Eagle’s Glory

Aiglon and his party received a warm welcome from the city of Lille. Although at the welcome banquet, Aiglon gave an impromptu speech about Belgium, which frightened the celebrities and dignitaries, but this did not affect his personal reputation.

On the contrary, the vigorous young people, because they had not faced the tragic war more than ten years ago, had high national sentiments and never forgot the honor of the empire. Therefore, after Aiglon expressed his public sympathy for the Belgian independence movement, they Cheer loudly and be glad that France finally has another leader who dares to defend national interests and honor.

Some young people even secretly hope that Aigron will be bolder, lead them across the short national border as soon as possible, and simply use force to "liberate" Belgium in one fell swoop - of course, Aigron will not pay attention to this idea. of.

Like the previous parade, after the grand welcome ceremony and parade, and after two days of public activities, Agron took Agnes with him to the outskirts of Lille for a parade.

Compared to the parade when they entered the city, Agron and Agnes were dressed much more simply. Agron wore a black hat, casual clothes and a tie, while Agnes wore a lace embroidered dress. Wearing a small round cap on their heads, the two walked hand in hand, as if they were a young couple going out for fun together.

Compared to her heroic appearance when she was cruising in armor, Agnes at this time showed the air of a well-known lady. She was less than twenty years old, and she still had the charm of a girl at this moment, but because of her relationship with Agron Personal love, she has a bit of the charming charm of a young woman, and combined with her long skirt and long dress at the moment, no one would have imagined that she is a powerful swordsman.

Although the countryside was sparsely populated, Aiglon's group still attracted the attention of the villagers because of their great momentum. When they passed a small town, the whole town crowded out to watch the excitement and cheer for the King of Rome.

They all knew that this might be their only chance to see such a big man in their lives.

Amid the enthusiastic cheers, Agron kept waving to the villagers and thanked them for their support. Agnes, who was standing next to him, was also smiling, feeling honored by the warm reception his lover received. .

After walking and stopping like this, the two of them finally passed through the small town and arrived at the wheat fields and wilderness covered with woods. At this time, there was no one everywhere in the wilderness, and the streams everywhere were flowing silently. Occasionally and mischievously The sunlight flashes to emphasize its presence, while the cool breeze drifting between the forests blows away the heat, and quail and pheasants fly in the air from time to time.

This kind of original natural landscape is difficult to see again in the 21st century.

Aiglon is in a very good mood at this moment. He has great power at this moment.

When accompanied by a beautiful woman, it is inevitable that there will be a sense of pride and satisfaction.

He took the telescope from the hands of the attendants, then picked it up and looked at the endless green fields around him from a distance.

"Agnes, it won't be long before this place will change." Then, Agron turned his head and said happily to Agnes.

"Change the world?" Agnes obviously didn't understand what this meant.

"That's right, the appearance of this place will be greatly changed, and it will become completely unrecognizable to you." Aigron nodded heavily, and then pointed to the discovery to the east, "Two railway tracks will be laid eastward from here, leading directly to Belgium. , and then extend all the way, maybe hundreds or thousands of kilometers long. Every day, a huge steam locomotive will pass by the railway track, breaking the silence here, and the water vapor it emits will obscure its appearance. All you can see is a thick fog roaring forward... Wuwuwu... How beautiful it is! Wuwuwu..."

Of course, Agnes couldn't imagine what the railroad tracks that "stretched for thousands of kilometers" or what a steam locomotive looked like, let alone the beauty of such a scene, but she was still impressed by Agron's childish behavior of imitating the sound of a train. Amused.

"Haha..." Because of the change in clothes, she seemed to be more ladylike at this time, so she just covered her mouth and smiled, "I still don't understand what you are talking about."

"It's actually very simple." Aigron raised his hand, and then drew a horizontal line in the void with his finger, "Soon, I will build a railway line here. You don't need to know specifically what a railway line is. All you need to know is that it is a road paved with railroad tracks. This road will become an epoch-making thing and will permanently change the lives of people here. From now on, they will no longer need to rely on animal power when traveling far away!"

Agnes still seemed to understand, but Agron's description made her instinctively feel a sense of novelty and a vague expectation.

Not only what did His Majesty mean, but the way he looked at him with his piercing eyes and scolded Fang Qiu was exactly what she liked to see about His Majesty.

"Then I'll give it a try, if it's really that powerful." Agnes replied softly.

"You will taste the beauty of it." Aiglon waved his hand vigorously, "Not only Lille, but also Paris, Orleans, Lyon, Marseille... Eventually every French city will be connected, and people can Traveling hundreds of kilometers without even a tiny bit of effort on his part! Think about how wonderful that would be? Then I could give you a special train and take you along the same road we are on now, Let’s travel around the country again! However, the time we need then will only be a fraction or even shorter than now!”

"But it would be a pity if it ended so soon." Agnes replied subconsciously.

Then, she realized something was wrong, so she gently covered her mouth again, "Aiglon, what I mean... I just mean... being too hasty may cause the various places to be poorly prepared."

Although she tried her best to explain, she knew that this explanation was not convincing, so she lowered her head in shame. "Please forgive me for being too greedy, Your Majesty. Only at this time did I feel that we really were partners. Although I knew that I had to give you back, and I was the one who was wronged, but even so, I still I wish this day could be extended a little longer, even if it’s just one more day.”

"Agnes..." Agron didn't know what to say at the moment, so he had to call her name and hug her gently, "You will always be by my side, right? Is there anything to worry about? Woolen cloth."

Agnes could only respond with a wry smile.

