Flowers, Swords and France

In the early morning of summer, standing on the empty playground in the center of Paris and looking up, the clouds in the sky seem to be very close to people. The sun shines from behind the clouds, gilding the clouds. These golden rays pass through the Arc de Triomphe, as if they have added a layer of gilded gilding to this magnificent arch building.

The dark gray and light gray clouds are arranged in piles and clusters. Unlike the light clouds in the clear sky, they are like porcelain with gold edges, which have a solemn and gorgeous style. These clouds are heavy and light, and seem to have experienced several centuries, so they can contain a special mature charm. Combined with the most attractive landscapes of this city, they are more magnificent and extraordinary.

In the square next to the Arc de Triomphe, a large number of people have gathered. These people are full of curiosity and eager to see. Some people are looking around with telescopes, as if they are watching some grand drama in the theater.

Under the Arc de Triomphe, there was a large group of soldiers lined up in a tight formation. Their expressions were much more serious. These guards wearing bear fur hats and blue uniforms stood straight, holding their rifles tightly, and lined up in several rows to solemnly wait for the inspection of His Majesty the Emperor and another emperor.

Under their gaze, a group of people wearing military uniforms and riding tall horses slowly approached with their riding skills, which were not very sophisticated in their eyes. Surrounding them were a group of officers and generals, and in the middle were the two protagonists of today.

One of these two people looked to be in his forties, but he was very excited and his movements were very flamboyant, as if everything was under control; while the other was only in his early twenties, looked gentle, and behaved very restrained, as if he was trying hard to play his role well.

Although their ages and demeanors were very different, their identities were similar. They were both emperors of a country and had unquestionable authority. Now they were ruling their countries according to their own ideas. Of course, one was full of confidence and believed that he was favored by God; the other was worried and always suspected that he had done something wrong. He seemed to be a natural melancholy pessimist.

When Emperor Franz Joseph of the Austrian Empire was invited to France, a grand welcome ceremony was also launched. As he arrived in France, he was warmly welcomed from the border. When he took the French emperor's special train at the border and arrived in Paris, this welcoming atmosphere reached its peak.

The train station was temporarily closed for a day, and then His Majesty the Emperor of the French Empire personally went to the station to greet his young colleague. Then, the two emperors came to the palace together under the welcome of the onlookers, and the palace also prepared a grand welcome for him. It was really polite.

The newspapers, which had already received the government's prior attention, all published headlines such as "The Emperor will stand with France" at this time, introducing the visit of His Majesty the Austrian Emperor in a long series of articles, reporting every detail of the visit in order to please the Habsburg Emperor who came from afar, and at the same time to show how sincere the French Empire's friendship with the Austrian Empire was.

After a short rest, the next morning, according to the pre-arranged itinerary, the two emperors came to the center of Paris together and reviewed the French Emperor's guards under the Arc de Triomphe.

The Habsburg Emperor's visit to France was the first in a century and a half, and it could almost be regarded as an unprecedented event, so the French court and government took great pains to find ways to make this distinguished guest feel the sincerity of France, and at the same time tried to reflect the strength and majesty of the French Empire in this sincerity.

The European martial spirit has continued for many centuries, and the tradition of emperors wearing military uniforms as formal wear has also existed for many years, so this kind of military parade ceremony has naturally become the top priority of the welcome ceremony.

In 1807, when Emperor Napoleon was at his peak, the French Empire had experienced many fierce battles with the Russians and finally defeated the Russians. Then it signed a peace treaty with the then Russian Tsar Alexander I in Tilsit, agreeing not to attack each other and to live in friendship instead. Then the two emperors at that time reviewed the guardsmen of Emperor Napoleon's glorious military exploits side by side.

Today, the emperors have changed their candidates and the location has become a peaceful capital, but the military show-off contained in it has not decreased a bit.

Under the gaze of these soldiers being reviewed, the two emperors on horseback rode side by side in front of these soldiers and then stopped their horses.

"Salute!" As the officers shouted almost hoarsely, the soldiers raised their guns to salute almost at the same time. This almost consistent action also made their shining bayonets reflect dazzling light at the same time.

His Majesty Emperor Napoleon III waved his hand with a serious face, looking proud and complacent! The young man who rode with him also had a warm smile on his face, but it was much more reluctant than His Majesty the Emperor.

