Flowers, Swords and France

"Salute!"

Amid the guards' respectful greetings, Charles quickly passed through the gate and stepped into the high walls of the Tuileries Palace.

It was quiet all around, and none of the guards whispered to each other. Instead, they stood at their respective posts and looked forward, telling every visitor in this way that the autocratic power once again stood at the core of this great country.

Although he had been away from France for only more than a month, when he came to the Tuileries Palace again, he felt a new feeling in his heart.

Since Emperor Napoleon, this place has been the residence of the highest authority in France for most of the time. An empire and two dynasties have regarded this place as the highest power center, and now there is no exception - although Louis Bonaparte has not officially abandoned the name of the Republic and crowned the throne, Charles knows that this is already a big news that will happen in the near future, and I am afraid that all of Europe knows it.

Therefore, this time he came to this palace, it was no longer the same as before, but represented a new meaning - from today on, he will be the assistant of the highest authority in France and take charge of this country.

Just like the imperial ministers who had met the emperor before.

He took a deep breath and felt the sweet taste of power. The whole country seemed to be laid under the bricks in front of him, allowing him to step through.

As Her Majesty the Queen said, this is both an honor and an obligation and responsibility.

The guards all had very young faces, their uniforms were very straight, their hands holding the guns were a little red, and they were as high-spirited as every young man who was ambitious.

Each of them knew Charles de Treville, and they envied him for climbing to such a high position at such a young age. There were even many people who regarded him as their role model, fantasizing about seizing the opportunity and the times like him to stand out. However, on the surface, they still pretended to be unmoved, saluted him expressionlessly, and watched him enter the palace.

Since driving General Changarnier away and moving into the Tuileries Palace, Louis Bonaparte replaced all the original guards. Then he specially found a group of young people in the army to serve as his guards. As one of the actual people who handled this matter, Charles certainly understood that he was not just considering his own safety. He also wanted to cultivate his confidants in the army where he did not have much foundation. Then he relied on them to rebuild the structure of the Guards in the future and establish a core armed force directly under him. Naturally, this group of young people had a bright future.

But... the dangers they faced in the future were also huge, because the empire would inevitably embark on the road of war, and almost every step of their road to promotion would have to go through the fiery hell.

The queen was right. Isn't the road to glory paved with blood? Not for others, but for yourself.

Charles's mouth corners slightly turned up, and he drew a harmless smile.

Under the guidance of the uniformed attendant, he kept walking in the corridor, and was not arranged in the waiting room, but was taken directly to the hall.

Then, before he had waited for long, accompanied by a notification, the door was gently opened by the guards. Then Louis Bonaparte, wearing a cloak, walked in proudly.

His eyes were piercing, he looked straight ahead, expressionless, and walked all the way to Charles.

Although he had not officially ascended the throne, he had already put on this cloak that only the king could use. When he looked around, the majesty of the emperor was already revealed.

However, for people from the Treville family, a man with the surname Bonaparte could not show any noble majesty, so Charles did not feel that he was in awe. On the contrary, it was a little difficult to adapt.

However, although he did not quite agree with his approach, Charles could understand this mentality.

Every upstart who climbed to the top likes to show off. He showed off the status he finally won, fearing that others would not know that he was no longer the same as before - even the great Napoleon, wasn't he still not immune to this?

Since he likes to show off his majesty, then let's satisfy his wish.

Charles lowered his gaze and bowed down. He acted very respectfully.

"Your Majesty!"

"Don't be so reserved, Charles." He waved his hand, signaling Charles to be less polite, but he accepted Charles's address without restraint. "Your absence during this period has made me clearly realize your importance."

"This makes me feel very humble. I am just trying my best to complete the task you assigned to me." Charles replied respectfully.

"It is not easy to do this." Louis-Bonaparte replied calmly, "You can always complete my tasks without any discount. This time is no exception - I firmly believe it."

"I am really afraid that I will disappoint your expectations, but..." Charles paused gently, "I believe that this visit has achieved our purpose."

"Then tell me in detail." Louis-Bonaparte pointed to a person next to him, signaled him to sit down first, and then sat down himself.

"The British recognize the status quo we have created in France, and also recognize your right to restore the dynasty and empire." After just sitting down, Charles quickly reported the most important thing, and then lost no time in speaking again. Guan Jin said, “In my opinion, the current international situation is very difficult for us. Advantageous, countries have already acquiesced to our dominant position in France, that is to say - you can choose a day to be crowned as soon as possible. Although there will be some stubborn republicans who will object, they have no power and are despised. , I can guarantee that it will not cause any interference from Europe.”

