I Am Louis XIV

Although it can be included in what the author has to say, I know there are many adults who don’t read it. Anyway, this chapter has been updated, so I will put it at the front without any hesitation.

A reader mentioned the question of whether a steam-driven ship can stop and retreat freely as described in the previous chapter.

Of course it can!

First of all, the tonnage of the French Calais steam iron-clad ships such as the Royal Power is probably similar to that of the Sovereign of the Sea, about 1,500 tons, not a 10,000-ton ship.

In addition, it is not fixed with anchors like sails and paddle wheels. They use propellers. The appearance of propellers is not as late as we think. In parallel history, there are scientists in 1752 who believe that propellers are older than Ming Dynasty. Paddle wheels were more advanced and were installed on ships. The propeller can be further improved and can be mechanically controlled to remain in the air (that is, stay in place), or reverse to make the ship retreat. And whether it is the King Power or the Sun King, their retreat speed is not like what you usually see with boats or cars. What can be done in one or two seconds is indeed very slow. When moving forward at full speed, it may take 8 seconds. By 10 verses, there may only be 2-3 verses when retreating (this is verified by the author).

As for how scholars and craftsmen thought of it...it wasn't that they thought of it, but that the king and generals asked for it!

Just like Party A will ask Party B for colorful black and colorful white, when the ship is still being renovated, the king, especially the generals, will make various requests based on their experience-steam-driven ships are the most popular. The good thing is that they don't have to rely entirely on sails and manpower. Of course, they will also bring forward some ambitions accumulated in battles - everyone knows what a great advantage it would be to be "strong and flexible" in naval battles.

In addition, when the Sun King hit the Sea King, the Sea King was already on fire, which meant that the sails could no longer be used and could only be driven by human paddle wheels, so the speed was very slow. After being smashed through the cabin, the rowers on the bottom drowned. Or it was killed by the impact. The Sea King was almost equivalent to losing power and could only stay in place before the second and third impacts - the whole process lasted for a long time, not just a few minutes!

It should also be stated that because Louis XIV and wizards were "widely used", the development of science and technology in France and even other countries in the book may be about a hundred years ahead of the parallel era. After all, many inventions were invented. It didn't get a good chance to be promoted, or it was kept secret like forceps, or it was destroyed casually by high-ranking people out of selfish desires, or it might be because they didn't expect it - many inventions are just a flash of inspiration, not It must be achieved with a solid foundation.

Above, thank you all for your rewards, monthly tickets and recommendation tickets!

————————The following text.

When Barr put down the telescope, he was already numb and unable to move. He had to ask for help from others to return to a standing posture from a half-bent knee position - he grinned ugly while rubbing his elbows, knees and face vigorously. , his face was numb for a while, he was so excited!

In a naval battle, unless a pirate fleet with an absolute advantage encounters an unprepared and unprotected merchant ship, it is difficult to be completely wiped out, especially on the vast sea.

Even countries like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, which mainly rely on maritime power, cannot completely annihilate each other's fleet - taking the first Anglo-Dutch War as a chestnut, the two countries conducted a total of nine naval battles before and after, including the Battle of Plymouth, Both sides dispatched about half a hundred ships, but only the British lost one arson ship; in the Battle of Kentish Snooker, the Netherlands lost two warships; in the Battle of Dagenness, the British lost three ships and were captured Two ships, one Dutch ship was destroyed due to an accidental explosion; in the Battle of Portland, the British lost three ships, and the Dutch lost more seriously, with losses of about eight or nine ships... The Battle of Scheveningen was In the most important battle, the Dutch lost eleven battleships, and the British suffered as many as thirty-five battleships. However, compared with the total number of hundreds of ships dispatched by each of them, this number can only be said to be disappointing. They were all hit hard.

This time the British raided Dunkirk, it can be said that they sent a strong but small force. The ideas of Charles II and the British Parliament were not excessive - although it is difficult to say whether they and Leopold I intentionally colluded. , but when the undercurrents in France and the occupied areas were surging, it was normal for Louis XIV to neglect the seemingly peaceful Dunkirk - William Penn Jr. also made an agreement with his father, on the day of the "uprising" At the same time, they can shake people's hearts, create chaos, destroy Dunkirk's external channels, look for opportunities to sneak into Dunkirk, destroy the docks or force the ships anchored here to avoid other ports, or even turn against tourists and seize it first. The French government in Dunkirk used the Duke of Vendôme to threaten and subdue the garrison here.

