I Am Louis XIV

High and great king, my dearest brother Louis, may God honor you with good blessings.

I am writing to you on the last day of April, my lord majesty, by the grace of God, I have heard that you have a strong and handsome heir, congratulations! It's a pity that he failed to deepen the relationship between Britain and France, but such is fate, it never waits and never looks back.

I probably have already responded to the question you asked me last time. Although there are different opinions in the parliament, under my insistence, they are willing to discuss the Dunkirk matter with the envoy you sent. It is only about you. Brother, the marriage of Philip, Duke of Orleans, and my sister, Princess Henrietta... It seems that they are seeking the marriage of Leopold I or Don Juan José, who met you in Dunkirk Now, what do you think of him as a young man? Despite his title of duke, he is still an illegitimate child, and I don't think I would consider it unless Spain can offer a decent price.

Of course I expected Henrietta to be named Bourbon, but the question is, if you insist on the previous proposal, can you bear a younger brother and sister with a small dowry? Although I want to say that I love this sister very much, you also know that the Breda Declaration I issued in the Netherlands a year ago not only forgives my people and guarantees their freedom of belief, but also admits that they are in chaos Ownership of property acquired during the period - this is the key, because the royal land was auctioned during that period, and I now rely almost entirely on the parliament, and they set up a so-called royal expenses item for me and all members of the royal family, Every appropriation needs their signature, and you are also the king, and you know how terrible we and the royal family spend, so Henrietta's dowry may not be as good as it should be.

But if you don't mind this, my lord, I can try to win the parliament again, many of them are enemies of France, but I am a friend of France, and you helped me when I was traumatized. Not forgotten, always on my mind - I mean, if you really need Dunkirk, I'll do my best to make it happen.

Also, Mr. Monk, I mean, the Duke of Albemarle, advised me to spare the traitors as much as I could, although I have thought countless times to erect a Gallows and then hang these vicious guys one by one like Vlad III (the impaled grand duke), but I finally took his opinion, yes, I generously rewarded me supporters, and be merciful to those who deserve to go to hell - I have only signed a death sentence, and there are nine names on it, each of whom was executed at the death of my father, their king Signing the verdict is a kind of reward, as the messenger of God said, an eye for an eye, blood for blood.

Then there is Richard Cromwell, who escaped, and at this point, we can see that he has no courage and guts like his father. Similarly, in view of future considerations, I have decided not to pursue Him, unless he returns to England.

Now let's get to the point, my dear brother Louis, there is something about Oliver Cromwell, luckily he died before I got back, and in the name of Lord Protector, under the curse of the people Buried in Westminster Abbey, it is said that when his body was placed on the stone platform, the only one who was willing to cry for him was a dog. Of course, everyone hated him. I dug him out of his grave, beat his body with an iron whip, then cut off his head, bound it with wire, and hung it on the cross of the cathedral, as I wish you to witness, Because I know that you hate rebellion as much as I do, but unfortunately this is not easy, so I ordered my artist to sketch this scene for you.

Next I will talk about my marriage, as you may have heard, they found a Portuguese wife for me, Catherine, the daughter of King Joao III, who will bring me a dowry of 800,000 pounds, and Two cities, Tangier and Bombay, I don't know how this person is, I only hope to be as good as your wife, Your Majesty, I am eight years older than you, I should have an official heir long ago.

By the way, I also heard that you rebuilt Paris? It's really enviable. It's like a great project like Hadrian, the wise king of Rome, who built a continuous city wall. I'm also troubled by the damp and dirty London. If possible, please send some Come along, someone credible, and let me see if there's anything I can do.

Also, did you know that Cromwell (Oliver) once conspired with the Spaniards, intending to cooperate in order to win Calais?

Finally, there are two important things we will face together, Dunkirk and Henrietta, I hope you can seriously consider them, I would like to express my sincere thanks here, and I will work together with my mother and my sister for you pray.

May God bless you.

Written in London, April 30th, 1661, your dearest friend, Charles.

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The younger brother Philip read the last sentence aloud before putting down the letter. Although his marriage was mentioned twice in this letter, as a young man who should value and yearn for his own marriage, Philip didn't care, but Since the marriage between Louis and Teresa was more responsible than emotional, he had nothing to say about it, and judging from the way the two got along when Henrietta was still in Paris, it would be good if they didn't hate each other.

Louis had to remind Philip that the marriage was very possible.

"But you can't ask me to love her," Philip answered him confidently.

"But you have to respect her," said Louis: "a lady in marriage, if she is not loved and respected by her husband, her life will become very sad, even out of pity. , I also hope that you can treat her well."

"I will, brother." Philip said, and then he read the letter that Charles II wrote to the King of France. From the letter, it can be seen that Charles II is actually very earnest in wanting to achieve this marriage. "Because he is now in a dangerous and embarrassing position." Louis asked Philip to sit next to him. Of course, Philip would not be allowed to have secret agents, so there are many things he does not understand-Charles II letter Many of the contents of the book were summed up in one sentence or omitted intentionally. For example, there were fifty-seven people who signed the death sentence of Charles I. By the time Charles II was restored, one-third of them had already left. One-third of them were exiled abroad. Charles I executed eleven people, not the nine he claimed, because two of them were sentenced to terrible death. The one Louis knew now was called John. Cook's body was quartered by five horses, and the body parts were thrown in the market to be trampled - Cromwell's head was hung on the top of Westminster Abbey, and his body was flogged Later, it was hung on the gallows in Tyburn Execution Ground, becoming the best sign to warn the rebels and the object of people's ridicule and ridicule.

