Eagle’s Glory

While Theresa was still saying goodbye to her brother, Agron was cordially receiving his Prime Minister, Prince Talleyrand.

Although they have "worked cordially" for a long time in the past few months, this is the first time they have faced each other as kings and ministers.

Before, he was His Majesty the King of Rome, but Prince Talleyrand, as the head of the provisional government, was nominally superior to him. The two had private conversations. In theory, he was only "invited" to participate in state affairs. .

However, now this twisted situation has finally ended. He has become the legitimate head of state, and Prince Talleyrand has naturally become his chief minister - but even the chief minister is ultimately employed by him. Subordinate.

When he entered the Prime Minister's office, everyone, including Prince Talleyrand, saluted him and he finally officially enjoyed the emperor's "authority".

"Your Majesty, thank God for allowing me to hand over this country to you smoothly." Prince Talleyrand faced the young man who had just become his master with a kind smile. "It is indeed a beautiful toy. I wish you the best." You have fun.”

For Prince Talleyrand, who was accustomed to seeing the world, the young man in front of him was his master for countless times. He had seen the rise and destruction of too many big figures, including Louis XVI, Robespierre and others. There was Napoleon. Everyone once ruled this country with absolute authority, but everyone died miserably before him. In his heart, there was only the cynicism that he was used to seeing, and he no longer had any regard for the kings. Any awe.

So even when facing Aigron who became emperor on his first day, he couldn't help but make a joke with a nonchalant attitude.

Although his joke seemed a bit inappropriate in such a serious occasion, it also diluted the solemn atmosphere in the room. For Aigron, he was also slowly adapting to his new identity, so the old man's joke also diluted the solemn atmosphere in the room. It's like responding to the situation.

Aigron knew that the emperor's true authority was not reflected in etiquette, but in actual actions. If those monarchs who hold great positions do not have the ability to control power, then there are many people who lose their power and are nothing more than others. They are just clay puppets that we face respectfully.

so,

He also responded to his veteran minister in a relaxed tone.

"It's not time for you to let go, Your Excellency Prime Minister. I need you to teach me how to play with this toy first -"

"Then you have found the right person. No one is more familiar with this than me." Prince Talleyrand laughed, not pretending to be modest at all. "We still have a lot of time, and I will devote all I have to teaching you. .”

A lot of time...is it really a lot of time? Aiglon thought.

He secretly looked at Prince Talleyrand.

At this time, Prince Talleyrand's face was covered with wrinkles. Although he was powdered, a few age spots could still be seen. His hair was completely gray, he walked with a limp, and the hand holding the crutch could not help but tremble slightly. .

Because he was afraid of being suspected of being "too old to exercise power", Prince Talleyrand had been deliberately showing off his good health to the outside world. However, time is ruthless after all and does not depend on anyone's will. Every moment of his life Every second he looked older than before, even compared to when Aigron first met him at the beginning of the year, he looked much older.

During the Provisional Government, although Aiglon ostensibly entrusted all power to the senators, he had also been paying attention to them secretly, so he knew that recently, Prince Talleyrand spent almost half of the day sleeping. , deducting other time for eating, drinking and having fun, at most he only has three or four hours to deal with political affairs - that is to say, he only has so much energy left.

Of course it won't work in the long run, but for Aiglon, Prince Talleyrand as his prime minister is only an essential transitional period, so he doesn't care about the other party's "foreign workers".

Even conversely, if he was full of energy and motivation, Aigron would be unhappy...

After Aigron sat down, Prince Talleyrand waved slightly, and the secretary next to him immediately handed a large stack of documents to Aigron knowingly.

"Your Majesty, this is the briefing I receive from various ministries every day. I will make a copy for you now. If you have any instructions, you can leave it to us..." Talleyrand spread his hands lightly, "In short, All doors are now open to you and everything is yours.”

