Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Haidee completed her baptism ceremony. From today on, she officially converted to Orthodox Christianity, which also laid the foundation for being recognized by European countries as the Grand Duchess of Ioannina in the future.
After the ceremony, there were endless cheers outside the church, so the pastor and Teresa, together with Haidee, walked out of the church and paraded amidst the cheers of the people.
This timid little girl did not know such complicated things. She just stood quietly behind Teresa. In her ignorance, she had realized that her destiny was closely linked to the young couple.
, one is prosperous, one is prosperous, and the other is deprived.
The people who were originally watching the ceremony in the church also came out one after another, talking to each other.
Aegron and his ally Panos Colokotronis walked together. His guards surrounded the two people, politely but firmly not allowing anyone to get close, and others could naturally see the situation.
, so they also walked around one after another, not to disturb the conversation between these two important people.
"Today is such a pleasant day." Aigron raised his head, looked up at the clear sky above his head, and sighed softly.
"It is indeed a very pleasant day." Panos-Colokotronis responded with a smile, "We really didn't expect that you could do this... It's really imaginative."
Aiglon just laughed it off.
After receiving his notice, the Panos father and son were quite surprised, but after some hesitation, they finally accepted the arrangement for Haidee to become the Grand Duchess of Ioannina.
This is not a very pleasant thing for them. After all, part of the Ioannina area is in Greece (and another part is in what is now Albania). If Aiglon's arrangement comes true, it means that Greece
A small part of the territory will fall into the future Principality of Ioannina.
So Aigron could hear that in the other party's tone, in addition to praise, there was also a little blame.
However, the cause of Greek independence was originally in jeopardy, and it would not be easy to survive. How could they dare to expect too much? If it weren't for Aiglon's money and efforts, they might have lost all hope now, so even if they feel unhappy, they still hold on.
He nodded and agreed to the arrangement.
"My friends, there is no need for you to be disappointed, because this is not a tragic loss for you. On the contrary, it will save you a lot of trouble." Aigron whispered to the other party, "Don't forget the entire Ioannina area.
There are a large number of MSLs. If you have to bring them under the rule of Greece in the future, what are you going to do with them? Expel them all? Or throw them into the sea together? Or hold your nose and admit them? Either way will only make you
I feel a headache.”
What Aigron mentioned is also an objective reality. After all, the Greek War of Independence has turned into a brutal national vendetta. If this area is really allowed to be ruled by the Greeks themselves, I am afraid that the bloody vendetta will never happen again.
rest.
This will not only cause Greece to consume too much manpower and material resources that should be used to build the country, but also affect Greece's international reputation, which is completely useless.
Panos also knew in his heart that what Aiglon said was true, so he nodded.
"It's time for us to move on from the never-ending killings... We look forward to this day coming as soon as possible."
Then, he asked Aigron, "So sir, what do you plan to do with these MSLs in the future?"
"I will not forcibly enslave them, nor will I impose a mandatory poll tax. I allow them to live here as subjects of the principality. As long as they are willing to work hard and pay taxes according to regulations, then they are good citizens." Aiglon replied, "
But I will clearly declare that only Orthodox Christians are qualified to rule the principality, and if they are dissatisfied with this or even dare to rebel, then I will not show any mercy."
Aiglon's tone was decisive, without any hesitation.
It's not that he really hates the local MSL residents, but now, he came to Greece under the banner of "saving Christians", and he also gained huge fame through this, and even the Pope of Rome publicly commended him
Because of him, in order to carry this reputation, he must show unflinching "piety" on religious issues.
There must be no ambiguity about the position.
Seeing Aigron's resolute attitude, Panos nodded with confidence.
For him, it would be a good thing if the bloody killings that have lasted for so many years can be ended as soon as possible. He just wants his motherland to enjoy peace as soon as possible, so that future generations can survive as citizens of an independent country.
"The Austrian envoy has found you before, right?" Eggron asked suddenly.
"Yes." Panos was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly.
"How was your conversation?" Aigron asked with a smile.
Although he was smiling, Panos felt solemn in his heart.
Von Mayrhoven, the special envoy of the Austrian Embassy, came to the Peloponnese Peninsula before. He first met Theresa in Mesoni, and then went to meet them through Theresa's introduction. The two sides talked with each other.
Afterwards, a tacit understanding was reached.
Because he knew that there was collusion between Aigron and the Austrians, he knew that he could never be vague or deceive the other party, so he decided to tell the truth.
According to their opinion, the current results achieved by Aiglon and the Greek Independence Army are brilliant enough to give up.
Therefore, after Russia began to advance, he hoped that they would negotiate peace with the Turkish army and allow these people to withdraw to the Thrace region in an orderly manner and regroup to resist the Russian army's front.
On the Greek side, a state should be established as soon as possible in order to create a fait accompli and eliminate the excuse of the Russians to "rescue their Orthodox compatriots."
After the establishment of Greece, the Western powers would immediately use this as an excuse to demand that the Russian Empire withdraw its troops. Firstly, the reputation of justice had been lost. Secondly, the pressure from the Western powers was like a mountain. The Tsar would of course make compromises.
Of course, if you want the Tsar to withdraw his troops, you must pay some price, but these prices must be paid by the Turks. They have to cede territory to the Russian Empire and pay compensation to dispel the Tsar's anger.
In other words, at the end of this game, all participants except Turkey will be winners. It is just a matter of winning more and losing less. Only the Turks will be the only losers and will bear the bitter consequences of failure.
