Eagle’s Glory

"In short, Prince Talleyrand is a useful person to France."

In front of Earl Telewin, Aiglon expressed his current views on Prince Talleyrand with some half-truths and half-false words.

Lord Telewyn listened carefully, not missing a word, and at the same time, he also carefully chewed the subtext of Aigron's words.

From this young man’s words, one could not hear any resentment or antipathy toward Prince Talleyrand, but this is normal. When Emperor Napoleon and Prince Talleyrand had a falling out, he was not even born yet. There is no personal connection between them. It would be strange if he had always been full of resentment towards the prince.

To be honest, Emperor Napoleon offended so many enemies that even if he were to draw up a list of grievances, Talleyrand would not be at the top. Why would Duke Leichstadt have to get entangled with him for those passing things?

From the tone of his voice, he could clearly feel that the Duke wanted to cooperate with Prince Talleyrand - and this was an excellent political signal and what the Prince wanted.

"Your Highness, I am very grateful to you for being able to evaluate my teacher so objectively and impartially." Count Telewin looked at Aiglon with a very moved expression. "I know that the world has a lot of misunderstandings about Prince Talleyrand. Some people They were even proud to mock him, but what did these people do? In terms of contribution to France in 1814 and 1815, few people made greater contributions to France than him! He did his best to preserve France at the Congress of Vienna , pulled her back from the haze of failure on the battlefield, and got her the status of a great power she deserved. How many people would do better than him?

Similarly, for me, the Prince is also a very wise and gentle teacher, who can often give me some thought-provoking teachings as a senior figure in the diplomatic community. Social criticism cannot erase the sparkle in his soul. Isn’t he a role model for diplomats like us? Let me tell you, we will never lack high-minded moralists, but we are so short of Talleyrand! "

Aiglon also knew in his heart that in order to protect his teacher and increase his social status, the count deliberately exaggerated Talleyrand's contribution at the Vienna Peace Conference, making it seem as if there would be no France without him. In fact, neither Metternich nor Metternich The British, for the sake of continental balance, had never thought of completely withdrawing France from the ranks of great powers (in fact, they did not have the ability to dismember France). Essentially, Talleyrand relied on this confidence to be able to have spare power among the great powers. In this process, France tried its best to save its capital for the Bourbon royal family - of course, even if it was just "taking advantage of the situation", this is already very remarkable.

"We are indeed short of capable diplomats, but one is enough, Prince Talleyrand. No one can be as annoying and lovable as him. He cannot be copied. For me, he It is a genius composed of 70% outstanding wit and 30% extravagance, cunning and corruption, but who doesn't have something wrong with them these days? We can't expect everyone to be a saint-" Aigron said with a hint of arrogance. There is a hint of sarcasm,

"I respect this senior very much, and if I have the opportunity, I am very willing to listen to his teachings in person."

Aiglon's words were a bit harsh, but they were necessary.

In 1821, Emperor Napoleon died on the island of St. Helena. He left a special will, one of which was: "While France was still rich in material resources, it suffered two unfortunate invasions. The consequences should be attributed to Marmont and Augereau. The treachery of Talleyrand and Lafayette. I forgive them—and may future generations of France do the same.”

Although the emperor deliberately said later that he had forgiven them, he still couldn't forget Talleyrand's name before he died, which can also reflect the resentment he accumulated in his heart for Talleyrand's actions.

[By the way, Marmont was a rebellious Imperial Marshal who took the initiative to persuade his men to surrender to the coalition; Marshal Augereau asked Napoleon to abdicate in person in 1814, and later refused to fight for Napoleon; Lafayette The parliament openly asked why France continued to bleed for the Bonaparte family in such a desperate situation; privately thought that apart from Talleyrand and Marmont, who were indeed traitors who turned against the Lord and sought glory, Augereau and Rafa It seems that Yate could not be called a serious betrayal. At most, it was a personal choice made in a desperate situation. Napoleon should not have specifically criticized the two of them in the last stage of his life.

