Eagle’s Glory

As the palace fell into an armed siege, Paris also fell into chaos, and the originally chaotic situation became out of control.

Faced with this kind of chaos, everyone can't help but think about what fate they will face next? Where will you go in the future?

For the ruling class, chaos and disorder means internal reshuffle. No matter how powerful a person is, they may lose all reputation, wealth and status in the chaos, or even be shattered to pieces.

No one wants to face the result of losing everything. When a disaster approaches, they will be like the poor people who are about to drown, struggling desperately and trying their best to save the situation. However, most of the time, facing the surging tide, In general, their struggles are often in vain. In the end, nothing changes and they quietly retreat from the stage of history.

At this time, outside the city of Paris, there were two big men struggling desperately, trying to use their old bodies to block the oncoming flood and save the dying Bourbon dynasty.

They were Marshal Marmont and Marshal Bourmont.

The two marshals can be said to be the "big celebrities" of the Restoration Dynasty.

As we all know, during the Great Revolution, a large number of nobles were killed or went into exile. The army was rebuilt by the Republic. After the imperial era, the army developed its own organization in more than 20 years, and an internal officer system was also established.

After the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, most of their reliable nobles had gone through a "hiatus period" of nearly 30 years and had no connections or prestige in the army. Therefore, in order to win over and control the army, the restoration dynasty had no choice but to People who like those emperors have to hold their noses and look for agents from inside.

In this case, Marshal Marmont and General Bourmont "stand out".

It was not because their business abilities were superior to others, but because they had betrayed Napoleon and surrendered to the enemy before, so the Restoration Dynasty had no doubts about their loyalty and dared to entrust them with important tasks.

In the end, Marshal Marmont was greatly reused, and General Bourmont was also promoted to marshal. The two men successively served as ministers of war, and they were favored for a while.

[Not only are their Chinese translated names very similar, but their French surnames are also similar, one is called Marmont, the other is called Bourmont, and they both have the same name, Auguste. 】

When the riots first broke out, the two marshals were in Paris and received an order from the king to quickly mobilize troops to defend the capital.

Because even the situation is urgent,

So after receiving the order, they quickly dealt with the most important matters at hand, and then quickly left Paris.

The reason why they responded to the order so quickly was because they were indeed "deeply favored by the king" and hoped to save the dynasty when it was in danger; on the other hand, the political ups and downs over the years gave them a high degree of With their alertness, they know that the best response at the moment is to leave Paris as soon as possible, and while they can temporarily ensure their safety, they can observe the situation and decide their next step.

If you stay in Paris, if you lose your freedom of movement, you will be at the mercy of others. If you run outside, at least you can gather some old cronies around you to ensure your safety.

After leaving Paris, the two people met in a small town near Saint-Germain-en-Laye. After a short rest, they raised a flag and ordered all the troops that could be mobilized to come here to meet. They also held several secret meetings to discuss the next step. What should be done.

Just after they arrived, bad news continued to come one after another. The government was paralyzed, the palace was besieged, and Paris almost fell into anarchy... Every news made them more and more nervous.

"Not many people have responded to my orders these days." Marshal Bourmont opened his bloodshot eyes and whispered to Marshal Marmont, "The time is too short, and the morale of the military is unstable. They don't want to attack civilians." Fire."

"Me too." Marshal Marmont replied with the same helplessness. "Nowadays, disobedience and dereliction of duty are everywhere, and there are too few people who can still stick to their honor."

The two of them didn't say anything, but they knew in their hearts why the army's attitude was so ambiguous.

On the one hand, "counterinsurgency" may mean attacking Paris and risking civil war to exterminate the citizens who rebelled against the king. If there was a change of dynasty, the blood on their hands would soon become a crime against them.

On the other hand, the reputations of these two marshals themselves were not very good, and they could not arouse the interest of the officers and soldiers to go through fire and water for them.

