"In short, Prince Talleyrand is a useful person to France."
In front of Count Telewyn, Aiglon expressed his current views on Prince Talleyrand with some half-truths and half-false words.
Lord Telewyn listened carefully, not missing a word, and at the same time, he also carefully chewed the subtext of Aigron's words.
From this young man’s words, one could not hear any resentment or antipathy toward Prince Talleyrand, but this is normal. When Emperor Napoleon and Prince Talleyrand had a falling out, he was not even born yet.
There is no personal interaction between them. It would be strange if he had always been full of resentment towards the prince.
To be honest, Emperor Napoleon offended so many enemies that Talleyrand would not be at the top of a list of grievances. Why would Duke Lechstadt have to get entangled with him in passing matters?
From the tone of his voice, he could clearly feel that the Duke wanted to cooperate with Prince Talleyrand, and this was an excellent political signal and something the Prince wanted.
"Your Highness, I am very grateful to you for being able to evaluate my teacher so objectively and fairly." Count Telewin looked at Aiglon with a very moved expression, "I know that the world has a lot of misunderstandings about Prince Talleyrand. Some people
They were even proud of mocking him, but what did these people do? In terms of contribution to France in 1814 and 1815, few people made greater contributions to France than him! He did his best to preserve France at the Congress of Vienna
, pulled her back from the haze of failure on the battlefield, and got her the status of a great country she deserved. How many people can do better than him?
Similarly, for me, the prince is also a very wise and gentle teacher. As a senior in the diplomatic community, he can often give me some thought-provoking teachings. Social criticism cannot erase the sparkle in his soul. Isn’t he like us?
A role model for diplomats? Let me tell you, we will never lack high-minded moralists, but we are so short of Talleyrand!"
Aigron also knew in his heart that in order to protect his teacher and increase his social status, the count deliberately exaggerated Talleyrand's contribution at the Vienna Peace Conference, making it seem as if there would be no France without him. In fact, neither Metternich nor Metternich
The British, for the sake of continental balance, had never thought of completely withdrawing France from the ranks of great powers (in fact, they did not have the ability to dismember France). Talleyrand essentially relied on this confidence to be able to have the remaining power to compete with the great powers.
Of course, even if it is just "taking advantage of the situation", this is already very remarkable.
"We are indeed short of capable diplomats, but one Prince Talleyrand is enough. No one can be as annoying and lovable as him. He cannot be copied. For me, he is
Genius is composed of 70% outstanding wit and 30% extravagance, cunning and corruption, but who doesn't have something wrong with them these days? We can't expect everyone to be a saint." Aigron said with a hint of arrogance.
Wu sarcastically said, "I respect this senior very much, and if I have the opportunity, I would also be very willing to listen to his teachings in person."
Aigron's words were a bit harsh, but they were necessary.
In 1821, Emperor Napoleon died on the island of St. Helena. He left a special will, one of which was: "While France was still rich in material resources, it suffered two unfortunate invasions, the consequences of which should be attributed to Marmont and Augereau.
The betrayal of Talleyrand and Lafayette. I forgive them and I hope that future generations of France will do the same."
Although the emperor deliberately said later that he had forgiven them, he still couldn't forget Talleyrand's name before he died, which can also reflect the resentment he accumulated in his heart for Talleyrand's actions.
[By the way, Marmont was a rebellious Imperial Marshal who took the initiative to persuade his men to surrender to the coalition; Marshal Augereau asked Napoleon to abdicate in person in 1814, and later refused to fight for Napoleon; Lafayette
The Parliament openly asked why France continued to bleed for the Bonaparte family in such a desperate situation; privately, it was thought that apart from Talleyrand and Marmont, who were indeed traitors who betrayed the Lord and sought glory, Augereau and Rafa
It seems that Yeter could not be called a serious betrayal. At most, it was a personal choice made in a desperate situation. Napoleon should not have specifically criticized the two of them in the last stage of his life.
Maybe the emperor felt that the situation in 1814 or 1815 was not desperate enough, and there were enough consumables for him to gamble, so he felt that the "anti-war" Augereau and Lafayette ruined the empire's national destiny, so he felt resentful...
