"As God is my witness, I will give you victory and freedom——"
After listening to the translation, Theodoros-Kolokotronis seemed deeply moved.
"I don't know how much useful knowledge you absorbed when you were raised and educated by Austrians, but I can at least tell that you have developed wit and tenacity. From my experience, these are Quality is necessary to achieve great things, and they cannot be taught, they can only be understood by yourself. I admire you. When I was as young as you, I didn’t even know what I wanted to do, let alone If you really do it! If you have the courage, you will definitely leave your name in history. As for the result? That is God's will. I think as long as you leave a mark in a vigorous way, it will be enough. He’s a hero.”
Of course he knew that this young man would never come to Greece to hoe the strong and help the weak as he said, but that was not important. What was important was that he dared to do it and really did it. They pulled a team over.
Having such courage and determination at such a young age is already amazing in itself.
At his age, it was easy for him to recall his original appearance in front of young people, and when facing this young man, he felt vaguely ashamed.
Just look at what history he will create in the future. If he can really bring independence to Greece, then what's the harm in wishing him the throne in the future?
The way a person fights for himself is always admirable.
But now, do your own thing first.
"I prefer to be a winner than to be a hero." Aigron replied. "The death of a hero may be tragic, but it means that he has accomplished nothing; victory may not be too glorious, but at least the winner writes history. On the other side - surviving is the greatest justice. I am the best example personally. Napoleon is famous all over the world, but when he failed, the price was to die on a deserted island. I had to be imprisoned for more than ten years. No matter how glorious my fame is, how much does it mean to me? In order to prevent my descendants from suffering the same disaster, I would rather do what I should do."
"What you said makes sense." Theodoros Kolokotronis nodded and agreed with the young man's opinion, "We are fighting to survive now. If we fail again, we may have nothing - so, I would like to ask you, to what extent are you willing to support us?"
Aigron knew that with his question, the conversation between the two people had officially entered into the main topic.
During the initial greetings when they met, the two people complimented each other and exchanged their views on life.
Although this beginning cannot be called too cordial, it is at least friendly enough. Aigron believes that he has left a good impression on the other party - at least the other party will not regard him as a young boy, but as a human being. An ally who is equal in intelligence and strategy.
"What kind of support do you need most now?" He didn't immediately confirm the price, but inquired about the other party's price.
"To tell you the truth, we are short of everything right now." Theodoros Kolokotronis replied with a wry smile, "We are short of soldiers, we are short of uniforms, we are short of weapons, but in the final analysis what we are short of most is money. We We were originally a poor country, and the continuous wars have further destroyed our already poor economy. Now we have lost most of our land... To put it simply, we are bankrupt, just because there are still people who are willing to sacrifice for the nation. That’s why we managed to survive. However, this kind of sacrifice and patience has its limits, and I believe we are approaching the limit.”
Theodoros very frankly exposed the dilemma he faced, because he knew that these situations could be seen with a little analysis, and there was no point in concealing it himself. It was better to talk about it openly.
"I understand your current predicament, and I am very willing to help you." Aigron replied with a smile, "I think you already know that when I first came to Greece, I already showed what I have in front of everyone. Huge wealth.”
"Ah, I know, Panos reported it to me from the beginning." Theodoros nodded calmly, "I am very happy that our friend has a large amount of funds, but in the final analysis, it only belongs to you. The money has not been transferred to our accounts, so our current crisis remains the same, we just have a little more hope."
"So how much do you want?" Aigron stopped beating around the bush and asked directly.
"If you calculate it, we immediately need the equivalent of three million francs to pay for our most urgent expenses." Theodoros was obviously prepared for this question and immediately answered the boy's question, "And then We need continuous financial support. If possible, it would be best to give us one million francs every month. If we can get this funding, everything will go much smoother."
After he finished speaking, he immediately stared at the young man, waiting for his answer.
Aigron listened to the other party's request quietly without any change in his expression.
“That’s a lot of money,” he replied calmly. “Fortunately, I can actually afford it—at least for a while.”
He was telling the truth. The wealth he discovered on the island of Monte Cristo was estimated by Alexandre Dumas to be around 40 million francs. At this consumption rate, it could even sustain him three years ago - and he was sure that it would be enough in about one year. There can be a fundamental turn for the better.
One year, plus the upfront investment, that is fifteen million francs, one-third of the property he now owns.
He is not a stingy person with property. Fifteen million francs is a dazzling figure for anyone. It is enough for a person and his descendants to live a wealthy life for several generations, but for To him, it was just a number - besides, he still had 25 million at his disposal, which was huge enough.
It's just...what does he get for paying fifteen million?
"You mean, do you agree with my proposal?" Theodorus asked.
"Wait." Aigron waved his hand to stop the other party. "I think there is a premise that I must explain. Although I have always promised that I will help you, I never said that all this is free, right?"
"I know." Theodoros nodded.
"So, what can I get from this?" Aigron asked the other party, "I know you will thank me, and maybe even my nation will be left in your history books, so that children a hundred years from now will also praise me... But I am a more practical person, and I think these prices are still not enough to exchange for a wealth of more than 10 million francs. I don’t know if you agree with me?"
Aiglon's questions were a bit sharp, but Theodoros was not angry because he knew they were all the truth.
