Eagle’s Glory

As Alice had said, in the early morning of the next day, the Marquis of Treville came to the room where Edmond Dantès was staying.

The tall and dignified general looked at His Majesty's envoy with the usual seriousness.

"Count, are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Edmond Dantes replied solemnly.

"Okay, then we'll go right away."

So, the two got into a carriage together, and under the gray sky, they galloped away from Paris.

Their destination is the Bois de Boulogne on the west side of the suburbs of Paris, which is the favorite outing spot for Parisians, so it is easy to mingle with the crowd and gather in the crowd. In case of an accident, they can easily evacuate and escape. cover.

When the carriage came halfway, it was already raining lightly in the sky, and the carriage drove forward against the fine raindrops, leaving two shallow ruts on the smooth gravel road.

Edmond Dantès looked at the scenery outside the car window without saying a word, and was a little nervous in his heart - after all, today is a party specially convened by General Treville, and the participants are all important people. As a special envoy, he is absolutely You can't have stage fright or gaffe, and spoil your Majesty's affairs.

"Count, the people there will be as excited as you are, they haven't been so happy for many years." Perhaps seeing what he was thinking, General Treville suddenly said, "You are the one who brought them Here comes the messenger of hope, hope is the most precious thing in this world."

"Then how should I ignite their hopes?" Edmond Dantes asked rhetorically.

"I can't decide what you say or how to say it, because you are His Majesty's messenger, and what you brought is His Majesty's will. I have no right to tamper with it and can only follow it." The general shook his head, expressing his helplessness.

Then, he reached out and patted Edmund Dantes lightly on the shoulder, as if entrusting him with something, "If you are confused, you might as well imagine what Your Majesty would say here!"

Speaking on behalf of His Majesty... Do I really have this qualification and ability?

The figure of the young man appeared in his mind again.

Although the two had not met for a long time, the young man had left an indelible impression in his heart. He was full of passion in assessing the situation, proficient in calculation and magnanimity, and more importantly, he had a dazzling ambition. .

No matter what others think, but at least he deserves his allegiance.

Otherwise he wouldn't be here.

Yeah, I'm already here, can I still back down? There is no room for self-doubt anymore, and I cannot lose the face of my benefactor, because I am the Count of Monte Cristo, part of the great cause of imperial revival, and one of those whom His Majesty relies on, and I must not lose my temper!

Thinking of this, Edmond Dantes' heart is also full of pride.

If others can do it, then I can do it too. It is definitely not without reason that Your Majesty trusts me. Even in order to prove that His Majesty is not wrong, I must do it.

Just as he ignited his fighting spirit, the carriage carried them and quietly came to a country house.

The villa is small in size and tucked away in a dense forest, but upstairs the view to the surroundings is very clear, apparently a well-prepared meeting place.

The Marquis of Treville took him to the villa and then to the second floor.

The second floor is very wide, and there is a long dining table with various kinds of food already placed on it, waiting for the arrival of the attendees.

Then, the Marquis of Treville made a gesture to let Edmond Dantès sit on the main seat, and he himself sat next to the Count, which also reflected his status to some extent.

Officers older than him in age and seniority either died in battle, died of old age, or lived in seclusion and did not care about the world, or they simply switched to the Bourbon family, so the Marquis of Treville is now considered to be the most important and most important. Veteran supporter of the Empire, visibly one of the leaders of these Bonaparte supporters.

Although this status was never confirmed, the Marquis of Treville, with his battle-tested prestige and unwavering loyalty, had other Bonaparte supporters secretly acknowledging it.

When His Majesty Emperor Napoleon II fled Vienna and started his career again, he contacted the Marquis of Treville family for the first time in France, and then assigned him important tasks, which further strengthened the special General Revell's place in the hearts of these people.

Without the Marquis of Treville running around, maybe things could not have gone so smoothly. His continuous action also allowed Bonaparte supporters to break the barriers of time and quickly glued together.

After the two of them sat down, the room fell silent for a while, only the sound of the pattering rain echoed in it.

As time passed, the rain outside became louder and louder, and it gradually became pouring, and Edmond Dantes began to wonder if everyone else had decided not to come.

Fortunately, his idea was soon proven wrong - gradually someone, led by the personal servant of the Marquis of Treville, came to sit on the second floor.

Then, the number of people increased, and finally all the seats at the table were filled.

Edmond Dantès looked at the group, and they looked at him as well.

There are old and young people in this group, but most of them are young people. It seems that it should be the result of General Treville's careful selection. Maybe he also thinks that hope must be pinned on young people.

Edmund Dantes made his face look serious and solemn, as the priest had taught him.

