Eagle’s Glory

"If he sides with the Orleans family, then Your Highness, I must admit to you, that is our luck!"

When Prince Talleyrand mentioned the name Lafayette, the Marquis of Noirtier burst out suddenly. His high-pitched spirit echoed in the room, denying Lafayette's value in an extremely contemptuous manner.

In the history of later generations, Lafayette enjoyed a very high reputation and was recorded in history as a "hero of two worlds". People are talking about his life story of volunteering to participate in the American Revolution and participating in the French Revolution after returning home. And decided that he was a great revolutionary.

However, in this era, Lafayette's reputation was much more embarrassing than in later generations——

On the one hand, after the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, the original royalists hated this aristocrat who took the initiative to make revolution. This is natural;

On the other hand, even among the so-called "revolutionary" camp, Lafayette had a mixed reputation.

Because, strictly speaking, although Lafayette fought for a republic in the United States, in France, the fruit of the revolution he hoped to obtain was a constitutional monarchy, an enlightened monarchy.

He was deeply influenced by the Enlightenment and hoped that the old dynasty could change and become more tolerant and enlightened, so that the lower classes could also enjoy dignity and rights; but after all, he was the Marquis of Lafayette, and his blood and wealth Everything he owns comes from the old French system, and all his relatives are also vested interests of the old system. It is impossible for him to hope to eradicate everything of the old system.

Precisely because he bears the marks of both the old and new eras, he stood on both sides during the Great Revolution——

In 1789, he was a revolutionary who actively stood on the side of the Third Estate. He followed the Third Estate to force King Louis XVI to enter the palace, and personally participated in almost every major event. He was then elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Constituent Assembly. Responsible for drafting the "Declaration of Human Rights" and formulating the tricolor national flag, he became a veritable "revolutionary hero".

However, after the initial revolutionary passion passed, another side of Lafayette emerged. He felt that the results of the revolution were rich enough to end here, and King Louis XVI would rule as a de facto king and parliament. country, which has fulfilled his expectations.

Therefore, from this time on, he was very disgusted with the further infringement of the king's authority by Parliament and the people of Paris. He joined the Feuillants and became the commander of the National Guard, hoping to use this militia to control Paris to protect the monarch. Government.

At this time, the conflict between the king and the parliament began to become acute.

Although Lafayette was "boldly loyal" to Mirabeau (also an aristocratic revolutionary) and others, the king's family did not trust them and believed that they were the same as the rebels who were trying to force him into the palace.

In order to get rid of the dangerous situation, the king also played a double-faced approach. While advocating tough foreign policy, he secretly colluded with Austria. Not only did he betray the country's confidential military intelligence, he also tried to escape from France.

When Louis XVI failed to escape and betrayed state secrets, it was revealed that the king instantly became a public enemy of the country. The Feuillants who originally defended the king in parliament were discredited by the king's actions.

Although Lafayette and others were very disgusted with what the king had done, in order to maintain the situation, he still insisted on confusing right and wrong, saying that the king's escape was a "hijacking". The Constituent Assembly also passed a resolution declaring the king "not guilty" and restoring his powers as king.

This approach aroused the anger of many people. In 1791, many citizens came to the "Altar of the Motherland" at Champ-de-Mars to protest and signed a petition demanding that the king be punished for their treason. Behave responsibly and step down.

Amid the protests, the Marquis de Lafayette led his troops to suppress the protest. In the end, about fifty people were shot and more than three hundred injured.

The shooting of the crowd so excited the crowd in Paris that Lafayette had to resign his post soon after and fled to the provinces, thus leaving France's highest stage.

A year later, the Revolution came to a turbulent 1792. Lafayette had a premonition that the revolution would be completely out of control, and there was a risk of losing order throughout the country, so he returned to Paris, hoping to prevent the Jacobin Club from taking power, but He failed quickly - on the one hand, he had no talent for conspiracy coups, and on the other hand, the current out-of-control situation and the complete collapse of the old authority had destined the revolution to become fully radicalized and pull Fayette alone can't change anything.

