Flowers, Swords and France

On April 16, 1866, the early spring sky was clear and cloudless.

In the fields outside the Palace of Fontainebleau, the blue uniforms of the French Empire infantry rolled over one after another, eclipsing the original green on the grass.

Thousands of feet and bayonets moved forward with the flags fluttering in the wind, following the officers' whispered commands to stop, turn, or line up with other soldiers of the unit to bypass the infantry square of another queue.

And right next to them, you can hear the rhythmic sound of horse hooves and the clash of spurs. These cavalrymen in various uniforms and armor, riding on tall and straight war horses, are heroic and murderous. Some military musicians in embroidered clothes stand in front of the queue.

The artillery team stretched out the distance, and the shiny cannons trembled on the gun carriages. You can hear the vibration of the gun carriage parts, and even seem to smell the smell of gunpowder. The artillery team crawled forward between the infantry and cavalry, and stopped at a designated location. These were the latest breech-loading rifled cannons, and their power was a far cry from the smoothbore cannons of ten years ago.

The officers and generals were all dressed in their review uniforms, standing straight, with collars set off their necks and various medals on their chests. In order to welcome this grand parade, the officers were dressed extremely well, not only with hair oil, but also with every copper button on their uniforms shining brightly. Every soldier showed a spirited face, and in every square, clusters of shining bayonets reflected dazzling light. Every cavalryman polished his equipment to a shine, and every warhorse was carefully raised. The fur color shone like silk, and the wet horse mane was combed neatly. Because the soldiers moved in unison, it seemed as if the boundaries between individuals among humans had disappeared. Tens of thousands of people were kneaded into an omnipotent whole. Relying on a high degree of organizational discipline, the tens of thousands of people who were being reviewed did not spend much time to line up as the organizers expected. Everyone stood in the position they should be in, waiting nervously.

They were ready, just waiting for the reviewer to come and examine their performance.

"Boom" "Boom"

Like thunder in the sky, a dense sound of horse hooves came from a distance.

The officers and soldiers at the edge of the array. Looking in the direction of the sound, just at one o'clock in the afternoon, a tall sky blue Vienna sedan-style four-wheeled carriage. , pulled by four pure white horses, galloped along the wide, unpaved road surrounded by trees. And around the carriage. Surrounded by a large group of court attendants and military attachés in uniform. And Swiss guards.

As the distance got closer, the rumbling sound of horse hooves became louder and louder, and finally seemed to step on everyone's heart.

"It's His Majesty!"

"His Majesty is coming!"

"The Prime Minister is accompanying His Majesty to review!"

The queue suddenly heard suppressed excited whispers.

When they arrived in front of the troops to be reviewed, the whole team stopped with the carriage, and then the steps of the carriage were lowered. Tens of thousands of people held their breath and stared at the same time, waiting for the arrival of the protagonists.

They didn't wait long, and the carriage door with fine patterns opened. A middle-aged man with short blond hair, wearing a black dress, wearing a red ribbon and a Grand Cross slowly walked down from the carriage.

"Prime Minister."

"It's the Duke of de-Cerson."

A commotion once again disturbed the previous silence, and the officers in the queue hurriedly issued orders, ordering the soldiers to continue to keep quiet.

This middle-aged man is the Prime Minister of the French Empire, Mr. Charles de Treville, who was titled the Duke of de-Cerson.

Kersun is the ancient name of Sevastopol, a famous fortress on the Crimean Peninsula. In ancient times, the ancient Greeks established a developed colonial city here. After the former Duke Victor de Treville, whose title was only the Marquis of Treville at the time, led the imperial army as the commander-in-chief and historically defeated the Russian army here, he was given this title by the previous emperor Napoleon III. Shortly after the war, the Duke died, and the title was passed on to his grandson Charles de Treville.

However, even with such a noble status, he was still not the protagonist of this ceremony.

After he got off the carriage, he did not leave, but still stood at the door, then bowed respectfully and stretched out his hand.

A slender little hand wearing a white silk glove stretched out from the door, but did not hold the middle-aged man's hand, and then grabbed the edge of the door, as if its owner wanted to walk out of the carriage alone.

However, even if the resistance was so small, her idea was destined to fail.

The middle-aged man grabbed the slender little hand without leaving any trace, and then pulled her out with a slight force. Then he ignored the angry and hateful gaze, stretched out his other hand, held her waist, and seemed to welcome her down respectfully. Because she couldn't resist the strength of an adult, she had to follow the middle-aged man's arm, walked down the carriage, and then stood in front of tens of thousands of people.

