Eagle’s Glory

Just when Aiglon led his parade to Lille and expressed his "views" on the Belgian independence movement at a banquet with local celebrities, a delegation from France was also watching from the outside world. , quietly set foot on the land of England.

When this delegation entered London, every move they made was watched by the outside world. Political observers who wrote columns in newspapers almost spared no effort in writing various analysis articles and claimed that this delegation would "determine the future of Europe." War or peace in a generation.”

No wonder the British take it so seriously, because this is by no means an ordinary diplomatic visit.

Not long ago, there was another turmoil involving a change of regime in France.

Originally, the British were used to their continental neighbors having convulsions from time to time, but this time the "convulsions" brought them an unexpected and even shocking result. The heirs of the Bonaparte family returned to France and stayed in Tower. Prince Lieland, Marshal Soult and others respectfully welcomed him to Paris, and it seemed that he was about to ascend the throne that he had originally lost.

In this era, no word can stimulate the British more than the word "Bonaparte". In the previous 20 consecutive years of war, the British spent countless manpower, material and financial resources, and incurred astronomical debts. , finally suppressed the frenzy of France and destroyed Emperor Napoleon's grand hegemony. He still has lingering fears to this day.

And now, it seems that once again Emperor Napoleon is about to appear.

Yes, it is the French people's internal affairs to decide who will rule France, but should they interfere in their internal affairs?

Accompanying the panic and consternation was fierce debate, whether in the drawing room or in the newspapers, people were arguing everywhere about whether strong measures should be used to prevent the Bonaparte family from coming to power, even using force if necessary.

However, the fierce public opinion among the people did not affect the British government. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Duke of Wellington, it showed an unexpectedly calm attitude.

There was no bellicose public declaration, no military build-up and mobilization, and no sudden additional emergency war budget. There was nothing. As the great hero of Waterloo and the pinnacle of British military honors, the Duke of Wellington seemed to be acting like a hero. With a calm and unmoving attitude, he looked at the country facing each other across the sea and entangled with grievances.

Of course, even if the British government remains firm, no one dares to ignore London's opinions, at least not Prince Aigron and Talleyrand.

Today's Britain is at its most powerful period. Although it has been severely damaged in the previous long-term wars, compared with the major European countries such as France, Austria and Russia, it has

Its population loss and wealth loss were relatively small, and its victory in the war allowed it to suppress its biggest competitor for hegemony. At the same time, with the support of science and technology, its industry continued to expand and develop, which can be said to be It is prospering day by day, and its proud Royal Navy is far ahead of any other country's navy, controlling the most important maritime trade routes and passages in the world.

In a word, Britain is now the strongest among the great powers, and is far ahead of any of its competitors. It is qualified to remain calm.

England is a sleeping lion. Once it suddenly wakes up and pounces on its prey, it will be an endless fight. History has proven that England is often the winner in such continuous fierce fights.

Precisely because they knew this reality, Aiglon and Talleyrand not only did not want to offend Britain at this time and trigger an unpredictable war, but on the contrary, they were willing to try their best to appease this neighboring country and gain precious breathing space.

This delegation set foot on the soil of England with such an arduous mission.

The young Count Alexander Valewski was a member of this delegation.

After Aigron returned to France, Alexander, who wanted to stand out, went to Fontainebleau to visit this supreme "brother" and joined his army. Aigron seemed to value him quite a lot and put him in the Tower. Prince Lang's side.

It was by Talleyrand's side and watching his words and deeds that Alexander came up with the idea of ​​devoting himself to diplomacy and serving the empire, and then he was put on the list of this delegation by Talleyrand.

Of course, as he is only in his early 20s, he cannot be qualified to serve as the head of the delegation. He is the secretary of the head of the delegation. As for the position of head of the delegation, it is held by Hugo Bernard-Marie, Duke of Bassano. Ray is in charge.

This Duke of Bassano is not an ordinary person. In fact, he is a very senior diplomat, and his qualifications are not much worse than Prince Talleyrand.