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Out of respect for the late emperor and out of his own dignity, Aigron could not show a completely disregarded attitude, as if he was asking Prince Talleyrand for help; but on a practical level, if Prince Talleyrand and Prince Talleyrand
His cooperation will bring him great benefits, so Aigron can only use the qualitative rhetoric of "70% to 30% of merits and demerits".
It did not undermine his own dignity, but also implicitly pointed out that he had not forgotten everything in the past and needed Prince Talleyrand to make amends with his actions.
If you are a person who attaches great importance to reputation, you will definitely be very angry when you hear this kind of characterization. After all, 30% of the fault means a huge stain, but both Aigron and Count Telewin know that Prince Talleyrand will never be angry.
I probably would have laughed out loud. There are people who are willing to praise me like this. This guy really has a lot of potential!
"You really made a wonderful metaphor. I have never heard anyone describe the prince so accurately before. I think he will be really happy that you evaluated him so pertinently." Earl Telewin said to Aiglon.
The description showed that he was sincere and convinced. Obviously, he did not want to cleanse Talleyrand's personal morals. After all, that was a well-known thing.
Then, he stopped smiling again, and then looked at Aiglon seriously, "If you want to interview him, I believe that His Royal Highness, who will have many opportunities in the future, will also care about you very much. When I was the Austrian ambassador,
He has already asked me to meet you, and for more than a year, he has also been paying close attention to your movements, and is sincerely happy for your achievements. He is very grateful that you have such a talent, and you are worthy of it.
Due to the great reputation of the late emperor."
Of course Aigron didn't believe a word of what the count said. Prince Talleyrand could not have any true feelings for anyone. The only thing he cared about was his personal power and wealth.
But this is not important. It is precisely at this point that the two people have a common language.
Because Talleyrand had supported the revolution, the Bourbon royal family hated Talleyrand very much. However, in the early days of the Restoration, because their foothold was not stable and they needed to use Talleyrand's diplomatic skills to maintain their position, so at that time
King Louis XVIII chose to tolerate this nuisance for the time being.
In 1814, the first restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, Talleyrand was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs by Louis XVIII. In 1815, with the second restoration of the Bourbon dynasty after the Battle of Waterloo, this time the king appointed him as Prime Minister, allowing
He came to restore order to the royal family.
Whether in domestic affairs or diplomacy, Talleyrand, who was entrusted with important responsibilities, did his best and temporarily stabilized the situation. However, at this time, in the eyes of the king, his use value had been lost, and Talleyrand privately still had a negative attitude toward the royal family.
The disrespect further angered King Louis XVIII, so he dismissed him after three months as prime minister.
Of course, in order to show the dignity of the royal family and to appease this minister who had made more or less achievements, the king appointed him as a member of the House of Nobles (the Restoration Dynasty continued the bicameral parliament of the empire, but changed it to the Senate)
In 1824, King Louis XVIII died and his younger brother King Charles
Talleyrand was even more disgusted and had no intention of giving him a good look at all. As for resurrecting, it was even more delusional.
Prince Talleyrand already had more money than he could spend in several lifetimes. After being forced to retire, he lived in the beautiful Valensay Castle and enjoyed a luxurious life. However, for such a person, he has lost his power.
It was equivalent to losing half his life, and naturally he would not be reconciled to it. He wanted to regain his power and regain his infinite glory. Although this old man is now 74 years old, the flame of ambition in his heart has never really been extinguished.
And he has betrayed the current government N times, so naturally he won't mind betraying the Bourbon family again. Since Bourbon can't give him what he wants, he wants to get it from others, and he wants to use the power of the outside world.
Overthrow the Bourbons one more time, and then let France's new masters give him power again.
In the original historical line, Prince Talleyrand did implement this idea. After his retirement, he changed his identity again, from a royalist to a liberal, and openly mixed with the opponents of the dynasty.
Money allowed them to wave the flag and shake the prestige of the dynasty.
