While Aigron was irritated by the setbacks his army had suffered, his favorite Edmond Dantès was also worried about his lord.
The difference is that Aigron can also use the maid around him to regulate his body and mind, but Edmond Dantès has nowhere to vent his passion and can only force himself to devote himself to his work with more urgency.
Since the army's first attack on Mesolonghion Fortress ended in failure, he could clearly feel that the originally high morale of the army was slowly becoming low, and he could also see it and thought positively.
The possibility of forcibly breaking through the fortress' defense line was extremely slim.
What he saw could naturally be seen by others, so now, in the eyes of all senior officers who knew about it, the hope of winning all depended on his next actions. Of course, he thought so too.
In other words, the Count of Monte Cristo has now shouldered the expectations of His Majesty and the entire army.
Having a heavy responsibility on his shoulders was both an honor and a huge pressure. He had to devote everything he had to the next action and could not get a moment to breathe.
These days, he has been secretly searching among Aigron's army and the reinforcements sent by Panos, looking for people who have stayed in Messolonghion and its surrounding areas, hoping to find some of these people who can
A helper to help him complete his mission.
In the past few days, he has secretly visited hundreds of people, chatted with them, and listened to them pour out their thoughts and tragic experiences.
He sometimes laughed at himself that he was worthy of being the adopted son of a priest, and now he was actually doing the work of a priest.
Among these people, he selected some suitable candidates and planned to use them as reserve members to absorb them into his next operational troops.
Since Aigron had issued an order early, requiring all officers in the army to cooperate with the Count of Monte Cristo, his request was quickly fully cooperated. Suddenly, he had twenty or thirty more people under his command.
He is no longer the loner he was before.
However, although his team is growing, Edmond Dantès is still not satisfied because he feels that he has not yet found his favorite helper, a key figure who can solve his most difficult problems.
Therefore, he continued to visit the military non-stop.
This afternoon, he had talked with almost ten people, and he was already exhausted mentally. However, he did not bother to rest and continued to find people to talk to him.
Soon, the next soldier was brought to him.
This is a man about thirty years old. He has a thick black beard not so much for appearance but as a result of carelessness. His gray-black hair is a little messy on his head, and it is stained with stains.
A lot of dust; although his body is considered strong, there are some wrinkles on his forehead that are not for his age.
As for his eyes, they were pitch black and bottomless, and all that could be read was despair. Anyone who met his eyes would shudder unconsciously.
This is an unlucky guy who has been through many hardships.
This soldier was found from the reinforcements sent by Panos. Just looking at this face, Edmond Dantès was able to conclude that this man had suffered too many fateful disasters.
Just like myself.
Fortunately, I met the noble person in my destiny, who pulled me out of the bottomless mud. But where is this poor man's salvation?
The soldier walked up to him and saluted him mechanically.
"What's your name?" Edmond Dantès asked while looking at the other person.
"Hilos Antonios." The soldier said the name expressionlessly.
Edmond Dantès nodded, and then asked, "Are you from Messolonghion?"
"Yes, sir." The soldier nodded gently.
Then, he suddenly raised his head, looked at Mesolonghion in the distance, and then let out a long sigh. "My home was there before."
Although his tone was calm, Edmond Dantès felt a sense of sadness when he heard this sigh, but besides the sadness, there was suddenly a faint expectation in his heart.
"Have you lived here before? Have you ever participated in the battle to defend it?" he asked quietly.
The soldier nodded. "Yes, I participated in all the battles after its fall, until the day when disaster struck."
Sure enough! Edmond Dantès's heart skipped a beat.
He finally found it!
"That is to say, you were one of the survivors who escaped when the fortress fell? Then you ran to the Peloponnese and joined Panos' army?" He endured the excitement in his heart, and then asked calmly
other side.
"You are right, sir." The soldier nodded again.
"So, do you know the situation inside the fortress?" Edmond Dantès continued to ask, "I mean, the detailed situation."
"I don't know how detailed you want to be, but I can tell you that I know the location of all the buildings in the fortress, whether it's the church inside, the barracks, or the warehouse, I know them all because I have lived there for too many years.
Yes..." Hilos Antonios replied softly.
Edmond Dantes nodded slightly.
"So, where are your family members? Have they ever lived here?" he then asked.
Although his tone was very calm, these words were like a heavy hammer, making Xilos Antonios's face, which was originally ashen, instantly twitch with grief and hatred.
"My brother has died in the war, and I don't even know where his burial place is, and my mother and sister..." When he said this, Hilos Antonios suddenly covered his face, "I
I don’t know where they are, maybe they are dead, maybe they were sold as slaves... In any case, I will never see them again."
He covered his face, but Edmond Dantès could see that his shoulders were twitching, so he knew that the other person must be sobbing.
Even if you haven't witnessed his experience with your own eyes, you can still feel the silent grief from this body movement.
Although it was inappropriate to speak at this time, Edmond Dantès was now responsible for his duties, so he could only steel his heart and continue to ask.
"Do you hate Turks?" he asked deliberately to make nonsense.
"I don't hate them, I just want to kill every Turk who appears in front of me. This has nothing to do with hatred. This is my bounden duty, sir." Xilos Antonios slowly calmed down, and then
replied in a creepy tone.
This tone made other people's hair stand on end, but Edmond Dantès suddenly felt a resonance. He would have the same calmness when talking about his sworn enemies.
