Sure enough, as expected, after leaving the battlefield, a torrential downpour began on the sea, and the wind and thunderous howls blew up the waves, quickly sweeping away the traces of the war just now. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

The Princess Charlotte, which had just escaped the Russian warship, began to wrestle with nature again, trembling and floating on the undulating sea, trying to keep itself on course, like fallen leaves in a strong wind.

Eugène, the captain, remained on deck, shouting loudly, ordering his sailors to get busy and steady, stabilizing the sails in the wind and rain, and draining the water from the ship.

The smell of gunpowder on the tip of his nose had not yet disappeared, and the rain carried the salty sea water to the entire deck, making Eugène's uniform soaked, but even so, Eugène's mood was still good, the joy of victory echoed in his heart, and his blood was as strong as the sea in front of him.

Such a storm would have greatly affected the voyage of the battleship, but fortunately, his new battleship had a new steam power, so it was able to overcome the constraints of nature to some extent, and after a period of hard work, they finally broke away from the storm-ravaged area, approached the mainland according to the predetermined course, and prepared to re-cross the Borphorus Strait and return to the fleet's home port in Turkey.

The crew, who had been floating on the sea for several days, couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief when they were already in sight on the mainland, and then let out an irrepressible cheer, and even the captain of the ship, Eugène, was a little relieved for a moment.

At this time, it was already approaching night, and as far as the eye could see, the glorious city was impressive, the lights lit everywhere in the city were as dense as stars in the sky, and the capital of the empire was like a magnet, attracting the resources of the entire empire, making it one of the most prosperous places in the world.

In order to defend the imperial capital of Istanbul, Turkey had a large number of artillery batteries along the straits, and these fortifications for many years kept Russia from being able to operate as an inland fleet in the Black Sea, unable to enter the Mediterranean, which they coveted and participating in naval hegemony with European countries.

Today, however, these batteries did not stand in the way of Eugène and his warship, and after seeing the battleship flying the French naval flag, the batteries allowed the Princess Charlotte to pass through the narrow channel and into the Sea of Marmara, which was surrounded by two straits.

Because of the arrival of the French navy, a large number of warships had been moored in it, and along the way Eugène could always meet the warships of his country and Turkey, as well as other ships, busy in the night, and the Princess Charlotte passed through them, all the way to the harbor where they were anchored.

Under the light of the night, two huge iron anchors weighing several tons, driven by the winch, slowly slid down from the thick anchor cables, and then fell into the water with a bang, and then sank to the bottom of the sea at a very fast speed, and then pierced into the seabed, providing stable support for the warship, and with the anchor being lowered, the voyage finally ended.

A few days of sailing was not a very difficult task for the officers and men who had been at sea for a long time, but it was always a sense of relief to be able to return safely to their ports after a fierce battle, and to be able to enjoy the joy of victory.

By Eugène's orders, the best part of the food left on board was taken out for the sailors to feast on the day's victory, which was a small but one victory for the Princess Charlotte since it entered the battle—and perhaps even the first victory of the French navy since the first engagement with the Russian navy.

After hearing the captain's order, the sailors on board rejoiced, and then feasted on a good meal, and some even fell drunk and fell unconscious on deck. Eugène, on the other hand, was much calmer, and after dinner with his men, he returned to his captain's room, and by candlelight, wrote down in his diary the events of today's battle and the psychological changes at that time.

Ever since he came to serve on the ship, Eugène kept a diary of his actions and moods every day, so that he could use them as a reference for the future. Today's battle will undoubtedly be a big part of his logbook, and he personally wants to keep a diary of his own excitement and excitement for today's self, so that he can read it in the future, and maybe even use it as a capital to boast about the past to his children in the distant future, if he is lucky enough to have a wife and children in the future.

With excitement, Eugène finished his long diary for the day, and then carefully kept the diary in his suitcase, and it was already the middle of the night. It wasn't until all this was done that Eugène lay back in his hammock and ended the long and passionate day.

That night, he fell asleep very late.

It was at noon the next day that he awoke from his slumber, and then he received an order from the command on the shore that the commander of the expeditionary force, Field Marshal Tréville, had heard of his heroic deeds the previous day and was ready to personally summon him to commend him.

As a cruiser captain, he should not have been qualified to meet the commander-in-chief directly, and Marshal Tréville did this out of some personal interest, but he was the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, and he was the supreme leader here, so no one would stop him from doing so—besides, Eugène's victory was one of the first victories of the French navy, and the heavy reward was not very outrageous.

