Eagle’s Glory

"But there is a more important question that I need to ask your opinion on."

"What's the problem?" Aigron asked.

"As for the candidates to take over this expeditionary force." Marshal Soult immediately answered him, "Considering the current actual situation, the person who takes over this army must have both prestige and power, so that the potential king in the army can Party members will not make any changes, are you right?"

This is true, and Aiglon also thinks so.

"Then who do you think is suitable?" So he asked again.

"At this special moment, I feel it is necessary to appoint a marshal." Marshal Soult responded calmly, "Only the title of marshal can make soldiers obey orders - and this marshal must be willing to be loyal to you. of."

Aigron gradually understood the other party's intention.

"Which marshal do you think is the most suitable?" He continued to ask, waiting for the other party's true intention.

"I think Marshal Moncey is the most suitable candidate." Soult did not show off, but gave his answer to Aigron with the bluntness of a soldier. "This marshal has an outstanding reputation, and his character is praised by all parties. The key is that he still has full respect for the empire and the late emperor. If he comes to comfort him, I believe the turmoil in Algeria can be calmed down soon."

It turned out that his real target was Marshal Moncey...Aiglon finally realized it.

Since coming to power, Marshal Soult has been purging the military and excluding dissidents. However, he has been unable to do anything to the marshals at the same level as him, so he adopted this roundabout tactic in the hope of bringing influential and powerful people to the army. Marshals who might threaten his status were thrown to distant North Africa.

With this move, he not only suppressed the potential royalist elements in the army, but also isolated the threat from Marshal Moncey that might dilute his influence. It was really a good move.

In an instant, Aigron finally felt intuitively that Marshal Soult was not only a great military strategist, but also an ambitious and political figure. He is by no means someone who can be easily manipulated by a young boy like him.

No wonder, in the history of the July Dynasty, this marshal was called the pillar of the country and a very popular minister.

However, although he had selfish motives, after careful consideration, Aigron found that this was also the most feasible approach for him at this time.

In order to maintain his prestige and win over the military, he must continue to expand into Algeria.

And he has to continue to increase his efforts, which means that he must control the army and colonial agencies there. Therefore, it is a natural choice to send a marshal to sit in North Africa and take charge of everything.

Among the marshals who are now alive, Marmont is now a prisoner waiting to be tried, and the traitor Bourmont has fled the country. It is nothing more than marshals such as Moncey, Oudinot, and Jourdan who can be considered. Although Marshal Moncey has a record among them, Not the most outstanding, but the reputation and character of the others are not as good as him. If Marshal Moncey goes out to take charge of North Africa, it is indeed the best solution at present.

Thinking of this, Aigron admired Surte's sophistication. Although he had his own selfish motives, he was able to conspire so that he had no other choice.

"Marshal Moncey is indeed a very good candidate, but is he willing to accept this appointment?" After a moment of silence, Aigron asked again.

And if he asked this, it meant that he actually agreed to this personnel appointment.

"That's why I came here to seek your advice." A victorious smile appeared on Soult's lips, "I can't order Duke Conigarino, and he can't obey my orders out of his own sense of honor. Only you can Only then can we persuade him to accept this appointment..."

This was his real purpose. After Aigron understood it, he also sneered.

Although he must be a little unhappy at being used by Surte, the two people have the same interests at the moment, so he can forgive this offense. Besides, Surte coming to ask for his help also means that he admits that his influence is greater than that of others. He is a higher level and can give orders to the marshals. This is actually the capital in his hands.

Since it is capital, it must be put to good use.

"I understand, Your Majesty Marshal, since you think this is better, then out of trust in you, I will go to Marshal Moncey and ask him to agree to my appointment." Aiglon first agreed to the other party's request, but The conversation quickly changed, "However, the marshal has great prestige. Since he is invited to go to North Africa where life is difficult, he should be given the honor he deserves. Otherwise, it would be too unjust."

This time it was Soult's turn to hesitate.

"Then what do you think should be done with him?" he asked cautiously.

"First of all, I think he should be appointed as the governor in Algiers, who can not only manage the local army, but also be responsible for all local civil affairs agencies; in addition, the army is out and needs to keep in touch with the country at all times and maintain supplies, so I think he should be in The Ministry of War set up a special office for him, and he selected his attachés to stay here and be responsible for coordination and communication with various domestic agencies. What do you think?"

