Eagle’s Glory

With the arrival of spring, bright sunshine fills every part of the Mediterranean Sea, including the small island of Monte Cristo.

It was on this day that Father Faria, through Miss Chanel-Noel, who was in his care, submitted an application to meet His Majesty the Emperor.

His application was approved quickly.

"Father, do you want to see me for anything?" Aigron asked politely when the priest came to his room.

Father Faria has been on the island for nearly half a month. After leaving the dungeon, after this period of recuperation, both his physical and mental state have greatly improved.

Although he is still half paralyzed, it is not enough to hinder his spiritual thinking.

He now seems to be full of infinite action.

"Your Majesty, can you tell me what you are going to do next?" Father Faria didn't show any courtesy, but went straight to the point, "According to my observation, you have been recruiting people, and these people will definitely not be limited. Where are you going to use them on a small island?"

"I plan to build a smuggling network to earn a steady stream of profits for me, which requires a lot of manpower," Aegron replied.

"I see this, you are indeed recruiting sailors, and Edmond is also brought to the island by you for this purpose, but in my opinion, this is not your whole plan." Father Faria did not back down, but Yes went on, "You're not only recruiting sailors, you're recruiting troops, even beyond the carrying capacity of the island of Monte Cristo... It's obvious that you're trying to build an army of a certain size, so this must lead to the following One question - where are you going to take this army?"

Aigron did not answer immediately.

"If you want me to be your advisor, then you have to be open and honest with me, at least let me know what you want to do next so I can play my part, right?" Father Faria continued, " You may think that I'm just out of my cell and that I'm not big enough to entrust me, but I think I'm in good shape, and I've been watching what's going on in Europe for a while... I think I can make a difference, so please Trust me a little bit."

Aigron hesitated.

"You wouldn't take them directly to France and then to Paris, would you? That's totally irrational," the priest said with a smile. "You don't need to take the same risk as your father, after all, he has a reputation in the army, and you are currently Not yet."

"Of course not." Aigron was amused by this joke.

If he brought someone to land in France now, he would be caught and sent to prison within thirty miles of the interior.

What to do next has always been just a plan in his heart, and no one close to him has even said it.

However, now seems to be the time to speak out.

At least it doesn't matter if you discuss it with the priest.

Thinking of this, Aegron no longer hesitated and spoke his plan.

"As long as the troops are ready and have a little fighting strength, I will go to Greece. Then as a volunteer, I will assist the Greek rebels against the Turks and help them gain independence."

"Oh! It's a little surprising." The priest opened his eyes wide, surprised, but didn't show much objection.

"Raising an army requires not only money and people, but also land. This small island of Monte Cristo will never allow me to form an army. So I have to find a way to get a bigger land." Now that I have said it, Iger Long no longer hides it, "Considering my identity, if I grab territory elsewhere, there will undoubtedly be an extremely violent counterattack, but if I volunteer to fight for the restoration of the Christian country in the name of saving Greece, Even though I'm Orthodox, people in Christendom will cheer for me—"

"That's a good reason." Father Faria nodded.

Then, he thought about it, "But the situation in Greece is not very good right now, the Turks and Egyptians are besieging them-"

"That's right, this is where I can play!" Agron replied smugly, "The Turks seem to have the upper hand now, but it's just because the Greeks themselves are too confusing, not because of how powerful they are. I think I have The space in which to manipulate.”

The conversation between the two also revealed the current situation.

Since it was conquered by Ottoman Turkey, the Greek people have never stopped resisting, and since 1821, the resistance of the Greek people has ushered in an unprecedented climax.

After several years of guerrilla warfare, the Greek insurgent army, led by Korokotronis and others, repeatedly defeated the Turkish army and once regained almost the entire territory.

However, the aristocrats and local tyrants in the native Greece looked down on the leaders of the rebel army who were born in the rough, and the pro-European faction and the local faction were also fighting fiercely, so before the independence was completed, fierce infighting took place within Greece.

In April 1824, Greece convened the second National Assembly, and Korokotronis was relieved of the post of commander-in-chief. Of course the faction that supported him refused to accept it, refused to recognize the government, and set up a separate center, so there was a situation where two governments coexisted in Greece.

After two fierce armed conflicts, the infighting in Greece finally ended with the arrest of Korokotronis himself. The internal war in Greece ended, and the Greek army suffered heavy losses.

At this moment, Turkey was also eyeing Greece, desperately trying to put out the fire of this uprising. In July 1824, Turkey signed an agreement with Egypt, which was nominally ruled by it but actually controlled by Ali Pasha, to jointly suppress the uprising of the Greek people.

In February 1825, 90,000 Egyptian army and navy troops landed in the southern Peloponnese and marched in a big way. Although the Greek army resisted valiantly, it was still unable to stop the Egyptian army's attack. Under the pressure of public opinion, the Greek government released Korokotronis and others and re-appointed him as the commander-in-chief. However, the war situation was difficult to reverse, and the Egyptian army occupied most of Greece.