With excitement and apprehension, Eugène immediately left his beloved ship and came to the long-lost ground, and then walked to the land camp under the herald of the commander-in-chief.

It was originally a wasteland, but after being occupied by the landing force of the French Expeditionary Force, through the efforts of the French soldiers and a large number of recruited people, a large number of temporary buildings were built here in a short time. However, because the officers and men of the expeditionary expedition who were transported in the follow-up were still rushing over, even the temporary camp buildings were in short supply, and a large number of officers and men had no choice but to use field tents to set up another camp around the temporary camp.

Along the way, they made their way through a number of checkpoints and eventually came to the headquarters camp.

Since it was the headquarters of the expeditionary force, it was naturally a busy place, and when Eugène arrived, he found a large group of officers of all ranks coming and going in and out of the small building, as busy as a lively bazaar.

Eugène knew that he was of a low position, so he honestly waited on the sidelines, waiting for the time when he was summoned by the marshal.

To his delight, though, he did not wait long when a young adjutant who was on duty at the marshal's side came over and invited him to the marshal's reception room.

Not only Eugène himself was surprised, but even the other senior officers who were waiting to meet the marshal were surprised, and they whispered and asked what the naval lieutenant was all about. When he was watched by these people, Eugène, who had never been afraid of heaven and earth, felt a little like pins and needles this time, but fortunately, the adjutant took him away immediately, and he didn't have to continue to endure such embarrassment.

Passing through the narrow hallway, he finally came to a slightly larger hall, the wooden building was well ventilated, so that he felt much cooler after he got rid of the crowd.

At this time, he found his uncle, Marshal de Treville, dressed in a marshal's military uniform, sitting in a seat on the side of the room, talking to a group of naval officers next to him, who were none other than the naval officers assigned to the Commander-in-Chief, that is, Eugène's immediate superior.

Eugène hurriedly came to the center of the room and saluted the group.

"Boy, it's finally here!" As soon as he saw Eugène, the marshal laughed, "At first glance, it looks like a man!" ”

Eugène's face was a little red, and he didn't know what to say, so he could only stand upright and listen to the marshal's instructions.

"You did a good job yesterday, you beat the Russians and made a meritorious service, and the whole navy is very pleased with you, so I will give you a medal," said the old man to his nephew succinctly, "and remember, I did not award you as your uncle, but as commander-in-chief!" You have done something worthy of the award, and the officers of the Navy believe that you should be awarded a medal. ”

"I ...... I'm just doing my job......" Eugène, who had never been very good at words, didn't know what to say at this time, "my men are braver than I am. ”

He knew in his heart that although he had indeed made great achievements, the reason why these naval officers said good things about him to the commander-in-chief so vigorously must also be to curry favor with the commander-in-chief, and it was precisely because of this that he felt a little embarrassed in his heart.

"Silly boy, without good command, bravery is useless! Humility is a good thing, but don't be too humble because it will look like pride. Marshal Tréville scolded Eugène with a smile and waved his hand heavily.

One of the adjutant immediately brought over a tray, and on the velvet cushion of the tray, a medal lay silently on it, shining with a metallic sheen.

The marshal stood up, and then casually picked up the medal from the tray.

A surge of blood rushed up from Eugène's heart, and he held his breath, and his waist straightened.

"I hope you can continue to serve the Empire with the same bravery in the future, and don't disgrace this medal." With a smile of relief, Marshal Trevier pinned the medal to Eugène's chest.

"Yes!" Eugène saluted again.

The naval officers next to him also applauded and congratulated the young captain on receiving such an honor.

"Well, young man, now that the business is done, let me talk to you about my personal affairs." The marshal took Eugène and walked to the side of his original seat, "Now I am no longer commander-in-chief. ”

Seeing the marshal say this, the officers all departed with great interest, leaving the two members of the Trevier family alone.

The marshal sat back in his seat, and then looked at his nephew quietly, at this time, his serious expression of business just now had disappeared, and only relief and incomparable emotion remained.

"Well......," he sighed after a long time, "if only Philip could see his grandson so promising!" ”

"Grandpa must be watching me from the sky, too." Eugène replied.

"yes...... He must be watching us from heaven. The marshal was stunned for a moment, then immediately nodded, "How could he not look at us?" It's good that we can afford him......"