After all actions failed, Lafayette, who had a premonition of imminent disaster, fled France that year and fled to Austria, which he had denounced as a "reactionary autocracy". All his reputation at the time also went with him. Vanished.

But he saved his life after all. Not long after he escaped, the king and queen went to the guillotine one after another, and most of the nobles who had actively participated in the revolution died unexpectedly, including the Duke of Orleans of the previous generation.

Generally speaking, Lafayette won a high reputation in France because of his participation in the American revolution. The success of the American uprising also made him feel elated. He thought that his ideal could be easily realized, but he was severely taught by reality. Fan.

He wanted to save the country with a constitutional revolution, but the old system represented by the king could not tolerate his "rebellion"; and the third estate that was inspired felt that he was not "revolutionary" enough, and he ended up becoming a human being. , all wisdom is lost.

It was not until 1797 that the Jacobins were guillotined one after another, and after the order in France became stable again, Lafayette was sent back to France. At this time, he no longer had the influence to manipulate the political situation, but became a general For an ordinary congressman, national affairs have nothing to do with him anymore.

This retreat role was more suitable for Lafayette. In the next 30 years, Lafayette used the parliament as the stage to sing high-profile songs and left his name at every turning point in history.

In 1814, it was he who took the lead in attacking Napoleon in the Parliament, saying, "France has shed enough blood for you, and there is absolutely no way I can feel sorry for you. Now everyone has had enough, please abdicate."

Although what he said was actually not wrong, Napoleon never forgot this incident until his death. He even listed a special item in his will, pretending to be generous and angrily scolded Lafayette, "When France was still rich in material resources, it suffered. The consequences of these two unfortunate invasions were due to the treachery of Marmont, Augereau, Talleyrand and Lafayette. I forgive them - and may the posterity of France do the same."

After 1815, he insisted on a liberal position and opposed the white terror and severe liquidation of the Bourbon dynasty. He demanded the protection of the people's freedom rights, and had a verbal war with the royalists for many years;

After 1830, the Duke of Orleans usurped the throne and adopted the constitutional monarchy that Lafayette had longed for. He greatly appreciated this and praised the July Dynasty as "the most perfect political system of our time."

Every time, the current situation was not created by him; but every time, he was able to leave his own mark on the current situation.

His supporters believe that he stands on the side of "good" and "right", is tolerant and enlightened, and is a moderate humanitarian; while his opponents believe that he has sang all the high notes and enjoyed all the fame, but He has accomplished nothing in his life and is just a talker. Once he is asked to do something, he almost messes it up.

But anyway, at least he survived.

In the bloody changes of decades, Louis XVI, Mirabeau, Robespierre, Philippe Ping, Napoleon, Louis XVIII and other all-powerful figures have all turned into loess, and even some The man died an untimely death, but he was still alive, and still enjoyed great fame.

He may not be the winner, but he is a survivor—or, precisely because he is not a threat enough, he is able to survive.

As a man of action and a supporter of the Bonaparte family, it was natural for the Marquis Noirtier to despise Lafayette. When the name was mentioned, his contempt was barely concealed.

In a sense, he respects and likes Talleyrand, a conspirator who combines evil and shamelessness even more, because he is indeed very capable and can do great things.

It was imperative to win over Prince Talleyrand, and a man like Lafayette would throw him as far as he wanted.

Seeing the Marquis's performance, Talleyrand was not moved at all. He just nodded calmly.

"Perhaps the two of us have the same views on Mr. Lafayette, but this does not affect my serious consideration of his proposal - with all due respect, at this moment, the Orleans family seems to be more attractive. Get some hope. Don’t you think so?”

Edmund and the Marquis looked at each other.

This question is indeed difficult to answer. On the one hand, it is a fact. They cannot deny it easily, otherwise they may be ridiculed by Talleyrand. On the other hand, if they admit it, it seems too unambitious.

"Your Highness, I would like to ask you a question - if you can win easily, how can you reflect your own value?" After a moment, Edmond Dantès decided to avoid the question, "If you How can you make people value you if you can't reflect your own worth?"

Although his answer secretly admitted that his side was indeed at a disadvantage, he also pointed out that since the Orleans family was on the advantageous side, it was bound to be less willing to give Talleyrand preferential treatment.

