Eagle’s Glory

Even after leaving the Marquis of Treville's house, Edmund was still congratulating himself on the Marquis' progress.

That's Marshal Sirte!

Even though he had no military experience before and had very little contact with France outside of Marseille, he had still heard of Marshal Soult's reputation.

After the fall of Napoleon, Masséna, Davout and other commanders, he is now the well-deserved first commander-in-chief of the French army, a commander with unparalleled resume. Even looking at Europe, after the death of Kutuzov and others, he is only in Under the Duke of Wellington.

Although he is now jealous of the Bourbon family, has been cast aside, and cannot participate in secrets, his past resume, his reputation, and his potential prestige in the army cannot be erased.

Some people's power comes from the position they hold. After leaving the position, they have nothing and no one will care about them; but some people are different. They are the embodiment of "prestige" and "power". They use their own brilliance to His victories and experiences convinced the people around him. Even if he had no position, as long as he stood there, people would obey him wholeheartedly - as Napoleon proved after landing in France in 1815.

In terms of prestige, Soult was definitely not as good as Emperor Napoleon, but he was enough to be the help Aiglon needed.

Before Edmund came to France, His Majesty had given him clear instructions to find ways to get the support of the two marshals Soult and Moncey.

It would be best to get the support of both marshals at the same time, and at least one of them must be won over.

After all, unlike Emperor Napoleon, although Napoleon II was the emperor's only direct heir, he had never personally been in charge of the French army. He currently cannot have the same prestige as an emperor in the minds of soldiers. He needs the age of empire. Those famous officials and veterans will give him a platform to win the support of the soldiers.

For Edmond Dantès, His Majesty's wish is an order that he must fulfill.

After working hard for so long, he finally has something to show for it, so why not make him happy!

After receiving this good news, Edmund put down everything in his hands and waited for the news of the departure of the Marquis of Treville.

Just two days later, he left Paris with the Marquis of Treville and headed south.

Along the way, Edmund and the Marquis of Treville chatted and discussed. From the Marquis,

We have a general understanding of Marshal Soult's current situation.

As we all know, although Marshal Sirte has outstanding abilities, his integrity is not so outstanding.

In 1814, Emperor Napoleon abdicated, and he immediately took refuge with the returning Bourbon family and served as Minister of War for a time; and in 1815, Emperor Napoleon landed from Elba Island. Like Marshal Ney, he hesitated for a while He defected to the emperor's side again.

However, the disastrous defeat at Waterloo brought disaster to the two marshals. After the war, Ney was tried and shot. Marshal Soult was a little more lucky and was sentenced to exile to a small town in Germany. His life was finally saved. .

Three years later, the atmosphere of terror and liquidation in France finally subsided. Relying on the intercession of his former colleagues, King Louis XVIII finally pardoned Soult and allowed him to return to France.

This time, Soult learned the lesson. He repeatedly declared to the outside world that he was now the most loyal royalist and only wanted to serve the dynasty. His submissive performance made the king quite satisfied, so he resumed his royal duties. The rank of Marshal and the noble title of Duke of Dalmatia.

Of course, the king was not a fool. He had never believed in the loyalty of Marshal Soult, and he could not forgive him for his repeated leaps in 1815. Although he restored his title, he never assigned him any important positions. It is impossible to give him another chance to lead troops.

As a result, Marshal Soult was forced to surrender and returned to his hometown in the south.

When he was bored, Marshal Soult decided to invest in some industry to pass the time, so he founded a

A "Citizen Association for Mining and Coal Mine Exploration and Development of Ales" is exploring coal mines in the Cevennes Mountains near his hometown and wants to develop coal deposits in the town of Ales near his hometown.

He invested most of his property in the mines and formulated plans to bring the rich local coal mines to nearby canals and then sell the coal mines to the outside world through the canals.

In order to achieve this goal, he has recently been settling in the small town of Alais.

[In the original historical line, Marshal Soult’s large investment ultimately failed - the reason was that although the coal mines were developed, transportation costs were extremely high because of the inconvenience of transportation in the mountains... So in 1835 In 2001, the "Coal Mine Exploration Association" founded by Soult was officially dissolved.

This failed investment caused Sirte to suffer huge property losses.

But it doesn't matter, because after 1830, Soult, who was originally on the historical line, had already joined the Orleans family and became the mainstay of the Orleans family in the army. He successively served as Minister of War, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister, and almost had all the power in the government. , this property loss is nothing.

However, Prime Minister Sirte, who was a very popular minister at this time, still did not forget the sweat he had shed. He used his authority to order the construction of a railway to the town of Alais, and then solved the problem of difficulty in transporting coal here. question.

At this time, Prime Minister Sirte must have looked down on the small money from coal mines. The reason why he specifically spent the national budget to build this railway was probably to satisfy his obsession.

After all, if a manly man cannot overcome the obstacles in his heart, what's the point of holding power? 】

When he learned about Marshal Soult's current situation, Edmond Dantès couldn't help but be a little stunned.

A marshal with such a successful resume, a marshal who once had great prestige and great power, is now in a small town, studying how to mine coal?

Even Edmund thought this was too humiliating.

Marshal Sirte cannot be satisfied with the status quo. In his heart, he will definitely not want to live like an industrialist incognito in this obscure mountain village. But I believe that he is always thinking about finding opportunities to return to the center of power. , enjoy the pleasure of power again.

——And this means that His Majesty has complete basis for cooperation with him!

