"If you think I have committed a crime of treason, then execute me now. Anyway, I don't have much time left. It would be better to reunite with my family as soon as possible!"
Although he has now fallen into the control of Aigron, and life and death are just a matter of his words, the old mayor is still fearless and glares at Aigron angrily, firmly refusing to cooperate with him.
If it were normal, the impatient Aiglon would definitely not let him talk any more nonsense, and just let Andre Davout beat him half to death. If that didn't work, he could even beat him to death directly.
But now, Aigron cannot give this order.
The mayor was right. He had already sacrificed two sons for the empire and had no future, so why couldn't he choose to stay out of it?
He has this right.
Over the years, Aigron has developed a heart of stone, but as the heir to the empire, he can no longer criticize the other party harshly due to emotion or reason.
To put it bluntly, this is even the sin of the Bonaparte family. If you sacrificed his two sons in exchange for a glorious victory, maybe there is a reason for everything, but you took the lives of his two sons and nothing happened.
They were not replaced, and they were even given the name of "rebellion" and fell into eternal sleep. Do you have the nerve to say anything more?
Eggron glanced at Andre Davout next to him.
He found that his loyal guard captain also looked greatly shaken at this time, with tears of sympathy filling the corners of his eyes. His fists that were hard just now had loosened up and were even trembling slightly.
Obviously, Andre was greatly shocked after hearing his old father's cry. Even if Aiglon ordered him to beat the mayor again, he probably wouldn't be able to do it.
His loyalty is evident and he is not afraid of life and death, but it is too difficult for him to attack the fathers of two imperial martyrs.
Aiglon sighed softly, and gave up the plan of forcing the other party or torturing him again. People living in this world must have some bottom line after all.
Anyway, his plan doesn't require the mayor.
Now that there was still some time, he decided to give some final persuasion.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Mayor, I didn't expect you to have such a tragic experience," Aigron said while making a gesture to signal Andre Davout to step away first and not to put too much psychological pressure on the other person.
Andre obeyed the order and stepped away. It was obvious that he was relieved.
Aiglon paused for another moment to collect his thoughts and words, and gave both parties some time to ease the atmosphere. Then he nodded to the other party again, "I am very grateful to your family for the sacrifices they have made for the empire, and for the ultimate victory of the empire.
I apologize to you for my failure, and I solemnly apologize again for my rude behavior just now... We have failed you. You don’t have to worry that I will execute you or beat you. I guarantee with my reputation that you can choose freely. I will never
To force you to cooperate with us."
Perhaps because he was a little surprised by Aigron's reaction, the old mayor blinked his eyes in confusion, but after all, he felt a little kindness from Aigron, so he believed his promise.
"It doesn't matter, you are fighting for your career. A humble little person like me is not worthy of your attention." The old man shook his head, and then sighed, "Actually, I have heard a lot about your deeds, although here
It's very remote, but there is a post office and newspapers after all. Since you escaped from Vienna, we have got a lot of news about you. I don't know which ones are true and which ones are exaggerations, but I think even if only part of them are true, you deserve it.
You are the son of Emperor Napoleon, much better than those princes and grandsons... Sometimes I even think that if the empire had not been destroyed, you might have become a beloved emperor and led this poor country to heal the past.
trauma."
"Thank you for still being in the mood to praise me." Aigron smiled, "It seems that you are not so resistant to me, so why are you so determined to resist cooperating with me?"
"These are two different things." The old man shook his head, "You are not only the emperor's son, you are also the child of all our people. After your birth, the whole country fired a salute, and even our run-down town celebrated you for three days.
, we sincerely congratulate the emperor on having an heir, and even hope that you are an angel who comes to earth with the blessing of God to eliminate disasters and wars for the motherland... And your subsequent experiences have aroused our sympathy. You were forcibly taken to a foreign country.
, and being imprisoned, it is emotionally difficult for us to accept that you were treated like this. Your ability to grow into such an outstanding young man today only adds to the regret in our hearts."
