I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 361 Aftermath

Although    can be placed in the author's words, I know that many adults do not read it without reading it. Anyway, this chapter also has an update, so it is unceremoniously put in the front.

   There is a question mentioned by an adult reader, whether the steam-driven ship can stop and retreat freely as described in the previous chapter.

   Of course you can!

   First of all, the tonnage of the French Calais steam ironclad ships such as the King Power is probably similar to that of the Sea King, about 1,500 tons, not a 10,000-ton ship.

In addition, it is not fixed with anchors like sails and paddle ships, but they use propellers - the appearance of propellers is not as late as we think. In parallel history, in 1752, scientists believed that propellers are better than open propellers. Wheels are more advanced and are installed on ships for use. The propellers have been improved, and can be mechanically controlled to stay in the air (that is, to stay in place), or reversed to allow the ship to move backwards. And whether it is the King Power or the Sun King, the speed of their retreat is not as fast as you usually see a boat or a car. Things that can be done in one or two seconds are indeed very slow. There may be 8 To 10 verses, there may be only 2-3 verses when going backwards (this is verified by the author).

   As for how the scholars and craftsmen thought of it... They didn't think of it, but the king and the general asked for it!

Just like Party A will ask Party B for colorful black and colorful white, when the ship is still being remodeled, the king, especially the generals, will put forward various requirements according to their experience - steam-driven ships are the best The point is that they don't need to rely entirely on sails and manpower. Of course, they will also put forward some ambitions accumulated in battle - everyone knows what an advantage it will be to be "strong and flexible" in naval battles.

In addition, when the Sun King hit the Sea King, the Sea King was already on fire, which meant that the sails were no longer usable and could only be driven by human paddle wheels, so the speed was very slow. Or being hit and killed, the Sea King is almost equivalent to losing power, and can only stay in place, only to have the second and third hits after that - the whole process lasted for a long time, not a matter of minutes!

In addition, it should be stated that, because Louis XIV and wizards were "widely used", the development of science and technology in France and even other countries in the book may exceed the parallel era by about a hundred years. After all, many inventions were invented. It didn't get a good opportunity to be promoted, or it was hidden like a forceps, or it was destroyed by someone with high power out of selfish desire, or it was because it was not thought of - many inventions are just a flash of inspiration, not necessary It can only be achieved with a solid foundation.

   Above, thank you for your tips, monthly and recommended tickets for your support!

  ————The following text.

When Barr put down the telescope, he was already numb and unable to move, and had to ask for help to get back from half-bent knees to standing - he grinned ugly, rubbing his elbows, knees and face vigorously, His face went numb, he was so excited!

  In naval battles, unless the pirate fleet with an absolute advantage encounters an unprepared and protected merchant ship, it is difficult to completely destroy it, especially in the vast sea.

Even countries such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, which are dominated by maritime power, cannot completely annihilate each other's fleets—using the First Anglo-Dutch War as a chestnut, the two countries fought a total of nine naval battles, the Battle of Plymouth, and the two sides. The number of ships dispatched was about half a hundred, but only the British lost one arsonist; at the Battle of Kentisnock, the Netherlands lost two warships; at the Battle of Dagnes, the United Kingdom was sunk three ships and captured two. One ship in the Netherlands was destroyed due to an accidental explosion; in the Battle of Portland, the United Kingdom lost three ships, and the Netherlands lost more serious, about eight or nine ships... The Battle of Scheveningen was the most important. In the first World War, the Dutch lost eleven battleships, and the British lost as many as thirty-five, but compared with the total number of hundreds of ships they each dispatched, this number can only be said to make them all. was hit hard.

This time the British raided Dunkirk, it can be said that they sent a small and powerful army. The idea of ​​Charles II and the British Parliament is not too much - although it is difficult to say whether they and Leopold I intentionally colluded, However, when undercurrents were surging in France and the occupied areas, it was normal for Louis XIV to be negligent about the seemingly peaceful Dunkirk - William Payne the Younger also agreed with his father that at the same time as the "uprising", Shaking people's hearts, creating chaos, destroying Dunkirk's external channels, looking for opportunities to sneak into Dunkirk City, destroying the docks or forcing ships anchored here to avoid other ports, or even taking the lead to occupy Dunkirk The French government of Erke used the Duke of Vendôme to threaten and subdue the garrison here.

