I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 577 Heaven and Hell

Warsaw, like Prague, was occupied by the Swedes and looted and burned in the Great Flood War from 1655 to 1657. The old city and the Warsaw Castle (Royal Palace) were also devastated. Eugen and his party They thought they would see another Prague, or Vienna, but they were all wrong.

The city gate opened, and they walked slowly along the wide road to the Warsaw Palace. The buildings on both sides of the road were all covered by gorgeous silks and tapestries, leaving no trace of embarrassment - that is to say, they fell from the eaves all the way to the palace. Pavement sprinkled with dried roses.

  The pools on the corners and the fountains in the squares spray not water, but wine and cinnamon-spiked wine.

   The crowd that came to greet them was divided into three waves.

The children of Schlachta held up brocade cushions covered with jewels—gifts to the dukes of Orleans and the young dukes of Enghien, who, unlike the children of the commoners, had white teeth and ruddy complexions , The limbs are strong, and it is pleasing to look at.

Their father and brother, dressed in satin and velvet coats (embroidered with gold and silver threads, embroidered with precious stones), clad in rich furs, rode white or black horses with no variegation, waiting at the palace In the square in front of them, their horses are also covered in gold and silver, covered with jewels, and their coats are almost down to the ground, so that the sun can stab people's eyes; there are four beautiful Shila Chita Gui The woman held up a canopy embroidered with golden lilies, covering the heads of the Duke of Orleans and others, welcoming them into the palace.

  The canopy is made of taffeta from Florence, gold damask from Damascus and velvet from Bruges, with golden lacquer on the poles and tassels of pearls.

  When they entered the palace, the princes of the Tatars, the lords of Lithuania, the archbishops and the abbots of the abbeys came to see them, and there were hundreds of knights in uniform behind them.

It's hard to say whether this is a show, or a deterrent, or a kind of hospitality. After all, everyone knows that the Duke of Orleans was Louis XIV's favorite brother, and the little Duke of Enghien also grew up in the Palace of Versailles. Equivalent to the king's half son.

  —No civilians were seen on the road. Little Eugen quickly suppressed the passing thought as soon as he got off his horse. They had more important things to do.

Ludwig I greeted them in the hall of the castle. Although he was still so tall, he was skinny, and his thin skin could not hide the bright red brought by the hot blood. Not ideal, he stood a little and thanked the Duke of Orleans and Louis XIV - not only for the good care they had taken for the little Duke of Enghien before, but also for the fact that they could so quickly and secretly put the little Duke of Enghien at this key point. Time to deliver to Warsaw.

   Soon he was overwhelmed and sat down with the support of his son Henry, and it was difficult to stand up. From the hall to the banquet hall, he needed to take the shoulders of the attendants to finish the short journey.

The Duke of Orleans stood up halfway through the banquet and said that he was tired from the journey, and he really had to live up to the kindness of His Majesty the King, so that Ludwig I would not fall during the banquet. Taking the opportunity to lead the way, Earl Henry Holding a candle, he came to the suite they prepared for the duke, and soon, Ludwig I also arrived. He exuded a mandala and another sweet smell that the duke of Orleans had smelled. The former was for pain relief. The latter is meant to lift the spirits—both wizards' potions.

Even so, Ludwig I insisted on talking with the Duke of Orleans and the messengers of Luciano I about joining the Crusades. Luciano was also a Bourbon, even if Poland had little influence on Italy For the sake of his beloved father, he was also willing to give this favor, not to mention that as they gradually penetrated into the territory of Ottoman Turkey, the pressure they suffered became heavy and they needed some real warriors.

   "I just don't know if those Shila Chita are willing..." said the little Duke of Anghian worriedly.

"They asked for nothing," Henry said. "They all lent money to merchants." He gave a complicated smile. "It may not be much, but do you know that they have been paying off for a few years and harvesting?" He held out three sticks. Finger: "Three years of harvest, five years, and ten years!" He retracted his finger and continued: "In their thinking, there is probably no wheat crop failure, or wheat production so saturated that the price is low. ."

Poland's barbarism and backwardness are not only manifested in its serf system, but also the middle-class aristocrats, mainly Schlachta - that is to say, they are as disdainful of knowledge as the lords of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. I have no interest at all, I only like wine, women and martial arts. It can even be said that if Ludwig I hadn't become the king of Poland, he introduced new weapons and tactics, and some new ideas in training and military. method, perhaps the Poles still have only their winged cavalry.

   They are unwilling to care and learn even the most critical things, let alone the economy? Their agents have served them tirelessly for so many years, and they are accustomed to ignoring everything but pleasure - but they don't know that merchants can also use their despicable means to overthrow an entire kingdom - if it wasn't for Louis XIV of France who had been clinging to Staring at them, they really dare to let these Shiraztas have nothing in an instant.

But now, they have also been silently sent to the throats of these Polish nobles by the Sun King as another weapon. Of course, at the king's behest, the merchants did not dare to force Shila Chita to the point of nowhere. They Most of them only know that their wheat may be able to repay their previous debts, but it is unlikely that they will continue to spend so recklessly.

This made the Schlachtas feel sad. It would be a lie to say that they did not feel that Ludwig I was gradually eroding their power. They also wanted to drive out the French and replace them with another one that was easy to be attacked. The puppets of control, but in this way, the French will inevitably become enemies with them, not to mention trade, it is not impossible for France to launch the second great flood war with Sweden.

   And how did they elect a king other than Bourbon? They tried the Elector of Saxony, the Elector refused without hesitation, he had no doubt that if he moved, Louis XIV would immediately support William I of Prussia to "do something", alas, it is not only the fear of neighbors It's William I.

