I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 362 New France

   Arrived with the Indians were many gifts from the Governor of New France, Lord Luzon, and a letter that was earnest to the point of humbleness, albeit bluntly—perhaps because he was a soldier after all. But as long as one can think with his head instead of his knees, he can know that the canonization of the Duke of Montreal means that Louis XIV has turned his attention from the interior of Europa to the colonies.

In this era, the glory of the kings still comes from Europa, not from the colonies, whether it is the previous Hundred Years' War, the Thirty Years' War, or the Seven Years' War that has not yet happened, the Nine Years' War, it is no exaggeration to say that almost all Confined to this rich and mature continent, Europa was the throne of kings and emperors, and the colonies were but cows to feed their armies and people.

But Louis XIV never thought of it this way. When he gritted his teeth and defeated Flanders and Holland, some people swore that the new king was too aggressive and that France did not have enough population to fill these places, but in fact, only ten In 2000, if you walked in Flanders or the three provinces of the Netherlands, you would find French-speaking people everywhere, wearing fashionable dresses that were probably only a month or two later than Paris, and Catholic churches standing one after another. Up, the priests baptized one or more babies every day, their arms so sore they couldn't lift them.

The day they feed back to France is even earlier than Mr. Colbert expected. Two-thirds of the land in Flanders is hills and plains. They grow wheat, potatoes, vegetables, cattle and sheep... Merchants They are constantly taking from here large quantities of agricultural products and textiles, and then transporting goods from France to here - the people here want everything, plowshares, pitchforks, flails... skillets, frying pans, ceramic or brass cups And bowls, pretty dresses and ribbons, glass mirrors...and more.

This enviable virtuous circle has only been formed for a few years, but now Holland and Flanders are hardly a burden to France, nor is it to blame for Charles II of England and Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire Choose to do it at this time, if they don't do something, their supporters will be even less - don't forget Louis XIV's promise that as long as twenty years are spent without committing any sin, the people of the new territory can also The French are bathed in the light of the Sun King like that.

The victory of Dunkirk undoubtedly gave those who had ulterior motives a blow, and the proud French, like their king, laughed at the poor fools, and went on with their lives - only the Duchess of Orleans was in the court, That is, Charles II's sister suffered some influences, but these influences quickly disappeared under the grace of Louis, and the people of Versailles were used to seeing those people by the king's side, as long as the Duke of Orleans was still having dinner with the king , the Duchess of Orléans was still present at the ball, sitting with the Duchess of Montpensier, the Queen and the Queen Mother, so that no one would make irresponsible remarks about her.

   So did these natives from the colonies—even if they looked like a pack of ferocious beasts, they were the king's beasts.

Louis XIV was also very interested in the Indians, who, to put it caustic, might be worth more than some of the ministers of the Vegetarian Diet, as he flipped through the diaries of Pierre Demont and Monsieur Champlain (these were French The pioneers in the North American colonies), while putting the audience time in the afternoon, on the high hill next to the Palace of Versailles, after more than ten years of repair and maintenance, it has now become a picnic and a good place to look into the distance, presumably also It will make these Indians who are accustomed to the sky less nervous.

When the people in the court knew that the king not only carefully considered the meeting place, but also deliberately ordered the menu of the Indians - the court at this time mostly had poultry and fish as the main dishes, but for the Indians, both were It's not what they eat most often, so it's replaced by a beef and mutton-based dish, and the amount is more than the original...and so on-then those quirky sights and whispers are almost gone.

   Those people probably don't know that these Indians can speak and understand French.

In the bright white tent, when Louis XIV accepted their salute and listened to them introducing himself, he saw that several officials and attendants around him were a little embarrassed - he laughed unabashedly, these Indians The French actually speaks even more standard than the British or the Dutch, but it is very slow. Sometimes when they encounter complicated and infrequently used words, they have to discuss it with each other, or ask the speaker to reread it to understand it.

Another person would probably not dare to ask Louis XIV to do this, and Louis would not agree leniently, but these Indians had very clean eyes and a straightforward attitude, and there was no malicious intent or other unreasonable content in their request. The purpose of telling people is simply to understand each other's meaning.

Their leader, a man with the French name "Legrand", also took out some tobacco and asked the French "Grand Chief" to smoke it. Although Louis did not respect tobacco, he tried it too - he also had exquisite chieftains in his court. The pipe he used was seized from the Ottoman Turks not long ago. It is different from the utensils and ornaments in the French court, which were mainly gold, silver and ivory. The infiltrated sepiolite is gray-white, showing the image of a lion with a big open mouth as a whole, and the cigarette holder is amber. Louis saw the Indian leader looking at it curiously for a while, and then exchanged pipes with him.