Little William probably did not expect that even if his neglected wife did not recklessly report, his every move would have fallen into the eyes of the spy and the Duke of Vendôme. When the French help Charles II less and less, the balance of Charles II will be tilted in the enemy's side, and what is the British yearning for most? Of course it was Calais and Dunkirk, especially the latter, for the French it was a gracious act of their king's willingness to redeem the city, but for the English it was a shame they would never forget.

  Personal feelings will never be put before national interests, so the next thing is who will go to war first and in what name.

Attacking France in the name of the Orange family is also within the calculations of Louis and the general, because everyone from the Duke of Luxembourg, the Viscount Turenne to Colbert, the Marquis of Lois believes that France still needs time to come. Digest the previous victories, then Louis can't let the war be delayed or expanded - next, he will either try to negotiate with Charles II, or he will punch the British hard in the face and beat them Confused and lost the courage to confront France.

   That's why the king is willing to bring out his latest secret weapon.

Jean Barr's joy was beyond words, and so were the others - referring only to the French, William Payne Jr. was already mad when he saw the Sea Sovereign being stopped and sunk, and he was immediately controlled and escorted back to his cell. .

The Duke of Vendôme drank rosemary wine to soothe the nerves, and served with the defeat of the British - as I said before, the battlefield was too small, and the speed of Calais ships (whether forward or steered) ) were faster than the British galleys, and after sinking their opponents, they chose to open the encirclement without hesitation and annihilate other enemy ships - completely unable to compare with the French in number and firepower, and When they couldn't get out, the British surrendered.

Neither Marshal Estres nor General Duquener were the vicious people who allowed the British to surrender, and the surrendering crew and officers were transferred one by one into small boats, towed away from their ships by larger ships, and they It was thought that the French would capture the remaining first-class battleship and the two second-class battleships, but after Admiral Duchena went to the King Power to discuss with the marshal, a shocking scene happened.

   The French sank all the British ships.

   This is a Tier 1 and 2 battleship even if it can’t compare to the ironclad ships with steam driven paddle wheels!

Don't look at the British who always like to boast that their ships are as dense and numerous as the stars, but they still have a handful of first- and second-tier battleships, most of which are third-tier battleships, cruisers, or arsonists - Charlie King II also has a bit of luck and bragging about this recapture battle. Maybe he is still in Hampton Court. Back to the dream in his arms.

The British, and even some of the French, stared at the golden-red flames that illuminated half of the sea and the sky. The sound of the explosion of the ship's ammunition depot even made the houses of Dunkirk residents tremble. They ran out, looked left and right but found nothing - the gray tower where Barr and the Duke of Vendome were also swaying, dust and debris fell on their heads, Baer heard the Duke of Vendome muttering to himself, "One hundred thousand £, £170,000, £250,000…”

   At first he didn't understand what the duke was talking about. But he soon realized that thirty years ago, the total cost of the Sea King, which King Charles I insisted to build flawlessly, was as high as 70,000 pounds. Now the cost of the first-class battleships is around 100,000 pounds, and the second-class battleships are about 60,000 pounds. Around £10,000 to £70,000, the Duke of Vendôme was calculating how much money Louis XIV's generals were sending into the Channel.

After understanding, Baal also felt heartache. As the son of a pirate, he certainly knew how important a ship was to the crew and captain, but at the same time, there was another kind of strange pleasure surging in his heart. It seems that a miser has finally got the opportunity to spend freely without any psychological burden - the scene of France being ridiculed by other countries in Europa for "no navy" is still vivid in my mind, but now they have not regretted the enemy's The ships are all into the sea!

Perhaps Monsieur Colbert is still carefully balancing French expenditure and income; perhaps the French sea army is not so strong and fearless; perhaps they will face greater and more trials and trials, but at this time At this moment, no matter who he is, as long as he is French, his mood is like a flying flag that has been swept up into the sky and cannot be dropped for a long time.

There were tears in Barr's eyes. He raised his hand to the officers beside him. They hugged tightly and kissed each other's cheeks. They had a lot to say, but they were all stuck in the throat. The Duke of Vendome took a bite. He gulped down the wine until the last drop, before smashing the empty bottle against the wall.

