Eagle’s Glory

"Only you are fit to lead this country. I have no doubt that you can heal its decades of hatred and wounds."

Gaudin's words came from the heart. He sincerely believed that only the Duke of Orleans could neither take the old conservative path nor the radical evil path, and lead the country to a moderate path.

Moderation is synonymous with ridicule and confusion in the eyes of many people, but Gao Dan does not think so. After all, this country has gone through too many tragic disasters - one group of people killed another group of people in the name of revolution, and another group of people killed others in the name of orthodoxy. In the name of killing this group of people again, this country has lost millions of people, but everything seems to be back to where it started.

In this case, why not take the path of reconciliation and let less blood flow? He was convinced that enough blood had been shed, and that the future should be an era of recuperation, not an era of fighting for so-called beliefs. Peace and prosperity should be the theme of this country.

Therefore, neither Bourbon nor Bonaparte were suitable anymore, and only the Orleans family could realize his political ideals.

What's more, since he first entered politics more than ten years ago, he has been involved in the Duke of Orleans. Over the past ten years, the two have got along very well, and he has successfully become the Duke's trusted advisor; the Duke's trust And reuse, which made him feel the embodiment of personal value. In terms of personal feelings, he also hoped from the bottom of his heart that his benefactor could get his wish.

Therefore, he also devoted himself to the Duke and tried his best to help the Duke realize the long-cherished wish of his ancestors.

Gaudan's heartfelt emotion also moved the Duke. In his eyes, although Gaudan was not an equal to him, he had always seen the hard work he had done in front of and behind the horse for many years.

For so many years, he has shown the persona of a courteous corporal to the outside world. Although part of it is performed to build his own image, in essence, he is indeed a gentle and warm-hearted person. The word "mean and unkind" , has nothing to do with him.

Therefore, he made up his mind early on that if he really ascends to the throne in the future, he will never treat this wise man who has been following him for many years badly. Although he was unable to appoint Gao Dan as prime minister or cabinet minister due to political deals, he had plenty of ways to stuff Gao Dan into those fat and oily official vacancies, which was enough to make him rich and worry-free for the rest of his life, and it could also help two people. The relationship between monarch and minister over the years.

"Sir, no matter what I want to do, I can't do it alone. I have to rely on people like you to accomplish something. So please continue to help me, and we will work together to save the country. I will never I dare to claim that I am a monarch comparable to St. Louis or other famous kings, but I at least know how to respect the law and how to live in harmony with the people. This country needs a period of peace to accumulate national strength and restore prestige.

And we are the ones responsible for this. "

Of course Gaudan couldn't see the thoughts in the Duke's mind, but he really agreed with these words.

The showdown is approaching now, but they have been preparing for the showdown for so many years, so there is not much nervousness and fear. Instead, there is only excitement and good expectations for the future.

After all, they have never taken the royal family seriously. They are unpopular to begin with. Without the help of foreign bayonets, they would never have been able to regain the throne. And the perverse behavior of the current king, Charles The hearts of the remaining people are almost corrupted. At this time, they can be said to be sitting on the crater of the volcano. As long as the time comes, they will be swallowed up by the lava and burned completely.

As for the attitude of foreign powers, they are not the biological sons of the Bourbon family, so how can they always be interested in fighting to defend the Bourbon throne? During the Revolution, they had already accepted the French Republic and the French Empire. As long as France did not attack, they did not care at all which king the French surrendered to - they would be even happier if they killed each other.

At present, the Orleans family has gathered enough opposition in the country to openly showdown with the royal family; and the attitude of the great powers has become ambiguous, and they have no interest in interfering in France's internal affairs anymore. Everything seems to be ready, except for The east wind is blowing.

What was there to worry about, apart from the possibility of the Bonapartes causing trouble?

Bonaparte...it just so happens that this surname likes to stir up trouble and trouble the whole world.

When he thought of this, Gao Dan frowned again.

"What are you still worried about?" The Duke also noticed something unusual about him.

"I... there is one thing that I find quite strange." This time, Gaudan, who had always been outspoken, suddenly became hesitant, "I recently tried to contact Ms. Bianca, but she didn't respond. She was here. I arrived in Paris and had contacted me before, but now I have no news and I don’t know what happened.”

The Duke was stunned for a moment, then laughed it off.

"This lady has always behaved like this. Is there anything to be surprised about? Maybe she thought of something again and left Paris? We can just contact her when she comes back when she is free. Anyway, we are not in a hurry to use her now. "

Gao Dan also felt that the Duke's words were reasonable, but his suspicious intuition made him still feel that something was vaguely wrong, but he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.

He had previously used his old friendship to ask Bianca to help him assassinate the young man and eliminate the Duke's troubles once and for all.

However, after a while, he got bad news from Bianca - the assassination operation only seriously injured the young man, but did not kill him. Bianca did not describe the assassination in detail. Obviously, the failure of the operation was an emotionally unbearable blow to her who had a high self-esteem.

Gaudin was also very upset and regretful at the time, but he could only face the reality, so he asked Bianca to hibernate temporarily and wait until the next action.

He knows that this kind of thing is not trivial. In order to fight for power, it is normal for everyone to secretly scheming and even fighting with swords. However, sending assassins to assassinate people is a disgraceful behavior and will be considered a cruel medieval practice. If it is really revealed, It will definitely affect the Duke's image greatly.

However, Bianca and the Bonaparte family were not related, and had never had any interactions before, and their whereabouts were also erratic. Even if the assassination failed, he believed that after Bianca evacuated, the supporters of the Bonaparte family would also It was hard to find her.

Logically speaking, this is indeed the case...

Gao Dan was still a little unable to calm down.