Maybe the emperor felt that the situation in 1814 or 1815 was not desperate enough and there were enough consumables for him to gamble, so he felt that the "anti-war" Augereau and Lafayette had ruined the empire's national destiny, so he felt resentful... 】

Out of respect for the late emperor and out of his own dignity, Aigron could not show a completely disregarded attitude, as if he was asking Prince Talleyrand for help; but on a practical level, if Prince Talleyrand and Prince Talleyrand His cooperation will bring him great benefits, so Aigron can only use the qualitative rhetoric of "70% to 30% of merits and demerits".

It does not undermine his own dignity, but also implicitly points out that he has not forgotten everything in the past, and needs Prince Talleyrand to make up for it with actions.

If you are a person who attaches great importance to reputation, you will definitely be very angry when you hear this kind of characterization. After all, 30% of the fault means a huge stain, but both Aigron and Count Telewin know that Prince Talleyrand will never be angry. I'd probably laugh out loud instead - there are actually people willing to praise me like this, this guy really has some potential!

"You really made a wonderful metaphor. I have never heard anyone describe the prince so accurately before. I think he will be really happy that you evaluated him so pertinently." Earl Telewin said to Aegron The description expressed his sincerity, and he obviously did not want to cleanse Talleyrand's personal morals, which was, after all, known to everyone.

Then, he stopped smiling again, and then looked at Aigron seriously, "If you want to interview him, I believe there will be many opportunities in the future - His Royal Highness the Prince also cares about you very much. When I am the Austrian Ambassador, He has already asked me to come and meet you, and for more than a year, he has been paying close attention to your movements and is sincerely happy for your achievements. He is very lucky that you have such a talent. , worthy of the late emperor’s reputation.”

Of course Aigron didn't believe a word of what the count said. Prince Talleyrand could not have any true feelings for anyone. The only thing he cared about was his personal power and wealth.

But this is not important. It is precisely at this point that the two people have a common language.

Because Talleyrand had supported the revolution, the Bourbon royal family hated Talleyrand very much. However, in the early days of the Restoration, because their foothold was not stable and they needed to use Talleyrand's diplomatic skills to maintain their position, so at that time King Louis XVIII chose to tolerate this nuisance for the time being.

In 1814, with the first restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, Talleyrand was appointed minister of foreign affairs by Louis XVIII. In 1815, with the second restoration of the Bourbon dynasty after the Battle of Waterloo, this time the king appointed him as prime minister, allowing He came to restore order to the royal family.

Whether in domestic affairs or diplomacy, Talleyrand, who was entrusted with important responsibilities, did his best and temporarily stabilized the situation. However, at this time, in the eyes of the king, his use value had been lost, and Talleyrand privately still had a negative attitude toward the royal family. The disrespect so infuriated King Louis XVIII that he dismissed him after three months as prime minister.

Of course, in order to show the dignity of the royal family and to appease this minister who had made more or less contributions, the king appointed him as a member of the House of Nobles (the Restoration Dynasty continued the bicameral parliament of the empire, but changed it to the Senate)

In 1824, King Louis XVIII died, and his younger brother King Charles X succeeded to the throne. This king was much more conservative and reactionary than his brother. Talleyrand was even more disgusted and had no intention of giving him a good look at all. As for resurrecting, it was even more delusional.

Prince Talleyrand already had more money than he could spend in several lifetimes. After being forced to retire, he lived in the beautiful Valensay Castle and enjoyed a luxurious life. However, for such a person, he has lost his power. It was equivalent to losing half his life, so naturally he would not be reconciled to it. He wanted to regain his power and regain his infinite glory. Although this old man is now 74 years old, the flame of ambition in his heart has never really been extinguished. Pass.

And having betrayed the current government n times, he naturally wouldn't mind betraying the Bourbon family again. Since Bourbon couldn't give him what he wanted, he wanted to get it from others - he wanted to use the outside world The power of France would overthrow the Bourbons once more, and then let the new master of France give him power again.

In the original historical line, Prince Talleyrand did implement this idea. After his retirement, he changed his identity again, from a royalist to a liberal, and openly mixed with the opponents of the dynasty. Money allowed them to wave the flag and shake the prestige of the dynasty.

