Eagle’s Glory

At this time, Egeron, of course, could not hear the cries of grief and indignation far away in Vienna. He was intensively carrying out the legal usurpation cause with his comrades.

With the cooperation of Prince Talleyrand, in just a few days Aigron had met people from all walks of life in Paris, accepted their tributes, and invisibly made people get used to his existence.

Next, Agron will perform his last public event before leaving Paris.

At twelve o'clock at noon, a herald in a dazzling uniform rode through the boulevards of Paris and arrived at the east corner of Les Invalides. Then, the cannons placed around began to ring out with a rumbling salute.

In this thick yellow smoke, on the side next to the river, two rows of cavalry galloped forward at a slow speed. The horses they rode were equipped with golden leather equipment and shiny buttons. Behind the heavy cavalry responsible for opening the road were the long three-color flags of the lancers fluttering in the wind.

Then, a large group of grenadiers strode towards the Invalides in an orderly queue. As these soldiers moved forward, there was the endless sound of military music and drumming.

Although the number was not too large, the formations of the cavalry and infantry were extremely orderly, with the unique discipline of the army, and their uniforms were all new and shiny, looking dazzling and aggressive in the early summer sunshine.

Because of the strict orders, no one dared to whisper, but moved towards the destination in silent steps and queues.

When they arrived outside the gate of Les Invalides, the original queue began to separate from the middle, and then turned into two columns, one on the left and the other.

Next, everyone held their breath, waiting for today's protagonists to appear.

Soon, several people on horseback appeared in front of everyone. They were all wearing military uniforms. The one at the front was naturally Aigron, and beside him was Marshal Soult.

Behind the two of them were General Treville and General Mipe, followed by a large group of senior officers. In other words, the current top command of the entire army came with this young man.

The soldiers on both sides held their heads high, watching these dignitaries pass in front of them, and at the same time silently accepted their review.

When Aigron and his party arrived at the entrance of the Invalides, the roaring salute finally stopped, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet, even the war horses made no sound.

Marshal Soult looked around and was secretly satisfied.

Today's event was specially arranged by him for the King of Rome, in order to please the young man and at the same time show him the army's loyalty to him. Judging from the current atmosphere and effect, it is indeed satisfactory.

He raised his hand and made a gesture, and the officers everywhere naturally understood it.

"Salute!" In the almost simultaneous shouts, the infantry raised their guns and the cavalry raised their sabers, saluting Aigron.

In an instant, the bayonet and saber were raised upward at the same time, as if a jungle of bayonets suddenly grew out of the plains. The silver-white blade reflected the light, almost like the waves in the lake.

Aiglon looked at everything in front of him with satisfaction.

This huge war machine is surrendering to itself and accepting its control at this moment, and it is indeed the most appropriate way to welcome the resurrection of the empire.

So he took off his hat and waved to the officers and soldiers on both sides.

"Long live the Empire!"

What responded to him was deafening and uniform cheers.

Amid cheers like a tsunami, Aigron dismounted, and then, surrounded by a group of guards, he followed Marshal Soult and others to the Invalides.

After he entered, the soldiers who accompanied him were still on guard around the Invalides, and only a few officers were allowed to enter.

Even though not many people came in, this large group of people wearing uniforms and medals was still enough to break the originally quiet atmosphere here.

Les Invalides was built on the order of Louis XIV, the "Sun King" of France. He built it to house soldiers who were unable to continue serving due to old age, or who were injured or sick from participating in battles.

Since most soldiers usually do not have the opportunity to start a family, they have no source of income after retirement or disability, and they can only become beggars or vagrants. Although some monasteries house veterans for charitable purposes, soldiers who have served on the battlefield for many years often have difficulty adapting to the monks' life of long periods of silence and prayer.

So Louis XIV ordered the construction of the Invalides in 1670. Three years after the construction, in 1674, the first batch of soldiers moved into it. In order to help the soldiers not forget the virtue of faith after retirement, he also specially built a church in the courtyard.

However, with the evolution of history, the role of Les Invalides is slowly changing. When the Sun King designed and built Les Invalides, it was still a countryside outside Paris. However, as the population of Paris grew step by step, "Paris" The city is also developing and growing. Now, Les Invalides has become a part of the city of Paris. It is no longer appropriate to place disabled veterans here, so it is no longer used to raise veterans and disabled soldiers. It turned into a totem and symbol of French military power.

In order to show off their military exploits, enemy flags captured from the French army are displayed in the church of Les Invalides. These flags were traditionally hung on the dome of Notre Dame before the Revolution. After the Revolution, the undamaged national military flag was admitted to the Invalides in 1793. The latter has since been given the important task of preserving the French military flag and capturing it.

During the Napoleonic Empire, with the great victories of the French army, there were so many military flags of various countries displayed in the Invalides. When you walk into the church, you will even feel like you have entered a museum of flags.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long, and Emperor Napoleon's empire soon ushered in its fateful destruction.

In 1814, before Paris fell to the anti-French coalition for the first time, the administrators of Les Invalides burned a large number of military flags in the courtyard in order to prevent the military flags they displayed here from falling into the hands of the enemy and becoming their trophies. In total, approximately 1,500 flags were burned.

The empire's "illustrious martial arts" seemed to have been burned in such a fire, and everything was like a dream without a trace.

However, although the changes of fate are capricious, there are some things that cannot be burned clean by fire.

After just over ten years, a young sapling grew again on the ruins that had been burned to ashes.

