After witnessing the "major progress" he had longed for, Aigron began to order his army to continue the attack. He already believed that he had a chance of victory and had to overwhelm the defenders of the fortress in one go.
So, on the next day, after emergency deployment in the morning, his army launched an attack again, and with much the same courage as yesterday, they attacked desperately along the defense line that had torn several gaps to compress the enemy's army. front.
And this time, the confidence and morale of the officers and soldiers are even higher from top to bottom, because everyone already knows that the fortress has suffered heavy losses, and the resources they relied on to resist have also suffered heavy losses, so as long as they work harder, they will definitely be able to Overwhelm your opponent.
The frustration that once permeated the entire army has been wiped away overnight. Now everyone is full of confidence and vows to continue to fight this battle to the end.
Under their continuous attacks, the defenders' lines began to falter, with more and more areas being breached, and with the shortage of military supplies, the situation became increasingly desperate.
In this way, the sound of fighting around the Mesolonghion Fortress was almost constant. The God of Death patrolled here with satisfaction, harvesting the long-awaited food.
Only the sound of the waves of the sea remains, indifferently facing the never-ending struggle of human beings, with the ups and downs of the tide constantly beating the land, recording the passage of time.
Amidst the push of the waves, a small boat between the sandbanks was also swaying slightly, and Edmond Dantès in the cabin finally opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry at first, but slowly focused, and finally the blue sky and blue sea came into view.
I...where is this...?
There was a moment of confusion in his mind.
"Ah..." Then, he moaned involuntarily.
With the pain coming from the wounds everywhere, Edmond Dantès finally regained his consciousness.
Yes... I successfully carried out my mission and escaped from Mesolongion.
So, what's going on there now?
Edmond Dantes immediately focused his attention here.
He endured the pain, then reluctantly raised his body, and then looked at the Mesolongion Fortress in the distance.
He saw the smoke and dust rising from there, as well as the constant roars and gunshots.
It seems that His Majesty did not waste the opportunity, he is already launching an attack.
Judging from what he saw and experienced last night, the blow inside the fortress was very heavy. Edmond Dantès believed that as long as he continued to attack, it would not be long before the defenders would run out of ammunition and food - that is to say , victory is coming.
Great...I have completed the task assigned by His Majesty.
He had mixed feelings for a moment.
Although Hilos and all his other subordinates did not come back alive, he paid a heavy price for his mission. When he thought of this, the ecstasy brought by victory was diluted a lot.
But this was originally a near-death mission. Everyone had already made the appropriate awareness before the action began. His Majesty and himself had never deceived anyone - they embarked on the journey with the determination to die.
Judging from the results, they exchanged their lives for the road to victory, which can be said to be a well-deserved death.
Edmond Dantès recalled each person's face, and then made the sign of the cross again, silently mourning for them who had become heroic spirits.
Then he returned his attention to his situation.
His current physical condition is very bad. In addition to being injured, he is also hungry.
He hadn't eaten for a day since last night, not to mention that last night's actions had exhausted all his energy, so naturally, he now felt extremely hungry in his belly.
Various wounds ached on his skin, and hunger made his stomach twitch. The pain inside and outside made him so uncomfortable that he wondered how he had fallen asleep before.
But no matter what, he at least saved his life.
His Majesty is still waiting for him to go back.
The most important thing now is to restore physical strength first.
He reluctantly pulled himself together, climbed up from the cabin, then walked to the middle of the cabin and opened a box - before taking action, they had already considered the situation of returning, so they deliberately prepared a large amount of food in the boat. So that it can be used when the time comes.
After Edmond Dantès opened the box, the pancakes stuffed inside immediately appeared in front of him.
Looking at the pile of pancakes inside, Edmond Dantès's first reaction was not to pick it up and eat it, but to burst into tears.
This was originally enough food for dozens of people...
Then, he wiped away his tears, picked up a few pancakes, and gnawed them.
He quickly ate these pancakes, and as the food churned in his stomach, he felt that his limbs had regained strength.
Then, he checked his body. Although the wound on his body was still hurting, he was not fatally injured. Moreover, due to the rest last night, the wound had basically stopped bleeding naturally, so the damage was not serious.
He stood there, letting his stomach digest the food, then walked back to the helm.
He tried to start the sailboat, but because it had run aground, the boat had stopped at the edge of the muddy sandbar and could not sail at all.
In desperation, he could only step off the boat, then picked up his pistol and stood on the small sandbar.
Crossing the dense sandbanks around him, he looked in the direction of Aiglon's army.
Although he was not sure, he believed that after his operation was successful, His Majesty would definitely send a search team to find traces of people like him. He would not forget these subordinates who had made great contributions.
He looked towards the east where his own army was stationed.
Sure enough, as he expected, there were several small boats wandering around outside the sandbar.
He didn't know if these ships were sent by His Majesty, but in this situation, he might as well give it a try.
So, he directly picked up the pistol and fired into the sky.
After hearing the gunshots, the boats immediately approached the sandbar here.
However, due to the turbulence, they could only stay at the edge of the sandbar, but there were already people on the boat waving the flag of the Knights.
After seeing the flag, Edmond Dantès no longer doubted that this was the search party sent by His Majesty.
He knew that these small boats could not travel between the sandbars, but at this time, he could rely on himself.
After regaining his strength, he took off his shirt regardless of the pain from his wound, then jumped into the sea and swam towards the east.
He has been a sailor for many years, and his water quality is naturally excellent. However, the undercurrents between the sandbars made it difficult to swim. Moreover, during the swimming process, the wounds on his body burst open again, and the seawater soaked these wounds, causing him great pain. He bared his teeth and almost lost control of his body.
