Eagle’s Glory

After the knight ordination ceremony ended, Aigron's plan was also carried out in an orderly manner.

Those who were brought over by Edmond Dantes started as officers to help train these recruits and defectors on the island, and Edmond Dantes himself was sent to the island two days later. A Greek ship, he will serve as Aegron's secret envoy, going there to serve as an outpost for His Majesty and find out the local situation.

After sending off the Count of Monte Cristo, Aigron returned to his usual rhythm of life, and kept an eye on the training of the army, watching his own armed forces slowly take shape.

However, he was so smug that he did not expect that on this day, an uninvited guest was welcomed on the island.

On this day, he was still dealing with paperwork in his room as usual, and Chanel came to inform that his cousin Louis was coming to visit.

He dropped his job and recruited Louie, and found the lingering excitement on his face.

"Has something good happened, Louie?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Louis nodded happily, "I invited my father over."

"What?" Aigron almost suspected that he had heard it wrong. "Your father? King of the Netherlands?"

"Yes!" Louie nodded again, "I asked him to come over, and now he can ask him to see you at any time. Although he doesn't know exactly what we want to do, I think I can convince him to sponsor our cause. ."

Louie's excitement didn't infect the young man, in fact he was a little hesitant.

Historically, the relationship between the third brother of Napoleon and Napoleon was not good, and it could even be said that it was close to a break.

He was named King of the Netherlands by Napoleon at that time, but because he refused to cooperate with the emperor's continental blockade policy, he repeatedly allowed the locals to smuggle British goods, which provoked Napoleon's anger, and finally deposed his throne.

And he was also hit hard by this, and he didn't want to see his brother, and would rather choose to wander outside.

After the destruction of the empire, he was not liquidated by the coalition forces. Although he lost the Dutch throne, his property was preserved.

It is precisely because he knew this allusion that after escaping from Austria, Aigron never contacted this uncle. He was not sure that the other party would support him and would rather choose to remain silent.

But he didn't expect that his cousin actually invited him over directly.

Will this uncle really support my cause? He had a question mark in his mind.

However, no matter what, the other party is also an uncle in name. Since he has come, he has to see him if it is reasonable.

"Since it's my uncle, don't talk about the audience, take me there to meet him." He smiled formulaically.

So, he followed Louis out of the room and came to Louis's own room.

As soon as he opened the door, Aegron saw the middle-aged man standing in a daze in the center of the room. After hearing the door open, the middle-aged man also turned around and looked at the young man in front of him in surprise.

This is an ordinary-looking person. Perhaps because of the fatigue of the journey, his expression also showed a tired look, so the bags under his eyes drooped, and the whole person looked lifeless.

He is 49 years old this year, but he looks older than his actual age, and his gray hair and wrinkled forehead make him look sad.

Even a person who is not proficient in facial features can see that this is a middle-aged man who has been mentally broken down and has to get by every day.

Since the fall of the empire, he has been wandering outside, and has since settled in Italy, where he lives a secluded life of indifference to himself.

But even so, Aigron showed him the necessary courtesy.

"I finally see you, my uncle." He bowed slightly, "Every time I see my relatives, it makes me excited."

"I'm also very happy to see you, child." The former Dutch king sighed, and then put his arms around the young man's shoulders gently, "I'm very happy to see you grow up so healthy and strong."

He didn't call me Your Majesty - Aegron's heart sank.

He is not greedy for vanity, but judging from the name of the other party when they meet, the other party does not recognize his self-proclaimed status.

After escaping from Austria, the first relative he saw was Queen Aotangsi. Although the queen did not have much expectations, she still recognized his status and gave him the necessary respect and help. With my husband, things seem to be different.

"For the prosperity of the family, I must keep myself healthy and energetic, so that I can take on my due responsibilities." Aigron decided to give the other party another chance, so he emphasized it again, "Now the burden of the family and the empire is heavy. It's all on my shoulders, and I'm glad that there are relatives who are willing to come and share some for me."