His reluctance is very easy to understand. If there is another way out, the Habsburg emperors will never be willing to show courtesy to the Bonapartes. This was the case then and it is still the case now. Even if the emperor had to make some concessions and sacrifices for reality, such sacrifices would always make them feel uneasy, or secretly resentful.

What's more, the French Empire is showing off its military power, and the Austrians can also feel the chill in it - doesn't this magnificent Arc de Triomphe in front of them commemorate the illustrious military exploits of the previous Emperor Napoleon? Didn't these illustrious martial arts include leading an army into Vienna twice?

When the French Empire shows its ferocious claws, it always makes people feel uneasy, especially the Austrian Empire, which had suffered greatly from it.

However, although the French Empire is terrifying, the Russian Empire today is much more terrifying.

To the east and west of Austria stood a behemoth, each seemingly untouchable, unable to ignore their existence and only able to choose one as a friend.

In a sense, for the Austrians, they would rather bow to the French than to the barbaric and endlessly greedy Russians, so His Majesty Emperor Franz-Joseph could only be worried , and with that helpless attitude came to the side of the French Emperor and accompanied him to review the soldiers, thereby using the powerful neighbor to the west to intimidate the giant bear to the east.

Under the gaze of the people, the two emperors dismounted from their horses, walked side by side, passed the ranks of soldiers together, and then passed through the Arc de Triomphe at an unwavering pace. And when they entered the Arc de Triomphe, the soldiers and people cheered, turning the place into a sea of ​​joy.

Among these "spontaneous gatherings" of citizens, there were already many government spies and plainclothes policemen. When they received the secret signal, they raised their hands and cheered at the same time. Under their influence, the citizens who came to watch the excitement also Everyone cheered enthusiastically to commemorate such a rare grand occasion.

At the edge of the square, there was also a group of well-dressed people watching all this, but compared to the frenetic atmosphere in front, they were much calmer, as if they were watching a performance that had nothing to do with them.

"It is indeed a rare event for His Majesty the two emperors to meet face to face..." Count Litvinsky, the Russian minister wearing a formal dress and a medal, put down the monocular telescope in his hand, and then whispered, "This is the case. The scene is really touching. Only a great monarchy can make people feel so appropriately solemn. A republic can only produce a group of monkeys wearing top hats..."

"It's a pity that His Majesty the Tsar is not here and we can't convey our enthusiasm to him." Charles, standing next to him, replied with a smile, "In fact, we also look forward to entertaining the monarch of the Russian Empire."

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"His Majesty the Tsar is very willing to be friendly with France, and he also admires Paris very much." Perhaps seeing some hope in Charles's words, Count Litvinsky straightened his back, "So, for the sake of the peace between the two countries, We still need to do a lot to be friendly, especially not to let certain countries maliciously provoke us because of their own selfish interests.”

"Don't you want France and the Austrian Empire to remain friendly?" Charles asked with a smile. "In my opinion, if all major European countries can be good neighbors and treat each other with mutual understanding, then the continent will definitely be calmer... What do you think?"

"Of course I think so too, Your Excellency." Faced with this question, the Earl was of course unable to give a negative answer, so he could only nod in agreement with Charles. However, the worry in his heart was still too strong, so he could only continue to ask, "But... you have to admit that some people in this world have bad intentions. All of us want peace and friendship, but some people don't Their intention to exploit our best wishes for their own benefit is ultimately deeply troubling for each of us.”

"Then what are you worried about? Sir? You speak in such a confusing way that I can't understand you." Charles asked with a confused look on his face.

As an ambassador of a country, the earl is certainly qualified to come and witness the grand ceremony to welcome His Majesty the Austrian Emperor. However, this ceremony does not make the earl feel much joy. On the contrary, he feels a sense of joy at the sudden move of the Austrian emperor. Worried.

For this reason, he had to use his connections again to invite Minister Treville to his side, hoping that he could alleviate his pressure a little.

The minister seemed to be in a good mood at the moment, so after hesitating for a while, the earl finally decided to test it directly.

"If Austria intends to harm our country's interests and enrich itself, how do you plan to respond?" he asked in a low voice.