I Am Louis XIV

"You are like this," Viscount Turenne said after thinking for a long time, "it is very inappropriate." Viscount Turenne has always been a straightforward and upright person, so he did not mention the last time William III pretended to be an ordinary person. What happened to a man who ran to London with only a few followers? Although at that time, William III thought that Charles II was his uncle anyway, even if his father William II was not in this king He accepted him when he was in exile, but at least he was willing to lend him money - this was the amount of money that Charles II pretended to want to return, but William III probably did not expect that this Happy King would never Those who care about running into another debt.

Although Viscount Turenne didn't say anything, William III had already heard what he meant. His face heated up in the dark, and his eyes were sore. When he thought about giving his innocence to him, to the Orange family, and to Holland brought so much pain that he wanted to kill himself - "I'm not here to tell you this."

"Then what do you want to tell me?" Viscount Turenne asked.

"Your body contains half of the blood of Orange," William III whispered: "If you are willing, I am willing to give up my current identity and even my life. Sir, as long as you nod, I will give up Utrecht." Give it to you."

Viscount Turenne sighed: "We are in the church now, otherwise I would think that you are possessed by the devil. Good sir, I know the efforts you have made in Utrecht, and you will manage it there." Very good, I don’t think there is any shortcoming that makes your ministers and people want to rise up against you and expel you. You look rosy and strong, and you don’t look like you are going to see God at any time. Why do you want to Leave Utrecht to me?”

"I just want to hand over an Orange, so to speak," William III said: "As long as you are willing to be a Dutchman, you can immediately have half of the Netherlands and four provinces. Everyone agreed, as long as you If you are willing to give up your rights and obligations as a Frenchman, they will make you their king - and as for me, I can go anywhere I like."

"This news is really shocking," Viscount Turenne said. "Do you already think that the power you have accumulated over the past few years is enough to fight against the king?"

"Adding you is enough." William III said, "We will not ask for more power. You can also become a vassal of Louis XIV and bow to him."

Viscount Turenne smiled, but not because of joy, but because he was extremely angry: "I once had a little blood affection for you, because I love my uncle Maurice very much, he is like my second child." As a father, you are also an Orange, so on many issues, my Majesty and I are willing to endure - but this may be a mistake, because you think that we are all stupid, and that my king is stupid enough to let A villain who will immediately sell out his dignity and morality for a little bit of profit, no, it should be said to be a castle-like benefit in the sky, to become the Governor of the Netherlands. As for me, do you think I will be like that? Ambition, and stupidity, to believe that the Dutch would have a Frenchman as their king."

He turned to William III - they had been sitting side by side on the bench before. The old man's eyes shone in the dark like steel or other metals: "Think of your grandfather, William! He and you With the same name, he saved the Dutch from the tyranny of the Habsburg family. For this, he exhausted all his assets and his two sons died in the war. He was accused of being rebellious and his relatives He and his friends were implicated because of this - he believed at the time that he should get a throne in return, of course, I thought so too, and many people thought so, but how did the Dutch repay him?"

"When I read of his deeds, and saw how he died in humiliation in a dastardly conspiracy—don't say it was the work of the Spaniards! He was among the Dutch at the time, and he deserved the protection he deserved Where did it go? No one even wanted to issue a warning! His son, your father, was supposed to ascend the throne as the crown prince, but even a ruling position was reluctantly given to him! And He, the young and talented William II, how and when did he die! The same assassination, but younger than his father, and you, William, the third William, you have in the Netherlands Do you want to live a carefree and pampered life? They look at you like a thief who wants to steal their money!"

As Viscount Turenne spoke, he raised his voice unconsciously. He stood up, crossed his hands across his chest, and made a fierce gesture: "A person like this, William, if you come and tell me, This is a conspiracy, a trap. I would like to think highly of you, but if it is true," a smile flashed across his lips: "I would be truly surprised. Not only were they able to abandon a king, but A general can still give up their last hope. Oh my god, although they are only Protestants, I have to say that they are no different from those Judah merchants. How can they be so greedy and cruel!"

When Viscount Turenne stood up, William III also stood up: "You will not understand, sir, that we are willing to sacrifice for the Netherlands, even if it means shedding the last bit of blood."

"Then do you know what my Majesty once said to me?" Viscount Turenne said: "Sacrifice is a beautiful word, but it is not a good word, because once someone mentions it, it will always be accompanied by many Sadness and pain, and no matter what kind of sacrifice it is, if it is not followed by the word 'repay', then the sadness will be even sadder, the pain will be more painful, and sometimes it will even make the word too heavy. , it’s so heavy that no one can afford it—the only thing that’s so heavy is to throw it away.”

“So,” he continued, “all sacrifice must be accompanied by a reward, just as Christ Jesus always answers his followers, and only in this way can the sacrifice be worthwhile.”