"I'm sorry, Aegron, but as far as I know, the empire has been wiped out more than ten years ago, and there is no heavy burden that you have to bear now." The middle-aged man shook his head with a wry smile. Appearing even more dejected, "Don't let those ethereal chains hold you back, child..."

"Then why did you come here? I thought you came to be loyal to me." Aegron was not very happy, so he didn't speak very politely.

"I haven't seen my sons for too long, and as far as I know, they are also involved in a very dangerous business... In this case, I hope to visit them." The Dutch King continued to answer with a wry smile. "They are all I have left in this world."

Then, he looked at his son Louis again, "Louis, don't take any more risks... I don't think it's worth the risk, go back with me."

"No, Dad." Louis shook his head immediately, "Your Majesty needs my help, and our family's great cause of revival also requires my efforts. I can't stop now - it's you, you should be loyal to Your Majesty, this is Your obligations as a family member."

"Your Majesty?! Where is your Majesty?" The King of Holland frowned, then sighed, "Don't play such childish tricks anymore, the empire no longer exists, then let it disappear, we don't It is necessary to mourn for everything that has been lost - didn't our family sacrifice enough for my brother back then?"

As soon as he heard this, Aegron became angry, he suddenly opened his mouth and interrupted the other party's words.

"Sacrifice? What do you mean by sacrifice? Is it a sacrifice to be on the Dutch throne? Or is it a sacrifice for the King of Naples, the King of Spain and the King of Westphalia? But you got the title of prince and a lot of money after all, and I want to ask - without him, if you continued to live in that **** island of Corsica, would you have a chance to touch any of them in your life? ? You got so much from him, and you end up resentful because you lost a bit of it, but why don't you think about it, you had nothing and fled Corsica in panic, not much better than beggars, he rewarded everything It's only natural to get back how much it was given to you!"

Aegron's anger made the King of Holland's face even more ugly.

"I have no intention of arguing with you about what happened back then... and I don't want to join your current career." After a while, he said with difficulty, "I just came to visit my son, Aegron, you can do whatever you want. what I want to do, but I have the right to stay out of it."

Now that this has been said, Aegron couldn't help but make it clear.

"What if I, as the head of the house, ask you to sponsor me?"

"I refuse to recognize your identity as the head of the family. First of all, my mother is still alive, and secondly, my eldest brother is still alive. Regardless of seniority or age, I have no obligation to obey your orders, right?" The former Dutch king retorted calmly.

Seems to be deadlocked.

The other party is not willing to admit his identity anyway, and it is even more impossible to sponsor.

Unsurprisingly, Aegron thought.

He frowned, then made a gesture, beckoning Louis to come out with him.

"Your Majesty... I didn't expect that the conversation would collapse as soon as you met." Louis' face paled, "I'll try to persuade him again."

"No need to persuade, since he doesn't want to sponsor it, that's fine." Aegron shook his head.

A moment of silence.

"Louis, this is something you provoked, and you need to end it." Aegron suddenly raised his head and looked at his cousin.

"I'm sorry... Your Majesty..." Louis looked helpless and ashamed, "I thought my father would be inspired by the honor of the family after seeing you, but I didn't expect that his heart was already ashes, even if you The light can't be ignited... Then I'll just let him go back, and we'll just pretend that nothing happened."

"How can we just send him back like this?" Aegron asked coldly, "Do we want everyone to know that even my uncle is unwilling to serve me?"

Although his tone was still understatement, Louis felt that the atmosphere was suddenly cold.

"You...you..." He looked at the young man, then asked in a trembling voice, "Aren't you going to let him go?"

"It's not that I forbid him to leave, but the current situation does not allow him to leave like this." Aegron frowned slightly. "If he didn't come, it would be fine. Now everyone thinks that I have called my uncle here... Then they found out that we broke up. My uncle didn't like me and didn't want to help me. If you leave like this, what will others think?!"

