Eagle’s Glory

Seeing Edmund Dantès looking so distressed, Aegron couldn't help feeling a little sympathetic.

So, he also slowed down his tone, "Edmund, I'm not telling you this to expose your old scars, but to make you see the reality - your fiancee no longer belongs to you, but is a married woman. She has her family and her future. And you? As I just said, you have become a great man now, and you will be an even bigger man in the future, and all of Paris will be for you And trembling, you don't need to think about that former fishing village girl at all..."

"Your Majesty!" Edmund Dantes suddenly increased his voice and interrupted Aigron's words.

It's very rude for him to do this, and it's extremely rare - it clearly shows that his sanity is starting to loosen at this moment.

"I beg you . , In terms of reason, I should leave the past behind and embrace the future you have given me. But...but...I really can't forget it! She and I have no guesses, and we have already engraved each other's appearance in our souls. Whether I was on a merchant ship in the Mediterranean, or in a dark prison, I never for a moment forgot our happy times and the regret that we almost entered the palace of marriage. No! It should be said that it is precisely because of this A piece of happiness and regret, I was able to support myself mentally, so that I didn't die. I can't forget, really can't forget... And I believe she didn't forget either, I don't blame her for marrying Fernan, because She's desperate... in that case, what else can you blame her for?"

As he spoke, this tough guy who had killed countless people had tears rolling down his cheeks. "If she knew at that time that I was not dead and that there was still hope of getting out of prison, she would never have married Fernan."

Seeing this situation, Aegron had no choice. He knew that nothing he said could change the other party's mind. In a sense, his idea is actually correct. In the original book, Mercedes really ran around to seek help for Edmund Dantes, and finally married Fernand in desperation, that is, The current Earl of Morcerf, a lonely woman in such difficult times, who made such a helpless compromise at that time, no one can blame her.

That's right, he is such a man who values ​​love and righteousness. If Mercedes could be easily forgotten now, he would not be him.

"Then what are you going to do?" After a moment of silence, Aegron asked in a low voice, "Do you still want revenge?"

"I think about it every day!" Edmund Dantes wiped away his tears, then replied in a chilling tone, "I want revenge, and I want to take the lives of my enemies with my own hands."

"Then that means you're going to kill her husband and kill her child's father." Aigron said calmly, "Even so?"

"Even so, do it!" Edmund Dantes replied loudly. "He almost ruined me, and let my old father die of starvation. I don't deserve to be a man unless I kill him myself."

"Very well, that's true." Aigron nodded in agreement, then changed the conversation, "So, if one day you kill her husband Fernan, what are you going to do with her and her children?"

Edmund Dantes was a little stunned, obviously he didn't think much about this issue.

After a moment of silence, he replied.

"I want to rediscover the happiness that belongs to both of us with her. If...if she is willing to forgive me, I will marry her. As for her child...I will take care of her properly, although he belongs to Fernand. Child, but also the child of Mercedes. I have grudges, but I can't implicate the next generation."

Sure enough... Aegron thought to himself.

Even the son of the enemy can be forgiven because he has half the blood of his lover.

"It's really admirable love." Although he didn't particularly agree, he finally nodded. "Well, Edmund, if you like it, then I can only support you."

Everyone has their own values, and he has no interest in imposing his own values ​​on others. If Edmund Dantes feels that doing so is his way of happiness, then he can only acquiesce.

"But I have a word first, assuming all this comes true, you kill your enemy and marry her, then I only admit that you and your wife's blood are your heirs, even if the son of the Earl of Morsef is adopted by you , and have no right to inherit anything I gave you." He said his final opinion, joking by the way. "You and her are not too young, and I'm afraid they will be older when you realize your wish, so I suggest that you hurry up, lest all the things I give are wasted... I can't bear to watch it. The title of Count of Monte Cristo should be handed down in my empire until my favourites die out."

"Okay, Your Majesty." Edmund Dantes was slightly embarrassed, but he agreed to the agreement immediately.

"It's really too early for us to talk about this. The Earl of Morsève is doing well in Paris, and we can only kill him if we return to France." Aigron raised his head and looked at the stars in the sky. , "But I believe that that day is not far away... We are on the road to victory, and sooner or later, everything in France will change according to our hearts."

Then he reached out and patted Edmund Dantes lightly on the shoulder.

This is understanding, encouragement, expectation, and the pride of fighting side by side. Thousands of words are merged in this gentle beat.

Then Aigron waved again and made a gesture, signaling the other party to leave.

Edmund Dantès bowed to salute his benefactor, then turned to leave, then rowed to the shore of the lake in a small boat and returned to his residence.

=================================

Next, the focus of everyone's work shifted to the preparations for the canonization ceremony and the founding ceremony of the Grand Duchy of Ioannina.

Under Aigron's order, his main officers took their subordinates to clear out the remnants of the Turks and gangs everywhere. Pasha's heir paid tribute, and a steady stream of supplies poured into the city of Ioannina for a while, enriching the strength here.

After the Principality was established, Ioannina City was naturally the capital of the Principality, and it was also his old lair here, and he had to manage it well.

According to the previous plan, he cleaned up a group of priests and landlords around the city of Ioannina on charges of "Turkish remnants", "bandit leaders", etc., looted their land and property, and then distributed them to his subordinates to escape. People in the army, relying on this group of people, he will build a solid ruling nucleus.

