Eagle’s Glory

After reuniting with Aiglon, General Pierre Poitou carefully led this patrol through the Vendée region.

Since being assigned by Marshal Soult to monitor the Vendées, he has been paying close attention to the local area for several months. His observations and all the intelligence he received have convinced him that although the Vendées do not like to change dynasties, Although they still miss the rule of the Bourbon dynasty, the vast majority of them are not interested in taking up arms to rebel and fight another bloody civil war with Paris.

The bloodshed more than 30 years ago has already cost this land too much. Even the most loyal royalists will be frightened by the painful price they paid and do not want this land to repeat the tragedy of that year.

But even so, the general does not dare to take it lightly. After all, he is the first person responsible for the safety of the King of Rome at this time. If something happens to the King of Rome, his future will be ruined and his life will not be saved, so even if it is only one ten thousandth He did not dare to take this risk. He led his army to tightly surround the Roman king's team and move forward together. He also asked other garrisons to control every town along the way, for fear of any problems.

This necessary security measure made Aigron feel quite uncomfortable.

During this period of time, he has been working hard to show a people-friendly side, participating in public activities wherever he goes, and deliberately getting closer to ordinary people; through his efforts, the young Roman king has an enthusiastic and approachable image. , has gradually become established in the hearts of the people, and he has always been very eloquent. He delivers impassioned speeches everywhere, advocating patriotism and dedication while praising the customs and customs of various places. These speeches can often allow him to win over local people. cheers.

However, under the current circumstances, it is no longer feasible to replicate this routine in the Vendée - the cavalry and infantry formed a complete "defense circle", which is no different from an "encirclement". They isolated the people in He was out of Aigron's sight, and he didn't let anyone get close to him, for fear of any unexpected incident - this was tantamount to isolating Aiglon from the people.

So, after a short pause, Aigron proposed to the general to relax the security measures so that he could at least say hello to the villagers along the way.

Faced with such a "rash" request, General Pierre Poitou tried to persuade Aiglon, "Your Majesty, I understand your desire to be close to the people, but in my opinion this is too dangerous... No one can Guaranteed, there are several vicious royalists lurking in the villages we passed.

If anything happens to you, it will be a disaster for our entire country. "

"If I want to show off my power and act like an emperor, then why do I have to come here?" Aigron asked the other party, "I know it's a bit risky, but now I pass the Vendée with this attitude. If I did, it would be tantamount to announcing to all the Vendéans that I did not trust them. Worse than this, I also announced that I was afraid of them, which would encourage the royalists more than any propaganda. Therefore, I must be brave , sometimes taking risks is necessary, and as a general, you should understand this better than anyone else."

General Poitou knew in his heart that Aiglon was right, but the responsibility he shouldered was so heavy that he still did not dare to give in. "Your Majesty, the order given to me by Marshal Soult is to strictly ensure your safety and not to allow you to make any mistakes. I cannot ensure this order while relaxing security."

"Then, I will tell you now that I think there are some omissions in Marshal Soult's order, so now I will change the order to - you only need to try your best to ensure my safety, but you must not affect my personal actions." Aigron Answer seriously. "So, do you accept my order?"

In front of Aigron, the general would never dare to admit that in his eyes, Marshal Soult's orders took precedence. Besides, since Aigron himself said this, he had already fulfilled his responsibilities and there was no need to continue. Don't keep doing this anymore.

"Your Majesty, of course I obey your order." The general saluted Aigron and accepted the new order.

With the compromise between the two people, Aigron was finally able to "break out" of the tight infantry line and enter the villages along the way to communicate with the villagers - of course, he was still surrounded by three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry to ensure that there would be no Someone suspicious is approaching His Majesty.

Faced with such a formation, the villagers were naturally frightened and trembling, but Aigron's eloquence talent came into play. He communicated with the villagers with a smile, and made a few jokes from time to time to make everyone laugh. , try your best to appear approachable.

Similarly, although the villagers did not seem to particularly support Aigron, they did not reveal any hostility towards Aigron.

After all, in the hearts of the Vendée people, although Emperor Napoleon was an unorthodox monarch, he ended the bloody civil war and saved the lives of the Vendée people. Moreover, the emperor's rule was not as chaotic and brutal as the previous revolutionary government. Respect Apart from their past way of life, apart from the constant need to recruit soldiers and fight, there is not much that offends them - in short, the "Emperor" is at least a hundred times better than the "Republic".

With this mentality, the villagers' attitude towards Aigron was quite subtle. He was not like a monarch they loved and supported from the bottom of their hearts, but more like a guest from afar, someone they could respect. Paris "Chief".

Although these villagers were poor, they tried their best to entertain him with white bread and figs. The church in each village rang bells to celebrate the arrival of the Roman king.

For Aigron, this makes no difference. He does not expect everyone to support him from the bottom of his heart, as long as he can be "friendly and neutral" and tolerate his rule.

As later history proved, even though France changed dynasties many times and even turned into a republic that the Vendées once deeply hated, the Vendées still silently accepted all this and did not launch any more large-scale rebellions.

For them, as long as the government is willing to respect their beliefs and way of life that they have adhered to for generations, and not use rough and arrogant means to try to reform them, they are willing to accept the rule of any Paris government - anyway, for them It is said that all Paris regimes are almost equally frivolous and dissolute, and there is no difference.

And Aiglon can do this.

In the midst of such a warm and distant interaction, Aiglon's mighty team, escorted by the army, arrived at Laval in the Mayenne department.

The city of Laval was one of the core areas of the Vendée rebels at that time. This city with a small population contributed a large number of die-hard guerrillas and commanders of the Royal Army. Naturally, it also suffered extremely heavy losses in population. The Republican Army erected several guillotines in the square here and executed a large number of "rebels" and suspected "rebels".

