I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 356 Lively Rebellion (8)

This birthday banquet did more than what Madame Montespan had expected. The turbulent situation in Paris and Versailles had calmed down a lot on the day the king came back. After the banquet was over, it seemed that all the Everything is back on track as usual. Bodies from the gas lamps were put down, the people of the Bastille were systematically imprisoned, exiled, exiled, put to death; officials and nobles continued to come from all directions, scrambling to get the right to see the king, or Haunted in salons or banquets of dignitaries; tourists and students, not in pursuit of power, but in pursuit of beauty and knowledge, once again roamed the streets of Paris or Versailles like fish in the sea; some shops and theaters Although it lost its owner, it was soon taken over by someone else, and it became more beautiful after being redecorated. Artists and scholars who were unfortunately involved in right and wrong (very few, because Mrs. Montespan knew very well what the king valued what is), their classrooms, galleries and workshops are filled in a timely manner.

To put it bluntly, if Louis XIV came back from Florence with a worried and bad appearance, it would make more careerists and opportunists eager to move, but as soon as he stepped into the territory of France, it was like a fundamental I have never heard of a rebellion, and when I returned to Versailles, I devoted myself to hosting a banquet for Madame Montespan and their son, giving charity to the people, and even inviting the Viscount Turenne to Versailles—this is an understatement, The attitude of ignoring those rebels in the slightest made some people more angry, and some people hesitated - as I said before, there are not many people who are really for freedom and independence. The people of the occupied territories were not as tolerant as the French, but he also laid out clear deadlines and requirements, which were preached one by one by priests and low-ranking officials walking down the streets and into the villages, making sure everyone understood it clearly .

This approach has two very bad effects on those with ulterior motives. First, they cannot collect more taxes in the name of the French king, especially when Louis XIV set up a whistleblower system and set up a direct After the ladder of heaven, this means that a person with a little knowledge or even courage can break their mask; second: it is impossible for them to incite and intimidate civilians to participate in riots, these may even use their own fingers Countless peasants and artisans know at least one thing, that there is only one case in which they will be sentenced to death, and that is rebellion!

Other crimes are at best a whip, imprisonment or exile, more of a point fine, cleaning toilets and streets, or going to work for the king - building warehouses, roads and forts, etc., But the latter also has three meals a day and some income.

   But just when the little ones who missed the Palace of Versailles or the Louvre had a relationship, some guys with a keen sense of smell had already smelled different smells.

The most distinctive traces are those who were left behind after the birthday banquet of the Duke of Montreal, Colbert, the Marquis of Lois, the Duke of Luxembourg, the Viscount of Turenne, the Marshal of Schumberg, the General of Vauban, etc... Some people may say that these people were originally the king's close ministers and had their own rooms in Versailles. It was not surprising to stay overnight, but some young people were also blessed and could see the sunrise from the window of Versailles. .

   Several of them will be famous in the future, no less than their predecessors, but now, for various reasons, they are still just a group of immature children.

   At least that's what the generals and marshals in the king's council room saw.

   "But it's an opportunity," says Schumberg.

   "One or more trials," Viscount Turenne said: "If anything happens, we can save it in time."

"I cannot speak my opinion, Your Majesty," said the Duke of Luxembourg, who had been left in Paris while Louis was on his own expedition, and Madame de Montespan stood before the veil, and he was hidden behind the veil, a valiant general, But he also has a delicate heart. In front of the military and police forces under his control and command, no thugs and sinners can escape.

   "You must trust your students," said the king, "haven't you praised them many times before me?"

The above-mentioned generals and marshals have all served as professors at the Royal Military Academy of France, written textbooks (which made generals such as Schumberg from mercenary origin suffer a lot), and instructed students, but among them The one who expended the most effort and unexpectedly turned out to be the Duke of Luxembourg, perhaps because of his relationship with Prince Condé—Prince Condé was a traitor before, but now he is the King of Poland. As his milk brother and closest friend, the Duke of Luxembourg once had For a while, I thought that I could no longer be reused, and I was even more disheartened after being framed, so I devoted all my energy to writing books and teaching.

   His military writings predate even the king's announcement of the establishment of a military academy.

Even when he was helping Madame Montespan to "clean up" Paris, he did not forget to go to class, and he also pressed down the students who were thinking about the military academy one by one. His achievements were seen by the king. His attitude towards him also became softer, and even if the only person in the room was the Duke of Luxembourg who objected veiledly, he did not mind: "My dear Duke," said Louis, "what are you worried about?"