Of course Aigron would not believe this kind of scene. Even if he has not really experienced the bureaucracy's ability to deal with superiors, he also understands how many tricks there are in this world, let alone what he is facing now. It was Prince Talleyrand, a cunning person who was well-known in Europe.

Therefore, he put down the briefing given to him by Prince Talleyrand after a cursory glance.

"Sir, if we look for chapters and sentences in these waste papers that are destined to report good things but not bad things, then we can't do anything. Now I hope that you will not only help me run the government of the empire, but also help me create Something new.”

"New things? What do you mean?" Prince Talleyrand asked.

"Something that promotes economic prosperity, expands my financial strength and makes the people richer." Aigron answered without thinking, "Now, we not only have the government in our hands, but we also have someone who is definitely on our side. Legislature, we must take advantage of this great opportunity to put the country on the track I want to see."

Since the Great Revolution, no matter what kind of political system France has changed, the "Constitution" and the parliament derived from the Constitution are unavoidable. The power of the legislative body may be greater or less, but it ultimately controls the review of the national budget and the control of questioning. Government ministers are so powerful that they can even openly criticize the monarch in free debates.

Even though Emperor Napoleon had such a lofty reputation and the absolute power granted by the constitution, he had to face moderate opposition in parliament during the middle and late imperial era, such as the Marquis de Lafayette, whom he had always disliked. First, opposition members made critical remarks in parliament many times, and he ignored them.

After all, after the beginning of the Enlightenment Age, the idea of ​​"civil rights" has gradually taken root in the hearts of the people. The previous absolute monarch who was only responsible to God is no longer appropriate. In order to decorate their appearance, rulers must learn to be a "constitutional monarch." In other words, we must face a political system that is not absolutely obedient to us, and must learn to tolerate the existence of the opposition. At most, we must use a strong stance to marginalize the opposition.

In the history of France, the Parliament often broke away from the control of the monarchs due to public opinion, leading to political deadlock, government collapse and even the country falling into turmoil. Not long ago, the Bourbon family and the National Assembly had a falling out, which triggered a revolution in Paris. Turmoil is a living lesson.

Therefore, the period of unity between the government and the legislative body is a precious period for Aiglon or any ruler, and it is also a period that determines the upper limit of their rule.

In 1815, with the defeat of the Empire at Waterloo, the Bourbon family returned to Paris to restore the monarchy. Due to the brutal purges and revenge, the support for the Bonaparte family and the republicans in various places was severely weakened, and the Parliament was naturally divided by the extreme royalists. It was filled with elements, and 350 of the 402 seats belonged to the nobility, upper-class clergy and ultra-royalists.

The supporters of the royal family cheered and declared that this parliament was an "unparalleled parliament" and showed the magnificence of the royal family.

And this "unparalleled parliament" did respond to the call of the royalists, promoted many extremely reactionary retaliatory policies, and brought the country into a period of white terror.

However, the "Unparalleled Parliament" did not last long. The extreme reactionary policies and retaliatory purges were not popular. After the situation stabilized, the French gradually abandoned these extreme royalists and replaced them with a large number of moderate liberals. Being elected as members of parliament, these members often opposed the royal family, causing the collapse of many government cabinets.

Now Aiglon can also celebrate that he has an "unparalleled council".

Not long ago, he held referendums across France in order to be crowned emperor. At the same time, the provisional government also held the first parliamentary election in the empire on the grounds that "the previous parliament should be naturally dissolved." .

Egeron took advantage of the surge in public opinion during the nationwide tour and also used various "auxiliary election methods" to obtain 7 million votes in the referendum in support of his claim to be emperor; and what he gained was not just that, the enthusiastic people, While supporting the king of Rome to become emperor, he was naturally very happy to support those parliamentary candidates who were openly loyal to the Bonaparte family.

During the parliamentary election, the Marquis of Noirtier, who was responsible for the referendum on proclaiming himself emperor, did not interfere too much. After all, having to falsify hundreds of seats was not only too much work, but also easily aroused the resentment of the entire local elite.

