I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 178 Louis XIV's first imperial expedition! (3)

Philip was silent. In fact, the ashes of the Huguenots never seemed to go out. The prediction of the Queen Mother Mary of the Medici had become a reality. Although the former Henry IV was also a Huguenot, even if he converted, The Edict of Nantes was also issued to ensure the safety of the Protestants, but the Huguenots always brooded over his conversion, thinking he was a heretic and a traitor, and even his children and grandchildren did not have the right to sit in France. On the throne, they should be punished! They all say and do it, but such thinking is dangerous, not for others, but for themselves.

Others say that the king is kind and kind, and only those closest to him know how narrow-minded Louis XIV is and a man who will pay revenge. His tolerance is towards the country, the French royal family, and himself. As Surrey said, he looked at people only if they were useful - like a beast, a tool, when Louis was assassinated and stranded in the inner world, many people encouraged Philip to take the throne- It is impossible to say that there is no heartbeat, but in addition to his feelings for his brother, Philip often asks himself in the dark if he can be like his brother, who can freely move between public and selfish hearts, no, he can't, he It is very clear that even if he becomes a king, there is no way he can be like his brother, and there is only one result - after serving as a puppet of Kong Dai or others for a period of time, his brother beheads him.

The reason why the Huguenots have been able to survive until now can only be said that they are indeed lucky. After the new king came to power, there were too many things to deal with, and they could not be taken care of for a while. In addition, the power of the new king was unstable and his majesty was not strong. It is not impossible to deal with these people, but it will inevitably have an irreparable bad influence on the current France, but from the king's gesture, as long as the war against Flanders is won, then the end of the Huguenots is coming.

   "I hate anything that is incomprehensible and incomprehensible," murmured the king, but it was not a question that needed an answer: "Philip."

   "Here I am, Your Majesty," said Philip, standing up immediately.

   "How are the preparations for the military parade?"

Philip reported in one after another at once—how about the chalk and paint that adorned the exterior walls, how about the flags draped from the patio, how about the flowers and trees that decorate the windows, how about the cleaning and refurbishment of the street canals, and The situation of the soldiers, their weapons and equipment, their clothing and horses... and so on, etc. Of course, this cannot be done by Philippe alone, with Sebastian Vauban and the Count of D'Artagnan as his assistants , but he is the only one who returns to the king, but the former does not have to worry about being deprived of credit by him. This is not because they believe in the duke's character, but because it is well known that Philip the Duke of Orleans is the first person in the king's heart, whether it is the queen mother. Still a queen, not even the crown prince, the little Louis.

  The trust the king gave him was like the sun. If so, wouldn't the moon still be jealous and steal the light of the stars?

Sure enough, after hearing the Duke of Orleans' return, Louis patted his brother on the shoulder with joy. He valued this expedition very much. It would directly affect the king's rule and influence on Paris, Orleans, the whole of France and even Europa. For fifty years, success has been multiplied, and failure has to be recovered with more effort and time.

  ————

The Franks were descended from Rome and inherited countless traditions left to them by their ancestors, one of which was the Triumphal, a grand triumph that no general or even an emperor could refuse. They would also build a huge Arc de Triomphe. To commemorate his exploits, there are still more than 100 Arc de Triomphe left from ancient Rome to today. When Louis's army was besieging Castel Sant'Angelo, he also wanted to take down the Arc de Triumph of Titus or the Arc de Triomphe of Severus and bring it back to France. , dedicated to the king. Fortunately, the three triumphal arches in Rome at that time were all in tatters, let alone demolished, even if they were pushed gently, they would fall down, so they reluctantly gave up.

  Louis thought, he doesn't need the triumphal arch of the ancient Roman emperor, what he needs is his own triumphal arch, every victory, every triumphal arch.

But before the Arc de Triomphe stands, he must first let Paris and the whole of France see the glory that belongs to the king, and build their confidence in the royal family. He will not give up the victory that is in sight, and this time he will go out with his brother Philip.

   So there was this military parade and expedition ceremony that appeared in front of people in Paris.