Later, he colluded with the Orleans family and used the Duke of Orleans to realize his plot.
After the July Revolution of 1830, the Duke of Orleans drove away the Bourbon royal family and usurped the throne, and he immediately summoned Talleyrand as his diplomatic adviser.
In September 1830, he was sent to England by the Orleans royal family and coordinated the positions of both sides. In November of that year, he became France's representative at the London International Conference and participated in resolving the dispute between the Netherlands and Belgium.
On the issue of armed conflict, Prince Talleyrand finally fulfilled his long-cherished wish and finally returned to the stage that he had never forgotten, and continued to "exercise his residual enthusiasm".
Aigron knew these anecdotes, so he didn't mind extending an olive branch to Prince Talleyrand.
Since Talleyrand could make deals with the Orléans family, why couldn't he have an affair with the Bonaparte family? In this old man's mind, it probably didn't matter to anyone on either side, as long as he could be given a higher position of power.
Aigron even felt that Talleyrand was happy to see another outlet to defect to, because then he could "wait for a price".
And what about from Aigron's own perspective?
If he really seizes the political power in France, he will need just such a person, an old face who is familiar to everyone in the diplomatic field, is "highly respected" and has well-known abilities, to embellished his cause and make the outside world recognize him.
Rule over France.
Although the Orleans family is a rebel, they are, after all, a descendant of a side branch of the Bourbon royal family. There is a certain degree of "legitimacy" in seizing the throne of the long branch, which is at least easier for the great powers to accept.
But the Bonaparte family is different. It does not have a long history or lineage, and it was only more than ten years after its destruction. People still fully remember the bloody disasters that the empire brought to the outside world at that time.
In theory, Aiglon needs a diplomatic veteran more than the Orleans family to convince foreigners that the new Bonaparte dynasty does not mean disaster. He is a rational person who is willing to work within the existing international framework.
to solve problems instead of thinking about revenge every day.
Eggron has actually thought about this issue. He believes that among the international powers, Austria is the least opposed to the Bonaparte family returning to the throne (his grandfather is indifferent to this, and Archduke Karl may be happy that his daughter has become the queen.
), while Britain's attitude is more ambiguous, and it needs to work hard to win over the fact that Britain is not so much anti-Empire, but simply hates Napoleon as a person. They even accepted Napoleon's proposal to abdicate and pass the throne to his son.
Moreover, the British are famous for not talking about emotions but only about interests. Although they may not like the surname Bonaparte, at least they have no hatred for Napoleon II. As long as they can show sincerity, they should be able to exchange for them.
acquiescence.
As long as Britain and Austria acquiesce, he actually doesn't have to worry about any international issues anymore, because Prussia doesn't have the guts to act alone, the Czar is far away, and he has no interest in fighting another big war.
Therefore, the key issue is that he needs to find someone who is "respectable" enough to mediate for him, so that the great powers can relax their attitude, acknowledge the status quo, and at least acquiesce that he "responds to the voice of the French people."
Whether from a historical perspective or from a personal ability perspective, the best candidate is naturally Prince Talleyrand.
And now at this point in time, the prince happened to be throwing temptations at him...
It has to be said that although Talleyrand is already old, he does have a keen sense of smell. He can judge Aigron's needs and offer his sincerity in a timely manner.
If that's the case, why not cooperate?
Talleyrand also had another "advantage". He was so accustomed to being a conspirator that he never thought of taking the lead. For decades, he always hid behind rulers and secretly reaped the benefits. He didn't
They will think about stealing the country and only want to get enough benefits from the thief.
Obviously, Talleyrand's bid will not be low, because he knows that he needs his help, and he will ask for high prices, just as he has for many years.
But so what? If you want to bid, bid! If Talleyrand is useful to him, he will bid Talleyrand a higher price than others.
He had little confidence in others, but he had great confidence in Prince Talleyrand, because he knew that as long as the price was right, there was nothing that Talleyrand could not sell, and as long as the price was right, he would do his best and keep it to the satisfaction of his employer.
As long as the goal can be achieved, it doesn't matter even if Talleyrand is satisfied.