"Why do you finally think you have the chance to see me after so many years? I am all ears!"
Marshal Soult's attitude was both cheerful and a little bit playful. Apparently, he had already guessed a little bit about the purpose of Marquis Treville's visit.
This is also very normal. Although he lives in seclusion in this small town to explore coal mines, Marshal Soult has not given up his desire for power. He has been looking for opportunities to return to the field of power, so he is constantly paying attention to domestic affairs.
Political current situation.
Naturally, he had already heard about the series of events surrounding Duke Lechstatt.
Things in Greece were too far away, but a few months ago the Duke appeared in person in the countryside near Strasbourg. This sensational news also proved that this young man had always had the ambition to return to France to compete for the throne.
The Marquis of Treville has always openly sided with the Bonaparte family. When he saw him, he also
Anyone with normal intelligence can guess that this general came here to act as a lobbyist, hoping to persuade him to support the Bonaparte family.
Bonaparte... Although more than ten years have passed, this surname can always arouse too much sentimentality in the Marshal's heart.
Throughout his military life, he fought on various battlefields. Fortunately, he was favored by Emperor Napoleon and was promoted all the way to the rank of marshal. He also served the empire to great extent, made great military exploits, and received countless favors from the emperor.
It can be said that the most glorious memories in his life are closely related to the Bonaparte family.
Although he was not a rigid and loyal person, and had crossed paths many times, he still had endless respect for Emperor Napoleon himself, even today.
He had a proud personality and set his sights higher than the top. He had never paid attention to many people in his life, but the emperor was someone he admired from the bottom of his heart. It was for this reason that in 1815, knowing that the emperor's hope was slim,
, he still defected to the emperor's command and fought hard for the Hundred Days Dynasty.
He paid a huge price for this decision. He forever lost the favor of the vengeful Bourbon family. He is still paying the price even today, but he has no regrets. How can a real man regret his decision?
For the kindness of being acquainted and for the honor of the empire, which he also had a share of, he followed the emperor to the end. The court of conscience could no longer criticize him harshly. He was worthy of anyone.
However, the emperor is the emperor, and the King of Rome is the King of Rome. The price he paid for the emperor does not mean that he has to pay for the King of Rome. From any point of view, he has nothing to do with the Bonaparte family.
There was no obligation to obey the orders of the Roman king.
If the King of Rome wanted to win over him, he must show due sincerity and price, and everyone should deal fairly. It is impossible to just give an order and have to go through fire and water.
Marshal Soult knows that he is in trouble now, but from another aspect, his status in the world is there. The marshals who can be compared with him have already passed away, and the living marshals, like
No one like Marmont, Augereau, or Oudinot could compare with him in terms of military exploits and prestige.
The proud marshal never thinks that there is anyone in the army today who is more qualified than himself to support a "son of destiny".
This destined son could be the heir to the Bonaparte family, the Duke of Orleans, or anyone else, but no matter who wanted to buy him, he had to pay a reasonable price.
Although France does not have the idiom "for sale", there are some things that humans have in common. Marshal Soult has been on the battlefield for a long time and has already developed a severe and calm character. He can assess the situation and knows that he has been bribed.
the value of.
In this case, one should not be anxious, but should continue to observe to see which side has the most sincerity and the most hope of success, and finally join the Destiny's Son when the time is right.
Although the Marquis of Treville could not completely grasp the psychology of Marshal Soult, he could at least guess two or three points. He also knew that he could not persuade the marshal to serve the Bonaparte family again with just a few words.
, he could only plant a seed first and let the marshal know that the door of the Bonaparte family will always be open for him.
As a soldier, he definitely prefers to go straight and decide all major matters within a few minutes. However, politics is often an art of bargaining and compromise. He must be calm and patient. Especially, for Marshal Soult, he has no intimidation and intimidation.
It was difficult to deceive in any sense. He could only be honest and let everything be judged by the marshal himself.
Because he had this idea, he quickly organized his thoughts.
"As you can see, Marshal, to this day, I am still loyal to Bonaparte. At that time, it was the Emperor who led us to a peak that our nation has never reached. The achievements of all the Bourbon kings combined cannot be
As good as him, unfortunately fate still mocked him and made him fall from the throne. But even so, I will not change my oath. I swore to be loyal to the emperor. I
We must persevere to the end! Although the emperor is gone, the Bonaparte family is still there, his heirs are still there, and there is still a place for my loyalty to rest."
"Are you loyal to the King of Rome?" The marshal was not surprised, but asked calmly, "Then does the King of Rome know?"
The Marquis of Treville hesitated again.
He knew that the marshal was actually asking him whether he had "colluded" with the Bonaparte family, and he had to consider the scale.
Finally he decided to speak more clearly.
"To tell you the truth, I have been very excited since the King of Rome fled Vienna. I tried every means to contact him, then expressed my loyalty to him, and told him everything I knew..."
After a pause, the Marquis continued to add, "In addition, when he went to Greece for adventure, I sent my son to accompany him."
Although this is completely true, the Marquis also played a little trick in the narrative. He deliberately did not say what his son had done, and made it sound as if he was prepared to let his son go through life and death for the Bonaparte family.
Although the Marshal knew the Marquis of Treville and knew that he had a son, he had lived in seclusion for many years and was unaware of Edgar's current situation, so he was easily seduced by the Marquis.
"Your only son also passed away? You are really willing to spend a lot of money!" The marshal looked at the Marquis of Treville with a slightly surprised look, "Such loyalty is rare."