In this way, the ten-year-old Queen Nunnally I, wearing a luxurious silk dress and wearing the Grand Cross on her chest, faced the sun and the tens of thousands of army officers and soldiers who had sworn to be loyal to her.

Her face is beautiful and fair, and her facial features are also very delicate. Her chestnut hair and blue eyes match perfectly. Although she is secretly angry at the Prime Minister's disrespectful behavior at this time, this anger does not damage her beauty. , but added a touch of awe-inspiring nobility to her. It is rare in the world to have such beauty at just ten years old. Under the gaze of Her Majesty the Queen, the officers and soldiers were so nervous that they remained silent, and the atmosphere seemed to solidify for a moment. The French, who love romance, did not refuse such a beautiful little girl to become their Majesty the Queen, and happily Swear to be loyal to her.

It seemed that the ceremony went as smoothly as planned. Duke de Kerzon waved his hand with satisfaction. Then, in the next moment, the entire space seemed to be melted by passionate emotions.

The music of the military band suddenly sounded. The soldiers, led by the officers, shouted at the same time.

"Long live the French Empire!"

"Long live Her Majesty the Queen!"

Uniform cheers resounded through the sky and kept repeating, making the nearby trees roar.

Such a roar full of momentum made the Queen, who was still just a ten-year-old girl, frown slightly in discomfort, but she soon overcame this fear and still kept a serious face. Looking at his soldiers.

"Very well, Your Majesty, you are becoming more and more like an emperor."

Annoying noises from the side. At this time it sounded again.

Although this middle-aged man was gentle and courteous, Her Majesty the Queen could not suppress her hatred.

However, completely ignoring her mood and will, Duke de Cerson politely took the Queen's hand. Then he took her and began to review the troops.

Following in the footsteps of the two most noble men in the empire. Commands were passed quickly from each column, and the ranks of the regiment trembled again, and they all raised their guns in salute, making a sonorous sound.

One column after another, playing the military march, came to greet His Majesty. The continuous cheers of "Long Live the Queen" and the music of the Grand March gathered together and grew louder and louder. It became more and more intense, and finally merged into a deafening roar. Her Majesty the Queen was completely immersed in it.

Even as young as ten. Even though her mood had been disturbed by the powerful officials next to her, she still felt excited for her army.

This is my country and it is so powerful! Even the old woman named Victoria from the neighboring island country, can she have such an army? She didn't! I am the most noble Queen in the world!

"Yes, you are the most noble queen in the world, Your Majesty."

The middle-aged man next to him whispered, as if he could see through the little girl's mind.

hateful! If the empire didn't have this person, everything would be perfect! The Queen couldn't help but feel boundless anger flashing through her heart again.

Perhaps because he was happy that he had successfully angered Her Majesty the Queen, the Duke looked at the Queen with a smile. He seemed to particularly like the expression on the little girl's face when she was furious with him but had to endure it.

However, although he was furious, the little girl also noticed that even for such an important ceremony, Duke de Kerzon was not in very good spirits. It could even be said that he had no motivation and was just coping with the situation. The sound in his voice There is also less of the usual passion.

Her Majesty the Queen knows why - if the maid's rumors are correct, this guy stayed in the bed of his teacher, Miss de Dillion, all night, right? many words

It's good for everyone, just die on some woman's bed as soon as possible, this hateful old dog, a shameless usurper of power! The Queen cursed bitterly in her heart.

"You are too indifferent to these soldiers, sir, but be careful not to chill their hearts." The queen finally spoke her first words, her voice was soft and gentle, but there was a trace of unconcealable anger. Arrogance, "But don't forget that without them, you would have to roll off the stage in despair like a lost dog."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." The Duke replied with a smile, "But you are worrying too much. They will undoubtedly support me. Because they are essentially machines. This era has turned the army into a living machine. You or I just need to firmly grasp its buttons, and we can direct them as we wish."

"Yeah?". The Queen raised her eyebrows.

"As I told you before, Your Majesty. A good student should not forget the teacher's words." The Duke said respectfully.

He was not exaggerating. Apart from his busy official duties, the Duke also shouldered the responsibility of educating the Queen. He personally took the time to teach Her Majesty the Queen many of her courses. Her Majesty the Queen, who has just turned 10 years old, of course cannot understand what an army means. She only sees gorgeous uniforms, medals and bayonets.

The Queen's expression became harder and harder, and then she suppressed the anger in her heart. "What's the meaning?"

"Your Majesty, in the final analysis, these armies are just puppets," the Imperial Prime Minister, Duke de Cerson, replied in a low voice. "We make machines from the factory to kill people, and they are responsible for using these machines. We don't even need them to think, we just need them to march forward after blowing the charge! This is the army of the whole nation, and it will Once a nation is armed, we can get millions of soldiers and send them to the battlefield. In short, they are cannon fodder."

