Eagle’s Glory

"If it wasn't for Teresa's request, how could I do so much?"

This sigh exhausted his father's helplessness.

"Teresa..." Agron didn't know how to reply, "I'm so considerate, I don't feel worthy of her kindness, because I really have nothing to repay her."

"You really don't have anything to give back, but Teresa is not a child who covets these things, she just needs to be happy." The archduke frowned, then smiled bitterly, "Maybe I should reflect, I put her Teaching was so maverick that she was always doing things that didn't do her any good, and she had weird ideas in her head."

"I think you should be proud of it." Aigron smiled, "I think Teresa is really living for herself, at least she knows what to do to make herself happy, some people may live a lifetime Do not know at all."

"I hope so." The Archduke shrugged.

Aegron could see that the Archduke was not angry with his daughter, but rather indulged and proud. His complaint was just a different kind of show-off - that's why he obeyed Teresa, and even did not even contradict His Majesty the Emperor. No complaints.

While talking, the two got into the carriage, and then the carriage slowly drove towards the town on the outskirts of Vienna.

After about an hour or two, they came to the periphery of a small castle.

The castle is of ordinary style because of its secluded location and its unpretentious appearance, like a monastery.

Right next to it, a small river flows through it, and some stones are scattered in the river, and the water waves beat these stones, scattered in fringe-like shapes, sparkling ripples in the sunlight. Water lilies and rushes are like exquisite tapestries from the river bank, decorating both sides, and then gradually spread, all the way to the surrounding of the castle, adding a bit of loneliness to it.

After getting off the carriage, the Grand Duke did not immediately approach the castle, but looked at the building and the surrounding scenery from a distance, and finally let out a sigh.

"This place is a forgotten corner of the world, just like the people inside, no one will remember their existence until they disappear silently."

Aigron felt his melancholy for a moment.

"But at least from the results, their sacrifice was worth it." Aegron replied with a famous quote he had heard. "Veterans never die, they just fade away."

The Archduke turned his head and looked at him.

"I don't see that you can speak quite well." Then, he nodded, and then felt a little lost, "Yes, it will gradually fade away, every time I come here, there will always be one or two less people, they are big Most are younger than me, if physically and mentally healthy—"

Having said that, he stopped again.

He walked to the gate with the young man and a group of followers in silence.

The gatekeeper, apparently aware of his coming, let them in right away, saluting him.

Soon, several more people inside came towards them.

The leader was a middle-aged man in an officer's uniform. As soon as he met, he saluted the Grand Duke.

"Your Highness, you are welcome!"

After getting closer, Aigron discovered that although the other party's limbs looked intact, there was a shocking scar on his face. The scar had spread from the back of his head covered by brown hair to the corner of his mouth. Slashed hard in the head and narrowly escaped - maybe that's why he's here.

"He is the person in charge here, Captain Ferdinand Hench." While Aegron was thinking, Archduke Karl suddenly explained to Aegron.

"Hello, Captain." Aigron nodded and saluted.

"This is..." Looking at the boy in front of him, Captain Henchy was a little puzzled.

He was not sure about the identity of this young man. Judging from his clothes and pomp, he was definitely a nobleman, but he was definitely not the son of the grand duke, because the grand duke's son was currently young.

But looking at the territory of Austria, how many people can be treated like this by the Grand Duke?

"He's Duke Reichstedt," said Archduke Karl in a low voice.

"Lehi...Leichstedt...Duke?" Captain Hench frowned and read out the tongue-in-cheek title.

After a while, he seemed to have reacted, and suddenly stared at the young man with wide eyes.

"Napoleon's son?" He forgot his etiquette for a moment, pointed at the boy, and asked aloud.

"Yes." Duke Karl nodded.

"Uh...this..." Captain Henchy seemed to be completely confused, so he finally managed to reply.

"His Royal Highness, why did you bring him here? We don't take prisoners here." Then he asked.

This sentence made both the Archduke and Aegron burst into laughter at the same time.

"Stop joking!" After laughing for a while, the eldest prince scolded the captain with a straight face, "I'll bring him to the event today so that he can have a look."

"We have some bad people here, but there are very few things worth seeing." The captain shrugged. "I'm afraid the Duke will be disappointed."

"You are the best insight." Archduke Carl replied, "For example, you, Henchy, tell him about your military experience."

"I'm... I have nothing to say. My career in the military was to serve in the cavalry, that's all." The captain shook his head.

"You are too modest." Archduke Karl shook his head, then explained to Aegron, "He was a very brave Hussar officer, who took the lead and won many awards. He was seriously wounded in the battle of Wagram and had to withdraw. active duty."

"There is nothing to mention about those false names. Your Highness, you must have taken a class. In every battle, someone will teach you how to deploy, how to mobilize, how many people died on paper, how many cannons and military flags were lost... You are probably more familiar with these than me, if you are willing to listen, I can tell you about my experience of being injured, you must not have a teacher to teach this kind of thing." The captain looked at Aegron and said.