  Shards are flying around!

   "Let's go back!" said the Duke: "Tonight we will have a great banquet!"

The triumphant fleet was naturally warmly welcomed by the Dunkirks, but the five Calais ships, just like when they came, did not appear in front of more people, and they may continue to hide in Calais. Or in the port of Nantes, awaiting another order from the king, and their companions, of course, no doubt, will continue to increase in the future - and those who have hesitated because of the high cost of these ironclad ships need not continue to worry Now, nothing shows its worth more than this real-life exercise.

The Duke of Vendome also questioned - because these ironclad ships not only encroached on a lot of labor and financial resources, but also affected the construction of muskets and artillery - most of the steel produced in France was sent to Nantes, just to meet the needs of casting ships. Armor and accessories requirements.

When writing a letter to the king, the Duke of Vendôme described in detail what he had seen. The more he wrote, the more eager he became, and he almost asked the king to make him the captain of one of the ships. Fortunately, when he was about to write this, his side attendant knocked on the door,

   "What's the matter?" The Duke of Vendôme finally calmed down a little, "I said don't disturb me, before the banquet begins?"

   "Sorry, sir," said his valet, "but Mr. William Payne, Jr. has asked to see his wife."

   "The brave girl?" The Duke of Vendôme smiled. "Okay, go and ask her, she can go if she wants to, and if she doesn't, there's nothing to say."

  The Duke's squire had been with him for decades. After he got the answer, he stood there and thought: "Are you going to tell her about that, my lord?"

   "What... oh, you mean, am I going to chop off Mr. William's head after the banquet? Tell her, she should have expected that too."

   The Duke's personal attendant nodded and left.

  ——

Little William Payne sat in the room, and the French did not treat him very harshly. This room originally belonged to an officer. It was clean, but comfortable, even a bit extravagant, because Louis XIV treated his soldiers and officers all the time. Very close, so if you are in the army, in addition to pay, there will always be various benefits and even free supplies, so soft sheets and blankets are good, ceramic tea sets and tableware are also good, and large armchairs are also good. , do not require the owner to spend money.

  There is also a jar of calla flowers on the windowsill. This kind of flower is very common at the seaside. It has a beautiful shape and white flowers. It reminds little William of his wife.

  It's ridiculous, when he was with his wife, all he thought about was his country and his father. Now that he has lost his country and his father, all he thinks about is his wife.

   He already knew that Eva agreed to come to see him, so it was no surprise when the door was pushed open.

  Eva was carried in. Luckily, she did not have a fever, but the blood loss still made her extremely weak. Her father, brother and friends did not approve of her coming to see Little William, but she came anyway.

They are husband and wife who have been with each other for many years. Today, when they meet, they are like a pair of strangers. Eva looks at little William, and little William looks at her, from her gray face down to her belly: "Child," he asked :"still there?"

   "It's still there." Eva said, not surprised at all, or annoyed, her love for him seemed to be clean with blood that night.

   "He's a tough kid," said little William reassuringly, had he hesitated when he found out that his wife might have ruined their plans? Later, he thought, he should not have, he is loyal to his country and the king, and his future wife must be a pious and chaste English noblewoman - he did not expect that the development of things would not be as good as he imagined, he and his father All failed, and until now the French have not asked him to write to his relatives and friends asking them to redeem himself.

   The Duke of Vendôme called him a spy.

  He raised his head: "If it's a son, it's called William, which is my father's name and me, and if it's a daughter, it's called Amelia, which is my mother's name."

  Eva raised one eyebrow slightly: "I think I heard right," she said slowly: "Are you naming this child?"

   "The French have decided to execute me," said William of course, "I don't know if they will allow me to see you a second time. Of course, I must name my child first."

  Eva showed an incredible look: "But you should remember that you didn't hesitate to cut off my neck that night."

   "I can only say that I am sorry," William said quietly: "I can't let our plan go wrong."

Eva sneered: "Plan? Are you talking about your secrets that are not secrets at all?" She was satisfied to see a sharp sword-like light in William's eyes: "Did you secretly laugh at it? Our King, His Majesty, thought he would put a group of restless beasts in his heart?!"

