Eagle’s Glory

Just as His Majesty the Pope publicly praised Duke Reichstedt as a "model for Christians" in his sermon, a couple of detached couples in Vienna, thousands of miles away, were secretly rejoicing at the success of this young man. .

After the war came to an end, Archduke Carl and his wife received a handwritten letter from their daughter Teresa, and soon after, they received a report written by Major Henchy, two letters enough to piece together the entire military operation. The contours also let them know the development of the situation well.

Because of this, they know that at least for the time being, they don't have to worry about the safety of their daughter and future son-in-law.

Just in the afternoon, Archduke Karl was in the study, facing a simple map, drawing with his fingers, and reviewing the entire battlefield on paper, as if he had experienced the entire battle history of Duke Reichstedt in his mind.

For him who has bid farewell to his military career, this is very good entertainment.

"My dear, you have been sketching on this drawing for a long time." Grand Duchess Henrietta couldn't take it any longer, so she couldn't help asking, "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to figure out what he did." Duke Karl replied indifferently.

"Then you should be very happy, after all, he won." Madam asked with a smile.

"Winning is winning, but he exposed many flaws - after the initial victory, he acted slowly and hesitated, giving the enemy the opportunity and time to coordinate actions, and only made a decision after being reminded at the end; and His ability to command on the spot also needs to be improved, and he is really ashamed of the education he received in the palace." Archduke Karl said his judgment casually, "If there is any merit, it is that he is courageous enough, dares to work hard, and knows at the same time. He has his own shortcomings, is willing to follow advice, and has enough trust in his subordinates. Of course, it is not enough to have these advantages. When facing a strong opponent, he may be difficult to resist - fortunately, he is facing the Turks, but it is temporary. You can get away with it.”

"You are too harsh on His Highness, and you are judging him based on the standard of those veterans." Madam didn't take it seriously, "Thinking that he is just a child now, what is the ordinary grandson of the king doing at his age? I'm afraid he doesn't understand anything, right? It's amazing that he has been able to do so many amazing things during this period of time."

Madam's rebuttal made Archduke Karl speechless for a while, because it was indeed the truth.

"It's a pity and a pity because of his talent." In the end, he could only say with a little regret, "If he stays here forever, and Metternich and I teach him to support him, he will definitely be able to. To be the pillar of the future of the empire..."

"Being the pillar of the empire, how can it be so attractive to be the emperor of the empire? There is nothing he can do if he doesn't want to." Madam sighed, "Of course it would be best if he is willing to stay in Austria, and we can see him and Trey from time to time. Sarah..."

The couple looked at each other and felt a little sorry for each other.

However, groaning did not solve the problem, and they regained their spirits.

"Teresa said in the letter that she wanted us to help her find out what the Austrian government was doing." After a while, the lady asked again, "Do you have any clues?"

"How could I know what Metternich was thinking?" Archduke Karl asked back, "Someone came to me two days ago to inquire about Teresa, but I rejected it forcefully."

When Teresa disappeared at first, the social world did not pay much attention to it. People speculated that she might not be able to withstand the blow of being abandoned by her fiancé, and hid for a while; and as time passed, Princess Teresa was slow to show up in In front of people, the Duke of Reichstedt made one big news after another, and people began to have suspicions. The rumors that "Her Royal Highness Princess Teresa has left Austria and followed her fiancé" spread like wildfire. Spread throughout salons and parlors—

Although the Grand Duke and his wife are still insisting that their daughter is just traveling abroad to relax, people who have become suspicious are increasingly disbelieving - after all, no matter in any European capital or famous place, there is no news about the princess. Her Highness's news, even if it is a secret travel, it is impossible for her and her followers to be completely silent.

It is now clear that the news is about to be concealed.

"People are really boring now, thinking about spying on other people's homes! Back then, when they joked about Teresa, the way they were chattering and gloating about misfortune was really annoying." Madam was a little annoyed, and then she frowned again, "Since they were laughing at Teresa. In this way, why don't we just reveal everything? We can't hide it anyway."