Little William probably didn't expect that even if his neglected wife hadn't desperately reported him, his every move would have fallen into the eyes of spies and the Duke of Vendôme. Louis XIV had long expected that between him and When France's help to Charles II becomes less and less, Charles II's balance will tilt toward the enemy. What does the British desire most? Of course Calais and Dunkirk, especially the latter. To the French, their king's willingness to redeem the city was an act of kindness, but to the British, it was a shame they will never forget.

Personal feelings will never be put before national interests, so the next step is who of them starts the war first and in what name.

Launching an attack on France in the name of the Orange family is also within the calculations of Louis and the general, because everyone from the Duke of Luxembourg and Viscount Turenne to Colbert and the Marquis of Lois believes that France still needs time. After digesting the results of the previous battle, Louis cannot let the war be delayed or expanded - next, he will either try to negotiate with Charles II, or he will punch the British in the face so hard that he will They were dizzy and lost the courage to confront France.

That's why the King is willing to bring out his latest secret weapon.

Jean Bart's joy was beyond words, and so were the others - referring to the French alone, William Penn Jr. was already crazy when he saw the Sea King being hit and sunk. He was immediately controlled and escorted back to prison. house.

While drinking the rosemary wine to soothe his nerves, the Duke of Vendôme used the British failure as an appetizer - as mentioned before, this battlefield is too small, and the speed of the Calais ship (whether moving forward or (steering) were faster than the British galleys. After sinking their opponents, they did not hesitate to choose to encircle and annihilate other enemy ships - they were completely unable to compare with the French in terms of numbers and firepower. , and when they could no longer escape, the British surrendered.

Marshal Esterres and General Duquesne were not vicious people. They allowed the British to surrender. The surrendered crew members and officers were transferred to the small boats one by one and were towed away from their ships by the larger ships. It was thought that the French would capture the remaining first-class battleship and two second-class battleships, but after General Duquesne ran to the King Power to discuss with the marshal, a shocking scene happened.

The French sank all the British ships.

Even if it cannot be compared with an ironclad ship equipped with steam-driven paddle wheels, this is still a first- and second-class battleship!

Although the British always like to boast that their ships are as dense and numerous as the stars, they still have only a handful of first- and second-level battleships. Most of them are third-level battleships, cruisers, or arson ships—— Charles II also took a bit of luck and show off in this recapture battle. Maybe he is still doing it at Hampton Court Palace. All the ships are just doing an armed parade, and not even a piece of paint will fall off. The sweet dream of returning to his arms.

The British, and even some French people, stared dumbly at the golden-red flames that lit up half of the sea and the sky. The sound of the ship's ammunition depot exploding even made the houses of Dunkirk residents tremble. They ran out and looked around but found nothing - the gray tower where Barr and Duke Vendôme were located was also shaking, and dust and debris fell all over their heads. Barr heard Duke Vendôme mutter to himself in a daze, "Ten Ten thousand pounds, one hundred and seventy thousand pounds, two hundred and fifty thousand pounds..."

At first he did not understand what the Duke was talking about. But he soon thought that thirty years ago, Charles I insisted on building the perfect King of the Sea. The total cost was as high as 70,000 pounds. Now the cost of first-class battleships is around 100,000 pounds, and the cost of second-class battleships is around 60,000 pounds. Between ten thousand and seventy thousand pounds, the Duke of Vendôme was calculating how much money Louis XIV's generals were sending into the English Channel.

After understanding this, Barr also felt heartbroken. As the son of a pirate, he certainly knew how important a ship was to the crew and captain, but at the same time, another strange pleasure surged in his heart. It was like a miser finally got the opportunity to squander without any psychological burden - the scene of France being ridiculed by other countries in Europe for having "no navy" is still vivid in my mind, but now they have killed their enemies without any regrets. All the ships hit the sea!

Perhaps Mr. Colbert is still carefully balancing France's expenditure and income; perhaps the French maritime army is not yet so strong and fearless; perhaps they will face greater and more tests and trials, but at this time At this moment, no matter who he is, as long as he is French, his mood is like a flying flag, which has been swept into the sky and cannot fall down for a long time.