At this point, the old mayor suddenly changed the topic, "However, this sympathy only represents regret, not anger. Our anger and our flesh and blood have been squandered in those twenty or thirty years. We
Now I just want a peaceful life, I just want to enjoy the hard-earned peace... Therefore, I personally think you should not come back. If you come back, you will not bring the blessings of angels, but will be destined to be another bloody storm.
, I don’t want to see this, I’ve seen enough blood..."
After listening to these words, Aigron understood the other party's mentality.
He not only hated the disaster that the Bonaparte family had brought to his family, but also felt pity for this helpless young man, the heir to the empire.
And above these emotions is the weariness and exhaustion of bloodshed and sacrifice.
This kind of boredom and exhaustion is not directed at anyone, and has nothing to do with likes or dislikes. If Aigron had sat on the throne at the beginning, he would have firmly opposed the return of the Bourbon family and adopted the same attitude.
In any case, there is no need for another bloody reckoning. Whether it is Bourbon or Bonaparte, as long as it calms down. This idea is overwhelmingly dominant. It is because of this that he has strong feelings for Aigron who breaks the status quo.
With such a conflicting mentality, I definitely don’t want to make the same mistake again.
He didn't hate himself, he was just tired.
He is definitely not the only one to have this kind of mentality. In comparison, the more people sacrificed in the bloody turmoil back then, the more tired they became, and the less they wanted to bother with it anymore. They no longer cared about progress or reaction, dictatorship or democracy, republic or monarchy.
They just want peace.
Eggron can understand this mentality.
Yes, it is only 1828, and only 13 years have passed since the fall of the empire in 1815. There are still too many people alive who experienced those disasters, and their pursuit of peace and tranquility is stronger than others.
Twenty years later, in 1848, the situation was different again. After a total of more than 30 years, most of those who witnessed the war and bloodshed were no longer alive. For example, the old mayor in front of me would not survive.
At that age, the new generation of people will forget the bloody disasters of the past, and instead recall the glory of Emperor Napoleon.
So they would elect Napoleon III as president by an overwhelming referendum, and then hail him as Emperor of the Second Reich by an equally overwhelming majority.
In any case, we cannot expect the French people now to have the same mentality as the French people twenty years from now. His current support rate is obviously not as high as it will be "in the future". Aigron once again remembered this fact.
Although this is the case, it does not mean that he cannot strive to change the situation.
Even if some people choose to sit on the sidelines and refuse to cooperate because they are tired of it, it doesn't matter. As long as he can win over some supporters and then seize power at the right time, as long as the bystanders cannot organize or have no better choice.
, then it will eventually default to reality.
"Okay, I understand your thinking." Aigron made a gesture to show that he had made a decision, "I said, I will not force you. Since you don't want to lean towards me, I can also
Accept. However, I cannot allow you to interfere with my actions. Just stay here and don’t go anywhere. When everything calms down, I will leave and your life will return to peace. I think as long as you don’t
Do me a favor and no one will blame you."
The old man was a little surprised by Aigron's magnanimity. He looked up at the handsome young man in front of him again, with confusion, a little emotion and regret in his eyes.
"Thank you for not killing me. I know it is useless to say this, but I advise you to leave France as soon as possible. The nearby garrison will arrive soon. It will be dangerous if you are entangled by them."
He whispered advice.
"Why do you need to be concerned about my safety?" Aigron asked with a smile. "If I were arrested, or shot directly like the Duke of Enghien, wouldn't that be a good thing for you? In that case, you would be calm.
Your life in your later years will be more secure.”
"That's true, but I don't want to see this happen... I have seen enough tragedies, and I don't want you to become a part of the tragedy. Such a cute and powerful child is still at the age of rising.
You shouldn't have died in vain like this." The old man smiled bitterly, but there was no joy in this smile but too much bitterness. "On the other hand, if you die, the emperor's inheritance will be cut off. Then my two
Didn’t all these sons die in vain? They were loyal to the country and finally shrouded their bodies in horse and leather, sacrificing their lives for France in the most glorious way. As a result, not only did they not receive the praise and remembrance that heroes deserve, but they were regarded as imperial officers because they were imperial officers.