Archduke Karl looked at the lady, stunned by her boldness.

"How?" he asked in a low voice.

"Just tell the facts—she insisted on asking to accompany her fiance because she was concerned about the safety of her fiancé, and we had no choice but to agree." The lady replied, and then asked her husband, "I don't understand what's wrong with this. Said, did she marry His Highness to embarrass us?"

"How can things be so simple...?" Archduke Karl couldn't help but smile bitterly. "It's not a personal issue, it's a political issue - if I admit that Teresa is by his side, how can I make people believe that I was forced and not that I was behind the scenes? There will even be people who suspect that even his escape was deliberately arranged by me!"

"Anyone who believes in such a sensational conspiracy is either a lunatic or a fool. What reason do you have for doing this?" Madam was furious.

"Unfortunately...there are both kinds of people in the government. These mediocre idiots are full of imagination in this place." Archduke Karl shrugged, "So, it is very simple to admit that, But it's not that easy to suffer the consequences."

"Then what should we do?" Madam asked nervously. "Should we continue to pretend that we have nothing to do with it? Even this is not the way to go... After all, Teresa's affairs will be exposed to the world sooner or later, isn't it? Can she still get married under a fake name?"

"I don't mean that, I mean we have to declare the truth to the world skillfully." Archduke Karl shook his head, then expressed his thoughts, "First of all, I will ask Metternich to clarify the empire. Whether it is intentional to deprive the title of Duke Reichstedt, and whether the court cancels the marriage contract between the two parties, if Metternich admits that the imperial government has no such intention, then it is tantamount to publicly admitting that the marriage contract is indeed valid, and then I will mention Trey again. Sha wants to go visit her fiancé and use him to stop the world."

"Of course it would be best if he said that, but what if he directly said that the marriage contract was invalid?" The lady was still a little worried.

"Then His Majesty the Emperor will consider where the reputation of the royal family will go." The Grand Duke spread his hands, "In that case, I will meet His Majesty directly and tell him that Teresa values ​​reputation, and she will never allow herself to be treated like this, so She insisted on fulfilling the engagement; and I would tell him that it was Louisa and Metternich's responsibility for the humiliation I suffered - after all, the two of them had tried so hard to push me before that made me make up my mind to accept that bastard. The boy is the son-in-law. So, I insist that they apologize to me and Teresa."

The lady's eyes widened.

Of course she knew that doing so would be tantamount to a showdown with the court, and His Majesty the Emperor would either give in or take the toughest measures to respond.

Even as a royal brother, it seems a little bold to do so.

"Do you really want to do this?" Now it was her turn to hesitate, "How about we see if there is any other way?"

"Maybe we can still delay, but in the end, a showdown may be inevitable." Archduke Karl sighed, "Don't worry, even in the worst case, I don't believe that someone would dare to order me to arrest me. "

Although it sounds dangerous on the surface, he actually knows it in his heart - these days he has been secretly observing the attitude of the court and the government, trying to figure out the thoughts of the emperor and Metternich.

He didn't know what the monarch and ministers had in mind, but from the fact that the imperial government had not taken any action for so long, it was obvious that they did not intend to sever all ties with Duke Reichstedt.

Moreover, Princess Sophie reappeared in the public eye, and it could be seen that they were not swept away by anger, but were trying to repair the damage that had been done.

So as long as he has a showdown, Metternich will also have to make a statement, so that the marriage that has been derailed can return to the 'normal' track.

Teresa's wayward behavior, of course, brought trouble to herself, but it also made His Majesty the Emperor and Metternich unavoidable—after a while, the whole of Europe would know that Teresa was by the young man's side, could they be? Can it be ignored?

They can't afford to drag as much as themselves, so at the last minute, they too have to give an answer to let everyone end with dignity.

Either admit the fact that has happened, or completely fall out with himself, he believes that the Prime Minister of the Empire will make a reasonable choice.

Seeing her husband's calm demeanor, the Grand Duchess gradually felt relieved.

