Flowers, Swords and France

The spring of 1851 was much warmer than usual for this island nation at the western edge of Europe. It has just arrived at the end of April, and there are continuous sunny days shining on the earth. Birds are singing in the woods, and the flowers are fragrant. The countryside is green and the grass is green. Spring is everywhere.

Under the bright sun, several carriages galloped along the road from London to Kent toward Walmer Castle. The high gray walls of the castle in the distance were already looming among the woods and grass.

"Sir, you are lucky to be born in a very beautiful country."

Because he was about to arrive at his destination, Charles, who was sitting in the carriage, wiped away the fatigue from the road and complimented the person sitting next to him with a smile on his face.

His words were not purely complimentary, because the recent rare sunny weather made this green grass even more vibrant, and it was indeed a picture full of British characteristics. As Charlotte said, the scenery of the British countryside is always very admirable.

"Mr. de Treville, in my opinion, France also has its unparalleled beauty." The young man sitting next to him also complimented him with the same enthusiasm. "As far as I'm concerned, everyone who admires civilization will yearn for your country."

In order to make it easier for Charles to have a good time in the UK, the British government specially arranged for a diplomat to accompany him on the tour. At the same time, in order to take care of Charles's emotions, when they selected people, they also used French proficiency as a criterion, which made Charles feel even more Fortunately, the diplomat named John Milson was not only proficient in French, but also seemed to have a good impression of France, so he was very happy about his mission.

then. Charles and he had quite a chat along the way, which somewhat reduced the boredom on the journey.

Just in between their conversations. The carriage had arrived near the castle, and its speed began to slow down.

Am I about to meet the only remaining superstar of that era?

A strange feeling of excitement and excitement suddenly arose in Ciel's heart. In order to relieve this tension, he subconsciously reached out his hand and gently twisted his tie.

"Well, we're finally here." Charles breathed a sigh of relief, then stood up with a slight stumble.

"Originally, you didn't have to make such a trip." John Milson nodded apologetically towards Charles, "Since he is already retired, we can't control him. Please understand this. ”

"I really hope the Duke doesn't find my visit annoying," he murmured to himself.

"He will definitely be grateful to you. After all, people don't come to visit him very often." It was as if he could see Ciel's nervousness. The official answered to Charles with a smile on his face, and then he shrugged slightly with regret, "Originally, it stands to reason that it would not just be me coming with you, but... our Foreign Minister, Cleverly got rid of this unpleasant task."

"He's really busy with business."

"Business with official duties is one aspect, but the other reason is more important..." John Milson still had that ambiguous smile on his face that could not see his emotions clearly. "There are very few people like you who are willing to take the initiative to face the situation." So stern the Duke... speaking of At the end of the day, the whole government is relieved about his retirement. Why do you have to ask for trouble in England? You are a distinguished guest wherever you go. You can also follow Zhan Zhanguang—but you can’t do it here.”

This is true.

As a military commander. The Duke of Wellington has always been accustomed to speaking directly, and can even be said to be arrogant, harsh and ruthless. This style can be loved in the army. But it doesn't work in the political world, which values ​​tact, so few people in the government like him.

at the same time. Because his qualifications are too old and his achievements are too high. Therefore, he is almost fully qualified to train his successors. Naturally, after he retires, few people are willing to come over and ask for trouble.

"You scared me, sir." Charles smiled bitterly and bowed slightly to him, "Duke, you will definitely not be kind to us."

"You don't have to worry about this - sir, you must understand, otherwise you wouldn't be able to come, right? The Duke of Wellington is different from Her Majesty the Queen. He does not take the government's concerns particularly seriously."

John Milson smiled and nodded towards Ciel.

Although he could not give a direct answer due to the instructions of the British government and his own position, he gave hints with a diplomat's unique tact.

"Oh, I understand." Charles stood up, then nodded towards the other party, thanking the other party for his kindness, "I think, a person who saved a country in a few hours, He has the right to be arrogant to his juniors.”

"Who says it isn't?" The diplomat shrugged again and walked out of the carriage with him. "Well, sir, I hope you can get more lessons from him."

……………………

Because they had been informed in advance, the castle servants did not appear surprised by the sudden arrival of the visitors.