He was born in a civilian family. He came to Paris in the early days of the Revolution and first worked as a journalist. Because of his good eloquence and good writing skills, he was absorbed into the government of the Republic and participated in diplomatic work from 1792.

Later, in the changing political situation, he chose to cooperate with the ambitious General Bonaparte. Then in 1799, Napoleon launched the coup of 18th Brumaire and became the first ruler of France. At this time, Napoleon was only in his 30s. Bernard Marais was reused and served as the Secretary of State of the first executive government.

He continued to serve Napoleon. After Napoleon proclaimed himself emperor, he was awarded the title of Duke of Bassano in 1809 for his merits over the years. Later, Napoleon and Talleyrand broke up, and he served as French Foreign Minister from 1811 to 1813.

In 1815, Emperor Napoleon restored and re-established the Hundred Days Dynasty, and he served the emperor again. Therefore, after the second restoration of the Bourbon Dynasty, he had to go into exile abroad. He was not pardoned until 1820 and returned to China.

It can be seen that the Duke of Bassano has profound qualifications, especially his deep connection with the Bonaparte family. Although his prestige is not as good as that of Prince Talleyrand, he can be regarded as half a "senior". Since entering politics in 1792, Bassano has Duke Nod has experienced forty years of ups and downs in the political and diplomatic circles. He is rich in experience and has a network of relationships with various countries. Egeron entrusted him with such an important task, which is enough to show his respect and enthusiasm for him. expect.

In the original historical line, after the Duke of Orleans usurped the throne and established the July Dynasty in 1830, the Duke of Bassano turned to the new dynasty. In 1834, King Louis-Philippe tried to appoint him as prime minister to form a cabinet. , it is a pity that he failed to form a government because he did not get enough support in the parliament.

Precisely because he once cooperated with the Orleans faction, he had a rift with other supporters of the Bonaparte family, and he did not participate in the restoration movement of the Bonaparte family again.

But later, his son, Napoleon-Joseph Marais, the second Duke of Bassano, became a courtier in the palace after Napoleon III restored the empire. The Empire served.

Of course, in this world line changed by Aiglon, the fluctuation of the "future" did not happen. Duke Bassano has firmly stood on Aiglon's side from the beginning. It is natural that he was entrusted with important tasks. No one should be surprised or uncomfortable with this.

Led by the Duke of Bassano, this small but distinguished delegation quietly crossed the English Channel and arrived in London. They were received politely but deliberately at a distance by the British government, and then were placed in In the French Embassy.

From this kind of reception, they all felt the ambiguous attitude of the British - maybe they themselves had not thought about how to deal with the Bonaparte family who suddenly returned to the center of the stage, so they were still weighing it.

In addition, the current political environment in the UK does leave the government with no time to worry about anything else.

Shortly after the delegation set foot on British soil, on June 26, the elderly King George IV finally passed away as expected. Since his only legitimate child, Princess Charlotte, had already passed away before him, he His younger brother, William, Duke of Clarence, who was 65 years old, ascended the throne and was known as William IV in history.

Under such circumstances, the British government, which was busy dealing with the change of throne, naturally found it difficult to concentrate on dealing with the delegation's issues.

Therefore, after submitting an application to meet the Prime Minister, the delegation never received a reply. They could only stay in the embassy and wait for news. They could only pass the time by reading newspapers, playing cards, or visiting people from all walks of life with permission. time.

As the illegitimate son of Emperor Napoleon, Count Alexander Valewski certainly had no favorable impression of the British, but he could not say he hated them. He was deeply curious about this country that he had never set foot on, and on the contrary, he tried to Understand its political system, its customs, and all aspects of society so that you can use it for your future work.

At the same time, as a diplomat, he also deeply understands that in international affairs, personal emotions are an absolute factor that needs to be abandoned. A successful diplomat should be a master of turning clouds over. Today's enemies may become friends tomorrow. "Love" and "Hate" is meaningless and may even be harmful.

