2. March and Reality
After seeing Major Mipe and the soldiers behind him, Aigron's originally anxious mood suddenly relaxed.
However, neither he nor Theresa said a word, but stood there, quietly watching these people approaching them.
Although they may be cheering or having mixed feelings in their hearts, at this critical moment, at this critical moment when they must give people "confidence", on the surface, they must maintain the "kingly majesty" of not changing their expression even if the mountain collapses in front of them.
What is the majesty of a king? To put it simply, you can be panicked, but you can't be timid. You have to show that you have everything in mind, even if you are pretending. Only in this way can you gain confidence from your followers.
Coming from the royal family, they have been learning this kind of performance since childhood, and the big scenes they have witnessed recently have also tempered their psychological quality, so they are familiar with it.
As they watched, the group finally came within a few steps of the couple.
Then, under several orders from the officers, the soldiers automatically lined up on both sides, leaving only a few people who stayed in place, kneeling respectfully on one knee and saluting the Agrons.
"Greetings to your majesties!" they shouted in unison.
While they were saluting, the soldiers on both sides also raised their guns to salute and then shouted. "Long live the emperor!"
In an instant, this slogan, which had not appeared in this land for fifteen years, finally reappeared openly.
Like slowly lifting the bride's veil, Aigron quietly resurrected the empire in a small piece of land on the south shore of Lake Geneva.
And this little place is far from satisfying his appetite. The destination he dreams of is still hundreds of kilometers away...
Aigron was naturally excited and imaginative at the moment, but because of this, he wanted to maintain a confident persona and did not want to show his timidity in front of others.
So, he first glanced at Theresa, and then together with Theresa, he walked with steady steps to the people kneeling on one knee, and then motioned for them to stand up.
They immediately stood up obediently,
Then, Aigron reached out and patted Major Mipe on the shoulder.
"Major, you have worked hard, and I will always remember your hard work."
"This is what I should do, Your Majesty. I have been serving the empire since I joined the army. Therefore, for the empire and the Bonaparte family, I am willing to go through fire and water, and I must do the same!" Major Mipe Kang Di replied passionately.
Aigron would definitely disapprove of this kind of scene, but it is a necessary lubricant for politics and is indispensable.
"It is precisely because of your loyalty that we can once again create a miracle in history." Aigron nodded movedly.
Then, his eyes turned to an officer standing side by side with Major Mipe.
This officer looked a bit older than Major Mipe, with some gray hair on his temples, and a much more serious expression. From his rigid body, the unique majesty of a soldier could be seen.
"Are you Major Laurent? I heard Major Mippe mention you before and he praised you so much, so I was quite impressed." Aiglon asked the other party proactively.
The officer was stunned, obviously not expecting that Aigron would recognize him at the beginning, but he quickly realized it and quickly bowed his head and admitted. "Yes, Your Majesty, I am Major Laurent."
Several officers behind him cast envious looks at him - obviously, being the first to be called a name also meant that this colleague had "reached heaven to hear". As long as the restoration of the Bonaparte family is successful, He will definitely become famous in the future.
But jealousy is jealousy, and the others have nothing to say, because like Major Mippe, they all feel that Major Laurent is indeed the one with the most outstanding military exploits and the most military demeanor among them, so they can only accept the reality. , I secretly made up my mind that I must perform well next so that I can be noticed by this young man.
Aigron watched their reactions calmly, and this was also the effect he wanted to see - he was now alone and had to grab everyone he could win over, so he had to behave like a corporal seeking talents. Only in this way can he win over those who are not inclined to the Bonaparte family but have official career ambitions.
Major Mippe and Major Laurent will be important "benchmarks" and play a due role in demonstrating.
Because of this thought, Aigron deliberately showed a very cordial and trusting attitude towards Major Laurent. "Major, I have heard some of your heroic deeds from your friends, so I know that you are a loyal and fearless soldier. Next, we will march all the way to Paris. My family and I..."
As he spoke, Agron glanced at Theresa, and then at Francois, who was lying in Chanel's arms not far away, "Our safety is entrusted to you. I firmly believe that you will never let us There was no mistake at all."
Major Laurent certainly knew the meaning of Aiglon's words - this was both a responsibility and an achievement.
"I will use my own life to carry out your mission, Your Majesty." So, without any hesitation, he directly expressed his determination to Aigron, "Anyone with hostile intentions will never step on my body." I won’t touch you and your family even half a step!”
"Your words are enough." Aigron nodded slightly to express his encouragement to the other party. "Major, I will never forget what you have done for me."
Then, he faced everyone again and raised his voice.
"Let's go! For Paris, for the Empire!"
"Long live the Empire!" Following Aiglon's instigation, almost everyone present cheered.
Yes, there is no point in wasting more time here. The most important thing now is to move forward, move forward! Go all the way to Paris or be blown apart by cannon on the way.
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The drummer beat the marching drum, and the soldiers gathered together again under the officer's order. The Aigron couple got on the carriage that had been prepared, and, surrounded by the soldiers, headed towards the vast interior of France. Lu Qianxing.
At this time, Lake Geneva is sparkling in the sunlight. It does not have the rough waves of the ocean, but only the intoxicating calmness. The lake water cannot record history, but it can quietly collect every moment of time in this lake and mountain scenery. And today's moment will definitely become the most famous moment in history here, right?
After boarding the carriage, Aigron finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In any case, his first scene in France was not a bad one.
"Teresa, how was my performance just now?" he asked his wife casually.
Teresa covered her mouth and smiled, then looked at her husband affectionately.
"My dear, you are so handsome, as handsome as I expected, as handsome as ever."