"It's not uncommon. There are many people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the Bonaparte family. My son and I are just one of them." Marquis Treville replied calmly, "We are loyal to our oath and to the cause of the empire. For this reason
It’s worth every price you pay!”
The Marquis of Treville's enthusiasm did not move the marshal. He just smiled bitterly. "Empire? There is no empire anymore. The so-called cause has long been wiped out. Only ruins are left. We are it.
The last remnants are just waiting to be consumed by time."
From the marshal's tone, it is not difficult to hear a hint of discouragement, which is rare in a person like him.
However, the Marquis of Treville also understood this desolation very well.
The emperor, with his entire nation, his skilled marshals, and his loyal and brave troops, repeatedly defeated the enemy and once swept across most of the European continent. However, in the end, the empire was crushed by all its enemies united.
The seven anti-French alliances, the British navy that controlled all the oceans, the ferocious and brave Cossacks, and the endless millions of coalition troops...these forces came together to hinder the progress of the empire and eventually destroyed it.
This frenzy was so terrifying that even a man as skilled in strategy as Marshal Soult could not help but become discouraged and no longer believed that it could be fought by France alone. In other words, it swept away most of the country.
An empire on the European continent would never appear again.
[In the original historical line, from 1830 to 1848, the Orleans family ruled France, and Soult, as Prime Minister and Minister of War, always adopted a pacifist or compromise line, and almost never considered using the threat of force to implement diplomacy.
Policies, it shows how much I cherish the past.】
When he thought of this, Marquis Treville felt a little sad and bowed his head.
Although they are not very loyal to the empire or the Bonaparte family, deep down in their hearts, as generals in the imperial era, they are still proud of the military exploits and glory of the empire, because they are these glorious ones.
A member.
Seeing these things that we were once proud of come to an end one by one, and the former leaders either die or turn against each other, no matter how hard-hearted a person is, it will be a little sad.
After a long silence, the Marquis of Treville spoke again.
"You are right. It is true that the empire we are proud of can no longer be reproduced, but it still exists after all, because the Bonaparte family still exists. It can be reborn in France and lead this country into the world.
A new era, healing the wounds of the past and moving towards a prosperous future.
Maybe in many years we will not be able to pick up the battle flag of the past and challenge the whole of Europe again, but that will not be the case in the future, right? Our opponents are not monolithic. They have their own agendas and will share the spoils unevenly.
And if they quarrel or even go to war, their alliance will break up sooner or later, because there is no alliance in European history that can last forever!
As long as we keep accumulating strength and wait for the opportunity, then we will have the opportunity to take back everything we have lost. Twenty years, or even forty years... One day, our descendants will once again take up the responsibility of being defeated.
We have sealed the battle flag and march forward following the war drums of our ancestors to win the crown of the world for this nation."
Having said this, Marquis Treville looked at Marshal Soult with enthusiasm, "Marshal, you are the guide who will lead us into an era of peace and prosperity. Only you can prevent our nation from
Drown in the decadence and enjoyment of peacetime, remember everything we once had, rebuild our greatly damaged army, renovate weapons and accumulate resources, and make this country stronger again, stronger than it has ever been before! If you fix it
Our damaged battle flag, hand it to the next generation, let them use new honors to wash away the stains on the battle flag, and history will also remember your contribution. This contribution is even better than winning the battle.
Ten battles will be even greater!"
As he spoke, Marquis Treville himself became excited.
It is true that he said this mainly to please the marshal, but to a large extent he also meant it from his heart.
After the fall of the empire, its military power suffered a devastating blow. Not only did it suffer huge casualties and a series of defeats, it also suffered an unprecedented setback in the confidence of its soldiers. It can be said that morale has almost collapsed.
Although the French army was rebuilt after the Restoration of the Bourbons, it liquidated a large number of officers from the imperial era for political reasons, which inevitably further weakened the cohesion and self-confidence of the army.
As a general, he is not only concerned about his personal future, but also about the army himself. He also hopes that this situation can be reversed as soon as possible.
He is not the only one who thinks so. There is almost a consensus within and outside the army that "a strong and respected elder is needed to restore the discipline and morale of the army, repair armaments, and rebuild a strong army."
As one of the most powerful commanders in France today, whether he is willing to admit it or not, Marshal Soult is the best person to achieve this mission.
Although the Marquis of Treville is very ambitious, he knows that in terms of qualifications and prestige, he is not only inferior to the marshals, but also not outstanding among a lot of old generals, so he would rather support Marshal Soult to achieve his goal.
Such a mission, however, he came again to take over the cause.
He hopes that the army can regain its strength, and he also hopes to become the leader of the army in the future. These two wishes are organically combined and go hand in hand.
He is about ten years younger than Marshal Soult, he is patient, and he knows that His Majesty will trust him more than Marshal Soult.
The marshal is an ally, and General Treville is a close minister. Everyone knows which one is closer.
Because of this calculation, the Marquis of Treville was determined to ask the Marshal to stand up.
Whether it's public or private, this is the best choice.
Just because he was energetic, he looked at the marshal and continued to speak loudly, "Marshal, can't you see what our country and our army have become now? Do you want the entire nation to lose confidence and continue to
Are you wallowing in the shadow of past failures?
No, in the history of our country, we have suffered many defeats. There were even more cruel defeats than this, and there were many times when France was almost destroyed during the Hundred Years' War! But our great nation will not be willing to fail. God will always provide
The great man we sent to help the nation led us to climb up from the ruins, regroup, and continue to work hard for the cause we once had. Now, I think you are that person, please don't hesitate any more!"