Although they looked at each other, the room was silent, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

As the host of the meeting, Marquis Treville took out his pocket watch and looked at it, finally nodded, and then stood up.

"Gentlemen, I declare the official opening of our meeting - first of all, allow me to introduce, this gentleman is a special envoy sent by His Majesty, His Excellency the Count of Monte Cristo."

Under his guidance, everyone present nodded to Edmund Dantes at the same time.

Although he was a little nervous at first, Edmond Dantes calmed down at the moment.

It was the first time in his life that he had participated in a big scene as the protagonist, but he was not ashamed of stage fright, maybe it was some kind of talent?

Edmond Dantès stood up and looked at the group solemnly.

"Thank you very much for coming." His tone was very solemn, showing a sense of sadness, "On behalf of Your Majesty, I thank you for your unswerving loyalty during this difficult time, and he will definitely remember what you have done for the Bonaparte family. sacrifice, and he will never forget those who have given their lives for the Empire and were unable to attend."

Perhaps infected by his expression and tone, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became solemn, and the people present lowered their eyes, each recalling something.

"Gentlemen, let's toast Mr. Special Envoy and thank him for bringing His Majesty's greetings." After a while, General Treville raised his glass, breaking the heavy calm. "This is the good news we've been waiting for for years! It's worth celebrating."

"Cheers!" Others also picked up their wine glasses and faced each other from a distance.

The scarlet liquor swayed in the glass, and then flowed into people's mouths, which also lubricated the atmosphere in the arena.

"Lord Count, we haven't heard of your name and experience before. May I ask why you are so trusted by His Majesty and given such an important responsibility?" Taking this opportunity, General Treville asked this question on behalf of everyone present.

"I was imprisoned in the Château d'Eve prison for 12 years for delivering a letter to the emperor in 1815." Edmond Dantes said with incomparable calm, as if it had nothing to do with him. "I thought I would be rotten there for the rest of my life, but fortunately Your Majesty rescued me, and since then I have made up my mind to work for His Majesty."

"Oh!" His words aroused the amazement of those present.

Pop, pop, pop.

General Treville applauded softly, then commented,

"That's amazing loyalty indeed, sir, you've suffered."

Like a command horn, the others applauded, applauding the Count of Monte Cristo's loyalty.

Edmond Dantès clearly felt that the distance between him and these people was suddenly shortened.

Yes, is there anything stronger than shared sacrifice?

He immediately realized how ridiculous he was back then.

Yes, no one here thinks that he just "accidentally" participated in the conspiracy of the restoration of the empire. He just said this, and everyone regarded him as an accomplice.

If the comrades do not believe it, then the enemies of the empire will certainly not believe it either.

This is simply right and proper.

Your Majesty is right, since he has participated in this game, there will be no other way out in this world for him, either victory or defeat, victory is a winner, and defeat is a criminal.

It's ridiculous that the silly boy didn't think of this, he swaggered home and let so many people know this terrible secret!

I took my life lightly, so I got to the point where it was my fault; now God has given me another chance, and this time I will never allow myself to fail again!

Yes, it must be successful.

"Each of us has lost a lot." A young man with a mustache laughed, then looked up at Edmond Dantès, "I salute you, Count."

"This is the Duke of Erchingen." General Treville explained in a low voice in his ear, "Mr. Michel-Louis Ney, he is the son of Marshal Ney."

"Oh!" Edmond Dantes opened his eyes wide.

"You can call me Alois, that's what everyone calls me." The young man smiled and nodded to him. "Since my father died, my brother and I have made up our minds to carry on his career."

Marshal Ney was one of the bravest generals under the Emperor Napoleon. Because of his outstanding military exploits, he was successively awarded the Duke of Erchingen and Prince Moscova by the emperor two heavyweight titles.

However, with the collapse of the empire, in 1815 he was sentenced to death by the re-established Bourbons and was eventually shot.

Marshal Ney left behind 4 sons, the eldest son Joseph Napoleon Ney, born in 1803, inherited the title of Prince Moscova, while the second son Michel-Louis Ney, born in 1804, chose to inherit the title of El. Coat of arms of the Duke of Hingen.

Since their father's death, the two brothers have been protesting to the French government, but they can only watch their father's reputation suffer. The harsh reality fueled their hatred of the Bourbons - when they grew up, they were rejected by the Polytechnic for refusing to sign a declaration of allegiance to the Bourbons, and were not allowed to join the French army.

In order to join the army, the two brothers chose to serve in the Swedish army, and were eventually awarded the rank of lieutenant, which was considered to have fulfilled their father's last wish, but of course they were not thinking of staying in the cold northern Europe, but looking forward to something else.

So, when they returned to France, General Treville successfully contacted them, and a few words aroused the deep desire and hatred in their hearts.

