With the arrival of morning, the rising fog from the sea enveloped the entire sea area near Lavrion.
It was already summer at this time, so the sky was already bright before the sun came out, and the bays and cliffs all took on a cool color, faintly visible in the sight.
Edmond Dantès was in the woods not far from the coast, holding a telescope and quietly observing the sea in the distance.
According to the news he had received before, His Majesty, to whom he was loyal, had sent an advance team for his deployment at his request.
This trust made him feel grateful, and it also put pressure on him, because he knew that he carried too many expectations and would never allow failure.
As he watched, several black spots suddenly appeared on the foggy sea level.
These black spots are looming, both like entities and as elusive as phantoms.
As time goes by, the black spots become clearer and clearer, and their outlines gradually emerge in the telescope.
After confirming these familiar ships, Edmond Dantès breathed a sigh of relief, then walked out of his hiding place and came to the beach, and several of his men followed him and talked with him.
Let’s welcome the arrival of reinforcements together.
After arriving on the beach, he lit a torch to signal the ship.
The ships all stopped, then each put down a few small boats and approached the beach.
Edmond Dantès stared at the boats, and then subconsciously adjusted his clothes to maintain his usual demeanor.
Soon, these small boats came to the beach one after another with the help of the tide, and then the people on the boats got off the boats and regrouped on the beach.
Under the watchful eye of Edmond Dantès, commands were heard one after another, and the originally scattered crowd quickly gathered together and formed an orderly formation - obviously their commander was quite capable.
He immediately took steps and walked to this group of people.
The leader of this group of people was surprisingly an acquaintance of his.
Edmond Dantès was not curious about the other party's arrival - His Majesty's previous letter had made it clear that he would send his cousin to come with the advance team to negotiate with the Greek government as His Majesty's representative, so he
I was also mentally prepared.
"Your Highness the Prince!" The first time he saw Louis, he immediately bowed and saluted, "Thank you for coming."
"Long time no see, Earl." Louis nodded and said hello to him. "You did a good job here, and His Majesty particularly praised you."
"I'm just trying my best to complete the task. Thanks to His Majesty's continuous support, I can make some modest achievements." Edmond Dantès replied humbly. "Now that you are here to command, I think everything will be better.
smoothly."
Although he has gradually adapted to his status as a count and can already assume the posture of a big shot when interacting with other people, when facing the prince, Edmond Dantès always
I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and cringe.
Not only because he is His Majesty's cousin and a prince of the Bonaparte family, but also because this man has seen himself in his most miserable state in the prison of Chateau d'If.
He knew that no matter how many people he looked majestic in front of and acted like a count, it had no meaning at all in front of His Highness - Your Highness knew his true identity and completely remembered how he looked when he begged in front of him.
"You are too humble, Edmund." Louis smiled and shook his head, "Your ability has been proven by facts. Your Majesty and I are very satisfied. I have nothing to guide you. You can just go ahead."
Just do it and I wish you all the best."
Although in his heart Louis hated this "sycophant" who popped up halfway and took away the trust and authority he should have enjoyed, on the surface he concealed it very well and treated this Monte Cristo with a very cordial attitude.
Your Majesty.
Although he was proud, he was not stupid. He knew that falling out with the earl at the moment would not only help matters, but would also make him angry with his majesty, so he decided to build a good relationship with the other party first. He would need the earl anyway.
"Your Highness, I also wish you all the best." Edmond Dantes replied quickly.
After the greetings were completed, Louis pointed to a young soldier beside him, and then introduced him to Edmond Dantès.
"This is Mr. Carlotz-Francois Lopez. He is the captain of the advance team and is responsible for protecting the safety of the two of us. If you have any needs, you can ask him and he will find a way to complete it.
of."
Carlotz-François Lopez immediately gave a military salute to Edmond Dantès.
"My lord, I am at your disposal."
"Mr. Lopez, thank you for your help. I feel much more at ease with you here." Edmond Dantès looked at the officer and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He finally hoped for reinforcements, and the captain looked like a brave and reliable soldier. With their support, he finally felt confident.
"Okay, let's end the greetings here." After they finished greetings, Louis said, "Count, have you prepared a place for us?"
"It's ready," Edmond Dantès replied.
"Well, take us there quickly. I don't want to be here blowing the sea breeze all the time." Louis replied with a smile.
"Please come with me." Edmond Dantès also laughed.
Then, he led this group of people away from the coast and deep into the inland area. After several hours of marching, they were already a little tired and finally arrived at an abandoned village.
It seems that no one has lived here for a long time, and only some dilapidated farmhouses remain, which can barely provide shelter from the wind and rain.
There is also a well in the center of the farmhouse, which should be considered ideal by the standards of a marching station.
"This is a really nice place." Louis whistled, "Edmond, when did you open such a big hotel?"
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, right now I can only find this place for everyone to set up camp. Although the conditions are simple, please forgive me." Edmond Dantès replied with some embarrassment.
"No, I don't mind this. I didn't come to Greece to enjoy life - I just want to ask, how did you get such a place? And how do you make sure it is safe?" Louis shook his head.
"Since the Turks came, the villagers here have fled. Some people have gone to other places, and some have gone to the mountains and become bandits. And now there happens to be a group of bandits who are seeking refuge with me. This is what they told me.
." Edmond Dantes explained to the prince in detail.
