I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 364 Little Eugen

Eugen de Savoye is undoubtedly quite remarkable when people describe the most famous generals in France from the seventeenth to the eighteenth centuries - he came from the distinguished Savoye family, but had an unfortunate childhood. , his mother died in a terrible accident when he was three years old, his father, the Count of Soissons, immediately married a new wife, and his stepmother, who was of ordinary origin, had a deep relationship with his father, and had several consecutive births. A child - little Eugen was sent to his grandmother, and later at the age of nine at Versailles to be raised by the queen, with the Dauphin and the Duke of Colonna, King Ludwig of Poland who was then Duke of Enghien The relationship between the two generations is harmonious.

It is especially worth noting that, until the young man was canonized as a field marshal for his illustrious military service, his King Louis XIV repeatedly requested, he did not enter the church, nor did he have any children, there were unbelievable rumors that Prince Eugene. The eldest princess Elizabeth, who had been in love with Louis XIV, gave up her pursuit of love and marriage after being rejected, but not many people were willing to believe it. At that time, young men who were in love with the eldest princess were enough to go from Versailles to Vienna, but They are also very aware of the obligations and powers they should undertake, and the disappearance of love does not affect their ability to have marriage and children.

  Prince Eugen was never married and had no legal or illegal children.

  ———

   This is a long time ago. The eldest princess is still just a pure girl, and the little Eugen is just a grown-up.

The invitation of the eldest princess was sent through the crown prince. At the age of twelve, little Eugen completed all the courses of the junior school and became a freshman at the Royal Military Academy. Almost all of the first batch were officers and excellent students. The academies where soldiers came from are different. They are young like small trees in spring, struggling to meet everything God has given them, whether it is sunshine or heavy rain.

"Let's go to the Grand Canal," said the eldest princess, and little Eugen followed her. They walked silently to the side of the canal. The canal was sparkling, and the water and sky in the spring seemed to be stained. The emerald green and blue of the new sprouts are indescribably bright and moving, making people feel at ease at first sight, but compared to the calm princess, little Eugen's heart is full of despair and bitterness.

How strange it is, people are like this, they know that a bleak storm is about to come, but they always hold on to a glimmer of hope, as if the next moment the sun will tear apart the dark clouds and cast a warm light on themselves. .

Little Eugen respectfully served the eldest princess on the boat. This Venetian boat was specially bought by the queen from Italy. It is a kind of scenery and a means of transportation. What's more, when the people in Versailles just want to talk alone When talking, when they don't want to be eavesdropped by others, they will take this kind of boat. It takes half an hour from the end of the canal to the big lake at the end, which is enough time for them to finish what they want to say.

   Even though he mustered up his courage when he stepped on the boat, little Eugen found that he still could not be the first person to speak. So, a few minutes later, the eldest princess demanded: "Talk to me, Eugen, this may be the last time we will meet."

"Your Highness." Little Eugen said, he looked at the eldest princess. The eldest princess did not wear a wide-brimmed hat today, but used a delicate sunshade to block the excessively strong light, and the soft light hit her face. Makes her face look like pearls floating in the morning light, her hair is simply coiled up, just to be embellished with pearls and diamonds, without earrings and necklaces, a gesture that is often only seen in front of family members. There would be-family, which little Eugen had longed for, but now he hated the term.

   "I want to know," asked Eugen Jr. "You said before, the last, if not the last?"

"Then where do you want to go with me?" the princess asked back: "Sweden? But my father, your king has already said that he will not let the French go with me to Sweden, everything I have. , I will remain in France except my soul and body, and I will accept whatever the Swedish people offer me, and become their queen, and from that day on, I will no longer be the princess of France."

   "If you don't allow a Frenchman to go to Sweden with you," said little Eugen, clenching the oar involuntarily: "What about an Austrian?"

The eldest princess raised her eyebrows dangerously: "Don't say it," she said sternly: "Don't say it, don't tell me, you have such a plan!"

"Leopold I has never had a healthy male descendant to this day," Little Eugen said eagerly, holding the oars in his hand, "I am an adult, I am healthy, A little short though, I, I'm going to go up to him and tell him my mother is Olympia, he's seen me, I remember him, he used to hold me on his lap and called me his son , I am willing to admit him, and also ask him to admit me, I can at least get the title of a duke...I..."

"Snapped!"

   A slap in the face slapped back all the rest of his words!

