With the defeat and rout of the Turkish army, this short but fierce battle also came to an end.
The artillery fire that was shocking just now had suddenly disappeared, but the sporadic gunshots, the dead bodies scattered everywhere, and the dying groans of the seriously injured were all shocking proof of the tragedy that had just happened.
Aiglon walked off the high platform of the castle, and amid the cheers of the soldiers, he strode into the valley. This was the battlefield where the fiercest fighting had just been. At dawn, this place was still a land with beautiful scenery and dense trees.
The valley, however, after just two hours, it was already a hell strewn with corpses and filled with choking smoke and dust.
Through the smoke and dust, Aigron clearly saw that many guns and cannons were lost on the ground, and many animals pulling carts were also moving blankly in the smoke. These were the things left behind when the defeated troops fled earlier. At this moment
But it has already become his trophy.
The winner wins everything, this is the eternal law of war.
He won.
There is no evidence that can prove this fact better than the current scene.
However, Aigron's mood has calmed down now. He had already exhausted his excitement on the high platform, and now, what he needs more is to calm down.
Victory brings not only ecstasy, but also hesitation about the next step.
The endless cheers around him did not interrupt his thoughts. He was very focused at the moment, and his brain was thinking at high speed.
Should I pursue ruthlessly, expand the results, and completely destroy the enemy army that just retreated? Or should I just give it up and return to Nafpaktos to defeat another enemy army?
As far as his personal nature is concerned, he has always advocated being as ruthless to the enemy as the winter wind. Now that he has won, he must continue to raise bets and must crush all the opponent's resistance and will.
However, although this is fun, it will waste time and put more pressure on Andre Davout. Although he trusts Andre's ability, it seems that he should not take risks anymore.
Moreover, the biggest problem is that he does not have an organized cavalry, so it is difficult to conduct a brutal sweep when the enemy retreats on a large scale, turn the repulse battle into an organized battle of annihilation, and completely eliminate the threat of this enemy force.
The safe course was to return immediately, but it would be a pity to give up the pursuit and would leave hidden dangers.
Because it was difficult to weigh in his heart, Aigron walked silently on the grass, his brows furrowed.
"Your Highness!" At this moment, a greeting from beside him broke his thoughts.
Aigron turned around and saw that this person was Major Hench.
At this time, his body was covered with dust and his face was blackened, but there were no wounds on his body, and his eyes were still as murderous as before, making it difficult to look directly at him.
Aigron had completely seen his bravery and calmness when he led the phalanx to charge just now. Facing him now, he felt even more admiration for such a majestic soldier!
It's a pity that he will only serve for this period of time...
"Thank you, Mr. Major." Aigron put down the sigh in his heart, and then patted the other party's shoulder, "I will never...never forget your appearance just now, and I am grateful for your help to me."
"This is my duty, Your Highness." Major Hench replied calmly, "If you want to thank me, why not thank the Archduke and His Majesty Theresa for their kindness to you."
Even now, he has not forgotten to emphasize his true allegiance...Aigron could only shrug awkwardly.
"I understand. What's your advice now?"
"We have won the victory now, but it is not the time to stop. We should continue to act quickly." Major Hench expressed his judgment, "I personally suggest that you directly order to return to the division to help your guard captain solve other problems.
Enemies on one side."
"You mean to give up the pursuit?" Aigron understood what he meant immediately.
Major Hench nodded slightly, but this was enough to express his will.
"What if the tragedy of 1815 happens again?" Egeron asked in a low voice. "Don't forget that Blücher was also defeated at that time, but he still rushed to that damn Waterloo and ended everything."
"The situation in 1815 is completely different from this time." Major Hench replied decisively. "At that time, Blücher was commanding a Prussian army that had a deep hatred for the French, and its structure was not destroyed. It was just that
They have been defeated for the time being; but the enemies you face now are originally allies with ulterior motives. None of them has any quarrel with you, and none of them has the determination to fight to the death for their allies. Once they are defeated by you, they will be defeated in a short time.
