I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 323 Before the Great War (5)

The crown prince, the little Louis, has never seen such a person. As Louis said, the worst person he has ever seen is already in a class beyond the reach of ordinary people. It does not mean that those servants or servants have titles, they are in Versailles or Working at the Louvre, you can get in touch with big people who are inaccessible to ordinary people, like the Marquis of Lois, like the minister Colbert, like the Prince of Conti, sometimes they just say a few words, or even just laugh Smiling, or looking unhappy, such information can be sold for a lot of money. The servant of the fireplace at the bottom of the palace—the person responsible for lighting the fireplace in each room, can also get hundreds of livres from outside every month. Don’t think that such a person has nothing to buy— When will the fireplaces in the Louvre and Versailles be lit, how many are allowed to be lit in a suite, and what kind of charcoal is used, can well reflect whether the king values ​​and loves the guests in this room.

The income of hundreds of livres a month, converted into real money, is an income of a thousand francs per year. Some people may not have a specific understanding of this. Let me put it this way. In England, the basis for dividing the noble class That is, the annual income must reach fifteen hundred pounds, and a wealthy peasant, his income is no more than twenty pounds a year - and these Tatars, even if they come, are a leader of the Tatars, cunning and shrewd , but probably his most valuable possessions were his horses and those muskets.

As for other enjoyments, the Tatars do not care much, not even to compare with Louis' officers, he cannot even be compared to a servant in an army, he and his brothers, sons and daughters, seek first and foremost survival, horses And guns have always been a priority.

So when the leader of the Tatars, according to tradition, promised to put himself and his wife and children under the king's knees, like a slave swearing allegiance to his master, Louis XIV asked him for a child, and he thought the king wanted to What about some of the hostages - who knew that the king was willing to make them his heir's servants... He and his brother stood in the shadows, watching two very different people leave them, his brother couldn't help but smack Tongue: "You see it."

"I see." The leader of the Tatars said that the crown prince and his entourage, no matter how simple, were dressed in Ayala, and the collars turned out from their coats were as beautiful as cascading flowers. The children of the Tatars, even if It's the leader's child, and they are just wearing a sheepskin robe. As for whether there is anything in it, God knows! Their dignity is reflected in the fact that they wear boots, and others wear belts with daggers and muskets on them.

   "That's not what I'm talking about," said his brother, "what a beautiful child, and if you get it in Istanbul, the black eunuchs of the Sudan will exchange a whole case of pearls or precious stones."

The Tatar chief slapped his brother on the back of the head without thinking. "You're an idiot!" he whispered, but not because his brother thought so - they worked for the great Polish nobility though. , but they also rob fair-skinned women and children when they have no eyes to watch, sometimes selling directly to merchants, and sometimes going to Istanbul in person - children are probably more expensive than women, but: "Don't be stupid. Now," he said, licking his lips, "think about it, even a slave, if you could be the king's slave..."

   "He's not a king yet."

"One day it will be," said the leader of the Tatars. "The French have a different tradition than ours, and they value the firstborn, I mean, the first son of the wife they married in the witness of God. , even if he is an idiot, he must hand over his property to him."

   "Do you want Anwo to be the prince's squire?"

"And the Meadows," said the leader of the Tartars, "they cannot have many wives, but they can have many women, and the most favoured of them will be the closest to the king—and their children will be dukes or It's the prince, I heard that our king has two sons who were not born to his wife, and now they are both dukes, and they have a large territory, and the eldest son has a marriage contract with the daughter of a grand duke."

   "Oh my god, my god, the true God, **** Christ." His brother's eyes lit up immediately, he stretched out his fingers and made two random gestures on his body, "Is this true?"

   "It's true," said the Tatar chief, "so don't say stupid things like that. That boy is worth more than you think."

   "But I always find it a little strange," said his brother, "why does this king keep us with so many brave soldiers, good weapons, and loyal servants?"

   "I don't know very well," said the Tatar chief, "but he must have his intentions. Don't think that these noble and rich people will be generous for no reason. They are very careful."

  ———

Prince Louis was only curious. It was the first time he had seen such a person—how should I put it, the most criticized thing about these children of the Tartars was their rudeness, which was not only reflected in their rough reddish-brown skin On top, the shiny and knotted sheepskin coats, or the boots inlaid with copper toes, the flat-topped hats that have not been taken off even in the scorching sun, and their agile posture, light footsteps, and the pair of Known to be hunters with bright black eyes.

Both men and women, they have long hair braided and earrings, and Tatars and Ottomans, like Poles, think that a big beard is the only way to be masculine, so some young people can't wait to save it early. The beard, but the children sent by the leader of the Tatars, his youngest son Anwo and daughter Meado, are about the same age as the crown prince. Anwo has not had time to grow a beard, but he speaks and does things. It's already very adult-like.

   They came from the stables to the inner square because the prince had promised them the muskets and rapiers he had given them.

   A group of older children ran to the warehouse. Of course, the crown prince had Louis’s order here. Anwo glanced at his companions who were happily trying weapons, pointed to the boxes that were being checked and asked, “Can we have clothes like that?”

   Little Louis saw that it was the uniform of the Guards, and he immediately shook his head: "No," he said, "It is the uniform of the soldiers and officers of my father and the king of obedience and loyalty."

   "But aren't we your father's soldiers now?" Anwar asked.

   "It's not the same," said little Louis patiently. "They're all people who fought with my father once or twice," he briefly explained the epaulettes and logos on the uniform, etc. Hearing this, Anwo nodded, "I understand," he took out the hatchet tied to his waist and swung it in the air: "If I also cut off the enemy's head on the battlefield, one or two I should be qualified to wear such clothes."

