Eagle’s Glory

As the Count said, it didn't take long for Aigron to receive the news that Marshal Marmont was coming to Schönbrunn Palace.

Compared with the French ambassador Count Taylorwin who had visited before, the reception of Marshal Marmont by the court was much more formal this time-after all, although he was temporarily out of power and was going to serve as an ambassador in the distant St. Petersburg, his previous qualifications and prestige, and The personal connections are still there, and he can continue to be active on the stage as a political figure. He is by no means comparable to an ordinary ambassador.

His Majesty the Emperor personally received the delegation led by Marshal Marmont in his meeting hall.

Aigron was not able to attend this meeting, and he did not know what Marshal Marmont had discussed with His Majesty the Emperor, but he knew that he would also play a certain role in this ceremony.

On this afternoon, the court attendants led a group of men in military uniforms to Aegron's residence.

Then, the Marshal strode into the room of Duke Reichstedt, and the others were left in the room outside, waiting on the sofa.

That's how the two met.

When Marshal Marmont entered the room, Aigron stood up from his seat and looked at the Marshal.

Although he is over fifty years old, Marshal Marmont is still quite strong, with strong steps and piercing eyes. He has a short brown haircut, and his nose is high and straight, and he looks imposing.

When Aegron looked at him, he also held his head high, looked at Aegron silently, and then looked ahead without looking sideways, deliberately emphasizing the pride and dignity of a marshal in this way.

This attitude looks strong, but it is vaguely a bit like a lack of confidence. Maybe he is still a little guilty when facing Napoleon's son.

"Good afternoon, Duke of Ragusa." Aigron took the initiative to stretch out his hand and said in French, "It's a great honor to meet you."

"Good afternoon, Your Highness." Marshal Marmont nodded to the young man with a respectful but reserved attitude, "I'm really glad that you have grown into such an outstanding young man."

"You have won the prize, I have no talent, how can I be called excellent?" Aegron replied with a smile, "I still have a lot to listen to the teachings of my predecessors, and I hope that if I have the opportunity, I can get your guidance in the future. "

"If there is a chance, I will be happy to provide you with a little help." Marshal Marmont also laughed.

After the initial exchange, both sat down.

Then, Marshal Marmont took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to the young man in front of him.

"His Majesty the King has a letter that I would like to hand over to you." He explained in a low voice, "His Majesty is very pleased that you can recognize the reality of France and make a decision that is beneficial to both the French people and yourself. Decided, he wants you to have a great future in Austria, and maybe one day there will be a truly historic reconciliation between the Bourbons and the Bonapartes."

"I also believe that we will achieve a historic reconciliation, Mr. Marshal." Aigron took the letter calmly, then put it aside, and looked at Marshal Marmont again, "Duke Ragusa, I was very happy to see a French marshal come to see me - this is definitely my unusual guest."

"Compared to Archduke Karl, I'm not that unusual, Your Highness," Marshal Marmont replied. "He is a real expert, both theoretical and practical, which makes me full of admiration. If you are interested in military affairs, you can ask him for more advice. I believe he is very happy to give you pointers."

This reply made Aegron laugh without saying a word.

He couldn't help thinking to himself whether he was slowly being valued by others now, or because European countries began to reevaluate themselves as "the son-in-law of Duke Karl".

In any case, although King Charles X obviously meant to humiliate himself, on the surface, he had done a very good job of etiquette, so it was difficult for Aigron to attack for a while, and he could only deal with Marshal Marmont patiently.

"To be honest, I'm still a little curious. You want to come and see me. What's your advice?" Aegron decided to find out the situation first. "Your Excellency Marshal, what do you expect from me?"

"I can't talk about advice, but I have a little expectation." Marshal Marmont leaned forward slightly, staring at the young man opposite, "His Royal Highness, everyone in the world said that you intend to live as a vassal of the Habsburg family. But I don't believe it."

Aegron was not disturbed by such a simple temptation, and remained calm.

"It's your freedom whether you believe it or not, is what I say useful?" he asked rhetorically.

"Before I left Paris, Talleyrand mentioned you to me. He said that you have great ambitions and you will achieve a great career." Marshal Marmont withdrew his gaze and continued, "I don't I know why he made this judgment without meeting you, but I believe that since you have contacted him, it means that you must not be reconciled, and you want to make a career ."

Talleyrand... actually started to make noise for himself in secret?

Or to someone like Marmont?

Aigron was suddenly at a loss, not knowing whether to be happy or fearful.

God knows what would have happened if Marmont had told the Austrian emperor that he had other ideas.

"Don't worry, Your Highness, what's wrong with the young man's ambition?" Marshal Marmont seemed to see what he was thinking, "Don't worry, I didn't speak ill of you to His Majesty the Emperor - even Said he would love to see you contribute your talents to Austria, of course only in Austria."

Fortunately, it is not the worst outcome... Aegron finally calmed down a little.

"Then do you have any advice for me?" He changed the subject.

"I came to see you mainly because I wanted to see what Napoleon's son looked like. It's that simple." The Marshal's expression suddenly became a little nostalgic and sighed, "I didn't expect that the once glorious empire would eventually become It ended up like this.”

"You also contributed to its demise, Your Excellency." Aegron interjected abruptly.

His words immediately brought the marshal's tingling sensation.

"It doesn't matter what you think of me, I just act according to my conscience."

Then, he looked at the young man again, "As my best wishes to you, I hope you can restrain your ambitions and not repeat the mistakes of your father, Your Highness."

"What do you mean?" Agron asked back.