   Legrand took the pipe, held it in his hand, and looked up at Louis XIV. Legrand means big man in French. According to his own words, his Indian name also has a tall meaning, so he does not exclude this name.

"In fact, French names are mostly derived from nicknames," said Louis, "like your Legrand, and Abel the panting, and Bernard the brave bear, and the redhead. Rousseau."

"You are very much like us, except that your skin is whiter," Legrand said. "Your warrior asked us to come here. He said that you intended your son to be the master of Quebec. against our enemies."

   "I have read his letters. You are the chief of Huron," said Louis. "You have too many enemies. The Iroquois are your enemies, and the Montanes are your enemies."

   "The Iroquois have killed your warriors," said Legrand, "and the Montanay have taken refuge with the English."

   "You surprise me," Louis said bluntly: "You are so far away from here, but you already know a lot of information that the French don't."

   "I don't quite understand your problem with the other chief," Legrand said, "but I saw the white men kill your warriors, and you fought each other, just as we did with the Iroquois."

Louis nodded. Sometimes things may not be so complicated. When he and Charles II still maintained the illusion of warmth, the British and French in North America were indeed still at war, but because of the long distance and lack of information, so Sometimes the fall of a fortress, a settlement, may not be known until the arrival of the changing army.

   This kind of thing happened as early as the Champlain period.

   "I have many fighters," said Louis. "They can line up from here all the way to Quebec. How many fighters do you have?"

   "Huron's warriors are so brave that they alone are worth a hundred."

   "No matter how brave you are, you can't beat a bullet."

  “I have prepared a lot of **** hides, buffalo hides, and wood,” Legrand said: “You can exchange wine, bullets, and guns. "

   "I admit that you are both good hunters and good warriors, but the two sides of the alliance must be equal in strength," said Louis. "The strong need not talk to the weak."

   "Just as wolves can't talk to rabbits," Legrand said, "but the winter in Quebec can freeze words, and your warriors will freeze to death, or get sick."

   "Speaking of sickness," said Louis, "you are more worrisome than we are. There is only one season in winter, and three seasons from spring to autumn. A terrible disease will kill your soldiers and mothers one by one."

   "Your minister told me that you have a way to keep us from getting sick."

   "I have a lot of witch doctors," said Louie.

Legrand lowered his head and thought for a while: "I admit that you are richer, stronger, and more protected by gods than my tribe, so how do you think we can obtain the qualification to form an alliance with you? If you want Gift…"

"I like your gift, but it's enough," said Louis. "I don't want to change my mind, sir, I want a strong ally, because Quebec is so far away and my son is so young, I don't want to wait. When he grows up, all he sees is a wasteland—your tribe is not the most powerful, nor the only one, and sometimes the covenant is broken, not because one side has betrayed the other, but because the other is too weak and in cruel In the midst of the conflict, I do not know when it will be quietly annihilated."

   "You mean war."

"It's never ending until it's just us," Louie said. "I don't need a second reddish-brown ally, and you don't need a second white-skinned ally, except each other, we should all be facing enemies. "

   "You are like a big snake that wants to swallow the world." Legrand said, "You were blaming me for having too many enemies, but now you want me to be the enemy of the whole world."

"I don't blame you for having too many enemies, I blame you for having too many enemies." This sentence may sound confusing to some, but Legrand is obviously not one of them. "Then what I need Too much."

"I don't want you to have a second white ally, but I don't care if you have a second red ally." Louis said, "I also have a lot of friends here." Such as Swedes, such as Portuguese, such as Some Italians, Dutch and Flemish.

   "I need to think about it," Legrand said finally.

   "You have a lot of time, my son is still a baby," said Louie.

  ——

In the evening, Louis came to Queen Teresa's bedroom. Like all couples, they each had their own suite. Of course, the queen was very happy to see the king. After Madame Montespan gave birth to a son for the king, in the court. Some people began to discuss that the queen should give birth to another son to the king. Although the Dauphin's little Louis is an adult, it is too dangerous for a country to have only one heir.

   "Then do you think I need to give you another child?" Teresa asked jokingly while helping the king change his bedclothes.

"If God would give us another child," Louis said, "I have no reason to refuse." He touched the queen's cheek, and speaking of which he was not very willing to have a third child with Teresa. It was a blessing that the princess and the dauphin were a healthy child - he and Teresa were too close by blood, but at that time he had almost no choice, and the Bishop of Mazarin and the Queen Mother would not allow him to choose - also There are French nobles who are still very afraid of the Duke of Colonna, because they are worried that the king has too deep and sincere love for this Italian woman.

   "I'm old." Queen Teresa sighed that she was the same age as Louis. For men, forty is a good time to be young and strong. For women...

