I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 591 (Fanwai) Modern Chapter (1)

   From the beginning of the twentieth century, a very simple but error-prone question appeared on French elementary school history exams.

  The title is - What day is France's National Day?

If you want to ask students from any country, it is always best to remember the National Day of their own country. Even if they are in a deep house, they never go out or watch TV. At least they can know when the National Day is from the holidays. There are always people who remember the title wrong.

But when the teacher couldn't help but scold, the students actually felt wronged - of course, he knew that the French National Day was the birthday of the Sun King Louis XIV, which was September 5th, but before that, there were The birthday of the "King of Liberation" or "Independence" Louis XV on February 15, and the birthday of "Democratic King" and "King of Mercy" Louis XVI on August 23, there are celebrations and holidays.

The former was regarded as a saint by both America and France because he signed the "Declaration of American Independence", and his birthday celebration in America was even more grand than that of France; the latter advocated and established, yes, you didn't. Wrong, the French constitutional monarchy was actually mentioned by the king before anyone else. Although the enlightened and prosperous French academic circles at that time had affirmed that the monarchy was a backward system, it was out of respect for the Bourbon family. , People of insight all silently swear in their hearts that unless the king of the Bourbon family betrays the king and the people, or the French-Bourbon is extinct, they will continue to support the inheritance of Bourbon's due power.

  Unexpectedly, on the fiftieth birthday of Louis XVI, he gathered all the ministers and scholars to Versailles and kindly dropped a bomb - he asked them to form a cabinet.

Of course, the establishment of a constitutional monarchy requires many steps and procedures. When the British set up a constitutional system, there were several bills in a single bill, but the process of forming a parliament—the parliament electing people to form a cabinet—managing the country is unchanged. At this time, France has already With the upper and lower councils, and the upper and lower councils also have several powerful and talented leaders, it is only a matter of a few days to form a cabinet.

However, once the cabinet is established, it means that Bourbon has completely withdrawn from the center of political power in France. Although Louis XVI no longer interfered in the operation of the country 30 years after he ascended the throne, this remark still attracted a huge wave. turmoil.

   To put it simply, the people of Paris and Versailles alone were not overjoyed, but mourned when they heard that the king had decided to implement a constitutional monarchy. Some radical guys thought it was the minister who held the king hostage, and even formed a "King of Diligence" to attack the city governments of Paris and Versailles. Some people visited the ministers and judges overnight, begging them not to stand on the side of the "rebels". , Although some people dare not raise their weapons, they dare to raise rotten eggs and Rotten Tomatoes to smash the windows of what they think are "chaos" and "traitors" - the speakers of the upper and lower parliaments and the leaders of several parties bear the brunt.

   There are also people who have asked the Church of Rome to call the Catholic state to put down the rebellion... Why, Louis XIV was canonized in the third year of his death, shouldn't they protect the descendants of the saints?

Look for Polish, Italian, and Spanish bourbons, and more for American bourbons... In short, all the ironic chaos ensued, up and down, until Louis XVI stood in the Louvre On the terrace, as when he ascended the throne, wearing a crown and a robe, read a "Letter to the French People-France Deserves True Liberty", and this great wave finally calmed down.

   As the first Prime Minister of France said, this freedom is a gift from the Bourbon royal family to the French people, and they should cherish this gift and pass it on for a long time.

As the giver of this gift, even if some Englishman said sourly that Louis XVI was already a puppet of the upper and lower parliaments, or that Louis XVI was a coward, afraid that his people would guillotine him for the so-called freedom It's just a last resort - the Bourbons still have more respect and love than the Orange (later renamed Winston) dynasty in England.

   Yes, after Queen Anne, the British still found an heir from William III of the Netherlands.

The descendants of William III of Orange, whether they are descendants of the former tyrants of the Netherlands or the monarchs of England, will definitely stand on the opposite side of France, and the hatred between the English and the French has lasted for hundreds of years. Cumulatively, it is common for people from the two countries to dislike each other.

   Their disputes are not limited to wars, but also extend to any occasions that need to be compared, such as sports events, entertainment, academics, etc. Even the two royal families are often compared.

  What makes the British furious is that, compared to Bourbon, the Winston dynasty...can't say bad, but always slightly worse.

Take Louis XVI as an example. Why is this king called the "King of Mercy"? We must know that by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, few people would give the king a nickname, and the first two Sovereign, Louis XIV and Louis XV were both benevolent rulers - for the simple reason that after the establishment of the cabinet, he began a tireless pursuit of philanthropy, a pursuit that ran throughout the rest of his life and benefited him. There are people all over the world—even in his biography, the contributor is half-joking, half-seriously, that the only person who has not been favored by this benevolent king may be the cockroach...

You must know that when Louis XVI was alive, it was the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century (the Bourbon family lived long), when the industry was booming, and everyone was in the steam engine, electricity and steel. Under the fascination of people, they fell into extreme fanaticism, not to mention animals and nature, even the rights and interests of human beings may not be guaranteed.