"Of course the British are willing to recognize us, because they need us." Louis Bonaparte was still very calm on the outside, but the complacency in his air could not be concealed. "Although the British are powerful, looking at the whole of Europe, they want to It’s not enough to rely on one person to get through it. They need helpers, and I’m happy to be that helper, so what if my surname is Bonaparte?”

"Britain needs you to rule this great country, and then work with her to maintain order in Europe." The King of Charles can make a fool of himself, but he must not agree.

"It is more important to maintain an order that is beneficial to us." Louis Bonaparte clenched his fists, looking more and more complacent, "Have you made it clear to them about Russia?"

"I have made it clear to them without any evasion at all." Charles lowered his voice, "And the British appreciate my statement very much. They fully agree with our views on the Russian issue. I dare say that in this On the issue, they are even more proactive than us. Her Majesty the Queen told me in front of me that she is not afraid of bloodshed and hopes that we will not be afraid."

"A woman is not afraid of rivers of blood, so what are we afraid of?!" Louis Bonaparte snorted. "You should tell them that the French are not more cowardly than the British. We are happy to fight for honor."

"That's exactly what I told her. So she is very satisfied with our statement." Charles bowed again and congratulated his master, "The British are already fully armed and are just waiting for the time to issue an order. Down."

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Then we must also be fully armed!". Louis Bonaparte stood up and walked through the hall.

The fluttering cloak left a huge shadow on the ground, and his eyes were filled with a vicious light, "I have ordered the army to start preparations, and financial preparations are also in progress. Soon we will be fully prepared. , give those Russians a hard blow that they will never forget!”

His calm was broken and he became unusually excited. It can be seen that he certainly has not forgotten his uncle's grudge.

"I am convinced that even France alone can compete with Russia. If the British are on our side, the Russians will definitely be doomed, Your Majesty." Charles was not as excited as him, but still had some reservations, "But, Defeating the Russians doesn't mean our work is done... I think we have equally important things to do."

Louis Bonaparte's footsteps suddenly stopped, and he turned to look at Charles. His doubtful eyes were heavy, "What do you mean?"

"Your Majesty, you have made it very clear before. In European history, there are no fixed allies. Today's allies may be tomorrow's enemies, especially for a country like the United Kingdom that only cares about interests but not morality." Charles He stated his opinion in a low voice, "So... while An enjoys the convenience of allies, we must be prepared for the sudden change of the British." This kind of response must be based on strong enough national strength - but, forgive me for being rude, we don’t have this kind of national strength at the moment! After this trip to the UK, I felt sad. Seeing that Britain is pushing us away bit by bit and becoming a country that is far superior to other powers, it has tipped the balance. "

Louis Bonaparte did not answer, but looked at Charles quietly.

"Currently, as far as I know, British industry and its science have surpassed ours by a stage. We cannot ignore this gap, but should face it squarely and find ways to solve it. I think that while expanding armaments and preparing for war, we must find ways Only by expanding France’s own capital and industrial strength can we be considered a worthwhile deal.”

Charles paused for a moment, and when he saw that Louis Bonaparte didn't mean anything right on his face, he boldly increased his voice slightly, "Otherwise, if we don't do this, what's the point of all our efforts?" What's the point? Is it just to be a servant of the British? To give up French lives just for the sake of the British? This is not only against our creed, but also against the will of the French people and will only shake your rule. !”

"Have you been stimulated by anything? Charles?" Louis Bonaparte was a little surprised by his sudden statement.

"I'm just facing the reality, Your Majesty." Charles did not flinch, because he knew that Louis Bonaparte could still listen to his advice. "The British are already ahead of us, so we need to follow what you pointed out. The correct way to build national strength, I suggest you find a way now to increase tariffs on industrial products from the UK in order to maintain our fledgling industrial strength..."

"I will do this, Charles." Louis Bonaparte waved his hand, indicating that he did not need to say anything, "You are not responsible for business issues now..."

"That's right, but I'm only telling you out of a sense of responsibility." Charles immediately replied, "I think your career requires loyalty and calmness, not submissiveness!"

Being ambitious is never a bad thing. Although Louis Bonaparte was ambitious, he also had the ambition to contribute to the country. At least he wanted to do something big after all.

"You are right, very right! If usurping a country is just for personal enjoyment, then why do we risk our lives to do so many things? Just find a way to make money!" Louis -Bonaparte was infected by Charles's words and couldn't help shouting out, "Charles, it's good that you have ambition. Sometimes we just have to have ambition. Now some people are busy enjoying themselves, and then they take power. How many months?”(~^~)