Then, he let out a long sigh, "You're probably the most like my child in the family, you're hungry for adventure, you're hungry for excitement, and you're even purer than I am." Philip and I were born and died in order to revive the family business, and you ...... You were born and died just for the sake of risk, what a precious pride! Just like those of our ancestors centuries ago. At that time, the Sun King placed the great nobles in Versailles, providing for them with the most luxurious pleasures in the world, and they were willing to be born and die for the king and for France...... Can you imagine that time? Our ancestors and their friends came out of the palace with joy and ran to the front, where a teenage boy could be the commander of the regiment without the slightest jealousy, for they had to rush to the front every time they attacked, like the king's own brothers...... Oh, how dazzling we were! ”

Eugène listened quietly to the old man's narration, but although he was a little moved in his heart, he did not have any sympathy, the old man who had experienced the Versailles era, and the young man who had been re-washed by sixty years of wind and rain, even if they belonged to the same family, it was impossible for their thoughts not to produce some obstacles.

"God loves to play tricks on people, and my grandson is most like Philip, and Philip's grandson is most like me, but ...... It's not bad, because he made it easier for me to understand what Philippe was doing, and how close our two brothers were," the old man raised his hand and stroked Eugène's golden hair gently, as if he were caressing another man, "God testifies that I have not done anything in my life that has failed him, and I am sure that he has not done anything to fail me, and that when he fled France, my father told us to share honor and disgrace, and at least we did not disobey him...... It is precisely because of this unity that we have survived more than half a century of bloody storms and regained what we have today. Remember, Eugène, we have done all kinds of evil in Treville, but we have never turned our backs on our families! ”

Eugène listened in silence, and from the old man's words, he faintly sensed something.

Even if he keeps saying that he is most like him, the person he loves most in his heart is still his own grandson after all, Eirène thought to himself.

"I will follow my sister and Charles's orders, I remember very well, without them I would not be where I am today." After a moment, he nodded. "You're right, we must be united, and only then can we weather all the storms."

"Clever kid." The old man smiled, then patted him on the shoulder, "With this cleverness and cleverness, what big thing can't be done!" When I see you, I think of myself fifty years ago...... We said goodbye in Germany, and I returned to France with my wife and children to play for Napoleon, and I was as spirited as you were at that time...... It's good to be young! ”

"Take care of yourself, Marshal." Looking at the old man's infinite emotion, Ou Ren couldn't help but feel some inexplicable emotion in his heart, "You are the commander of the whole army, and we hope to be able to dedicate victory to you......"

"Victory is for Your Majesty." The old man laughed again, "And we can only pursue something other than victory. ”

Before Eugène could react, another figure appeared in the hall.

This person looks less than thirty years old, but his face is rigid and old-fashioned, giving people a depressing feeling.

"Let me introduce you to him, he is a right-hand man of our family, surnamed Kong Ze." The old marshal introduced him to Eugène, who was a little stunned, "He has now been appointed by the Charles to serve the interests of our family, and now he ...... It's time to need you. ”

"What......?" Eugène asked a little curiously.

"Let me tell you first, it won't be long before the Navy will have full access to the Black Sea, and then go to shell Odessa." Tréville calmly said more.

At this time, he was calm, and he no longer had the infinite emotion just now, as if he had returned to the role of marshal, "There is no doubt that Odessa, as the pearl in the hands of the tsar, must be beaten by us, but ...... Our family also has a lot of business contacts in Odessa, and we can't sit idly by and watch our friends suffer losses in this kind of shelling. ”

"In a way, if artillery fire can hit the warehouses, docks and warehouses of our commercial rivals, but spare our partners, that would be the best outcome." Kong Ze, who still had a straight face, said coldly, "We should work hard for this." ”

Eugène finally understood.

"The actions of the Navy have been approved by me, and because of the exploits you have just made, I have decided to put you in charge of the bombardment of Odessa...... And what you have to do is to cooperate with this Mr. Kong Ze so that the interests of our family will not be damaged. Field Marshal Tréville calmly explained to Eugène, "Son, you have the privilege of serving your family now, and God bless you." ”

In front of his uncle's eager gaze, Eugène, who had calmed down, found that he could not raise any words of opposition.

"I will do everything in my power not to disappoint you, Your Excellency." In the end, he replied categorically.