In normal times, "marshals" and "ministers" can intimidate the people below just by relying on their official titles, and they can manipulate them however they want; however, when the regime faces a crisis of survival, official titles are no longer useful. , you can only rely on your personal charm and intimidation to instruct others.

And these two marshals are the ones who lack these things the most.

Therefore, they all feel helpless in this small town at the moment.

They could really feel that the big ship they were on was swaying from side to side in the fierce storm, and the cabin was leaking everywhere, and there was a danger of sinking at any time.

What should be done to save the situation? They themselves also felt vaguely desperate.

But even in despair, they had to persevere.

Because among the marshals, the two of them had the least chance of jumping ship - perhaps it was because he understood this that the king immediately placed his hopes on them.

The two marshals looked at each other helplessly in depression and anxiety. Every minute and every second was an anxious torment for them.

After an unknown amount of time, Marshal Bourmont slapped the table hard.

This heavy sound made everyone present tremble.

"We can't wait here! His Majesty the King is facing danger. As his ministers, we have the obligation to save him from danger... Even in the face of danger, we cannot retreat. Besides... we still have a way out. ?!"

Marshal Bourmont's question made Marmont nod in agreement.

"You're right, we really can't delay it any longer... What do you think we should do?"

"I will take the people I have gathered now to go back and rescue the palace." Marshal Bourmont expressed his thoughts, "This is the most important thing for us, in case the king falls into the hands of the Duke of Orleans and then signs the abdication If we make an agreement, then we will become rebels. These soldiers in our hands are half-hearted to begin with, and they will inevitably scatter when the time comes... Then it will be all over!"

This was indeed the truth, so Marmont nodded again.

"Then what do you mean, let me go south to deal with that kid?"

"Only you can go." Marshal Bourmont nodded, "People's hearts are already in a state of flux right now. If once that kid is able to seduce people's hearts, then he will have the capital to compete with the royal family."

He kept one sentence in his heart - Marshal Marmont was the aide-de-camp of Emperor Napoleon at that time. It can be said that he had followed the emperor from the beginning and was one of his closest people. As a result, in 1814, he faced the enemy's invasion. At that time, he took the initiative to betray and let his army surrender to the coalition; and when the Hundred Days Dynasty was restored in 1815, he resolutely continued to protect the king, fled Paris with King Louis XVIII, and continued to stand on the opposite side of the emperor.

Emperor Napoleon never forgave him for his betrayal until his death.

It is conceivable that Marshal Marmont is the person least likely to defect to the Bonaparte family. The king sent him out naturally for this reason.

Marshal Marmont himself knew this very well.

He didn't like Marshal Bourmont, but at the moment the two were grasshoppers on the same rope. Once the dynasty fell, they would be in bad luck, so he didn't want to argue with Bourmont.

After much deliberation, this is the only solution.

"There are still some of my old troops in the south, and they should obey my orders." Marmont sighed.

Then, he lowered his head gloomily, "But I'm not sure if they are willing to open fire on a person who might become the emperor at this time."

Marmont's suspicion was exactly what Marshal Bourmont was worried about, so he was speechless for a moment.

At this moment when people's hearts are in turmoil, can they guarantee who will be loyal to the royal family?

Fortunately, Marmont's complaints were just casual remarks, and he quickly cheered up again.

"No matter what, we have to try, otherwise we will lose everything!"

After cheering himself up, he added.

"Lyon, the key is Lyon. As long as I hold on in Lyon, he will have no way to go north again. After the chaos in Paris subsides, the king will be able to free his hands to deal with him."

Marmont did not say "what will happen if Lyon is not saved."

Because that time in history, the consequences have been demonstrated.

Napoleon I landed in France on March 1, 1815.

Then, he was not busy marching quickly, but searched for old troops and retired soldiers everywhere, and then continued to advance north.

