the more important reason is that he must maintain the current command structure of the Knights and cannot let his army outnumber the number. As it expanded, it turned into a rabble.
Isaac Valleolo, the former bandit leader, was regarded by Aigron as a role model and was personally absorbed into his knights. However, Aigron could not completely trust this person who joined halfway, so he took Isaac - Valleolo and his men were organized under the command of Michel Ney, Duke of Elchingen, who took personal command.
Because of the language barrier, it is currently difficult for his officers to communicate with the Greeks who have defected, and they can only issue simple orders. Although they are already making up for the local language, they still want to convert the number of people into combat power. need some time.
One can imagine how difficult it would be to digest it if large-scale recruitment was carried out again.
Aigron himself knew in his heart that the Greeks he recruited were just for show, and were no different from mercenaries. The only people he could really rely on were the loyalty of those old friends of the empire who defected to him because of the surname "Bonaparte". It doesn't just come from money, but from ideals and political stances. Their cohesion is much stronger.
Therefore, he also deliberately ordered the Marquis of Treville in France to continue recruiting Bonapartists with military experience for him.
Thinking about it, now that he has made a name for himself, his appeal will be greater than before. Those old officers and soldiers who still miss the empire will definitely be inspired by his courage and righteous deeds, and try their best to come to Greece. Run to him.
It's a pity that General Treville himself can't come over, otherwise he could save himself a lot of trouble.
His plan is to use the Bonapartists as the backbone, and then recruit some locals in proportion. Each time the team expands, he will recruit local armed forces in the same proportion. Only in this way can he maintain the effectiveness of his command and prevent him from losing control.
As time passed, his need to expand his strength became more and more urgent, and he became more and more eager to get support from France.
However, in front of everyone, he had to maintain a calm and confident image, so he did not show his anxiety.
Come on, I need you!
"Your Highness!" Just as he was reciting silently in his heart, a greeting suddenly came from the stairs of the balcony.
Aigron looked around and saw Teresa standing there with a smile on her face.
"Teresa, are you awake?" Aigron put down the distracting thoughts in his heart, then smiled and nodded.
"Yes, your highness, and Mr. Count, good morning to you." Teresa smiled as she walked in front of the two people, then bowed to greet them.
Edmond Dantès stood up immediately and saluted her respectfully.
"Sir, you don't have to be so restrained." Teresa smiled and said to Edmond Dantès, "Aiglon and I both regard you as a friend."
Then she naturally sat next to Aigron and shared breakfast with him.
Although Agron hid Theresa's specific identity, he had no intention of concealing her existence. In fact, on the first day he came to stay here, the visiting guests knew that besides the maid, there were many other people around him. There is also a girl.
Of course, no one was surprised by this. After all, given her status as a young person, it was normal for her to have a lover accompanying her at a young age, and no one was bored enough to ask her about her identity.
Panos Colokotronis naturally saw Teresa's existence. Although he did not know her specific identity, he could clearly see that she was the favorite of this young man. The weight in people's hearts is certainly not trivial.
Therefore, he was also very polite to Teresa to please his allies.
Teresa quite enjoys this kind of courtesy, but she has been treated respectfully since she was a child, and subconsciously she has taken it for granted, so she is not grateful or flattered.
For her, Aiglon's arrangement saved her a lot of trouble, so that she didn't have to work up her energy to deal with these Greeks.
"I'm sorry that I disturbed your meeting." Teresa smiled sheepishly, "Please go ahead and just pretend I didn't come."
"I have already finished what I want to report." Edmond Dantès quickly replied, "Does your Majesty have any other instructions for me?"
"There's one more thing." Aigron replied unhurriedly, "Go and contact Panos Colokotronis and tell him that I want to meet with his father to discuss our respective futures. action. If he doesn't mind, we can meet in Sparta as soon as possible."
Edmond Dantès was slightly shocked, but he quickly calmed down.
He didn't raise any questions and immediately nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'll inform him of your proposal right away!"
After arriving in Greece, Aigron deliberately temporarily ignored his allies and refused to meet Theodoros Colokotronis. This was partly to retaliate against their previous threats to him; but most importantly, The purpose is also to raise one's self-esteem and let the other party know that he is definitely not a fool who wants to take whatever he wants.
However, in the final analysis, the two sides are still allies, and there must be a spirit of cooperation. Therefore, after delaying for so long, Aigron felt that the time was almost enough, so he took the initiative to propose a meeting.
With the identities of both parties, whether it was Aigron who took the initiative to ask to see him, or he who took the initiative to ask to see Aigron, it seemed a bit inappropriate, so Aigron proposed that the two of them meet in Sparta, in the middle of where they were - In this way, no one will have to compromise.
What's more, the place name "Sparta" also has full historical significance.
This powerful, brutal yet great city-state once resisted the invading Persian army with its fearless courage, which is very in line with the current common aspirations of both sides.
So Aigron made this suggestion.
——Whether it is for publicity or his personal hobby, he likes to give his actions a layer of historical significance.
He believed that after receiving his proposal, Theodoros Kolokotronis would also be very happy to see him, because now only from himself can he get the much-needed support.
Edmond Dantès immediately followed the order and left, leaving Agron and Theresa alone on the balcony.
Theresa was eating breakfast while looking at the sea and sky in the distance.
"What are you thinking about? Teresa?" Aigron couldn't help but ask.
"If you count the time, Mom should have received my letter by now." Teresa replied with a little emotion, "I think Mom must be willing to say a few nice words for me... Hey, if my father is willing to say a few words, In one sentence, that would be perfect. But I think he would not speak on such a matter..."
Teresa grew up by her father's side. Of course, she knew her father's character well. Although her father was willing to accommodate her on most issues, he would never harm her on issues related to the country. of national interest.
So she had no hope from the beginning.
At this moment, she felt a warm touch on the back of her hand. Then, she raised her head and looked at the young man's smiling and confident expression.
"If he doesn't want to give me credit, it doesn't matter, I will win."
