Eagle’s Glory

Just as the Marquis of Treville was ambitious and wanted to fight in Algeria, Aiglon, who was far away in Fontainebleau, was worried about another place thousands of miles away.

The turmoil in France in 1830 and the ensuing crisis in Belgium gradually subsided due to a series of dramatic events such as the return of the Roman king, the restoration of the empire, and private compromises reached between Britain and France.

Now, people are waiting for the official "opening" of the new Kingdom of Belgium, and then the marriage of Prince Ferdinand and Princess Theodlande de Beauharnais of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family will mark the occasion. The vigorous turmoil officially came to an end.

However, in the chaotic European continent, there is never a shortage of firewood. Even though the turmoil in Western Europe began to subside, the turmoil in Eastern Europe suddenly ignited.

The eye of this turmoil is Poland.

Dissatisfaction and anger are brewing in invisible places, and if given a chance, they will erupt from the ground like lava.

The war surrounding Poland has not affected the clear water and sky here at all. It is exquisite and quiet, making people feel comfortable.

Why has it been that in the nearly one year since Aigron returned to France, the Tsar, who clearly has a serious feud with the Bonaparte family, has almost just looked on with a cold eye as if "the matter has nothing to do with him"?

Because in the past year, all the Tsar's energy has been diverted to Poland. He has no intention or interest to deal with the boys of the Bonaparte family and Paris thousands of miles away. As long as Aigron does not provoke him, He couldn't do anything to Aiglon in the short term.

After some pulling and pulling, the negotiations between the Polish Provisional Government and the Tsar broke down. Finally, on January 25, 1831, after two months of indecision, the Polish Parliament announced the deposed Nicholas under the pressure of the revolutionary masses. I, at the same time officially became independent from Russia - and this also caused the two parties' positions to lose all room for maneuver, and they could only rely on force to determine the final outcome.

Obviously, Poland will face more terrifying military pressure next, and in order to resist this pressure, "seeking international assistance" will naturally become an option that must be chosen.

The Poles put their best hope for assistance in the newly restored Aiglon and the French Empire.

"Since everything is fine with you, I'm relieved -" Aigron smiled, "But your hometown seems to be not so good right now -"

He knew that in front of His Majesty, his own thoughts did not matter. The key was to cater to his thoughts.

Therefore, the door to the social world quickly opened to the young earl. Because of his prominent status and handsome appearance, he also became the object of enthusiasm for ladies and ladies.

Poland...theoretically he is indeed a Pole.

Especially in the Battle of Kaushen on April 2, 1831, the Russian vanguard suffered a major defeat, with thousands of casualties and prisoners captured, which shocked the surrounding powers who were secretly observing.

At the beginning, everyone felt that the suffocatingly powerful Tsarist Russia would easily crush the Polish resistance. However, due to the vast territory of the Russian army, slow mobilization, and the lack of combat readiness of the peace-keeping army, coupled with the The Polish rebels, who were not willing to be slaves to their country anymore, put up a resolute resistance. Therefore, although the Russian army had the advantage in strength and weapons, the "counter-insurgency war" did not go very smoothly and suffered repeated setbacks.

"Not only is it bad, it is being ravaged now, Your Majesty." Alexander also smiled bitterly, "In fact, several of my relatives and friends came to France, and they told me some recent developments, which makes people worried. and pain.”

At the beginning of this year, turmoil broke out suddenly in France. The Bourbon royal family, which had been sent back by foreign bayonets in 1815, had to flee in panic again. The series of dramatic events in which the Roman king returned to Paris further made the Polish people who had been silent for a long time return to Paris. The hope of regaining freedom and independence was rekindled.

However, the Poles' luck ended here. Emperor Napoleon's Russian army was almost completely destroyed, and the Grand Duchy of Warsaw fell again under the iron heel of the Russian counterattack.

Although Archduke Constantine ran away early when he saw that the situation was not going well, the rebels still successfully occupied the arsenal and a series of important government agencies, and distributed tens of thousands of rifles to the citizens. In just one night, the rebels They occupied Warsaw.

Facing his illegitimate "brother", Aigron did not act like an emperor, but waved his hand to him casually, "Long time no see, Mr. Earl, how are you doing recently?"

His goal was indeed achieved. The Grand Duchy of Warsaw has indeed become a loyal servant of the emperor since then, and it has also followed the emperor to attack Russia (this is what the Poles want to do most).

Then, Aigron changed the subject and looked at the other party again, "You should also know that there are many people clamoring for me to intervene and help the Poles. So what do you think?"

"Your Majesty, I think you should not be swayed by public opinion, but should act prudently. Objectively, we cannot assist Poland, and from the international environment, we should not assist it." Facing Aiglon, the young earl He said with eloquence, "It is too far away from us. If we don't deal with Germany, we can't really help it at all; and if we start another dispute with the German states for Poland, it will be too much. Besides, at the moment, the gain is not worth the loss." It is a good thing that the Tsar is distracted by the war in Poland, and we should not draw all his anger on ourselves."