I want to kill you, not even out of hatred, but the only motivation for me to live in the future.
This feeling even made Edmond Dantes feel a sense of intimacy.
"Have you ever fished around here?" He suddenly asked a strange question.
The soldier was a little confused by this question, but he quickly regained his composure. "My brothers and I were both fishermen when we were not at war, and this is how we made a living."
Yes, this is the candidate I need! Almost at this moment, Edmond Dantes made a judgment.
"Are you familiar with the sandbars on the east coast of the fortress?" Unconsciously, his voice suddenly trembled. "I mean, driving a boat through the sea between the sandbars."
"This is difficult. I have rarely tried this." The soldier immediately shook his head.
After a moment, he suddenly noticed something again and looked at Edmond Dantès in disbelief.
Edmund didn't want to keep it a secret from him, because he secretly felt that this person was qualified to know his intentions now.
So, he directly raised his hand and pointed to the sea in the distance. "Yes, I was ordered by His Majesty to organize a group of people to attack Mesolonghion, and the route I can think of is between those sandbars.
waters and I need your help."
"This is too difficult, sir." The soldier replied hesitantly. "The water channel is too narrow, the current is turbulent, and there are many rocks in it. If you sail in it, you will easily run aground..."
"Just because it was difficult, that's why I found you!" Edmond Dantès interrupted him loudly, "Yes, it's not that I don't understand what you said. I was once a very good sailor. I
Of course I know! But so what? No matter how difficult it is, we must do it!"
Then, he pointed to Mesolonghion in the distance, "Yesterday we tried to launch a frontal attack on it, and you saw the result, we failed; and as a former defender, you must know that if we continue to do what we did yesterday
If we launch an attack, then we have no guarantee of winning. Do you know what the consequences will be if we fail to win?"
While asking, Edmond Dantès walked up to him, then opened his eyes wide and looked at him fiercely, "The consequence is that we must retreat and give up this attack. For Your Majesty and me, retreating is
It’s ugly, but we can still live our lives, but for you... it’s completely different, because you have forever lost an opportunity to avenge your relatives! You lost everything because of them, and now, there is a
The opportunity for revenge is in front of you, do you want to tell me that you will shrink back because you are afraid of some difficulty? Do you want to tell me that you are such a pathetic coward?!"
Edmond Dantes' loud question instantly ignited the fire of anger and hatred in Xilos Antonios's eyes.
"No! I'm not a coward!" He forgot the status gap between the two people and shouted loudly in response to the earl, "Since escaping, I have been thinking about revenge every second of every day, revenge! I am not afraid of death.
, and even look forward to dying with them! But... I cannot give you false guarantees to harm you and my comrades!"
"Your Majesty's wish is the mission I want to complete." Edmond Dantès's expression suddenly became solemn, "Now he is eagerly expecting me to share his worries, so no matter how great the difficulties are,
I have to do everything in front of me!"
Then, he looked at Xilos Antonios, "And you are the one who helped me complete this plan. We will help you get revenge, as long as you do this! Tell me now, can you solve these difficulties?
? There is only one chance in life. You touch your chest and answer me, can you?!"
Hilos Antonios looked at the Earl's gaze that was like burning fire. Slowly, he subconsciously covered his chest as the other party said.
His heart was beating violently and making a thumping sound, as if it was trying to answer for him.
There is nothing to hesitate about. This is an obligation that he must fulfill, whether it is for the motherland or his family.
"I can!" he answered loudly.
Edmond Dantes nodded with satisfaction.
Seeing the other person's expression at this moment, he knew that he had ignited this desperate man.
We can look forward to how far he can achieve it next.
"Well, I will formally absorb you into my temporary action team, and you will be my deputy." He smiled, then patted the other party on the shoulder, "If we succeed, Your Majesty will give you
Your generous rewards include money and medals, so please work hard for us."
He did not expect that Hilos Antonios suddenly shook his head stubbornly.
"No, I don't care about any reward. I came here to kill the enemy, and I have already made preparations to die." He lowered his gaze, and then replied, "If I die in battle, please fight for me in Mesolongi
I would like to set up a tombstone to let future generations know what I have dedicated to the motherland... This is my only request."
Now it was Edmond Dantes' turn to be stunned.
Of course he could tell that the other party was completely serious about what he said.
A person who has made up such a determination will inevitably be a warrior, because he has put his own life and death at risk.
"Whether you live or die, you will get everything you want." After a moment, he replied in a hissing voice.
At this time, Hilos Antonios just laughed it off.
The conversation between the two ended here. Edmond Dantès sent the other person back to his original unit, and then directly explained to the officer that the soldier was recruited. The officer, under Aiglon's strict order, of course fully cooperated with him.
Require.
At this moment, in addition to being happy, Edmund also felt a little bit emotional.
His Majesty took his own people and joined this battle. No matter what his original purpose was, at least in the eyes of the Greeks, he was indeed a hero.
His defeat of the Turks time and time again was a shot in the arm for this decadent nation, allowing them to regain their passion for freedom.
Therefore, people's hearts are on their side. As long as His Majesty gives the call, many people are willing to die generously for Your Majesty.
But after all, His Majesty will not belong to this land. He is destined to fly in a wider world. And when that day comes, how many sacrifices will be made?
He doesn't know the answer, but he doesn't mind being a part of it because it's his obligation.