"Isn't such a statement just like a businessman?" William III asked: "Sacrificing for ideas and virtues should not ask for rewards."

“On the contrary,” said Vicomte Turenne, “there is nothing less worthy of being cherished than what is free—that is what your grandfather did, when he betrayed his king for the Dutch. Did the Dutch thank him? No! When he used his own money to hire soldiers, did the Dutch thank him? No! His tears fell on his son's body. Did the Dutch thank him? No! Once he said he wanted to become king, they I was filled with righteous indignation, thinking that he was plotting the ownership of the Netherlands from the beginning."

"They already feel remorse," William III said.

"I saw the expression of regret with indifference and ridicule," Viscount Turenne said contemptuously: "How many concessions did you make to let them... recognize you? You never thought that this was originally yours, If they had not sat back and watched the Spaniards kill your grandfather, then legally and morally you would have been the unquestioned ruler of the Netherlands and the Netherlands would have been a united and complete nation, both the British and, well, the French , don’t even think about cutting off a piece of your territory, but the Dutch gave up, and now you and they have to swallow this bitter pill.”

William III shook his head, "I came to convince you, but now I am almost convinced by you."

"Whether this is your impulse or a conspiracy, I'm sorry, Your Highness, I am not prepared to accompany you any longer." Viscount Turenne lifted his cloak.

"Aren't you afraid that the king's spies will tell Louis XIV about our meeting?" William III asked.

"Not only them, I will also write a letter to tell His Majesty about this matter in detail after I return. He will definitely laugh after reading it." Viscount Turenne said.

"Aren't you afraid? Maybe Louis XIV will be jealous of you. You are so far away from him and you control the army, taxes and people."

"You should have heard of Prince Condé," Viscount Turenne said, "but you may be half right. His Majesty may very well write back to me and say, Mr. Viscount, since the people of Utrecht are so eager and sincere. , you should not refuse too much, it is better to accept as soon as possible...etc."

"This is different. Poland does not belong to France, but North Holland..."

"You still don't understand what I mean," Viscount Turenne said helplessly: "I want to tell you that my respectable Sun King is a man with an extremely powerful army, country and people. Therefore, it is as open as the sea. A king like this will never be full of suspicion towards his ministers, because he and I both know very well that even if I really betray him, he can conquer the Netherlands again, of course. Can win the second time.”

William III opened his mouth and was almost speechless.

"So no matter what tricks those people want to play, forget it," Viscount Turenne said: "For Your Majesty, these methods are of no use. William, go back to your Utrecht." , between Britain and France, you can at least still have the surname Orange, don’t let it completely disappear in the Netherlands.”

He turned around and was about to leave, but was stopped by William III: "I have something else to tell you," he stood among the rows of benches. Like a long-forgotten thing: "I guess it was a snitch."

"It sounds unimaginable that you were willing to sacrifice your life for the Netherlands just now," Viscount Turenne frowned: "What are you going to tell me?"

“This has nothing to do with the Netherlands,” William III said, “and everything to do with basic human morality.”

"I know how vicious human beings can be at their worst." Viscount Turenne said, "You can say it, I'm all ears."

"You know Madame Lavalriere," said William III. After seeing Vicomte Turenne nod, he continued: "She gave birth to a child for Louis XIV."

"The Duke of Halebourg," Viscount Turenne said, "Mrs. Lavalriere was therefore canonized as the Duchess of Brussels." He bowed his head slightly to show respect: "Is it related to them?"

“Some Dutchmen,” said William III, “had a despicable plan to hire an army, sneak into Brussels, and kidnap the Duchess and her children.”

Viscount Turenne's expression became serious: "How many people?"

"A thousand men." said William III. There was an anachronism in his nature that allowed him to bravely accept exile and death, but it also made him unable to accept using a young child and a woman to make the enemy surrender. They could fight. , from Utrecht to other places, even to North America, and you can persist for ten, twenty, or one hundred years, but such behavior is extremely shameless no matter where it is placed and at any time. , he had firmly opposed it, but he knew that although those people promised him on the surface, judging from the money flow on the books, they still did it... He looked at Viscount Turenne, a little ashamed, but if Viscount Turenne was able to send his troops in time, and it might still be too late.

What he didn't expect was that Viscount Turenne was stunned for a while, then lowered his head, repeated "a thousand people" several times, and then started shaking his head again. Just when William III also thought he had gone crazy, He burst out laughing!

————————

Although Mrs. Lavarielle's Serbian werewolf group suffered a lot of losses in the previous war between the inner and outer worlds, it definitely exceeds a thousand people. After they settled in the Halepur Forest, other ones were lost one after another. The tribe came here. The needs of werewolves are not as strong as humans. In other words, their nature will make them more inclined to live a calm and regular life - after all, you will not see a wolf wearing silk and satin and applying makeup.