Later, he colluded with the Orleans family and used the Duke of Orleans to realize his plot.

After the July Revolution of 1830, the Duke of Orleans drove away the Bourbon royal family and usurped the throne, and he immediately summoned Talleyrand as his diplomatic adviser.

In September 1830, he was sent to England by the Orleans royal family and coordinated the positions of both sides. In November of that year, he became France's representative at the London International Conference and participated in resolving the dispute between the Netherlands and Belgium. On the issue of armed conflict, Prince Talleyrand finally fulfilled his long-cherished wish and finally returned to the stage that he had never forgotten, and continued to "exercise his remaining enthusiasm".

Aigron knew these anecdotes, so he didn't mind extending an olive branch to Prince Talleyrand.

Since Talleyrand could make deals with the Orleans family, why couldn't he have an affair with the Bonaparte family? Presumably in this old man's heart, it doesn't matter to anyone on either side, as long as he can be given a higher position of power.

Agron even felt that Talleyrand was very happy to see another way to defect, because then he could "wait for a price".

And from Aigron's own perspective?

If he really seizes the political power in France, he will need just such a person, an old face who is familiar to everyone in the diplomatic field, is "highly respected" and has well-known abilities, to embellished his cause and let the outside world recognize him. Rule over France.

Although the Orleans family is a rebel, they are, after all, a descendant of a side branch of the Bourbon royal family. There is a certain degree of "legitimacy" in snatching the throne of the long branch, which is at least easier for the great powers to accept.

But the Bonaparte family is different. It does not have a long history or lineage, and it has only been more than ten years since its destruction. People still fully remember the bloody disasters that the empire brought to the outside world at that time.

In theory, Aiglon needs a diplomatic veteran more than the Orleans family to convince foreigners that the new Bonaparte dynasty does not mean disaster, and that he is a rational person who is willing to work within the existing international framework. to solve problems instead of thinking about revenge every day.

Eggron has actually thought about this issue. He believes that among the international powers, Austria is the least opposed to the Bonaparte family returning to the throne (his grandfather is indifferent to this, and Archduke Karl may be happy that his daughter has become the queen. ), while the British attitude is more ambiguous and needs to be fought over - the British are not so much disgusted with the empire as they simply hate Napoleon. They even accepted Napoleon's own proposal to abdicate and pass the throne to his son.

Moreover, the British are famous for not talking about emotions but only interests. Although they may not like the surname Bonaparte, at least they have no hatred for Napoleon II. As long as they can show sincerity, they should be able to exchange for them. acquiescence.

As long as Britain and Austria acquiesce, he actually doesn't have to worry about any international issues anymore, because Prussia doesn't have the courage to act alone, and the Czar is far away, and he has no interest in fighting another big war.

Therefore, the key issue is that he needs to find someone who is "respectable" enough to mediate for him, so that the great powers can relax their attitude, acknowledge the status quo, and at least acquiesce that he "responds to the voice of the French people."

Whether from a historical perspective or from a personal ability perspective, the best candidate is naturally Prince Talleyrand.

And now at this point in time, the prince happened to be throwing temptations at him...

It has to be said that although Talleyrand is old, he has a keen sense of smell. He can judge Aigron's needs and express his sincerity at the right time.

In this case, why not cooperate?

Talleyrand also had another "advantage". He was so accustomed to being a conspirator that he never thought of taking the lead. For decades, he always hid behind rulers and secretly reaped the benefits. He didn't They will think about stealing the country and only want to get enough benefits from the thief.

Obviously, Talleyrand would not offer a low price, because he knew he needed his help and he would ask for as much as he had for years.

But so what? If you want to bid, bid! Talleyrand was useful to him, so he offered Talleyrand a higher price than others.

He had little confidence in others, but he had great confidence in Prince Talleyrand, because he knew that as long as the price was right, there was nothing that Talleyrand could not sell, and as long as the price was right, he would do his best and keep it to the satisfaction of his employer.

As long as the goal can be achieved, it doesn't matter even if Talleyrand is satisfied.