Teresa said this because she knew in her heart that what her husband needed most at the moment was encouragement, so she deliberately made her words very exaggerated; but on the other hand, out of a filter mentality, the image of her husband in her eyes was indeed the same as the one just now. There is a huge difference in this description.
According to the plan, the next step was for them to go to where these soldiers were stationed - the small border town called Annemasse.
Then, they will control this small town as quickly as possible and let the Bonaparte family have a real "land".
Then he could legitimately raise his banner here, recruit followers from the remaining garrison, continue to expand his ranks of followers, and also absorb some supporters of the Bonaparte family who came to help after hearing the news.
After resting here for a while, he would immediately take his followers and embark on the march to the provincial capital and finally to Paris.
Time waits for no one, and he must act quickly, because Aigron knows that there is not much time window left for him at this time.
On the one hand, the Bourbons will try their best to stop themselves; on the other hand, the Orleans family is more worthy of vigilance, because they have been deliberately seeking to usurp the royal power for more than ten years, and now they are in Paris, under the chaotic situation, It is more likely that the person closest to the water and the tower gets the moon first.
However, even though he was anxious, Aigron did not show it. Instead, he stretched out his hand and hugged his wife tightly, "Teresa... thank you for following me without fear of danger."
"As a couple, isn't it strange to say these things?" Teresa asked back. "If I can't share the joys and sorrows with you, then am I still worthy of being a wife?"
There is a proverb in the ancient East: "Husband and wife are originally birds of the same forest, but they fly separately when disaster strikes"... Aigron thought to himself.
There are not so many things that are taken for granted in this world, and it is indeed a blessing to have Teresa as my wife.
While he was daydreaming, their group also successfully approached the small town of Annemasse.
Compared with the sneak boating in the early morning, the movement of Aigron and his group was naturally countless times louder at this time, so it easily alarmed the residents of the small town.
At this time, the soldiers escorting Aigron, under the leadership of Major Laurent, easily took control of the small town according to the pre-planned plan and disarmed all the other soldiers in the garrison.
No one had ever thought that a colleague would show their bayonets at them at this time. Therefore, the remaining garrison was unable and did not dare to organize resistance, and quickly surrendered without any exchange of fire. .
Therefore, without losing any blood, Aigron led his followers to "recover" his first town in France.
Ignoring the cheers of others, Aigron arrived at the mayor's residence, and then commandeered the residence as a matter of course - as for the mayor's family, they were temporarily detained in the military camp for "persuasion" by the vicious soldiers. If you are willing to change your mind and join the Bonaparte family, you will be able to regain your freedom and even be promoted to a noble position.
At this point, the first step of the plan was successfully completed. Because of the chaos of the situation, it was even easier than Aigron had imagined beforehand.
However, Aigron will not feel relaxed because of this. He still has a long way to go, and he cannot afford to be complacent now.
After occupying the mayor's house, Aigron immediately called Major Mipe to come to him. This time, the person accompanying him was no longer Major Laurent, but the one whom Aigron had arranged to lurk nearby. Guard captain Andre Davout.
The two people came to Aigron quietly, one behind the other.
After not seeing him for several months, Aigron naturally missed his guard captain a lot, so he gave Andre a warm hug as soon as he saw him.
"Andre, thank you for your hard work!"
"This is what I should do, Your Majesty!" The only response given to Aigron was the hearty smile of the guard captain.
For the loyal Andre, there is nothing more joyful than seeing His Majesty whom he follows return to his homeland - if anything, it is to see His Majesty put on the crown and realize his long-cherished wish.
The true display of affection between the monarch and his subjects did not last long, and soon Aigron returned to his usual calm and composure.
"Andre, tell me, what is the real situation in Paris now?"
Before starting the operation, Egron sent Andre to the border area and deliberately ordered him to use bribery or violence to take over the operators of the optical telegraph. Andre also faithfully fulfilled Egron's order, using both soft and hard tactics. , used various means to secretly control the watchtowers near this border area, and then before the operation began, he poured out the news he had made up to the locals as he pleased, and used the time lag before the news was exposed to create what he wanted for Aigron. Public opinion is needed.
These news are extremely sensational, such as the chaos in Paris, the army is divided, some are unwilling to defend, the civil war is imminent, the royal family is preparing to flee... etc., these news have had a great impact on the border areas, and the people's hearts are fluctuating. A few people began to have other thoughts - and this made it easier for them to fall in love with the Bonaparte family.
It can be said that in addition to Major Mipe's overt connection, Andre's secret manipulation of information played a vital role in Aiglon's smooth implementation of the plan from the beginning.
However, this effect can never be made public, and even Aigron will never admit that he did it.
Beyond that, Eggron needs to know what's really going on.
When engaging in politics, you can deceive others, but you cannot deceive yourself. Therefore, on the one hand, Aigron is not afraid to do his best to spread false news and consolidate the confidence of his supporters, but on the other hand, he must do his best to continue to obtain "correct" information, because only with correct information Only with guidance can the decisions he makes be accurate.
Andre did not hesitate and immediately reported the real news he had to Aigron.
"The news from Paris is that the royal family and the Parliament are in sharp opposition. There has indeed been huge turmoil in Paris. The Parliament even independently organized the National Guard to take over Paris, and may announce the dethronement of the king at any time.
Of course, the king has no intention of surrendering. He has been fighting against the parliament. At the same time, he also announced to other provinces that the current parliament has been legally dissolved. Without his approval, all resolutions of the parliament are invalid..."
"Great! We just need him to hold on! All the resistance the king is doing now will be beneficial to us." After receiving the real news, Aigron was overjoyed and couldn't help but clapped softly, "Andre, at least now , we are royalists!"