Then on December 3, 1830, the Polish Provisional Government was established and appointed Joseph Hwopicki, a Polish general who had served Napoleon, as commander-in-chief of the Polish army.

However, in the face of the fierce public opinion, the imperial government headed by Talleyrand chose to deal with it coldly and did not make any statement. It simply pretended that the incident had not happened and just waited to see what happened. It had no intention of directly intervening.

In 1807, after a series of battles, Emperor Napoleon and the Tsar finally reached a compromise at Tilsit and began to carve up Eastern Europe. Prussia, the Tsar's former ally, became the biggest loser. It had annexed the Polish territory it had obtained through three partitions ( Including Poznan and Warsaw), Napoleon was forced to spit them out, and Napoleon established the Grand Duchy of Warsaw on the basis of this territory. The nominal head of the duchy was the emperor's loyal follower, King Friedrich August of Saxony. King Te I also served as Grand Duke, and the government was led by the loyal Marshal Poniatowski. Poland, which had been partitioned and subjugated, finally got a chance to recover.

The disastrous defeat in the Russian conquest in 1812 nearly wiped out Napoleon's army. As a result, the Czar has almost become the most hated existence by the French people. Seeing the Russians being defeated will naturally make the French excited.

In 1830, such an opportunity appeared.

This was in the spring of 1831. When the news reached France, French public opinion was immediately excited. The newspapers vividly described the heroic feats of the Polish people and the poor performance of the Russian army. Some people even clamored to The French Empire sent troops to aid Poland and teach the Tsar a lesson.

Emperor Napoleon's move was certainly not motivated by his love for the Polish people (although he did find a caring mistress here). His purpose was to foster a loyal vassal in the vast Eastern Europe to serve the interests of the empire. Vanguard.

Before declaring independence, the Polish Parliament had issued a declaration explaining to European countries that the reason for the outbreak of the uprising was the unbearable brutal rule of the Tsar, hoping to gain international sympathy.

Since he successfully completed the mission of visiting England with Duke Bassano, the young Count Alexander Valewski began to become famous in the imperial political circles.

However, although the uprising soon swept across Poland and developed in full swing, the upper class elites in Poland had great doubts about this uprising. They believed that compared with the powerful strength of the Russian Empire, the Poles were now engaged in an armed uprising. It is not wise, and it is extremely vulnerable to bloody suppression, and may even destroy the little political rights that the Poles have now.

"Thanks to your blessing, Your Majesty, I am very well now." Alexander saluted Aigron respectfully, "I wish you all the best."

As the war in Poland intensified and the enthusiasm of public opinion gradually increased, it was no longer enough to just "wait and see what happens". As the monarch of the empire, it was time for Aigron to make a decision himself.

And today, he was specially summoned to Fontainebleau by his emperor brother, which was obviously a sign that he was about to take on a heavy responsibility.

Therefore, on the evening of November 29, 1830, some pro-independence Polish troops and armed people rushed to the Belvedere Palace, the official residence of Archduke Constantine, who served as governor, and officially declared the outbreak of the uprising.

The Tsar established a "Kingdom of Poland" in the newly occupied Polish territory, with himself as the head of state and his second brother, Archduke Constantine, as the governor. At the same time, he implemented very strict governance policies, abolished freedom of the press, banned assembly, and forced Poland to submit to the rule of Petersburg.

How should I view that "homeland"?

With a heavy heart he looked at the beautiful palace.

Although no one talked about his identity publicly, everyone knew that he was the illegitimate son of Emperor Napoleon, and this "blood capital" was destined to make a big difference in the empire's political arena.

Compared with his brother, the new Tsar Nicholas was more radical and forceful. He wanted to implement more severe policies in the Kingdom of Poland and deprive it of its last remaining autonomy rights, which further increased the resistance of the Poles. mood.

He himself could probably guess what it was for.

However, the young earl did not indulge in temporary pleasure like most of his peers. As an ambitious young man who wanted to make a big difference, he did not indulge too much in the pleasures and pleasures he could easily obtain. , but continues the original low-key pace of life, always ready to take on more important responsibilities assigned to him by the empire.

During this period of watching indifferently, Aigron has had several secret discussions with his prime minister, Prince Talleyrand, the former foreign minister of the empire, Duke Bassano, and other close circles, and has reached a tacit understanding. Now, he is the one who has officially made it clear It's time to show your attitude.

"This world is always not peaceful--" Agron shrugged lightly, looking a little regretful, "I feel deeply sorry for what happened to the Polish people, especially since they have placed so many good wishes on me, which makes me feel even more regretful."

Since the start of the War of Independence, a large number of Polish refugees have poured into France, which they believe is the most friendly and tolerant country to them. While telling their own stories, they denounced the oppression of Poland by the Tsar, hoping that the freedom-loving French people who had just driven away the tyrant could help the Polish people gain freedom.