Eagle’s Glory

Chapter 674 290, Party

After receiving assurances about the future from Aiglon and Queen Ortense, the satisfied Duke Nordlien quietly left this remote town. Under the leadership of the Count of Monte Cristo, they would follow the previous path. Lu Qian returned to France.

Then, the Duke will disclose his identity and stay in a small southern town with a relatively warm and comfortable climate and a relatively sparse population in order to restore his health.

While the Duke was performing his mission, there was another group of people not far from the border who were secretly working for Aigron's cause.

Compared to the Duke, they act more low-key, but in terms of contribution and role, they are much higher than the Duke with mediocre abilities. Their status in Aigron's mind is naturally much more important.

The famous Swiss city of Geneva is like a sharp protrusion inserted into France, bordering France in the north and southwest.

And just south of Geneva, in France, there is a small border town called Annemasse. It is as quiet and indifferent as most small towns. Time seems to be frozen in the long-standing residential buildings and churches. It is so peaceful that People have forgotten the smoke that once spread across Europe.

On weekdays, there is really nothing worth mentioning here. Although the wars of the Napoleonic era ended more than ten years ago, the civilians of the two countries who have become accustomed to living in peace have quietly forgotten the wars and pains of the past. , enjoying the rare peaceful days with peace of mind.

At the Vienna Peace Conference, Switzerland had been determined to be a permanently neutral country. It only wanted to maintain its independence and had no ambition to invade other countries; France had also suffered heavy losses in the decades-long war and had no interest in showing off its power to its neighbors for the time being. , so the border between the two countries can be said to be peaceful. Even the troops stationed on the border are not hostile to each other, but are used to spending their time in their respective barracks.

If it is close to the Spanish border, or close to the Rhineland border under Prussia, because they are facing a powerful imaginary enemy country, the troops stationed on the border will eventually have to pay attention to some discipline. Although it will not lead to another tense situation with the border, at least it will Maintain basic combat readiness.

However, facing the Swiss border, for the reasons listed above, the discipline of the garrison was much looser, and the superiors were too lazy to control this phenomenon.

During the Great Revolution, in order to deal with increasingly serious foreign military threats, the then Republican government began to implement conscription throughout the country. At the same time, in order to implement conscription and garrison matters, it announced the establishment of a military district system in France, and then divided the country into 20 regions. military region.

The area adjacent to Switzerland’s southern border,

Generally speaking, it belongs to the Seventh Military Region (the capital is Vienne), including the administrative regions of Ontario, Mont Blanc, Isère, Rhone-Loire and other provinces.

In the next few decades, although the division of military regions evolved among various governments, the original structure was generally maintained, and the military regions also became the management agencies of military administration.

Obviously, because of the different threats they face, the status differences between military regions and the allocation of resources will naturally be different. Some areas that are considered to be serious threats will have a large number of troops stationed and deploy elite troops and generals; and accordingly, Some military regions will not be taken seriously, and some internal army regions will even become empty shelves.

It is conceivable that the Swiss border naturally belongs to the category that is relatively ignored. Although basic garrison must be maintained, the superiors do not pay attention to it, and officers have very few opportunities for transfer and promotion.

Drills, military exercises, drinking, playing cards, frequent jealousies, and occasional duels are almost all the daily life of the soldiers here. The officers who were "assigned" here generally understand their situation. I am too lazy to bother anymore, I would rather enjoy life in various ways and wait calmly for my retirement date.

This trend has become a habit for more than ten years. Every time when the military training ends, the pubs in the small town of Annemasse will be bustling with people for these rich and leisure soldiers to spend time.

Today was no exception. In a tavern, a group of officers gathered together in twos and threes, drinking, chatting and playing cards. From time to time, people would make loud noises, which was very lively.

However, when a few people in casual clothes opened the door of the tavern and walked in, the atmosphere in the tavern suddenly changed. The soldiers in military uniforms invariably focused their attention on him.

At this time, you can finally feel the chilling military atmosphere.

When the eldest officers carefully looked at the middle-aged man who was the leader of the group of outsiders, they looked at each other again, and then took the initiative to reach out to him.

"Major Mippe, long time no see."

"Long time no see! Everyone." The major smiled and shook hands with them one by one.

Yes, he is naturally Major Mipe, Marshal Soult's adjutant.

After receiving the Marshal's permission, he quietly came to the border of France and Switzerland, and then actively traveled between the Marshal's old department and the supporters of the empire to win over supporters.

His activities were so effective that a group of officers were persuaded. They organized a secret club in private and communicated their plans with each other under the cover of eating, drinking and having fun.

Precisely because this place was not taken seriously, Shangfeng was too lazy to care about such trivial matters, so their private connection went quite smoothly, and soon they became a secret organization in private.

Today, Major Mipe was invited to this small club to explain the situation to these people.

Many of these people are the marshal's old subordinates, and some even know the major for many years, so they only need to meet each other once to trust each other.

At their warm invitation, Major Mipe sat on the main seat, and then all eyes were fixed on him. This made the major a little uneasy, but he straightened his back immediately, and then He looked back at them with a confident attitude.

Since it was a tavern, the table was naturally filled with wine. Although it was not fine wine, it was strong enough.

The major picked up the wine glass in front of him and took a long gulp. The sudden surge of air made him choke and almost cough.

"Good wine!" He couldn't help but praise.

Then, with his fighting spirit inspired by the strong drink, he looked at the soldiers with different expressions again, "On behalf of Marshal Sirte, I would like to extend my sincere greetings to you all."

"Cheers to the marshal." An older officer picked up the wine glass.