All the Parisians learned about this as early as a month ago. After all, the renovation of the outer walls of the buildings and the renovation of the streets cannot be concealed. The provincial people know that it will be a little later, but 20 days of work is enough for them. Arrived in Paris, Paris was overcrowded, even Versailles was crowded, God forbid, the king had anticipated this, a large number of rough concrete houses were built for servants and horses to live, the new city of Paris - also The three-story building that was built after the shacks of the poor were leveled, has already been registered and organized, and the necessary furniture and utensils have been prepared. There are officials outside Paris who are responsible for this matter - those dignitaries naturally don't have to worry about it. There is no place to live. This move is aimed at the upstarts and the great eunuchs. They have been allocated a place outside the city, carriages are not allowed to enter the city, and the number of horses and servants is limited. Being successfully blocked from Paris, everything was in order until the day before the expedition ceremony.

LeBlanc, the king's royal painter, woke up very early, or maybe he slept for two or three hours. When he woke up, the sky was still dark, but the moon had already set on the horizon, and the stars were no longer shining so brightly. The cobalt blue sky light illuminates the black roof ridge. In order to complete the work assigned by the king, the painter lives in the attic of a three-story building at the end of the main road in the new city, that is to say, the fourth floor, where people store their items and dry them. The place for clothes was not suitable for living. It was full of dust, not to mention the ventilation. Although he instructed the landlord to clean it carefully, he still felt an indescribable strange smell.

But if he wanted to say, it was still much better than the room he rented when he came to Paris, and the new, or rediscovered materials of cement were much stronger and cleaner than the wooden ones, maybe because it was here Because the walls and floors have few holes and gaps for the survival of mice and bugs, the nights in the new house are always very peaceful, but some people complain that such cold walls lack human feelings - LeBron felt that it was lacking. A little human touch is better than the plague and fever, anyway, in those old towns, there are always accidents of this kind every once in a while, not to mention the London fire not long ago, is this fire Charlie II? What the King ordered to do to end the dangerous epidemic is unknown, but LeBron knows that since then, no one has been dictating the King's plans to rebuild the city.

Oh, there is another point of satisfaction. The young painter took the coffee from the landlord's daughter and took a sip of it with satisfaction, while holding the girl's plump waist. That is, if someone wants to have a private with the lovely girl. When we meet, you don't have to worry about being noticed by an irritable old father or a jealous husband. After all, the sturdy concrete steps, as long as you don't wear wooden shoes, will not make a creaking sound, like now, the landlord is extorting LeBron agreed to lend the room to LeBron for a hefty rent, not including meals, but his daughter fell in love with the painter at first sight. Just bring coffee and bread to the attic. If the landlord is careful, he will find that his lunch is obviously insufficient. In the evening, the girl will hide the cheese in her skirt and bring it up - while her old father is sound asleep.

  LeBron is not the kind of merciless person. He has already thought that when he leaves, he will leave a gemstone ring to this girl as a reward for these days.

Now, he still hides his identity. After all, he doesn't want to be disturbed too much before finishing his work. In addition, if this lovely person sitting on his lap knows that he is the king's chief painter, then His pure and clean feelings were about to be transformed into places he didn't want to see. He had seen many such things in the palace, and even the king could not avoid them, so he never tested people's hearts.

With such a complicated mood, LeBron put down the cup and gently pushed the **** him. Although the girl was reluctant, she still picked up the tray and went down gently. LeBron's feelings followed the graceful figure. Gradually disappearing and becoming cold, he opened the attic window and sat down on the outstretched platform, his sight going all the way along the concrete road lit by the kerosene lamp, the lantern swaying gently, from the darkness. A line of musketeers walked out. They were wearing plain robes. They were obviously here to patrol and clear the street. The people in the lead saw LeBron—he was too obvious. In the whole street, the only open attic was this place. Beside LeBron is the drooping royal flag. In the dim light, the royal blue shows a deep cobalt blue, but the golden lily embroidered with gold and silver thread is still shining.

  The Musketeers captain took off his hat and saluted when he was ten feet away from LeBron, and so did LeBron. Then he began to quickly sketch on the drawing board the stark scene that remained in his field of vision - the job that the king gave him was not just to leave the king and his ministers - he was going to build a large gallery in the Palace of Versailles. The place, in this big gallery, will leave all the king's outstanding achievements, and as the king's first battle, the king hopes that LeBron can record and describe from the beginning, and the smallest place.