The boat swayed slightly from side to side, the eldest princess had already stood up, and little Eugen reached out her hand subconsciously, fearing that she would fall into the water. This move made the eldest princess soften a little, but she remembered what little Eugen said before, she Her heart hardened again quickly: "Stupid!" she shouted, stamping her feet. "How stupid! How could you have such a thought?"

For little Eugen, Louis XIV and the Count of Soissons do have their own thoughts, but the former keeps little Eugen alive and allows him to live and study like a prince, while the latter is willing to give up the title and inheritance of his eldest son , it shows that they still have a little pity for this innocent child, and because Olympia is also Marie's sister, Marie is the aunt of little Eugen, and Louis XIV even allowed him to live in Versailles .

   A room at Versailles is not so easy to come by.

Little Eugen showed a painful expression, and he also knew that if he did this, he would undoubtedly put many people in an embarrassing situation, first the Count of Soissons, and then Louis XIV, but he also often thought that if he Died in an accident like his mother, or stayed in Austria, maybe it's good for everyone, he doesn't think he will be a mediocre person, but if he is Eugene Savoy in France, he can't Nothing to do with the princess. ,

  Unless the eldest princess is willing to be like most ladies, after marriage, after giving birth to her husband's first child, she begins to sink into a rotten extramarital relationship. But little Eugen also knew that although Louis XIV had three royal ladies, he respected marriage far more than any monarch, and even the Duchess of Colonna couldn't go beyond the thunder - not just because of feelings, more The reason is because he must guarantee his marriage, the right to have children with orthodox wedlock.

Compared with the queen or the Duchess of Orleans, the education received by the eldest princess and the princess came more from their fathers. In order to be able to have a good topic with her future husband, King Carl XI of Sweden, the eldest princess, Learning Swedish when the marriage contract was confirmed, reading and reciting the information about the Swedish royal family and Karl XI like reading a book, can make Karl XI fall in love with him in just a few days in Paris and Versailles. She, along with the envoys and ministers who were Swedes, could not help but find fault with the future queen, fell completely under her skirt.

  To achieve this level, she is not only upholding beauty.

Her eyes were so beautiful, like a sea with rolling waves, they not only inherited the luster and color of Louis XIV's pupils, but also their ambition, and the preciousness that little Eugen had seen elsewhere Women are different. The eldest princess and the princess are the kind of people who know their future path like the back of the hand. They will not allow anyone to become an obstacle for them. This slap is just a small punishment for their young companions, little Eugen. There is no doubt that the Bastille will be his final destination, whether he succeeds or not, if he implements this idea.

   He raised his hand and covered his eyes, the sun was too strong, he said to himself.

"I won't choose you, or anyone else, except Karl XI." He heard the eldest princess say calmly: "I will work hard, not only to get his recognition, the Queen Mother's recognition, but also To be recognized by the Swedes, I want a scepter in my hand, a prince in my arms, and sit on a silver throne with Karl XI, and I want to maintain Sweden's alliance with France, making sure that it will never become an enemy of France, Poland. The blood on the side will be passed down on that frozen land for many years."

"I know you like me and love me," the eldest princess didn't pull Eugen's hand in front of her, "but when do you think I'll need this love?" She said, "Yes, I'm in danger. , abandoned by God and the people, when there is nowhere to go, not only me, but also France and Bourbon must be crumbling, tell me, do you want to see that happen?"

   "Don't force me, Your Highness."

"You're still so young, you're not me, I knew from a very young age that people like us are connected by thousands of strands, and our words and actions can set off a huge wave and bring disaster to the sky. Tens of thousands of people's lives and lives, we must be careful, plan ahead, not indulge ourselves, bring disaster to others, bring disaster to ourselves - my dear friend, your love must be beautiful and pure, but please forgive me , I can't accept it because I don't belong to me."

   "You belong to France and Sweden." Little Eugen said hoarsely.

   "You'll forget me."

"I do not know."

"Then don't forget." The eldest princess smiled, she sat back to her original position, took out a handkerchief and soaked it in the canal, then wringed it dry, and put it on the face of little Eugen, because Charles XI loved hunting, Louis XIV I also hope that the eldest princess has a certain ability to protect herself - at least she can ride a long distance without falling behind, so the strength in her hands is not small at all. Little Eugen is still a teenager, and his skin is not so thick and rough, so his cheeks are covered Leaving a bright red mark.

"If you don't want to forget, then it's okay to remember me." The princess continued: "Stay in Versailles, stay in France, stay with my father, you have entered the military academy, you will fight for the king in the future, you may Become a great general. At that time, you will find that I am just a beautiful petal caught in a book by you. Compared with love, you will miss our friendship and your carefree youth. "

   “More likely to be endless remorse.”

