Miss Eugenie Grandet

On that sunny morning three days later, in a square outside Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte, who ascended the throne of the French Empire for the third time, officially appeared in front of the public in Paris after four years of absence.

Paris is empty.As if it were a festival, people flocked here, and this place became a sea of ​​tricolor flags and tricolor badges.At nine o'clock, under the attention of tens of thousands of people, nearly a thousand members of the upper and lower chambers, and old and new troops, the emperor's car gradually appeared in people's sight.

It was completely different from the parade that was held after the return of Elba to prepare for the battle with the Allied forces.This time, there is no 200-meter-long honorary group, heralds and court guards leading the way like a fairytale scene, nor is there a gorgeous coronation chariot pulled by eight horses, nor is there a resplendent coronation dress.Guarded only by a group of old guards in brand-new uniforms, the emperor appeared in his carriage in his favorite green uniform with a three-color cockade, with his queen Mary at his side. Luisa and his ten-year-old son, the King of Rome.

He looked older than four years ago, and even if the corners of his temples were powdered, they couldn't hide the traces of flowery hair.But he seemed to be in high spirits, and the dignity and majesty that seemed to be born in his face did not diminish at all-it was such a face that not only quickly awakened the familiar memory of the people about glory, but also disintegrated the previous A rumor circulated in Paris—that the emperor's health had been utterly ruined by his experience in St. Helena—now he proved his health and energy by this appearance.

He is still the same emperor as before, and he is still able to serve the great French Empire!

The emperor delivered an inspiring speech, announcing that France had once again resumed its status as a great power, saying that he was a citizen of France, and calling on the people to fight for France with him.The deeply infected people cheered "Long live the emperor" just like the victories of Austerlitz and Wagram.Amid overwhelming cheers, the emperor, his wife and children, left in a carriage with a smile on their faces.

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All these were actually the scenes that Eugenie heard later when she was sitting in her living room through the mouth of the guests who came to visit her.Crosh said a few words today, and Grassan added details tomorrow, piecemeal, and in the end, he finally spelled out such a complete impression.

The reason for this was that she had finished dealing with the loan contract with James the day before the swearing-in ceremony, and then she quietly left Paris.It was a stagecoach—the gentleman who had brought her in the palace coach was too busy to expect her to leave Paris so soon.So, when he was busy with his own affairs and tentatively sent someone to send her an invitation to a certain banquet, he found out that she had left a few days ago.

Although when they came back, they lacked the extravagance of the court carriage and entourage, but the visual and psychological impact of the magnificent carriage and court servants in gorgeous uniforms that appeared that day on the Saumur people has not weakened in the slightest.After Eugenie came back, within half a month, the threshold of Grandet's residence was almost broken.Everyone inquired about the reason why the court took Miss Grandet to Paris.Naturally, it was impossible to hear anything from Eugenie.As for the old Grandet, when he learned that the story of repaying gratitude was actually staged, and his daughter discarded the title, gold and land, but only wanted the priority of railway development, he almost vomited blood——

Forgive our old man.At this time, even the fashionable people in Paris still think that the rumored train is a roaring monster that constantly spews black smoke, not to mention the father who refuses to take a step out of Saumur all his life!In the near future, when he sees the train roaring between the cities instead of the inefficient horse-drawn carriage, and the huge profits it brings will also roll in to the owners of the railway company, he will understand what his daughter is doing today. The wisdom of this decision.

Marie Louisa, the second Empress Napoleon from Austria, will still be cast aside and despised by the world for her betrayal of her husband even after a long time.She was often blamed for ingratitude when the emperor, in desperate need of an heir, ordered his physician to save her mother when her childbirth was in danger—after Napoleon's defeat she abandoned France and returned to Austria with the King of Rome.After Napoleon's return from Elba, she did not return, and, having fallen in love with an Austrian officer, she married her lover shortly after Napoleon's death and completely turned her back on Napoleon.

Although these are facts, in Eugenie's view, betrayal does not happen overnight.

As a woman who lost her support, she didn't have the strong character to control a defeated country in such chaos, and her father, Emperor Austria, was in the way, and Metternich won her heart with the idea of ​​a beautiful man. People are disappointed, but it will not be blamed by Wan Fu, not to mention, how could Napoleon, as her husband, be loyal to her?Mrs. Poland even bore her an illegitimate child!And, considering that she later became the Duchess of Parma, she was under pressure to preserve in her domains some of the laws and institutions of the Napoleonic era, establishing equal inheritance rights for women, and abolishing the inhumanities of the old penal code.Just because of this, Eugenie felt that the world had no right to despise her choice.

The value of a woman's life is not only reflected in her loyalty to her husband.

Now she is back again, appearing with her husband before the French subjects, fulfilling her duties as queen.Eugenie can guarantee that in the way she came back, someone must have taken some actions that cannot be brought to the table, such as his usual style-aside from these, as far as the current situation is concerned, Eugenie I'm a little curious.If this re-established empire can really survive safely, what choice will Mary Louise make?

Days passed by, and in a blink of an eye, it was October.Three months have passed since the Empire was re-established.

