Under the heat of midsummer, the air becomes dull and people are drowsy. The remote Alais is as quiet as ever. Apart from the chirping of cicadas, there are not many other sounds to be heard on the country roads.
Welcomed by the chirping of cicadas, Edmond Dantès and his party quietly walked along the path into the small town.
And the end of their journey is near.
Not long ago, Edmond Dantès came to the secluded place of Marshal Soult, and quietly left here with his adjutant Major Mipe to visit Aigron.
After a pleasant exchange, the negotiation ended. Major Mipe also completed his mission and returned here with Edmond Dantès.
But this time, they were not two people - Captain Foresti also came with them under Teresa's entrustment, but he did not intend to interfere with Edmund's secret mission, so he
They basically didn't bother with anything on the way, and naturally they didn't cause Edmund any trouble.
The group of them quickly arrived at the Marshal's residence, and Marshal Soult quickly received the notification, and then immediately let them come to him.
Although it had been such a long time, when he saw the marshal again, Edmund found that his majesty had not diminished by half, but seemed to be more energetic - perhaps, this was the excitement of a conspirator preparing to make a move.
"Nice to see you again, Earl." The marshal nodded to Edmund, "You really did not disappoint me and brought the major back safely."
"There is no need to praise me, this is what I should do, Your Excellency." Edmund replied in a moderate manner. "For Your Majesty, I will not allow me to make any mistakes."
"Oh, yes, you are getting more and more tempered." The marshal smiled and nodded, "You will definitely have a bright future in the future."
"Thank you for your good words."
After some pleasantries, Edmund immediately said goodbye to the marshal, "Your Excellency, since I have brought the person back safely, please allow me to leave here."
"If possible, you can stay here for a few more days. We are very happy to entertain you." The marshal said casually.
Of course, Edmund would not take such polite words seriously. Besides, he still had a lot of things to do and could not allow himself to stay here. "I am very grateful for your kindness, but I'm sorry, I have other things that your Majesty has told me to do."
The task must be completed as soon as possible... please forgive me."
"So that's the case, then I can't keep you up, count." The marshal nodded lightly, "Then, I wish you a safe journey."
Then, the marshal personally escorted Edmund and the captain out of the house, and then watched them leave.
After they left, the marshal took Major Mipe to his room.
At this time, his apparent politeness had disappeared, and his expression was gloomy, even a little fierce.
The major, who has followed him for many years, knows that this is the expression the marshal often has when facing critical moments.
Indeed, now is the time for him to decide the future—and perhaps the future direction of history.
Because he knew this, the major also held his breath and concentrated, for fear that he might offend the marshal in some way.
"How do you feel about the King of Rome?" After a moment, the marshal broke the silence with this question.
"Vibrant and ambitious at the same time." the major replied calmly, "No matter the external image or the demeanor he shows when dealing with others, it is difficult for people to find fault. Anyway, I think he is better than the current king or the Duke of Orleans.
, are more likable.”
"Oh...?" The marshal was noncommittal, but protracted his voice and looked at the major.
The major lowered his head and stopped talking, silently waiting for the marshal's instructions.
He knew that after he said so many good things, the marshal would definitely become suspicious, and even suspect that he had received benefits from the King of Rome - but the actual situation was that he had indeed received benefits.
But precisely because he received the benefits, he had to act with a clear conscience and be upright, so as not to make the marshal doubt his loyalty.
After a while, he seemed to feel that the major was still loyal to him. The marshal's eyes gradually softened, "Being more likable does not mean that he will get what he wants. A king does not rule a country by being likable.
."
"However, in our country, being liked by the people is indeed a major advantage." The major argued, "Your Excellency, think about it, among the three people, which person or name are the people more willing to cheer for?
"
"Why, are you convinced after a trip to Switzerland? It seems that you have become a Bonapartist, and you are all about saying good things for him." The marshal frowned, seeming a little unhappy.
As the marshal frowned, the room seemed to become colder, and the major immediately felt a sudden increase in pressure.
But he knew in his heart that the more he acted like this, the less he could show his cowardice. The marshal was a proud man and he looked down on weaklings. Since he had expressed his opinion, he must stick to it, otherwise he would lose all status in the marshal's heart.
"Your Excellency, if you need me, I can become any member. It doesn't matter if I become a Bonapartist member." The major replied calmly, "You sent me to spy on the truth of the King of Rome. As your subordinate, I must be truthful.
I will reciprocate my feelings as your reference... Please believe that this is how I feel. I am not saying good things for him, I am trying to find a better banner for your comeback. The people like Bonaparte,
Then Bonaparte can be your banner..."
Seeing the major insisting on his opinion, the marshal's brows widened again.
"Then what are his shortcomings?" he then asked.
"Of course he has shortcomings. He is still too young and immature. He has not yet had time to establish his own achievements and prestige. He has faced too few big scenes and cannot control others." The major replied in a low voice, "But for you,
Say, these shortcomings happen to be advantages. If his prestige is not enough, you can make up for it; if he can't handle the situation, you can handle it; if he doesn't have enough subordinates, you can take charge of it!"
Although the major's words were pleasant, the marshal was unmoved and just asked again, "Then does he know what's appropriate? I have carefully studied his life experience and I think he is a proud and conceited person who may not always listen.
my words."
"As far as I can tell, although he is a proud man, he was imprisoned by the Austrians after all. He does not have the arrogance of a prince. At least he knows how to stoop to compromise. He knows what he needs to avoid, and he also knows how to deal with you thoroughly.