   To put it simply, Louis just wanted a color comic strip…

LeBron still doesn't know what a color comic strip is, but he has long been suffering from no use. Although the king admires his style, it is strange that although the king is beautiful and tall, he very, very, very dislikes being drawn, except When he married with Spain, he had to ask LeBron to paint a portrait, and he didn't have a second portrait. Even the small portraits in the portrait pendant of the Queen Mother and the Queen were LeBron from that blind date. If other members of the royal family hadn’t called LeBron from time to time, LeBron would have wondered if his status as the chief painter had long since existed in name only.

When the sound of the waterwheel purred, LeBron finally pulled his thoughts back to reality. After the Musketeer left, the street cleaner also appeared. This position has been around for a long time, but the present is not the same as the past. It is quite different. First of all, the king did not allow people to dump **** on the streets at will, and he did not allow people to unload their hands in corners and under walls. Their work was much easier - rubber hoses were attached to the waterwheel, which is as old as cement. A material that exists but was only applied under the study of a bachelor. The water sprayed from the water pipe flows on the flat gray road. People wave the broom and sweep a little debris and fallen leaves into the ditch, trying to keep the street clean. like their faces.

At this time, a thin mist slowly rose in the streets and alleys. The light of the kerosene lamp became more and more turbid, and the houses were looming. LeBron stopped the charcoal and stared at the scene in front of him. The mist is a strange substance. People often think of it as white or grey, but in essence it is something that can be influenced and embellished by other scenery, the mist around the kerosene lamps is golden, the weapons on the streets are lead black, the buckets of water The mist above is silver, the mist around the rose is tea-red, and under the distant sky, the mist is bright white and orange-red. Seeing such colors, LeBron realized that the sky was already bright, and he picked it up. down the kerosene lamps hanging from the balcony railing, and seeing the musketeers entering the house in pairs—everyone here has a permanent or temporary king's permit, otherwise they won't be allowed to stay and stay, Such checks have been done every day before, and this time is obviously the most important one.

  Because the king is coming.

Not everyone is willing to obey the king's orders, and this situation may continue for hundreds of years, some people may not be malicious, just want to take advantage or show how smart they are, anyway The Musketeer was twisted out and thrown into the Bastille not far from here. Whether he can be released later depends on whether the king is willing to forgive them, but only after the war is over. LeBron does not sympathize with them, but instead Schadenfreude has sketched a comical portrait for use in hell-related themes.

When the slight confusion passed, the people in the house came out, and today, even the toughest people have put on their best clothes, and look past, full of snow-white lace and colorful satin, gleaming. The buttons were almost dazzling when the fog cleared, men, women, old people, children, all crowded excitedly outside the windows or doors, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the king and his army, although according to tradition the king would not be so early Get up - at least not in public at that early time, a time period reserved for close friends and important officials.

But people didn't care at all, they whispered and whispered, the sound waves became louder and louder, and the sun shone on the cleaned road. At this time, a hint of regret rose in LeBron's heart, because on the stone road in the past , after the rain washed away the feces and dust, what was left were the bright and oily stones polished by the horseshoe boots. Their gaps often formed a strange and wonderful pattern, and the cement pavement, although he also praised its cleanliness Flat, but the uniform color and texture make it look very rigid, and it is difficult to show its unique beauty on the screen.

   But before noon the army of the king appeared before the mass procession. The generals of ancient Rome had to make sacrifices to almost all the temples in order to make sure they were safe before they set off on the expedition. Today, people only need to worship one god, but on the other hand, the pomp of this **** needs to be large enough. The mass procession is performed by the familiar Larry. Under the leadership of Cardinal Viel, surrounded by the portraits of saints and the cross, perhaps as a foil for the red sacrificial shawl, he was extraordinarily red and full of energy, and he was extraordinarily powerful and tough when he made blessing gestures to people.

The people cheered, the names of God and the saints were endless, and the smoke of frankincense and myrrh replaced the remaining mist, so strong that LeBron, who was standing on the top terrace, could clearly smell it, and he said to the mass procession. With a gesture of respect, he sat down and recorded this exquisite and sacred picture.

After the mass procession left, the road was no longer so monotonous, because someone was throwing fresh petals along the way. There was a rhythmic drumbeat.

This time, even LeBron couldn't help clenching his fists tightly. He hurriedly changed the paper on the easel, sorted out the charcoal, and ensured that he would not interrupt the "record" because the charcoal broke, and waited for him to lift it again. Looking at the first, gorgeous flags have appeared at the end of the street with the sound of drums.

