Sophie's gift from afar made Aigron feel ashamed and painful. He clearly knew that Sophie's current situation was all caused by him, and the damage that had been caused was irreparable.
The daughter he got in joy, Crystal, was also trapped in the darkness at birth because of him.
Everything that has happened cannot be changed, but the future can be changed. He must create a future that can make them smile again. Only in this way can he make up for the mistakes he has made.
After a burst of intense emotions, Aigron quickly regained control of himself. The indifference he had been trained since childhood allowed him to quickly strip the negative emotions out of his body, and he forcibly dragged himself back to the track he had chosen.
among.
Yes, take it step by step and do the task at hand first.
Anger and shame turned into new motivation, making him energetic again.
He carefully kept the dressing box and then called Andre Davout back.
"Your Majesty, do you have any orders?" asked the captain of his personal guard.
"When will the messengers come?" Aigron asked.
"According to estimates, they should be here this afternoon." Andre Davout quickly replied.
"Okay, then you make some arrangements first. Once they arrive, bring them directly to me and try not to disturb other people." Aigron whispered. "They were sent by Archduke Karl, so for the sake of the Grand Duke himself
, we try to keep it as secret as possible.”
"I understand, Your Majesty." Andre fully understood Aigron's concerns, so he nodded, "No one here knows them. As long as I say that they are volunteers from afar, they will be temporarily recruited by me.
With the organization of your guards, no one will doubt you."
"Then let's do it." Aigron made the decision immediately.
Then, he returned to his accustomed rhythm and continued to deal with other matters.
When night fell, there was a knock on Aigron's door again.
"Your Majesty, they are here." Andre whispered.
"Okay, let them in!" Aigron said quickly.
Soon, the door was reopened, and Andre Davout and several people filed in. Aiglon also looked at the door with all his attention, carefully observing the people who came in with the help of the light of the oil lamp.
Just as he had guessed, these people moved vigorously and had piercing eyes. They were full of military temperament at first glance. When they came in, they stood neatly together as if they were following certain rules. Only one leader came forward.
, looking at Aigron face to face.
"Nice to see you again, Your Highness." The leader saluted Aiglon in a slightly joking tone, "You seem to be in good spirits..."
Aigron did not reply immediately, but looked at this person blankly.
He was indeed very surprised, because he knew the leading officer. In fact, with the other party's "honor", it would not be easy for him to forget this person even if he wanted to.
He met the person in charge when he accompanied Archduke Karl to inspect the Invalides, and to this day, he still clearly remembers all his experiences that day.
In those gloomy memories of his seclusion in the palace, this scene was quite eye-catching.
"Captain Hench?" He searched through his memory and finally found this unfamiliar name.
When Aiglon called out his last name, the scar-faced officer opposite looked a little surprised, and then laughed happily, "I didn't expect you still remember my name, Your Highness! But you said it wrong, Grand Duke Tokar."
Fortunately, now I am a major!"
"Oh! Congratulations, Major Hench." Aigron quickly congratulated the other party.
"I have to say that it was you who gave me the opportunity to be promoted beyond meritorious service on the battlefield, so accordingly, I have to repay this." Major Hench's scar was squirming because of his smile, "I
When I entered that 'monastery', I thought that I would have to live there for the rest of my life, but I didn't expect that I would have to go to the battlefield in the end. Hey, maybe this is my destiny..."
His emotion also resonated with Aigron.
An Austrian soldier like the Major was still fighting against his fathers before, but due to the mysterious arrangement of fate, he accidentally came to his command and served his cause... It is really dumbfounding to think about it.
.
He thought about it and didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only thank the other party.
"I am very grateful for your help... With you here, I feel more at ease."
"It's not necessary to thank us. You should just thank the Grand Duke. He cared about you so much that he brought you to see us for your future. Later, even if you caused such a thing, he still remained the same and tried every means to help you. This
Such deep love, do you feel it?" Major Hench looked at him and asked.
This answer made Aigron feel embarrassed again. After all, everyone knew what he was doing to "repay" the Grand Duke's love.
Major Hench said this, maybe he was trying to defend the Grand Duke and blame himself.
Perhaps seeing his embarrassment, Major Hench also softened his tone and said, "In short, the past has passed. We will follow the Grand Duke's instructions and do our best for you. I only hope that you will treat Teresa in the future."
Your Highness, don’t let down her love and devotion to you. Only in this way will our trip be considered in vain.”
According to the status between the two people, even in terms of the internal class of the Austrian Empire, Aigron is the Duke of Lechstadt of the royal family, while Major Hench is just an ordinary officer. His words are completely offensive.
and transgressed, but Aigron could hear from it the hatred and expectations of the elders for the younger ones.
He could only nod in agreement.
He clearly remembered that on that day, at the reception at Les Invalides, everyone present was toasting to him. They fully thought that they would bridge and resolve the unsolvable hatred, but he and Teresa
The combination will also herald the arrival of a bright new era.
However, in the end, he personally ruined these expectations.
Because of Teresa's persistence, he was forgiven for his willfulness, but this forgiveness was limited to Teresa alone.
The motives of Archduke Karl, Major Hench and others were for Theresa, not for their own career. For Austria, they were already an uncontrolled and dangerous person, and they would not do anything for the Bonaparte dynasty.
rejoice in the possibility of revival.
But no matter what, help is help, and he will appreciate it and be grateful.