   "I don't think so," said Louis. "You are as beautiful as when we first met."

   "I have never been a beauty." Queen Teresa said: "My father and mother didn't like me very much, and people in the court often sighed for me, worrying that my husband would not like me in the future."

   "There are many kinds of beauty." Louis kissed her forehead, Queen Teresa was indeed not a beauty: "Your beauty is like an oyster shell, open the back to see the brilliance."

"That's because your love shines on me like the moonlight on the sea." Queen Teresa said, they hugged tightly, a couple of nearly 20 years, let them know every inch of each other, their love Love is calm and calm, not fierce, but whether it is the Queen or Louis, their hearts are full of contentment.

  When the enthusiasm faded, Louis looked at the hanging drapery and said softly, "I think he's coming."

   "Do you think it will be a son too?"

   "Will be a fairly healthy son." Louie said: "Just like little Louie."

   Queen Teresa smiled, "You seem to be in a particularly good mood today."

"Yes."

   "Because of those Indians?" Queen Teresa was curious, and she saw them too: "Are they another Tatar?"

   "The same can be said," Louis was also not drowsy, he rolled over, and the queen immediately threw himself into his arms, "but they are not like the Tartars."

   "What kind of different?" the queen asked: "I have heard that they are very savage, as ruthless as animals."

"Animals are never crueler than humans, or they use our hair for pillows, skin for boots, and eat our flesh." Louis said, and the queen immediately shrank into his arms: "Your words frighten me. ." Then she felt a throbbing in her chest under her cheek. "No," said Louis, "don't be afraid, the power of civilization is the greatest."

   "Shouldn't it be the power of God?" said the queen.

   "Belief is originally a part of civilization, and each civilization will derive corresponding beliefs." Louis said: "The Indians also have their beliefs, but like their civilization, they are very backward."

   "What do you want them to do?"

"Quebec is too cold," Louis recalled the diaries and non-fiction books he had read, "the first time they spent the winter there, thirty-six of eighty people died, they were all strong boys. He hugged the Queen's shoulders: "But the British have taken up a big place there, and it's warmer than Quebec, and if we don't take it, they'll take our place."

   "They say Quebec has only furs, although **** skins are indeed the best there." The queen murmured: "I have prepared a lot for Elizabeth, and Sweden is very cold."

The wedding of Elizabeth and King Carl XI of Sweden is also about to be held. The eldest princess of France is about to become the queen of Sweden. Although Louis said he would keep her until she was twenty, the fact is that he is not allowed to do so - after all, queens have children. Pressure, there is no doubt that the family has a throne to inherit, such as Teresa and Louis, there is nothing to blame for the crown prince, but people still think that the queen should give birth to a son for the king, so as to be safe.

"The population of France has grown to 39 million," compared to the 20 million after Louis's first census, which is cause for celebration. The problem is, you have to say that the population is large enough to move as far as New France. The hard colony is not there yet, and in a few years there will be one, or more hard battles waiting for the French - why does the Bible say that the four horsemen of war, famine, plague and death Always follow? Because war kills strong men on the battlefield, and leaves old men and women and children weak, and when the fields are barren, there will inevitably be famine, and the people who die from starvation will cause plague, and then there will be more deaths - then , France's population is bound to appear a huge gap.

It is impossible to immigrate to America in large numbers within ten years, so the interests of the French in America can only be defended by the Indians, and an alliance with the Indians is an inevitable result. This is the governor of New France, Lord Luzon. , and even earlier Champlain, Demont had a deep understanding, and they had a good relationship with the Indians (mostly Huron).

Legrand, the chieftain of Huron today, also makes a good impression on Louis XIV, they are better at learning than the Tatars - not so stubborn, they have faith, but they never happened with French missionaries because of their faith Conflict - They have their own way of interpreting and if you ask them to convert to Catholicism they will.

And the Indians are not as greedy as the Tatars, although the people in Versailles will say they are savage, but when they see what they want, their first thought is to exchange, not to loot like the Tatars. in the primary option.

   "...why not try to get some African slaves?"

Louis XIV was thinking about how to balance the relationship between the Indians and the French. The Duke of Montreal was not the Duke of Hallebre, and he did not have a mother who was willing to go to the fief with him, that is to say, at least fifteen years, Bo. Only the people of the side family can become the masters of North America. Before that, he must support Legrand and his tribe, so that the alliance formed by his tribe and the French can fight against the British, the Spanish and the Dutch in exile. Government, and other coveted enemies.

   So he only heard half of what the queen said, but that half was enough, he was surprised: "How did you think of this?" He asked: "Did someone say something to you?"

