Eagle’s Glory

"Young man, if you don't have this awareness, then I advise you to stay away from this world and go back to being a rich young master."

Prince Talleyrand's words were very harsh, but his expression was not severe. On the contrary, he was a little more hopeful.

Obviously, he hopes to use this method of "teaching by words and deeds" to help the young Count Walevsky grow up as quickly as possible.

Alexander also fully understood this. For him, the opportunities were not unlimited. If he could not fully complete the tasks assigned to him by His Majesty, then he would have no value at all.

Although he is the emperor's illegitimate son and Aigron's "brother", with Aigron's character, it is absolutely impossible to regard him as an elder brother. He is nothing more than a senior minister. If he cannot make any contribution, then he It will be thrown away like a rag, and no one will care about it from now on.

Therefore, for the sake of his own future, he cannot shrink back from difficulties under any circumstances.

Although Prince Talleyrand did not say it explicitly, His Majesty must have known about and agreed to this plan to "support Belgian independence in exchange for British understanding." However, Your Majesty will not publicly assume this responsibility. All this must be Talleyrand's personal responsibility. for.

Of course it doesn't matter to Prince Talleyrand. He has a lot of lice and is not itchy. He is not bad at this. Moreover, he is already at this age and will not live for a few more years. When the time comes, he can close his eyes and be free from pain and worry. Run to see God (or the devil).

But as the main party involved, he will inevitably continue to bear the infamy.

Moreover, does this incident alone warrant the infamy? Impossible. As long as you serve your "brother", you will inevitably have to take responsibility for his infamy at any time.

This is also the price of success.

But... so what if I have to bear the infamy? Talleyrand could still stand despite being infamous throughout the country. All those who worked with him in the early days were dead and he was still alive and kicking, so he could learn from it.

His future is now bound to the Bonaparte family, and only his "brother" can favor him and promote him all the way up, eventually reaching the pinnacle of his dreams.

Without this "younger brother", what qualifications would he have to receive guidance from Prince Talleyrand?

So, there is nothing to hesitate about.

After a moment of hesitation, he made up his mind.

"Your Royal Highness,

None of my abilities, my experience, or even my wisdom can compare with yours, but even so, I have the courage to fight for myself and will not be afraid to pay any price. Since His Majesty needs me to complete this task, I will definitely complete it for him. No name-calling or even death threats can stop me! "

Talleyrand watched his reaction until he was sure that he had indeed made up his mind, and then nodded with satisfaction. "Very good. After all, you still have that person's blood in your blood. You are a talent that can be made. You will definitely be very promising in the future."

Then he sighed again, "You are a smart person, but that doesn't matter. There will never be a shortage of smart people in this world, but smart people often worry about gains and losses. They are afraid of taking risks and losing, so their achievements in life are mediocre. If you dare to take risks, this Courage is more valuable than brains, remember to keep this courage at all times in the future, you will always need it."

After receiving Talleyrand's approval, Count Walevsky was naturally very excited. After all, he was still a young man, and he couldn't help but think about his future at this moment.

At this moment, Prince Talleyrand spoke suddenly again, interrupting the young man's thoughts.

"Alexander, now that you know what strategy we should adopt, how do you think we should deal with the British?"

This question made Count Walevsky stunned again. After all, he had no experience or connections.

But he understood that when faced with Prince Talleyrand's question, simply answering "I'm sorry, I don't know" would definitely not work.

"I believe that I need to contact the British Foreign Office with the help of our embassy in the UK and then ask to see the Foreign Secretary himself to convey His Majesty's goodwill to the UK and your solution... If possible, I will see the Prime Minister Either myself or His Majesty King George IV, of course it will not be easy, but I will fight for it. Of course, all this can only be done under the most confidential circumstances, because this is essentially carving up a country... If beforehand If it is known to the outside world, it will definitely cause unnecessary international disputes, which will be detrimental to His Majesty."

After finishing speaking, he looked at the "teacher" in front of him anxiously like a student who had just handed in his homework.

There was no ridicule on Prince Talleyrand's face, but there was no approval either. He just shook his head gently, "Your idea is generally correct, but you are half right; but this is not your fault, you Half of the mistake is just because your information is not general enough, so your grasp of the current situation is not accurate enough..."

Regarding Talleyrand's evaluation, Count Walevsky not only did not feel ashamed, but actually breathed a sigh of relief. After all, it was definitely a great honor to be "half right" in front of Prince Talleyrand.

"Then what's the other half?" he asked cautiously.

"King George IV will not live long. He is already terminally ill. It is obvious that he will die in the near future, and his death will definitely bring about huge changes in the British government." Prince Talleyrand did not show off, but asked Alexander Explaining, "After his death, the Tory government will surely lose its support and collapse, so we must be prepared for changes in the political situation."

King George III ruled Britain for 60 years from 1760 to 1820. Because he leaned towards the Tories, with his tacit approval, the British government was in Tory rule for more than half a century; after his death, he His eldest son, King George IV, ascended the throne.

George III had multiple mental episodes in his later years and was unable to handle state affairs. Therefore, since 1811, George IV, who was still the crown prince at the time, has served as regent and actually ruled the United Kingdom. Therefore, George IV's political structure has also been inherited and continued by him. down.

Therefore, although the relationship between King George IV and the Tory oligarchs such as George Canning and the Duke of Wellington was not very harmonious, he still continued the long-term Tory government.

But if King George IV dies, the situation will be different. Since the second prince has died, the third prince William will inherit the throne, and this will inevitably bring about drastic changes in the political situation.