By noon on March 5, Napoleon arrived in the Alps in southern France and penetrated deep into the hinterland of France. At this time, the newly restored Bourbon royal family received the news and fell into panic. After an emergency meeting, King Louis XVIII issued a royal decree on March 6, declaring Napoleon a traitor. All armed forces commanders could immediately arrest him and court-martial him, and kill him if he resisted.

Then, the king ordered Marshal Neyin, the captain of the guard beside him, to lead the army to deal with Napoleon, and Marshal Neyin promised to put Napoleon "in an iron cage and bring him back to Paris."

On March 7, the news of Napoleon's departure from Elba reached Vienna. The great powers who were meeting in Vienna at the time were also shocked, and then declared that Napoleon was a despicable usurper and would never recognize any political status in France. The great powers began to prepare to mobilize their troops and generals with the intention of once again destroying Napoleon.

And on March 10, Napoleon entered Lyon without resistance.

On March 11, Napoleon reviewed his troops at Place Bellecour in the center of Lyon. He then issued a decree disbanding the royal family of Louis XVIII and ordering all immigrants who had returned after January 1, 1814, to immediately leave his soon-to-be-restored empire.

At noon on the 11th, he led his increasingly larger team to leave Lyon and continued northward.

Between the 13th and the 14th, Napoleon's team finally encountered Marshal Neyin's army going south to "arrest" Napoleon. Napoleon then wrote to Neyin and at the same time called on the French soldiers in front of the battle not to engage in civil war and return to his command. Facing the emperor, the suppressive army's military morale also fluctuated.

In the end, within 14 days, Marshal Yin chose to "abandon the darkness and turn to the light" and rejoin the command of Emperor Napoleon.

And then, his march was smooth - he encountered almost no obstacles from Lyon to Paris, arrived at Fontainebleau in the early morning of the 20th, and finally returned to the Palace of Tuilleries at 9 a.m. , regained control of his loyal Paris, and restored his empire.

The hinterland between Lyon and Paris has few troops and no fortresses, so it is impossible to fortify. Moreover, Lyon, as an iconic southern core city, will have a severe impact on people's psychology once they defect. No one is willing to risk becoming a "rebellion" by intercepting.

Either stop him in Lyon or meet him in Paris.

Marshal Bourmont also knew this very well.

"That's it." He nodded, agreeing with Marshal Marmont's judgment.

Suddenly, he suddenly remembered the past more than ten years ago.

In December 1815, Marshal Neyin's death sentence was passed with the vote of Marshal Marmont...

But now Marshal Marmont has embarked on the path of Neyin again, leading the army to try to stop another Bonaparte from heading north to Paris...

It all seems like a joke from God.

If this was a joke, it would be ridiculous and ironic.

"This damn fate!" When he thought of this, he cursed softly.

"What?" Marshal Marmont didn't hear clearly, so he asked.

"It's nothing." Bourmont shrugged, "I just think fate is too unpredictable."

A bitter smile appeared on Marmont's face, and he understood what the other party meant.

He didn't say anything more, but stretched out his hand and patted the other party's shoulder.

"I've been to Austria and met that kid."

"I know this, but did you have a pleasant conversation?" Bourmont asked.

"Unpleasant, how can it be pleasant!" Marshal Marmont continued to smile bitterly and shook his head slightly, "That boy still holds a grudge for what happened back then. It was us who prevented him from becoming emperor. He is here to collect debts."

"No one owes him anything! He has been a Corsican for generations!" Marshal Bourmont retorted loudly. "How many people have the French died for his family? Hundreds of thousands! What have they gained? The national borders are not as good as when he came to power! They should apologize to the French!"

"It's useless for you to tell me this..." Marshal Marmont sighed. "People will always forget the pain."

Bourmont was speechless.

Then, they looked at each other again, and they both felt the sadness of a rabbit dying and a bleak road ahead.

Perhaps not long after, the two of them will be met with disaster.

But no matter what, they have no retreat and must persist to the end.

"Take care, my friend..." Marshal Bourmont extended his hand to the other party. "I wish you success."