There were tears in Barr's eyes. He raised his hands to the officers beside him. They hugged tightly and kissed each other's cheeks. They all had a lot to say, but they were all stuck in their throats. The Duke of Vendôme spoke one by one. He swallowed the wine down to the last drop before slamming the empty bottle against the wall.

Debris flying!

"Let us go back!" said the Duke: "We are going to have a grand banquet tonight!"

The fleet returning in triumph was naturally warmly welcomed by the people of Dunkirk, but the five Calais ships did not appear in front of more people just as when they arrived. They may continue to hide in Calais. Or in the port of Nantes, waiting for another order from the king, their companions will, of course, undoubtedly continue to increase in the future - those who have hesitated because of the high cost of these ironclad ships need not continue. Don’t worry, nothing can demonstrate your value better than this real-life exercise.

The Duke of Vendôme also questioned - because these ironclad ships not only occupied a lot of labor and financial resources, but also affected the construction of muskets and artillery - most of the steel produced in France was sent to Nantes, just to satisfy Requirements for forging ship armor and accessories.

When writing to the king, the Duke of Vendôme described everything he saw in detail. The more he wrote, the more enthusiastic he became, and he almost asked the king to let him become the captain of one of the ships. Fortunately, when he was about to write this, his attendant knocked on the door.

"What's the matter?" Duke Vendôme's mind finally calmed down a little, "I told you not to disturb me, before the banquet starts?"

"Excuse me, sir," said his valet, "but Mr. William Penn, Jr. wishes to see his wife."

"That brave girl?" Duke Vendôme smiled, "Well, you go and ask her. If she is willing, go. If she is not willing, there is nothing to say."

The Duke's personal attendant had been following him for decades. After receiving the answer, he stood there and thought for a moment: "Are you going to tell her that, sir?"

"What...oh, are you saying that I am going to chop off Mr. William's head after the banquet? Tell her, she should have expected it."

The Duke's personal attendant nodded and withdrew.

————

Young William Penn was sitting in the room. The French did not treat him too harshly. This room originally belonged to an officer. It was neat, but comfortable, and even a bit luxurious, because Louis XIV always treated his soldiers and generals very well. It is very close, so if you are in the army, in addition to salary, there will always be various benefits and even free supplies, so whether it is soft sheets and blankets, ceramic tea sets and tableware, or large armchairs , all without the owner spending any money.

There is also a jar of calla lilies on the windowsill. This kind of flower is very common on the seaside. It has beautiful shape and white flowers. It reminds little William of his wife.

How ridiculous. When he was with his wife, he only thought about his country and his father. Now that he has lost his country and his father, he only thinks about his wife.

He already knew that Eva had agreed to come to see him, so he was not surprised when the door was pushed open.

Eva was carried in. Fortunately, she didn't have a fever, but excessive blood loss still made her extremely weak. Her father, brother, and friends did not agree with letting her come to see little William, but she came anyway.

They were a couple who had been together for many years, but when they met today, they seemed like a pair of strangers. Eva looked at little William, and little William looked at her, from her gray face to her belly: "Child," he asked :"still there?"

"Still." Eva said, not surprised or angry at all. Her love for him seemed to have flowed clean with blood that night.

"He is a tenacious boy." Little William said happily. Did he hesitate when he found out that his wife might ruin their plan? Later, he thought that he should not have it. He was loyal to his country and the king, and his future wife must be a pious and chaste British noblewoman. He did not expect that things would develop completely not as he imagined. He and his His father had failed, and until now, the French had not allowed him to write letters to relatives and friends asking them to redeem him.

The Duke of Vendôme called him a spy.

He raised his head: "If it's a son, he'll be called William, which is the name of me and my father. If it's a daughter, she'll be called Amelia, which is my mother's name."

Eva raised an eyebrow slightly: "I think I heard you right," she said slowly: "Are you naming this child?"

"The French have decided to execute me," little William said matter-of-factly: "I don't know if they will allow me to see you for a second time. Of course I want to name my child first."

Eva showed an incredible look: "But you should still remember that you didn't hesitate to cut my neck off that night."

"I can only say that I'm sorry," William said calmly, "I can't let our plan go wrong."

Eva sneered: "Plan? Are you talking about your secrets that are not secrets at all?" She saw with satisfaction that little William's eyes shot out with a sharp light like a sword: "Did you also secretly laugh at it? Our King, does he think he will keep a group of restless beasts in his heart?!"