After two years of fierce fighting, although the Greeks resisted bravely, the Greek territory north of Corinth fell back into the hands of the Turkish army, and only part of the Peloponnesian territory and the Aegean Sea belonged to the Greeks. several islands.

It looks like the situation in Greece is already precarious.

However, this is only the darkness before dawn. After reaching the desperate situation, the Greeks finally began to desperately resist, and finally resisted the footsteps of the Turks, and the decaying Ottoman Empire began to be unable to support the consumption of the war.

In addition, with the continuation of the Greek armed uprising, European sympathy for Greece is also increasing year by year, and the attitudes of various countries are also changing. In the end, the European powers who were originally unwilling to support the uprising and hoped to maintain the old order changed their attitudes and became tougher. Put pressure on Turkey and then force Turkey to withdraw from Greece.

Historically, Greece finally gained formal independence in 1829.

Aegron knew that, just like the stock market, it was the lowest point for the "Greece" stock. As long as he entered the market and worked hard, he would be able to gain huge benefits during the stock rebound.

The more miserable Greece is now, the more room he has for "greed for the gods".

Of course, he will not make it clear to the priest about all these plans, but Father Faria can also keenly observe the benefits.

"Aren't you afraid of taking risks? That's the Turkish army, the regular army." Father Faria asked.

"I hate taking risks, Father, I hate it at all times. But I know even more that if I want the throne, I must take risks. Compared with the benefits I can get, the risks are not worth mentioning." Aigron sighed Answer, "Once I have a volunteer army, I will go about my career."

After a pause, he explained, "Besides, I am not without support. I have veteran soldiers and officers who are loyal to me, and tens of millions of francs. I will definitely be able to convince those Turks. I think Turkey is like a A crumbling broken house, as long as you stand at the door and kick it hard, it will sway and collapse!"

"And if you succeed, what are you going to want? A Greek crown?" asked Father Faria again.

"I don't want it, the kingdom of Greece is not well governed by anyone, don't you see, they fought with swords and guns before they succeeded in independence! No one can manage this country, and it's not worth my waste of energy, I want It is France, the richest European power." Aigron shook his head, "I just need to get a sphere of influence, and use Greece as a bargaining chip with better conditions for trading with European powers."

Very good... Father Faria nodded slightly inwardly.

It can be seen that his Majesty has a very mature plan - it can even be said that it exceeded his original expectations.

If so, then give it a go!

I can also help His Majesty add a fire.

"Your plan is quite good, and I have nothing to refute. But..." Father Faria smiled slyly, "but, I think I can do my best to make your plan go more smoothly. , and get more solid protection.”

"What do you mean?" Agron immediately became interested and asked quickly.

"When the great powers abandoned Greece for their own despicable interests, your act of single-handedly saving Greece will surely be recognized by all Christians, even those who oppose you the most. Way to find your fault... and I think the Church of Rome will be one of the people who cheer you the most," the priest explained to him in a low voice.

Then, his eyes flashed with excitement, "Your Majesty, think about it, if the Pope of Rome personally issued an edict to commend your feats in Christendom, what kind of honor would it be?"

Under the influence of his tone, Aegron couldn't help but also fascinated.

Of course he doesn't have a good impression of the Roman Church, but he knows that France is still a Catholic country, especially the French peasants, who like this set of religious rhetoric the most - if the Pope himself issues an edict to commend him, it will be What a sensation has France's vast countryside caused?

At that time, he used picture albums and other means to bombard those farmers with propaganda...

Hey! What an exciting scene that would be!

Thinking of this, Aegron couldn't help but fascinated.

However, he quickly calmed down and looked suspiciously at Father Faria again.

"My father's relationship with the Church of Rome is very strained. Would the Pope be willing to do this?"

What Aegron said was indeed the truth.

During the French Revolution, the relationship between the government of the Republic and the Catholic Church was very bad. On the one hand, the Republic hated the so-called Catholic Church, which suppressed rationality and encouraged ignorance, on the one hand; on the other hand, it coveted the assets of the church. To the clergy, the church in France also suffered a great loss.

After Napoleon came to power, he began to rebuild the French order. He picked up the Catholic Church as a tool, so he began to lift the ban on the church, and then deliberately had a good relationship with the church.

Thanks to his efforts, the church quickly repaired relations with Napoleon.

Napoleon was crowned by Pope Pius VII in 1804.

However, although using the church as a tool, Napoleon was still very disdainful of the church in his heart. At the coronation ceremony, he snatched the crown from the Pope and put it on for himself, clearly showing the world that his throne was won by himself, not conferred by the Pope—the relationship between the two sides also showed a prototype .

After that, Napoleon's relationship with the church took a turn for the worse.

The Pope had thought that the Napoleonic Empire would, like the Bourbons, become the backbone of the Catholic world, but Napoleon used the Empire as a tool of his personal ambitions.

In 1809 Napoleon attacked Vienna and then annexed the states under the Papal State. Pius VII was furious and announced that Napoleon would be excommunicated. Napoleon facilitated the arrest of Pope Pius VII in the Vatican on July 6, 1809 and escorted him back to Savona for captivity.

