Under Aiglon's order, the entire army began to prepare nervously again to prepare for the upcoming new operation.
After several previous victories, his prestige among the entire army has reached its peak at this time. Both officers and soldiers believe that this young man who has inherited a great surname will soon lead them to new victories and write another chapter.
A legend.
However, although Aigron seemed impassioned, he always remained calm in his heart. Before the war was about to come, he decided to use an elaborate grand ceremony as a final ideological mobilization.
This ceremony was the celebration and commendation ceremony surrounding the series of wars fought by Nafpaktos.
On this morning, on the beach on the outskirts of the small harbor, a large group of soldiers wearing black military uniforms gathered here. They formed square formations according to the organizational structures that they were already familiar with, and then formed a circle.
In the center, where everyone's eyes were focused, there was a small earthen platform made of gravel. On the earthen platform stood Aiglon and his main subordinates.
Andre Davout, Edmond Dantès, Michel Ney, Prince Louis, and other members of the Knights... although they participated for different reasons and different ambitions
Among Aiglon's team, after this period of fighting, their skin color has darkened a lot, and they have begun to possess the fortitude and chill that truly belong to soldiers.
Aigron, standing at the top, looked at the people next to him. There was no doubt that they were the core members of his organization at this time, and only through them could he command the entire army to fight for the next goal.
There is also no doubt that I will have to rely on them to rule that country in the future.
While he was thinking, the roar of cannons was heard in the distance, which was a reminder that it was time for the entire ceremony to begin.
So, he covered his chest and mourned for the soldiers who died in the previous war.
At the same time, in an instant, the entire army fell into silence.
Aigron squinted his eyes slightly and scanned the knights in front of him. His heart suddenly felt a little painful because during this period of fighting, several knights had been killed or seriously injured.
Compared with the death of ordinary soldiers, losing them made Aiglon feel more heartbroken.
This is the price we have to pay for victory
God knows how many more he will lose after this war is over; God knows what more he will lose in his future struggles?
He didn't know these problems. The only thing he knew was that in order to prevent all these sacrifices from becoming worthless, he had to go all the way until he reached the throne that was destined to belong to him.
Despite his usual indifference, Aigron still couldn't help but reveal a little sadness in his eyes at this moment.
As the fine drum beat slowly sounded, Aigron raised his head and looked at the blue sky.
"Our brothers, our loyal and fearless warriors, left us forever and fell into the arms of God." Aigron shouted out the words he had prepared to conclude the silent ceremony, "They died for the Lord.
, they dedicated their lives to liberating the suffering Christian brothers, and their souls will be bathed in the purest and noblest glory! We buried them here, but they will always walk with me!"
Aiglon knows that there may not be a paradise above the sky, but he does not mind using the Lord and heaven to glorify himself, "Now, living warriors, the Lord is watching us, and the Lord will bless us as always! We will
Keep fighting for justice!"
After he finished speaking, the cannon started roaring again, and this time, it brought joy instead of sadness.
Under the orders of the officers, the soldiers present cheered in unison. The sound of cannons and cheers came together, and the deafening sound seemed to make the sea next to it begin to roll.
Next, comes the most important part of the ceremony, discussing merit and giving rewards.
Aigron made a gesture, and the incessant sound of gunfire and cheers slowly disappeared, and everyone held their breath again and looked at the earthen platform in the middle.
The officers on the platform were equally nervous, because it was time to repay their hard work and sweat.
Aiglon walked towards them step by step, and then stopped in front of his guard captain Andre Davout.
Then, he drew his sword.
"Andre." He smiled slightly, and then pointed his sword at the young man in front of him.
Andre didn't have any fear or nervousness. He knelt down directly on one knee and welcomed the honor that Aiglon was going to bestow on him.
"Andre, since I saw you on the Island of Monte Cristo, I have always noticed your performance. I am very satisfied with your loyalty and bravery..." Aiglon said while placing his sword on
"Because of this, I have decided to reward you with special honors. From today on, you will be the Marquis of Lepanto. I hope you can bear in mind my expectations for you and continue to work as diligently as before in the future."
I serve."
Marquis of Lepanto... After hearing this title, Andre Davout was stunned for a moment.
Although he had known for a long time that Aigron planned to bestow him with a title, he did not expect that he would receive such a heavy reward so quickly.
His uncle, Marshal Davout, spent half his life in the army, and was finally made Duke of Auerstedt by Emperor Napoleon. Although he is now fighting bravely by His Majesty's side, how can his achievements be compared with those of his uncle?
He was very satisfied with the tradition of the title empire of "Lepanto", which is to use the location of victory as the title of a general. This is how his uncle got his title.
If it is the Baron of Lepanto, he will feel very satisfied and honored. If it is the Count of Lepanto, he will be frightened but can still bear it, but now it is such a high title. You must know that Marshal Grouchy in 1815
He's just a Marquis...
For a moment, he felt not honor, but fear and shame, "Your Majesty... your gift is really too heavy, far more than what I deserve... It is my duty and my duty to serve you."
It's an honor, you don't need to reward me with such extraordinary courtesy..."
"Why, at this point, do you still want me to take back my life in front of so many people?" Aigron asked with a smile.
"Your Majesty, that's not what I meant..." Andre shook his head quickly.
"Okay, Andre, don't say any more. This occasion is really not suitable for us to talk for a long time." Aigron retracted his sword, then patted Andre's shoulder, who was half kneeling on the ground, "I think you
If you can afford this honor, then you can afford it. If you feel uneasy in your heart, then serve me with greater enthusiasm in the future! Hum, as long as you dedicate yourself to me, will I still be stingy with rewards?
