Eagle’s Glory

Under Aiglon's order, the entire army began to prepare nervously again to prepare for the upcoming new operation.

After several previous victories, his prestige among the entire army has reached its peak. Both officers and soldiers believe that this young man who has inherited a great surname will soon lead them to new victories and write another chapter. A legend.

However, although Aigron seemed impassioned, he always remained calm in his heart. Before the war was about to come, he decided to use an elaborate grand ceremony as a final ideological mobilization.

This ceremony was the celebration and commendation ceremony for the previous series of wars surrounding Nafpaktos.

On this morning, on the beach on the outskirts of the small harbor, a large group of soldiers wearing black military uniforms gathered here. They formed square formations according to the organizational structures that they were already familiar with, and then formed a circle.

In the center, where everyone's eyes were focused, there was a small earthen platform made of gravel. On the earthen platform stood Aigron and his main subordinates.

Andre Davout, Edmond Dantès, Michel Ney, Prince Louis, and other members of the Knights... although they participated for different reasons and different ambitions Among Aigron's team, after this period of fighting, their skin color has darkened a lot, and they have begun to possess the fortitude and solemnity that truly belong to soldiers.

Aiglon, standing at the top, looked at the people next to him - there is no doubt that they are the core members of his organization at this time, and only through them can he command the entire army to fight for the next goal. struggle.

There is also no doubt that he will have to rely on them to rule that country in the future.

While he was thinking, the roar of cannons was heard in the distance, which was a reminder that it was time for the entire ceremony to begin.

So, he covered his chest and mourned for the soldiers who died in the previous war.

At the same time, in an instant, the entire army fell into silence.

Aigron narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at the members of the Knights in front of him. His heart suddenly felt a little painful - because during this period of fighting, several members of the Knights had been killed or died of serious injuries.

Compared with the death of ordinary soldiers, losing them made Aeglon feel more heartbroken.

This is the price we have to pay to achieve victory——

God knows how many more he will lose after this war is over; God knows how many more he will lose in his future struggles.

What will he lose again?

He didn't know these problems. The only thing he knew was that in order to prevent all these sacrifices from becoming worthless, he had to go all the way until he reached the throne that was destined to belong to him.

Despite his usual indifference, Aigron still couldn't help but show a little sadness in his eyes at this moment.

As the fine drum beat slowly sounded, Aigron raised his head and looked at the blue sky.

"Our brothers, our loyal and fearless warriors, left us forever and fell into the arms of God." Aigron shouted out the words he had prepared to conclude the silent ceremony, "They died for the Lord. , they dedicated their lives to liberating the suffering Christian brothers, and their souls will be bathed in the purest and noblest glory! We buried them here, but they will always walk with me!"

Aiglon knows that there may not be a paradise above the sky, but he does not mind using the Lord and heaven to glorify himself, "Now, living warriors, the Lord is watching us, and the Lord will bless us as always! We will Keep fighting for justice!"

After he finished speaking, the cannon started roaring again, and this time, it brought joy instead of sadness.

Under the orders of the officers, the soldiers present cheered in unison. The sound of cannons and cheers came together, and the deafening sound seemed to make the sea next to them begin to roll.

Next, comes the most important part of the ceremony—discussing merit and giving rewards.

Aiglon made a gesture, and the incessant sound of gunfire and cheers slowly disappeared, and everyone held their breath again and looked at the earthen platform in the middle.

The officers on the platform were equally nervous, because it was time to repay their hard work and sweat.

Aiglon walked toward them step by step, and then stopped in front of his guard captain Andre Davout.

Then he drew his sword.

"Andre." He smiled slightly, and then pointed his sword at the young man in front of him.

Andre didn't have any fear or nervousness. He knelt down directly on one knee and welcomed the honor that Aiglon was going to bestow upon him.

"Andre, since I saw you on the Island of Monte Cristo, your performance has always been noticed by me. I am very satisfied with your loyalty and bravery..." Aiglon said while placing his sword on "Because of this, I have decided to reward you with a special honor - from today on, you will be the Marquis of Lepanto. I hope you can bear in mind my expectations for you and continue to be as diligent and diligent as before in the future." The earth works for me.”

Marquis of Lepanto... After hearing this title, Andre Davout was stunned for a moment.

Although he had long known that Aigron planned to bestow him with a title, he did not expect that he would receive such a heavy reward so quickly.

His uncle, Marshal Davout, spent half his life in the army, and was finally made Duke of Auerstedt by Emperor Napoleon. Although he is now fighting bravely by His Majesty's side, how can his achievements be compared with those of his uncle?

He was very satisfied with the title of "Lepanto"-the empire's tradition is to use the place of victory as a general's title, and his uncle's title was obtained in this way.

If it is the Baron of Lepanto, he will feel very satisfied and honored. If it is the Earl of Lepanto, he can bear it although he is terrified, but now it is such a high title-you must know that in 1815, Grew Marshal Xi is just a Marquis...

For a moment, his heart was not honored, but panic and shame, "Your Majesty... your gift is too heavy, far more than what I deserve... it is my duty to serve you and it is my duty to serve you." It's an honor, you don't need to reward me with such extraordinary courtesy..."

"Why, at this point, do you still want me to take back my life in front of so many people?" Aigron asked with a smile.

"Your Majesty, that's not what I meant..." Andre shook his head quickly.

"Okay, Andre, don't say any more, this occasion is really not suitable for us to talk for too long." Aigron retracted his sword, and then patted the shoulder of Andre, who was half kneeling on the ground, "I think you If you can bear this honor, then you can bear it. If you feel uneasy in your heart, then serve me with greater enthusiasm! Hmph, as long as you dedicate yourself to me, will I still be stingy with rewards? ? Forget about the Marquis, is there anything strange about you becoming the Duke of Lepanto or the Prince of Lepanto in the future?"