They only dare to cower and lick their wounds, and they will never have the courage to rally and continue to attack you... So you can return immediately to rescue your guard captain and Nafpaktos."
Major Hench's words made sense, and instantly made Aigron make up his mind.
"You are right, chasing such a retreating defeated army does not bring much benefit to me." He nodded, then clenched his fists, "After lunch, we will return immediately!"
Judging from the distance he traveled here, it would take about a day at normal marching speed to return to Nafpaktos, but if he forced his march to speed up, he could arrive in the evening.
Although the soldiers were very tired from the two days of marching and fighting, with the morale boost brought by today's victory, this is not impossible.
If that's the case, then why are you hesitating?
Major Hench did not reply immediately, but looked at this young man with a gratified look who was willing to accept advice humbly and was able to make decisions.
"I will write a report in the future to show His Highness the details of our experience. I think His Highness will be very happy with your performance at least so far."
"I will only do better in the future." Aigron replied with a hint of pride.
Seeing the young man's competitive and ambitious face, Major Hench couldn't help but laugh in his heart.
He completely understood why Archduke Karl, who always had a high regard for himself, valued him so much and was willing to accept this son of a sinner as his son-in-law.
"Yes, I have no doubt about it." He held his head high and replied leisurely.
After making the decision, Aigron asked his guards to call Michel Ney to his side.
"Your Majesty, congratulations!" Michel Ney saluted respectfully as soon as he saw him, "You led us to victory!"
"This is what you earned with your hard work and bloodshed." Aigron replied with a smile.
Then, he expressed his decision, "However, this does not mean that we have to stop, on the contrary, we have to continue to act! You give the order to go down, and the whole army has lunch quickly. After eating, we will march immediately.
Go back and rescue Nafpaktos...as quickly as possible."
Although he was a little surprised that Aiglon did not order the pursuit, Michel Ney thought about it and concluded that His Majesty’s decision was the safest choice at the moment, so he did not raise any objection. “Okay, Your Majesty, I will convey the order to you immediately.
...But why don't you show your face in front of the whole army first? Everyone is excited now, and they are just waiting to see you."
"Of course." Aigron couldn't help but laugh.
Now that we have won, we still have to do things to boost morale.
"Besides..." Michelle Ney hesitated again.
"What else?" Aigron asked.
"We captured hundreds of prisoners this time." Michel Ney replied, "What will they do if we return immediately?"
This is indeed a problem. It is obviously impossible to march with prisoners. If they are detained here, he will not have enough food rations to feed them.
As for killing them all, it would be meaningless and detrimental to his own reputation.
"We don't have time to take them in, so collect their weapons and let them go... and let them take away their wounded." Aigron hesitated for a moment and then replied, "A few hundred people can't change the balance of victory and defeat, so they won't.
Go back, you won’t have the guts to go against us for the time being.”
"Yes!" Michel Ney immediately accepted his order.
Aiglon can clearly feel that as he leads his knights through battles and wins, his authority is gradually established. In the past, his authority came from his name; now his authority comes more from
to trust him personally.
No matter what orders he gives, as long as they are his will, they will be obeyed by his subordinates.
This is the result he wants to see.
Now, it is time to continue to consolidate this authority.
"After we leave, you leave one or two hundred people to guard the castle, monitor the movements here, collect the captured weapons that we have no time to take away, and take care of the seriously injured people who cannot be taken away." Aigron added the final order.
"We must leave them the most adequate supplies."
Although limited by his current resources, most of the injured would definitely not receive adequate treatment, but he must not show any intention of actively abandoning them.
"yes!"
Michel Ney quickly conveyed Aiglon's order to the entire army.
Although everyone was very tired after the fierce battle, the joy of victory made them gladly accept His Majesty's order.