"I heard the general said that His Majesty needs to recruit officers?" the young man asked.

"Yes, His Majesty now wants to form a permanent volunteer army, but he is very short of experienced and loyal officers, Your Excellency." Edmond Dantes replied quickly.

"That's great, I volunteer to serve your Majesty." The young Alois held his head high and looked at the Count of Monte Cristo confidently, "No matter where His Majesty wants to fight, I am willing to drive for it!"

Having said this, he got excited again and raised his glass again, "Come, let's toast for His Majesty's cause!"

"Cheers!" Edmond Dantès hurriedly picked up the wine glass and, together with everyone, took another sip of the spring.

He was very happy, because His Majesty's urgent needs were being slowly resolved. The service of the Duke of Erchingen was tantamount to allowing His Majesty to obtain the talents he most desired.

Another Ney serving yet another Napoleon, it's pretty much a no-brainer, isn't it?

And at this time, I also understood why the Marquis of Treville deliberately summoned so many young people to come together - it seems that he hopes to use this as an opportunity to let these people serve His Majesty.

So he glanced at the Marquis of Treville, and the general himself nodded to him with a smile.

These young people were selected by the Marquis, so their loyalty and their own business ability should be clear, at least not too bad, enough to meet His Majesty's needs.

It is a pity that this general cannot serve His Majesty in person for the time being, but his contribution to the Empire and His Majesty is absolutely impossible to be wiped out.

One day, His Majesty will repay him heavily.

"Thank you for your hard work, General, I will report your performance to Your Majesty one by one. His high hopes for you have never been in vain." He couldn't help feeling emotional.

"This is what I should do, Count." The Marquis of Treville replied proudly, "in these years, in the trials and tests, many of my former colleagues have been shaken, betrayed for glory and wealth, and fell on their knees. Others. But I'm different, I'd rather keep my original oath - I only serve the Bonaparte family and never change sides. Loyal to the job itself makes me feel very happy and peaceful!"

"Your Majesty will never forget your loyalty and deeds, General." Edmond Dantes was more than moved by these words from the bottom of his heart.

He looked around again and found that the others were also moved.

Yeah, if it's not for loyalty, then why does everyone need to hold on, and why take the risk to come here?

And so did he.

Edmond Dantès is not what he used to be. He is no longer the ignorant sailor, but the Count of Monte Cristo, who was personally named by His Majesty the Emperor. He is an aristocrat of the Empire. No one would have thought about it, and no one would have cared that he was once a penniless little sailor.

The people present here can be described as princes everywhere, but I can stand up to them, because of what?

Because he was involved in His Majesty's cause.

In this eager atmosphere, Edmond Dantes once again deeply felt how much he expected His Majesty to succeed.

My work is closely tied to His Majesty. If His Majesty takes the throne, then I will share the glory, and revenge is just a matter of fingertips; if His Majesty is unfortunately defeated, then everything he has now will be lost. Become a bubble, and will lose all hope and return to the state of the past.

It is impossible for him to accept this result.

Therefore, His Majesty's career must be successful, and no matter how many obstacles God sets in it, he must be successful. For this goal, he should give everything, even if he stands up and stands in front of the young man as a personal shield, he is not afraid.

Because only in this way will Edmond Dantès truly come to the world as the Count of Monte Cristo, and destroy those enemies he hates.

Thinking of this, Edmond Dantès was already full of emotions, and the red wine he just drank seemed to be overturned at this moment, so that his mind could not have a moment of peace.

Every word the young man said echoed in his mind, and he now agrees with these words from the bottom of his heart.

"...you tell me, do you want revenge? Do you want to be a naive sailor all your life, chattering about your innocence; or do you want to be a real hero, let the fire of revenge burn them clean and let them know You offended someone you can't afford? Answer me!"

Yeah, I just wanted to be an ignorant and happy sailor, but fate took everything from me. Well, since fate has left me with nowhere to go, then I will simply break down all obstacles and step on it!

Excited, he finally broke the barrier of reason.

No matter what I was before, but now I'm just the Count of Monte Cristo, destined to serve His Majesty with allegiance, this is the path I have chosen, and this is the only path I have.

Under the guidance of the surging passion, he stood up abruptly, picked up the wine glass in his hand again, looked at the people around him with high emotion, and encouraged them with arrogant and eager eyes.

"Let's toast to His Majesty and wish him all the best!" he hissed, "Long live the Empire!"

Although his voice was not loud, his surging passion easily infected this group of people who were also resentful and who were always thinking of counterattacking but regaining everything they had lost.

They also picked up the wine glasses one after another, and also responded loudly to the count.

"Long Live the Empire!"