The more critical it was, the more he didn't want to let go of any tiny detail, because a slight omission could lead to the previous ten years of efforts being in vain.

The price of losing is too painful, so we must take precautions and never act carelessly.

After much thought, he finally made up his mind.

"I'll look for the lady again in the next few days and see where she has gone."

"Why are you so nervous?" the Duke asked curiously, "Do you think something will happen to her?"

"No, there is no evidence to prove this at the moment. Maybe I am just over-concerned, but I still think that at this time, there is no harm in keeping in touch with her first." Gao Dan shook his head and then gave an excuse casually. , "Besides, when you and the king have a formal showdown, you will be much safer if there is such a person in disguise by your side. Although I don't believe that the king dares to risk his life, it is always just in case." That’s right.”

The Duke didn't care about this at all. There was no shortage of close followers with martial arts around him. However, he had seen Ms. Bianca's skills before, so he also admired her somewhat.

"It would be best if you could get help from a lady... Then you can act according to your own ideas."

Then, he waved his hand gently to indicate that the meeting was over.

Gao Dan bowed his head and saluted his benefactor, and then quietly walked out of this room that he was very familiar with. The vast hall suddenly fell into a cold silence again. Only the crackling firewood in the fireplace could slightly break the silence.

===================================

While the Duke of Orleans and his cronies were having a secret meeting late at night, a few uninvited guests quietly appeared in the house of the Marquis de Treville, which was always deserted.

At this time, the Marquis of Treville was already sleeping in bed. He had never liked extravagant enjoyment, and as he got older, in order to maintain his physical fitness, he slept on a hard wooden bed all year round. The furnishings in the bedroom were even more simple, which was almost the same as his son's style. It's a world of difference.

Due to his military instinct, the Marquis was a rather light sleeper, so when there was a gentle knock on the door, he was immediately awakened.

"Who?" he asked immediately and alertly.

"Master, it's me." A soft reply came from outside. Although the voice changed a bit as it passed through the hardwood door, it was obviously the voice of his valet.

The Marquis's highly vigilant spirit suddenly relaxed a little, but he was still a little hesitant.

If you dare to disturb yourself at this time, something big must have happened.

So, he quickly got up, walked to the door and opened the door.

"What's wrong?" After seeing the valet, he asked directly.

"Someone is here to visit you." The manservant answered him briefly, "I don't know the others, but the leader is Marshal Soult."

"What!?" In an instant, the news caught the Marquis off guard and his face changed drastically in surprise. "sure?"

"Although he tried hard to hide his face, I recognized him right away. It was indeed Marshal Soult himself." The valet confirmed with the Marquis again, "So I asked them to wait for you in the living room downstairs. .”

This manservant was a veteran. He had served in the army under the Marquis for many years. He was forced to retire during the liquidation after the restoration of the Bourbon Dynasty, and then went to work for the Marquis. It was not surprising that he could recognize Marshal Soult.

At this time, the Marquis had composed himself and accepted this sudden reality.

"You go down and entertain them, I'll be right over!"

After a pause, he thought of something again, and immediately added, "Also, pay attention to Edgar's side. If there is any movement, tell him not to come out!"

It’s not that he can’t believe his son’s loyalty to him, but it’s just that Marshal Soult secretly came to visit his home. It must be a big deal at this time. His son has always been frivolous and has many friends. If he lets it slip one day, it may bring trouble to himself and the marshal. It would cause huge trouble, so I simply banned my son from contacting him.

Now that things have happened, he has given up trying to inherit his network of connections for his son, and allows his son to live happily on his own. Anyway, he can just bring him a grandson and train him again as soon as possible.

This small disturbance did not cause much ripples in the Marquis' cold heart. He returned to the room calmly, took off his nightgown and put on his normal clothes, then walked out of the room and walked down the stairs with the help of candlelight.

Sure enough, there were several people sitting on the sofa in the living room at this time.

These people were all wearing black casual clothes, and their faces could not be seen clearly due to the dim candlelight. However, from their upright sitting postures, it was not difficult to see the momentum accumulated from many years of military service.

Marquis Treville's face was as dark as water, and then he walked towards the sofa step by step. As the distance got closer, he quickly noticed the person sitting in the middle - it was indeed Marshal Soult.

So, he stood in front of the marshal, and then respectfully gave a military salute to him.

"Good evening, Your Excellency Marshal!"

The marshal did not return the military salute, but nodded slightly to him, "Good evening, General Treville, we finally meet again."

The last time they met, it happened that the Marquis of Treville and the Count of Monte Cristo went to the town of Ales to visit the marshal. At that time, the two people persuaded the marshal to join the Bonaparte family.

Now, a few months have passed. Although it has not been a long time, the mood of the two people at this time is already very different.

They have experienced too many life and death situations, so they can smell the danger.

However, they have already tempered themselves in the hail of bullets and have forgotten what fear means.

Although he was an uninvited guest, the Marshal did not show any restraint. Instead, he gestured to the Marquis to sit opposite him like a master at home. The Marquis of Treville did not show any dissatisfaction and sat down directly.

"I'm sorry to visit you at this time and disturb your sweet dream." After he sat down, the marshal apologized to him gently, "But please also understand that there are usually many spies on the street, and I have to find a good one." The timing of the click.”

"You are my honored guest whenever you come here," the Marquis replied.

"That's good." The marshal nodded, then looked around again, blinking as if he was remembering something. "Oh, it's been almost 20 years since I last came to your place, right? Nothing has changed... except that it's a bit older. Just like us."

"Although it is old, it is irreplaceable." Marquis Treville replied with enthusiasm. "It exists here not to record the glory of the past, but to provide the most reliable shelter for the new generation."