I Am Louis XIV

Because they heard what the Parisians said, the Polish nobles became more cautious about subsequent meetings and visits. They had dressed up extremely magnificently before and bought a large amount of jewelry, silks and decorations in Paris, so after they left When in Paris, there were actually Parisian citizens watching and cheering on the streets.

This made the group of Schlachta feel at ease. They walked all the way to the Palace of Versailles along the wide and flat Versailles Avenue. This avenue was built by the king when he was building the new Palace of Versailles. In other words, its completion date was later than that of Versailles. The palace is much earlier. This is a road paved with cement - Polish nobles have long heard of French cement products, and many of them have purchased them to strengthen their own city walls and fortresses. It is made of rammed earth and gravel, and the road is made of cement. It is about a foot and a half higher than the flat ground on both sides - this is really dangerous for people who need to gallop on this road. Perhaps it is because of this that the road is built on this road. On both sides of the avenue, there are towering sycamore trees. The distance between each tree is no more than the size of a girl's open arms. The crowns of the trees touch people's heads, and their branches and leaves cover the sky. In this season, those leaves are like hearts. They have turned from emerald green to golden yellow. When they fall on the road, they are a beautiful long carpet of golden threads. The horses' hooves fall on it, making a clear rustling sound.

Such a road, if it is only a few hundred feet, is nothing, but they already know that it is not only four miles from Paris to Versailles, but also one mile from the city of Versailles to the Palace of Versailles. The distance of thousands of feet is In this way, people can't help but fall into an inescapable fantasy, that is, no matter how long they walk, they seem to be left on this beautiful and long road, cut off from the real human world.

Fortunately, there were not only Poles on this road, but also other officials and nobles going to Versailles. They were either provincials or poor people who were not qualified to live in Versailles and could not find a room in Versailles or Limoges. People, the width of the Avenue of Versailles allows four carriages to go parallel. Even though the Polish team is magnificent, there are still carriages passing by them. The ladies and ladies inside, or the ladies boldly pull up the curtains, and look out from the bright light. Observe these foreigners through the glass window.

"What a wanton woman," said a Shlachta, stroking her beard. His companions nodded in agreement, but they were also full of desire and curiosity about these wanton women. They also saw French men passing by, all riding tall and beautiful horses, rubbing their hands like noble ladies. Wearing makeup and wearing gorgeous clothes - the reason why you can tell at a glance is because French men nowadays are like their kings and do not have beards, but you can tell when you see them coming and going like the wind, with ease and ease, and wearing muskets and long swords. Their courage is not inferior to their appearance.

It is difficult for Poles to describe their feelings, but if people of later generations are here, they will tell them that this is the great self-confidence that the people will have when the country becomes strong. Generally speaking, the more powerful and wealthy a country is, the more powerful and wealthy a country becomes. Its people will be more tolerant and open - they can accept almost anything, good, "bad", old, new... This is true for the strong, and so is the weak; but if the country is weak, then the situation is On the contrary, the more remote and barren the place, the easier it is for absurd things to happen.

But this is no longer something that the Poles need to care about. When they stopped at the Titan Square, they could already see the Palace of Versailles, which was like a paradise on earth. The Titan Square was completed after the completion of the Palace of Versailles, because most of the crowds were crowded in the Palace of Versailles. From here on, the large square specially built here is patrolled by the king's guards and musketeers. At this time, a young officer rode up on horseback with ease and ease. Behind him were only a few followers, but the envoys at the head could tell at a glance that the man was the king they were about to greet, the eldest son and only son of Prince Condé of France. Heir Henry, Henry also immediately saw the Poles. The leader of the mission was none other than Anzia Obollinski. Maybe no one knows this name, but most people do know this surname, because in During the Great Flood, when the Swedes invaded Poland, it was Obollinski and another great noble who surrendered without a fight. All they expected was to continue to retain their territory and golden power (that is, they ignored the king's orders). power), when they were toasting with the Swedes, the Swedish army passed through the defense line they were responsible for unscathed, bringing serious disaster to the Polish people.

