I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 550 Red and White (Part 1)

   When the envoy of Louis XIV asked the English people about the population of Ireland, the other party could only give a rough figure, five million. ,

At the beginning of the 16th century, the population of Ireland was still hovering between 500,000 and 600,000. The reason for such a sharp increase was ironically because of potatoes. Potatoes are highly productive, suitable for the Irish climate, and have no natural enemies. Therefore, even though most of the Irish were reduced to tenant farmers, they were still able to rely on this God-given food to cause the population to explode.

The reason why it is said to be deformed is because according to the normal market economy, or even the feudal ruling system, if a place has such a stable food supply and sufficient population, it will gradually prosper and prosper, but Ireland is just the opposite—in The English people who own a lot of land in Ireland hardly ever live in Ireland. For them, Ireland is just a colony. How the people in the colony should survive has nothing to do with them, because the wheat is not valuable, it is better to raise livestock, and they can Destroy Irish agriculture and convert most of the land to pasture.

Even if a small part of the wheat is planted, the English landowners will not only not provide relief to the refugees in times of crisis, but will also transport the wheat to England, where there is no shortage of food - because the poor Irish cannot afford their wheat, which is even more angry. It is also ridiculous that after the wheat was shipped to England, it was devalued due to a large backlog, and even moldy.

   On the one hand, the moldy wheat, as well as fresh mutton and beef, were eaten up, and on the other hand, there was starvation everywhere.

Because of the tenfold increase in the population of potatoes, the Irish starved to death a million people in just one or two years. Think about it, even the servants of the Marquis de Lafayette, the Irish with assets and estates have fallen. So, what about ordinary people?

The lucky Irishman did not tell the good Mrs Lafayette that they, with the help of the merchants, managed to recover some strength, and gathered in Rosslare Harbour, waiting to board the ship, for some reason, temporarily in the Irishman. A riot broke out in the shelter.

The source of the riot was a woman testifying against her husband—no, not her husband, just a thug who took the lives of innocent people and ate their flesh. The thug wanted to see the opportunity Escape, of course, was unsuccessful, and he was quickly caught by the French merchant's squires and sent to the gallows.

   As a result, dozens of people escaped from the settlement that night. No need to ask why, they have all eaten people.

How did the Marquis of Lafayette meet his servants, because the Marquis concealed his identity at that time, and as the merchant's attendant, in accordance with the king's request, he went to see "the current state of Ireland" with his own eyes. , determined to capture those people back and kill them one by one. After all, the thought of such a devil staying in the world would make people with a little conscience feel uneasy.

  That is how the Irish became the guides and servants of the marquis.

All of these situations have been reported by the Marquis to His Majesty the King, so Louis can't help but feel a sense of contentment when he looks at the Irish grooms, workers and maids walking down the street - these people are not only him from death, What was taken from the tyranny of Charles II was taken from the teeth of the mob.

The Irish who were long-term employed by the Parisians, or even the French, were the luckiest, but those Irishmen who had traveled long distances to the New World never complained. No, it should be said that they were like the servants of the marquis. , full of gratitude to France and its master.

The Irish in Paris now live far better than before, and the Irish in the New World are also full of expectations - they don't have to worry about being driven out again, they have a fixed residence, enough charcoal fire and abundant food, although their salary is meager, but the New World The land is not expensive. If they work in the army, they may be allocated a piece of land.

  French merchants had concerns at first that the slave trade was so prosperous that the original white farmhands were unwilling to work in an unfamiliar place, or asked for high prices.

  Irish people don’t have this concern. Although they are also employed, they are familiar with the land of Ireland. Can an inch belong to them?

  The reason why people are attached to their homeland is because there is their last retreat, but the Irish retreat is on another continent.

So, when the Irish are working hard, businessmen can't help but calculate the cost-effectiveness between them and black slaves - now a black slave is not cheap. To put it bluntly, a black slave worked for ten years fifty years ago. It can be worth his worth, and now it takes thirty or even forty years of work to pay his full worth, and the slave owner has to bear his food, clothing, and housing. In this way, it is no different from hiring an Irishman for a long time.

   And the Negro slaves worked, with shackles, whips, and overseers, to keep them from escaping, and to keep them from destroying tools and burning warehouses. The latter act doesn't matter in the time of Louis XIII or Charles I, but now, the king's factory can not only make weapons, ships, but also large machinery that can replace cattle and manpower. These machines are very expensive. , is also very powerful, and more...very easily destroyed.

  The Irish do not, and not only do not, but take care of them, because these machines can also be used by them in their fields.

In five years, the Irish moved a million people to the New World, almost on par with the North American Indians and the French at that time, but then the French Huguenots migrated to the New World, and some middle The Indians in the south moved north to gain an advantage in overall numbers. There are now nine major provinces in the New World, and Marshal Schumberg manages and rules them as governor on behalf of the Duke of Montreal.

However, with the passage of time, some shadows that originally belonged to local Irish forces are slowly growing. The Druids, the parliament and the Normans, or the legacy of the Vikings, the former Irish native religion - ungratefulness is always the most common. 's drama.

But in general, this matter is not a big problem. Five years is enough for General Schumberg to exercise a strong army. The army is dominated by French and Indians, and the Irish are only a few. And almost all of them are only in the middle and low layers.