It seemed that the Grand Duke did not say anything on the surface, but he had already considered all the issues in his heart.

He has indeed reached the limit of what his father can do, and no one can accuse him of anything.

"My dear, we will always stand on one side, no matter what we have to face." After a moment of silence, she said to her husband, "No matter what your Majesty and Metternich have plans, in a word, Teresa's marriage is no longer for them. Questioning again, we don't need their blessings, but at least they should acknowledge their own previous choices - we can't play with our respective reputations, can we?"

"Trust me, Metternich will only be more devastated than we are now." A sneer suddenly appeared on the corner of Prince Karl's mouth, and then he whispered, "The Russian Empire's march to Turkey has become imminent and inevitable. Reality."

"The Russian Empire's march on Turkey has become an imminent and inevitable reality."

In the prime minister's residence in Vienna, Mr. Friedrich Genz solemnly declared to his benefactor Metternich in the same tone. "Your Excellency Prime Minister, we should really consider how to face this reality."

Metternich's face was ashen, frowning and looking out the window.

"The tsar is so young and arrogant that he doesn't even want to send his staff to attend an international conference before making a decision!" After a while, he sighed, "The principle of international coordination is obviously the most beneficial foundation for him, but he himself is happy. kicked the ground!"

"Maybe he just didn't want to let the international conference decide his next move, so he deliberately acted first, trying to create a fait accompli," Friedrich Genz replied. "That way, he will be able to have a certain advantage in future negotiations."

"He is indeed playing this kind of cleverness, but past experience tells me that people who play this kind of cleverness will never get any benefit." Metternich replied coldly, "He didn't understand that he might be able to do it by doing so. For a while, but for himself and his empire in the long run, it doesn't do much good."

"With all due respect, you accuse him here, and it has no practical effect." Friedrich Genz whispered. "You should think about how to deal with it."

"How to deal with..." Metternich frowned even more.

After thinking about it for a while, he finally made a decision, "Tomorrow I will summon the Russian ambassador, let him clarify the rumors, and tell me what the tsar has decided - if he hides, then I will forcefully ask the tsarist government to give a explain."

"Then what if he told you directly about the Tsar's plans and didn't want to change his mind?" Friedrich Genz asked rhetorically.

"If that's the case, I have to tell him that His Majesty the Emperor of our country will never welcome this move, and reserves the right to take a common position with other countries in the future." Metternich replied word by word.

In a world of diplomacy full of fancy rhetoric, that sentence carries enough weight.

"If the Russians ruled Constantinople, it would be a total disaster for us, because that would mean that our access to the sea would be completely exposed to their fleet's guns." Then, Mette Nirvana replied in a low voice, "So this catastrophic result cannot happen anyway, and I believe that London and Paris will also hold the same opinion as us."

"But what can we do if the tsar goes his own way?" asked Friedrich Genz again.

This question really goes to the core.

All-out war? This is impossible.

The Austrian Empire and the Russian Empire are bordered. If a war really breaks out, then the Austrian Empire will bear the brunt of the disaster. This is an unimaginable disaster.

Moreover, Metternich's greatest achievement in his life was the creation of the European balance of power at the Congress of Vienna. Of course, he preferred to maintain the status quo, rather than ignite a war between the great powers, and let everything he worked so hard to build go to waste.

"The tsar's excuse was to help the Greek Orthodox Christians fight for freedom and independence." Metternich replied after a long time, "If the Greeks had done this before he was completely victorious, then his excuse would have disappeared. Now - and then, together with Britain and France, we put pressure on the tsar to sober up."

"Even if it means that European borders change and a new country appears on the map." Friedrich Genz understood.

"The great consensus we reached at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 was to defend the most precious of orthodoxy, to defend the balance of power among the great powers of Europe, which are valuable assets for maintaining the present peace in Europe; but we uphold orthodoxy not for Maintain the legitimacy of every frontier, especially the pagan states." Metternich replied, "If they prove they deserve independence, let us congratulate them."