"There are always unsatisfactory things in life, and my father can't be perfect, let alone us." The eldest princess said, "Grow up a little longer, little Eugen, you will find that this world is more important and more important than love. There are so many things that make sense.”

   Her words finally made Little Eugen let out a whimper-like whimper, and a oriole, which had fallen on the bow of the high-raised boat, and had been grooming its feathers for a while, was taken aback, and flapped its wings and flew away.

  ———

   "That's a really good statement," said Louie.

   Vesalius slowly withdrew his hand, dispelling the spell. There was sadness and relief in his expression. Yes, he also once believed that love and kinship were the most important to him and could never be given up. When he was in prison, there was only one thing he thought about, and that was to let the Duke of Mortmar. Go to hell! What is not known is that he even wished his wife to die and cursed his daughter for abandoning him.

He once thought about how he would take revenge on the Duke of Mortmar who had almost ruined his life once he climbed to a high position, but when this day really came, he suddenly realized that those things he once thought were very important and were so important. What he could give up in exchange was already in his heart like a broken old thing, and he still loved it, no doubt, but the anger that it had been broken was gone—he was no longer a Raised by the Mancini family, a potionist who, despite his abilities, can be relinquished at any time, he is by the king's side, he is close to him, and all the wizards from Gayola need his guidance and help, although he He will not take the opportunity to plunder and control those young wizards like the wizards of the big family, but with the accumulation of number and time, his prestige has also been pushed to a peak.

The king pushed himself and Marie Mancini's son to Italy. The key island of Gayola may be a sharp dagger in the future. Compared with Madame Milady, who must accompany the Duke of Colonna, The most likely candidate for governor of Gayola is Varo Vesalius.

Vesalius never thought that he would be pushed by fate from the bottom of the quagmire to such a glorious place, and what surprised him even more was that he would not panic and find it difficult to accept-he didn't even think about it, he Never learned how to govern and rule a place, no, it shouldn't be said, he has a best teacher by his side.

He shook hands with the Duke of Mortmar, he did not forget, but the hatred and love faded in time, he could take revenge on this mortal, but it also meant that he had to give up what he didn't even think about power over.

Like the Mancini family, it is undoubtedly the most foolish to use power to satisfy selfish desires. What he saw around Louis XIV, Vesalius can't wait to replicate the island of Cayola, which has been almost abandoned after the riots. , wizards and mortals should have the same peace and prosperity, and continue to evolve to the best life! He embraced such an ambition, everything in the past is still there, but it is already very far away from him, even his wife and daughter.

The same is true of that mortal boy of noble and low birth, Vesalius thought, the princess is right, as long as he has talent and ambition, after a few decades, when he looks back, he will find that the princess asked him to do it. What a right decision.

   "What do you think will happen to him in the future?" Louis asked, crouching beside the crystal ball.

"Please don't speak to me in this posture. Your Majesty," Vesalius suppressed the adjective after being too obscene: "Your Highness is a wise and wise lady, she is like a beautiful sword, although cold, but Sober," he said, not all compliments, if his wife was someone like the eldest princess...maybe his fate would be rewritten again, "Mr Savoy was just on impulse, he was still a child, He doesn't know what a long time will take away..."

"And then bring something." Louis stood up and continued: "I must say that although little Eugen is a bit gloomy, he does have outstanding talent, Marshal Vauban, Count of Soissons, and even the Count of Henry before. [Okondai's son] praised me for his beastly instincts in battle."

   "Battle or War?"

   "He hasn't been through the war yet," said Louis, "but I'm going to let him try." Then let him stay in Versailles and be tortured.

  ———

The Count of Soissons received the king's will and two people at the same time, one was his nominal eldest son Eugene, and the other was a Bourbon, that is, the grandson of the Duke of Vendôme, the king's half-brother. Son, the count of Soissons will sigh when he sees these two.

The full name of the Duke of Vendôme is Louis Joseph de Bourbon, and there are too many Louis in this article, so let us call him Joseph, who is in stark contrast to the dejected little Eugen, twenty Three-year-olds are infinitely closer to the Duke of Orleans in dress, to the Count of D'Artagnan in their slick tongue, and infinitely closer to the Prince of Conti or M. Molière in their affairs, but the best The thing is, he doesn't have many bad habits from dignitaries. Maybe he came to the academy after serving in the army, and he can suffer very much.