"I want to defend against you, or rather history." Marshal Marmont suddenly stood up, "His Royal Highness, although you are now welcoming me with a smile on your face, but I can see the disgust deep in your heart. Wrong, the world sees me the same way... I can bear this kind of malice, but I don't allow people to forcibly take on responsibilities that I shouldn't have assumed when my life is dying."

"You mean, isn't it your responsibility to lead the army to surrender?" Aegron asked suspiciously.

"No, then my responsibility, I accept it." The marshal nodded sullenly, "But before that? Who forced us to the point where we had to surrender, and who lost the empire? This is what I can bear. Responsibility? The real responsible person is himself, right?"

"I don't quite understand what you mean." Agron frowned.

"He defeated the anti-French alliance, but he also provoked the anti-French alliance again and again. He dragged us into endless wars with his infinite ambition, and finally had to let everyone unite to destroy him, otherwise , what else can be the result?" Marshal Marmont became excited, "You have received an education, so please evaluate it objectively, in the end, in the end, did the countries want to destroy France, or he was endless. Greed leads to self-destruction? We people are born and die, why did everyone abandon him?"

"Isn't it just to keep his own glory and wealth?" Aegron was also angry, so he didn't show mercy.

"You are wrong!" Marshal Marmont shouted back at Aigron, "We just don't want to bleed for the Bonaparte family any more!"

Before waiting for Aegron to ask again, the marshal continued to talk incessantly.

"Napoleon took down France with one knife and one shot, and beat all European countries to the point of guilt. Even if he steals the republic when he becomes emperor, everyone can still find some reason to be convinced; but what are his brothers? Joseph, Who are these **** fellows like Louis and Jerome qualified to wear the crown? They have neither blood nor conquered territory, they are kings only because they have the same mother as Napoleon!"

When Marshal Marmont spoke of his excitement, his face turned a little red, "Is it reasonable that he wants to turn Europe into his own private property by betting on the lives of young French people? What reason do the French have to shed blood for Joseph? , what reason do the Spaniards have to take a Bonaparte as their master? They rebelled, and finally Napoleon took the order of the French to fill the hole he dug himself! Other countries were also frightened by this madness, They've been cornered and can only resist desperately - and as the war rages on, he's going to squander the lives of the French! How many lives has he squandered?"

Marshal Marmont frowned, obviously remembering the **** scenes in his memory, "Just because of his madness, hundreds of thousands more died in Europe! Aren't these hundreds of thousands of grievances precious lives? Didn't they have their own bright future? Because of your father, their life withered at the most vibrant time, shouldn't Napoleon be responsible for this? With all due respect, at that time, he will only have earlier Stepping down can bring happiness to the French!"

...

Aigron quietly listened to the other party's words.

This is what he has been holding back in his heart for a long time, and it is indeed very reasonable.

Although he didn't understand why he wanted to say it in front of him, he couldn't back down from it now.

"Your Excellency Marshal, what you said makes me feel a little strange." Aigron also stood up and glared at the other party.

"What's so strange?" Marshal Marmont asked.

"You claim to be his former best friend and enjoy the glory and wealth he has bestowed upon you, and here you are telling me that he has made all kinds of big mistakes, and it's just his own fault for that," said Aegron coldly, "well, You have more knowledge and experience than I do. I dare not say that I know Napoleon better than you. Maybe you are right, but I still have the same question - what were you doing at that time? Why did you enjoy those glorious times Peace of mind, wait until he's at the end of the road to remember to fight for justice?"

Aigron knew that if he debated with the opponent "is there anything wrong with Napoleon" and "whether he should have been abandoned by the French", he would be at a disadvantage regardless of whether he wins or loses, because Napoleon did make many mistakes in the later period of his administration and eventually destroyed himself. The empire of , also let himself fall to the end of a faraway land.

Since it was destined to be irrefutable, he simply bypassed the historical issue and pinched a truth - even if Napoleon was wrong, what qualifications do you have to say that you, a person who enjoyed the glory and wealth he rewarded at that time ? Why didn't you correct or resist at that time?

"When Napoleon made a mistake, if you had the guts, or cared about the country and the people as you claimed, you should stand up and speak up. If he doesn't listen to his opinions, then you can cooperate passively and hide from the world; or even You can go as far as General Moreau to America, and never let yourself be indebted to France, but what have you done? You did nothing, but remained silent, enjoying the wealth and honor he bestowed, and turning yourself into an accomplice. member!"

Aigron squinted his eyes and questioned the other party in a calm tone, "When you were a marshal and a duke, you followed Napoleon and turned the country into your own playground with peace of mind. When the empire was about to perish, you jumped out and turned against him. strike, and put all the blame on him...is this the way you love France? Or is this the way you treat your benefactor?"

Aegron's series of questioning made Marshal Marmont speechless for a while.

His face was red and white, but he couldn't say anything to refute it for a long time.

Indeed, these cross-examinations hit his heart—Napoleon's enemies could shout out any guilt against Napoleon; but when his former subordinates did so, the position was a bit false.

"You are right, Your Highness." He sighed and gave up arguing with Aegron.

Finally, he sat down slumped.

"I can't get rid of my responsibilities."

"It's okay, we are all born guilty, and since you are the victor now, you are innocent." Aigron said both comfortingly and mockingly, "Your Excellency Marshal, if you want hypocrisy from me Your forgiveness, you will not get it; but you can rest assured that my heart is not affected by feelings, and I will not rashly hate you. If you are concerned about your own name, you don't have to convince me that history has its own Judgment, even I can't control it."

"If you say that, I believe that you will indeed achieve something. You have this talent." Marshal Marmont recovered his calm, then he smiled bitterly and extended his hand to Aigron again, "I wish you the best of luck in Austria. Soaring high, Your Highness."