Eagle’s Glory

According to the agreement with Prince Otto, after making preparations, Aigron left the city of Ioannina with his followers and a group of guards, and marched toward the southern border.

In order to celebrate Prince Otto's enthronement as the king of Greece, he had already been to Athens once before to participate in the celebration. The atmosphere at that time was harmonious and warm. Everyone was cheering for the king and for him.

But this time, it was much more tense. After his deliberate manipulation during this period, everyone felt that Duke Lechstadt was restless again, and the war that had just subsided in the Balkans might be reignited.

Some people cheered for this, and some people were worried about it. However, no matter what, only Aigron and a handful of his cronies knew that this tense atmosphere was just a cover-up, and he had no intention of going to war now.

Now he has to work hard to quell the flames he created.

A few days later, Aigron and his party arrived at a small town on the border and camped in the wilderness on the outskirts of the town; King Otto and his party also arrived at this small town at about the same time.

Now, both people are the de facto rulers of a country. Although the strength of the country is limited, the pomp and ceremony must be in place - they both brought a guard of honor to pay tribute to themselves and the other party.

The autumn weather makes people feel relaxed and happy. In the warm and comfortable cool breeze, accompanied by the roar of salutes and the cheers of people, the two people, surrounded by a large group of followers wearing various uniforms, met in an open space. noodle.

The cheers around him were deafening, but Aigron had already become accustomed to this kind of scene, so he didn't pay much attention to it. His attention was focused on King Otto opposite.

After not seeing each other for a few months, this young man has grown taller, the expression on his face has become more serious than that of an adult, and his gestures have become more like a king. This demeanor, coupled with his new and flashy appearance, The bright uniforms and medals made King Otto look even more majestic.

However, if you want to be a good king, it is not enough to show off your style. In other aspects, young Otto still has a lot to learn and adapt to.

Aiglon looked at the other person with a smile while quickly approaching him, and Prince Otto also walked towards him.

Soon, the two groups came together. The two leaders faced each other, then stretched out their hands and hugged each other to show the friendly and close relationship between the two people and the two countries.

Although the politeness is sufficient on the surface,

Moreover, his demeanor and movements calmly displayed the majesty that a king should have, but Aigron still saw a trace of nervousness in King Otto's eyes at close range.

This is normal. After all, just a few months after he ascended the throne, he encountered the problem of possibly having to fight. It would be a bit of a headache for anyone, let alone a child who is only about thirteen years old? Aigron understands this very well and will not despise the other party because of it.

"Otto, my brother, I haven't seen you for a few months, and I'm very happy to see you again." After the two people's arms separated, in order to show kindness, Aigron only called each other by his first name, "And I'm more I am happy that you have won the support of your subjects so quickly, and I feel blessed for this country."

"It is an honor for me to receive such praise from you, Your Highness." Otto also smiled reluctantly, trying to express his kindness to Aigron, "I am very grateful for everything you have done to stabilize my country, and I will continue to I perform my duties with the greatest enthusiasm and hope to receive more help and guidance from you in the future..."

"Of course, I will do my best to help you. After all, we have the same interests now, and our two countries share weal and woe." Aigron smiled and nodded, "I believe that today we can show the outside world that we are With continued determination to uphold these principles, as long as we continue to stand together, we will win any victory."

After hearing these words, King Otto felt slightly embarrassed and did not answer for a while.

He didn't want to fight, but he didn't dare to offend Aigron and affect the relationship between the two parties - logically speaking, Aigron was the one who appointed him to be the king of Greece, and he had always helped him maintain his rule and was kind to him. ; From a political perspective, Aigron has always had close allies in Greece. If he offends him, the foundation of his rule will be seriously shaken, and unexpected events may even occur.

So now he is also in a dilemma and it is a bit difficult to make a choice.

Presumably, King Otto is now worried about how to calm down the possible war without offending Aiglon.

Aigron could see what the other party was thinking, and he was secretly amused. However, he still acted smug and ambitious to hint that he was really going to make big moves, so he gave This creates a greater sense of crisis for the other party.

In this way, the two people had their own thoughts, but still completed the courtesy greetings with impeccable manners. Then, under the cheers of their respective guards and honor guards, they walked to the big tent that had been prepared in advance.

Although the tent was large, not many people could come in. Aigron brought his captain of the guard Andre Davout, his secretary Leon, and several other personal entourages; King Otto also only brought his own Several accompanying officers brought over from Bavaria.

Now is the time to really talk about the big issues.

"Otto, please sit down." Aigron politely acted like a host inviting guests, and sat down first. Then he signaled to Otto, who sat down obediently, but his expression was a little hesitant to speak. end.

Aigron was not in a hurry, he leaned back on the chair contentedly, and his entourage immediately poured wine for the two of them.

Because he was worried, Otto couldn't sit still for the first time. He just took a sip of the wine glass and quickly asked.

"Your Highness... I have heard many rumors about you recently. I don't know whether they are true or not, so I kindly ask you to answer my questions like a brother. Can you?"

"Of course, Otto, just ask if you have anything -" Aigron spread his hands, "I will answer you everything I know, as always."

"Are you really planning to fight?" Otto stopped talking in circles and went straight to the point. "From the information I have received, you have been mobilizing the army and gathering them towards the northern and eastern borders... I wrote to ask you about this, but you did not give me a clear answer. Today, I would like to take the opportunity to meet with you to get your personal answer. Can you think of it?"

"Before I answer, can I ask what your attitude is on this?" Aigron asked calmly, "Otto, your opinion is also of reference value to me."

Otto became even more nervous. He was deeply afraid that he would say the wrong thing next and make the famous young man opposite him angry.