As for the remaining upper-level people, he publicly stated that he would never embarrass them, allowing them to perform their duties normally and manage their property so as not to arouse their resistance.

However, at this time, he also deliberately played the trick of divide and conquer. When selecting local officials, he deliberately gave priority to selecting Orthodox Christians in order to incite the contradiction and confrontation between the two sects-of course, under his shock, the two Neither of the sects dared to engage in armed conflict, they could only hide their grievances in their hearts, and in fact cut off their ability to unite against the Principality.

Under Aigron's plan, the future system of the Duchy of Ioannina can be seen as several concentric circles - with himself and Heide as the core, and then follow him into the Knights of Ioannina. The members, as the highest ruling class, only hold the most important military and political positions, and Father Faria became the prime minister and used his brain power to assist Aegron in controlling this highest level.

The second layer is the soldiers who stayed in the army after the disarmament. They are Bonaparte supporters who volunteered to come to Greece to join Aiglon. They are also the core force in his current hands, and they will be brought to France in his future plan. The backbone of power.

The third layer is the Greeks who belonged to Aegron and then went north together. They were assigned the land around the city of Ioannina by Aegron and became self-cultivators with arable land, but they also assumed the responsibility of accepting Aegron's call to defend the principality. Obligation, they are the most loyal defenders of the duchy-because if the duchy is destroyed, the one they finally got will be gone.

The fourth layer is the Orthodox priests and landlords in the duchy. They are at a disadvantage in terms of population, but they are deliberately supported by Aegron to serve as officials and draw them into supporters. They are also very happy to see the duchy being converted to Orthodox Christianity. Dai ruled, and very much hoped that the Knights of Fontainebleau would continue to protect their interests.

The fifth floor was the MSL priests and landowners. They used to have a dominant position in the local upper class, but they were suppressed by Aegron, and they were bound to feel dissatisfied.

However, Aegron also frightened them by killing chickens to warn the monkeys. Although there were sporadic riots in some places, on the whole they did not dare to resist.

Moreover, the Ioannina area was caught in the midst of continuous wars for years. The Greeks, Albanians and Turks were fighting endlessly here. Even the upper class felt precarious. After Agron settled in, it provided a relatively stable The ruling order, at least their property and life were secured, they were temporarily satisfied and welcomed the establishment of the duchy.

The sixth layer, which is the bottom layer, is the vast number of peasants and handicraftsmen in the Principality. They provide the main productive forces, bear the taxes, and are politically powerless. However, in this troubled world, they The government's expectations have been reduced to a very low level, as long as there is a safe birthday to live and food to satisfy, so most of them welcome the establishment of the principality, as long as it can provide security.

"Security" and "prosperity" are the big cakes that Aegron can give everyone. Even those who are excluded from his ruling system, as long as they can get rid of the war, they can reluctantly accept this new order.

Of course, there is no doubt that this layered system of isolation will not last for generations, but he did not expect to last forever, as long as nothing happens in the foreseeable future.

He had no interest in ruling a small principality all the time, it was just a stopover, and the only stage in his eyes was Paris—the place destined to belong to him.

Under the deliberations of confidants such as Aigron and Father Faria, decrees were promulgated from the city of Ioannina and spread to the entire region. With their efforts, a new order has gradually been established in this area. Established in a war-torn region, it has the atmosphere of a country vaguely.

Aigron knew that, as a new country, the Principality of Ioannina needed to establish an intuitive "impression" in people's minds as soon as possible.

When they marched all the way north, he and Haidai often appeared in front of the crowd, just to create the impression of "we have a ruler" in people's subconscious, and then he also let people design the national flag and national emblem of the principality, and even They also made the seal of the Grand Duchess Ioannina (of course, kept by the Prime Minister of the principality), although it could not be perfect in a hurry, but it was enough to set up a shelf.

In order to give people a firm "impression" of the duchy, Aigron even instructed the establishment of a temporary Supreme Court to allow this court to accept lawsuits from land and property disputes.

Generally speaking, the people who will have such disputes are the upper-level people. Aegron should use the way of adjudicating their lawsuits to make people accustomed to and remember the existence of "principal authority" and obey this authority.

He also deliberately arranged for Haide to attend this kind of court of court on a daily basis. Although she was ordered not to say a word or make any rulings, her sitting there itself was enough to reflect the rule of the Grand Duchess.

Whether it is political, military, or judicial, the work can be described as a thousand and one, even more than Aegron imagined, but for him it is not boring, he even regards it as a kind of advance Exercise—after all, the country he dreamed of was a hundred times bigger than Ioannina.

During this period of busy work, winter also came to the Balkans.

Although the local climate is warm, winter is winter after all. Aegron put on a winter coat, and people distribute cold clothing and food inside and outside the city of Ioannina - after all, if you just come here, someone will be cold and hungry Death is too ugly on the face.

As for the surrounding remote and remote areas, he can't take care of it for the time being, as long as he can't see it, it's fine.

And just as the winter wind is blowing, preparations have been made for the canonization ceremony of the Grand Duchess of Ioannina and the founding ceremony of the principality.

He will personally use this to draw a stop for his staged victory.