This was a blow, and Louis, who was originally dissatisfied, was instantly stunned.

"If outsiders know that at my most critical moment, even my uncles are not optimistic about me... They don't plan to help me, and they don't even want to call me His Majesty, how will they view me and evaluate me?" Aigron Keep asking out loud. "Louis, I'm not a solitary person, I've never thought that all people are born to obey me and help me, if it were at another point, I would respect your father's opinion and allow him to leave us and say goodbye to us. As long as he doesn't use the banner of the Bonaparte family in the future, I would even feel that out of sight is the only thing—but now it's different. At this point in time, I won't allow me to reveal such terrible flaws. Let alone let our followers lose even a little bit of confidence!"

Then, Aigron raised his hand and pointed out the window, "You can see, you can hear! Outside, there are a group of knights who have sworn allegiance to me, they are using their knowledge and experience to train our soldiers, training Our family's army! They are full of longing, waiting to fight for our family's cause, and the result!? Do we want them to know that even Napoleon's own younger brother doesn't care about the family's cause, or even their honor? How many people would ask themselves if it was worth it?"

Aegron's storm-like scolding made Louis stunned, and he was speechless for a while.

But he soon realized that what the young man said was right.

It would be fine if it was an ordinary time, but at this moment when the arrow is on the string, the Bonaparte family must not show any open rifts; let alone if Napoleon's younger brothers were willing to sacrifice for the family, why would they ask others to do so? What about family sacrifice?

After a little thought, he agreed with the young man's words.

But the father-son affection from the bottom of his heart suddenly made him unable to say derogatory words to his father.

Since the fall of the empire, King Louis of the Netherlands and Princess Autensee have been living apart, each living with a son, who, as the eldest son, has always grown up with his father.

Compared with the younger brother who has always been by his mother's side, he has more father-son affection for his father.

He knew that his father had no ambitions, and he had always been resentful to Uncle Napoleon because of the dethronement of the Dutch throne, but he still believed that as a member of the Bonaparte family, his father should also work hard to restore the family's glory.

Because of this, he hoped more than anyone else that his father would recognize His Majesty and his own ideals and career.

In the end, he didn't expect that things eventually slipped in the direction he didn't want to see.

"Then what do you think should be done?" he finally whispered.

"It's very simple, keep him on the island, and give him the most basic courtesy, but try not to let him come into contact with other people, lest he spread defeatism." Aigron replied sullenly, "Louis, don't blame me, I I don't hate him at all, it's just that the current situation makes me have to make this judgment - when our situation improves, I can send him the gift and never embarrass him again."

Aigron's words made sense, and Louis accepted his opinion despite his reluctance in every possible way.

Although I'm sorry father, but for the time being it can only be so.

"My father is too old, I'm afraid he can't stand too much fright, Your Majesty... We'd better pay attention to the method." He offered his final opinion.

"Of course I will pay attention to this." Aigron nodded, "So, Louis, it's up to you and your brother to do it, and as a nephew, we implore him to stay here and teach us for a while... …”

"Every time I feel that you are beyond your age, Your Majesty." Louis looked at the young man with a little fear and a little admiration, "Your Majesty, I will do it."

"Louis, please remember that no matter what you do for me, it is not just for me, but for yourself, our interests are bound together. I love members of our family more than anyone, and there is no No one deserves my closeness and trust more than you." Aigron patted his cousin's shoulder, then looked at his cousin with his most sincere expression, "My brother, I will always remember my promise. As long as you are loyal to me, I will definitely repay you with everything I have, and please remember that this is the common cause of our family, and you are a part of it."

"Yes, Your Majesty! That's what I think too." Louis held his head high and saluted his cousin with the most sincere attitude. "Okay, I'll go back and keep him."

That's right, I still need you right now—at this moment, a thought flashed through the minds of the two cousins ​​almost simultaneously.