They received these guests coldly with an attitude of silence and arrogance, and John Milson could only smile bitterly and shake his head at Charles, expressing his helplessness.

Because he had been mentally prepared beforehand, Charles did not feel dissatisfied. While smelling the unique damp smell accumulated due to the age of the building, he respectfully followed the old servant along the way. Walking slowly along the ancient walkways of the castle.

Sirte, Wellington.

Why do these battle-hardened commanders like to live in such ancient castles after retiring? Such a question suddenly flashed through Charles's mind.

After leading soldiers and fighting for many years, they had accumulated a lot of wealth for themselves, but they spent the money on such things. The only thing he didn't understand was this. What’s even more puzzling is that they can live to be over eighty years old living in such a damp and dark place.

Maybe this is what makes them special?

I don't like living in this kind of place anyway. Ciel smiled bitterly in his heart, and then stopped his random thoughts.

Soon, they arrived at the door of the Duke's bedroom.

When the old servant put his hand on the door and knocked softly, Charles' heart couldn't help but beat.

The door to the room was slowly opened, and then, with an indescribable feeling, Charles slowly walked in.

What came face to face were two cold and emotionless gazes.

This line of sight came from an old man lying on a rocking chair.

His hair is gray and his face is wrinkled, but it still cannot hide the handsome appearance of his youth.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

The high forehead and sharp eyesight also showed the owner's incomparable arrogance.

Although the rocking chair shook slightly, he seemed unmoved and stared coldly at the young visitor. Even lying in the rocking chair, he seemed to stand taller than anyone else.

This is the victor of Waterloo, the former patron saint of Great Britain, the man who once fought against the emperor and achieved extremely glorious achievements!

Charles walked gently in front of him, then took off his hat and bowed his waist.

"Your Excellency, it is a great honor to meet you."

His respectful courtesy caused the Duke's lips to twitch slightly, as if he was smiling, but not much at all.

"It is indeed a great honor for you, little fellow sent by little Napoleon."

Although his voice was still full of ruthless courage and arrogant ambition, it still couldn't hide the weakness deep inside.

Obviously, his life is finally coming to an end.

Then, he stood up slightly, leaned back on the chair, and looked at Ciel coldly.

"The French know how to let better-looking people take charge this time!" After a moment, he said something sarcastically or jokingly, and then made a gesture to tell Charles to find a place to sit. Down. "If you are so smart, why do we have to die so many people?"

"Thank you for your compliment, Your Excellency." Charles slowly stood up, then found a seat closer to the rocking chair and sat down, "However, let me defend myself, we don't rely on looks to hold power."

"Even if you don't rely on this, it's almost enough." The Duke was still unmoved, "I can see that you are very proud of your recent conquests... But what you conquered is not a heroic France, but a mediocre France. France is not a great achievement! But then again, the same is true for England - it is also incredibly mediocre. So, the light has disappeared, and you little guys have found a stage..."

"You can comment on us as much as you like, I'm very happy to accept your criticism." Charles raised his head and looked at the Duke with a smile, ""

"Little guy, they say you are an Anglophile, but I knew from the first moment I saw you that you don't kiss anyone except yourself." Under Charles's response, which was neither humble nor overbearing, the Duke coldly took his hand from He retracted his knees and folded them in front of his chest, and then looked at Charles with a little arrogance, "But this is normal. If you weren't like this, I would be surprised. Bonaparte and his followers shouldn't be like this." Yes? You are just doing what you should do."

"I'm afraid Mr. Russell and Mr. Palmerston will also think so. People in our profession really don't believe in the good intentions of others," Charles replied calmly, "However, this is not an important issue. My Sincerity is not important, my actions are.”

After a pause, Ciel continued, "In addition, even if you are British, even if you defeat the emperor, even if... you are so old that you can only lie here and remember the past, I still respect you very much. Just because I respect you so much, we can also allow the elderly to reminisce about the past..."

The long pause almost made Ciel think he was about to get angry.

"Haha... interesting!" Duke Wellington suddenly laughed, "I would rather talk to an upper class person than to the fools in our country - even if he is a French upper class person!" (Not finished yet) Continued.)