"I don't allow you to say that!" Although he wanted to continue listening - little William did not feel that there was anything wrong with his plan: "We are enemies! We can treat you however we want, that is not my king!"

"What true words," Eva murmured: "How despicable, Jack, no, William, even thieves, they only steal people's money, not love and hope, I have thought about it before Why can you be so cruel to me, now I understand, you despise me, or in other words, you despise all French people, you think we should be played by you."

"But you're wrong," she went on: "I was stupid because I loved you and I made a wrong choice - in fact I should have given up the fantasy before I walked in, and you didn't even give me one True to his name, William must have been laughing out loud as I prayed to God, asking the angels and saints to protect my husband, Jack."

"...I will compensate you..." said little William.

"Listen to me," Eva said: "Our King, your Majesty, has known from the beginning that you British people will not abandon Dunkirk easily, even if Charles II betrayed it for personal gain. (Little William clenched his fists when he heard this), but Dunkirk and Calais, which is only six leagues away, are the footholds you dream of. With these two cities, you In order to attack France - your king still claims that he is also the king of France - so why do you think that our King will be defenseless against this?"

"Why would he... do this?" said little William. "We did destroy the roads and the armaments depots."

"Arms warehouses and roads can be renovated and filled. As for you thinking that cutting off Dunkirk's access to the outside world will allow this lonely city to fall into your hands. It's a pity that your father did If not, you can't do it - the reason why His Majesty the King indulges you in this way is because he doesn't want to be the first person to break the covenant." Eva said: "Although there have been countless monarchs who have broken the covenant since AD, But between Britain and France, between..." She smiled: "At this moment, Your Majesty is not willing to be the one who bears the blame." She coughed softly a few times: "He kept you here because of his loyalty. The Kirk area really needs manpower, and secondly, with you, His Majesty’s spies will keep an eye on you, and they will know when the British want to take action.”

"See?" she added: "You are a weathercock hanging on the roof."

Little William could hardly believe that it had been more than ten years since Dunkirk was sold to the French. In other words, before Charles II returned to London, the young Louis XIV had already begun to set a trap against them. Yet?

Another point is, who is Eva? He found that not only did his wife not understand him, but he also did not understand his wife. He only knew that she was a Huguenot, had an uncle who was a priest, and had a less close uncle who was in the army and whose father was a wealthy man. Maritime businessman, but other than these... He always thought that his wife was shallow and ignorant, and he had no interest in exploring her at all. How did she know these things? Is she the king's spy?

"I'm not the king's spy," Eva said: "Neither are you, so your understanding of this place is only on paper. You know that I am a Huguenot, that is, a Protestant, so you think, and It's better for me to be married than to be married to a Catholic, and you've met my parents, my uncle, you know my uncle is in the army - so do you know who he is?"

"His name is Abraham Duquesne," Eva said.

Little William raised his head blankly.

"You may not know that he is in that fleet today, and he is the captain of the Sun King," Eva said happily: "You should have seen that the Sun King directly rammed through your Sea King, "She said quickly with the joy of revenge: "That is your father, old William Penn's flagship..."

Little William let out a blood-curdling cry. He rushed towards Eva, but was held down by the soldiers around him.

"I should probably say condolences, but Mr. William, as you said, we are enemies, and I will not pity or sympathize with an enemy." Eva leaned slightly from the chair, as if to see little William's face more clearly. face, remembering his pained look: "There is one more thing I want to tell you," she said: "I took the medicine from the witch," she gritted her teeth and said, "I want to abort this child!"

This sentence suddenly woke up little William.

"you can not!"

"I can!" Eva said contemptuously: "William and Amelia, go to hell, I will never let them be born!"

"You're going to hell!"

"Let me go to hell!" Eva spat in his face: "Why should I raise a child of a liar and an enemy!"

"Keep it!" Little William shouted eagerly: "He is a descendant of Sir William, and his grandfather was an admiral! He has territory and manor in England to inherit! Keep it! Don't you want to become a nobleman?" Madam?! Such an identity allows you to appear in the court of Charles II!"

Eva almost laughed out loud: "When I agreed to propose, you must have said in your heart that I am a simple-minded and short-sighted woman. I know you look down on me because there seems to be only love in my life. Yes, William, there is only love, that's all I want, and when it's gone, nothing can interfere with my decision - not even God or hell."