"Please tell me about it." Aegron replied.

"In the last battle I fought, our army fought hard and fought well, but unfortunately we fell behind. In order to save the situation, our superiors ordered us to charge. I rushed over and strangled with the French cavalry, and as a result, I got this **** knife..." The captain pointed to his head, then flipped the hair on his forehead, only then did Aigron realize that he The right ear is missing half.

"While I was injured, the **** horse I was riding was also shot and then we were knocked down and the beast pinned me under it as it fell and broke two ribs, but It also prevented me from being trampled on by other horses, and also prevented me from being hit by one or two stray bullets, barely saving my life. Sometimes I think about it, but I think it would be easier to just crush me to death.” The officer laughed. He smiled, this smile was especially hideous because of the shocking scar on his face, but his tone was relaxed and happy, as if he was talking about other people's affairs.

"I was in a coma at the time, and when I woke up, it was already night, **** it, I can't describe the environment I was in at that time, even if I told you about tomorrow morning, it wouldn't make you get the same as me. The experience - I smelled horribly stinky, tried to turn and got stuck with dead horses and corpses, was sick but couldn't move. I opened my eyes and couldn't see anything. Gunpowder mixed with flesh and blood in the air The stench made me think I was losing my sense of smell, I knew I was dying, but I wasn't scared, I just felt noisy because all the dying guys around me were humming and chirping, of course It took me a long time to realize that I was moaning too, but God, I really couldn't feel it at that time..."

Although the tone of the captain was very calm, Aigron could still feel his thrilling experience at the time. "And then what?"

"I continued to fall into a coma after that." The captain shrugged again, "When I woke up again, I was in the military doctor's tent, and even the military doctor didn't expect that I could survive such an injury... I only found out later, About two or three of us survived. By the way, because our army has retreated, the French soldiers picked me up when they were cleaning the battlefield. That **** saved my life, but also took my pocket watch. It's a pity that I didn't I have met him, otherwise I really have to invite him to eat a few meals. "

"And then?" Agron asked.

"Afterwards, there was nothing to say. I knew a little French and told the military doctor that I was an officer, so the military doctor saved me and left me in the prison camp. Later, when the two armies exchanged prisoners, they sent me back. , and I said goodbye to the front line because of my injuries." Captain Henchy looked at Aigron, then smiled again, "Your Highness, do you think I'm complaining to you? No, of course not, compared to those unlucky bastards. You're lucky, I'm just telling you, the war may not be the same as what you saw in class, it really bleeds and kills people, and it's stinky and dirty."

"...This is a very meaningful lesson, thank you." Aegron hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, let's go in and have a look. I think the people inside won't dare to start lunch until I get there. We can't keep them waiting for a long time." The Grand Duke gave another order.

"As ordered, Your Highness." Captain Hench nodded, then turned around and walked into the depths of the castle with a group of people.

When passing through the corridor, Aigron saw another group of people walking on the grass in the castle - but some of them were on crutches, some were in wheelchairs, and he even saw a one-armed man painting.

The war is indeed over, but its magnificent ruins still stand eleven years later.

While he was watching the flowers, Captain Hench was also secretly inquiring with an entourage adjutant brought by the Grand Duke Karl.

"What's going on today, how did the Grand Duke bring this... This Highness has come here?"

"The Grand Duke wants to bring him over to have a look and have dinner with the veterans by the way," the adjutant replied. "So you ask the people here to be careful, don't bump into His Highness, or you will be in bad luck."

"Of course not. Back then Napoleon was captured and not shot, and none of us would be interested in dealing with his son." The captain shrugged, "Just, why did the Grand Duke do this?"

The adjutant looked around, then lowered his voice, "It is said that he intends to marry His Highness Teresa, so the Grand Duke wants His Highness to have a good relationship with the people around, so that no one talks too much."

"Good guy...isn't it enough for us to lose a princess? Isn't his father dead? Why is he doing this?" The captain scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"If you talk nonsense again, be careful to be thrown into the river." The officer glared at him, "These are not things you are qualified to care about."

"Okay, okay, I understand." The captain smiled and nodded.

His mood is quite complicated.

When I first heard the news, I felt incredible, but I didn't feel much resentment in my heart.

After the initial shock, it seemed to him not unacceptable, even a strange sense of harmony.

"It seems not bad. The two sons and daughters of the commander-in-chief are married, and they are a good match, don't they? We and France are not Rome and Carthage, and we will never communicate." After a while, he said again. "Besides, isn't the duke the son of an Austrian woman?"

"I repeat, this is not something you can talk about. You don't need your support or your objection." The officer scolded him again, "Just entertain the two His Royal Highnesses well, and be careful not to let anyone bump into the Duke."

"Don't worry." The captain laughed again, and the scar on his face was also pulled, "It's all at this time, who cares about those things."