I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 153 The Black Death (2)

   Philip, Duke of Orleans, the king's most trusted and dear brother, stood at the window of the castle and sighed deeply.

  This equivalent of the newly rebuilt Fowlerville Castle was originally designed to ensure the safety of him and his soldiers, and to resist the open guns and dark arrows of traitors and thugs. Who knows, the first thing it resisted was the plague.

It was not the plague that the people who shouted first found out, but the witch, because a child died and his grief-stricken mother insisted that an old witch had killed him and consecrated him to the devil, and the so-called witch She's just a lonely old woman. As people in later generations imagined, the burning of witches is more frequent in the countryside than in the city, perhaps because peasants and serfs can hardly think for themselves, in poverty and hardships. In their life, they need entertainment and anger, and in order to appease a crazy and irritable mother, an orphaned woman who no one will even say a word for her is of course the culprit.

The Duke of Orleans was completely sympathetic for a while. Most of the witch trials at this time were actually tried by secular courts. Only those who were really dangerous would arouse the court, so the Duke asked those people to take the child's corpse. Carrying it to him, his brother once recommended him a book, a so-called forbidden book, written by Andrea Vesalius. Philip knew that the king initially decided to keep Varo Vesalius because of him. There is such an ancestor, so with curiosity and horror, he read the entire masterpiece - after reading it, the Duke of Orleans must say that this Mr. Vesalius was not convicted by the church out of nowhere. In fact, if He was born fifty years late, and Philip would also advise the king to hang him.

However, there is much more to learn from this book than the books in the church or the palace. The Duke of Orleans felt that if he could confirm that the child died of an accident or disease, in addition to avoiding the execution of an innocent person, here The uneasy breath can also be calmed. But what he didn't expect was that when the little boy was carried in front of everyone and undressed to look for the wound, they saw large and small swollen bumps, some of which were festering, especially in the groin. .

The last time the Black Death broke out, Lorraine's casualties were not serious, perhaps because of the mountainous area and sparse population, but anyone who has read "Seven Days Talk" knows what the Black Death was like, and they exclaimed Get up, back down frantically, the mother seems to have something to say, but as soon as she stands up, she suddenly falls, she crouches on the ground, starts to vomit, the noise grows louder - the Duke of Orleans snaps out a handkerchief , pressed on his face, "cover your mouth and nose, let's go now!"

Fortunately, the duke's soldiers and entourage disdain to do those inferior things-whether it is blackmailing or beating the inferior people present, let alone touching the corpse, so no one has approached the woman and her child, they are all. The man who fought with the Duke of Orleans in several battles did not hesitate to obey the Duke's order, and immediately tore off the silk shirt from his coat and covered his face, turned on his horse, and talked to himself before anyone could react. The owner left the dangerous place together, and at the intersection the Duke Lema ordered the village to be sealed off, and if necessary, everything here could be burned.

But it was too late, even before the duke left, the epidemic blocked the whole of Nancy before the duke's order - the child was only discovered by the duke, the real source of the disaster had already left the village and went somewhere else .

In a place that people don't know, lies a businessman from England. He didn't think he would be infected with the plague at first. He got off the ship in Calais and started to have a headache and fever, but he is not that kind of big businessman. He was able to lie down and rest just because he was a little uncomfortable. He insisted on walking for two or three days, and finally died in a village not far from the pain caused by the high fever. The rats in the field ate his body. , died one after the other, but before they died, they had brought the plague to the people in that village, and unfortunately, the messenger in that village was about to go to Lorraine, and he carried the letters, day and night, Meanwhile, he died suddenly in an inn in Lorraine, but the inn owner secretly buried the guest who he thought died just because of the cold because he was worried about causing trouble.

So, before the child died, the tentacles of the plague stretched directly from Calais to France, and when bad news kept coming from Artois, Verdun, Tours, etc., the people and ministers of Paris only Fortunately, His Majesty the King, who often meets the Duke of Colonna in Calais, is not in Calais this time, but in Paris—but from the clear trace on the map, the Duke of Orléans’s path has been blocked.

   "Your Highness," whispered the Duke's personal attendant, "Mr. Pierre is back."

Pierre, the cousin of the Count of D'Artagnan, is an honest and reliable person, so the king sent him when he needed someone to help the fragile Mr. Varro Vesalius to explore the mines, and he was very willing of course. After taking over this appointment, in any case, although he had a good relationship with D'Artagnan, M. Pierre couldn't help but feel a little melancholy when D'Artagnan was on the rise and he was only a musketeer. - After Lorraine became the king's domain and the Duke of Orleans was dispatched here. He also stayed with Mr. Vesalius, and Philip also trusted Montesquieu. He had sent this gentleman out to negotiate with the frontier lords of the Holy Roman Empire to see if he could reach him. Stay there for a while.

But as soon as he saw the faces of the squires, the Duke of Orleans knew no way, the plague had spread, and even he couldn't blame the prince who had rejected them - not to mention that France and the Holy Roman Empire were apparently vaguely enemies, even if They are friends. If the position is changed, the Duke of Orleans will not hesitate to reject the other party.

   According to M. Pierre, from his departure to his return. The plague in Nancy had begun to spread eastward and northward, and on the west and south sides, what he dared not say, was that he seemed to see the smoke and fire rising from a great distance, that perhaps people were Burning villages and towns with epidemic disease, he didn't know, and he didn't dare to go where, because he didn't know whether he was still healthy or not.

There were already fallen people on the side of the road, some dead, some dying. Before Pierre returned to the castle, he was still washing in the moat. He and his horses, their clothes were thrown directly into the fire to burn. off, he spent three days in the hut outside the city gate before being allowed to appear before the duke, the duke didn't blame him, just said a few words and let him go - the grass in the castle was still lush and thriving, and the people Coming and going, although with a worried look on his face, there has never been chaos and noise.

