Flowers, Swords and France

With the slow and unhesitating pace of time, another morning has arrived. This small port on the Mediterranean coast is still as breathtaking as the most beautiful painting today.

The morning sun rises slowly, and the layered clouds have spread all over the blue sky. The colorful clouds dyed yellow by the golden light are changing in the blue sky, rendering all kinds of strange lines. And just under the sky, the warm waters of the Mediterranean are rippling slightly outside the harbor, flashing with strange brilliance.

And between the rosy clouds and the golden sea surface, the dyed seabirds are soaring and screaming in the sky, as if they want to use this method to attract the world and let them take a good look at these spectacular sunrise scenes.

However, there is no shortage of spectators here today.

On the slightly swaying sea, there is now a large group of ships floating. Some of these ships are huge, with towering masts and several decks stacked together, like buildings moved to the sea, casting huge shadows on the sea; some are smaller, accompanying the periphery of the large ships, cruising lightly, and the lines from the masts to the hulls are very elegant.

These ships are now gathered together. From a distance, the dark brown hulls are connected into one piece, the seaweed is waving under the water, and the golden sunlight falls on the white huge sails, which, combined with this beautiful seascape, constitutes an unforgettable scene.

However, not many people here are in the mood to appreciate this spectacular scene. These people in military uniforms came out of the barracks everywhere early in the morning, and then came to the edge of the plank road to assemble, and then lined up in a column under the orders of the officers, and then walked onto the ship along the ladders hanging from these ships.

On the other side, a group of engineers dragged cannons and special machinery along a special channel, slowly moving towards a larger transport ship.

Although it was a busy scene, it did not seem chaotic. After careful preparation and the obedience of the soldiers, everything was so orderly and full of the enthusiasm of human unity and cooperation.

This is the Toulon naval port. From today on, this will be the starting base for the French Empire Navy to march towards the Ottoman Empire and the Black Sea Navy, and the starting point for the French expeditionary force to the Black Sea coast. The first batch of soldiers will go out to sea today, and then the French troops recruited from all directions will gather here one after another, and then be taken to a distant place thousands of miles away by the Empire's transport fleet to fight for the honor of the Empire.

Toulon is one of the Empire's main naval ports in the Mediterranean, and this place is also a holy place for the Empire - in the turbulent and vibrant era of the Great Revolution, Napoleon, a young officer, made his fortune in this small place. At that time, he shone in the war of the Republic's army besieging the rebels, and was appreciated by the special commissioner of the National Assembly, and since then he has embarked on a path of rapid rise.

Now, nearly sixty years have passed, and the world has changed countless times. The empire founded by this genius has been destroyed and reborn, and it is looking at the Mediterranean and the entire continent with an arrogant attitude again. Although the imperial army he cultivated has gone through various dynasties, it has always been consistent, thirsting for victory and conquest, and is determined to make achievements in the war.

At this time, everyone present is convinced that this expedition will be the peak of the empire's achievements and the best opportunity for the empire to avenge its previous shame and retaliate against the Russians again. Moreover, it is the first time in nearly forty years that France has fought a direct war with a European power. Almost every officer and soldier is ready to fight, and morale has been high from the beginning. Officers and soldiers from various corps sang the war songs of their corps, making this morning no longer as quiet as before.

People walking on the beach in the distance looked at this with satisfaction.

And these people are now the ones who decide the fate of this expeditionary force.

"The British have officially issued an ultimatum to the Russians, demanding that the Russians negotiate with France immediately and withdraw their troops." Charles whispered as he watched the officers and soldiers and cannons boarding the ship in the distance, "I think our proud Russian friends will definitely not agree to them, so... the British will immediately make it clear that they will get involved."

"This makes me a little worried." Marshal Treville next to him said calmly, "I wish the British could act later, so that we can show the world how powerful we are."

The old marshal was wearing a marshal's uniform today, with a medal awarded by Emperor Napoleon himself fifty years ago on his chest, a bicorne hat on his head, his gray hair showing at the brim of the hat, and his wrinkled face was very serious, and he was still so awe-inspiring today.

From time to time, the officers and soldiers passing by cheered and saluted the commander-in-chief, but he still looked serious, just waving his marshal's baton from time to time to greet these enthusiastic subordinates.

"The British government has assured us that their navy is ready and the Russians won't be able to get out of the Baltic Sea with even a sampan," said the Minister of the Navy, Mr. Jean-Dicos, in a low voice. "I think the Royal Navy can absolutely fulfill this promise. So what France has to face now is just a Russian naval squadron in the Black Sea. We are fully capable of suppressing them, and we will do it without hesitation."

