Chanel was puzzled by Aigron's words. She looked at his face in confusion, trying to find something she could understand.
"Your Highness, you...what do you mean?"
Aigron did not answer her immediately. He needed some time to digest his excitement - after suppressing it for too long, this good news made him unable to help himself.
After a while, he finally vented his ecstasy and then let go of his arms.
"Chanel, you clean up first, and then you sit down and I want to tell you a story-" He spread his hands and sat on the sofa.
"Okay, Your Highness." Chanel could only put away her curiosity and start cleaning up again.
While she was acting, Aigron had been thinking about how to disclose information to Chanel.
He originally thought that he had just traveled to the modern world of Europe, but he did not expect that the characters in the book "The Count of Monte Cristo" actually existed in this world.
As a modern European, he was too familiar with the plot of "The Count of Monte Cristo". When he heard the name Fernand de Morcerf, he immediately reacted - isn't this the one who framed the protagonist in the book and went to jail?
A love rival who made up a name for himself after he became famous?
In order to confirm his guess, he secretly gathered information from the other party, and the information he obtained verified the facts one by one - he was really that person.
In other words...in this world, Edmond Dantès really does exist, and the Treasure of Monte Cristo really does exist.
Furthermore, according to the original work, Edmond Dantès escaped from prison after 14 years in prison, that is, he escaped from the terrible Chateau d'If prison in 1829 - and it is now the end of 1826.
In other words...if there are no accidents, then the treasures in the book are lying quietly in the caves of Monte Cristo Island, waiting for the day they will be seen again.
What he has to do is to be the first to discover this treasure, and then use this huge wealth as the starting capital to realize his plan.
He didn't think it was stealing or robbing. Since the treasure had no owner, it was first come, first served. If he found the treasure first, the treasure would be his.
Moreover, Edmond Dantès will not suffer from it - as long as he has a large amount of wealth, wouldn't it be easy to help him escape from prison in advance? And he can also help him avenge his revenge, even if
If the restoration of the country is successful, making him a real "count" will be just a piece of cake.
In this way, he did not lose anything but made a lot of money. It was a win-win result.
Of course, these calculations and plans are still just castles in the air, just preliminary concepts. There is no point in thinking so much. The only thing he needs to consider now is how to seize this treasure without being noticed.
own.
Fortunately, his conditions are much better than Edmond Dantès.
Although they are all in prison, he holds the title of Duke, and his living conditions are not much different from those of members of the royal family, and he has limited freedom. Now he is even more popular because of the hope of marrying Archduke Karl - compared to still serving prison food
Edmond Dantès was like he was in heaven.
At the same time, he is not alone. He has Chanel who follows him enthusiastically, and he also has a large number of supporters outside.
However, people in this world are unpredictable, and he dare not trust anyone without a period of interaction. Now he only trusts Chanel.
Even Chanel didn't have to tell her the whole truth, she just needed to tell her a story that she could believe.
Fortunately, he has always been good at making up stories.
While he was thinking about it, Chanel had already finished cleaning up. She stood cautiously in front of Aigron, looking curious as if she was waiting to hear the story.
"Chanel, you should know that Napoleon made his fortune in Italy, right?" Aigron finally spoke. "In 1796, he led the army into Italy and defeated Austria. From there he won the
All honors and fame.”
"Yes, Your Highness." Chanel nodded with reverence.
"Behind the honor, there are also some less glorious things..." Aigron smiled, "The legion he led at that time was a ragged army with extremely low morale. They had no military pay, no military rations, and no shoes.
Socks, no tents, and the only difference from a group of beggars is that they have guns in their hands. In order to make these soldiers obey his orders, he promised them that as long as they entered Italy, he would make them rich - let me tell you clearly.
, he extorted and robbed in Italy, devastating the once prosperous and wealthy Northern Italy. He extorted city redemption fees from Milan, Tuscany, Venice and a long list of places, and even robbed artworks to France."
"Yes, Your Highness." Chanel was not so proud now, but she still comforted Aiglon, "However, His Majesty the Emperor had no choice at the time. After all, he had to maintain a good army if he wanted to fight, and the supplies provided by the Republic were not enough.
He had no choice but to do this..."
What can't be done? Even after he usurped the Republic and became emperor, he still led his troops to rob everywhere. The troops stationed in Spain didn't even spare the graves... Aigron couldn't help but complain in his heart.
Of course, from his position, he cannot tell these truths.
"I'm not discussing moral issues with you, Chanel." Aiglon made a gesture, and then asked the other party, "You know, what is the most important thing for an army that commits robbery?"
"...What is it?" Chanel was a little confused.
"The most important thing is discipline." Aiglon replied, "Without discipline, there is no army, so even if you rob, you must abide by order, otherwise the army will be in chaos and there will be no way to fight. So while Napoleon allowed the army to rob, he also
Strictly stipulating the robbery procedures and distribution model, this allowed his legion to not drown in gold, silver and jewelry, but to maintain a hungry fighting capacity. I will not go into details, but in short, he secretly established a special distribution system
The system, and the people in charge, ensure that the army can distribute the spoils according to hierarchy - of course, he gets the biggest share."
Until now, what he told is still true, because in fact, this is what Napoleon did. He made a fortune by conquering Northern Italy. Not only money, he also packed boxes of Italy's most precious works of art.
They were shipped to France and decorated their own collections and museums everywhere.
Chanel nodded, waiting for Aigron's next words. She knew this was all true, but she didn't care about the suffering Italian people.
"In his army, there is a group of people hiding in the darkness, who are responsible for finding the most valuable treasures in Italy, and then collecting the plundered wealth for him to distribute." Aigron finally said what he wanted to say.