But because of Poland's weird system and laws, their treasonous behavior was not only not tried, nor even condemned. They were still Schlachta, and could also participate in the National Sejm Conference (similar to the National Congress meeting), give advice and control over the king. Poland's fate.

This Mr. Anzia is the nephew of General Obollinsky. He and his uncle share the same origin of shamelessness, greed, and short-sightedness, so Louis chose this person as his first breakthrough target. With a bribe of 50,000 livres, he turned to France without hesitation. Although for the Poles, the best king should be a Pole. Even if not, the little Duke of Lorraine would be better than the one who was obviously supported by the French king. The Duke of Condé, but he still chose the bright gold - he and Henry, who went to Poland as a secret envoy, had met before, so they were very affectionate. They dismounted, hugged each other enthusiastically, and exchanged false greetings. Stop, but later the attendant reminded them that they didn't have much time left.

On the road from Titan Square to the Palace of Versailles, there are even fewer people who can ride a horse, and only a handful of people who can ride a carriage here. However, the Polish mission has obtained the king's charter and can go from here to the Holly Maze. They dismounted and more people watched them.

It has to be said that maybe the Poles' beards and strong smell are still a bit... vulgar and rough, but the mission's hussars undoubtedly saved their face. These light cavalry evolved from the Hungarian hussars. They are one hundred cavalrymen belonging to the Obollinsky family. They ride Arabian horses with colorful horse clothes. They wear tall black felt hats on their heads, which look like a gauntlet decorated with metal edges. There were feathers on one side; they were not wearing armor, only wearing long-sleeved short jackets - this kind of coat covered with jewels and embroidered with gold and silver threads was more like a layer of light armor, and the furs of wild beasts were hung on their shoulders - Lion, tiger, bear or wolf, this is related to the origin of their name (hussar), both of which are the biggest enemies of these cavalry, owned by the Ottoman Turkish Deli (madman in Turkish) cavalry As a hobby, they covered their bodies with furs and stuck raptor feathers on their shields. While the Hussars defeated these powerful enemies, they also kept these decorations with them as trophies.

Speaking of wings, when they are actually on the battlefield, the Hussars will not keep these burdens, but now they act as a guard of honor, so people can see the huge wings spread like a peacock behind the saddle. These feathers Either from a swan, or from a falcon, or from an ostrich, it was dyed in bright colors and inserted into a thin wooden pole with rows of small holes. The thin wooden pole was fixed on the back of the saddle. In the cave.

Among those watching them, some were also observing the weapons of these hussars. The most famous weapons of the hussars were their lances, which were about eight feet in length (once longer, but later shortened The lances (up to this size) were neatly raised above the horses' ears, and the front end of the lance fluttered with a red and white spear flag. It can be imagined that when these hussars charged in thousands, this bright color merged and The torrent of success will frighten their enemies. In the other hand that is not holding the lance is a round shield, perhaps to pay tribute to the French king. This round shield with spikes in the middle has a strong French style.

On their waists hung a long knife and a stabbing sword, one for use on horseback and one for close combat. There were two muskets in the gun pockets in front of the saddles, and the long spurs on their boots were shining in the sun. Sparkling.

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Louis stood on the top terrace and slowly put away the telescope. Next to him were the Prince of Condé, the Viscount of Turenne and the Duke of Orleans, his three generals, but one of them was leaving soon. Louis sighed just thinking about it, but he...even if it wasn't for Prince Condé to have a rift with him after knowing this, but just for the further expansion and stability of the Bourbon bloodline in Europe, he must support Prince Condé. ,

Although, even if they come from the same bloodline, it is not uncommon for them to fight against each other, such as the current two bloodlines of Habsburg Austria and Spain. But if Prince Condé becomes the king of Poland, Condé and his successors must have the full support of France before they can destroy the forces of Schlachta, otherwise they will be just puppets controlled by the nobles. To say that puppets are like this, just look at John II before him. Amon always said that he would be made into a ham, but with a general like Obollinsky who opened the country, this king was able to persist until the end of the Great Flood. , it is remarkable that Poland still retains its sovereignty.