As everyone expected, a month ago, an army of 60 troops sent by Britain, Austria, Russia, and Prussia, led by the Duke of Wellington, who was anointed by the Battle of Waterloo, walked along the road four years ago. The old road, which was regarded as the lucky line by the Allied forces, drove to the border of France in a mighty way, preparing to completely destroy the monster before it had time to catch its breath.In stark contrast, the French army only mobilized less than 20 troops.Napoleon still marched personally, but unlike before, this time, because of an unknown physical illness, he could no longer adapt to the ever-changing maneuvers on the battlefield, and Marshal Davout, who had made great contributions to the empire, Also due to physical reasons, he was unable to visit the first position in person, so the Duke of Montebello, who had already obtained the title of wartime marshal, actually obtained the right to command the army before the battle.In other words, when the situation changed and the emperor's combat orders were not delivered in time, he could completely command the mobilization and combat of the army according to his own judgment.

News from the battlefield was continuously transmitted to Paris, and then spread to various provinces outside Paris. Therefore, when the news reached Saumur, it was inevitably half a month ago.

The Emperor's army and Wellington's army are at war!

In the first battle, the two sides tested each other, each advanced and retreated, and there was no winner!

In the second battle, when the 15 French troops on the northern front were preparing to face the [-] British and Austrian allied forces under the leadership of Udino, the Austrian army was unable to arrive for a long time. The British were caught off guard when they had no time to adjust their tactics. They were defeated and had to retreat [-] kilometers.Afterwards, when the furious Duke of Wellington accused the Austrians, the Austrians stated very innocently that they had received orders that a large-scale uprising had occurred in Austrian Poland, and they had to rush back to fight the fire.

After the Austrians treacherously and unilaterally withdrew from the Allied forces, the battle stalled temporarily.Then, the Russians encountered similar problems.The Poles were well-equipped overnight, with a lot of artillery and guns. In just half a month, they attacked and recaptured more than a dozen Russian fortresses. Facing the fierce wave of uprising, the Russians hurriedly recalled ten In the end, a small part of the remaining troops made up the numbers on the French battlefield. Prussia also encountered the same problem, ignoring Wellington's fury, and followed Russia's footsteps. Take advantage.

The final battle has begun. Under the command of the Duke of Montebello, the 20W French army divided into three groups and launched a lightning attack on the Allied forces that temporarily stopped their active attack.Just like the soul of Marshal Lana who once shocked the battlefield, the young Duke fully demonstrated his command quality and fearless spirit in this large-scale maiden battle he commanded.After a day-long fierce artillery battle, in the evening, a thousand-man team composed of old Guards climbed over the hills and appeared unexpectedly at the command center position of the Allied Army Duke Wellington.After approaching the enemy, the Old Guard abandoned the shooting method of the musket with a limited rate of fire, and braved the hail of bullets and directly launched a lightning-fast attack on the enemy's position with the bayonet in his hand. , Soon, this command position with nearly 5000 people was overwhelmed.The soldiers of the allied countries fled in all directions in fear of the great reputation of the Old Guards and the desperate fighting style in front of them. The Duke of Wellington escaped on his horse under the cover of several cronies.The news spread quickly, and the Allied forces who had lost their command immediately had no fighting spirit. They were defeated by the French army who had been ordered to ambush in advance. Except for those who fled, the rest surrendered one after another.

In the last battle, the French army captured nearly [-] Allied troops at a very small price, and seized countless war supplies, and the Duke of Wellington disappeared.

Coincidentally, the place where this shameful battle took place was also near Waterloo.Fate circled back to the place again, but this time, it sided with the French.And it was Philip Lana, Duke of Montebello, who commanded and led the Old Guard to victory in the final attack.

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"Oh—but what a pity!"

In the living room of the old Grandet's house, Miss de Gribogou, an old maid who had never been married in her life, sighed with regret, "It's a pity, I heard that the Duke was injured in one eye by a bullet during the sprint battle— —His Majesty found the best imperial doctor and ordered them to cure the Duke's eyes—but what if something goes wrong...Damn the British guy! I heard that the Duke is a handsome man...and quite romantic , Ouch, I don't know how many beautiful women in Paris have been hurt by this..."

Miss Gribogo's exclamation elicited jeers from the men in the drawing room.The bankers from the army laughed the hardest.

"Miss, I'm afraid you don't know that, in the eyes of men, having battle wounds on their body is the quality of a real man!"

Mademoiselle Gribocourt and Madame de Grassin expressed their strong objection in unison. When the living room was full of noise, Nanon suddenly ran in with wide eyes, yelling at old Grandet.

"Old...Master! The man who came from the court last time is here again! He is right at the door!"

Nearly four months later, Mirel, the court attendant, came to Saumur's Grandet mansion again.

This time, he did not respond to Eugenie's inquiry with "I don't know".Instead, with a smile on his face, he said respectfully: "Miss Grandet, you have received the title of knighthood bestowed by the French emperor. This is a supreme honor. Congratulations. Please follow me into the palace Accept the canonization from His Majesty the Emperor."

The author has something to say: I would like to mention that the guns used in combat at that time were smoothbore guns, and they had to be stopped and re-operated after each round.Therefore, in close-range battles, if you are not afraid of death, the ancient charge and stab will be more effective.

French titles are different from British ones.Dukes and marquises belong to the first and second ranks of great nobles, and the third ranks are earls and intermediate nobles.

Next came the Viscounts and Barons of the lesser noble ranks.

The sixth level is knights and lords, suitable for non-eldest sons of small and medium nobles.Knights are awarded to those who have made military exploits, and Lords are awarded to those who have made contributions to the royal family or the country.This level is also used for commoners, and it is the first step to enter the noble class, but it is generally difficult for commoners.

Congratulations to Eugenie, we are also people with status from today, although we belong to the low class~