?Forget about the Marquis, is there anything strange about you becoming the Duke of Lepanto or the Prince of Lepanto in the future?"
Egeron recognized Andre Davout as the first contributor, so he was the first to reward him and gave him an exceptional honorary title.
During the Battle of Nafpaktos, he stayed by Aigron's side and only participated in the battle when blocking reinforcements. His performance was not outstanding. However, in the subsequent battle, he served as the commander and led Aigron.
The weak army left behind firmly resisted the enemy's attack, which was far more numerous than itself, and defended Nafpaktos for Aigron, creating conditions for him to win.
In view of the loyalty and bravery he showed in this series of battles, Egron, after some consideration, designated him as the first hero of his subordinates.
In addition to his performance in the war, Egeron has other considerations. Among the people around him, Andre Davout is one of the few people who is the second generation Marshal of the Empire but does not have a title.
As a nephew, he is very loyal to the empire, and since he has no title, it makes it even more difficult for Agron to be bribed.
In Aigron's conception, his guard captain was not only responsible for the security around him, but also responsible for his communication with the entire army in the future. He had to be the most loyal and reliable person.
Since you want a reward anyway, it’s better to give it right at once and make him burst into tears of gratitude.
Seeing Andre look so excited that he was about to cry, Aigron knew that after achieving his goal, Andre would definitely follow him even more fanatically, which also gave him one of the most reliable confidants.
"Okay, get up." Aigron smiled and patted his shoulder again, "You have the right to accept everyone's congratulations."
André Davout stood up in a daze, and the people around him congratulated him one after another. Of course, some of them came from the bottom of their hearts, and some of them were just acting on the surface.
Edmond Dantès, the most sincere congratulator, served as deputy commander and guarded Nafpaktos with André Davout, and at the same time formed a profound friendship.
At that time, the two of them were chatting, and Andre joked that he was not as good as Edmund, after all, he did not have any title on his head. However, he was ashamed at the time and comforted Andre, saying that His Majesty would definitely give him the reward he deserved.
I didn't expect that the prophecy would come true, and the reward would come so quickly and be so high.
But this is what he deserves.
Edmond Dantès glanced at the young man in front of him, whether he was the Count of Monte Cristo or the Marquis of Lepanto. He had designated him with a raised hand. He did have that kind of generous and almost magnificent demeanor, and he deserved it.
God governs himself and those around him.
Yes, I will continue to follow him and repay this kindness.
After conferring the title of Andre, who had the first merit, Aigron began to reward other members of the knights who had made major achievements one by one. For those who already had titles, he promised generous rewards with jewels; for those without titles, he directly rewarded them.
Granted the title of Baronet.
Next, he began to award medals to those soldiers who had fought bravely and made meritorious deeds.
After arriving in Greece, Aigron had already found someone to start designing the medals prepared for the Greek war. After some discussions, he finally decided on the style.
Like the Legion of Honor, this medal is also divided into several levels. The lowest level, the Knight Medal, is simple to make, so some have been made now, and he just took it out to distribute.
This kind of medal, the main seal is a silver cross with blue glaze, and he pinned it on the soldier's chest, shining brightly in the sun.
In order to improve the effect, he specially found a few Greeks as typical figures and personally awarded them medals.
Aigron knew that as a leader, he must reward meritorious deeds if conditions permit. Only by doing this can other subordinates take notice and be motivated to continue to serve him.
In other words, if rewards and punishments are unclear, no matter how "legitimistic" a king is, he will eventually become alienated from his ministers and end up alone.
Therefore, with Aigron's efforts, the entire celebration was filled with cheers, and the cheers almost never stopped until the moment it came to an end.
His goal was also achieved——
After the celebration, it was already noon. Under the leadership of the guards, Aigron came to the command room next to his residence.
And there are already several people present here, and they are obviously the Austrian officers who came secretly.
These Austrians were sitting around a small table at this time. In the center of the table, there were several maps. They were arguing quietly about something, and from time to time they used their fingers to make gestures on the drawings.
.
Several cups of steaming coffee were placed next to him, and only half of the cups were left. It seemed that these coffees had become fuel for their mental and physical strength.
After seeing Aigron coming, they immediately stopped and saluted him respectfully.
As soon as he saw their current appearance, Aigron understood that these people were debating their next specific action plan.
"Thank you for working so hard to help me. However, today is a celebration for the whole army. I ask you to have a good rest and relax." He said humbly to these officers, "I have already prepared a sumptuous lunch.
Please be sure to appreciate it."
Seeing what he said, these officers ended their discussion today and went back to tidy up their clothes for the next lunch, while the leader, Major Hench, stayed alone in the room.
"I'm really sorry, Major. You obviously served me so wholeheartedly, but I didn't give you the honor you deserve." Aigron looked at the major apologetically. "If I could, I would definitely do it today.
You will enjoy the cheers of the whole army."
"This is not important, Your Highness. I may have cared about medals and honors more than ten years ago, but after staying in Les Invalides for a long time, I have long lost sight of them." Major Hench replied calmly. "Besides,
, when we came here, the Grand Duke had already told us to keep our identities secret, so as not to cause trouble to him and ourselves, so I would rather stay here quietly than cheer in front of everyone."
Because of their sensitive and special status, Major Hench and several other Austrian officers stayed in the camp and did not attend the celebration. Eggron felt a little ashamed of this. After all, he knew in his heart that although Major Hench and the others came
It didn't last long, but they helped him a lot with their rich military experience, so when he couldn't let them get public honors, he wanted to compensate them with money.
"Please allow me to give you the compensation you deserve, gentlemen." Aigron insisted again, "I cannot allow others to be kind to me but get nothing."