On the one hand, this is because he is a soldier after all, and he advocates solving problems with iron fists and blood, and he looks down on Talleyrand, a bad guy like Talleyrand who turns the tables and conspires behind the scenes; on the other hand, it is also because at this moment, he feels that Talleyrand is not enough at all.
fear.
His worldview is very pure, and he gets as much respect as he has his strength. But what about Talleyrand?
After being forced to retire for more than ten years, the marshal still had prestige and his old subordinates to drive and summon, but Talleyrand did not. After losing power, everyone was afraid of him and was deeply afraid of him.
Afraid of being affected by his bad reputation.
In the marshal's heart, the other party's weight cannot be compared with his own. Even if the dynasty really changes, he is not qualified to share the same big cake as himself.
Talleyrand didn't take this kind of face-to-face humiliation seriously at all. After all, he had long been used to it. He just smiled and said, "Almost 40 years ago, some people thought that I was not worthy of working with them. Later, those people had a
All my gadgets are gone, but I...are still alive and well, serving every government that needs me."
As he spoke, he pretended to wipe his throat with his hand, hinting murderous intent in his laughter, "You must have witnessed the fate of many of them with your own eyes, right? So why do you think I'm not worthy?"
Woolen cloth?"
"Hmph." The marshal snorted again, "The times have been completely different. In the past, you could jump left and right and reap the benefits, but now, you are not the only one in France. What you can do can be done by others."
"I don't think so." Talleyrand shook his head. "Undoubtedly, it is not so easy to sell one's business nowadays, but there are still buyers who are interested in me. Of course, this bad old man like me is insignificant, and maybe I am not.
I won’t live long, but as long as I have a breath left, no one in the world can be more embellishment for a regime than me... Rather than saying that I am a diplomat, it is better to say that I am a makeup artist, responsible for making all monsters look human.
As long as I still have this skill, I can be dragged up to the stage to cheer people on. The monsters will all need me."
"Your tongue is as sharp as before." Marshal Soult's eyes softened a little.
"Of course, don't forget that I eat this bowl of rice." Prince Talleyrand shrugged, "It's a pity that few people can appreciate this art nowadays. This country has become too mediocre and people are addicted to it.
In my own small field of vision, I can no longer see the wit and humor of the old days. Alas, in those days we were guillotined for saying a few wrong words, but now they can't even say a few decent words!"
Marshal Soult didn't care whether the country was mediocre or great now, and he had no intention of chatting with Prince Talleyrand. Seeing that his initial temptation was resisted, he decided to go straight forward.
"Then, which monster are you going to paint on when you come here?"
"I will side with whoever wins, as I have always done." Talleyrand smiled slyly, "I have never been taboo about serving anyone, and of course, I have never been taboo about betraying anyone."
"Then I'm just the opposite." Marshal Soult replied coldly, "Whoever I side with must win."
At this time, the marshal was full of the majesty and arrogance of a soldier, and also revealed a kind of self-confidence.
Prince Talleyrand looked at the marshal's appearance, and secretly doubts arose in his heart.
What is this guy doing secretly? Why does he look so confident? Also, why did he come here specially? It can't be just to say a few sarcastic words.
"I appreciate your confidence, but since you have such ability, why do you still need to come to me?" Talleyrand deliberately provoked the place, trying to find out what the other person was thinking, "You just drag the person into Duy
If we go to Leri Palace and occupy the throne, won’t everything be over?”
This cynicism really angered the marshal and made him frown.
"Of course I will, but not now."
After a pause, he spoke again, "Talleyrand, I know what you did; similarly, you also know what I did, so there is no need for us to be secretive. I just want to know, what is the Bonaparte family's situation?"
What was promised to you?"
"Then do you know what it means when you ask me this question?" Talleyrand asked.
"What do you mean?" The marshal was confused.
"If I tell the truth, I may be betraying my future benefactor. After all, I am leaking secrets." Talleyrand replied, "It is one thing to chat with you, but it is another thing to leak secrets. I
We must have enough exchange price to reply to you..."
Seeing Talleyrand's calm look, Marshal Soult felt disgusted again, but he had already known that Talleyrand was such a person, so he did not have an attack.
"Well, let me tell you the truth first. He promised me that once I help him, he will make me the commander-in-chief of the army and entrust me with full power." The marshal simply missed the point. "Okay.
,Is it your turn?"
"Oh, then he really knows people well." Although this was the first time he heard the news, Talleyrand was not surprised. After all, there were not many things that could impress Soult. "Then I will tell you.
Well, he asked me to help him fix the attitudes of various countries, especially the United Kingdom, and if I could do that, he asked me to be prime minister."
As expected, when Sirte heard the offer, he expressed his incomprehension.
"What? Prime Minister? You?" He glanced sideways at Talleyrand, showing his sincere objection, "Why are you doing this? Let's not say whether you are worthy of it or not. Even if you are worthy, as long as you are now
If you look like this, if you don't take a good rest, why bother adding so much trouble to yourself?"
"Then you really don't understand me. The more powerful I am, the more energetic I am." Talleyrand could no longer turn a deaf ear to this question, and he answered him directly, "Besides, if I
If he doesn't come forward, can he find any better candidate?"
"There are so many people in France, are you afraid that you won't be able to find someone who is qualified enough?" Marshal Soult disagreed.
"Maybe it's because there are so many people who want to be prime minister that he wants to choose me, a dying old man." Talleyrand sneered and sarcastically said. "If you are qualified for the job, then so am I."
Hearing Talleyrand insinuating himself, Marshal Soult frowned again. "I'm not as greedy as you. I just think that letting you take on such a position will only be counterproductive and add more wealth to the Bonaparte family for no reason.