"If it's just a riot," said the Duke of Luxembourg, "I'm sure they can handle it, but..." he said, he couldn't help but raise his hand to his chest: "Your Majesty, I want to thank you for your trust in me—and also I would like to thank you for your support and leniency to Ludwig I, so I am here to remind you carefully that if things develop as we guessed, we may usher in another national war."

   "I understand what you mean," Louis tapped the armrest of the chair: "You hope that when things start to show signs, you can knock them back in one fell swoop, so that the next big battle may be delayed."

"You are a wise, brave and merciful king," said the Duke of Luxembourg, bowing. "Under your rule, France is like a mighty lion, invincible and invincible. Your enemy is invincible. Trembling at your feet, full of fear of you, but too much fear is hatred, Your Majesty, you should know that fear brings surrender, and hatred brings rebellion—you should perhaps loosen the noose a little, and keep them right Your awe, not a gamble. And…”

He didn't go on, but the king looked at Colbert, who took a step forward, of course he could take the words of the Duke of Luxembourg, but he couldn't do it, making the king feel that his subjects were singing a harmony - Colbert could make a difference The merchant's son, who climbed to his present position, with three dukes-in-law, would not have made such a foolish mistake, bowed to the king, before saying: "The finances of France, though they are now able to support another battle, are as good as against the Netherlands. , and even bigger wars, but the problem is that we still need time to digest Holland, Flanders, the consolidation of Lorraine and Alsace, and the fruits of your victory in the previous Great Battle of Camnico - Your Majesty, If possible, I would like to have three to five years to resolve these issues."

   "Three years or five years..." The king pondered for a while, then smiled at his brother Philip, the Duke of Orleans, who had been leaning beside him: "What do you think?"

Here, the duke of Orleans has always been the closest to the king, in any sense: "But our enemies will not give us time, Colbert," he said unceremoniously to the man in charge of the French treasury. Name: "You also say that my brother achieved gratifying results in the Battle of Kamnic, not only against the pagans, but also against Leopold I, who faced a hundred and fifty Although Wanlifuer's bill can be paid in installments," he smiled contemptuously, "but do you think, given the current situation in Austria, you can afford even any of them?"

  Although Louis allowed Leopold I to pay in installments, he would not actually give him several decades. In fact, Leopold I needed to repay this huge debt within a year. Leopold I could not even refuse, because Louis XIV was conscripted by the Roman Church, as an alliance of Catholic countries to send troops to aid Leopold I. From tradition and covenant, Leopold I must be Be responsible for the military expenses of the reinforcements, otherwise, if this kind of thing happens again, don't expect anyone else to come to the rescue.

And since the Pope of the Church of Rome has been replaced by Innocent XI who has been showing goodwill to Louis XIV, the Church is also urging Leopold I to repay the debt as soon as possible, because in this covenant, the Church is similar to business Intermediary and half-guarantor in the act, if Leopold I did not pay, the Church would give France what was due on his behalf.

   "The problem is that Leopold I's reinforcements are not limited to France." Vauban said bluntly, in exchange for a subtle silence.

   "If it were you, Philip," Louis asked, "what would you do?"

"I will ask the enemy of the creditor if he is willing to buy something from me." Philip touched his chin and said meaningfully: "This may be what the Duke of Luxembourg is worried about, and Leopold I will definitely try to find a solution. offset this debt."

   "The rebellion between Lorraine and Alsace was inseparable from the relationship of this majesty," said Schumberg.

"So that's what you're worried about," the Duke of Orleans said to the Duke of Luxembourg. "If those young people make mistakes, fail to quell the riots, or even fall into the trap of the enemy, and make the situation worse—those who make a fool of themselves It's an opportunity."

  Louis coughed twice: "Don't talk about an emperor like that."

   "Hey, do you know who I'm talking about?" The Duke of Orleans widened his eyes, "Very well, it seems that we all have a unified understanding of his qualities."

   "This is also the quality that every king must have." The Duke of Luxembourg said coldly. This sentence is true. If you change your position, Louis XIV will do the same, otherwise the pressure will be transferred to him and his people. However, Leopold I's original plan was to use pagans to consume France's military power, and Louis XIV only repaid one or two, which should be said to be quite fair.

   "Then again," Schumberg said, "I think we should trust our students."

   "I believe in them, but they still need more training and cannot give them direct command at such an important time." The Duke of Luxembourg said.

"I also think it should be more cautious." Colbert also boldly said that he didn't interrupt just now, but now it seems that he also feels that it is a bit dangerous for the students of the military academy to try their hands with riots at such a critical moment, and then Tilley The Viscount was also a little hesitant. Although he really wanted to see the younger generation show their own style as soon as possible - here he is the eldest one, the Duke of Luxembourg's concern is also reasonable.