Egeron recognized Andre Davout as the first contributor, so he was the first to reward him and gave him an exceptional honorary title.

In the battle of rushing to Naphpaktos, he stayed by Aigron's side all the time, and only participated in the battle when blocking the reinforcements, and his performance was not outstanding-but in the following battles, as a commander, he led The weak army left by Aigron resisted the attack of the enemy army with far more people than himself, defended Naphpaktos for Aigron, and created the conditions for him to win.

In view of the loyalty and bravery he showed in this series of battles, after some consideration, Aigron made him the first contribution of his subordinates.

In addition to the performance in the war, Aigron has other considerations-among the people around him, André Davout is one of the rare people who is the second generation of the imperial marshal but has no title. As a nephew, he is very loyal to the empire, and since he has no title, it makes it even more difficult for Agron to bribe him.

In Aigron's conception, his captain of the guard should not only be responsible for the security work around him, but also be responsible for his communication with the entire army in the future, and he must be the most loyal and reliable person.

Since you want a reward anyway, it’s better to give it right at once and make him burst into tears of gratitude.

Seeing Andre's excited look on the verge of crying, Aigron knew that his goal had been achieved - Andre would definitely follow him more fanatically in the future, which also gave him one more reliable confidant .

"Okay, get up -" Aigron smiled and patted his shoulder again, "You have the right to accept everyone's congratulations."

Andre Davout stood up in a trance, and the people around him congratulated him one after another. Of course, some of them were from the bottom of their hearts, while others were just acting on the surface.

Edmund Dantès, the most sincere congratulator—before he guarded Nafpaktos with André Davout as the second-in-command, and at the same time forged a deep friendship.

At that time, the two of them were chatting, and Andre joked that he was not as good as Edmund, after all, he didn't have any title on his head, and he was ashamed and comforted Andre, saying that His Majesty would definitely give him the reward he deserved.

I didn't expect that the prophecy would come true, and the reward would come so quickly, and it would be so high.

But it's what he deserves.

Edmund Dantès glanced at the young man in front of him—whether it was the Count of Monte Cristo or the Marquis of Lepanto, he had appointed him with a raised hand. He did have that kind of generosity that was almost magnificent, Be worthy of leading yourself and those around you.

Yes, I will continue to follow him and repay this kindness.

After bestowing the honor on Andre, who made the first contribution, Aigron began to reward the other members of the knight order who had made great achievements one by one—for those who already had titles, he would reward them with jewels; Then he was awarded the baron directly.

Next, he began to award medals to those soldiers who had fought bravely and made meritorious deeds.

After arriving in Greece, Aigron had already found someone to start designing the medals prepared for the Greek war. After some discussions, he finally decided on the style.

Like the Legion of Honor, this medal is also divided into several levels. The lowest level of the Knight's Medal is simple to make, so some have been made now, and he just took it out to distribute.

This kind of medal, the main seal is a silver cross with blue glaze, and he pinned it on the soldier's chest, shining brightly in the sun.

In order to improve the effect, he also specially found a few Greeks as typical figures and personally awarded them honors.

Aigron knows that as a leader, he must reward his merits if conditions permit. Only by doing this, will other subordinates take notice and be motivated to continue to serve him.

In other words, if rewards and punishments are not clear, then no matter how "legitimistic" a king is, he will eventually alienate his ministers and end up alone.

So, thanks to Aigron's efforts, the entire celebration was filled with cheers, and the cheers almost never stopped until the moment it came to an end.

His purpose has also been achieved.

-----------------------------------

After the celebration, it was already noon. Under the leadership of the guards, Aigron came to the command room next to his residence.

And there are already several people here at this time - surprisingly, they are the Austrian officers who came secretly.

These Austrians were sitting around a small table at this time. In the center of the table, there were several maps. They were arguing quietly about something, and from time to time they used their fingers to make gestures on the drawings. .

Several cups of steaming coffee were placed next to him, and only half of the cups were left. It seemed that these coffees had become fuel for their mental and physical strength.

After seeing Aiglon coming, they immediately stopped and then saluted him respectfully.

As soon as he saw their current appearance, Aigron understood that these people were debating their next specific action plan.

"Thank you for working so hard to help me. However, today is a celebration for the whole army. I ask you to have a good rest and relax." He said humbly to these officers, "I have already prepared a sumptuous lunch. Please appreciate it, everyone.”

Seeing what he said, these officers ended their discussion today and went back to tidy up their clothes for the next lunch, while the leader, Major Hench, stayed alone in the room.

"I'm really sorry, Major. You obviously served me so wholeheartedly, but I didn't give you the honor you deserve." Aigron looked at the major apologetically. "If I could, I would let you enjoy the cheers of the whole army today."

"This is not important, Your Highness. I may have cared about medals and honors more than ten years ago, but after staying in Les Invalides for a long time, I have already taken them lightly." Major Hench replied calmly. "Besides, when we came here, the Grand Duke had already told us to keep our identities secret to avoid causing trouble to him and ourselves, so I would rather stay here quietly than cheer in front of everyone."

Because of their sensitive and special status, Major Hench and several other Austrian officers stayed in the camp and did not attend the celebration ceremony. Eggron felt a little ashamed about this. After all, he knew in his heart that although Major Hench and the others came It didn't last long, but they helped him a lot with their rich military experience, so when he couldn't get them public honors, he wanted to compensate them with money.

"Please allow me to give you the compensation you deserve, gentlemen." Aigron insisted again, "I cannot allow others to be kind to me but get nothing."