There will be consequences for falling out, so he will know how to measure it." The major immediately put in good words for Aigron.
Then, he recited word for word what Aigron secretly told him.
"Besides, Your Excellency, how many of those princes and nobles are not arrogant or even ungrateful? The Royal Bourbon family cannot tolerate you, they are completely reactionary. What will happen to the Duke of Orleans? Will he definitely cooperate with you with peace of mind?
Are you allowed to have all the power? You can't believe that he would be such a person, right?
Since you have to cooperate with proud and conceited people no matter what, then the young Roman King is more valuable. Think about it, at his age, it will take some time to establish prestige. You are much older than him.
After decades... I'm afraid it's still too late to have any major conflicts with him."
The major's words immediately made the marshal fall into deep thought.
Indeed, he knew in his heart that the other party was right.
This is also true in historical facts.
After 1830, the Duke of Orleans became King Louis-Philippe I, and then Marshal Soult was invited to take charge of the power and served as Minister of War and Prime Minister. However, later, the king gradually promoted his cronies and gradually decentralized power with the prime minister.
In the end, the Prime Minister sadly resigned.
Even if he could not see the true history of the future, Marshal Soult could certainly guess that he would not always be tolerated by the king and monopolize power.
So, it seems reasonable that a young person should be at least a little more patient than an adult.
From Sirte's current perspective, he is more than 40 years older than the King of Rome, and he is already old. God knows when he will go to see God. He will be happy for a few years and then leave it to this newly grown man.
No matter how happy the young man is, it seems to be an ideal arrangement.
Of course, Marshal Soult never imagined that he could live for more than 20 years; nor did he expect that this young man had such a strong desire for power that he never thought of waiting so long.
All words of sincerity and humility are just expedients and strategies.
After all, no matter how smart a politician is, he can only predict the future based on the environment he faced at the time, as well as some experiences and trends. He cannot predict the future.
Judging from the information he has received so far, the King of Rome is the most ideal one among his potential partners, and the conflict of interests between them is the smallest.
Indeed, after weighing the pros and cons, the marshal also felt that there was a lot of room for cooperation.
However, the other side of the large space for cooperation is that the risks are also great. The King of Rome is now far beyond the national borders and is alone. Cooperating with him means that he will be greatly impacted.
However, as a veteran who has been through life and death for many years, he is certainly not afraid of any risks.
As the Count of Monte Cristo said in person before, it is better to do something big in a big way than to live in this ghost place digging coal.
Although there is no proverb in France that "if a husband is born without food, he will be cooked with food when he dies", but for the heroes, their ideas are the same. Once they have tasted the feeling of being able to influence the power on the stage of power, once they cannot
Go on, that feeling is worse than death.
Just because he thought of this, Marshal Soult unnaturally became more agitated. "Mipe, it seems that you support the King of Rome... I know what you are thinking, but we must also consider our
The situation is that if we lose this time, we may never have another chance, so we must take every step carefully."
At this point, he paused and then asked, "What does the King of Rome want me to do now?"
"Your Excellency, you don't have to worry about this. The King of Rome also knows your difficulties, so he does not require you to express your stance now and bear the risk for him." Major Mipe smiled slightly. "He has promised you personally.
You can watch until the end, until he comes to Paris."
Then, he told Marshal Soult exactly what Aigron was planning.
"What a courage! You have the guts." After hearing this, the marshal's expression was a little complicated, and he didn't know whether it was approval or emotion.
But soon, he sighed again, "He should also have the guts...so that he won't disappoint people."
"Yes." The major also understood what the marshal meant, so he nodded in agreement, "If he becomes the emperor, he may be making up for our past regrets..."
For people like marshals and majors, interests and ambitions are the most important, but after all, they are also human beings and have their own feelings. Their glory and wealth and the pinnacle of life were all achieved in the imperial era, so compared with ordinary people
Generally speaking, their feelings for the empire are naturally deeper, and without violating their personal feelings, they naturally view everything that represents the empire more pleasing to the eye.
It is this personal feeling that drives the decisions they make after weighing the pros and cons.
"I followed the emperor to the end." The marshal seemed to defend himself, but also seemed to mean something. "So many marshals betrayed him in 1815, but I still stood with him."
"So, you can do it all. You have no historical stain on the Bonaparte family, and they are naturally willing to repay your loyalty at the highest price. His immaturity needs your assistance; and yours
Assistance can also buy you the highest power under the emperor... That old guy Talleyrand is already decrepit, how can he compare with you? As long as you make a choice and achieve your goal, then you will naturally become the empire
Under one person..." The major was like a lobbyist, eagerly encouraging the marshal.
Finally, he expressed his inner thoughts in a short sentence.
"Do it, Your Excellency!"
The marshal suddenly sneered, then raised his head slightly, "So, Mipe, what did he promise you?"
The major was slightly embarrassed and was too stunned to answer.
"Let me guess..." The marshal's smile grew wider, "Money? Power? General title?"
"Both." The major finally decided to tell the truth to his benefactor, then raised his head and looked at the marshal frankly, "But, Your Excellency, please believe that all my words come from my heart.
Ideas...are also considered based on your interests."
The marshal was still noncommittal, and just looked at Mipe with a serious expression, "That's what I like about you, Mipe, you are ambitious, but you are not hypocritical, you can be smart, and you don't try to be clever. Keep your head clear!
Because of my existence, you have value, otherwise no one will want to bribe you, you have to remember this."