"Then let's make a bet," Louis took out a gold coin from his pocket: "I allow you to mobilize your troops, just in case," he glanced over everyone in the room: "But if they If you can do it well, then you owe me one gold louis, yes, one gold louis per place."

   "I'm pressing the king." The Duke of Orleans followed with a smile.

  Schaumberg also agreed with the king's idea. He followed the king, and then the Duke of Luxembourg and Colbert faced each other - not because they were firmly opposed to the king's opinion, but they all followed the king. Who will bet? The king was clearly trying to reassure the somewhat nervous Duke of Luxembourg - showing his position so that the Duke of Luxembourg and the others would not worry about the king's grudges over the matter.

Viscount Turenne looked left and right, and pressed the Duke of Luxembourg in tears and laughter. After that, everyone present pressed one gold louis one after another, and the king subtly added three more gold louis. It can be said that everyone is playing with His Majesty, but it also takes into account the decency that the king deserves.

   "Let them stay here," Louie looked at the two piles of gold on the table, "but I think I'll win."

   "You always win," said the Duke of Orleans.

  ——

  Jean Barr is from Dunkirk.

He is twenty-seven years old this year and is the first batch of graduates from the French Royal Military Academy - the military academy has never been able to admit children from the beginning, and even college students are temporarily not in the recruiting ranks. All students and teachers are from In the army, the students are almost all in their twenties and thirties, and have combat experience. Jean Barr's background is not too outstanding among many dignitaries - he was originally a privateer captain, also known as a pirate, and also worked under the command of the Dutch generals.

But he always remembered that he was a Frenchman, so as soon as he heard that Dunkirk was back in the hands of the French, he ran back to Dunkirk immediately, because he came back with a boat, so he was immediately promoted to Captain of the Navy.

After the king established a military academy, he was recommended to the king by the Marquis de Senier (son of Colbert) with a pair of discerning eyes. He is not only a student in the academy, but also half a teacher. Don't be surprised, this situation is in the academy. It is not uncommon here. When traffic and information are not developed enough, it is difficult to learn from others and to teach others. For example, Viscount Turenne, who entered the army immediately after reaching adulthood, and then Under the guidance of his uncle, he became a general.

  Bal's father and uncle are supposed to be hanged characters, but they are very lucky, not only can they live the rest of their lives in peace, but also teach their sons and nephews to continue their careers - that is, to be pirates. However, the so-called navy at this time, whether it is the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain or Portugal, is almost always privately turned to the public from pirates, so as long as Jean Barr has real materials, those students from extraordinary backgrounds are also willing to listen to his lectures .

Although Barr was bragging and boasting rather than lecturing, most of the class ended with laughter and scolding—it didn't affect Barr's friendship with his classmates, not to mention, they still To train hard together, to eat and drink together, to visit the "names" of the Bois de Boulogne together—their bond is as rich as the tuition that Barr receives after the semester is over.

This made Barr very reluctant to give up when he graduated. After the last drunkenness, he even missed the carriage and had to ride back to Dunkirk on his own. He said that this would be more free, he bought After getting some delicious and perishable oatmeal cakes, butter cakes, sausages and wine for him and the horse to eat and drink on the road, he got on the horse and walked along the clean and tidy avenues - this was also built after the king's personal rule, not on rainy days Standing water, it won't raise dust on dry days, and it's so flat that it won't hurt the horse's hooves.

Dunkirk is about 80 miles from Paris. Bal's horse was given by the Marquis de Senierai. As Colbert's son, he was never out of pocket. This horse is also the best Serra horse in France. , though not as well known as the Arabian or the Altekin, but stronger than them, better suited to the French climate and food, good at walking long distances - and the horse was carefully selected to be taller than the usual stuffer Puller, five feet two inches tall.

He could run forty miles in a day, and Baal took good care of his horse and let it run only thirty miles, resting at the inn, and on the third day he also ran within a league of Dunkirk. In a small village in , where one of his relatives lived, Baal and his horses had eaten all their food and drank their wine, and decided to stay here at night.

   It was already late at night when he and the horse entered the village. The village was so small that it only had one chapel and one street. He found the chapel with familiarity, knocked on the door, and received a warm welcome—this relative also had pirates. He was a cunning businessman who was responsible for selling the stolen goods to the pirates, but since a miss and was almost hanged, He believed that God was punishing him, so he decided to become a priest—that is, to continue his business in the skin of a priest.

  Barr went to Paris, he knew it, this nephew had a great future, and of course deserved better reception, and was fumbling up and down the priest, looking for his good stash, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

   (end of this chapter)