It’s just too much opposition. It wouldn’t be a wise decision.”
"Since I can make everyone hate me, then in a sense, maybe I can become a person that everyone can accept - it won't be worse anyway, right?" Talleyrand still sneered.
, "When I finish what I have to do, I can almost leave the show with dignity. That kid probably had this idea in mind..."
"Now that you know..." Soult wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Talleyrand's gesture.
"I know what he is thinking. He is a very smart child, but after all, he is still too young. Some things cannot be solved simply by relying on brainpower, and require years of accumulation. But it is in the correspondence with him that
, I can feel his thoughts and ambitions. I think among the younger generation, this is, if not unique, at least rare in the world. Your Excellency, Marshal, whether you are willing to admit it or not, this young man will not be a
He is an easy-to-manipulate character, and if you underestimate him, it would be a big mistake."
"I did not underestimate him." The marshal shook his head, "If I really underestimated him, I would have thrown him aside long ago. It is precisely because I knew he had talent that I placed my hope in him.
"
"But deep down in your heart you still underestimate him!" Talleyrand still asserted relentlessly, "You have a scornful attitude, question his decisions, disdain to figure out his thoughts, and only regard him as your own.
Stepping stone, this is arrogance! But I don't blame you, after all, you are full of honor, you must get the respect you deserve... But I advise you, if he succeeds, you may have to work with him for many years in the future.
Such an attitude will only put you in danger. Don’t forget that there is no shortage of ungrateful people in this world.”
Although he wanted to scold Talleyrand for being alarmist, Marshal Soult couldn't say it out as the words came to his lips. After all, the other party was somewhat reasonable.
"I don't know him well enough yet." In the end, he just replied calmly, "When I have the opportunity in the future, I will take him seriously. We can't say that he is our monarch yet, why should I be respectful to him? I want to salute him.
too early."
"Yes, there is still time, enough for us to make a choice calmly." Prince Talleyrand smiled and nodded, "For us, there is actually only one crucial question - Bonaparte or Orleans?
No matter who you choose, there are pros and cons, and there is no chance of regretting it again.”
"Why, are you still afraid of making the wrong choice?" the marshal asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Of course I'm scared, because with my age and physical condition, I don't think I can wait for the next opportunity to change the government... So as long as I make a mistake, I have to go home and wait for death; I guess you are no better than me.
Go, so you feel nervous and come to me and ask for my opinion.”
This time, Soult did not deny the other party's speculation.
From the first moment he met Prince Talleyrand, he was very rude. On the one hand, he wanted to test the other party's reality, and on the other hand, he also wanted to get some "pointers" from Talleyrand.
He had known that Talleyrand was a cunning old man for a long time, and he did not believe that Talleyrand would give him kind-hearted advice, so he could only use this method to make insinuations and find out the other party's true intentions.
Although he kept saying that Talleyrand was of no use at all, over the past few decades, Talleyrand's record of taking sides was frighteningly brilliant, and almost every time he was able to jump out of a political edifice on the eve of its collapse. This "ability"
Marshal Soult couldn't help but feel a little afraid.
Now that Talleyrand has pointed him out, he no longer dodges.
"It's not that I'm nervous or scared, I'm just like you, I don't want to waste more than ten years." He nodded simply, "Talleyrand, we each get what we need now, neither of us wants to lose and we can't afford to lose.
Our interests are the same on this point." "So, I said it from the beginning, as long as the two of us stand together and work together, it will be of great benefit to both of us and to the country."
Talleyrand replied, "You have your chips, and I have mine. If we fight alone, no one can be sure of the results we will get, but if we work together... I think everyone will feel it."
It’s heavy.”
Talleyrand's straightforward expression made Soult nod secretly, but he still didn't trust Talleyrand, after all, this guy was too repetitive.
"Since you have seen the matter so thoroughly, I agree with what you said and I am willing to support you." He also made a promise half-heartedly, "But I hope that before you make any decision, you will discuss it with me in advance.
Ventilate.”
"That's natural." Talleyrand agreed without hesitation, "Marshal, I'm afraid you don't know that I have been waiting for powerful people like you to join hands with me. I can assure you that as long as you
If you have not changed your mind, I will definitely stick to my promise and work with you to advance and retreat together."
In an instant, the two old men secretly reached a tacit understanding.
Although this tacit understanding is not a black and white contract, and it is impossible for them to be completely in sync, the common interests and the fear of losing the last chance brought these two old people who seemed to be inseparable and did not like each other to temporarily unite.
.
As Talleyrand said, neither of them wanted to waste any more opportunities.
After a moment of silence, Marshal Soult spoke again, "Now let's talk openly. Which of the two options do you prefer?"
"I don't lean towards anyone. I only make judgments based on reality." Talleyrand replied calmly, "But if you ask me which one I prefer, I have an answer - that young man."
"Oh?" Marshal Soult blinked. "Is it because he bids higher? Or is it because he is young and easy to get along with?"
"These are all reasons, but they are not the most important thing." Prince Talleyrand shook his head.
Then, he sighed again, "I am about to become a part of history, and he is probably the last person qualified to write my epitaph."
"Just for this?" Marshal Soult was a little unbelievable. He didn't expect Talleyrand, who was never emotional, to say such a thing.
"If you believe it, that's why." Faced with the doubt, Talleyrand just smiled calmly, "To tell you the truth, every time he replies to me, I will read it carefully, because he is indeed talking to me.
Discuss issues seriously and have a strong enough understanding. For more than ten years, people have only laughed at me without thinking about what parts of me are not worthy of ridicule. It has been a long time since I met someone who is willing to listen carefully to what I say, even for this reason.