Although it is still extremely weak and crumbling in the cold wind, who dares to say that it cannot become a towering tree?

Aigron stood in the church of Les Invalides, and next to him was a large group of uniformed officers.

As the current number one person in the army, Marshal Soult is naturally at the forefront.

However, the marshal is also aware. He understands that although the King of Rome does not have any official position in name, it will not be long before he reaches the top and becomes the legitimate supreme commander of the entire army. He cannot and does not dare to snatch this young man away at this time. People's limelight.

At this time, everyone was silent, as if everyone was breathless in this solemn atmosphere.

Although there are differences in their status, although some people are obsessed with personal power and status, and some people only think about luxurious enjoyment, at this moment, they all understand that they are part of this group and share the same honor and shame with each other.

All eyes converged on the young man, waiting for his speech.

And Aigron also interrupted the silence in the church with his slow speaking speed.

"Today, we came to a special church. It does not belong to the church, but to the army. It is not just a church, but a hall of honor for our country's soldiers. Needless to say, you should also remember how many things have been displayed here. It is a symbol of honor that soldiers of all ages have earned with their own blood.

It is a pity that due to some unfortunate events, we had to let those military flags be burned down, and our former honors were also worn away a lot, but we will not be paralyzed by the temporary fall. We are here, tell God, tell As a nation, we are still here! You can continue to sacrifice your life for your country!

On the battlefield, there are often retreats, so a temporary defeat is not important, it will only make us understand the preciousness of honor more! The important thing is that our desire for honor has not changed, our pure love has not changed, and our love for the country will never change! As long as we have these, our great nation will arm our army again and again, wash away the dirt on the military flag, forget the sorrow and pain, and let us embark on the journey of pursuing honor again! "

Having said this, Aigron looked at the icon on the church with emotion, and then continued to speak.

"We are missing a person here, a person who once led this army to the pinnacle of glory. He spread the prestige of this army to every corner of Europe. With victory after victory, everyone understands that we are How powerful. Although he had to leave us temporarily due to the twists of fate, he should not be absent from this place of honor. His destination cannot be a foreign country, but only here! Yes, he should be buried in the Invalids In the courtyard, he enjoys the worship of the entire country and the entire army, because he is the embodiment of French honor!"

Aiglon shouted loudly in a tone full of emotion, "He will sleep here forever, watching us and our descendants of all generations, and spurring each of you and me. He will let us always remember our Where the honor lies!”

"Long live the Emperor!"

As soon as he finished speaking, cheers resounded throughout the church.

This cheer was strictly prohibited during the Restoration Dynasty and had not been shouted out publicly for more than ten years. However, at this time, in the Invalides, in the highest hall of honor of the French Armed Forces, it was finally heard. He shouted it out in a grand manner, and the people present could not help but be moved by it, and some even shed tears.

"Long live the Emperor!"

Repeated cheers echoed throughout the church.

And this is also Aigron's purpose.

His greatest legitimacy comes from his surname, so no matter how much affection he has for Emperor Napoleon, he must pose as the most pious successor.

To this end, he wanted to deify Emperor Napoleon and make him an eternal totem.

Naturally, he would, like the previous French governments in history, bury Emperor Napoleon's remains in the Invalides and hold a grand burial ceremony for him - and he would do more than this.

He wants to set up a national holiday for the burial day, and then let himself and his descendants come here every year during this festival to pay tribute to their ancestors in the highest hall of the armed forces until the day the Bonaparte dynasty falls. until.

The surname "Bonaparte" will give this dynasty the most powerful power.

In the scene where everyone was in tears, Marshal Soult was quite calm.

After all, compared to these emperor's admirers and younger generations, he had been the emperor's colleague and subordinate for many years and had interacted with the emperor countless times. He would naturally view this great commander from a "mortal" perspective.

Although he has been serving the emperor, although he does respect the emperor, it is impossible for him to worship him.

However, he didn't want to ruin the scene at such an affectionate moment, so he also pretended to be quite touched.

"Long live the Emperor!" he shouted, standing next to Aigron and waving to show his full support for the young man.

It is no longer important whether it is the previous emperor or the current emperor. The honor of the Bonaparte family will continue to be passed down here, and Marshal Soult will also serve as one of the great commanders of the army. After his death, he was buried in the Invalides.

I don’t know how long it took before the roaring and tsunami-like cheers finally came to an end. This grand event also achieved its purpose.

Although Aigron has not yet ascended the throne, in the eyes of the army, he is no different from the emperor.

Aigron believed that even if he announced that he would be crowned in yellow robes right now, no one would stand up and object.

But the procedures should still be followed, not to mention that Aigron has already told the world, so in a few days, he will start his nationwide tour.

After the excitement, Aigron also looked at Marshal Soult who was standing next to him.

At this time, the old marshal was standing next to him with bright eyes and a proud look. He was already majestic and majestic, but at this moment, he had an aura of giving up to anyone else.

It's no wonder that after a series of drastic changes, Sirte had defeated his colleagues and became the number one man in the army. The other marshals died and retired, and the remaining few were also killed. He uses various means to exclude them. At least for now, he has stood on the top of power and has no opponents.

Of course, this is also the situation Aiglon needs.

With a joking mentality, he gently hugged the old marshal who had made great contributions to him, and then looked at everyone again.

"Everyone, at this moment of celebration, let us wish the great Marshal Sirte eternal health!"