Pope Pius VII spent five years in captivity before being released after Napoleon's abdication in 1814.

It is clear that the final relationship between the two sides has become a state of rupture.

His grandmother Letizia Bonaparte's younger brother, his great-uncle Joseph Fesch, was a cardinal of the church, who was also prominent in the church at the time and presided over his baptism; But he got the cardinal in France entirely because of Napoleon's relationship, and after Napoleon's relationship with the church broke down, his status in the church also dropped significantly.

Eventually, after Napoleon's abdication, he returned to Rome, was cast out of service, and now can only retire in Rome, expecting him to exert influence in the church is unlikely.

Therefore, Aigron, who is familiar with these anecdotes, does not expect the attitude of the Roman Church towards the Bonaparte family at all.

"If Pius VII was still alive, I think it would be difficult for them to change their minds, but the situation is different now. We have a new pope to deal with." Father Faria smiled again, "Your Majesty, this is also where God is help you."

Indeed, Pope Pius VII, who had a deep hatred with Napoleon, died in 1823. He was succeeded by Pope Leo XII, a son of a dynasty and a courtier. Naturally, a lot of personnel changes have taken place within the church. It doesn't seem to matter much - after all, King Philip IV of France hijacked the Pope and imprisoned the Pope. Didn't the later king continue to be the filial son of the Lord?

"You're right." Aegron nodded, "Then how do you think it should work?"

"You have found the right person!" There was a glimmer of pride in the priest's eyes, but he subtly concealed the past, "You forgot, I was originally an Italian priest, I am a member of the church, and I have a lot in it. old friend."

"Oh..." Aegron suddenly realized.

"I read the most recent Vatican yearbook and found out that one of my best friends is now a cardinal... alas, sixteen years!" the priest sighed, thinking of his waste in the dungeon He regretted the time spent, but soon he regained his spirits, "Your Majesty, I can contact those old friends of mine and ask them to help me and get through the church."

"How sure are you?" Aegron asked solemnly.

"If you don't have money or don't want to spend it, honestly you're not sure. But as long as you're willing to spend it and have enough money, it's not difficult for the church to admit that the devil is an angel. It's just a matter of finding the right way." Father He answered indifferently, "If you think about the time when the Medici family and the Borgia family could be the Pope, what else could not happen in Rome?"

"It makes sense..." Aegron nodded in agreement.

Inadvertently he found himself opening another way.

Sure enough, Father Faria was really useful...he was once again grateful for his wise decision.

Yes, the church has been a corrupt and varied organization since ancient times. It is best at turning corruption into magic, or turning magic into corruption. As long as you find the right way, you can bribe high-ranking priests and popes, and let them praise and reward yourself. What does it count?

Thinking of this, Aegron was instantly excited.

Then, he was thinking about how to bribe the Pope.

In the original book "The Count of Monte Cristo", Edmond Dantès, the Count of Monte Cristo, bought the Pope's pardon at the cost of a huge emerald and saved the life of a robber on the execution ground.

And this jadeite is now in his treasury, quietly waiting for him to use it at any time.

There is no doubt that what he wants to get is much more important and more valuable, but he believes that as long as he pays a little more, he can still buy what he wants from the Pope after all - after all, he and now The Pope has no grudges.

"Your Majesty, if you think my suggestion is feasible, then you'd better make up your mind as soon as possible." Just as Aegron pondered, Father Faria urged in a low voice, "The sooner you prepare, the sooner you will master it. The initiative of the situation. No matter whether you think highly of the church or not, since you want to show the glory of the heroes of Christendom, then the praise of the church will be very helpful to you. No one can certify your great deeds better than the Pope. This The price of everything is nothing more than letting you lose some dead things, there is nothing worth lingering on."

Yes, everything is ready, so why hesitate? Agron made up his mind.

If it fails, it is nothing more than the loss of some property, but if it succeeds, it is a great political capital.

"Okay, then let's work hard for it." He clenched his fists in the void and shook it abruptly to show his determination, "You can now find a way to contact your friends and let them know that you are there Work for me."

"I've already written the letter." Father Faria replied with a smile, "You can have someone send it to Italy at any time and deliver it to them."

"Then I will host it myself," Aegron replied.

"Huh?" Father Faria widened his eyes. "you……?"

"Yeah, I planned to go to Rome before." Agron looked at him with a smile, "Now it seems that I have even more reasons to go."

"...You have to be careful about your own safety." Father Faria thought for a while, and didn't say anything to stop him, just warned him.

After all, Rome is now under the direct rule of the Papal State, and Austria is not within reach. As long as the church does not hunt down his master, and the young man does not show up in public, then there is really not much danger.

"Did you go to Rome to see those family members of yours?" Then, he guessed Aigron's reason.

"Yes, I'm going to meet my grandmother and other family members." Aegron's smile faded, and he looked at the void calmly. "They probably miss me a lot too..."