Eagle’s Glory

After the New Year's Day, the long-prepared "move to the palace" plan in Aigron's court was finally officially implemented. One day in mid-January, in addition to the necessary left-behind personnel, the entire palace staff formed a huge team. The carriage convoy, surrounded by a large group of cavalry, left the Tuileries Palace in a mighty manner and moved towards Fontainebleau in the outer suburbs of Paris.

In the past, every time there was an event in the palace, the citizens of Paris would come out to watch the excitement. However, although the movement of the palace this time was very loud, it did not arouse the enthusiasm of the citizens. There were only a few people watching. Perhaps, this was also the case. It was a silent protest by the citizens of Paris against the "abandonment" of the court.

Of course, from beginning to end, Aigron had absolutely no intention of "abandoning" Paris, because Paris is France, and abandoning it would be tantamount to political suicide.

He just wants to find a safe place for himself and his family, so that he can have a buffer time when Paris "turns into a corner", so as to avoid the sudden "sudden death of the regime" like his unlucky predecessors.

In the future, the Agrons will frequently travel between Paris and Fontainebleau to participate in public events and celebrations to fulfill their public obligations. After the completion of the dedicated railway line between Fontainebleau and Paris, their travels will become even more frequent. Fast.

Although people will definitely still be a little uncomfortable with it now, in just a few years, they will definitely be comfortable with it.

Because there was sufficient preparation time, and Alice and others were very careful in their work, the huge "migration" project was completed smoothly without any trouble.

It was from this time on that the Palace of Fontainebleau officially became the "home" of the Bonaparte family.

Of course, although they were newly relocated, the Aigron couple had lived at the Palace of Fontainebleau for a long time after returning to France, so they did not feel any discomfort when they returned here and quickly settled into their daily routine. among.

However, unlike last time, the Aigrons only had a small group of cronies around them before, but now they have a huge palace around them, a complete team of attendants divided into several levels, as well as guards and guards surrounding the palace. The military power that controls the center of the empire.

This military force is naturally the rebuilt Guards.

After becoming an empire, Aiglon's top priority was to rebuild the Guards, and prepare to use it as a guard to guard the palace and monitor Paris in peacetime, and to lead the charge in wartime. At his personal urging, the Minister of War, Marshal Soult They also cooperated very well and carefully selected elite officers and soldiers from the garrisons in various places and mobilized them into the Guards.

After this period of intense preparations, the size of the Guards has now expanded to two to three thousand people.

Although there is still a big gap between the 40,000 troops targeted by Aigron, it can be said that the basic "skeleton" has been quietly built.

Moreover, just because it was related to his own wealth and life, Aigron was extremely sensitive to the ownership of this army. All the elite officers and soldiers mobilized were disbanded and reorganized according to their military ranks, and he signed the appointment letter himself. .

There is nothing that can be done about it. After 30 years of evolution, the French army has transformed from a revolutionary army into a self-contained "interest group". And the old marshals who are still alive are also because of their many years of leading troops and outstanding military exploits. And each one has huge influence.

In order not to be coerced and controlled by the military leaders, Aigron must of course ensure that the elite guards around him are only loyal to him and never allow anyone to interfere with his command authority.

He implemented this principle very thoroughly, and Marshal Soult was also very sensible. The old marshal knew that His Majesty's red line of tolerance was here, so he had no idea of ​​"adding sand" to the Guards. The two of them had a tacit understanding. tacit agreement.

According to previous arrangements, after the palace transfer, Aiglon will hold a military parade for the newly established Guards at Fontainebleau. Marshal Soult will also review as the presiding officer and enjoy the tribute of the resurrected Guards. .

So, after everything in the palace was settled, Marshal Soult also rushed over from Paris with his entourage to participate in this long-lost military parade.

The weather today is quite good. Through the thin clouds, you can see the golden sunshine in the morning.

However, although you can barely see the sun, because the temperature is still too low, most of the previous snow has not melted. The white snow covers the spiers and window eaves of various palaces, embellishing these exquisite buildings. A bit solemn.

Under the warm sunshine, there was also a cold wind. Guards officers and soldiers wearing various uniforms formed square formations according to their respective battalion formations, standing in the square of the Fontainebleau Palace.

Aigron and Marshal Soult rode tall horses and walked slowly side by side.

Because of today's occasion, both of them were wearing uniforms and medals, but Aiglon's medal was the highest medal of the Knights of Fontainebleau and the Legion of Honor given to him. Although it was noble, it did not have much historical significance; Marshal Sirte is not the case. His military uniform is full of medals, and these medals truly record his journey from a grassroots officer to the pinnacle of military honor after decades of brave struggle. Each medal carries too many stories, and also carries his prestige that everyone looks up to. Although he is old now, his straight uniform and dense medals still make him majestic.

For such a coach, it is impossible for Egeron not to have some respect.

Although he was somewhat wary of the marshal's desire for power, Aigron must bear in mind the marshal's talent and his achievements in supporting two generations of emperors, Bonaparte and his son.

Two people rode tall white horses and slowly crossed in front of the phalanx of the Grenadier Battalion and the Chasseur Battalion.

"Salute!" As they passed the infantry squares, the officers drew their command swords and pointed forward, and then loudly saluted the two top leaders of the army.

And following the officer's order, they raised their guns with bayonets in their hands.

After these tall, strong and well-trained soldiers raised their guns together, a jungle of bayonets rose from the ground in an instant, and under the scattering of the sun, they gathered into a dazzling cold light.

Egeron and Marshal Soult gently touched the hats on their heads to express their approval of their performance.

"Long live the Emperor!"

Uniform cheers rang out from the soldiers' mouths, which lifted people's spirits.