"Cheers!" Others responded one after another and took a big gulp of wine.

The originally solemn atmosphere suddenly became a lot more relaxed - for these people, the best medium to promote relationships is always strong alcohol.

"I heard that the Marshal is preparing to go out again?"

asked the older officer, after a moment of silence.

"Yes, the Marshal is now ready to cooperate with the King of Rome and support him to take over Paris." Major Mipe showed his cards directly without hesitation, "And now, he plans to invite everyone to participate in the grand event."

He knew that the entire tavern had been booked by them, and there was a hidden whistle outside to ensure safety. Naturally, they could speak freely here.

Soldiers always like to talk quickly, there is no point in playing tricks, and now that they have reached this point, there is no need to hold back.

Like pebbles thrown into a pond, his words immediately caused a commotion, but this commotion was just the whispers of the people present, but it did not cause any sensation - they had already heard some inside information through private communication, and now the major's words were just It was just confirmation of what they had heard, and it was not that unexpected.

But even if there is no accident, they will inevitably feel nervous, because this is by no means a trivial matter, but a matter of life and fortune.

"Has the King of Rome arrived yet?" The older officer asked a key question again.

"Yes, he is here." The major answered decisively again. "He is now in Switzerland opposite us, ready to go to Paris at any time-I mean, to go to Paris under our escort."

The soldiers were whispering again and looking at each other. The meaning of the major's words was self-evident.

"To be honest, I do like the emperor more than Bourbon." After a moment of silence, the officer replied softly, "But this does not mean that we like to die in vain. As a small number of us, if we face strong suppression, The troops will be wiped out in an instant."

"What if there is no huge repressive force at all?" Major Mipe asked back. "Now the whole country is boiling with dissatisfaction. You must have felt the dissatisfaction with the Wang family everywhere. They have destroyed the people's rights and made the economy in various places bleak. Almost all walks of life They are all against them. Now Paris is close to a riot, and I think it won't be long before a revolution is brewing."

The major's words were half true and half false, but they also frightened these people. Although they were stationed in a border military region with little information, they could naturally feel the dissatisfaction that permeated the country. Even they, when they usually get together to drink Just full of complaints.

But is this dissatisfaction really deep enough to overthrow the Bourbon family again? No one dares to say for sure.

"Maybe the situation is not that bad..." someone questioned, "There are still many people who support the king."

"No, the situation is just that bad." The major replied loudly, "Don't you think the marshal has no concerns? Doesn't he understand the actual situation in various places better than you do? If he feels that now is the time to take action, what will happen to you? What reason is there to question his judgment?”

Seeing the major carrying out the marshal, the original doubts gradually subsided.

Although it has been idle for more than ten years, the reputation of Marshal Soult is still very popular among these soldiers, and they also believe that the Marshal must be more far-sighted than themselves.

If even the marshal dares to stand up, then he must be very confident... More than one person thinks so.

When you see a leader, you naturally see hope; when you see hope, ambition naturally begins to sprout.

The marshal can do something big, so why can't I fish in troubled waters? More than one person thought so.

The major knew that what prompted them to act was certainly not him, but Marshal Soult's illustrious reputation, and, hidden behind it, a more prominent and taboo surname.

"Very good, it seems that you believe in the marshal." He nodded, and then changed the topic, "Then please ask yourselves again. In the hearts of the people, is Bonaparte or Bourbon more respected? Before You must have heard that the King of Rome has sneaked into the country, arousing a strong response from the whole country. If the Wang family is overthrown, wouldn't it be logical for him to take charge of the country? Is there a more reasonable choice? "

The major's repeated questions made the entire audience become even more silent.

There are only two choices before you, to gamble or not to gamble. If you gamble, you will definitely face huge risks, but the rewards will also be amazing.

It’s precisely because I can’t weigh it all that I hesitate.

"Gentlemen." Upon seeing this, Major Mipe patted the table, "Since you have come here, I can conclude that you are indeed dissatisfied with the status quo, right?"

Then, he looked at the older officer who had just spoken to him, "Laurent, I remember you. You were serving in Spain at the time. You fought bravely. The marshal personally awarded you a medal. Who in the army doesn't admire you? As a result? What? What kind of life have you lived in the past ten years, going to such a ghost place to be a shabby battalion commander? Bah! Is this kind of thing fair? Is it reasonable? Not only you, the marshal and me, even the active duty status I can’t even protect it, is this reasonable?”

The major's question made the officer's face turn redder. He said nothing, then picked up the wine glass and drank a large gulp of wine for himself.

After the Bourbon family came back relying on foreign bayonets, they launched a purge of the army. Many elements considered "unreliable" were either directly removed, or their futures were ruined and they were thrown into small places to be idle.

From the marshal to the private soldiers, everyone was in the process of purging, and this purge naturally created enemies for the dynasty both inside and outside the army.

These unreliable elements naturally hold grudges, and they just have to endure it because of the situation.

Once they get the chance, their long-pent-up anger will naturally come out.

As history has proved, in the midst of another turmoil, the soldiers had little interest in saving the Bourbon dynasty, which was once again facing the impact of revolution, and just watched it die naturally.

If the marshal is like this, why not others?

After taking a sip of strong drink, the officer named Laurent finally spoke again.

"Okay, Mipe, what are you excited about? Since we are here today, of course we are very interested in hearing what the marshal wants us to do."

"I knew you weren't moldy, smelly, and completely rotten in this place after all."

Major Mipe smiled slightly.

He stretched out his finger and poked his heart.

"You, like me, still have a heartbeat!"