   But how could the king think of sending him to Lorraine? The Count of Soissons thought that when the Military Academy was not established, knowledge on the battlefield could only be passed on from the elders to the younger ones. He didn't mind taking little Eugen, but he didn't quite understand that the Duke of Vendome was in Dunkirk. , how could his grandson Joseph be placed in the army to Lorraine.

But this is not something he can interfere with, nor can the Duke of Vendôme, of course, this old and strong Bourbon is not so stupid, he did write a letter to the Count of Soissons, together with thirty A musketeer to him - I hope that my grandson will not have any accident under the general's command, and if it happens, I hope that the general will be "a little" merciful when punishing him.

Fortunately, Joseph is still a guy who knows the importance. When the Count of Soissons replied to the Duke of Vendôme, he was pulling little Eugen and riding leisurely around the marching team - this is a bit over the line, but He also did receive the task of inspection. Compared with Joseph, who has been in the army for several years, little Eugen, who is still a rookie in the military academy, is the first time he has seen the sight of the army walking on the road endlessly.

The army here is only 3,000 people, and the king has three expeditions in person, and the number of soldiers is about 50,000. What a shocking scene it will be, he can't imagine it, and he has almost no time to imagine, although for Joseph, patrolling is just a little thing to pass the time, but for little Eugen, who has no practical experience and only knows how to talk on paper, everything he sees is new.

Joseph had also vaguely heard about the eldest princess and him. After all, love was like sneezing, and there was no way to cover it up. It was just that the people in Versailles saw many young people who fell in love with the eldest princess at first sight, and they didn't think there was anything. Strangely, they still find it very interesting, because the eldest princess treats little Eugen like the little Duke of Enghien, or Alexander, the son of the Duke of Orleans, born in 69.

   As soon as he heard it, he knew that little Eugen was impossible. The eldest princess is someone he doesn't even dare to provoke. The one who taught her is not Queen Teresa, but the Sun King Louis XIV!

Because the king sent little Eugen out, and some people said it was because the king was worried that he would interfere with the upcoming marriage, Joseph did not think so, what the Sun King was going to accomplish, even the emperor Leo of the Holy Roman Empire Pod I couldn't stop it, let alone Eugen? Not even if he is the grandson of the Prince of Savoy.

Joseph was more willing to believe that it was the king's favor, that it was better to keep little Eugen away from Paris and Versailles than to watch his loved ones marry away, and the hard military career would wear off like a rough stone All the unrealistic pink fantasies, at least when little Eugen is in the tent at night, gnashing his teeth and drugging his thighs, he must not think of the big princess... Although they also ride horses when they hunt, but After all, hunting is still fun, and the intensity and time cannot be compared with patrolling, tsk tsk, those two poor thighs.

  Joseph can certainly remind little Eugen to take protective measures, but physical pain is better than soul pain, right? He couldn't find the bandages to bind the broken heart.

Little Eugen, ignorant of the sinister thoughts held by his companions, had to rest for a day, and then resume his duties, and when they finally crossed the Marne and reached the edge of the Lorraine region, he finally did not have to. He rode with a ghastly face, and then fell asleep in a burst of pain.

As a result of running in the hot sun, his skin was not as fair as when he was in Paris, but it unexpectedly made his ordinary and even ugly face more harmonious, and his not tall body was no longer so in the saddle. Righteousness - it is difficult to correct this noble aristocratic habit that is beautiful but not good for muscles and bones. He leaned forward slightly, and scanned the surroundings with a pair of alert eyes, not letting go of any strangeness.

During their march, their army had already encountered fleeing people. It is said that the riots in Lorraine were caused by some people who originally lived in Lorraine and Alsace, but were driven to the Holy Roman Empire by Philip, the Duke of Orleans, due to the plague. Initiated by the refugees, they regarded all those who did not leave Lorraine as traitors, and the French who had migrated as enemies and thieves. Once they captured a village, they would hang all the men in it, and women and children would suffer. They were drowned or burned to death after being tortured.

There is no need to say who is behind them, but because they were originally residents of Lorraine and Alsace, they knew very well about these two areas, so the governor of Al and Alsace was a little helpless to them for a while - they also had commanders , with logistical supplies, with the latest weapons. After destroying several villages and towns, they became more courageous, and even dared to disguise themselves as refugees to attack the army.

For those idiots who clamored for the French to go back and the like, the Count of Soissons didn't bother to say anything, and executed them all. The problem is that in addition to weapons and commanders, these thugs seem to be haunted by wizards... Fortunately They also have wizards here, so that they will not return without success.