The philanthropy of Louis XVI was not without criticism at the time, some thought he was too weak, some thought he got in the way, but they all backed down under the interference of the French government - there is nothing in this world stronger than a Does the king of the kingdom have more power? What Louis XVI demanded of them was a drop in the bucket compared to what he had before him.

Those statutes that were ridiculed, ridiculed, and even boycotted would not be seen until a hundred years later, and the result was that while England and its colonies were dying of pollution and rioting, France remained the same since Louis. Charm and cleanliness inherited from the 14th period.

In particular, when the French, and some scholars from elsewhere, began to study Louis XVI's philanthropy, they were surprised to find that most of the money that Louis XVI spent on philanthropy was actually From Bourbon, not the French government.

   His title of King of Mercy is fully worthy of its name.

   Incidentally, this is also one of the major problems that the British are brooding about and the members of the Winston Dynasty have been wronged in every way.

The British government still has to pay a "monarchy appropriation" for the Winston dynasty. This money comes from the taxes paid by the British. In addition, the kings and queens also have their own private properties and investments. The former is often mentioned. And questioning - because the members of the French Bourbon dynasty next door rejected the grant from the beginning, their people were still sheltered by Bourbon rather than exploited, and even from Louis XVI onwards, the philanthropy of the Bourbon family grew. Evaporating, the impact is widespread.

   But the members of the royal family of the Winston dynasty also have nothing to do—yes, Bourbon does not need appropriation, because even the wealthy Bourbon family has heard of it.

Since Louis XIV, the Bourbon family has liked to support scholars and craftsmen. They are well-fed and well-respected. They only focus on researching and inventing various things. Some are ridiculous, some are not practical, but some can be After mass production and popularization, it brought countless wealth to Bourbon - glass, steel, ceramics, alternating current, telecommunications, elevators, motors, nylon...and so on, the list goes on and on.

Not to mention, Paris has occupied the title of fashion city for three hundred years in a row, no matter how talented and talented you are, it is always a pity that you can't make a name for yourself in Paris - no joke, people say, praise a The best line an actor, designer, dancer or singer can say is: "You should go to Paris."

There is also the strong yuwang of the Bourbon family for land and sea. Of course, everyone hopes to get more territory. When Louis XIV concentrated the kingship, Bourbon managed to acquire a large part of the aristocrats and officials. The land, even if the Bourbon family later returned some to the French government, but more are still insisted by the government and the people to stay in Bourbon - for example, the Louvre in Paris is now the property of the Paris city government, but Versailles is still It is Bourbon's private domain - even if it is open to everyone, but really, the descendants of Louis XVI can still refuse to visit and visit at will, but this usually occurs when Bourbon members gather.

   These real estates bring Bourbon untold money every year.

  What about the Winston family?

Although the last member of the Orange family, William III, used to be a prince, archduke, and duke, he had nothing left when he suddenly disappeared. Even if the British insisted that they had found William III's son, he certainly did not have a formal marriage contract at that time. , otherwise how could he be invited to marry Queen Anne?

The legitimacy of the Winstons has been questioned so much that their claims against Utrecht and all the estates, assets and titles of the House of Orange are inadmissible, that is, they come to London empty-handed, All of the existing assets have been seized by them in the past two or three hundred years. It is not easy to maintain the dignity that the royal family should have. It is also necessary to reject the "royal appropriation" and use private property to do charity... I'm sorry. , this is really not possible.

   But the public will not pay attention to this.

   Well, let's get down to business now, let's take a look at a poor man who unfortunately misunderstood France's National Day diary and had to face the teacher's wrath, especially when she chose the French National Day as October 1st.

   "But I'm only seven years old, not to mention that I spend a third of the time in Zhongguo." Yona said indignantly: "And France also has holidays for Zhongguo's National Day, so it's surprising that I'm wrong!"

"Who made our teacher a real royalist?" said her brother Baudouin. Of course, royalist is just a joking adjective, because Paris and Versailles always have some fanatical "Sun Kings" Or "Bourbon" believers. In their eyes, how could a Frenchman get the French National Day wrong? , mainly because it was also Louis XIV's birthday.

   "I'm just quick. The physical choice is wrong." Yona complained unwillingly, "I'll be a Zhongguo person."

   "You are French," said Baudouin.

   "I can be a Zhongguo, like my mother." Yona said, "Where's Dad?"

   "Today they all have something to do," Bo Duan said, "only us, I'll help you with your homework. If you want to be a Zhongguo person, you should be as diligent as a Zhongguo person."

   "It's a stereotype," Yona said, "you shouldn't say that."

   "It was my fault," said Baudouin, "but you still have to do your homework."

Although one wanted to supervise his sister's tuition, the other sat at the desk unwillingly, but after a while, the sound of suona, gongs, drums and trombone involuntarily led Yona to the terrace. She held the railing and looked down. , Bo Duan also ran to the terrace in the name of taking care of his sister, "It should be a rehearsal of the National Day parade." He said eagerly: "I remember there was a notice in front of the apartment."

   "I didn't pay attention," Yona said absently, her attention being completely drawn to the two lions dancing on the pole.

   The white lion also winked golden eyes at her.

   "It is said that these performances are free," said Baudouin.

