Even after leaving the Marquis of Treville's house, Edmund was still grateful for the Marquis' progress.
That's Marshal Sirte!
Even though he had no military experience before and had very few dealings with France outside of Marseille, he had still heard of Marshal Soult's reputation.
After Napoleon, Masséna, Davout and other commanders fell one after another, he is now the well-deserved first commander-in-chief of the French army, a commander with unparalleled resume. Even looking at Europe, after the death of Kutuzov and others, he was only in
Under the Duke of Wellington.
Although he is now jealous of the Bourbon family and has been thrown into disuse, unable to participate in secrets, his past experience, his reputation, and his potential prestige in the army cannot be erased.
Some people's power comes from the position they hold. After leaving the position, they have nothing and no one will care about them; but some people are different. They are the embodiment of "prestige" and "power". They use their brilliance to
His victories and experiences convinced the people around him, even if he didn't have any position, as long as he stood there, people would obey him heartily, as Napoleon proved after landing in France in 1815.
In terms of prestige, Soult was definitely not as good as Emperor Napoleon, but he was enough to be the help Aigron needed.
Before Edmund came to France, His Majesty had given him clear instructions to find ways to gain the support of Marshals Soult and Moncey.
It would be best to have the support of both marshals, and at least one of them must be won over.
After all, unlike Emperor Napoleon, although Napoleon II is the emperor's only direct heir, he has never personally been in charge of the French army. It is impossible for him to have the same prestige as an emperor in the minds of soldiers. He needs the age of empire.
Those famous officials and veterans will give him a platform to win the support of the soldiers.
For Edmond Dantès, His Majesty's wish is an order that he must fulfill.
After working hard for so long, he finally has something to show for it, so why not make him happy!
After receiving this good news, Edmund put down all his affairs and waited for the news of the departure of the Marquis of Treville.
Just two days later, he left Paris with the Marquis of Treville and headed south.
Along the way, Edmund and the Marquis of Treville chatted and discussed. From the Marquis, he got a general understanding of Marshal Soult's current situation.
As we all know, although Marshal Soult is extremely capable, his integrity is not so outstanding.
In 1814, Emperor Napoleon abdicated, and he immediately took refuge with the Bourbon family who returned home, serving as Minister of War for a time; and in 1815, Emperor Napoleon landed from Elba Island. Like Marshal Neyin, he hesitated for a while
He defected to the emperor's side again.
However, the disastrous defeat at Waterloo brought disaster to the two marshals. After the war, Neyin was tried and shot. Marshal Soult was a little more lucky and was sentenced to exile to a small town in Germany. His life was finally saved.
.
Three years later, the atmosphere of terror and liquidation in France finally subsided. Relying on the intercession of his former colleagues, King Louis XVIII finally pardoned Soult and allowed him to return to France.
This time Soult learned the lesson. He repeatedly declared to the outside world that he was now the most loyal royalist and only wanted to serve the dynasty. His submissive performance made the king quite satisfied, so he resumed his royal duties.
The rank of Marshal and the noble title of Duke of Dalmatia.
Of course, the king was not a fool. He had never believed in the loyalty of Marshal Soult, and could not forgive him for his repeated leaps in 1815. Although he restored his title, he never assigned him any important positions.
It is impossible to give him another chance to lead troops.
As a result, Marshal Soult was forced to flee and returned to his hometown in the south.
When he was bored, Marshal Soult decided to invest in some industry to pass the time, so he founded a
A "Citizen Association for Mining and Coal Mine Exploration and Development of Allais" is exploring the coal mines in the Cevennes Mountains near my hometown and wants to develop the coal deposits in the small town of Allais near my hometown.
He invested most of his property in the mines and made plans to bring the rich local coal mines to nearby canals and then sell the coal mines to the outside world through the canals.
In order to achieve this goal, he has recently been settling in the small town of Alais.
[In the original historical line, Marshal Soult’s large investment ultimately failed because although the coal mines were developed, transportation costs were extremely high because of the inconvenience of transportation in the mountains... So in 1835,
The "Coal Mine Exploration Association" founded by Sirte was officially dissolved.
This failed investment caused Sirte to suffer huge property losses.
But it doesn't matter, because after 1830, Soult, who was originally on the historical line, had already joined the Orleans family and became the mainstay of the Orleans family in the army. He successively served as Minister of War, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister, and almost had all the power in the government and the opposition.
, this property loss is nothing.
However, Prime Minister Sirte, who was a very popular minister at this time, still did not forget the sweat he had shed. He used his authority to order the construction of a railway to the town of Alais, and then solved the problem of difficulty in transporting coal here.
question.
At this time, Prime Minister Sirte must have looked down on the small money from coal mines. The reason why he specifically spent the national budget to build this railway was probably to satisfy his obsession.
After all, if a manly man cannot overcome the obstacles in his heart, what’s the point of holding power?】
When he learned about Marshal Soult's current situation, Edmond Dantès couldn't help but be a little dumbfounded.
A marshal with such a successful resume, a marshal who once had great prestige and great power, is now in a small town, studying how to mine coal?
Even Edmund thought this was too humiliating.
Marshal Sirte cannot be satisfied with the status quo. In his heart, he will definitely not want to live like an industrialist incognito in this obscure mountain village. But I believe that he is always thinking about finding opportunities to return to the center of power.
, and enjoy the pleasure of power again.
And this means that His Majesty has the basis for cooperation with him!
Of course, having a basis for cooperation does not mean that there will definitely be cooperation. Although the Marquis of Treville and the Count of Monte Cristo do not know the development of the historical line, they both know that people like Marshal Soult will definitely get everything.