Furthermore, as the lord here, Madame Lavalriere has the right to collect taxes, or not to collect taxes, or to decide the level of taxes. There are also scholars and merchants sent by the king to build schools and trade routes for them, so they The days were very pleasant, except for Madame Lavalriere who sometimes missed her child's father. Although the little Duke did not show the characteristics of a werewolf with the help of the witch, his body was obviously stronger than that of ordinary children, and he walked smoothly. He runs earlier than human children and starts eating meat earlier. He likes to run in the forest and whimpers like a little wolf. Recently he is even trying to howl.

In a situation like this, I'm afraid that the Duke of Hallebourg will not be able to return to Versailles until he is sensible enough to hide his nature. However, Louis also promised Madame Lavalriere that the young Duke's coming-of-age ceremony must be held in Versailles. Palace.

On the day of the attack on the castle of Hallebour, she was writing to His Majesty about the Duke of Hallebour, and about Brussels, where Louis had placed them, certainly not out of a momentary sense of mercy.

The battle that day may have lasted two or three hours, but on paper, it was only one sentence.

Death toll: 1,032.

This letter was not taken seriously by anyone except Louis XIV at the beginning. They were collected together with other letters between Louis XIV, his children, and the mothers of his children. However, with the development of communication technology and network technology in later generations, With his rapid ascension, more and more people began to be curious about this Sun King. A bold Asian scholar even intended to collect information about Louis XIV and his many legitimate and illegitimate children, because it made him It seems that as France's territory (including all conquered, inherited, traded and colonies) gradually expanded in the later period, Louis XIV seemed to have already made arrangements to bring his and the queen's son with him. The sons of the royal ladies and the king's younger brother were all given the position of grand duke or king. This is also the famous Six Bourbon Crowns - this kind of behavior inevitably reminded this scholar of the practice that had been implemented in his homeland. The feudal system has existed for thousands of years, but some people say that this is the wisdom of the Habsburgs, because the Habsburgs have always used the above methods to expand their territory and influence.

Regardless of this for the moment, and because of the scholar's curiosity, during a routine exhibition related to the Sun King in the Palace of Versailles, several seemingly ordinary letters aroused his idea. One of the letters read like this:

This letter was written in 1667, four days before the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at Hallebourg Forest Castle in Brussels.

To my master, my King, my most beloved:

I again sincerely place my heart, my soul and my body into your hands.

We have been separated for a long time, but your body shape, appearance, and your smile are still as deep in my heart as the words engraved on the rock. My thoughts are multiplying day by day. In times of pain, you are the only one there. My greatest gift brings me comfort, and that is the Duke of Hallebour, our Baptiste.

He is now taller than my knees and can almost hug my legs. He is very lively and even gives me a headache. Fortunately, after he can go out, he spends most of his time in the forest. This forest, My lord, I want to thank you, because for us, for Baptiste, this place is like the Garden of Eden - there was originally a small lake here, and then our people discovered hidden streams and rivers in other places. The springs they simply called Green Lake, Cherry Creek and White Springs.

Cherry Creek is named because there are cherry trees on both sides of the creek. It is surprising, perhaps because there are steep mountain walls on both sides, that it has not been discovered by wild animals and birds. Unfortunately, by the time we found out, the cherries had already I’ve done it once, and I’ll give you some cherries next spring, hoping to add a little color to your dinner plate.

We also recently spotted a new herd of deer.

Baptiste's elders caught two fawns that were barely able to walk and were still nursing and gave them to Baptiste. Baptiste seemed to intend to make them his mounts. He fell several times but was not injured.

You mentioned Brussels last time. Your Majesty, as far as I'm concerned, they are always like a nest of ants, always ready to move and look for opportunities. On the surface, their mayor respects me very much, but privately he has many complaints and I question it, but since he is still willing to obey your will and decrees and cooperate with your generals, I don't know whether he should be deprived of his position.

In addition, something happened this morning. Maybe because you transferred part of the army here before, someone thought they could take advantage of the opportunity to do something. They hired about eight or nine hundred Italian and Austrian mercenaries, together with here The mob, more than a thousand people, launched an attack on Halepur Castle at dawn - no, to be precise, they first tried to plunder the villages and towns here, but you also know that, with your permission, I The tribesmen living here, plus the... refugees who later moved here, the number of people in the town has already exceeded 18,000.

I don't know if I should call it a war, because they didn't even get into the town - the fighting lasted about two hours or so, and about two dozen tribesmen were injured, but no one died.

But I think our enemies must have been cursed. In panic, they ran into the nearby swamp, and none of them came out.

One thousand and thirty-two people, none survived.

May God forgive them.

Yours, Louise de La Valriere

——Seeing this, what the Asian scholar couldn’t understand was how the former royal lady, the Duchess of Brussels, calculated the total number of enemies who ran into the swamp regardless of whether they were cursed or not. What about the 1,032 people?