He looked aside subconsciously, and the several Bavarians in his eyes finally gave him some courage. He mustered up the courage to say what he had discussed with his staff before. "Your Highness, you are like a brother to me, and I am completely confidant to you, so we should speak freely between us without hiding anything. I admit that my citizens are full of revenge and hatred towards the Turks, and they are very happy to treat the Turks It is reasonable revenge for centuries of oppression by people, but I think this does not mean that now is the time for a war... Our country is small and weak, and it has just emerged from a decade-long war. Everything is still in dire straits and we really cannot withstand the ravages of a large-scale war. We are willing to join hands with the Principality of Ioannina to fight against the evil enemy, but I and my ministers believe that now is not the best time. , we still need to wait patiently for a while.”

After a pause, as if he was afraid that Aigron would become angry, he immediately added, "However, my people are full of respect for you, and we are willing to provide help to the best of our ability. If you really want to do it, we will provide it." Provide material support within our capabilities. If anyone is willing to volunteer to fight for you, the Greek government will never stop it. We wish you all the best and will pray to God for you."

After hearing this, Aigron laughed secretly in his heart again.

Obviously, the following paragraph was thought up by Otto and his staff in order to appease themselves. Although it sounds good, it has no real meaning - providing material support, but without specific numbers and scales, just give it if you want. , you can stop it whenever you don't want to give it; as for "praying to God", if this kind of thing was useful, Constantinople would already belong to the Greeks, so why wait until today?

Therefore, no matter how nice it is, it is nothing more than a tactful expression that he hopes to stay out of the matter - if Aigron really wants to fight, then he will never get much help.

However, Aigron was not angry that King Otto did not side with him. On the contrary, he was quite happy.

Although he received a crown at a young age, Prince Otto still has some sense and knows that this world is not a place where he can do whatever he wants.

That's fine, Aigron is really afraid that the little guy's enthusiasm will get the better of him, which will eventually cause big trouble for everyone and make himself self-defeating.

"Otto, I thank you for your kindness to me, and I also understand your current difficulties. As a witness to the Greek War of Independence, I witnessed the huge sacrifices made by this country before its birth, so I, like you, do not agree at all. It is completely inappropriate to allow it to devote itself to the sacrifice of the God of War less than a year after the founding of the country." Aigron looked at the other party with a smile, and then answered unhurriedly, "Furthermore, Please rest assured that this war will not start, we just need to put on a posture."

"Huh?" Otto was dumbfounded by this answer. He was completely shocked.

In other words, Duke Lechstadt made such a grand gesture, in the end, it was just to create momentum? It's incredible.

Although he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was relieved of his biggest worry, his heart seemed to be blocked by something and he felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Why did you do this?" In confusion, he couldn't help but ask Aiglon.

The subtext is - it's okay, why are you bothering everyone like this?

"Otto, don't you feel it? In order to consolidate your and my rule, we need to put on such a posture to let the people remember that they need us." Aigron suddenly stopped smiling, and then reached out to pat the other party. shoulder, "You have only been in this kingdom for a few months. You have not participated in the war of independence before, and you have not paid any price for it. The people welcomed you as king just because you come from a noble and long-standing family. This That's good, but not solid enough. Your prestige only comes from your surname and not from you personally. You have not established your own authority - only your own authority is the real authority, Otto."

Otto was confused at first, then seemed to understand something.

"You mean, creating crises and making noise is not for the purpose of fighting, but to make the people feel that they are facing a powerful enemy, so as to unite the people's hearts?"

"Yes, yes, you are indeed very smart." Aigron nodded again, "You have just arrived, and your achievements and prestige are not enough, so don't you urgently need some opportunities to create prestige? And now is an excellent time. Now, I have brought you an opportunity... Otto, I want you to know that nothing can unite people's hearts more than hatred. As long as you become the carrier of hatred, then the people will remember that you are the protector of this nation. Naturally, it will gain the prestige it deserves.”

Otto suddenly realized, and then countless thoughts suddenly came to his mind.

He doesn't want to fight, but if he can avoid fighting and gain the support and prestige of the people just by showing off, this will be tempting enough for him.

He looked at the cronies next to him, and their eyes and expressions were also quite confused. It was obvious that they had not gotten over the shock just now.

"You really don't want to start a war?" He asked again carefully for final confirmation.

"I guarantee you with my honor that I don't want to fight, and I won't fight." Aigron solemnly promised the other party, "Now I am just doing something that is beneficial to both of us. You all have similar needs. If you want to gain support, you can either lead the people to wealth and prosperity, or lead them to resist the invasion of evil and powerful enemies. Since we are unable to bring wealth and prosperity to our respective countries immediately, we might as well try If you try the latter, you might as well join me in shouldering the burden of defending the country and the nation, and this is why I went out of my way to meet with you."

King Otto was in a mixed mood and didn't know what to do. He felt that he couldn't make a decision now and needed to discuss it with his ministers. But at least, he didn't have to worry about his country being inexplicably thrown into a war. Risky.

If it's just a performance, it's really doable! he thought.

Since Duke Lechstadt can act, why can't he act? In any case, as long as he is tough on the Turks, the Greeks will definitely cheer him, not to mention that if the two countries advance and retreat together, he will also gain more favor.

"Please allow me to discuss this with the ministers." After a moment, he replied hesitantly.

"No problem, Otto, we don't need to make a decision now, it's just a posturing anyway." Aigron spread his hands lazily, "It's rare to have free time, how about we just treat it as a vacation here these days? At this time of the year , it’s a good time for hunting..."

Otto was not disgusted with this proposal at all.

As a young man, he is naturally very keen on the excitement of hunting - not to mention that this is his first time trying it as a king.

"Of course, Your Highness, I am happy to enjoy your leisure time with you."