"Of course, I agree with you. Reputation is important, but it is not enough to exchange for such a huge wealth." He nodded calmly, and then continued, "We will not treat your money as a donation, but as a An investment, if we become independent in the future, we will find a way to repay the funds——"
"How to repay it?" Aigron asked again.
It's not that he deliberately made things difficult for the other party, but he knew that Greece had already exhausted its people and money during the years of independence war. Even if it succeeded in independence, it would still be a poor and small country with very difficult finances. If you want to get rid of such an embarrassing situation, Slowly collecting more than 10 million francs of property from the finances to repay himself is almost like a dream.
Under Aigron's aggressive gaze, Theodoros knew that he would not be able to pass this level unless he showed some real sincerity.
He decided to put forward the conditions in his heart in order to get the other party's cooperation.
"We have a lot of silver mines in Mycenae." He no longer hesitated and said directly to the young man, "If we regain the country, these silver mines will become our source of wealth. I plan to set up a special organization to manage these silver mines." Silver mine, and you can send special personnel to participate in this management organization, and withdraw a certain percentage from the income of the silver mine as our repayment, what do you think of this condition?"
Finally came up with the real thing.
After listening to his words, Aigron couldn't help laughing.
He knew that Theodoros did not lie to him. Greece did have silver mines. It was even a very large mining center in ancient times. Although it is no longer what it used to be, there are still many silver mines left, enough to become a huge mining center. financial resources.
However, these silver mines are currently under the control of Turkey. In other words, he has to drive away the Turks first, and then he has the opportunity to get involved in these silver mines as his payment.
It's like he bribed himself with something in the enemy's hands.
This is indeed a smart decision——
"What do you think of this condition?" Theodoros Kolokotronis asked slightly nervously. "I know you may be concerned that these silver mines are not currently in our hands, but this is the wealth we can best produce at the moment -"
"No, I don't feel embarrassed. I think this proposal is good." Aigron suddenly answered. "Then let's take this as a condition."
There is no doubt that the exchange conditions proposed by the other party are not that attractive, but as the other party said, this is the best condition he can get.
He also knew that even if the silver mine was returned to his own hands, he might not be able to get more than fifteen million francs back to pay for it, but so what?
Of course, when thinking of achieving a successful career, one must settle accounts clearly, but nothing can buy victory. For him, cooperation with allies is more important now. As for the wealth of millions of francs, it is nothing more than a prop to him. , as long as the conditions are right, it doesn’t matter if you throw it away.
His goal is to sit on the throne of the richest and most powerful country on the European continent. If he can sit on the throne, he will have countless wealth. Even 120 million francs is nothing more than his own pocket money. It's just money; if his career fails, what's the point of having more money? My life is in vain.
"You mean, you agree to this condition?" Theodoros Kolokotronis was surprised, and then asked.
"Yes, I agree." Aigron nodded without hesitation, confirming his will. "We can sign an agreement for this and spell out this exchange condition."
"I believe in commitments between men, but if you need an agreement to confirm, then I will be more than happy to sign it." Theodoros Kolokotronis agreed immediately.
For him, the biggest obstacle has been removed. As long as he can get such financial support, he can stabilize the morale of his men and get through this difficult time.
In addition, he can also silence the opposition and let them know that his coup is completely conducive to the cause of independence.
"Let's draw up an agreement." Aigron turned to look at Edmond Dantès, who had been translating. "Write the terms clearly."
"Okay, Your Majesty!" Edmond Dantès responded immediately.
He knew better than anyone else the source of His Majesty's huge wealth, and that money almost fell into his hands.
Watching a large part of this wealth being diverted away, it is impossible to say that I feel no regrets, but being able to use this huge wealth for such a great cause, Edmond Dantès I think it's a good use of everything.
Together with Panos Kolokotronis, they quickly drafted a loan agreement in duplicate while discussing with each other, and then sent it back to Aigron and Theodoros Kolokotronis. Two people around.
Aiglon picked up his agreement and walked to the ruins of the ancient theater.
While looking at the reliefs on the ground, he used the ruins of the wall as a table and wrote the signature "François Charles Bonaparte, Master of the Knights of Fontainebleau".
When he got it back, Theodoros had already signed it.
This also means that this agreement has officially come into effect.
"When will you be able to carry out the agreement?" Theodoros asked.
"When I go back, I will immediately ask someone to give the money to Panos, and then it will be at his disposal." Aigron replied immediately.
He knew that he was facing a veteran who had experienced hundreds of battles. There was no point in lying to him. It would only make others look down on him.
So he planned to implement the agreement as soon as he returned so that he could be trusted.
The signing of the agreement means that the biggest and most pressing issue between the two parties has been solved.
There is no doubt that there are still many problems that need to be solved, but he believes that these are no longer obstacles.
Theodoros Kolokotronis was also in a very good mood. He looked at the ancient theater not far away, and then suddenly looked at Aiglon.
"Your enemies are much more powerful than what I have faced. I think you should know how much difficulty you face... I am full of contemporaneity and expectations for you."
"I know that my greatest strength is that I always reflect on myself." Aiglon replied calmly, "But I believe that crushing them will be easier than you think, because fate abandoned them."