   "So, they made an agreement," replied a "little bird": "In this crusade, if someone outdoes everyone else, he should be elected king of Poland."

"Henry is of course fearless," said the Duke of Orleans. "The little Duke of Enghien stays in Warsaw and prepares himself." He looked at the little Duke of Enghien, "Bought, bribed, threatened, do whatever you want, while closing The middle and lower classes of Shila Chita, on the one hand, appease the people, if they are willing to accept the truth, they will be happy, if not, then it is up to you to 'convince' them."

  The little Duke of Anghian nodded. He came all the way in a hurry, just for this - when facing the nobles of Poland, their father and son must work together to take over the unfinished business of grandfather.

"Speaking of the people," Henry said suddenly: "Your Highness, you may not know that in Poland, there is no concept of the people." He paused: "There are free people, but very few, landless tenant farmers and serfs almost There is no difference, but most of them are still serfs." He was silent for a while: "You may not have seen it yet, but those serfs... probably can't understand your wishes and thoughts like the French people."

"I understand what you mean," said the Duke of Orleans, "I have tried to understand this place, maybe not deep enough, but it doesn't matter, we have to stay here for a while." Henry's face couldn't help showing sorrow, the Duke's It means that until the death of Ludwig I, he will act as the representative of Louis XIV and suppress some dangerous voices and behaviors for him here.

"His Royal Highness...I think I must thank you for everything you have done for us..." Henry said with pain, and it was Louis XIV who set an example first, and the blood ties that were not valued in the Bourbon family were constantly strengthened. - Grand Condé saw how Louis XIV treated his children and how his children treated him, and he followed suit while envious. - Henry felt his father's love for the first time when he was married and had children, and he couldn't help but feel a little bit Embarrassed and a little shy, but more joyful; after they came to Poland, the father and son leaned on each other even more, supported each other, and their relationship became even deeper.

The Duke    silently stretched out his hand and shook hands with Henry.

  Henry was right. It was only on the third day that someone invited the Duke of Orleans, Eugene, and other French nobles in the embassy to go hunting together.

Hunting, which can satisfy one's appetite, can boast of personal strength, can also make friends, flatter the nobles, or play with conspiracy, has never stopped since the birth of mankind, even now, Louis XIV Or go hunting with nobles and officers to the forest of Versailles every once in a while, which is as important a political and ceremonial act as holding banquets and **** in Versailles.

The person who invited them was a great Lithuanian lord, an aristocratic tycoon converted from Orthodox to Catholics, with countless serfs, a vast expanse of land, and three hundred winged cavalry, several hundred cavalrymen supported by the former two. Thousands of soldiers and servants. This kind of strength made him very proud, thinking that he could beat Henry in the subsequent crusades, but considering that Louis XIV of France definitely didn't want to see this result, he also began to cautiously befriend the Duke of Orleans and the young Eugen.

Hunting on the prairie is a new thing for both the Duke of Orleans and the little Eugen. The prey on the prairie is smaller than in the forest, but much larger in size. They also encountered a herd of wild horses. The squires of the knights trapped many horses.

After personally hunting a bison and getting compliments, little Eugen slowly put down his worries and devoted himself to the activity. He caught more and more prey, and even caught a live lynx Lynx, ready to bring back to the king.

What puzzled him was that the prey on the plains was very rich, and the Polish nobles were still sending squires and dog-led servants to search for the prey. The lack of appearance, these can not fulfill their happiness.

   "What are you looking for? Bears?" Little Eugen asked casually.

   "Something more valuable than a bear." The man also replied nonchalantly. Before little Eugen could continue to question, suddenly he heard a burst of enthusiastic cheers, and even a chaotic variety of voices - it was almost dusk, and the knights had all taken off their cloaks, armor (if any), and weapons. Well maintained and put away. But as soon as they heard the horn, they became extremely excited, even more than in the morning.

At this time, they had already gone deep into the grassland. Unexpectedly, after getting on the horses, they would gallop all the way until the moon rises. The squire running in front suddenly turned back and said something loudly in Polish. Little Eugen didn't understand it, but he could see it. Until the torches are concentrated in one place.

There was a lot of people in the light. In addition to the violent laughter and rhythmic shouting, there were still people screaming and wailing. Little Eugen thought that someone had an accident, so he rushed forward, "Is anyone injured? ' he shouted.

   "No one was hurt," said one of the Shrachitas, passing little Eugen and raising his musket.

   At the moment when the gunshots sounded, little Eugen saw a black mass on the ground, not an animal, but a person.

   A herdsman, he fell on his back, revealing a terrified face.

His wife, brothers and children, and perhaps his companions and kin, are being driven into the enclosure like wild horses by the knights, desperately trying to escape, but how can human legs run over the hoofs of horses, What's more, when the knights saw people running towards them, they would pull on the reins intimidation and order the horses to lift their front hooves.

   Not only those who wanted to flee, but any act of resistance, even herdsmen who glared at the Poles would be immediately executed.

When about a hundred people were trapped in the knight's cage, the servants raised the torches, and the organizer and master of the hunt, the Lithuanian, rode in under the protection of the squire, and with a whip, Some of the herders who were caught were singled out—mostly wounded, but there were also exceptionally tall and strong ones, whose necks were skillfully looped by the squires, and the other end was put by the knights on the handle of the front of the saddle. , and then the knight kicked the spur, and the horse flew out.

  The picked out herdsmen didn't make a sound and disappeared into the darkness in an instant.

   (end of this chapter)