His Excellency the Lord Admiralty said it with great arrogance, but it was also true. Russia only has a small squadron on the Black Sea. It is weak and its fleet is very backward. It can only bully the weaker Turkish Navy. As long as the French Navy invests its power in the Black Sea, the fleet that suppresses the Russians should It was expected - not to mention that the British squadron will be invested by then. The combined naval forces of the two countries can control the sea completely and defeat the Russians at sea.

Complete control of the sea will also be the biggest trump card in the hands of the coalition. Relying on this trump card, they can land and assemble wherever the enemy is weak, and can also provide the smoothest supplies for their own troops. Only by mastering this trump card can they After the trump card, the British and French forces were qualified to fight head-on with the Russians who had the advantage of home field.

Therefore, compared to the uneasiness of the Army, the Navy is extremely confident, and His Excellency the Minister of the Navy is also full of confidence. He has repeatedly assured His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the Marshal that he will never allow the Russian Navy any chance to interfere with operations and logistics on land. supply.

"From my experience, the Russians will be very brave in desperate situations and will fight to the end, so even if we have a paper advantage, we must act with caution." The minister's declaration made the mature and steady Marshal Treville somewhat... He didn't quite agree, so he warned the other party politely, "Please remember that the main task of the navy is to maintain the safety of transportation. A moment of negligence will cause heavy losses. We cannot afford such a price."

"Your Majesty, Marshal, what you said is of course correct, and I agree with it very much." For this old marshal who was highly respected in front of His Majesty the Emperor, His Excellency the Minister of the Navy did not dare to make a mistake and quickly explained to him, "But I think, The Russian ships were small and scattered, and if If they really spread out on the sea, I'm afraid it would be a bit annoying, so I think it's best to create some kind of opportunity for direct combat, drive their fleet into the port in one fell swoop and then block it, so that we can truly protect the rear. Safety."

Then, as if to strengthen the marshal's confidence, he pointed to a huge ship in the distance. "Have you seen that battleship? It's called the Napoleon, and it's one of our latest battleships. Although it looks the same as the battleships of the past, it is equipped with the latest steam propeller propulsion device, which makes it unique With power unmatched by other ships, this steam battleship is... well, it is the Madame de Pompadour inside the battleship, and everyone wants to sleep in it. "

In an extremely happy mood, His Excellency Minister Jean-Dico couldn't help but make a slightly colorful joke, "It is not affected by the weather. It can move quickly on the sea even if there is no wind, and it is also equipped with nearly a hundred guns." Artillery, it can parade in front of the Russians, and then easily rain down the thunder from the hands of God to them. This is a manifestation of our superiority. The Russians with backward technology cannot fight against us. "

It’s no wonder that he was so excited. After Louis Bonaparte became the President of the Republic, Jean-Dicot, who was still a ship merchant at the time, saw the direction of the political wind and felt that the Bonaparte family would be a rising force. As a new force, he immediately defected to the president and spent a lot of money to fund his activities.

After the president took over the power, in order to reward him, he was made Minister of the Navy. From then on, this gentleman devoted all his energy to the development of the Imperial Navy.

Under his urging, the Imperial Navy began to apply steam engines on battleships on a large scale, using this brand-new power to transform the Empire's fleet - before him, steam engines were only used on small ships. All large battleships can only be propelled by primitive sails.

The Napoleon he was referring to was the result of his tireless efforts. This battleship carrying 92 cannons was the first battleship in the world to be powered by steam as its main power. It was also the first crystallization of the Imperial Navy's huge ambitions.

Under his guidance and introduction, Marshal Treville and others looked at the battleship with great interest.

"I want to build the most powerful new fleet in the world for the empire, a maritime force that is inferior even to the British." While hunting the sea breeze, His Excellency Minister Jean-Dico said passionately, "I firmly believe that I am This can be done, and it’s not far off.”

He did not lie. Although in the original history, he died of illness in 1855, but with his efforts, the empire had established a powerful steam battleship fleet. Even after his death, after further development With the development, the French Navy had more new warships than the British Royal Navy at the time. It was at that time that the British also became suspicious of the French Empire.

However, this did not change the fate of the empire. The empire was destroyed by the invading enemies on land.

"I have to say that you have given me full confidence. I believe that you can achieve your goal." Marshal Treville has been silent, listening to the explanation of the Minister of the Navy. At this time, he finally spoke.

Then, he gently raised his marshal's scepter and pointed at the battleship, "Then I will take that battleship over there. It will be my command ship."