"I have already promised that I will marry Theresa, and I will never change this marriage. Only death can separate us." He replied softly, "No matter what achievements I have, Theresa has half of them.
, she will be an inseparable part of my life."
His public statement probably made these messengers happy.
Although everyone knows how reliable a verbal or even written promise to a king is, at least the young man has realized that Her Highness Theresa is his best and last choice.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry... I'm just a bit outspoken sometimes. If anything I say doesn't sit well with you, just pretend you didn't hear it." Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit tense, Major Hench apologized to Aiglon again, "It's just gossip.
Don’t talk anymore, you must not be in the mood to chat with us. Since we are here as technical experts, let’s go directly to the technical issues..."
As he spoke, he looked at Aiglon with sharp eyes, "Before I came to you, I had inquired in detail about what you had done before and the situation you are facing now, but I think you yourself must be the most important among them.
It’s clear, so I want to hear you talk about the situation you are facing now.”
"You have worked hard all the way, and it is already late now. It is better to rest for a night before talking." Aigron replied.
"Your Highness, if we want to rest, there is no need to come all the way here." Major Hench shook his head, "Since we are here to help you, I think it is best for us to get into the state as soon as possible. The sooner the better.
After all, the situation is changing rapidly, and we can’t wait for anyone.”
Although he was contradicted in person, Aigron was very happy because from the major's words, he saw the straightforwardness and seriousness of a soldier, which are also the qualities that soldiers need most.
It seems that Archduke Karl did not pick the wrong person.
"Okay, please come over." He stopped being polite and waved to Major Hench, motioning for him to come next to him.
On the table next to him, there was a simple hand-drawn map, which was the area surrounding Nafpaktos.
"According to the intelligence we have received now, the Turks are furious with our actions and are now gathering forces from all over to encircle and suppress us." Aigron pointed to the map and instructed Major Hench, "They surrounded us from three directions, northwest and east.
They are expected to have more than twice as many troops as ours, or even more, so now I am worried about how to resist them."
Then, he shrugged slightly thankfully, "Fortunately, they are moving very slowly, otherwise you might have to come to see me amidst the sound of artillery fire. But I think they will come here in less than two days."
Major Hench did not answer for a moment, but frowned and looked at the map, as if thinking about something.
"And you, just wait here, let them gather in front of you, and then attack you with superior force?" Then he raised his head and looked at Aiglon with a slightly questioning look, "I think
If this doesn't work, you should take the initiative, take the initiative! This is the most important thing."
At this point, he waved his hand heavily, and then continued speaking eloquently, "The most important principle when leading troops in war is that you must not easily allow yourself to be passive. You would rather take risks or make sacrifices, but you must also take the initiative and let yourself
Only those poor people who are at an absolute disadvantage in terms of strength or have no hope of retreat will choose to sit in Sleepy City and let the enemy act as they please."
"You are indeed right. In fact, I also have such an idea." Aigron nodded. To be honest, he had already considered this. "But I don't know whether we are the enemy or not, so I must weigh it carefully."
"Foresight and hindsight are more terrifying than recklessness." Major Hench looked at Agron seriously, and then whispered to him, "Your Highness, I believe you have been taught by teachers about this kind of theoretical stuff since you were a child, so I
I don’t want to say too much...but at the moment I think your situation is not as bad as you think."
As he spoke, his hand began to draw on the map.
"You see, your enemies are coming from several directions, and the hills everywhere divide them cleverly, making it impossible for them to coordinate their actions. This puts you at the final meeting point in an excellent situation.
Overcome the difficulties in military strength and take initiative. Instead of passively waiting for the enemies to merge under our noses, it is better to attack directly and launch an attack before they have merged. As long as one of them can be defeated, the remaining ones will either be unable to support each other and are destined to be alone.
You will then be defeated; or you will be frightened and choose to retreat. In either case, you will directly win, which is better than enduring the bombardment alone here."
Under his eloquent explanation, his face, which originally looked ferocious due to scars, now showed an impassioned expression, and his words were full of contagion.
Aigron's mood was immediately infected by him, and he suddenly became full of energy.
"I understand what you mean, but the objective facts make me a little worried." He shrugged lightly, "My army is a makeshift team with very weak connections between each other and can only be maintained by discipline.
; So if I take the initiative to launch an attack, then I will face two battlefields at the same time. One is the enemy I selected along the way, and the other is here. If I win and this side loses, then I will be in the back.
Being cut off, I will still face disaster..."
"Then leave this place to the person you trust most and let him guard it." Major Hench replied, "Any decision we make is a risk. You can choose how to take the risk and how to take the risk."
.”
…………
Adventure... Hearing this familiar word, Aigron suddenly woke up from a dream.
Yes, I have been taking risks from the very beginning, taking risks every step of the way. How come I am now hesitant because I “don’t want to take risks”?
Could it be that the first small victory made me bear the burden of being afraid of losing, so that I didn’t dare to take risks again?
This is not okay, your own temperament should not be limited to this.
What's so scary? Since I could win before, why can't I win now? Just continue to be brave.
If you have won before, you should bet again, continue to bet, and increase your bet, so that you can win the difficult bet.
Waiting quietly will only make yourself passive and achieve nothing, which is absolutely not advisable.
Okay... let's do it like this.
"I understand." Aigron nodded solemnly, and then shouted loudly, "Andre!"