I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 546 Romantic French

   "Mother!" The Marquis de Lafayette couldn't help shouting as soon as he jumped out of the carriage.

It has been nearly a month since the Indians came to Paris, entered the Palace of Versailles, and had an audience with the king. The Parisians changed from indifference and slight contempt to enthusiastic. It is ridiculous to say that. The reason why their attitude came into being This change is because their king is very interested in red-skinned savages, no, Indians, and not in clowns and novelties, but in the kind that treats them justly like the French people. interest.

When the king gave them titles, promoted them as officers, and rewarded their territories—even in the New World, even in Versailles, people could not help but be jealous of them—the feeling of jealousy has always been one side looking up to the other. It can only be caused in time, which also proves from the other hand that these two Indians may be the new favorite of the king.

With this kind of thinking, even the most exclusive Parisians can't help but think that these people must have some good they can't see in order to get the protection of the king. They can't see it simply because they are too stupid, anyway His Majesty the King makes no mistakes.

This is also related to the fact that Louis XIV has always been very stingy and cautious in conferring titles and territories. All those who can take medals and scepters from the hand of His Majesty are now famous and have a lot of merit. From the former merchant Colbert, to the pure outsider and the heretical mercenary leader Schaumberg, even if the color of his new darling's skin is not right, no one thinks that the king is acting recklessly.

   But Louis XIV was really headstrong.

Sometimes he looked at Rolfe's hesitant eyes and thought it was very cute. This Indian could never guess what Louis XIV was thinking. He was always troubled and couldn't figure out what his majesty's favor was. For what, for gold, for land, or for bison? But no matter what, he can, like the British, use advanced weapons, cruel heart, and act without morals to completely destroy the aborigines in America.

   instead of... such a hassle.

   is even easier than the English, because the English are the losers of the French.

   But he didn't. The conditions he put forward, it is correct to say that he is willing to put forward conditions, are all great gifts to the Indians. Don't say that Rolfe is arrogant, if he had still held a glimmer of hope, then when the king's minister took them to see the Nantes shipyard (also the armory), and saw the rumbling sound as big as a bison. After the steam engine, the lathe as huge as a tent, and the muskets, artillery, and other weapons they could not even imagine, he was completely silent, even the optimistic people around him. , and the rough "horns" as well.

The Indians are no longer the Indians of a hundred years ago. The soldiers who use muskets have long surpassed the soldiers who use bows and arrows. They know too much how much damage this man-made steel beast can cause. If these big ships, these wheeled vehicles , These thunder-like weapons are used on the Indians, how many chances do they have to resist?

Colbert's son, the Marquis de Senelay, even took them to see the cement factory, a plaster that solidifies like a rock overnight, providing the commoners with cheap and safe dwellings one after another. , can also become a connected fortress and city wall, and the proud cavalry and rockets (arson) of the Indians have little effect on this invulnerable creation.

  Rolfe almost gave up his thoughts of resistance. At the same time, another emotion that made him miserable was entangled. What did Louis XIV want? What can they give him? Day and night, he pondered this question over and over again, and the whole person was obviously sluggish.

  Louis XIV really wanted to tell him that he did this to make himself happy.

  It is very difficult now to satisfy yuwang, a king like Louis XIV, because he has everything. But he is not without regrets. After he came here and took the lead until now, for the sake of Bourbon and France, he has done a lot of things that will make him blame or regret. Today, he is no longer willing to accommodate like this. Going down - history or reality, he now has the ability and the will to extend his bottom line from France to the New World, to humans of another color.

   "This way," he said quietly in his heart: "When my conscience is torturing me in the middle of the night, I can still defend myself for a thing or two."

In this way, since Louis XIV has made up his mind to free the Indians from the tragic road that seems to be doomed to fall into the abyss, then his ministers, generals and subjects have nothing against him, as Indians. The leaders, "Horn" and Rolfe, also walked from the banquet at Versailles to the nobles' salon.

  When people slaughter cattle and sheep, they only care whether the meat of the cattle and sheep is delicious and juicy enough, but except for a very few people, it is difficult to do such a cruel thing to the same kind. Although the nobility of Horn and Rolfe may have been invited at first to flatter the king, especially at banquets, the king would love to hear how the Indians were graciously received in their salons or at home—to be able to share with The King's chance to speak is priceless! It is no exaggeration at all. Compared with thousands of gold Louis, it is not a big deal to send an invitation to one or two upstarts.

   And they soon discovered that these Indians were not as savage and ignorant as the British claimed.

Even if the French that "Horn" and Rolfe learned from sailors and merchants was not the most elegant (with a distinct provincial accent), the content of their conversation more than made up for it - they certainly couldn't compete with the Parisians and Versailles talk about the latest fashion, hobby, or genre, but they all fought the British.

We do not need to repeat the hatred between the French and the English. When Charles II was still Duke of Cornwall, and when he first ascended the throne, he had a few years of tender love with Louis XIV, but even at this time, The British Parliament did not lose its hostility to France. When Charles II stabilized his power, the United Kingdom stood on the side of the Holy Roman Emperor with an open flame and continued to provoke its former enemies.

Now it is the British who are at a disadvantage, but if you listen to the bad words of the British, whether it is how shameless and ungrateful they are, or how they cry after being wounded and defeated, or even being brutally scalped by the Indians and hung on the With flags on flagpoles, the French never get tired of it, never.