Marshal Soult's expression changed slightly.

If Aiglon's proposal is really followed, it would be tantamount to admitting that Marshal Moncey enjoys a very special status in the army. Even as the Minister of the Army, it is difficult to say that he can definitely suppress him, and others are even more difficult to say. No more.

And the most frightening thing is that this will undoubtedly send a signal to the outside world - is Marshal Moncey qualified to succeed Marshal Soult?

He has been greedy for power all his life. Now that he has finally climbed to the top of the army, how can he be willing to see someone dilute his authority?

"Is this a bit too grand?" After a moment, he couldn't help laughing. "If we want to give him preferential treatment, we only need to give him higher honors and rewards. Giving him such power will only interfere with the army. normal operation.”

"Since we want to respect the elders, we should respect them to the end. Moreover, when sending people to North Africa, we should make adequate compensation." Aigron still insisted on his opinion, "Aren't you willing to fight for greater rights for your colleagues? ?"

Of course not! Soult cursed in his heart.

There are only a few people who can climb to the high position of marshal who are not arrogant. When he was in Spain, he almost fell out with marshals such as Neyin, Massena, Victor, etc. How could he be willing to see Moncey? Where are you proud of?

"I'm not saying that he shouldn't be respected, I just think it should be done in moderation..." Soult gritted his teeth secretly, and then continued to persuade Aigron, "Your Majesty, this approach has no precedent before, and it is too inappropriate and will disrupt the situation." The military's order of command is contrary to your original intention of reestablishing discipline, and I think you still need to think about it again."

"If this is the case, then I have no choice." Aigron spread his hands, "Marshal Moncey will not want to be suddenly rushed to North Africa. We should take care of an old man's feelings, especially if he is loyal to his country. A lifetime.”

Now that Aiglon mentioned this, Surte also knew that there was no way to continue the argument.

Either agree or disagree.

For a moment, he almost wanted to overturn his opinion and simply not recommend Monce go.

But after carefully weighing it, he felt that even if it cost so much, it was still worth driving Monse to North Africa - besides, there was no more suitable candidate than Monse.

Moreover, even if he agrees to the young man's conditions, since the Ministry of War is his own authority, he can still get rid of Moncey's confidants without damaging his authority.

So, he held back his anger for a moment, and finally nodded slightly heavily. "Your Majesty, since you have mentioned this, I can no longer raise any objections. After all, I also hope that my former colleagues can continue to serve the country now."

Then, he reminded Aigron sadly, "But I still want to remind you that I am also an old man, an old man who has been loyal to the country all his life..."

Hearing that the powerful Marshal Soult actually said such words, Aigron almost laughed in his heart.

He understood that the other party was deliberately easing the atmosphere between the two people, and his doing so also meant that he finally understood that he was not to be trifled with.

To be honest, although he doesn't like Surte's arrogant attitude, he doesn't hate this person. He also knows how to be grateful. The other person has helped him a lot, and he will remember it for the rest of his life.

The reason why Marshal Monsey was deliberately promoted was not because he wanted Monsey to replace Soult (after all, Soult was more suitable for purges and suppression now), but because he had to do it.

He must let the marshal understand that even a big military leader like him has no way to override him and must consider his own opinions like everyone else.

Besides, Soult was arrogant and had a bad relationship with the marshals, which was actually a good thing for Aiglon. At least he didn't have to worry about the other party actually turning the army into his private property.

"Marshal Soult, I just said that I will bear in mind my kindness to you." Now that the other party has softened a little, Aigron also took a step back, "I will always respect you and repay you, please do this. You have no doubt. As long as you continue to serve the empire as my minister, there will always be a place for you on the stage of the highest power."

Aiglon's solemn promise made Marshal Soult feel relieved a little. In any case, although this boy is difficult to serve, he still has some humanity after all, and has not completely turned into a monster of power.

Since the two people decided to appoint Moncey during bargaining, he also decided to skip this topic.

"Your Majesty, in order to strictly enforce discipline in the military, I have recently dismissed many officers who tend to be loyal to the royalists. It is estimated that many people in the Algerian Expeditionary Force will be forced to retire this time. What do you think about their retirement treatment? ?”