"It doesn't matter if you like it..." Your Majesty the Minister was slightly surprised, "But we also have newer and larger warships that can better reflect your authority and protect your safety."

"Just this one. If the Russian Black Sea Fleet is really no threat as you said, then I will be fine on any battleship." The marshal decided without hesitation, "I think this battleship is more To represent the empire.”

When the marshal said this, the minister immediately understood.

There is really nothing more suitable to use the "Napoleon" as the command ship for the commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Force.

"Well, from today on, the ship will be yours!" He immediately laughed and bowed slightly to the marshal, "I wish you a safe journey, Your Excellency, marshal!"

"I wish you all the best." The old marshal nodded lightly.

Then, this group of people continued walking on the beach, patrolling the busy port, watching groups of soldiers entering the transport ships. There were blue and red military uniforms everywhere, which dazzled them, and the soldiers His enthusiasm involuntarily infected them, making them equally excited.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Char..." The marshal suddenly greeted his grandson next to him.

"Grandpa?" Charles quickly came to his side.

Recently, the grandfather and grandson have been in a very unhappy situation because of Charlotte's incident. The old Marquis has always been angry at Charlotte for giving birth to such a weird child, and wants Charles to investigate the matter thoroughly, but Charles insists that it cannot be done without reason. He was suspicious of Charlotte, so he didn't want to conduct any investigation, and even strictly asked the old man not to act on his own, so they quarreled several times, and the relationship that had almost no grudges at first cast a shadow.

"Do you really have no suspicion at all?" the old man asked in a low voice that could not be heard by others.

"I have no doubt." Charles replied without hesitation.

"My grandson is so stubborn!" The old man's tone was filled with helplessness and bitterness, but also seemed to be filled with relief and pride. "Well, since you are my grandson, then I can only accommodate you... Take this as fate, and I will recognize this great-grandson. However, you have to promise me that your eldest son will be your heir. He is the one who is destined to inherit your career and lead this family... You must promise me! "

"Thank you!" Charles was surprised and happy. Unexpectedly, at this time, his grandfather finally let go of his grudge and stopped blaming Charlotte. "I promise you, Clovis will be our heir."

While he was happy, Charles felt a little sad.

Yes, right now, there is nothing to argue about.

The old Marquis still had no expression on his face. He just raised his head and quietly looked at the morning glow in the distance.

"Everything in the family will eventually be handed over to you." Until the golden sunshine drove away all the rosy colors and dyed the earth brightly, the old man finally spoke again, "This family is declining in front of my eyes, and it is declining in front of my eyes. Prosperity again... Everything we once had, we took back on our own. My father must be very happy at this moment. At that time, he risked his life to send us out of Paris, and my brother and I. We have lived up to him and fulfilled the mission he gave us.”

The old man's tone was full of emotion, and then suddenly became desolate.

"Promise me that if I am no longer alive, I will not let it decline. I have devoted my whole life to this family, and I have spent half my life cultivating you. Don't let me down, okay?"

"I will never let you down...I will carry forward the family business you passed on to me, so that all your expectations can be realized." Charles's nose was slightly sour, "But you must come back safely and be well. Look at my performance..."

"Haha, I'm already this old, how dare I expect so much..." The old man smiled bitterly, and then looked at the battleship in the distance again, "But... at least before I die, I will let the Russians take a good look. You see, I did not lose to them, but to the emperor who was dazzled by the victory... I must do my best in my career, and I must make a break with them."

"You will definitely win, so please enjoy your future victory." Charles couldn't help but turned away and looked at a young officer standing next to his grandfather, "George!"

"Your Excellency, Minister?" The young Viscount George de Dillion came over, "Please give me your instructions."

He is Charles's old boss, the son and future heir of Count de Dillion. According to the instructions left by his grandfather when he died, he was sent to the military academy, and after graduation, at the age of nineteen, he He was chosen by Marshal Treville as his adjutant.

His face is white and rosy, with a hint of youthfulness. Although the military uniform he wears is very fitting, it doesn't look very masculine, but makes him look handsome. However, his eyes were very clear and agile, and he could tell that he was a smart man.

"Please take good care of my grandfather." Ciel whispered to him.

Although his statement was very brief, it was a rare expression of his true feelings, so it became more and more unquestionable.

"Yes." Under Charles's intimidating gaze, George immediately stood at attention subconsciously.

"Come on, he's not God, he's just a little kid, he can't care about so many things!" Marquis Treville laughed, then reached out and pinched the child. "Don't worry so much, I can handle it myself!"