I Am Louis XIV

Little Louis, the crown prince, has indeed never seen such a person. As Louis said, the worst people he has ever seen are already in a class that ordinary people cannot reach - it is not that those attendants or servants have titles, they are in Versailles. Or when you work at the Louvre, you can come into contact with important figures that ordinary people cannot get close to, such as the Marquis of Lovas, Minister Colbert, and Prince Conti. Sometimes they only exchange a few words, or even just a few words. Smiling or looking unhappy, such information can be sold for a large sum of money. The lowest-level fireplace servant in the palace, the person responsible for lighting the fireplace in each room, can also receive hundreds of livres from outside every month. Don't think that this kind of person has nothing worth buying. ——When the fireplaces in the rooms of the Louvre and Versailles are lit, how many are allowed to be lit in a suite, and what kind of charcoal is used can well reflect whether the king values ​​and cares for the guests in this room.

An income of hundreds of livres a month, converted into real gold and silver, is an income of a thousand francs per year. Some people may not have a specific understanding of this. Let's put it this way, in England, the basis for dividing noble classes That is, the annual income must reach fifteen hundred pounds, and a wealthy farmer's annual income is only twenty pounds at most - as for these Tatars, even if they come, they are also a Tatar leader, cunning and Astute as he was, his most valuable possessions were probably his horses and muskets.

As for other enjoyments, the Tatars don't care much, and they don't even need to compare with Louis' officers. He can't even compare with a servant in the army. He and his brothers and his descendants, the first thing they seek is survival, horses And guns have always been top priority.

So when the Tatar leader, in accordance with tradition, promised to place himself, his wife and children at the knee of the king, just like a slave swearing loyalty to his master, Louis XIV asked him for the child. He thought the king wanted What about some of the hostages - who knew that the king would actually let them be his heir's servants... He and his brother stood in the shadows, watching two very different people leave in front of them, and his brother couldn't bear it. He smacked his tongue: "You saw it, right?"

"I saw it." said the Tatar leader. No matter how simple they were, the crown prince and his entourage were still dressed in silk. The collars turned out from their coats were as beautiful as cascading flowers. Even the Tatar children They are the children of the leader, and they are only wearing a sheepskin robe. As for whether there is anything inside, God knows! Their dignity is reflected in the boots they wear, and also in the leather belts with daggers and muskets hanging on them.

"That's not what I'm talking about," his brother said. "How beautiful that child is. If it were taken to Istanbul, the black eunuch of the Sultan would exchange it for a whole box of pearls or gems."

The Tatar leader slapped his brother on the back of the head without thinking. "You are an idiot!" he whispered, but it was not because his brother had such thoughts - although they were great nobles in Poland. Effective, but when there are no eyes to watch, they will also plunder white-skinned women and children, sometimes selling them directly to businessmen, sometimes going to Istanbul in person - the price of the children is usually higher than that of the women, but: " Don't be stupid," he licked his lips and said, "Think about it, even if you are a slave, if you can become the king's slave..."

"He's not the king yet."

"It will be one day," said the Tatar leader: "The French tradition is different from ours. They attach great importance to the eldest son. I mean, the first son born to the wife they married under the witness of God. , even if he is an idiot, he must hand over his property to him."

"Do you want Anwo to become the prince's attendant?"

"And Medo," said the Tatar leader: "They cannot have many wives, but they can have many women, and the most favored among them will become the closest to the king - and their children will also become dukes. Or prince, I heard that our king has two sons who were not born to his wife. They are both now dukes and have a large territory. The eldest son is also engaged to the daughter of a grand duke."

"Oh my god, my god, the true God, Jesus Christ." His brother's eyes suddenly lit up. He stretched out his fingers and made random gestures on his body twice, "Is this true?"

"It's absolutely true," said the Tatar leader, "so don't say such stupid things. The child is worth much more than you think."

"But I always feel a little strange," his brother said: "This king has so many brave soldiers, sophisticated weapons, and loyal attendants. Why would he keep us?"

"I don't know very well," the Tatar leader said, "but he must have his intentions. Don't think that these noble and wealthy people will be unreasonably generous. They are very careful."

——————

Little Louis, the crown prince, was only curious. It was the first time he had seen such a person - how should I put it? The most criticized thing about these Tatar children is their roughness. This roughness is not only reflected in their reddish-brown roughness. On the skin, there are shiny knotted sheepskin coats, or boots inlaid with copper toes, flat hats that cannot be taken off even in the scorching sun, as well as their agile postures, light footsteps, and those pair of eyes. Just know that a hunter has bright black eyes.

Both men and women braid their long hair and wear earrings. Tatars, Ottomans and Poles believe that a big beard can show masculinity, so some young people have been eager to grow it early. He has a beard, but the few children sent by the Tatar leader, his youngest son Anwo and daughter Meiduo, are about the same age as the crown prince. Anwo has not had time to grow a beard, but he speaks and does things. Already very adult-like.

The reason why they ran from the stables to the inner square was because the Dauphin promised them that they could get the muskets and bayonets he had given them.

A group of older children ran to the warehouse. Of course the Dauphin had Louis' warrant here. Anvo glanced at his companions who were happily trying weapons, pointed at the boxes that were being opened for inspection and asked: "Can we have clothes like that?"

When little Louis saw it, he saw that it was the uniform of the Guards. He immediately shook his head: "No," he said, "That is the uniform of obedience and loyalty and that of the soldiers and officers of my father and the king."

"But aren't we your father's soldiers now?" Anwo asked.