Talleyrand did not comment on this question, but asked Edmund another question.

"Then, Mr. Earl, I would like to ask you, how does your lord plan to cherish me?"

coming! Edmund's heart trembled.

Of course he has some discernment after being around for so long, and of course he can realize that Talleyrand just mentioned the Orleans family and Lafayette deliberately just to raise his own value and sell it at a higher price, and he wanted to take advantage of the Bonaparte family. Ask for a higher price.

But even if he saw the other party's intention, he had no other choice at the moment. He could only follow Aigron's instructions and tell His Majesty's price.

"If His Majesty can really come back, he will be very happy to ask you to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs." Edmund did not hesitate at all and directly offered the price as Aigron's plenipotentiary representative.

"Minister of Foreign Affairs?" Talleyrand's expression remained unchanged, noncommittal. "I am indeed quite interested in this, but after all, I am already old and frail, and I am afraid it will be difficult for me to support my busy official duties..."

This old thing! Edmund knew that Talleyrand was an experienced negotiator, and he was playing this trick deliberately to whet his appetite.

But now that I have something to ask for, I must be sincere.

"Your Majesty knows that your secluded life is so comfortable that it is not appropriate to wear down your energy with complicated official affairs. However, at this time, the country is in a precarious situation, and Your Majesty is determined to revive the country. He urgently needs the help of those famous elders. Please consider the country's interests. Don't refuse for your sake." Edmund said these words while holding back his nausea, and then further raised the price, "His Majesty also said that with your talent and prestige, serving as the Foreign Secretary is simply a humiliation. If you can replace him Winning over the British, he is even willing to let you lead his government."

The starting point for Aigron's consideration is that Talleyrand is really old. No matter how many times he "jumps sideways", he won't be able to jump for much longer, so he is naturally willing to ask a high price casually. Anyway, it won't take a few years for Talleyrand to let him go. Lang fell silent.

As soon as Prince Talleyrand heard that Aigron was willing to let him serve as prime minister, his originally reserved and serious face finally broke out into a shallow smile.

"Is it just the British?"

"Your Majesty is well aware of the current international situation. The Tsar and the Bonaparte family have enmity, but they are far away. They cannot and do not need to win over each other. Prussia is powerless and cannot interfere with France. Austria has its own methods, so the only thing that needs to be worried is that it is crucial. What matters is the attitude of the British. As long as you can show your ability to persuade the British to accept the Bonaparte family, then you will have removed the biggest international obstacle for His Majesty. For this, he is willing to give all his money and will never break his promise. !”

Edmund looked at Prince Talleyrand with the most enthusiastic eyes and told Aigron's final price.

I have to say that this is a showdown, because the most he can do is this, and whether Prince Talleyrand is satisfied or not can only depend on the prince himself.

"The British also have grudges against the Bonaparte family, sir." Talleyrand was not in a hurry to express his position, but implicitly reminded Edmund.

"But the British are only interested in profit, and they will never act emotionally -" Edmund repeated Aiglon's previous judgment, "As long as there is a person with deep authority to mediate, the Bonaparte family and the British will definitely not be without compromise. I hope, and the best candidate is obviously you."

This time, Talleyrand nodded unceremoniously.

"Well, I think so. But... good intentions are not enough. You just said that the British are only interested in profit. They will not give up until they see true sincerity. So what can the Bonaparte family be willing to do to save them? heart of?"

Edmund and the Marquis of Noirtier looked at each other, and then the Marquis of Noirtier spoke.

"Your Majesty is willing to promise not to interfere in the internal disputes of the Netherlands, to recognize Belgium's independence and guarantee its security if necessary, and to recognize any monarch chosen by Britain for Belgium. Just use this condition to convince the British."

Talleyrand's expression clearly flashed with a hint of astonishment.

It's not because this proposal is groundbreaking, but because...he himself had envisioned it this way before.

In history, it was on this condition that he exchanged Britain's friendly attitude towards the July Monarchy.

"Did the King of Rome come up with the idea himself? Or did someone give him the idea?" Talleyrand asked dryly after a moment.

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