, "Although he later left Italy, these people continued to serve him and provided him with a steady stream of funds. Until he finally established the empire, this kind of action still did not end - because His Majesty the Emperor always wanted to fight, and he
The thirst for money is unlimited."
After a pause, he continued, "In the past twenty years, these people have searched all over Italy. They have searched through the assets of wealthy families. They have not even let go of ancient documents. There are special personnel
Read it carefully, looking for any clues. Their hard work was sufficiently rewarded. They found many hidden treasures and enriched the empire's treasury. Unfortunately, their work did not bring about the final victory... The empire was still destroyed.
, their efforts came to nothing. As loyal followers of Napoleon, these people had to remain anonymous, and some have even been executed by the Bourbon family."
"This is really a great misfortune..." Chanel lowered his head with great sadness. "To be given such an important task by His Majesty the Emperor, they must be the most loyal people. When they find treasures, they don't keep it for themselves but give it to the empire... This
It’s such a heartbreaking loss!”
"Unfortunately, there are still people who survived and tried every means to preserve the remaining research results." Aigron sighed, "And among the officers who came to visit me today, one of them is a descendant of these people.
Man. I'm sorry I can't tell you which one he is, but he gave me a top-secret message."
"Could it...could it be...a treasure?" Chanel finally understood.
"Yes, it is a treasure, and it is a very huge amount of wealth." Aigron nodded, "The officer gave me a message and told me where the treasure might be buried. They have been hiding underground for so many years without thinking about it themselves.
On the one hand, he is afraid of being hunted, but most importantly, he believes that it is my wealth, and only I am worthy of using it. He hopes that I can use this wealth to embark on the road of rebuilding the empire.
He wishes me success."
"What an admirable loyalty!" Chanel couldn't help but sigh, "It's so touching... Your Highness, I will be so loyal to you. If I also find a treasure, I will immediately find a way to dedicate it to you."
you!"
Although Aiglon's story was too idealistic, Chanel believed it easily - on the one hand, the foreshadowing of Aiglon was indeed very real; on the other hand, she herself was also the kind of fanatic who valued loyalty above money.
So I am particularly willing to believe it.
In addition, this was the era of European global expansion, and the entire society had a culture of taking risks to make money. Therefore, there were too many stories of adventurers finding treasures circulating around the world, and Chanel would subconsciously believe them.
"Okay, that's the basic situation." Aiglon spread his hands. "Chanel, now you can understand why I am so excited, right?"
"Understood, Your Highness." Chanel nodded, her eyes full of excitement and joy, "I...I am as excited as you!"
Chanel didn't ask about the specific location of the treasure, and Aigron didn't intend to tell her.
He trusts Chanel, and he also needs help, but there is no need for him to test his humanity now - only after escaping, he will tell Chanel the location of the treasure, and then take her to dig with her.
In the afternoon, Marshal Marmont and his men were about to say goodbye and leave Schonbrunn Palace for the city of Vienna.
And Aigron came to see off these French people in person.
"Marshal, although I do not regret your departure, I still hope that you can endure the ice and snow of Petersburg." Aigron greeted Marshal Marmont.
"You don't have to worry about this, Your Highness. I am only in my fifties - although I am indeed old, I am not bad yet." Marshal Marmont shrugged, "But you, although you are like the rising sun,
Don’t be too complacent, you still have a long road ahead and it’s not that easy to walk. I hope you can walk steadily enough.”
"Going steady is not the way to ensure victory." Aigron smiled, "Sometimes I would rather take a little risk. How could Napoleon possibly enter Italy if he didn't take a little risk?"
"Well, very good, that's right." The marshal nodded, "However, this must be proven by actual actions - I hope you can create a big career in Austria in the future, and I will always pay attention to your story."
"This is my honor." Aigron bowed slightly.
Then, the young man walked in front of the judges.
"Everyone, I remember your names." He saluted the group of soldiers gracefully, "I hope we will have the opportunity to meet again in the future, and I wish you all a bright future."
The officers also paid tribute to Aiglon and then said goodbye.
Eggron walked in front of them, and then deliberately stopped in front of Fernand de Morcerf.
"Major Morseff, I don't know why, but as soon as I saw you, I felt particularly attached to you." Aigron looked at him with a smile, "Your legendary experience has given me great encouragement, and you are approachable, humble and kind.
Your qualities make me admire you even more...I am very glad that God brought you to me. You are like a sage who came to Jerusalem, lighting up my future path."
Such flattering words made Morseff feel a little flattered.
He quickly lowered his waist and saluted the young man respectfully.
"Your Highness, you have gone too far! I am not worthy of your praise... I am just a miserable mortal. All I think and do is serve the country and fulfill the duties of a soldier. I really have no
What need to be specially praised?" He looked at Aiglon with some ecstasy, "Your Highness, I sincerely hope that I will have the opportunity to serve you in the future and repay your respect for me."
"I believe you can do it, because we will definitely meet in the future." Aigron stopped smiling, and then looked at the other party seriously, "And I, at that time, I will probably be able to give you a huge surprise."
"What surprise?" Morsef asked curiously.
"If we say it now, can the surprise still be a surprise?" Aigron asked with a smile. "So, please wait and look forward to it. I believe it will be an unforgettable moment in your life."
His charming voice and kind smile evoked Morseff's endless reverie about a bright future.
His Highness values me so much. If he becomes a great figure in Austria in the future, then he will definitely get a lot of glory.
"Thank you, Your Highness! Then I will remember this moment."