"It's different," little Louis said patiently: "They are all people who followed my father and fought in one or two battles." He briefly explained the epaulettes and logos on the uniforms. Anwo listened and nodded, "I understand." He pulled out the short ax on his waist and waved it in the air: "If I also cut off the enemy's head on the battlefield, one or two I should be qualified to wear such clothes."

"Yes," said little Louis, "the muskets and bayonet are my personal property, so I can give them to you, but the uniforms are public property, and even my father cannot allow them to be used without any merit for no reason. "People are wearing military uniforms. In addition," he said seriously, "even if you go to the battlefield, you must remember to go to your commander so that your military exploits can be recorded."

"Sir? We are Tatars and should be organized into a separate army." Anwo said, while exchanging a look with Meadow calmly. It seems that their father's original plan is no longer possible. The King of the French Although the prince is innocent, the French army already has extremely strict rules and regulations. It is impossible for them to move across the original class overnight just because of the prince's liking.

"I heard that the Tatars have always been a brave nation." Little Louis said, "You will definitely make great achievements."

"This is what we desire and expect, for you and your father and king, our most gracious and generous master." Anwo said, stroking his chest and bowing.

Little Louis, the crown prince, found that the more he got to know these Tatars, the harder it was to understand their fanaticism for war - he didn't know how to describe it. His father had the bravest soldiers in the world, but they would also be afraid. Death and pain, these Tatars, no matter how young they are, whether they are men or women, they welcome war as if they are welcoming a feast. They devote themselves selflessly to it. It is more like fighting. Enjoyment.

Louis did not answer his question right away. He only said that let little Louis continue to see, listen, and think: "Maybe the answer will be in front of you tomorrow." This sometimes quite irresponsible father said.

The next day, the Marquis of Lovas saw the crown prince and the Tatars running out of Camnico and hunting in the nearby hills and woods.

In terms of safety, it should be absolutely safe here. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in the highlands, the vicinity of this city with an emperor and three kings has already been carefully cleared, and little Louis is not around. There were only Tatars, and he also had his own musketeers and guards, but the Marquis of Lovas still insisted on reminding His Majesty the King that such a thing could only be done once and not twice.

"Have you ever felt that... Your Majesty," the Marquis of Loise tactfully advised, "His Royal Highness the Dauphin has become a bit... frank recently?"

"You want to say that he has become rude," Louis replied frankly: "What troubles you is that he is no longer the Crown Prince who is willing to follow the rules and customs." He leaned back , showing a curious expression: "But my child, the future king of France, when will he have to abide by the rules and laws established by others?"

————

The Marquis of Loise didn't realize that his shirt was clinging to his back until he returned to his room.

————

This is why Bontang stopped trying to persuade Louis. Ever since the Crown Prince was with those Tatars, Bontang realized that compared with Louis XIV, the Crown Prince Little Louis was like a rose growing in the palace. Although it drives beautifully, it is difficult to break away from the various rules and barriers set by people - the traditions of the Louvre and Versailles. Some are harmless, but others will become constraints for the king. This has made everything go smoothly since his infancy. Little Louis is indistinguishable. When he grows up and inherits the position of Louis XIV, the royal power that has been consolidated and concentrated by several generations of French kings will most likely fall short because of this small flaw, and France will return to those princes. In a state of chaos, the army established by Louis XIV, the territories captured and the new educational, military and political systems will quietly collapse like castles in the air.

Little Louis himself should have noticed it, otherwise he would not have deliberately alienated some of his attendants who were very close to him.

You know, if Louis hadn't brought the crown prince with him, those people might have dared to point fingers at the crown prince. Although those Tatars were barbaric, they knew their identity very well and knew how to serve their little master. Comparing the attitude shown with other attendants, the superiority is obvious. Even if the crown prince Louis understands that their origins are different... But as Louis XIV said, who is not a loyal slave in front of the king?

But this also made little Louis feel frustrated, because his tolerance failed to earn the same gratitude, and he didn't even want to see them again - so that day, when the Marquis of Lovas was so frightened by the king's rhetorical question that he was sweating coldly, He had gone hunting with the Tartars and some musketeers.

Kamniko is right under the Alps, with highlands on one side and the Sava River running across it to the south. There are countless red deer, goats, wolves, foxes and stoats. The last small creature is the Dauphin. One of the most wanted preys. As we all know, the inner layer of the king's crown robe is almost always made of fine ermine. The crown prince is ambitious and wants to hunt enough ermine for his father to make a New crown robe.

From morning to afternoon, everyone had several kinds of game in their saddle bags, as well as a fat red deer. It was supposed to be enough, but the Crown Prince was a little regretful that they could not hunt even one today. Ferret.

At this moment, Anwo, the son of the Tatar leader next to him, suddenly let out a whistle, like a bird flapping its wings. The French could not understand it, but the Tatars understood it immediately, and they quickly rode forward. , after the short sound of the long bow and the short crossbow, a stoat jumped out from under the hooves of the crowd like lightning. Little Louis shouted and immediately chased after him.

The hunting dogs barked, and everyone followed the crown prince. The stoat, who was panicking, led them all the way. The forest trees changed from sparse to dense. Several times, little Louis was almost knocked off his horse by the bouncing branches. While he leaned down*, While chasing the white shadow.

It ran very fast, taking the people who wanted to hunt it through at least a dozen turns, crossing a creek, and crossing several fallen trees. It seemed that in an instant, it suddenly appeared in an open circle. In the shaped field - this should be an open space formed after trees fell down due to thunder and lightning or decay. Several people sat on the ground here, surrounding a small fire. One person stretched out his hand, grabbed its tail, and pulled it Lifting it up, the ferret let out a sharp scream.

That man and several people around the fire were stunned. They did not expect that a group of Tatars and French knights would suddenly appear here.