   "I don't allow you to say that!" Although he wanted to continue listening - little William didn't feel that there was anything wrong with his plan: "We are enemies! We can treat you any way, that's not my king!"

"What a true word," murmured Eva, "and what a vile, Jack, no, William, even thieves steal people's money, not love and hope, I've thought about it before. Why can you be so cruel to me, now I understand, you despise me, or in other words, you despise all French people, you think we should be played by you."

"But you're wrong," she continued: "I'm stupid because I love you, I made a wrong choice - in fact I should have given up my fantasy before I walked in, you didn't even give me a real William must have been laughing in secret as I prayed to God for angels and saints to protect my husband Jack."

   "...I will compensate you..." William said.

"Listen to me," said Eva, "our Majesty the King has known from the beginning that you Englishmen will not give up Dunkirk easily, even if Charles II betrays it for personal gain. With your decision (Little William clenched his fist when he heard this), but Dunkirk, and Calais, which is less than six leagues away, are your dream footings, and with these two cities, you To attack France—your king has so far claimed that he is also the king of France—how can you think that our kingly majesty would be defenseless?"

   "Why did he… do this?" said William Jr. "We did destroy roads and armament depots."

"The armament warehouses and roads can be renovated and filled. As for what you think, if you cut off the passage between Dunkirk and the outside world, you can let this lonely city fall into your pocket. It's a pity that your father did No, you can’t do it—the reason why His Majesty condone you like this is because he doesn’t want to be the first to break the covenant.” Eva said: “Although there have been countless monarchs who have broken the covenant since the year AD, but Between Britain and France, in..." She smiled: "At this moment, His Majesty is not willing to be the one to bear the guilt." She coughed softly: "He kept you all because of Dunkirk. The Ke area really needs manpower, and secondly, with you, His Majesty's spies will know when the British want to make a move by keeping an eye on you."

   "Got it?" She added: "You are a hyacinth hanging on the roof."

Little William could hardly believe that he, Dunkirk was sold to the French for more than ten years, that is to say, before Charles II returned to London, the young Louis XIV had already begun to set traps against them Yet?

   Another point is, who is Eva? He found that not only did his wife not understand, but he did not understand his wife, he only knew that she was a Huguenot, had an uncle who was a priest, and an uncle who was not very close in the army, whose father was a wealthy The sea merchant, but apart from these... He always thought his wife was shallow and ignorant and had no interest in exploring her. How did she know these things? Is she the king's spy?

"I'm not the king's spy," Eva said, "and neither are you, so what you know here is only on paper, and you know I'm a Huguenot, or Protestant, so you think, and I'm better married than a Catholic, and you've met my parents, my uncle, you know my uncle's in the army - so do you know who he is?"

   "His name is Abraham Dickena," Eva said.

  Little William raised his head blankly.

"You may not know that he is in the fleet today, and he is the captain of the Sun King," Eva said happily: "You should have seen that the Sun King directly pierced your Sea King, With the pleasure of revenge, she said quickly: "That is your father, the flagship of old William Payne..."

  Little William let out a horrific cry, he rushed towards Eva, but was held down by the soldiers beside him.

"I should probably say condolences, but Mr. William, as you said, we are enemies, and I will not pity and sympathize with an enemy." Eva bowed slightly from her chair, as if to see little William more clearly. her face, remembering his distraught expression: "I have one more thing to tell you," she said: "I took medicine from the witch," she said through gritted teeth: "I'm going to bring this child down!"

   These words made little William sober all of a sudden.

"you can not!"

   "I can!" Eva said contemptuously: "William, Amelia, go to hell, I will never let it be born!"

   "You're going to hell!"

   "Just let me go to hell!" Eva spit in his face: "Why should I raise a child of a liar and an enemy!"

"Leave it!" cried Little William eagerly. "He is a descendant of Sir William, and his grandfather was an admiral! He has estates and estates in England to inherit! Leave it! Don't you want to be a nobleman Madame?! Such an identity allows you to appear in the court of Charles II!"