Of course, the drummer and the flag player appeared first. The drummer's drum was fixed on the left side of the body with a wide belt. The left hand held the drumstick and the silk rope on the drum body to ensure that the leather drum would not shake, and the right hand held another A drumstick beat rhythmically on the thin leather, and behind them sat riders on horses, with flags on their shoulders almost as tall as their bodies, gilded at the tips and hung with silver threads. Tassel, below is the royal blue velvet flag, the royal badge on the flag is huge and eye-catching.

Behind the drummers and riders is the King's Guards. Although it is said to be the King's Guards, except for the honor guards such as the "Gentlemen Centuries" and "Swiss Centuries", these guards must follow The king galloped together with those on the battlefield. Many of the early guards were mercenaries from Croatia, but after Louis took the lead, this team was gradually replaced by newcomers from Versailles. Although the previous guards The army also fulfilled their duties, but it is clear that their loyalty is completely incomparable to those who have been directly favored by the king, and the fact that they are French compared to the Croats is a great advantage.

These newcomers can't be regarded as complete newcomers, because in the previous Battle of Dunkirk and the Battle of Lorraine-Alsace, they have already undergone several harsh trials, so those who can stand here, Almost all of them were already reliable warriors, their faces were resolute, and the military coats the king gave them were solemn royal blue, trimmed with silver bars, silver buttons, the inside of the sleeves turned out were bright red, and the officers had epaulettes, There are fringes on the epaulettes and belts. When they swayed, they swept more than those strong bodies, and the hearts of those girls and ladies were also turbulent.

The Guards consisted of four companies, each with 100 men, and then, with the intervention of the king, each company consisted of 100 cavalry, although these infantrymen also rode horses and held muskets when fighting, but in the parade. In the army column, they traditionally carry sharp halberds on their shoulders. In all fairness, visually, hot weapons can never be compared to cold swords. When hundreds of halberds are erected, such a steel jungle belt The sense of oppression it gave people was indescribable, and the crowd even fell silent before cheering loudly.

Behind the shiny steel are the Guard's cavalry, with heavy belts of ammunition hanging from their chests. The new barrel and rifled guns, they called them king guns, and Louis had nothing to say about it, after all, people seemed to be keen to put the names of kings, dukes, earls, etc. in front of new things, which was also Recognition and respect for the royal family - just don't know what they should call the weapons in their hands after the musket is further improved.

These dangerous ornaments were hung on the chest straps of the Guardsmen, which also had several small hooks for muskets, long swords, and personal items such as wine bags and more recently popular tobacco.

The cavalry was also greeted with great cheer, because sitting on the tall horses, they were also the first to receive the handkerchiefs and flowers thrown from the terrace by the ladies and the girls, and they waved them triumphantly towards each A beauty they thought was amiable took off her hat and saluted.

However, although these Guards cavalry are bright, they can't help but pale in comparison to the later Gendarmerie cavalry. After all, the latter originated from the former edict knights. Compared with the Guards, which are mostly composed of civilians, almost all of them have a long and distinguished history. Their identity and surname, their equipment is also more complete and traditional than that of the Guards, that is to say, they have armor, and their exquisite helmets and breastplates reflect a bright luster like gold and silver in the sun. Also decorated with bright red ostrich feathers, the breastplate is often inscribed with the armour's family coat of arms and history, inlaid with intricate patterns, or in some places gilded and made of real gold. The exposed coats were long red coats, the cuffs turned up were black velvet, and their caps were also black with white feathers—someone called them dragoons, according to Spanish parlance, their muskets were dragon lances, and the Spanish The dragon in the language is pronounced carbine, and this musket is the predecessor of the modern carbine.

  It's just that people now probably haven't thought of this, they shouted loudly and waved their arms at the gendarmerie, but no one dared to touch them - everyone knew that they were real nobles.

In addition to armor, the gendarmes are also equipped with their favorite weapons, a pistol, a long spear, and a long sword are the most basic. Some people carried crossbows, and it is worth mentioning that, on the advice of the king, they replaced their tights and pumps for knee-high boots with spikes, all of sterling silver. Yes, even brighter and more delicate than women's jewelry.

