I Am Louis XIV

"By the way," after roughly understanding the king's intention, Priest Paul asked again: "What does the viewing position mean? Didn't the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary just pass?"

"Then you also know that His Majesty's birthday is one month after the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary." Jean Barr said.

The priest's eyes widened: "But how can those Parisians and Versailles people endure the king's celebration ceremony in Dunkirk?" Although he has been living in the small town of Dunkirk, businessmen and smugglers They all need to be well-informed. Of course he knows that the Parisians and Versailles people almost regard the king as a statue enshrined in the Palace of Versailles or the Louvre. Even if the king goes out to fight, they will complain endlessly. This time the king decided to go on a grand tour. They were also muttering incessantly, look at the king's chariot. Except for those who were lucky enough to be ordered to serve as chariots, more people came by themselves. Of course, this is not an expense that everyone can support, so these people Almost all of them are dignitaries with bulging waistlines.

If those people knew that the celebration of the King's birthday was actually held in Dunkirk, they would explode like fireworks at night, the priest thought, and at the same time a happy emotion rose in his heart. He also recognized a lot of them. Parisians have also read Paris newspapers. He knows that Parisians regard themselves as the first-class subjects of France and regard the provincials as slaves and aliens. They boast every day, are arrogant and arrogant, and are annoying-if the king really decides to do it in London. Kirk opened the celebration ceremony (the king's birthday celebration ceremony usually lasted for a long time), he was very interested in seeing the faces of those Paris "gentlemen", it must be very embarrassing.

"I can only say that it is difficult for Parisians and Versailles people to raise objections." Jean Barr said with a smile.

The priest blinked.

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"After all, compared to Paris or Versailles, Dunkirk has an incomparable advantage." Louis XIV turned around with a smile, and for the first time he willingly put on luxurious and heavy clothes: "I really don't know how you can stand it," the king frowned and complained to his brother: "This dress can be used as armor."

The Duke of Orleans replaced the king's first servant today and dressed the king. He had been carrying the coat that the king complained about before. Of course he knew the weight - it might have weighed fifty pounds, which was indeed about the same weight as a suit of armor. , some armors are even lighter: "The fabric of this dress was originally woven with gold thread, and then the maid embroidered it with exquisite patterns." The Duke of Orleans knew this all too well: "Then... Pure gold trim, gemstone buttons, pins and so on.”

He took a step back and looked at it carefully: "It's impeccable, brother. Of course, I'm not talking about the clothes."

Louis XIV smiled. He was two years older than the Duke of Orleans, but now the Duke of Orleans looked older than him. Of course, the Duke was pampered and paid attention to maintenance - he did not forget to apply facial grease on the battlefield, and he looked like he was originally Even though he is younger than his peers, he still cannot compare with the king. The two noble brothers looked at each other and hurriedly moved away. Only a few people knew what happened to the king in the period after his assassination in Dunkirk, and even fewer people knew how the king regained his life from the hands of death. ——Although Patriarch Vanzhuo swore that although one of the Vampire Sacred Artifacts he held could transform a mortal into a wizard or a Vampire, it would leave no trace after the injected blood was exhausted——Perhaps, After all, if that holy weapon could create unlimited wizards and vampires, there would be no place for mortals to stand in this world.

Only Louis and Mary knew that after entering the other world, he was indeed inspired by the talent that only belongs to wizards, and he was quite outstanding. If it weren't for Louis being the original master of a country, he might really have stayed, or was he left? Down.

But had that extraordinary blood really completely left Louis XIV's body? Someone once tried to use the Dauphin and the Duchess of Montpensier to accuse the king of being a wizard. Perhaps they had doubts about the king. Everyone knew that wizards have longer lives and longer youth than mortals.

"Wait a minute," said the Duke of Orleans suddenly, "you should use some powder and rouge."

Louis glanced at his brother. The servants on the side were a little confused. The king never used powder, but Bontang suddenly interrupted and said, "I also think you need to use some powder."

"The sea breeze is too strong today," said the Duke of Orleans. "It will sting your skin and crack your lips. You still need to take some protection."

"The Duke is right." Bontang said. He did not stand on the king's side, and standing on the other side was quite new to him, but he had already guessed the king's brother's intention, and of course he wanted to express his support.

"The two most important people have spoken," Louis walked back and handed the cane to the servant beside him: "And they all agree. It seems that I have to succumb to your oppression." This sentence will definitely be heard by others. His liver and gallbladder trembled, but for the Duke of Orleans and Bontang, they only felt intimate. The Duke of Orleans calmed down and accepted the powder sent by Bontang. The king did not use powder, but he must have brand-new powder equipment in his bathroom. Because Queen Theresa, Madame Montespan and Prince Philip, who may stay in the king's bedroom overnight, need to carefully dress themselves up many times a day.

Perhaps because these powders were free of charge, the Duke of Orleans not so politely rubbed a thick layer on the king's face, carefully rubbed some rouge on his cheeks, and also used some lipstick on the king. When the king stood up from the chair again, he was no longer so abrupt in the mirror... Even if someone faced the king directly, they would only think that the king looked energetic and youthful because of the makeup.

Louis took the cane and tapped it lightly on the ground: "Let's go."

The Duke of Orleans took a step forward, and Bontang took a step back. The king's brother walked behind the king. While his eyes were suddenly stung by the white light, he heard people's cheers that seemed to shake the world!

His steps slowed, and the cheers were for the king.