This is thanks to this castle, because he has lived with his brother since he was a child, and his brother Philip did not suffer when the royal family was most embarrassed, and the generous income he enjoys ensures that he can go wherever he goes. Set up a comfortable nest for yourself. Of course, Fowlerville is a big nest, because it is also a military fortress, so the food reserves in it are enough for the people here to enjoy the first half of the year, and there are also all kinds of cloth and fur, especially Water supply, the castle originally had an underground well, just below the main building, which was specially used to ensure the castle's water supply, and not far from it was the Merter River, from which the Duke of Orleans led water to ensure the cleanliness and hygiene of the castle.

Now the duke no longer allows people to draw water from the aqueducts, the groundwater has to be treated and boiled, anyway, there is a lot of coal stored in the castle to supply geothermal heat - and because the duke of Orleans once cleaned Paris for the king - and now some people call the bathroom jokingly As for the Orleans room, since he may pass through some dirty and messy places, the king also reminded his younger brother to keep away from mice, wild cats and dogs and commoners... This is also a helpless thing, and it is precisely because of this that in this new building In the castle, not only are there almost no mice, but there are also very few bed bugs and fleas that are common to people - as the saying goes, the top works from the bottom, the king and his brother like to be clean, and there will be no lazy people around them. .

This prevented even a single person who might be infected with the plague in the castle. Before the people around found this, the drawbridge of the castle was pulled up and the doors were closed, but since a few days ago, people have been crossing the moat continuously. , want to climb up the city wall, or knock on the city gate to pray for containment - but no one dares to let them in, even if these people seem to be healthy, and there are many noble and important officials among them, but who knows if any of them are carrying As for the people of Plague Seeds, as long as they are slightly negligent, this still-vibrant castle can be turned into a dead mausoleum in just ten days.

"Your Majesty..." The Duke's attendant said subconsciously, but then suddenly closed his mouth, because he also realized that the king would not come here, so did his army and ministers, they could only be here silently Wait, wait until the plague has taken the lives of everyone around, until the seeds of the plague are withered by the rain and the scorching sun, and then it is possible for them to come out of the castle and return to Paris. Until then, even if they can, the king's army will not allow it ...all roads to Paris should be blocked by now.

  No one can be more important than the king, they all know that, but they can't help but hold a little hope... After all, the king's brother is still here.

The people in the castle think so, and the people outside the castle think so too. The people of Lorraine and Alsace are not so reluctant to be ruled by the French - the position of the Duke of Lorraine is a bit wrong, and his position is Usurped from his brother, in Lorraine, there are still many supporters of his brother, and now, in addition to those careerists who have been around the corner, there are also some people who have no way to go because of the plague. Fierce nature erupted, "Philippe is in Nancy!" they cried, "to Fowlerville!"

They said and did so, they know that the Duke of Orleans, the younger brother Philip, is not only his dearest brother, but also the most credible subject to the King of France, and he is also the direct line of the French royal family, who is only a short distance away from the throne. With two people, like this one, if they catch him and hang him in front of the line, they are not afraid that the king's army will not let the way - they will leave Lorraine and escape the plague! Even if it is impossible to get rid of the scythe of the **** of death in the end, then at least one noble person falls into the abyss of death like them!

The funny thing is that the order issued by the soldiers sent by the Duke of Orleans-no one read or listened to the documents on how to resist this plague, but the ignorant people were convinced by those who were conscientious. At first, it was only the lord's order. The army, the guards of the merchants, the mercenaries, and later there were countless peasants and slaves wielding flails (really used to hit wheat) and pitchforks, or sticks, and they formed a mighty army. Although this army was mixed and chaotic, the leaders didn't expect them to do anything - before they got to the castle, people who were already feverish rushed to the moat, the soldiers fired arrows, or threw stones, they The corpse fell into the moat - at this time, Lorraine was gradually becoming humid and sultry, and the corpse soon began to rot. Although no one in the castle had to rely on the moat for water, the strong stench from When it spreads in from outside the city walls, it still makes people feel that death is approaching.

The people outside the castle are indeed very vicious. While they are inciting the civilians to attack the castle, they are still spreading the news that there is still a clean land in Nancy. Fleeing here, the arrows of the castle were quickly exhausted, and all the houses that could be demolished were demolished. Even the sculptures that the Duke of Orleans liked were put on the city wall and smashed, and were thrown at the enemies outside as stones— These guys who are not soldiers at all, they seem to have lost their minds and desperately want to enter the castle - they see it! The people in the castle are indeed still alive and healthy! Also have the strength to carry stones and swing weapons! No Black Death in it!

They don't think about it at all. They have fever, muscle pain, weakness, and black spots and pustules. Once they enter the castle, they will not be cured without medical treatment. They will only infect more people, and then go to death in pain, or They thought about it, but some priests and bishops said that in this castle, in the hands of the Duke of Orleans, there is a relic from the Virgin Mary, which blesses the people in the castle and protects them from the plague , as long as they enter the castle, they can also enjoy this great blessing.

   Think about it, every day, no, every moment, someone falls and dies beside you, and you have heard the death knell - do you still fear pain, fear death? In other words, if you stay here, you will die, but if you can enter the castle, maybe you can live?

This kind of thinking makes people rush to the city gate like a wave. They are bare-handed, they have not undergone any training, and they are killed and injured countless times, but these cannot offset their desire for life. If the soldiers on the city wall have not gone through several battles , would be so scared that their hearts would burst, but even so, it was still difficult for them to continue to strengthen their will - people kept pouring in here, and they had only themselves, no reinforcements, and no hope.

   (end of this chapter)