Flowers, Swords and France

"I wish I could clean your mind!"

The granddaughter's seemingly unintentional answer made the old man wipe away his previous joy and couldn't help but say such words angrily.

It would be normal for an ordinary woman to say this, but now he certainly knew what it meant.

Seeing the old man's suddenly livid face and his expression as if he had swallowed a fly, Fran just smiled slightly, as if to comfort the old man, and handed the child in her hand to her grandfather.

"If you can't wash it clean, don't waste your efforts, grandpa."

The old man took the child in silence, but when his great-grandson fluttered in his arms, his face looked a little better.

"Hey..." He could only sigh.

He had tried countless methods to persuade his granddaughter and her terrible thoughts, he had tried every means to reason, he had tried every means, but it had not shaken the other party's will at all, as if It was like the rapids had hit a wall. It could no longer move forward and could only stay where it was.

During this time, he finally discovered that the originally well-behaved and cute child was actually so determined. Hidden under the soft appearance was an unshakable soul like a rock, so strong that not even he could change her determination.

If only this will could be used elsewhere - until now, the old man could only sigh and feel helpless.

However, although he gave up persuading, his attitude did not change at all, and he still firmly opposed her thoughts and prayers. Therefore, the grandfather and grandson have been facing each other with a cold war attitude during this period, and it is no longer difficult to see each other. It was a joy to go back to the past.

Only when teasing their children can the two of them put aside their past grudges and face each other.

Of course, they can't just do this one thing a day. On the contrary, it's just a side activity after a busy day.

"How are you feeling today? If you don't feel well, I'll help you arrange your schedule so that the people you want to meet in the afternoon can come back tomorrow." Perhaps in order to prevent the old man from being too sad, Fran changed the subject. "So you can stay with Clovis today."

"No, I'm in good spirits. It doesn't matter." The old man shook his head, "They also took the time to come here. How can I let others delay for another day? Then others will scold me in their hearts for putting on airs."

Then, he smiled bitterly again, "Besides, now that we've reached this juncture, I can't let others use my physical condition as an excuse to chat with His Majesty."

"Someone would speak ill of you to His Majesty? Why?" Fran was shocked.

"It's not like you're saying bad things about me. You're just saying that the old marshal is highly respected and old, so it's best not to worry about the expedition anymore..." The old man still smiled bitterly, "In the palace, malice has always been there. Wrapped in the brightest candy wrapper.”

Although the old man's words were relatively obscure, Fran already understood it.

Someone in the army coveted Marshal Treville's position as commander of the expeditionary force, so they spoke ill of him in front of the emperor, intentionally or unintentionally - in the name of "taking care of the old marshal's health", of course.

This is not surprising. Now, it is no secret at the highest level within the military that His Majesty has decided to go to war with Russia. This upcoming war can be said to be the most massive operation of the French Army in the past forty years. It is conceivable that there will be How many high-ranking generals want to participate in it in the form of commander-in-chief. It is natural that some people are envious of Marshal Treville's position and want to replace it.

No wonder the old man has been uncharacteristically active recently. He frequently attends high-level meetings within the army and sometimes speaks at length. He also often visits various places to inspect the army's combat readiness. He even got together with some young staff officers several times. Participated in the formulation of specific military plans.

"You've worked really hard." Fran couldn't help but look at her grandfather with distress.

Fran used to simply think that this was for her grandfather to fight for the future war, so she was so involved. Now she understands that in addition to this purpose, the old man also wants to prove to the outside world that he is still healthy and energetic - considering the old man's At his age, this was indeed a very labor-intensive matter, and he did a good job, enough to dispel the doubts of the outside world, or at least prevent this kind of sound from impressing His Majesty the Emperor.

"At my age, it doesn't matter whether it's hard work or not. You have to do something, right? I've been doing this all my life, and now I'm very proficient in it. It actually makes me feel better!" The old man said He didn't take it seriously, and then glanced at Fran, "It's you, my child. It's going to be hard for you next. You have to do a lot of work that you have never done before."

"I'm so young and have a lot of energy." Fran couldn't help but laugh, "Besides, this is what I asked for myself, so how can I feel tired? I'm actually very happy to be able to help you and my brother. And "With Mary helping me, I shouldn't be too tired."

Recently, Ciel plans to establish a supervision organization to ensure logistics production and transportation for the future war. In order to respond to Ciel's plan, Fran has been coordinating with relevant companies so that they can understand the spirit of His Excellency the Minister. , and make relevant preparations in advance to avoid being caught off guard.

In order to realize her brother's will, Fran devoted herself to it with full enthusiasm. It is precisely because of her efforts that Ciel's idea is slowly becoming a reality.

"It's good to be so positive, but sometimes you can't be too positive, kid." The old man suddenly sighed, then let go of his hand, letting Clovis stumble out of his arms, " You have to remember that we are in an empire after all.”

"You...what do you mean?" Fran didn't understand it at first and couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"Char is a smart man, but after all, he is a little young...after all, he is still too passionate and a little anxious. And you? You are even more like this because you are even less experienced than him." The old man raised his head and looked at it. In the flower bed not far away, "Lack of experience does not mean that you don't know how to do things well, but it means that you think that as long as you Just do things well... In fact, this is not enough. Our Emperor does not want to see us do everything, nor does he want us to be successful in everything alone. We have to keep ourselves from appearing Omnipotent, son—for His Majesty holds the power to judge us, at least for now."

"This..." When the old man reminded her like this, Fran couldn't help but stayed for a moment, thinking carefully about the old man's words. Then her face turned a little pale. "I haven't thought about this in particular before...Grandpa, what should I do?"