A person who was too greedy and stupid couldn't help but stretched out his hand to the Spurs that were close at hand, and was kicked severely. Fortunately, because the king was behind, the victim could only punish him slightly, so Apart from the loss of a few teeth, he hardly suffered any serious injuries. Some people advised him to rest in the room, but he was unwilling. This position was exchanged for several Aegis.

This episode, aside from a burst of laughter, did not affect the king's parade in the slightest, and after the gendarmerie came the company of musketeers, of whom the Count of d'Artagnan was their leader, arrogant. On the front of the horses, the musketeers were more casually dressed than the Guards and the Gendarmerie, and they wore the familiar vestments, which were open in the middle, with seams on the sides, and straight on. The cloak-style coat on the body is also dark blue velvet or satin, but there is a large white cross on the front chest and back. Also after the king's suggestion, the length of the vestment has changed from below the knee to below the waist, so that They move more easily, their white lace collars flared wide out, as striking as their smiles.

It's a pity that the timing of their appearance is really bad, no, not because of them, but because people have already seen the emergence of the "Gentleman Hundred". As we said before, the "Gentleman Hundred" is the king's guard of honor. Originally, there should also be a place for the "Swiss Hundred People", but Louis intended to establish a single-minded national consciousness, so only the Gentlemen Hundreds walked before the king, and different from the previous tradition, the Hundreds here In fact, there were many others who were generals and marshals of the campaign - first the Prince of Condé, the Viscount Turenne, and then Vauban and other generals - but no matter how flamboyantly dressed and how brilliantly they were fought, they could not compete with them. Surrounded by the king compared.

Today the young king is only wearing a long royal blue coat, with his snow-white cuffs turned up, a crown robe lined with white sable fur draped over his body, with shining epaulets swaying on the raised side, and a bright red shoulder strap hanging on his chest , wearing the cross, with muskets and longswords hanging from his waist, like the musketeers and gendarmerie, a pair of soft boots with spurs instead of the tight socks and pumps of the past, and large fluffy ostrich feathers hanging from the brim of the hat , almost covering half of the king's face.

The people's shouts suddenly went up a step - the king did not sit in the carriage, but appeared in front of the people on a horse. This was strongly discouraged by the queen mother and his close officials, but the king never changed his mind. This greatly aroused the people's goodwill towards the king. They shouted: "Long live the king! Long live France!" They were almost hoarse. When the king took off his hat and nodded slightly to the crowd, many people were too excited. And passed out.

Duke Philip is also wearing a royal blue coat today. Except for the lack of a crown robe, he is almost no different from the king. In the cheers of the people, he strangely found that he was not unwilling, only a moment was better than a moment. The fiery emotions surged up.

   This is his brother, his king!

   "Have you seen it?" Louis said softly. Although the roar of the people was as loud as the tidal wave, Philip still keenly grasped the sound that he could never ignore.

   "It's what can make us great, and it's what can destroy us."

  Louis said.

This sentence is like a sharp icicle, and it suddenly wakes up the Duke of Orleans, who was dazzled by people's support and admiration. In his early years, when he was a child, he spent time with his brother, mother and Mazarin. The scene of the bishop escaping Paris in a hurry was suddenly drawn to his eyes, and he suddenly woke up. Yes, these people were not looking forward to them, but the victory they promised, and the joy and benefits brought by victory, they can now He and Brother Wang rose to the pinnacle of glory, and they could trample them into the quagmire after they failed.

   "But we must be victorious," said the king.

After   , the king didn't say a single word. He had a gentle smile on his face, but venom was inevitably flowing from the wounds of the past. The harm Paris caused to the once ten-year-old child was unforgettable in his life.

They left Paris with the people's farewell, and in the bright sun the duke of Orleans looked back, the city was left behind by the king and his court, slowly disappearing, as if it were a sign that they were It was possible not to go through Versailles, but at the will of the king, they changed their route, and when night fell, they arrived at Versailles.

  It was not until Versailles that the smile on the king's face became real, and with comparison, the Duke of Orleans realized how frivolous, boring and useless the noise of the Parisians was compared to the sincerity of the people of Versailles.

The people of Versailles offered innumerable food, cloth, and all kinds of things they thought the king would need, and they offered nothing more precious than their son, the king's guard, who allowed them to return for a while. Come home and stay with the family until tomorrow—he doesn't know how many of these good boys will come back, though Louis has to admit that he naively wished to bring them back one by one.

   But what they will face is war.

   (end of this chapter)