Fortunately, with his strong will, he finally got out of the sandbar. At this time, the boat also circled around him and approached him quickly.
The distance between the two sides became closer and closer, and Edmond Dantès finally touched the edge of the boat. At this time, the man above also threw down the rope. He grabbed the rope and was quickly pulled up.
The moment he just returned to the boat, he almost fainted due to exhaustion, but his mood was extremely comfortable - because he knew that he had successfully completed the mission and returned to the team successfully.
He closed his eyes in contentment.
==============================
After learning the news that Edmond Dantès had been rescued, Aiglon was overjoyed, and immediately went to the place where the Count of Monte Cristo rested to visit him.
He saw Edmond Dantès lying on a camp bed, naked to the waist, and his muscular body was covered with various wounds, which were enough to show what he had experienced before.
"Your Majesty!" As soon as he saw Aigron, Edmond Dantes saluted him immediately, "Thank God, I finally came back to see you."
"I'm glad to see you again, Edmund." Aigron looked at him gratefully, and then made a gesture to indicate that he didn't need to be polite. "What you need most now is to have a good rest and don't be formal."
Then, he thanked the other party again, "Edmund, you have completed the task I assigned you and also fulfilled everyone's expectations... It is difficult for me to describe my gratitude to you in words. No matter what, you You will surely become a role model for all soldiers in the army, and your heroic deeds will be remembered forever."
"There is someone more worthy of immortality than I," replied Edmond Dantès.
Then, he told Aigron all the details of his actions and Hilos's volunteering.
"The real heroes have been laid to rest in the fortress forever, but I was lucky enough to come back alive." Edmond Dantes said with a hint of guilt, "For the victory, they all generously gave their lives. I I am honored to have had the opportunity to stand with them.”
"They are heroes, and so are you." Aigron comforted Edmund in a low voice, "Hilos' self-sacrifice is enough to prove the nobility of his revenge, but this will not detract from your glory. As the commander-in-chief of the operation, , I have done a good enough job, I can’t imagine what the final result of all this would be without you..."
Edmond Dantès wanted to say something more, but Aiglon raised his hand to stop him, "Okay, don't be so humble anymore. As the leader of the entire army, and as a person with some brains, I will naturally know. How should we judge——"
Then, he fell into a brief silence, as if thinking about how to arrange the aftermath.
"Although no one else comes back except you, the promise I made will naturally be fulfilled. I will reward them according to their merits and give the money promised to them to their designated heirs. I will pay this money immediately. Dial it, and leave this matter to you, Edmund."
"No one is more suitable than me." Edmond Dantes agreed immediately.
Aiglon had agreed upon the reward in advance - thirty thousand francs per person, and allowed heirs to be designated in advance.
Now that the operation was successful, he naturally had to fulfill his promise and could not owe the heroes who died for him.
For Edmond Dantès, this was the last thing he could do for the subordinates he chose.
After saying this, the camp fell into silence again, and both of them were obviously a little sad.
After a moment, Aigron spoke again.
"Edmund, no one in the world has more confidence in you than me, and you have proven that you have lived up to my expectations... I thought about rewarding you before, but you refused. You insisted that you owed As for me...well, I will grant your wish and I will not reward you this time. However, I ask you to remember that our journey is still far away, and there are still many, many opportunities for you to make meritorious deeds for me. , I will reward you heavily, I want you to get the honor and respect you deserve, and you will have a share in the career I have built."
After saying these words affectionately, he stretched out his hand and placed it on Edmond Dantes' chest.
Although he was in pain, Edmond Dantes raised his right hand slightly with a solemn expression, and then held the young man's hand.
This was not the first time they shook hands, but this time they shook hands, and there seemed to be a friendship that went beyond the status of monarch and minister.
Indeed, they trust each other, and they both confirm that there will be a Cotai Strip waiting for them to go through it together in the future.
"Okay, you can have a good rest first. I won't disturb you anymore." After shaking hands, Aigron bowed his head slightly and said goodbye. "You don't have any tasks now, so you can rest peacefully. Your things have been perfected. It’s time to call it a day, let’s see how we perform next.”
"Your Majesty...what's the current situation in Mesolonghion?" Edmond Dantès was still a little concerned about the war, so he asked.
Aigron was stunned for a moment, and then truthfully explained his plan to him.
"Are you going to persuade them to surrender?" Edmund asked after hearing this.
"Yes, considering the current situation of our army, this is necessary." Aigron replied.
Edmond Dantes blinked.
His heart throbbed a little, but his reason told him that this was indeed the most practical judgment - when victory was in sight, His Majesty needed to preserve his strength.
However, if Hilos was still here, he would not be willing to easily spare these enemies who took away his hometown and family.
He wanted to cry for a moment, he wanted to do more for Hilos.
"You...can you erect a monument to Hilos and the other victims? Just within Messolonghion, let these Turks build it for them after they surrender and pay tribute to them." After a moment, E Demond Dantès asked in a low voice. "Your Majesty, I know this may be a bit extraneous, but in order to satisfy his spirit in heaven, I ask you..."
Aiglon was slightly surprised.
He didn't like others to question his decisions, but... Edmond Dantès today was qualified to impose conditions on him.
"Okay, I promise you, this clause must be included in the peace treaty." He agreed without thinking.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Edmond Dantès closed his eyes with satisfaction, "I will also go to pay tribute, and by the way, I will take the orphans he cares about most."