During this trip, she enjoyed a taste of happiness that she had never dared to expect, the pleasure of staying and flying with her lover many times to the bliss of the world, the joy of being cheered and praised by the people, and the countless precious gifts she received. It was enough to impact the heart of this simple girl, and she was already a little intoxicated by it.

But for Agnes, in this warmth and sweetness, there is also a sadness that cannot be overcome or solved. Although they are a couple, and may have the "fruit" of a couple, there is absolutely no way they can be a couple. The name.

Originally, when she made up her mind to devote herself to His Majesty, she thought that she could not care about such small regrets and regard everything as repaying kindness and paying off debts. However, when she was immersed in the situation, she finally felt the "unearned reputation". "In fact, it is so important and so unforgettable.

This kind of regret cannot be made up for with other things. She knows that she cannot truly be united with the person she loves, and their descendants (if there are any) will be born with the shameful title of illegitimate children. Knowing all this clearly, the more she indulged herself and enjoyed the journey in front of her, she wished it could continue like this.

But she herself knew that this was just an extravagant wish. When she returned to Paris, although she could still stay with His Majesty as a bodyguard, it was Princess Teresa who really took over from him.

In order not to disappoint Aiglon, she quickly tried her best to get rid of the regret in her heart and forced a smile, "Since you have already said it, I will remember it. You will send a special train when the time comes. Give it to me so I can go wherever I want.”

"Of course, I have never told you a joke, I can do it if I can." Aigron also laughed.

Then, the two people started talking to each other and discussing the interior furnishings of this "special train" that had not yet been released.

Agnes just wanted to change the topic at first, but as the conversation progressed, she gradually became interested and took the initiative to ask Agron a lot of questions about railways and trains.

Agron patiently answered her questions, but the more he answered, the more doubtful Agnes became.

"Where did you learn this? Why do I feel like you understand it so well?"

"I received a very rigorous and complete education in the Austrian palace, which includes knowledge in this area. The other part is the idea I got after recently discussing with experts." Aigron used his omnipotent Excuse, "Besides, I can't say I understand it very well, I just have a rough idea..."

At this point, he changed the subject and continued passionately, "However, for me, I don't need to know all the details. I just need to have enough imagination. The details will naturally be perfected by relevant professionals. I want to implement my imagination into reality, into the land in front of us. I said that there will be a direct train to Brussels, and I said that there will be a train here all day long. If the train keeps running, then it will definitely happen! For this country, the ideas in my mind are its most precious wealth. As long as I still have a steady stream of imagination, our new era will be full of vigor and vitality. On the contrary, if my talents dry up, then this country will once again return to the predicament of lifelessness and lethargy.”

Of course, Agnes would not understand the true meaning of Agron's words, and these seemingly boastful remarks, in the eyes of Agnes, who had added "filters" at this time, were so masculine.

"I believe in you. You will definitely be able to do it. When the time comes, we will sit on my special train and come back here together..."

As she spoke, she hugged her lover tightly in front of her. "Although it is fast, we can also rest here for a few more days, right? Maybe people will welcome us more?"

"Of course, it will!" Aigron laughed, and then gently stroked the girl's hair.

"Then I'll have to help your father."

"Huh? My father?" Agnes was stunned for a moment, "Does this have anything to do with him?"

"In order to achieve my goal of connecting Paris and Lille by railway, I need to establish a state-owned company to be responsible for construction and operation. This company must be run by trustworthy people, so I hope to let your father be the first As the general manager," Agron replied.

Although his tone was calm, Agnes' reaction was loud. She was not ecstatic about this, but shook her head quickly, "Your Majesty, please think about it again, this is not appropriate... My dad... Although my dad is a good man, he has no talent. You put such an important task It might not be appropriate to entrust it to him.”

Agnes' parents tried their best to send their daughter to His Majesty's bed, but Agnes had no idea of ​​getting any benefits for her family. On the contrary, she was even more afraid that her family would mess up the matter and discredit Agnes. , so I never recommend my family members to hold any official positions.

Although she didn't know how powerful this "state-owned railway company" was, she knew from what Aigron had just described that it was of great significance and had a large budget. When she heard that Aigron actually wanted to appoint her father as General manager, her first reaction was not to be happy for her father, but to refuse him.

"Don't worry, Agnes. As I said, technical and budgetary issues will naturally be solved by a dedicated person. His responsibility as the general manager is to ensure that the project is implemented according to plan, and to communicate and coordinate all aspects for me and the government. relationship, and he is quite suitable for this, because he was very popular in the previous court, and no one would deliberately make things difficult for him."

Aiglon also had a secret reason that he didn't say. When the railway first came out, people were naturally suspicious. There were even stories circulated by horse-drawn carriage operators that laughed at the railway for being too slow. But if a big man like Duke Nordlyen came out to the platform, And if you make a profit from it, then there will be a demonstration effect, and eventually public opinion and investment will pour into this emerging industry. In England across the strait, a large number of nobles initially invested in railways and mines. The reason is the same. .

Anyway, such benefits are meant for others, so why not give yourself an advantage and make Agnes happy at the same time?

However, after his explanation, Agnes was still a little uneasy.

"I still feel that this is not good... If people think that I am deliberately asking you for benefits for my family and treat me like that kind of woman, how should I deal with it... Your Majesty, please think about it again."

Agron originally wanted to persuade her not to care so much about the outside world's perceptions, but in the blink of an eye, Agnes thought that it was Agnes's advantage to care so much about her reputation, and there was no need to forcefully "correct" her.

So when the words came to his lips, he changed his words to something else.

"So, when the time comes, you can help me supervise your father and do this job well. Then, instead of ridiculing you, others will praise me for my discernment, right? Agnes , don’t you want your family to get out of its previous predicament and regain the reputation of a famous family?”