Yes, for many people, Oliver Cromwell is a hero, but for the civilians who are threatened and restricted by his strict laws, he is a cruel false king, before Charles II in the letter It may not be too much exaggeration to say that when Cromwell died, only a dog cried for him. The laws related to Er, gambling, greyhound racing, dances, exquisite decorations and costumes, food and wine returned to people's lives again, and he even held banquets every night, all night long, as if to make the previous ten years Lost joy and enjoyment are all regained in one day.

This has won him the support of most civilians. As Louis commented, people are pleasure-loving creatures who hate labor and rules. Oliver Cromwell can be a pious and hard-working believer, maybe Some people will praise him, but he cannot ask others to do the same. It is not without reason that his officials and army fell to Charles II immediately after his death. Not to mention these people, they even ran to the Netherlands Richard Cromwell is also living a very good life, singing and singing every night, and has several lovers. Obviously, he is also restrained very hard.

"In addition to these," Louis said, "there is the current situation of Charles II."

"Is there another Oliver Cromwell?" Philip asked.

"Oliver Cromwell has already set the worst example." Louis kept the next sentence - this arrogant man tore off the glory that the king had worn on his face for a thousand years He let the common people know that the king can also die-condemned by some lowly people and then executed. When his head rolled to the ground, no angel descended to the ground and punished those treacherous people with thunder , it's hard to say, no, it should be said that in the future there will definitely be kings or queens who will be pressed on the guillotine, waiting for the executioner to swing the sword. Cromwell broke people's cognition and destroyed the rules. This is what Louis is most angry about-after all, he is the king now. If possible, his son and grandson will also be king. Although Cromwell Dead, but the poisonous seed has spread everywhere and is planted in people's hearts.

Philip did not have a correct understanding of this. Although Louis has been taking him to learn, he is not a king after all. He just simply hates Henrietta, although their feud is only from the defense of the two kings and queens—he said, After the first rebellion, the Queen Mother of Henry I intended to promote the marriage of Princess Henrietta and Louis, but it was caused by her sister-in-law, Queen Anne, who tried her best to destroy it, but left the young man and woman with nothing but love. strong dislike for each other.

"Let's take a look at this." Louis didn't let Philip think too much, pointing to a secret report and said, Philip opened the scroll hesitantly, and after reading the contents, he also I can't help but feel pity for the current Charles II. It’s no wonder that Charles II’s letter to Louis is so humble. Now Louis can control all the power in the imperial court and harem. The company that belongs to the king alone includes the guards, dragoons and musketeers. Although the number of troops is not large, they are all elite. Apart from them, there are also the troops in the hands of Prince Condé, Turenne and Friedrich Schomberg, and in Versailles, half army and half people There are 10,000 people who are loyal to the king-the Orleans forces controlled by Philip, and the army in the territory controlled by the Duchess of Montpensier.

And now Charles II, although he is a king, the only army he can hold is the Guards and a few scattered soldiers left elsewhere. It is no wonder that he is neither willing to give enough dowry to Princess Henrietta, but also looking forward to The 800,000 pounds brought by the future wife is still trying to facilitate the sale of Dunkirk.

Everyone knows that it takes far more money to support a powerful army than to rebuild a city.

"But the British envoys were reluctant to give up Dunkirk, and they proposed a ransom of half a million pounds..." Philip said that Louis might support it, but the price far exceeded his budget.

"Then let the people of Dunkirk move." Why did the king hold an entry ceremony at that time? It is precisely because of the emphasis on France's ownership of Dunkirk, in the subsequent negotiations, fortunately, there were Prince Condé and Viscount Turenne. Although he was in the other world, they still signed a contract with the British according to the king's expectations. Agreement, that is, a thousand French garrisons at Dunkirk. Because this agreement was signed with Cromwell's son-in-law, it has been denied by the British Parliament and the royal family today, but the 1,000 troops in Dunkirk have never let down their vigilance - after all, they know that the king has never been so vigilant. I didn't intend to give up Dunkirk from the beginning.

It is especially worth mentioning that the British garrison in Dunkirk Kerry is now the New Model Army, which means that for Charles II, they are all traitors. Although Charles II declared that he would not pursue it, they It was inevitable that people would panic, so on the night when Louis' order was issued, Dunkirk quietly changed hands—now, no matter how Britain negotiates with France, the actual ownership of Dunkirk is already in the hands of Louis— It was not in vain that he endured that.

Perhaps not only the British Parliament, but also Charles II was furious and heartbroken, but the subsequent negotiations completely became that the British tried their best to make their deportation appear more elegant and calm, while the French envoys went against the previous With an eager attitude, he happily watched the joke on the other side—if it wasn’t for the king’s order to arrive in Dunkirk for the second time—the ransom for Dunkirk was reduced from half a million pounds to one hundred thousand pounds. Almost tantamount to giving away for free.