The price of this defeat will be very painful, including recognition of the independence of Greece and the loss of the Ioannina region, as well as the cession of territory and compensation to the Russian Empire.
However, the law of the jungle is the prevailing law in this world. Since the Turks failed, they had to face cruel and ruthless results, just as they did to the countries they conquered. There is no grievance to be said.
This aging empire was able to survive, instead of being conquered and annexed by the Russian Empire in one fell swoop. It was entirely because of the Western European powers that it was able to guard the straits and restrict Russia. In this sense, they should be grateful.
Great powers.
"Then what do you think about this?" After listening, Aigron asked the other party calmly.
"I think this proposal is quite good." Panos replied. "I told the envoy that if we can ensure that the Western powers stand up and openly support Greek independence, then we are willing to act in accordance with their wishes. Even...even if it goes against the Russian Empire's
Willingness will not be spared.”
For Panos Kolokotronis, there is not much psychological burden on siding with Western Europe. Although their Russian Empire shares the Orthodox Christian faith, in this era, the influence and appeal of the Russian Empire cannot be achieved in any way.
Compared with the Western European powers, it is the center of civilization.
If given a choice, most Greeks would naturally be willing to defect to the side of the Western powers.
Moreover, if they can turn the tide and win the country's independence, the reputation of Kolokotronis and his son will surely rise. Their brave persistence over the years will also earn them the respect they deserve, and this respect will naturally also
Turn into power.
Having power, they no longer need to act according to the will of the tsar.
"So when will the peace talks begin?" Aigron asked again.
"My father has already sent people to Athens, and the Turks and Egyptians there will start negotiations with them." Panos replied, "Of course, we will not exclude you, and all the details of the peace talks will be discussed in detail.
Notification to you, you can put forward your own opinions."
Aiglon nodded, he deserved this.
Right now, he has the ability to undermine any peace agreement, so everyone must consider his opinion.
At this time, Panos Colokotronis suddenly looked around again vigilantly. After making sure that no one could overhear the conversation between the two of them, he spoke to Aigron in a low voice.
"By the way, I heard von Mayrhofen say that Austria allows you to choose the future king of Greece from among several candidates... So I would like to ask you, do you have a candidate now?"
For Aigron and Panos-Colokotronis, the establishment of an independent country is not their end. They must also make arrangements for the political situation in the early days of the country's founding.
The most important of these is to use imprisonment and exile to quickly purge the die-hard pro-Russian elements within Greece in order to stabilize the interior and consolidate its own position.
Then, it was time to find a "suitable" king for Greece.
In this era, the great powers were all monarchies, and they, who had just experienced the storm of the Great Revolution, hated the word "republic". Therefore, even to satisfy the great powers, Greece had to become a monarchy after independence.
There was no one in Greece who was qualified to be the king. According to international practice, they had to find a prince from the ancient royal family of Germany to be the king. According to Aiglon's agreement with the Austrians, he had the right to select a suitable candidate from among the candidates.
In other words, as compensation for not being the king, he is qualified to become the "King Choser".
This is also the issue that Panos is most concerned about now. He wants to know in advance from Aigron his intentions for the Greek king, so that he can get in touch with the opponent as soon as possible.
For the Panos father and son, whoever is close to the new king and gets the king's approval will seize the opportunity in the future power structure.
Theodoros Kolokotronis was a national independence fighter. He devoted his life and blood to the cause of independence, but he did not intend to retire immediately after the success of independence.
On the one hand, the taste of power is very tempting; but more importantly, in the previous internal struggles among Greek factions and the subsequent coup he led, the vendetta between him and some political factions was very fierce. At the worst time, his support
Many of them were bloody massacred.
So this time, he could not let go and let his supporters face the tragic situation of being isolated and killed again.
He must stay in power for a period of time, at least to stabilize the political situation and ensure that he and his group will not be liquidated before he is willing to step down safely.
And this requires the cooperation of Aiglon and the new king. Therefore, this is also a matter of fate for their father and son.
Precisely because he knew that Panos was most concerned about this issue, Aigron did not intend to seduce him, but answered him with a smile. "Metternich and I are still discussing this issue, and it is precisely because it is very important that we have not
The method can be concluded immediately, but I can assure you that if nothing unexpected happens, the throne will fall into the hands of the Wittelsbach family."
"Wittelsbach family?" Panos was stunned again.
However, he was not surprised. After all, the Wittelsbach family was a famous princely family in German history. In terms of family origins, it was even longer than the Habsburg family. If a member of this family became the king of Greece,
If so, I'm afraid no one can question it.
"If that's the case, we can accept it." After pondering for a moment, Panos nodded, "We will make preparations for this. No matter who ends up with the throne, he will find that we are his
The best helper in ruling Greece."
"I hope so too." Aiglon replied with a smile, "Since I have chosen the king, I will support his rule. If we cooperate happily, the Kingdom of Greece and the Principality of Ioannina will work together to welcome
Here comes a new era.”
After a pause, he added, "When things come to an end here, I plan to go to Bavaria to finalize the matter. I will keep in touch with you. You and your son will be the first to get the goods from Greece."
The man with news of the new king.”
"Okay, I wish you a safe journey then." Panos also replied with great interest.
But soon, he sighed with regret, "What a pity, you are destined not to belong to our place. We are just a small corner of Europe and cannot accommodate your body... But I wish you to spread your wings and fly in the future.
Get everything you dream of.”
"Thank you." Aigron thanked him and extended his hand to the other party.
Panos held this hand tightly, and then replied in a deep voice, "For the new era."