Not long ago, through the introduction of a middleman, Edmond Dantès met a bandit leader, Isaac Valleolo, and then spent money to recruit him and his bandit gang.
Although he dare not trust the other party too much, at least for now, they have cooperated to a limited extent, and with the help of this group of bandits who are familiar with the local terrain, Edmond Dantès's actions have become a lot easier.
Abandoned villages were also found with their help.
"I have heard about the bandits." Louis nodded, "Let me meet them later. Now is the time to tell him our origins."
"I will arrange it." Edmond Dantès responded quickly.
Then, he took Louis and Francois Lopez to the relatively best-preserved farmhouse nearby, which would also serve as Louis' temporary residence.
In the simple, dilapidated, almost empty house, the three people found a few small wooden pillars as chairs and sat down, and then began to discuss the next thing.
"Edmond, I think you should know my mission from His Majesty's letter, right?" Louis asked as soon as he sat down.
"Yes, Your Highness." Edmond Dantès nodded, "You will contact the independent Greek government and their opposition to determine their attitude and seek cooperation."
"So, you have been in Greece for so long, do you have any clues? Or...can you give me any useful advice?" Louis looked at the count with expectant eyes, "There is not much time left for us. I
Think we need to act quickly."
As soon as he said this, Edmond Dantès looked a little ashamed.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness... Although I have been trying to contact the independent Greek government recently, there is still no reply. It is difficult for me to find a suitable messenger, and I dare not rush there directly..."
"That means there is no progress yet, right?" Louis frowned.
He wasn't angry, just a little disappointed. "Now that I'm here, your status is different. You can try to contact them and let them know our existence. If it doesn't work, I will just run over. I want to
Under the current situation, they should not easily refuse assistance from the outside world."
"I understand." Edmond Dantès nodded. "Then I will take this as my main goal."
"As for the opposition to the Greek government, do you have any idea?" Louis asked again.
"I have a clue about this." Edmond Dantès replied, "There had been internal strife among the Greeks before, and they had bloodshed with each other, forming deep hatred. Many people were exiled, and some were imprisoned in
Prison, and some people have become bandits. I think if we use our current bandit friends, we should be able to contact several former opponents."
In fact, when the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, many of the original rebels were bandits. After the internal strife in the Greek government, it was quite normal for the losers to go back and become bandits.
Louis thought for a moment, then spoke again.
"It's not enough to find collaborators. If we want to make them work, we need to find someone with charisma. What we need is a Greek government that is willing to cooperate with us, not a group of mountains fighting on their own.
Bandits, otherwise they are useless."
"Then what do you mean? Who do you think has the most appeal?" Edmond Dantès asked quickly.
"We have to find a way to get Theodoros Kroctronis to side with us, or at least remain neutral." Louis expressed his thoughts. "So, the most important thing now is to find a way to get with him.
connect."
This is indeed a crucial step.
Theodoros Krokotronis was the original leader of the rebel army. After the outbreak of the War of Independence, he used his many years of military experience to form an irregular army composed of bandits, and was then elected as the leader of Greece at that time.
The commander-in-chief of the rebel army. Under his command, the rebel army quickly achieved many victories, defeated the Turks many times, drove the Turkish forces out of the Peloponnese Peninsula, and became a national hero in Greece.
However, not long after, fierce internal strife broke out in Greece. Crocotelonis was imprisoned, and his old ministry also suffered a bloody purge.
However, because of his high prestige, the winning faction in the Greek government did not dare to kill him directly.
Next, Türkiye took advantage of the civil strife in Greece and invaded again with Egypt.
The situation became precarious. The Greek government, under the pressure of public opinion, released Krokotelonis and appointed him commander-in-chief again. However, the situation had become extremely bad by this time. Even with Krokotelonis' ability,
There was no way to save the overall situation, and we could only watch helplessly as the Turks and Egyptians advanced step by step and occupied most of Greece.
It is obvious that the commander-in-chief has severe conflicts with his government, and his old department also harbors hatred for the victors of the internal strife, and this is where they can be exploited.
"If Croquetronis, who has great prestige, chooses cooperation or neutrality, then all problems will be solved." After a moment of silence, Edmond Dantès echoed Louis' statement, "But--this
Will the general easily agree to cooperate with us? He is now the commander-in-chief of the Greek government and may not be willing to overthrow his own government."
"Everyone has his own pursuit. Now it just depends on what he is willing to give up for his pursuit." Louis replied with a smile. "If he is pursuing the defense of Greek independence, then in the current situation, he will seek any help.
Straw, he is willing to drink our help even if it is poison; if what he is pursuing is to defend the independent Greek government, then of course he will not be willing to see it end - what do you think he will think?"
Edmond Dantes was silent again.
No matter from any aspect, he did not feel that the commander-in-chief would have any loyalty or gratitude to the government that had bloodbathed his subordinates.
"It's at least worth a try." He nodded and agreed with Louis' judgment.
"Okay, Count, we've settled on this." After the two people unified their thoughts, Louis made the final decision. "Let's divide the work. I will find a way to contact the Greek government; while you will act in secret and contact his old subordinates.
, his relatives, and everyone who can speak in front of him, we are prepared with both hands, either the Greek government will cooperate with us, or we will overthrow it and let Krokotronis and his supporters come to power!
"
"Okay, Your Highness." Edmond Dantès responded. "I will follow your instructions."