Eva almost laughed: "When I agreed to propose, you must have said in your heart, I am a simple-minded and short-sighted woman, I know you look down on me, because it seems that there is only love in my life, yes, William, there's only love, that's all I want, and when it's gone, nothing can interfere with my decision - not even God or hell."

She looked at him with a girly smile, and it was this smile that made little William completely desperate: "I'm going to Paris, to Versailles, the king heard about me and wanted to reward me, I think I will soon Forget you, I will have a new new life."

  “Eva…”

   "I feel better," Eva said, "to see you in such pain."

   After she finished speaking, she gestured, and a servant carried her away. She closed her eyes on the chair and left everything behind as she said.

  The next day, the guards of Little William found that Little William Payne had taken a lot of calla flowers and poisoned himself with it.

   "This man is crazy." The guard said that poisoning himself with calla flowers would be a serious crime, and those who committed suicide would always go to hell.

  ———

Louis XIV received a letter from the Duke of Vendôme in Versailles. It was just a coincidence. After all, little William Payne was not a trained and tested spy. He despised Eva and did not explore her too much. Her identity gave him convenience and a fatal blow—Dikena's father was a naval officer. As we all know, the naval officer at that time was a pirate of another identity. His family started from Nantes. Migrating to Dunkirk - Back then Dunkirk was still British in the same way that Huguenots migrated to a Protestant country like the Netherlands or England.

But they still did not leave France. After Abraham Duquesne was reactivated by Louis XIV, he collected pirates in the Mediterranean and did not return home for a few years, which made William think that this uncle would not be reused, and that he had a relationship with Iraq. The baby's relationship is not close enough - if little William can pay more attention to Eva, he will find that Eva's father, brother and uncle have amazing skills, so that he will not think that Eva is just a weak ordinary. Woman, let Eva find a chance to escape.

But to Eva, little William Payne is just a past tense, and to Louis XIV, little William is even more insignificant. What makes him happy is that in this battle, the death of old William Payne Charles II lost a strong supporter and an experienced admiral - the latter even more important than the former. There are also a group of people who were captured—perhaps Charles II also had the idea of ​​allowing newcomers to accumulate experience, and there were actually many young children from naval families.

Now the headache is for Charles II, who either admits that the British were first perfidious and ransoms captives from Louis XIV, or refuses to admit it - there are still mercenaries, a country that leases ships and soldiers to Other countries are also possible... But this way, Louis will not return these people to Charles II, and there are still many empty rooms in his Bastille.

However, no matter what decision Charles II wants to make, it has nothing to do with his name. Louis has decided that he will get rid of the "bait" - that is, the Dutch government-in-exile. It seems that they and Like the original Charles II, he was not welcome anywhere. Even Charles II only used the flag of Orange, and no one had contact with them. In this case, the few days he would spend peacefully in France. For years, let them be completely silent.

Thinking of this, Louis was going to write a letter to the Governor of New France. Those Dutch people must not know that the safe hiding place they thought was watched by countless pairs of eyes - winter is coming, the hunting season is coming to an end, or put away Internet cafes, at least those Dutch people don't have to freeze to death, as long as they are comfortably hanged or beheaded, they are quite happy.

  Arrived with the reply letter from the Governor of New France is a group of America natives, that is, a group of Indians, the original owners of the frozen soil.

   They came to grow the cowpox vaccine.

There were bison in America, but no herds were raised, and no cowpox was found on the bison, so after some deliberation, Count Palluaud sent the group of Indians to Paris, but Jean Montpensier said, It's more like he sent a group of animals or clowns, especially the group of Indians did not change into French clothes and continued to wear cowhide clothes, feather crowns and bone necklaces, which made them look extremely ornamental .

  The Indians who came to Versailles for the first time also noticed the strangeness of the situation. They stood on the square. Among the crowd, the previous novelty and joy had been swept away, leaving only unease and vague annoyance. There are also people who want to say something and do something, but are stopped.

   "His Majesty the King hasn't arrived yet," said the man who dissuaded him.

So he settled down with some other frivolous fellows, and since these Indians have been allowed to see the king, as any other provinceman, no one can make fun of them at will until the king gives his attitude, no The etiquette officer who looked at the king was also polite and followed step by step, without showing a trace of it, right?

   The addition is complete.

   (end of this chapter)