Among these rebels, the most famous one is Prince Talmon. This prince is the heir to a prestigious local aristocratic family. Although he was born into a noble family, he was deeply influenced by the Enlightenment. At the beginning of the Great Revolution, he once He supported the revolution and believed that the nobles should no longer enjoy as many privileges as in the past; but as the revolution progressed, especially the imprisonment and execution of the king, Prince Talmon began to change his attitude and became hostile to the revolution. When a full-scale rebellion broke out among the Vendées, Prince Talmon, who was from a local noble family, naturally became one of the main generals of the rebel army.

He led the rebels and the Republican Army in dozens of battles, large and small, and was deeply loved by his subordinates for his bravery in combat. Unfortunately, he was captured at the end of 1793.

As a great nobleman, but who dares to raise troops to rebel against the Republic, such a person will certainly not be forgiven and will only die.

In order to completely frighten the rebels, the Republican Army captured him back to his hometown of Laval, and then erected a guillotine at the gate of his family castle (which had been confiscated by the government at this time), preparing to execute him and a group of other prisoners. .

On January 27, 1794, the "famous" Prince Talmon was guillotined in front of the main entrance of the family castle. After his head was severed, the executioner treated the once noble man's head with alcohol and wax, then tied it to a pole and erected it above the main entrance of his family castle, next to the prince's head. The heads of other executed persons also stood.

The prince's head was displayed in public for several days, and then it was taken off and buried in the castle courtyard. The mutilated bodies of the deceased were left on the guillotine overnight, and the next day they were thrown onto the frame truck transporting the corpses and thrown into the chaos outside the city. The burial pit was buried with many executed bandits and rebels.

This horrific scene in the Middle Ages indeed frightened the people of the Vendée, but instead of deterring them, it aroused their determination to continue taking up arms against the Republic. The fighting became more and more fierce, and it did not subside until several years later. , and by that time, countless people had died in this civil war.

When Aigron entered the city of Laval with his entourage, of course he could no longer see the bloody scenes of the year. Thirty years later, everything seemed to have gone with the wind, whether guilty or innocent. , the dead have all turned into dust, and the strong smell of blood is no longer in the air.

But in people's hearts, many things have not been forgotten. They will be passed down forever, becoming history and becoming part of the spiritual ties of local people.

The city became quiet and beautiful again. You can see ancient castles everywhere, as well as the historic Sacred Heart Church and monastery. The Republic once thought that it could defeat the religion of this kingdom, and almost did defeat it, but when time passed , those Enlightenmentists who tried to change everything quickly have passed away, but these churches are still standing, enjoying people's worship.

Of course, ancient traditions may not be good, but they must not be easily shaken.

When he arrived at the outskirts of the city, General Pierre Poitou came to Aigron and carefully explained the situation to him.

"Your Majesty, before you come, I have sent a reliable force to this city. The most famous local nobles and some well-known clergy have been gathered together and are ready to accept your orders at any time. Interview... Moreover, there will be constant cavalry patrols and reconnaissance around, and no one will be allowed to leave easily."

Every time Aigron went to a place, he would meet local celebrities and receive warm hospitality from them. But the situation now is obviously slightly different - the general gathered these people together, not so much to facilitate their acceptance of the King of Rome. The interview is more of a centralized surveillance and monitoring to prevent them from making any changes.

"You are really cautious." Aigron smiled bitterly, but he acquiesced to the general's approach, "Then where are they waiting for me?"

"In a Carmelite monastery," the general answered immediately.

Aigron nodded slightly and motioned for the general to lead the way.

At this time, the garrison also discovered the arrival of their group, so according to the prior order, they immediately lined up at the city gate and fired cannons to salute the King of Rome who came from afar.

The sound of gunfire soared into the sky and shook the earth. It vaguely seemed to bring people back to the scene when this city was captured by the Republican Army more than 30 years ago. This was certainly not a pleasant memory for the locals.

Although the welcome of the army was very grand, there were not many people watching the excitement. On the one hand, the soldiers, who were facing a formidable enemy, consciously dispersed most of the residents who wanted to come over; on the other hand, the people of Vendée certainly did not have that much respect for the King of Rome. What a novelty, they seemed to have been waiting for this group of passers-by to leave as soon as possible from the beginning, so that they could restore the peace of their past lives.

Under the leadership of the military band, Aigron entered the city of Laval together with General Pierre Poitou, and then several officers led them to the place where they were going to stay - the Carmelite monastery.

And there, there were already many people waiting for them.

Among this large group of entourage, there is naturally Agnes.

Like everyone else, she was keenly aware of Laval's more indifferent and nervous attitude than before.

"Your Majesty, we don't seem to be very welcome here."

"This is not the first time we have been treated like this." Aigron replied with a smile.

"No... this is different. In Normandy, we have encountered indifference, but the indifference here is a bit more severe..." Agnes frowned slightly, "It's more like hostility."

"No matter what it is, they have to endure me, and they have to endure it forever!" Aigron waved his hand, looking confident.

At this time, Agnes also knew that their destination was the monastery.

"The Carmelite monastery? Isn't that a place where the ascetic monks meditate? We were not very good in the past... we would disturb the monks." Agnes hesitated.

Eggron knew that the general's priority when arranging his itinerary was safety. He probably chose the monastery because of its remote location and sturdy buildings, making it easy to defend.

Although it may not be necessary to be so cautious, it is understandable just in case.

So he just smiled and said, "We won't disturb them for long, they will forgive us. Besides, I make the rules now."

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