Because of the interference of the cheers beside him, his speech could only reach the ears of the Queen, so the soldiers certainly could not know that the Duke actually viewed them in this way.

After teaching the Queen a lesson, the Duke walked along the queue. Sometimes he stopped to say a few intimate words to the generals and officers he was familiar with, and sometimes he said a few witty words to the soldiers, making them laugh. They were so intimate as if they were a family.

"This two-faced bastard." Her Majesty, who was following him, cursed again in her heart.

Because she was so young, Her Majesty only played a mascot-like role in such a ceremony. Even when awarding medals to officers and soldiers, it was done by the Duke. She had no way to intervene, and could only watch as a spectator, allowing this person to steal the glory that originally belonged to her and her family. Even in the most important matters concerning herself, she had no say at all, and could only watch her mother and this bastard secretly make a deal, decide her future life event, and merge the two families of Bonaparte and Treville.

That's right. At the critical moment when the former Emperor Napoleon III suddenly passed away, Duke de-Cerson decisively and severely suppressed the revolutionaries who took advantage of the situation. He also calmed down the unrest among the royal family, and then overruled all opposition and supported the only daughter of the former emperor, Nanaly-Bonaparte, as the emperor of the empire. Although there were objections at first that "supporting an empress was not in line with French tradition", these dissidents had to keep silent under the Duke's cold and high pressure.

In order to commend the Duke's contribution, the Queen Mother appointed the Duke as the Prime Minister of the Empire and regent before the Queen came of age, and also determined that after Her Majesty came of age, she would marry the Duke's eldest son to continue the Empire.

Out of respect for the late emperor, the Prime Minister also specifically requested that the heir to the throne of the empire born by the Queen at that time should use Bonaparte as his surname instead of De-Treville, so as to continue the glorious bloodline of the great Napoleon I and Napoleon III, and Treville can be used as a first name.

Judging from the current situation, it seems that the French Empire will enter the era of the Treville-Bonaparte Dynasty in the near future.

As the military parade proceeded smoothly, the atmosphere on the parade ground became more and more heated. After entering the actual combat exercise stage according to the scheduled procedure, the military parade reached its climax. Dozens of new rifled cannons roared in unison, and several battalions of cuirassiers rolled over in neat formations. Then, dozens of columns of troops, under the orders of the officers, simultaneously charged to the distance. The hysterical shouts of the soldiers overwhelmed everything and also eliminated the wolves of almost everyone present.

Everyone hoped for only one thing: to annihilate the enemy as soon as possible under the command of His Majesty. The French Empire will be invincible and any enemy standing in the way of the empire will be crushed into dust.

………………

When the military parade that lasted for almost half a day ended, Her Majesty the Queen was exhausted and returned to her bedroom in the Palace of Fontainebleau. However, due to the unprecedented grandeur of this military parade, her mood was much better. Of course, if that person had not interfered, everything would naturally be more ideal.

She was now standing in front of the mirror, allowing the maids to carefully put on her makeup for the departure and put on a new dress. Even though she was only ten years old, Her Majesty's makeup and dressing were also a delicate and huge project, and they could not be careless.

The original text is in the six # 9 @book/bar!

However, their work was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Your Majesty is getting dressed!" The lady-in-waiting hurriedly scolded.

But the knocking continued, as if she had not heard her scolding.

The ladies looked at each other, then walked to the door cautiously and opened a crack.

After confirming who was coming, they obediently opened the door, and then Duke de Kerson walked in proudly.

His face was rarely pale, and he looked at the queen coldly, as if he was in a very bad mood, which made the maids and ladies uneasy, fearing that they would be caught in the crossfire.

Fortunately, the Duke waved his hand. He made a gesture for them to leave, and they hurriedly left the bedroom as if they had been pardoned. Leaving behind a queen who had just changed her skirt and had not had time to put on a new one.

Who do these people think is the master of the empire! Her Majesty, who was only wearing silk underwear, was angry again.

"You must be very happy to show off in front of a child." She forced herself to remain calm.

"Don't worry, I don't have any despicable intentions towards a child," the Duke replied coldly, and then added maliciously, "Besides, she is my future daughter-in-law. It's just an emergency."

"What's that!"

"I just received a report saying that you seem to have secretly sent a servant to England to find your cousins?" Although the Duke was asking, he used a positive tone.

Not good, the Queen's heart was cold again.

In the tension, she felt the mocking look in the Duke's eyes.

Then. The pride in her blood made her straighten her back again.

"Yes, so what?"