Rolf and the "horns" fought against the British for several years, and they were still looted - they were not willing to make up lies at will, they could only tell those things over and over again, those dignitaries Nobles, gentlemen and ladies are still willing to listen to it over and over again.

   One of the most enthusiastic about it turned out to be a group of students from the Military Academy, as well as young officers.

   The one who shouted the mother and rushed in from the outside, with a face full of excitement and pride, was one of these people, and also a person we are familiar with, the son of Madame Lafayette, the Marquis de Lafayette.

The Marquis de Lafayette was able to become the king's side at such an age, partly because of his loyalty and bravery, and partly because of his beautiful and learned mother, Madame Lafayette, who lived in Versailles and Paris. There are more suitors for this lady than the crucian carp of the river. Among the noble ladies, the author of the flower from the tip of the pen also has many fans of the countess and the lady.

The king's admiration for her came from the fact that Madame Lafayette immediately invited her to be a teacher when she heard that the queen had established a girls' school, and also brought in the equally talented Madame Sevigny - because in people's thinking at that time, teachers Still a humble profession, only slightly higher than that of a maid, it is rare for Mrs. Lafayette to do so.

   She has persisted in this job until now, and has not given up her writing. She has adopted and funded dozens of young ladies from the family, or is unwilling to give up their studies and join marriage, so they continue to study and research.

Even the Queen Mother's philanthropy also has a share of this lady, but she herself is very simple, if she still has a room in Versailles and the Louvre, and has been granted permission to see the king and queen at any time, This lady who lives in a quiet and lonely two-story building near Bastille, probably few people believe that she is an out-and-out Marchioness.

   If there is anything else she cares about, it may only be her son.

The Marquis de Lafayette's hand was still hanging on the triangular scarf. Although the romantic young man had replaced the white linen triangular scarf with dark blue silk, it was an indisputable fact that he was still a wounded man. Rushing in from outside, Madam couldn't help but shouted: "Slow down, slow down!" I was afraid that he accidentally fell again, aggravating the injury.

The Marquis de Lafayette won the king's blue eyes because of his mother and surname, and was thus able to accompany the king on his expeditions, but for this ambitious young man, such glory was not enough to satisfy him. Enterprising, he wants people to think of Lafayette not as his mother's son, but the exact opposite.

It's just that there are too many stars around the Sun King, and they are too bright, not to mention Grand Condé, Viscount Turenne, Vauban, Schumberg and others, in terms of military talent and family heritage, Lafayette is not only unable to compete with him. For example, Jean Bart, Joseph of Vendôme, or Villar, can't even compare with the younger Eugene, or the Craigie who had been snubbed by the king because of Fouquet...

The Marquis of Lafayette was not depressed or irritable because of this, but unfortunately, not long ago, His Majesty the King was in the war in Italy. Unfortunately, he stumbled and was trampled on by his horse and broke his ribs and right arm. After being sent back to Paris, fortunately now that there are wizards and their medicines, he will not leave any sequelae, and he can run around in just ten days. He can do everything except horse hunting.

   He was young and promising, of a detached status, and a lord of real power, and was liked by the king, and there was no salon that would not welcome him, not even Madame Montespan's salon. After listening to Rolfe and the "horns" in these salons, it was as if a thunderbolt had hit his head. "My career should be there!" he said.

"Mother!"

Seeing the Marquis de Lafayette calling out to herself with such a smile on her face, Mrs. Lafayette felt bad. When did a grown son call his mother so affectionately, there could only be two situations- one There are demands, and there are mishaps.

   The Marquis of Lafayette has both.

  He is going to the New World.

  ————

   "Oh! God!" Madame Lafayette could not help but fell into the arms of the Duchess of Montpensier and cried, "Isn't this killing me!"

  Louis gave an awkward smile.

  It turns out that a rational and calm lady like Madame Lafayette would be like this...indiscriminate...she can also have no scruples when it comes to her dear son.

However, it is not surprising that the Marquis thinks this way. Originally, the king was worried that the officers and soldiers were unwilling to leave France and go to the new continent thousands of miles away to work with red-skinned people, and this period of time would not be too short, at least Ten years or so, or more, is equivalent to spending the rest of your life in a strange and remote place.

Rolfe and the "horns" were so popular that he had been beyond his expectations, and their speeches were able to stimulate the enthusiasm of the French for the New World... The king was even more surprised, but "the humanism of the French and the Romantic thoughts" was exactly what he said, and rightly so. Now the French are very rich in spirit and material, and Louis has been deliberately forging the concept and consciousness of nation and country. These people are just when they regard themselves and France as the most perfect existence. Such despicable and shameless treatment of the Indians who once benefited them, of course, they want to uphold justice and maintain morality...

  Ah, let’s put it this way, smart people always see the long-term, why would anyone be willing to spend tens of thousands of livres to buy a chance to accompany him when His Majesty the King was on his third expedition? It's not because after this, there should be no more external wars in France, and there should be no internal wars. Within a hundred years, no one will be quickly promoted by military exploits in the prosperous world created by the Sun King... But those who have ambitions How can young people be willing to accept this result?

   They saw the distant new continent, and also saw the king's attention to it. A brand new land is a strange and unpredictable trap for their family, and it is an opportunity for them!

   Moreover, if the Indians can get the fief, they should be canonized. In France, the land has only been reclaimed by the royal family and has not been issued. Now, there is only this time to leave an inheritance for the family and future generations.

   And in addition to the huge benefits, they are also willing to continue the battle with their old enemies, or just make them sad.

   May all good people have a healthy life.

   (end of this chapter)