"Have you figured it out now?" The old man still smiled, with a bit more cunning in his eyes. "It's not too late to figure it out now. In fact, you've done a good job at this point. It's better than we expected. Now Just need to do one more step..."

"Please give me some advice, Grandpa!" Fran immediately walked next to him and sincerely asked Grandpa for advice, with a hint of coquettishness in her tone.

"Have you forgotten how Charles manipulated people in the financial world?" The old man did not try to show off to his granddaughter, but directly revealed his secret to her, "He used all kinds of methods, and even won over Datou, tempting and beating them, finally convinced them Tie Tie honestly acted in accordance with the will of the government, but even at the end, he still tried his best to let others share the joy from his victory. This was done very sensibly, shouldn't you learn from it? Got some inspiration?"

Not long ago, in order to solve the financial difficulties that the empire might face in future wars, Charles decided to have the country suspend the repayment of maturing railway bonds. He also achieved this through various methods and got other financial institutions to agree with the government. This move solved the government's imminent problem - in the end, he also let an "independent" agency take the lead, and this agency was filled with a large group of imperial dignitaries, including Murat and Suchet, two old empires. The marshal's son came to support himself.

This kind of move is, firstly, to allow these people to prop up the situation for themselves, leaving the opposition with nowhere to start. Secondly, it is also to build momentum and make themselves look less eye-catching.

Without saying a word, Marshal Treville also revealed this meaning to his granddaughter, and wanted her to understand the essence of it.

Fran did not disappoint him, she figured it out quickly.

"So that's it!" Fran opened her eyes slightly, and then looked at her grandfather with admiration, "I still have a lot to learn from you and my brother..."

"As of now, you have learned almost everything, except for the last thing, which is also the most subtle thing." Marshal Treville still looked calm and relaxed, "Of course, although this is subtle, But it is absolutely important, even more important than anything else, because our status requires these things.”

"Do you have any suggestions on how to do it specifically?" Fran asked immediately.

"I'm going to meet the Duke of Elchingen later. He will go on an expedition with me as a general." Marshal Treville did not directly answer Fran's question, "He is also the son of a marshal of the old empire, well, That is Marshal Ney, what an amazing man! When I entered Russia with the army, I saw him all the time. He fought on all battlefields and took the lead. I never saw him. I have seen him be afraid of something... To be honest, it is rare for a person to have his status and be willing to fight hard! Ney, Davout, Murat... and even Prince Eugene, I I really admire them so much. Sometimes when I go to bed at night, I can’t help but think about their heroic deeds back then... I wonder if they will be very happy if I go to Russia again this time..."

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

The old man's words may sound meaningless at first, like the common chatter of an old man, but they are just a bit more legendary because of his experience.

But to Fran's ears, this may not be the same.

After years of training, coupled with her deliberate desire to study hard for the sake of her family, she was not completely ignorant of the people in the upper echelons of the empire.

The Duke of Elchingen was the title held by Marshal Ney at that time, and it was also passed on to his son. However, it was not his eldest son who inherited the title of Duke. His eldest son inherited the title of Prince Moskva - this was the title of Emperor Napoleon at that time. The title was specially awarded to commemorate Marshal Ney's repeated military exploits in Russia. After his death, this title was also passed on to his eldest son.

Marshal Ney has four sons, one of whom died young a few years ago. The other three sons have now surrendered to the banner of the empire and have become the backbone of the empire that the empire relies on because of old relationships.

His second son, Michael Ney, Duke of Elchingen, entered the army and is now an army general, while his eldest son, Prince Joseph Ney of Moskva, is now a politician, serving as a loyal senator in the Senate. Support His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire.

Thinking of the old man's advice to her just now, Fran immediately understood her grandfather's current hint.

The elder brother can ask Murat and Suchet to help him, and the younger sister can of course try to ask Ney to help him. Although it is imitation, it is better to be a poor imitation than to be smart.

"Thank you, Grandpa!" Fran grabbed Grandpa's hand, then smiled and thanked him.

Looking at his smiling granddaughter, the old man was stunned for a moment. He recalled his lovely granddaughter over the years and every detail of their relationship over the years.

Then, there was a moment of loss. It would be great if she had always been so obedient.

"If you know, that's good." The old man withdrew his hand and walked towards his great-grandson not far away. "I have to meet someone in the afternoon, so I have to take some time to be alone now."

Under the spring sun, Marshal Treville caressed his great-grandson with pity on his face. The old man already had white hair and knew that he would not live long, but when he caressed the sparse and silky hair of the baby in his arms, He felt strangely satisfied when he looked at his young but familiar face with blond hair.

This is another continuation of his life. Even if he is no longer alive in the future, this child will continue to live and continue his bloodline, allowing him to stay in the world in another way. Of course, the child didn't understand that much. He just giggled because of the tickling sensation when the delicate skin on his face and body was rubbed by his great-grandfather's rough hands.

How many people would not be moved by such a picture?

Of course Fran was no exception. She was very moved when she saw it, but there was also a bit of sadness in this emotion.

When her own child was born, it was impossible for her grandfather to touch the child with his own hands and bless him.

When she thought of this, she almost burst into tears, but she finally held back.

Now that things have happened, what is there to cry about? You have chosen your own path, and you must go on it. She could only do everything well and not let her grandfather down in other places.

"Okay, grandpa, I'll go over there first. Mary seems to have something to ask me for." Her nasal voice was heavy and her voice was a little hoarse. "You must also take care of yourself."

"Yeah." The old man snorted seemingly nonchalantly, and then continued to tease the child without raising his head. (~^~)