   "There's a boy in my class," Yona said. "He just came from England, and he said he didn't understand how the French could be like the English..." She pondered her words: "Better."

"I know that," said Baudouin, a fourth-grader who certainly knew more than his younger sister who had just entered school: "Zhongguo was once ruled by a cruel Tatar who imposed many harsh laws to To ensure that his rule is not shaken, there are restrictions on study and occupation," he said half-heartedly: "But the Zhongguo people like to read, and they seek every opportunity to read, probably around the end of the seventeenth century, when the Sun King was in France. Junior high school education has been popularized, and university education has been strengthened. Some zhongguo businessmen who do business with the French have asked their friends to help them, hoping that His Majesty will allow their children to study in France."

Yona watched with gusto as a group of actors in gorgeous feathered clothes glide lightly down the street, they looked like they were flying, although she knew they had electric skateboards under their feet, but gosh, those beautiful clothes and Their charming smiles make them look like angels who came to the world.

"and after?"

"Later..." Baudouin said, "those young Zhongguo were in Paris, Versailles, Nantes... In short, after graduating from several universities, they returned to their hometowns, full of their ruthless rule by the Tatar Sultan. Dissatisfied and hated, I want to overthrow them." He said intermittently: "It was a long process," he recalled what his mother told him: "It could be ten, twenty, thirty years. …”

   "You haven't said how we and they became friends..." Yona said.

"Some of the French gave them support and guidance, and some of the French became their allies and even fought alongside them." For example, the Marquis of Lafayette, of course, not the Marquis of Lafayette, but the Marquis and Indians A descendant of the Governor's daughter, he perfectly inherited his father's yearning for freedom and passion.

Baudouin's mother took him to see the Monument to the Marquis of Lafayette in the far east - this young American nobleman was finally sacrificed on an unfamiliar battlefield, and he joined thousands of others who held him with him. A hero with the same firm belief and courage rests on a lofty mountain.

   It was a sunny afternoon, and under the gray statue were snow-white flowers and doves, which were deeply imprinted in Baudouin's heart.

   "The same as the monuments in Paris?" Yona asked.

   "The same." Baudouin said: "Friends from afar are sleeping under the monument of Zhongguo, and the same is true of the monument in Paris."

He knew a little bit more about this history, because it was not far from the French, and about seventy years ago, France was also in a crisis of urgency, first with the near extinction of the French-Bourbons, and then with the royal family. Became a traitor, and then Britain and Austria suddenly undeclared war on France in the middle of the night. The sudden blow caught the French government by surprise and was confused - at that time, France had not experienced a war between countries for more than a hundred years. Not to mention that three other major provinces declared their independence without warning...

At that time, Poland and Sweden were caught in the vortex of war against Russia, Portugal had already fallen for the most part, the king of Italy was assassinated in Greece... and so on... At that time, the British army was already approaching Germany, and the people of Paris and Versailles took up Louis XIV. The muskets of the period were ready to fight the enemy for life and death - at that time, no one thought that the first reinforcements to arrive were actually Zhongguo, thousands of miles away.

  zhongguo people have not forgotten, zhongguo people are not afraid, the earliest can be traced back to the meager gift of the sun king Louis XIV, and finally brewed into a cup of sweet wine, a delicious wine for friends. Even at that time, zhongguo was just a sprout sprouting from an ancient and huge root, still very young and fragile, but they did not hesitate when they made the decision to aid France.

  The blood of the French and the blood of the Zhongguo people were mixed together, and from then on, they were brothers without blood and the closest friends.

  This friendship has continued to this day. Two strong lions stand on the east and west sides at the same time, supporting each other, communicating with each other, and finally establishing an unshakable position for each other.

Today, in the 21st century of peace, stability and developed shipping, the exchanges between the two countries are becoming more and more ordinary. Young people studying in France (zhongguo) are no different from studying in universities in other provinces. Both countries recognize indefinite visas, work or education. If you want to settle in the other party's country, you can apply for a long-term residence permit, which is almost no different from the people in your own country. International marriages are even more common. For example, the parents of Baudouin and Yona, their mother is French, and their father is Zhongguo. .

  Two countries, but like two giant trees with separated roots, but intertwined branches and leaves, they are... a behemoth that can never be shaken.

   "French in Asia, zhongguo in Europa."

   This is a poignant sarcasm from an English poet. He probably did not expect that this sentence would be proudly quoted by countless French and Zhonguo people in the not-too-distant future.

   I wrote this chapter with mixed feelings.

   On the occasion of the National Day, seeing my country like a lion with wings, soaring into the sky, Asia has no opponents worthy of its attention, and even, given time, this giant may still shock the whole world...

   But sometimes, there is still a little fantasy, if there is no such hard and humiliating days, how wonderful...

   Those heroes who are buried under the monument should think so too.

I really want to show them, look at China now, look at us now - let them put on warm and comfortable clothes, drink some good tea, milk (they should like it, how many young children are there), Eat eggs, meat, cream cakes, play games, watch movies, soak in hot springs, visit shopping malls and amusement parks…

   Can't write anymore...

   Let me make some adjustments to the "Saint" episode and update it tomorrow.

   (end of this chapter)