In front of each battalion square formation, the battalion flags of the Imperial Guards were flying. These flags were not temporarily made, but were specially taken from the flag collection of the Invalides by Aigron's order.

With the restoration of the Bourbon royal family, the "Guards" had been written off as an institution, and its military flag naturally became an eyesore and contraband. However, even the Bourbon royal family, which hated the Bonaparte family, did not dare to write off their military exploits during the empire. On the contrary, they still relied on Emperor Napoleon's former marshals to control the army for them.

Therefore, in order to avoid embarrassment, they did not destroy all the flags of the Guards, but placed them in the Invalides for collection, intending to make people forget about this army that once existed.

Since he decided to rebuild the Guards, Aigron would naturally pick up the so-called "inheritance". He took out these collected military flags from the Invalides and reused them as military flags for the various organic units of the Guards.

The army attaches great importance to inheritance. Aigron specially took out these old military flags and presented them to the new Guards. Naturally, he was also encouraging them to pass on the legend of the previous Guards as "younger generations", just as he inherited the wave of the Guards. The throne of the Naba family is the same.

In this way, military flags fluttered in the cold wind, while Aigron and Soult rode side by side, passing in front of each square formation to review the preliminary formation of the Guards.

The atmosphere was serious and the scene grand, but the two people had different moods.

Aigron was proud of his success, but Marshal Soult looked solemn, as if he had something on his mind.

"Marshal, what are you thinking about?" Aigron reined in the horse's head and asked softly. "Are you dissatisfied with their performance?"

"Your Majesty, it's nothing. I'm very satisfied with the performance of the young men - they are the athletes I carefully selected in the army. They really lived up to my expectations and showed their due qualities and performance." Marshal Soult He replied with emotion, "But precisely because of their excellent performance, it reminded me of too many things..."

Egron instantly understood that as the Imperial Marshal back then, when he saw the Guards really "resurrected" in front of his eyes, he would definitely recall too many memories.

This is a good thing.

So, he did not urge any more, but deliberately slowed down the horse so that the marshal could express his emotions.

"The last time the Guards were reviewed here was in 1814." Marshal Soult said in a low voice.

Aigron naturally also knew that in 1814, it was at Fontainebleau that Emperor Napoleon announced his abdication for the first time, and then reviewed his Guards with tears before leaving.

The emperor, who was at the end of his rope at that time, did not know that he would be able to make a comeback a year later, so the review was naturally extremely sad and melancholy. The soldiers of the Guards also bid farewell to their master with the utmost respect and reluctance.

"That was an unpleasant thing, and what we have to do is to prevent it from happening again." Aigron replied.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we must prevent it from happening. Seeing that kind of scene only once in a person's life is already heart-wrenching, and no one can bear to see it again." Marshal Soult replied decisively, "I know , many people are laughing at me. After all, I have changed my family several times, but I can say that I am not disloyal to the late emperor and you. In such a difficult situation as in 1815, many marshals chose to protect themselves wisely. However, But I risked my whole life to continue to serve His Majesty... I have done everything I can!"

"Yes, I know, Marshal, no one can deny your loyalty to the Bonaparte family, and I have always been grateful for it." Aiglon replied immediately. "You are the pillar of the country. Because of this, I hope you can always be healthy and work with me to support this blossoming country..."

After hearing Aigron's sincere response, Marshal Soult couldn't help but burst into tears. He stretched out his hand and lightly brushed the corners of his eyes.

Although such actions must have an element of performance, they are naturally also somewhat sincere.

In the final analysis, most people cannot be called absolutely good or absolutely bad. They just actively or are forced to make choices one by one according to the changes in the current situation. Judging from past "deeds", Marshal Soult's The empire can be said to have made great achievements, and it is natural for him to obtain his current status.

While the two men were talking, they rode their horses to the review area of ​​the cavalry battalion.

Different from the infantry forming a phalanx for review, the Guards Cavalry was divided into two battalions of hussars and cuirassiers. They formed a dense formation and then passed in front of Marshals Aiglon and Soult.

The dense sound of horse hoofbeats from far to near made Aigron's eardrums hurt, and the ground seemed to shake slightly. At this time, the cavalry decorated with exquisite breastplates passed in front of Aiglon in a slow charge. However, after charging for a certain distance, they all raised their sabers to pay tribute to the two leaders.

Immediately behind were the hussars. Although they all wore similar uniforms, Aiglon saw Prince August among them at a glance. He was the eldest son of Prince Eugene. Since he took refuge with Aigron, he was... He was assigned to serve as an officer in the Guards Hussars Battalion, replacing his late father to defend the Bonaparte family.

After recognizing him, Aiglon raised his hand and waved gently to the prince.

Obviously, in the future, the 20-year-old prince will rise through the ranks, step by step, become a senior officer of the Guards, and eventually become another of Aigron's confidants in the army.

Although Aigron is forced by the situation to rely on the old veterans to lead the army, he is young after all and has plenty of time. As time goes by, the cronies he has trained will gradually rise and eventually lead the entire army for him. .

In this case, why should he be anxious?

Just as the dust was flying, cheers and salutes were mixed with the sound of horse hooves, soaring into the sky, making the usually silent Palace of Fontainebleau become unusually lively.

"You can come here more often in the future, Your Excellency Marshal." Aigron smiled and said to the Marshal, "You see, the boys all respect you very much."

The marshal disagreed with Aiglon's words. For him, who had a great desire for power, Paris was his "promised land".

Only in Paris, in the War Department, could he exert his power, have the status of "a supreme minister", and enjoy the ecstatic happiness of having great power.

In the cool, quiet and green Fontainebleau, he would only feel uncomfortable.

"I will, Your Majesty."