Therefore, in a relatively fair electoral environment, Aigron still used his rising popularity to get the big victory he wanted.

In the First National Assembly of the Empire, die-hard Bonaparte supporters and members who openly support His Majesty the Emperor have an overwhelming advantage of more than 80% of the seats. In other words, at least at this time, the Imperial Government wants to promote Budgets and new legislation will basically receive support from parliament.

Of course, this situation cannot be permanent. People are forgetful and fickle after all, especially the French people. Although Aiglon is confident that he can win the support and recognition of the majority of the people through his "ruling achievements" , but this kind of overwhelming absolute majority support may be elusive.

Therefore, in the few years of this parliament, he must seize the "honeymoon period" between himself and the people and parliament, use the temporary absolute advantage of his supporters to pass the legislation he wants as soon as possible, and then use the government to Only by forcing the machine to push forward can the unresolved issues be solved, and further allow one's supporters to gain enough power and financial resources to consolidate the rule of the Bonaparte family.

"Your Royal Highness, now is the best time to overcome all conventionality and hesitation. If you miss it, God knows when the next time will be." Because of this thought, Aigron said his words with determination. Thought, “We need to hurry up.”

Prince Talleyrand was not too surprised by Aiglon's impatience.

After all, they had communicated many times before, and he also knew that this young man not only had an extreme desire for the throne and power, but also had the ambition to create a career.

He even almost knew what he wanted to do during his communication with Aiglon.

Moreover, he, who is already in his final years, does not want to be an obstacle.

"Of course, Your Majesty, I have already said that the power is now in your hands. How you want to use it is your freedom. As your servant, I will do my best to implement your will - —" Prince Talleyrand nodded slightly, made his promise, and then waited for Aiglon's next words.

What do you want to do?

There are so many things that it wants to do. Although France has passed the threshold of modernization and is moving towards a brand new country after the Great Revolution and Emperor Napoleon's "Code", it still has too many things to do after all. A remnant of the old times, it is still a long way from modernity.

Its industries were primitive and its agriculture weak; its tax regimes varied and often had different barriers to commerce; its canals were either in disrepair or remained on paper; and its overseas trade had been damaged by decades of war. The devastation of the country has not yet recovered; its tax reform is also imperative... there are too many.

None of this can be done in one breath, and Aigron doesn't intend to solve it in one breath. He knows the priorities.

He wants to use the railway as his big toy. For this, he needs a huge budget. He needs to legislate in advance to solve the problems of land acquisition and funding. He also needs to formulate the "Traffic Regulation Law", "Financial Promotion Law" and other laws to support it with national policies. this toy.

…and that’s not the first priority either.

"Now that the National Assembly has a new term, the House of Lords should also be exposed to the world. Now we should face the problem of how to reform it." Aigron said his first policy measure. "Since emperors are elected by people's referendum, some people can occupy an important political seat for generations just based on their bloodline. This is unreasonable and may not be accepted by the people."

During the Bourbon Restoration Dynasty, the Empire's Senate was also transformed, stipulating that the great nobles could hereditary seats in it. As you can imagine, it was naturally filled with extreme royalists and old nobles.

Now that Agron has come to power, things must change.

In his opinion, he did not need a House of Lords that would not only be unruly to him but also allow him to inherit his own hereditary seats.

So after he came to power, he would strike at this place first.

"All the noble members there now need to pass the test. Whoever refuses to swear support to me and the empire will be deemed to have automatically given up their seats. I will personally appoint someone to fill the vacated seats - Prince Talleyrand, We must first establish our authority, and there is nothing better than attacking them!"

"I understand, Your Majesty." Prince Talleyrand yawned tiredly and nodded. "Leave it to me to deal with these little reptiles. Anyone who disobeys you will have to go into exile or live in seclusion. We will never be ambiguous."

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