She looked at him and showed a girlish smile. It was this smile that made little William completely despair: "I am going to Paris, to Versailles. The king heard about me and wanted to give me a reward. I think I will be there soon." Forget you and I will have a brand new life.”

"Eva..."

"I feel better," Eva said, "seeing you in pain like this."

After saying that, she signaled, and a servant took her away. She closed her eyes on the chair, leaving everything behind as she said.

The next day, the person guarding Little William discovered that Little William Penn had taken a large amount of calla lily flowers and poisoned himself with it.

"This man is crazy." The guard said that poisoning oneself with calla lily flowers would make him suffer a lot, and people who commit suicide will always go to hell.

——————

Louis XIV received a letter from the Duke of Vendôme in Versailles. It was just a coincidence. After all, William Penn Jr. was not a trained and tested spy. He despised Eva and did not explore her too much. Her identity gave him convenience, but also gave him a fatal blow - Duquesne's father was a naval officer. As we all know, the naval officer at that time was another kind of pirate. His family came from the South They moved to Dunkirk - when Dunkirk still belonged to the British. This approach was no different from the migration of Huguenots to Protestant countries such as the Netherlands or England.

But they still did not leave France after all. After Abraham Duquesne was reactivated by Louis XIV, he cleared pirates in the Mediterranean area and did not return home for several years. This also made young William mistakenly believe that this uncle was not only not allowed to be reused, but also had nothing to do with Iraq. The relationship with Eva is not close enough - if little William could care more about Eva, he would find that Eva's father, brother and uncle all have amazing skills. In this way, he would not think that Eva is just a weak person. An ordinary woman gave Eva a chance to escape.

But for Eva, William Penn Jr. was just a thing of the past, and for Louis XIV, William Penn was even more insignificant. What made him happy was that in this battle, William Penn Sr. died. Charles II lost a strong supporter and an experienced admiral - the latter even more important than the former. There are also a group of people who were captured - perhaps Charles II also wanted to let the newcomers gain experience, and there were actually many young men from naval families among them.

The one who has a headache now is Charles II. He must either admit that the British betrayed their trust first and then ransom the prisoners from Louis XIV; or he firmly refuses to admit that there are still mercenaries, and a country rents out ships and soldiers. It is also possible to give them to other countries... But Louis will not return these people to Charles II. There are still many empty rooms in his Bastille.

However, no matter what decision Charles II wants to make, it will most likely have nothing to do with his reputation. Louis has decided that he wants to get rid of the "bait"-that is, the Dutch government-in-exile. It seems that they Just like Charles II at the time, he was not welcome wherever he went. Even Charles II only used the flag of Orange and no one came into contact with them. In this case, he will spend his time in France peacefully. Let them remain completely silent for a few years.

Thinking of this, Louis was about to write a letter to the Governor of New France. The Dutch must not know that the hiding place they thought was foolproof had long been watched by countless pairs of eyes - winter was coming, the hunting season was coming to an end, or was it harvesting? Qiluo Internet Cafe, at least those Dutch people don't have to freeze to death, as long as they can be hanged or beheaded comfortably, they are quite happy.

Along with the reply from the Governor of New France came a group of American natives, that is, a group of Indians, the original owners of the frozen land.

They came to plant the cowpox vaccine.

There are bison in America, but there are no herds of cattle, and no cowpox was found in the bison. So after some consideration, Count Palluot sent the group of Indians to Paris, but asked the Duchess of Montpensier to say, It was more like he had sent a group of animals or clowns, especially since this group of Indians did not change into French clothes, but continued to wear cowhide clothes, feather crowns and bone necklaces, making them look very ornamental. .

The Indians who came to Versailles for the first time also noticed the strange situation. They stood in the square, among the crowd, the previous novelty and joy had been wiped away, leaving only uneasiness and vague anger. There are also people who want to say or do something, but are blocked.

"His Majesty the King has not arrived yet," said the person who tried to dissuade him.

So he and some other frivolous fellows settled down. Now that these Indians had been allowed to see the king, just like any provincial, no one was free to sneer at them until the king gave his attitude. It seems that the king's etiquette officer is also polite and follows the instructions step by step, without showing any signs of wrongness?

Update completed.