This is not to say that Prince William will completely reverse the ruling policies of his father and brother, but that during the George IV era, extremely significant reforms were carried out, reversing the previous repressive policy against Catholics, allowing Catholics to hold public offices, and lifting other political Rights restrictions or policy discrimination.

King George IV and the current Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington, are not liberals. They promoted Catholic emancipation because of the situation (in fact, the Duke of Wellington was once a staunch opponent. Although he was born in Ireland, he He is a descendant of British Protestant colonial masters, and he is very disgusted with the local Catholics in Ireland, thinking that they are potential rebels), but he sees political pressure from all aspects, especially the increasingly powerful politics of liberals. After a few years of deliberation, they finally made concessions and embarked on reforms.

It is conceivable that England, which has oppressed Catholics for three consecutive centuries starting from Henry VIII, will cause great political controversy after passing the Catholic Emancipation Act.

This resulted in divisions and debates within the Tory Party that lasted for several years. Even the Duke of Wellington, who won the Battle of Waterloo and saved Britain, was attacked and questioned within the party. The Tory Party system that has been in power for a long time It also crumbled.

If King George IV had lived, the crisis would have been manageable - but now the king is terminally ill and could pass away at any time.

Once the king dies and a new king comes to power, the Duke of Wellington, under pressure from inside and outside the party, will definitely choose to hang up his crown and stay away from the disputes caused by the Catholic Emancipation Act. What will follow is a leaderless Tory cabinet. It will naturally fall apart.

"That is to say, do you think that after more than half a century, the Whigs will come to power?" After listening to Prince Talleyrand's explanation, Count Walevsky made a conclusion.

"Yes, from all indications, there will be huge political changes in the UK soon, and a brand new cabinet will emerge within a few months." Prince Talleyrand replied.

"Then what do you think we should do from this?" Count Walevsky asked quickly, "Will there be any drastic changes in their policy towards France?"

In Count Walevsky's view, the so-called Tories and Whigs are nothing more than groups of aristocratic oligarchs. They have far more similarities than differences. They enjoy the benefits of British colonial expansion. to gain profits, and to invade and kill in various high-sounding names with peace of mind.

Therefore, even if another party is in power, it will definitely be more continuity than change, and the overall tone of governance will not be any different.

"No, you have not understood the key to the matter, young man." Talleyrand smiled slightly, and there seemed to be a sense of mystery in his eyes that could only be understood, "Politics is like futures, every change of dynasty is a rise and fall in prices. , and the rise and fall of prices will bring arbitrage opportunities... If we can buy the right trend at the right time, then we can obtain several times more benefits at the same cost..."

Count Walevsky was a little confused. He thought hard about the hidden meaning of the prince's words.

For a moment, he had an idea, "You are looking for a potential collaborator in the possible future Whig cabinet!"

he shouted.

"You are indeed a smart man." Prince Talleyrand nodded.

Then, he looked tired from talking so much, and he regained his energy after taking a few sips of coffee.

"Viscount Palmerston, you may not be familiar with this person, but he is definitely a great person. He is a great opportunist and one of the British people I admire most. He is smart, clever, good at lying and deceiving, and is very romantic. Sexual, morally corrupt, and possessing an extremely keen sense of smell, what's even better is that he has never been so-called loyal... In a word, he is another young me."

Prince Talleyrand's "compliment" confused the young Alexander. He couldn't figure out whether it was a compliment or not.

Let’s call it that.

"Do you think he will be able to profit from the upcoming political changes?" he asked.

"Yes, he will definitely be able to make big profits!" Prince Talleyrand replied without hesitation, "You don't know how good he is at detecting the direction of the wind, nor how good he is at maneuvering... He is a Tory. Member, he rose to great heights with the help of George Canning, but after he saw that the momentum was in favor of the Whig Party, he immediately joined the Whig Party! And the Whig Party, which had been unsuccessful for a long time, also lacked political power. Talent, so they can take a shot, and if my prediction is correct, as soon as King George IV dies, he will become the Foreign Secretary in the British Whig cabinet in a few months!"

Although this did not happen, listening to Talleyrand's categorical judgment was very convincing. At least Count Walevsky believed it.

Following Talleyrand's train of thought, he finally understood. "In other words, do you think I should take the initiative to contact him, so that it will be more practical?"

"Viscount Palmerston is a man with a strong ambition for fame. He wants power, a name in history, and all honors, so he will not refuse such an attractive opportunity." Prince Talleyrand whispered. Answer, "For a British Foreign Secretary, if he promotes the reconciliation between Britain and France and promotes the protected independence of Belgium, then this achievement will make him famous in history... Therefore, driven by the desire for fame, he will Go along with this plan very enthusiastically, even as enthusiastically as you and I.”

"...In this case, with his promotion, we will achieve His Majesty's goal!" Count Walevsky already understood everything and became excited.

This is indeed a "political future".

But it is definitely not something that ordinary people can afford. Without Prince Talleyrand's reliable and multi-faceted information channels, it would be impossible to make a judgment at all, and he said that he had prepared for this in advance.

There is indeed a reason why Prince Talleyrand has been able to live happily for so many years despite being hated by everyone.

"I understand..." At this moment, the young Count Walevsky was already convinced. He had seen everything clearly, and therefore he was full of confidence.

Talleyrand is already in his twilight years and may fall at any time. After he leaves, he will not be able to take over his position overnight. He will inevitably have to slowly climb up the power pyramid of the government and the palace, so he cherishes this moment very much. The opportunity to "learn", after all, no one will be so dedicated to teaching him by words and deeds in the future.

I hope I can learn from him in the future...

"Then do it, Your Excellency!"