It wasn't that Marshal Schumberg was suspicious, or wanted to suppress it, but that the Irish came to the New World when they were at war, and when the Irish finally settled down and had the energy to wait and see, there would be no British in America, unless they To fight the French, where else will they get their credit?

   It is the chiefs or warriors among the Indians. After the alliance with the French, as equal friends, they can be promoted and rewarded. Coupled with the promise of Louis XIV, the tribes allied with the French could keep their own territories, or they could buy canyons, forests or mountains at a reasonable price, so almost every Indian had a considerable asset .

   This asset allows them to absorb a large number of Irish, after all, the population of Indians is not so sufficient. At first, some Irish people were reluctant. Five years ago, there were Indian slave trade in the port market in Jamestown! The English newspapers always describe the Indians as scalping savages; secondly, they also fear that red-skinned people will treat white-skinned people as white-skinned people treat them. . . .

  Fortunately, maybe not every Indian is a good man, otherwise the French would not need to ally with the Indians. But most of them were indeed childlike, and when they were with the British they learned almost all the bad things - blackmail, deceit, the law of the jungle, alcoholism and narrow beliefs, and, in general, It was oppressed by an eager suffocation.

And every French they met, apart from the good things they had always been praised for, what they liked most was that they carried a kind of nonchalant lightness, as if nothing could hold them back. This kind of thought and emotion quickly Infected the Indians, then the Irish who were employed by the Indians.

  What human beings fear most is the fear of the unknown and the hope that does not exist. When the people of Ireland admitted that not only the French, but also the red-skinned Indians could be good employers, those ungrateful wicked men were drowned in the silence and vigilance of their companions before they made waves.

   "Ah, Your Majesty, look," said Pierre suddenly.

Louie woke up from his contemplation, and when he took a closer look, it turned out to be a scene that was quite rare in Paris - an Indian lady dressed as a lady, holding a delicate lace umbrella, was walking towards them from the end of the street, behind her Two maids followed closely—a big one, a small one, of similar features, both with red hair and white skin, and they seemed to be Irish as well.

This is also an unwritten stipulation in the employment agreement, that is, if possible, in the case of long-term employment, an employer will try to hire an entire family without breaking them up. This pair of maids is likely to be sisters, and the elder is carrying a suitcase. The younger maid looked around, what was she looking for? Ah, she found it. It was the parking spot for the carriage. In order to prevent the carriage from being obstructed everywhere on the street, the parking spot for the carriage was planned.

An Irish coachman, also red-haired, jumped out of the carriage, opened the door of the carriage, and served his Indian master to get in, but the Indian lady just glanced this way, and after a pause, she came towards Louis. , curtseyed three paces away from the king--because the movement was so fast, that no one but the servants behind him noticed.

   "How did you recognize me?" Louis asked curiously, "I haven't seen you, ma'am."

  Louis has always had a good memory, but anyone who has seen him will remember it, not to mention this is a red amber, not a white opal.

   "Your portrait hangs in Marshal Schumberg's conference room."

   "He really shouldn't have inherited the bad habits of the English." Louis said: "But how did you see me coming? I made a disguise."

   "I'm the daughter of the 'Horn', sir... my second Indian name is Little Falcon, and my friends and father have said that my eyes are extremely sharp."

   "Then I saw a little falcon on the tip of the horn." Louis said with a smile: "As the first person to recognize me, I should give you a reward."

"I shouldn't have asked you for a reward," Xiao Falcon said, "and I shouldn't be the first person to recognize you, but some people may not come over because of awe, or because they are afraid of disturbing you. "

   "Then you should be asking for something." Louis said softly, he was always patient with women and children, and the little falcon occupied both.

   "Yes." Xiao Falcon said, after all, she is not a French, but an Indian.

  ———

   "How long can you stay in Paris this time?" asked the Marquise de Lafayette.

   "Well, about thirty days." said the Marquis of Lafayette.

  The Marquise paused, put down the teacup, and showed a suspicious look: "Then what do you want to do?"

   "Don't use you," said the marquis, "make me panic, mother."

   "If it's just for this old woman like me, you won't need thirty days."

   "Well, how can you say that, in fact, I was about to discuss with you, would you like to go to New Amsterdam?"

New Amsterdam is a port city. As the name suggests, it originally belonged to the Netherlands, and later the Netherlands belonged to Louis XIV. Louis XIV did not change his name, but still called it New Amsterdam. New Amsterdam began to build a port and various buildings in 1625. It is also quite large and comfortable to live in. Because it is a port city, it is not so deficient in material aspects.

   "I won't go," said the Marchioness, "unless you promise me..."

   "Promise you what?"

   "Marry. Have children." The Marchioness said succinctly: "You are thirty years old."

The marquis    was silent.

   The Marchioness sank.

"Mother…"

   "The last time you called my mother so seriously, you still said you were going to the New World, and then disappeared for five years." The Marchioness said firmly.

  Marquis de Lafayette pursed his lips and held his mother's hand, "I already know a... lady who wants to marry her."

   The Marquise said in her heart that I am ready: "Civilians?"

"It can't be said to be a commoner. Her father is an earl and the cavalry commander in the legion." The marquis took a deep breath: "She is very young, very healthy, very beautiful, well-educated, of high moral character, and has a dowry. rich…"

"shortcoming."

"Mother…"

   "Hey! I didn't think there would be such a girl looking at you."

   "Well," said the Marquis, "she is an Indian."

   (end of this chapter)