Of course, having the basis for cooperation does not mean that there will definitely be cooperation. Although the Marquis of Treville and the Count of Monte Cristo do not know the development of the historical line, they both know that people like Marshal Soult will definitely get everything. The favor of conspirators who hope to break the status quo, that is to say, will definitely not be the only party of the Bonaparte family to win over him.

The Orleans family can also spend a lot of money to buy the marshal's loyalty.

Therefore, for Edmund, on the one hand, he must seize the time, and on the other hand, he must prescribe the right medicine. He must persuade Marshal Soult to fall to the side of the Bonaparte family before others do - at least he cannot let the Marshal just do it. Fall towards the others.

In this way, they traveled day and night, from the great plains of Paris to the rolling hills of the south, and finally arrived at the small town of Ales surrounded by mountains.

It was noon. Under the guidance of the guide, the Marquis of Treville and Edmund, who acted as his entourage, came to the residence of Marshal Soult.

This is a large, unprepossessing house with two floors, a gray masonry structure, and relatively small windows. It looks like the residence of an ordinary small rural landowner. It is really difficult to associate it with the "Marshal".

The remote countryside was completely silent even at noon. Apart from the chirping of birds and insects, there were almost no human sounds. Especially since the area around this house was so empty, it made people feel extremely lonely.

Standing outside the house, Marquis Treville couldn't help but feel a little sad.

The former Marshal Sirte had hundreds of thousands of troops in his hands. He once served under Marshal Sirte and saw with his own eyes his style of giving orders and scolding Fang Qiu. How high-spirited he was!

One order from him may affect a country and the fate of tens of millions of people. In one battle, he will kill many passionate men on the battlefield!

However, now, he has lost the power he once had, and can only live in a small village that no one cares about, working as a coal mine owner in obscurity, and can no longer have any impact on history.

This is the price of losing power.

Power is so important that it is like air that cannot be left for a moment.

The Marquis of Treville once again reminded himself in his heart what he needed and desired most.

After calming down, he tidied up his dusty clothes, then put on a respectful demeanor and walked outside the door of the big house.

"Who? Stop!" A middle-aged man shouted loudly, ordering these uninvited guests to stop. Then he walked over and looked at the leader, Marquis Treville, with vigilant eyes, "Who are you?"

Judging from the alert attitude and walking posture of the other party, the Marquis of Treville judged that this middle-aged man must have had military experience - it seemed that he was taken with him by the marshal as an entourage after he retired.

"I am General de Treville, and I came here specifically to visit His Majesty the Marshal." He gently informed the other party of himself.

"General Treville!" The middle-aged man had obviously heard of the general's name, and his attitude immediately softened a lot. He looked at the general again, trying to judge whether there was someone from his demeanor. Counterfeit.

Soon, he made a judgment.

"Come in!" He opened the door and stepped aside.

"Thank you." Marquis Treville nodded, then strode in and came to the house.

The middle-aged man took him into the small reception room, and then asked them to sit on the chairs, and then he went to report.

The Marquis of Treville and Edmond Dantès waited nervously, without speaking to each other, waiting for the marshal to appear.

Not long after, they heard loud footsteps.

The footsteps were sonorous and rhythmic, with the sense of oppression unique to those who have led troops in war for a long time. Then, the door was pushed open, and an old man in casual clothes appeared in front of them.

He was about sixty years old, with gray hair on his temples, but there were not many wrinkles on his face, and he had a strong build, with not many signs of aging visible.

Although he was wearing casual clothes, his gaze was still scorching, and just passing by two people gave them a creepy feeling.

He was not handsome, but his eyes were calm and intimidating, giving him a sense of inviolability.

His eyes witnessed the fall of the kingdom, the fall of the empire, the formation of thousands of troops, and the countless corpses strewn across the fields. He was one of the few remaining elites of that era, even the Living history.

Even without anyone introducing him, Edmund knew that this old man must be Marshal Soult.

Unexpectedly, after being idle for more than ten years, the marshal still looks murderous - this is enough to prove that he has not been dulled by the ordinary and peaceful life, and his heart is still burning with the flames of lust for power. He will definitely not I will be satisfied with my current life as an industrialist.

And that's exactly what Edmund wanted to see.

The marshal's eyes only glanced briefly at Edmund, and soon fell on the Marquis of Treville.

He did not know Edmund, but of course he knew the Marquis of Treville, a general who had fought under his command.

"Victor, long time no see." He greeted Marquis Treville in a stiff and cold tone, "I didn't expect that after so many years, I would still get a visit from you."

"Your Excellency, Marshal, long time no see!" Marquis Treville changed his usual pride and greeted his old superior respectfully, "In fact, I have been hoping to visit you for these years, but I finally got it today. It's just an opportunity... Please forgive me for being so late."

"What do I need to forgive? It's a good thing that I can come. Not many of my old subordinates will remember to come and see me..." Marshal Soult smiled slightly, but his smile still seemed to be the same. Very coldly, "But I also understand their difficulties. Many of them still have great futures. It's normal that they don't want to have anything to do with me. I'm afraid only you, who has no official position but is light-hearted, can come over to see me."

The Marquis of Treville didn't know whether this was a compliment or a sarcasm. He didn't know how to respond for a moment, so he could only answer the marshal with a wry smile, "We are all paying the price for the past, Your Excellency. However, I have no complaints and no regrets. I feel extremely honored that I was treated so unfairly because I insisted on my loyalty and position, because I can prove my innocence before God.”

"Oh! That's great!" The marshal nodded.

Then, he sat down again with a smile, and then looked at General Treville with interest, "So, innocent Treville, what do you want from me? Why do you finally think you have got it after so many years?" Time to meet me? I’m all ears!”