Rebellious people cannot rest in heaven. This is painful enough. If they saw that the emperor they loyal to until death not only died in a foreign land, but also their only son suffered an accident, how sad they would be. Even for their souls in heaven, I
I would also like to pray to God that you are safe."
Aigron knew that what he said was true, so he felt sour and moved at the same time.
"If they are still alive now, they will definitely be willing to stand up and serve me."
"Maybe." The old man shrugged, "But they are no longer here, and they have been destroyed like the empire. This is the reality."
"They are no longer here, but their will, loyalty, bravery and dedication, as well as their desire for victory, still remain in France. There are too many people who are willing to imitate them." Aigron gave his final persuasion, "You
Didn’t I just say that? After your youngest son returned to his hometown, he could have lived quietly with you, but after hearing the conscription order, he immediately packed his bags and rushed to the battlefield... If he is a passionate young man, maybe this
It was just a moment of confusion, but after serving for many years and becoming an officer, could he not see the situation clearly? Didn't he know that the emperor's situation was precarious and that the empire was most likely to be short-lived? He must have known that, but he still chose to follow the emperor
, he left without even saying goodbye to you, he died generously."
A trace of pain flashed across the old man's face, because he knew that what Aigron said was also true.
"I have said that it is our family's fault that their noble sacrifices were in vain and they even had to bear the infamy. We have failed these martyrs who spilled their blood on the battlefield." Aigron looked at the other party calmly, and then slowly
Said, "But since it is a mistake, you should find a way to make up for it. Am I not making up for the mistake now? I want to bring back the right and wrong that have been reversed, so that the heroic spirits can rest in peace, and let the blood and sacrifices of the past be obtained.
Well-deserved praise... Isn't that good? Think about it for the last time. If you could communicate with the souls of your two sons, you would definitely know how they would answer."
Under Aigron's scorching eyes and sharp words, the old man seemed to really feel something. He covered his chest with his hands to relieve the colic in his heart.
Then, he raised his head and glared at the young man in front of him.
"I only lost two sons, but France lost hundreds of thousands of young men!" The old man stared at him and shouted loudly. "Glory? Dedication? What glory and dedication are worth this price? Why bother fighting for your own family?
Are you using your son to hurt my heart again? You are so cruel... Also, you just apologized to me... Hehe, if you have to apologize for this little thing, then you may not have time to do other things for several years.
Got it!"
Aigron's expression froze again.
He really didn't expect that this old and weak mayor could speak so eloquently. Rather than saying that he had any debating skills, it was better to say that he had experienced the most terrible disaster and told it truthfully.
Bloody facts are always more powerful than any rhetorical skills.
"Okay, I'm sorry. Maybe apologizing is really useless, but I'm still sorry." Aigron gave up and could only shrug helplessly. He didn't want to waste time on this old man. "I only have one request now, stay here well."
Stay and wait until everything is over. Also, I wish you good health in the future."
"Wait!" Just as Aigron was about to leave, the old man stopped him.
Aigron looked at the other party with some doubts.
"When you leave, go to my house first. There are some nice horses there and they are well taken care of. Because I have nothing else to do. This is how I pass the time..." The old man smiled bitterly.
After a moment, he said, "If it can help you, just take a few horses and go. If you are lucky enough and they perform normally, then I believe that no one else can catch up with you."
In Aigron's surprised gaze, the old man lowered his gaze, and then sighed, "By the way, in return, I ask you to take away the medals left by my two sons. I don't have much time left, so I can do it at any time."
They will be buried, and no one will take care of their belongings after I die. I am afraid they are lucky to be able to deliver them to you."
Eggron had mixed feelings.
Although he refused to cooperate in the end, he still helped a little bit.
He knew that the old man did this not for himself, but for his two sons who could never be forgotten in his heart.
"I will keep them forever, it is my honor." He replied solemnly.