"This is an unauthorized act." The Duke said coldly, "I am very sad that you did such a thing."

"I just want to ask about their current situation. They are all my relatives, what's wrong?" The Queen asked, "Your sister, Ms. de Treville, agreed before... She said..."

"So what if she agreed? Then why didn't you report to me?" The Duke interrupted the Queen directly.

"Why should I report to you! I am the emperor of this country! I will do whatever I want!" The Queen also responded in kind.

The Duke said nothing and just looked at the Queen coldly.

Under the touch of this sight, the Queen couldn't help but shudder slightly. The temperature in early spring was still relatively low, and wearing silk underwear was not very comfortable.

"Even if you are the Queen, you cannot do whatever you want. The Constitution is something you must abide by. Your Majesty." However, the middle-aged man opposite did not seem to feel her embarrassment at all, "What's more, this is quite unwise. This behavior will not do you any good.”

"But you have expelled my relatives and my cousins. If I don't do this, how can I get news about them?" With a defiant look, the queen asked the Duke, "You have What reason do you have to accuse me?"

"If I don't expel them, they will definitely threaten your inheritance, Your Majesty. After all, this is a country that has never had a tradition of women ascending the throne. In fact, they were already ready to make a move back then. Why should you have anything to do with them? What about the involvement?" In the face of the emperor's anger, the Duke remained surprisingly calm, "Actually, I'm lenient enough. According to Eastern tradition, I'm afraid none of them will survive."

"Actually, you are just doing it for yourself!" The Queen sneered, "You just want a tool that is convenient for you to rule."

"If you insist on thinking so, that's fine." Ciel replied calmly. "But why do you make yourself uncomfortable like this?"

The Duke's indifferent attitude made the Queen completely angry.

Whether she was angry because he treated herself and her relatives harshly, or because he didn't take her seriously, the queen had no time to tell.

"How could a person as kind and gentle as Madame de Treville have a brother like you!" Faced with such a rude offense, Her Majesty the Queen, who was still just a child after all, couldn't stand it anymore and closed her eyes. , shouted out loudly without any scruples. "You devil! Hypocrite! Despicable traitor!"

Kind and gentle?

She really was... The Duke smiled bitterly in his heart.

"Whatever you think, Your Majesty." The Duke didn't care about Her Majesty the Queen's roar and just shrugged casually, "But I want to remind you that if you lose your composure like this in front of others, I'm afraid it will affect your dignity... …”…

The Duke's indifference finally extinguished the roar gushing out of the Queen's heart. She lowered her head and said no more. Her chest was rising and falling, and she was breathing loudly. She was obviously extremely excited.

"Then what are you going to do with him?" Finally, the Queen regained her composure. "Kill? Or exile?"

"If we don't deal with it very much, I will let him come back and continue to serve as a servant of the palace."

"What?" The Duke's answer confused the Queen.

When did this person become so generous?

"I can tell you clearly that I don't have time to deal with your childish nonsense now...I have much more important things to do," the Duke continued while she was still wondering, " The fateful moment has come, and my decades of achievements are about to come to an end. Today's military parade is just the beginning. We must use war, not exercises, to solve everything."

"fight?"

"Yes, a war. Prussia and Austria may be about to fight for the supreme dominance of Germany. And I, and we, are waiting for this day." The Duke replied calmly. "If they really start fighting, I will issue an ultimatum and ask the Prussians to surrender to Austria's demands immediately. I am not doing it for Austria, I am just looking for an excuse. I will use the harshest words to humiliate them and use the harshest words. The harsh conditions made it impossible for them to retreat and made them unable to Don't fight with us. Dear Your Majesty, in order to prevent you from causing trouble in the rear, I will take you to march with the army and leave my wife in the imperial capital to take charge of the rear. If nothing happens, we will seize it with a million troops. To the final victory, you will witness the arrival of the empire's most glorious moment."

Then, with irresistible strength, he forcibly picked up the queen and brought her to the same height as himself. Then he ignored her struggle and kissed her forehead. The medal on the Queen's chest made his chest feel tight, but he didn't care at all.

"Of course, everything is possible. If the goddess of fate really abandons me, then I will use poison to shoulder my responsibility, and you..." He kissed her lips again, "You We will go to heaven together.”

ps: Today is the author’s birthday, so I’m celebrating by pouring myself a glass of wine… and sending a special article to celebrate.

King Xialulu trains Empress Nunnally, it’s so sad, haha...

This is one of the finale chapters. Since I don’t know if I can write it by that time, I’m posting it first to give everyone a clue.

Thank you all for your continued support, I will continue to work hard...well, I hope so.

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