The favor of conspirators who hope to break the status quo, that is to say, the Bonaparte family will definitely not be the only one who will win over him.
The Orleans family can also spend a lot of money to buy the marshal's loyalty.
Therefore, for Edmund, on the one hand, he must seize the time, and on the other hand, he must prescribe the right medicine. He must be the first to convince Marshal Soult to fall to the side of the Bonaparte family before others do. At least he must not let the Marshal fall to the side of the Bonaparte family.
Other people over there.
In this way, they traveled day and night, from the great plains of Paris to the undulating hilly areas of the south, and finally arrived at the small town of Alais surrounded by mountains.
It was noon at this time. Under the guidance of the guide, the Marquis of Treville and Edmund, who acted as his entourage, came to the residence of Marshal Soult.
This is a large, unprepossessing house with two floors, a gray masonry structure, and relatively small windows. It looks like the residence of an ordinary rural small landowner. It is really difficult to associate it with the "Marshal".
The remote countryside was completely silent even at noon. Apart from the chirping of birds and insects, there were almost no human sounds. Especially since the surrounding area of this house was so empty, it made people feel extremely lonely.
Standing outside the house, Marquis Treville could not help but feel a little sad.
The former Marshal Sirte had hundreds of thousands of troops in his hands. He also served under Marshal Sirte for a time and saw with his own eyes his style of giving orders and scolding Fang Qiu. How high-spirited he was!
One order from him may affect a country and the fate of tens of millions of people. In one battle, he will kill many passionate men on the battlefield!
However, now, he has lost the power he once had, and can only live in a small village that no one cares about, working as a coal mine owner in obscurity, and can no longer have any influence on history.
This is the price of losing power.
Power is so important, like air, you can't leave it for a moment.
The Marquis of Treville once again reminded himself in his heart of what he needed and desired most.
After calming down, he tidied up his dusty clothes, then put on a respectful demeanor and walked outside the door of the big house.
"Who? Stop!" A middle-aged man shouted loudly, ordering these uninvited guests to stop. Then he walked over and looked at the leader, Marquis Treville, with vigilant eyes, "Who are you?"
Judging from the opponent's alert attitude and walking posture, the Marquis of Treville judged that this middle-aged man must have had military experience. It seemed that he was also taken by the marshal as an entourage after he retired.
"I am General de Treville, and I have come specially to visit His Majesty the Marshal." He gently informed the other party of himself.
"General Treville!" The middle-aged man had obviously heard of the general's name, and his attitude immediately softened a lot. He looked at the general again, trying to judge whether there was someone from his demeanor.
Counterfeit.
Soon, he made a judgment.
"Come in!" He opened the door and stepped aside.
"Thank you." Marquis Treville nodded, then strode in and came to the house.
The middle-aged man took him into the small reception room, and then asked them to sit on the chairs, and then he went to report.
The Marquis of Treville and Edmond Dantès waited nervously, without speaking to each other, waiting for the marshal to appear.
Not long after, they heard loud footsteps.
The footsteps were sonorous and rhythmic, with the sense of oppression unique to those who have led troops in war for a long time. Then, the door was pushed open, and then, an old man in casual clothes appeared in front of them.
He was about sixty years old, and his hair on his temples was already gray, but he didn't have many wrinkles on his face, and he had a strong build, so there weren't many signs of aging.
Although he was wearing casual clothes, his gaze was still scorching, and just passing by two people gave them a creepy feeling.
He is not handsome, but his eyes are not angry and intimidating, giving people a sense of awe and inviolability.
His eyes witnessed the fall of the kingdom, the fall of the empire, the formation of thousands of troops, and the countless corpses strewn across the fields. He was one of the few remaining elites of that era, even the
Living history.
Even without anyone introducing him, Edmund knew that this old man must be Marshal Soult.
Unexpectedly, after being abandoned for more than ten years, the Marshal still looks murderous. This is enough to prove that he has not been dulled by the ordinary and peaceful life. His heart is still burning with the flames of lust for power. He will never be satisfied.
to today’s industrialist life.
And this is exactly what Edmund wants to see.
The marshal's eyes only glanced briefly at Edmund, and soon fell on the Marquis of Treville.
He did not know Edmund, but of course he knew the Marquis of Treville, a general who had fought under his command.
"Victor, long time no see." He greeted the Marquis of Treville in a stiff and cold tone, "I didn't expect that after so many years, I would still get a visit from you."
"Your Excellency, Marshal, long time no see!" Marquis Treville changed his usual pride and greeted his old superior respectfully, "In fact, I have been hoping to visit you for these years, but I finally got it today.
It's just an opportunity... Please forgive me for being so late."
"What do I need to forgive? It's a good thing that I can come. Not many of my old subordinates will remember to come and see me..." Marshal Soult smiled slightly, but his smile still seemed to be the same.
Very coldly, "But I also understand their difficulties. Many of them still have great futures. It's normal that they don't want to have anything to do with me. I'm afraid that only you, who has no official position and a low body, can come over to see me."
The Marquis of Treville didn't know whether this was a compliment or a sarcasm. He didn't know how to respond for a moment, so he could only answer the marshal with a wry smile, "We are all paying the price for the past, Your Excellency. However.
I have no complaints and no regrets. I feel extremely honored that I was treated unfairly because I insisted on my loyalty and position, because I can prove my innocence before God."
"Oh! That's great!" The marshal nodded.
Then, he sat down again with a smile, and then looked at General Treville with interest, "Then, innocent Treville, what do you want from me? Why do you finally think you have got it after so many years?