If he wants to realize his dream, then he must become another Prince Talleyrand (with better personal ethics of course).

Therefore, he abandoned his past prejudices, read newspapers and books voraciously, observed the trend of public opinion in the country and anything else worth noting. His diligent attitude also made Duke Bassano, the leader of the regiment, very satisfied.

In the view of the elderly Duke of Bassano, although his bloodline gave Alexander a great opportunity to rise to the top from the very beginning, in this intrigue and deception fair of fame and fortune, it would be very easy to fall if he did not have the ability. The King of Rome would never do it. He would show mercy to an illegitimate brother.

Therefore, Alexander did not feel complacent because of his bloodline, but could still remain sober and rational, giving him a feeling of being "teachable".

Of course, Duke Bassano also knew very well that with both his backers and his own hard work, the young Count Alexander Valewski was destined to have an unlimited future.

The Duke himself was born in 1763 and is already 67 years old this year. He also knows that his time will definitely be short, but the family business he created and his title of Duke are the success he has achieved through his lifelong struggle and can be passed on to himself. His descendants - and his descendants will naturally continue to serve the empire in the future.

Therefore, even for the sake of future generations, it is necessary to make good friends with Alexander, and it is also extremely beneficial to the future of his family.

Because of this, Duke Bassano, like Talleyrand, often kept his secretary by his side to teach him through words and deeds, imparting all aspects of his experience to him. From time to time, he would also tell him some secrets of the palaces of various countries in the past. It was an eye-opener for Alexander.

On this day, Duke Bassano chatted with Alexander again after lunch, and this time, their topic was news from France.

When Aigron was touring Lille, his public remarks were published and reprinted in newspapers and finally spread to the UK. They soon became sensational news, and various newspapers reported these remarks with sensational headlines. Experts were also asked to conduct various "analyses", and some of the exaggerated incitement even made people feel as if war was about to break out tomorrow.

Compared to the storm of public opinion, the atmosphere in this room was much more relaxed.

"Alexander, what do you think of your Majesty's words?" Duke Bassano asked the young man sitting next to him while drinking coffee.

During this period of time, Alexander had become accustomed to the relaxed atmosphere of conversation with the group leader, but of course he still remembered that he was the other party's subordinate, so although his expression was relaxed, he still inevitably showed the respect of his subordinates.

"Your Majesty has a good sense of proportion. I believe this impromptu speech was the result of his careful consideration," he replied.

As a diplomat, it is natural to have the ability to see through the thick fog of words to see the essence of the situation. After carefully reading the full text of Aigron's speech, Alexander saw through it at a glance. Although these words may sound sensational, in fact, there is room for it, and There was no actual threat at all - that is to say, it was provoking a situation but would definitely not cause any danger.

Although Aigron is his "younger brother", he never dares to look down upon Aigron. On the contrary, in the interaction between the two people, he is the weaker one and can only obey orders, so he has always been very careful about this younger brother. He knew that his brother would never be an impulsive person.

"You are right, His Majesty has left some leeway. He is actually urging the British to come and talk to him." Duke Bassano nodded slightly, and then sighed, "It seems that our work has been ineffective. The progress has made His Majesty a little anxious..."

The Duke's sigh made Alexander a little unhappy, but he quickly comforted the old man, "Your Excellency, this is not our fault. It is the British who have been keeping us indifferent... You cannot blame us."

"But His Majesty never likes to argue." The Duke retorted.

Alexander fell silent for a moment, knowing this was true.

Although His Majesty is very patient with them, if he keeps wasting time here, it will definitely make him furious and ruin the future of both people.

Therefore, we must continue to speed up the progress and at least let the British contact his group, he thought to himself.

But at this time, a sudden news made him overjoyed.

The embassy finally received the news that the owner of No. 10 Downing Street allowed their visit.

The great commander finally had time to see them.