Louis walked straight to the huge terrace, which faced the port of Dunkirk. The snow-white marble and gold and silver foil made it look like a semicircular gem plate. The Sun King hung from the edge of the terrace, which can also be said to be It was France's golden lily sun flag with a blue background, with snow-white curtains hanging on the sides and top. The strong sea breeze lifted and lowered them, rolling them like waves on the sea. The king first faced the nobles, officials and people gathered under the terrace. The people nodded slightly, touched the brim of their hats with their fingers, and then turned around and sat down on the gilded seats located slightly in front of the center.

The band in the square began to play music, and the crowd gradually dispersed. No, it should be said that the dignitaries and officials were taking their places - they had special stands that could overlook the entire Dunkirk Port as Priest Paul saw. , ordinary people stayed in the square, enjoying the bread and beer rewarded by the king, while waiting for the grand ceremony to begin.

The people behind Louis, from Queen Theresa to the Duke of Orleans, also took their seats one by one. Almost all of the people on this terrace were members of the royal family. The queen's eyes quickly swept over the seat of the Duchess of Orleans, and then she breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Although the Duchess of Orleans has been too weak to attend banquets and balls, she still insisted on coming today - she must be present at today's ceremony, otherwise the rumors will get worse. The Queen doesn't like the Duchess of Orleans very much, but she is not bad enough either. To the point where he is willing to watch her die.

Priest Paul sat in the most remote seat of the stand, and he was not dissatisfied at all. His hands, feet, and cheeks were all numb—because he could probably guess why the king was there, and whether he dared to be there or had to be there. Kerka opened the opening curtain of this huge celebration. He heard someone whispering behind him, wondering whether the king had arranged some special performance at sea. Was it fireworks? Impossible, now is the time when the sun is at its hottest.

Someone said it must be fireworks because he had already heard the sound of salutes.

Priest Paul's mouth opened. Indeed, it was the cannons of Dunkirk that fired at the beginning, but what came back from the distance was not an echo. People started to make slight commotions from the unexplained silence. Some people with excellent eyesight had already Seeing some black shadows appearing from the southwest, they stood up, which aroused dissatisfaction from some people, but soon everyone stood up.

The ship was coming towards them.

At first, they looked so small that they could be covered with a needle nose, but as if in an instant, they expanded to the point where even the palm of your hand could not cover them. People were whispering to each other - because they did not see what was happening with them. Such a huge hull matched the layers of giant sails, but they saw gray-white smoke rising straight into the sky. Some generals who had fought at sea had seen ships shrouded in smoke - it was the smoke that rose when artillery bombarded them. The smoke may be caused by the burning of the hull and canvas, but those ships, covered in black, do not seem to have been destroyed at all. They are advancing through the waves at a speed of more than six knots.

In fact, because the range is here, even if the steam iron-clad ship moves forward at a speed of more than six knots, it will still take some time. However, the people are curious about this weird new ship, and more ships follow. Afterwards, they counted excitedly, unaware of the passage of time - one, two, three, four... ten, one hundred, two hundred, three hundred! When this number appeared, even some ministers could not help but be stunned. They had heard that the king was building a French navy and fleet, but... France's maritime power was almost blank during the Mazarin period.

Among these people, the Duke of Saint-Simon and his followers were particularly conspicuous. Their expressions were as weak and dazed as the French navy thirty years ago. They could hardly believe their eyes and refused to hear the counting numbers rushing into their ears. How could this be possible? ? "Maybe Louis XIV just got some armed merchant ships..." a baron said in a floating voice.

But they will soon be disappointed. Amid the excitement of the people, the leading black ship is already preparing to enter the harbor. The ship that once shook Louis XIV suddenly made everyone lose their voice. What kind of situation is this? giant? It is simply a floating fortress on the sea. It is even more unbelievable for people like the Duke of Saint Simon who once relied on intelligence to make a living. Because it is huge, it is very fast, and its steering is light enough, like a knight in full armor. Dancing a merry minuet...wait! The Duke of Saint-Simon jerked up his telescope, just as Jean Bart had done in that little naval battle, pressing it tightly to his eyes. Even though it was painted, he could still distinguish rivets and plates. Traces of connection.

Anyone who has seen a ship with his own eyes will know that the hull shell plates of a ship will not be made one piece at a time, but only one by one, so that they can be fixed on the rib frame. So what are those square plates? The Duke of St. Simon thought of some rumors he had vaguely heard - he didn't believe it at the time, maybe he believed it, but he shouldn't... There were so many, how many he saw, thirty ships also covered with thick armor ship.

thirty! What a wonderful number! The Duke of Saint-Simon certainly remembered Princess Henrietta. The Duchess of Orleans had thirty Calais boats in her dowry. At that time, there were a lot of discussions in the court and the government, mostly accusations. People thought that the king should not be impulsive and naive. Ambition allowed the British to use the useless Calais boats as dowries. However, at the insistence of the king, these thirty Calais boats were delivered to the French as part of the dowry.

The Duke of Saint-Simon followed this matter for a while, and later heard that they had been sent to Nantes, possibly being used as merchant ships, so he paid no more attention to them.

Then, after a gap of more than ten years, they reappeared in front of him as...iron ships!

The Duke of Saint-Simon felt that he was having a terrible nightmare. If he had known earlier...why would he go to the British and Austrians? But it's really not his fault. Who could build such an iron ship? And what means are used to drive and control them? To put it bluntly, where did Louis XIV get so much iron?

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"Thanks to Leopold I." Louis XIV said seriously.