   "Want some?" Joseph rode close to little Eugen and held up a silver jug.

   "We're on patrol now," said Eugen Jr.

   "I thought you would point."

   "If you're reminding me that today is the day the princess leaves Paris," said Eugen Jr. "I haven't forgotten, but the pain makes me sober, I like it, I don't need wine."

   "If you insist," Joseph said, "Is there something else you want to know?"

"What's up?"

   "Your Majesty will send the eldest princess to Malmo."

   Little Eugen turned his head in surprise.

  ———

Where is    Malmö? It is a port city on the east coast of the Oresund strait at the mouth of the Baltic Sea. It belonged to Denmark 58 years ago. The Treaty of Roskilde included it together with the provinces of Skåne, Blekinge, Kazakhstan and the southern tip of the Scandinavia Peninsula. The four provinces of Lanzhou and Bajas were ceded to Sweden, and there is no more place for the old king and the new king of Denmark to worry about it.

When France seemed to be in flames before, the King of Denmark did not forget to take advantage of the fire. He did not have the courage to target France, but managed to raise 14,000 people to attack Malmö, but the generals of Karl XI held the fortress, and they were there. After three weeks of siege, King Frederick IV of Denmark could not afford more military spending, and finally gave up.

   Perhaps it was to warn Frederick IV that, after discussions with Louis XIV, the Swedes decided to place the dressing ceremony in Malmö.

We have seen this kind of weird ceremony as early as when Queen Teresa married in France. The ceremony is usually held on the border of the two countries. There is a big tent. clothes and jewelry, and then changed into those brought by the Swedes. But to say that France and Sweden have no borders adjacent to each other, but Louis XIV believed that North Holland was already part of France, and of course its border with Sweden could be regarded as a place for ceremonies.

This statement, let alone the Swedes, even the Dutch dare not say anything. As for Louis XIV sending his daughter all the way to Malmö, this dangerous and unethical behavior, no one dares to stop it, even if Yes, and they absolutely couldn't say no in front of the king's army - the mood of the Swedes was no doubt indescribable, and of course they were delighted to see the French king and his army thoroughly humiliating and terrorizing the Danes, but when they knew, One of them, a 300-strong cavalry company with bright clothes and well-equipped equipment turned out to belong to the eldest princess, and when she would be taken to Stockholm by her, the happy mood suddenly became heavy.

This kind of heaviness continued until the tent that Louis XIV built for his daughter. The Swedish lady opened the door of the tent and subconsciously retreated. The envoy cast an inquiring look. The French are not always in the tent. Install a team of cavalry.

   "No, my lord." The lady said softly, she was also the daughter of the count, but what she saw was really amazing.

   "The French hang and cover their tents with **** skins."

   she said uneasily.

   Even if the Huron tribes, allies of the French, occupied the largest and best production of **** hides, **** hides were still a luxury for the people of Europa. Because of law and tradition, only kings can use sable skins, bishops and dukes can use ferret skins, merchants and some low-level officials can only use sheepskin, fox skins and weasel skins, and civilians are simply not allowed to use any skins—beaver skins because It was discovered late, so it was not included in the law, and because it is gorgeous in color, warm and firm, and not afraid of water, it is favored by many people, so the price has been high, and a judge even complained that he had to use % of his income. As soon as I went to buy a **** skin hat... This tent, which was enough to accommodate thirty or forty people, was covered with golden brown shiny **** skins, from the top of the tent to the ground, which was worse than hanging gold coins in the tent. People were surprised.

   No wonder the earl's daughter didn't dare to go any further after just one look. That feeling was almost suffocating.

But for the eldest princess, her heart is only love and gratitude to her father. The **** skin not only makes the tent extremely warm, but also allows her to maintain the arrogance and restraint of a princess when facing Swedish female officials. When the maids headed by the grand princess opened the curtains to cover her body, the Swedish female officials who could only barely stand still dared not talk a little more-compared to the embarrassment encountered by Queen Teresa, the eldest princess It was as if she had changed her clothes in her own room, and when she finished dressing and walked out of the tent slowly, those Swedes breathed a sigh of relief.

The eldest princess turned her head, the sides of the tent were raised high, and people bowed and took off their hats to salute, because King Louis XIV of France was standing on the other side of the tent watching his daughter, her eyes filled with tears, and she was deeply prostrate. On the ground, say goodbye to your father and the king one last time.

   Although it is very late, the update is complete! Eight thousand words!

   (end of this chapter)