The battlefield was quickly cleaned up, and all sporadic resistance was wiped out. Before lunch, under the organization of the officers, all the soldiers who could still move, even if they were slightly injured, formed a neat square formation.
, listed on both sides, leaving a passage in the middle.
Aigron, dressed in military uniform, strutted across the middle road, waving to the soldiers from time to time.
When he reached the end of the last square, he suddenly took off his hat, then raised it high, waving his hat in salute to all the soldiers who had just fought for him.
"Long live!"
"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Long live the Empire!"
The young man answered with deafening cheers.
The cheers echoed in the valley, seeming to shake the earth. At this time, Major Hench was in an inconspicuous corner of the battlefield, quietly watching the young man who stole the show in the distance.
It’s this familiar shout again…
Having served in the Austrian army for many years, he had heard this cry in too many places. Now that old dreams were rekindled, how could he not bring back those memories of the past?
Twenty years of unquenchable war, and the blood that filled the entire European continent...
Forget it, let’s talk about the rest later.
He cut off his thoughts.
At the same moment, in another corner of the field, there were two other people silently watching the glorious scene in the distance.
Edgar looked at his loyal Majesty and the soldiers celebrating enthusiastically with great interest. His fingers were shaking unconsciously, as if he was imagining a new painting.
And Agnes, who was dressed in men's clothing but couldn't hide her beauty, was also staring at the young man who was obviously gentle and handsome, but also inexplicably full of majesty.
She has never seen such a dazzling peer in Paris, and she believes she will never meet one again in the future.
Her eyes were shining with admiration, dissatisfaction, excitement at finally seeing a strong man, admiration for a girl's natural instinct...or something else?
Maybe she couldn't explain it herself.
"Your Majesty, he is so handsome." At this moment, Edgar said abruptly, "Hey, even if he can't become emperor, he can be enough to charm the whole of Paris. I bet."
"Maybe." Agnes replied as if she was not interested, "If he is not so obsessed with fame, he can become a swordsman who can shine on the entire era."
"Being an emperor is much more interesting than being a swordsman!" Edgar retorted with a smile.
This was true, so Agnes could only be speechless.
"Hey... I feel so sorry for you." Edgar narrowed his eyes slightly, and then sighed with regret, "It's also for Alice."
Agnes was a little confused at first, but soon understood something.
Then, her cheeks suddenly turned crimson, and then she glared at Edgar angrily. "Didn't I tell you not to mention this again?!"
Although he knew that the other party could easily tear him apart, Edgar showed no fear at this moment. Instead, he asked the other party.
"Agnes, are you so angry because of shame or regret?"
Agnes hesitated for a moment, and then immediately replied sharply. "It's none of your business!"
"As your brother-in-law, how can I not care about you?" Edgar sighed again, "To be honest, I am really sorry. After all, there is absolutely no one who can replace His Majesty...
It’s a pity that Her Majesty Teresa got there first! I want to curse the Austrian Emperor for this!”
Agnes was so angry that she was about to take action.
"Actually, everything is not settled yet." Edgar said suddenly. "After all, they are not married yet, and the engagement can be changed at any time, right? Your Majesty is a poet, and there will always be times when you are motivated."
He knew in his heart that a person with your Majesty's temper would never change his decision easily, and at this point, the situation did not allow this young man to regret it.
Teresa worked for him in front of and behind the scenes, using her identity to seek help for the young man in various ways. On the one hand, she was kind to His Majesty; on the other hand, she was also in this situation.
He has great influence within the organization. If His Majesty really dares to break the contract, apart from other things, the Austrians around him will not be able to spare him.
Therefore, no matter from an emotional or utilitarian point of view, this marriage is already a done deal and cannot be changed.
But this does not prevent him from spreading false information to Agnes.
"But what does this have to do with me?" Agnes finally restrained herself from attacking her brother-in-law, but she didn't want to hear any more, so she turned and walked away.
Edgar silently stared at his sister-in-law's graceful back, and then lightly shrugged.