"Yes," said little Louis, "the musket and the rapier are my own, so I can give them to you, but the uniform is public property, and even my father could not allow it for no reason without merit. People are wearing military uniforms, and," he said seriously, "even if you go to the battlefield, you must remember to go to your superiors, so that your military exploits can be recorded in the books."

"Sir? We are Tartars and should be divided into separate armies." Anwo said, and exchanged a glance with Medo calmly. It seems that their father's first plan was to fail, the king of the French. Although the crown prince is simple, the French army already has extremely strict rules and regulations, and it is impossible for them to move beyond the original class overnight by virtue of the crown prince's love.

   "I heard that the Tatars have always been a brave people." Little Louis said: "You must be able to make great achievements."

   "This is exactly what we long for and expect, for you and your father and king, our most gracious and generous host." Anwar said, stroking his chest.

Dauphin-Louis finds that the more he gets to know these Tartars, the more difficult it is to understand their passion for war - he doesn't know how to describe his father's bravest soldiers in the world, but they also fear death And pain, what about these Tartars, no matter how young they are, men or women, they greet the war as if they are welcoming a feast, they immerse themselves in it, say it is a battle, it is more like a pleasure .

  Louis didn't answer his question right away, he just said, let little Louis continue to watch, listen, and think: "Maybe the answer will be in front of you tomorrow." Said this sometimes rather irresponsible father.

   The next day, the Marquis of Loise saw the Dauphin and the Tatars running out of Kamnic and hunting in the neighboring hills and woods.

In terms of safety, it should be absolutely safe here. Not to mention that there are more than 100,000 troops stationed in the highlands, the vicinity of this city with one emperor and three kings has long been carefully grate aside, and little Louis is not around. There are only Tatars, and he also has his own musketeers and guards, but the Marquis of Lois insists on reminding His Majesty that such a thing can only be one, not two.

   "Do you think... Your Majesty," the Marquis of Lois persuaded politely, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has become a little... blunt recently?"

"You mean, he's become rude," Louis replied frankly. "What troubles you is that he's no longer the princely prince who is willing to conform to conventions," he leaned back. , showing a wonderful expression: "But when will my child, the future king of France, abide by the rules and laws made by others?"

  ——

   The Marquis of Lois didn't find that his shirt was clinging to his back until he returned to his room.

  ——

This is also the reason why Bontang no longer persuades Louis. Since the crown prince was with those Tartars, Bontang realized that, compared with Louis XIV, the crown prince little Louis is like a rose kept in the court. Although it is beautiful, it is difficult to break away from the various rules and barriers that people have set for him - the tradition of the Louvre and Versailles, some are innocuous, but others will become the constraints of the king, which has been all right since he was a baby. Little Louis was indistinguishable. When he grows up, inherits the position of Louis XIV, and connects several generations of French kings to consolidate and concentrate the royal power, it is very likely that this small flaw will fall short, and France will return to those princes again. In a state of chaos, the army established by Louis XIV, the territories seized and the new educational, military and political systems will collapse quietly like castles in the air.

   Little Louis should have noticed it himself, otherwise he would not have intentionally alienated some of the servants who were originally very close.

You know, if Louis hadn't brought the crown prince with him, those people might have dared to point fingers at the crown prince - those Tartars were savage, but they knew very well who they were and how they should serve their little masters - what they showed Compared with other servants, his attitude stands tall and low, even if the dauphin the little Louis understands that their origins are different... But as Louis XIV said, in front of the king, who is not a loyal servant?

It's just that this made little Louis feel frustrated, because his tolerance could not be exchanged for equal gratitude, and he didn't even want to see them again - so this day, when the Marquis of Lois was frightened by the king's rhetorical question, he broke into a cold sweat. Already out hunting with Tatars and some musketeers.

Kamnic is just under the Alps, with highlands on one side and the Sava River across the front. There are countless red deer, goats, wolves, foxes and stoats. The last small creature is the prince. One of the most wanted prey, as we all know, the inner layer of the king's crown robe is almost made of high-quality ferret skin. The prince is very ambitious and wants to hunt enough ferrets for his father to make a New crown robe.

From morning to afternoon, everyone had several kinds of prey in their saddlebags, as well as a fat red deer, which logically was enough, but the crown prince still has a little regret that they could not hunt even one today. Ferret.

At this moment, Anwo, the son of the Tatar leader, who was beside him, suddenly gave a whistle, like a bird flapping its wings. The French couldn't understand it, but the Tatars understood it right away, and they quickly rushed forward. , After the long bow and short crossbow rang briefly, a ferret leaped out from under the hoofs of the crowd like lightning, and little Louis shouted and immediately chased after him.

The hound barked, and the crowd followed the crown prince. The ferrets, who were desperate to find their way, took them all the way. The trees ranged from sparse to dense. Several times, little Louis was almost shot off by the bouncing branches. While chasing after the white shadow.

It ran very fast, took at least a dozen turns with those who wanted to hunt it, crossed a creek, and crossed several fallen trees, as if in a split second, it suddenly appeared in an empty circle In the shape of the field - this should be a clearing formed after trees fell due to lightning or decay. Several people sat on the ground, surrounded by a small fire, one person reached out, grabbed its tail, and lifted it up. Getting up, the ferret let out a sharp scream.

   That person and the few people around the fire were dumbfounded, and they didn't expect a group of Tatars and French knights to suddenly appear here.

   (end of this chapter)