"You will go down to greet them later." Louis said to Prince Condé.

"What about you?" Prince Condé asked.

"I won't show up until the banquet starts." Louis said, "It would be too deliberate to really make a quarrel. I stayed silent, while you were triumphant, and the people around you added fuel to the flames, which makes it more real."

"What about me? Brother?" asked the Duke of Orleans.

"You, you don't care about the throne, but you are also a little jealous," Louis said after careful consideration: "As the king's younger brother, you have to go against me. I and France cannot directly support Kong Dai, otherwise Schlachita will They will immediately turn the spear against their king, but you can, Philip, you can act like you are deliberately going against me, I don’t like Condé, you want him to have everything go his way.”

"There will be a day when we meet each other." Prince Kongdai murmured.

"So Philip is going to be another force they think they are. When they think they still have a choice -" Louis glanced at Prince Condé: "Of course, if you are willing to believe Philip."

"I have nothing to disbelieve," said the Prince of Condé: "You could have done nothing." Without Louis, he could not even win the battle for the throne.

"I will not leave my brother, leave France." The Duke of Orleans said. He saw that Prince Condé did hesitate for a few seconds. After that, he must have thought that the king spent so much effort on the territory of Orleans. Why? What about possibly handing Orleans over to another person whose credibility you don't know?

"They have entered the Grand Gallery," said Louis, and the Prince of Condé took the opportunity to retire.

"Do you think those Poles will believe it?" The Duke of Orleans raised his telescope and looked at the hussars standing at the foot of the long steps.

"Yes," Louis said: "People's hearts are like a mirror. How they see themselves is how they see others. Those like these Shlachta who betrayed the king, the people and the country without any hesitation will certainly believe in you. I will be moved and moved by a Polish throne."

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It is not known whether the Polish mind is a mirror. They have been completely frightened by the mirror wall of the Venus Hall. It was dusk when they arrived in Versailles. When they entered the Grand Gallery, the dusk was falling, and the attendants in gorgeous clothes They put down their splendid gilt lampstands, held long matches, and lit white stearic candles one by one. These candles did not come from bees or whales, but came from oil cold-pressed by wizards and craftsmen. Grease, this kind of candle is smokeless, odorless, has long-lasting lighting time and stable illumination. A complete round of candles can support a whole night dance party.

Within a few minutes, the hall felt like it was daytime again. Bright light filled people's vision, but it reflected the charming colors of satin, velvet, gold and silver better than natural light. Unlike during the day, the gentlemen Vaguely clustered in small groups, forming a system, the ladies are like flowers scattered among the branches and leaves. Their smiles hidden under the ivory folding fans are even more charming, and their flowing eyes are like a fine net that can trap people tightly at any time. Seize the ground.

But with the sound of "The King has arrived!", the people immediately parted to both sides like the Red Sea. Louis XIV came with his head held high and his cane in hand. His sharp gaze swept across the crowd, and everyone couldn't help but bow their heads deeply. , even so, this king with an extremely outstanding memory still showed some dissatisfaction: "Is the abbot of St. Martin's Monastery in Neville here?"

The king's voice was particularly loud in the silence. After a while, a man wearing a black robe of a Jesuit monk slowly walked in from the small door on the side of the hall.

He came to the king and bowed.

Anzia hissed softly, could he not recognize it? This person was John II, the Polish king before Michael. After he was forced to abdicate, he came to the country to avoid Schlachta's assassination. France came to seek asylum from Louis XIV - his presence at court was nothing but a bit out of place when a delegation of Polish nobles came to greet the new king Condé...

Perhaps this anachronism was what Louis XIV wanted.

Some readers asked me if I had finished writing the extra story of Butterfly Dream. That one has been finished. I put it in the book club. Readers who want to read it can go and read it directly. Thank you.