"For my position, I must remove them from their military positions, but one code is the same, and the sweat they put in serving the country should be respected. Most of the officers have been in the army for many years and do not have many life skills other than leading troops. Since they are forced to retire out of necessity, they should be given generous living compensation - so I think retirement subsidies can be issued according to their military service years. You can agree on the specific standards with your subordinates, but they must be generous enough. If the budget If it’s not enough, I can make up for it out of my own pocket.”

Although Aigron's words were high-sounding, he actually did not want to cause trouble and hoped to minimize the turmoil of the purge within the military.

In 1814, the Bourbon dynasty was restored for the first time with the help of foreign bayonets. In order to punish the rebels in their eyes, they fired a large number of officers whose thoughts tended to be republican or imperial, and only paid them half pay or even half salary after they were dismissed. Don't care at all.

These officers had led troops in wars for many years. They believed that they had sacrificed their lives for the country and were extremely proud of their honor. However, after being purged from the army, their ranks suddenly declined, and naturally they were extremely dissatisfied.

In 1815, Emperor Napoleon absconded and returned to his country. These retired officers immediately returned to the emperor's command happily - although this was because they cherished the honor of the year, but the resentment caused by the harsh treatment of the Bourbon dynasty was also an important factor. .

This short-sighted policy caused great chaos. If the Anti-French Alliance had not defeated Napoleon for the second time, the Bourbon Restoration Dynasty would have ceased to exist that year.

Since there is such a lesson learned from the past, Aigron will naturally pay attention to his appearance when he is cleaning up the military. Anyway, it does not cost much to give these officers a certain amount of subsidies in the short term. It is not necessary to wait until the situation stabilizes before considering how to deal with them. Late.

Marshal Soult was also quite surprised by Aigron's generosity and generosity.

"Then, we will negotiate the retirement compensation standard according to your instructions." He nodded, "I believe they will be grateful for your kindness and generosity, Your Majesty."

At this time, the slight contempt he had for Aigron just now was gone.

This young man is indeed very, very young, but in front of him, instead of flinching, he answers fluently and counterattacks from time to time. His mind moves quickly and his thoughts are extremely clear. His vigorous energy and momentum almost make him A little out of breath.

It is indeed not easy to mess with, he is indeed his son... Thinking of his incompetent sons, Surte felt a little sad. It seemed that God always favored certain people.

But he quickly stopped these boring thoughts, and then he solemnly bowed to Aigron and left.

Aigron used both soft and hard tactics to finally deal with Sirte, whom he met for the first time. He believed that he had left a deep impression on the arrogant Marshal Sirte - the two of them would have to work together for a long time in the future, and he would make this impression Take root and sprout, and finally become tamed to yourself.

At this time, his attention fell on Agnes again.

Agnes had not made any noise just now, acting as a backdrop, and after Soult left, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Agnes, thank you." Agron smiled at her.

"You are so ridiculous!" Agnes couldn't help complaining to him, "How could you do this?"

"Why can't I do this?" Aigron asked.

Then, he asked, "What do you think of him?"

"What's the point?" Agnes was a little confused. "What opinions can I have against the Marshal? I just think he is very imposing."

"Yes, the momentum is overwhelming, so it's difficult to deal with it, but I think I'm handling it well - what do you think?" Aigron asked again.

"I don't know, I don't understand this." Agnes answered honestly, "But it seems like you did handle it appropriately, so that he didn't dare to make mistakes... But isn't this tiring?"

"Although it is tiring, it is very interesting, and this is my bounden duty. I must keep doing it and never tire of it." Aigron laughed again.

Suddenly, his face became serious again, "Agnes, if one day I ask you to arrest him, do you dare to go?"

"Of course I dare." Agnes replied subconsciously, and then she opened her eyes wide after realizing it, with a look of disbelief on her face, "Eh? What's going on? Isn't he an important minister of yours? And didn't you just talk about it? Is that good? Why arrest him?"

"Don't be surprised, I was just joking... I respect him very much, he is indeed my benefactor." Aigron smiled and reassured the other party, "But politics is changing rapidly, who can say How about Deqing?"

Then, he suddenly came in front of Agnes again, and kissed her cheek again, "This is a reward for you. I like this kind of unthinking loyalty... You are much cuter than the bad old man."

"What kind of compliment is this!" Agnes said angrily, but she was quickly amused, "You are so willful..."