   "Prince Conte," Queen Teresa said, "but it could also be because of the merchants behind him."

Louis sighed, because Prince Condé has become the king of Poland, and the king has also taken back his fief and title, so the identity of Prince Conti, who is his younger brother, is a bit embarrassing - not because of his title, his The title came not from his father, but from his grandfather's cousin, François de Bourbon, mainly because of such a prominent brother, who was difficult to grasp at the court of Versailles balance.

His main job now is to serve as an envoy for Louis XIV or to receive diplomats, and there are some things that Mr. Colbert can't solve, which can be solved by Prince Conti - drying himself at the peak of power. The Prince Conti of the salted fish has no way to go to the camp, so he can only use his brains to accumulate wealth. He has many useful merchants under his command, and they accept his asylum - because few of the king's close officials are willing to accept those slave traders. relied on.

The slave trade in France is also an abscess that cannot be cured or plucked out. The business of selling blacks was first done by the Portuguese and Spaniards, and then the French also began to participate in this kind of business with a profit of more than 300%, and the United Kingdom came later. Now they are big sellers and buyers of the slave trade. The Spaniards and Portuguese established plantations in Central and South America, while the British used slaves to open up central America. However, there are few black people in the northern part of America. Black people can't adapt to the climate there.

   But if necessary, those who see blacks as livestock and tools don’t care about these little things.

Louis sighed again, this is also a problem, he doesn't like slave traders, although as a king, the bottom line can be kept low - he is still a man who sold his soul to the devil, but as far as he knows, even if The most vicious devil can't compare to a slave trader - a slave trader can no longer be counted as a person, there is always sympathy and empathy, not to mention there is always an audience under the execution stand, and the audience at least knows they are watching. A man, a fellow man, suffers and dies. But a slave trader, when he looks at a slave, is the same as looking at a sheep or a fish.

He doesn't like slave merchants, so slave merchants won't come to him to make fun of themselves, but they will also keep an eye on people who can appear around the king, and use them to influence the king, if Louis XIV takes their advice, put the black Sell ​​to Quebec, and they can get a lot of money out of the king's pocket.

But Louis didn't plan this way at first: "I don't want slaves," he explained to the queen: "I want warriors, with muskets and bows, the kind that fight the English on horseback - the fur trade. It should go on for a while," he mused. "Slaves can't do it, their minds and natures are twisted." Since they're sold as livestock, you can't count on them for you fight.

   As for whether someone will think that black beavers are more important in a few hundred years, that is another way of saying.

   "You are a kind man," said the queen.

"For some, I am," Louis reassured her, and then neither of them spoke, and they slept in each other's arms until the next morning, when Queen Teresa woke up with the king already gone, but Bonn. Tang was still waiting outside the suite, holding a string of black and blue pearls, said to come from Tahiti, which is also a tradition, after the king and queen, the royal lady, or any other noble lady, It's all to give her a gift, otherwise the king and the woman will be ridiculed by the people in the court.

The Queen    gladly accepted the gift, but three months later, a more precious gift arrived.

  The third child of Louis XIV and Queen Theresa.

The Indians of the Huron tribe in Quebec, after attending the celebration banquet, are about to leave. Now is the time when spring is about to bloom. When they arrive in Quebec, the rivers in Quebec have thawed, and the herds of deer and bison have also begun. Wandering through the moors and woods again, they can safely return to their tribe - they want to take a witch doctor and three cows so they can grow cowpox for their tribe.

   Before them, there were already two tribes in Quebec that disappeared because of the wind and snow or because of smallpox.

This reassured Huron's chief Legrand. Sometimes the disease is also a weapon. The fact that their tribe can be protected from smallpox means that there are many more warriors, and the mother of the warriors. The French chief promised again. Said that the French would sell them better weapons than the British, and although they would have to fight for the great chief when they went back, it would also be good for their tribe.

They and the Iroquois were mortal enemies for hundreds of years. The Montanes were originally their middlemen with the whites, but because the Indians of Huron tried their best to get rid of them, they did business directly with the French. The Nai people also regarded them as enemies, and Legrand was not afraid of them, but they also had white allies, and he could not put the warriors of his tribe at an unavoidable disadvantage.

Louis XIV did not know whether the cattle and doctors brought back by the Indians could save the Hurons from smallpox, but without smallpox, there are also infectious diseases such as measles and malaria, and the Indians have little resistance to these diseases. , but these are not in his control, can only say, hope his new allies are lucky enough.

And Queen Teresa's reference to the slave trade...Louis XIV would not pretend that there were no slaves and slave traders in his domain, and even say that until the labor issue was resolved, it was something he would also find difficult Son.

   "Benefits," he said.

   The addition is complete.

   (end of this chapter)