I Am Louis XIV

But at this time, no one cared about Duke Saint-Simon's murmur. What was confusing was that people were still cheering before, but now their voices gradually became lower-but not because of disappointment, how could they be disappointed! People who have never experienced it may not know that when a huge spectacle comes to people without warning, awe will replace joy and make them become frightened; or, in other words, it is just like champagne will make people... People are tipsy and excited, but whiskey and rum can make people intoxicated quickly. Overly strong satisfaction can also make a person dizzy, not knowing what he should do or say.

It is not impossible for a total of thirty huge ironclad ships to be moored in the dock at the same time, but this will undoubtedly block people's view and prevent them from seeing the situation at sea - from Dunkirk, Calais, Nantes and many other ports Of course, the ships transferred from the shipyard could not just fire a few salutes - after the iron-clad ships gave the viewers an unparalleled deep impression, they moved to the two wings of the port, giving way to the magnificent ships. stage.

Then people saw that with milky white clouds, clear sky, and sapphire blue sea as the background, the king's more than 300 ships were divided into three parties and launched a simulated naval battle on the sea. First, two The three sides fight, and then the third party deliberately competes with the fishermen for profit. In the end, the three are intertwined with each other. Smoke billows, red flames are sprayed from the muzzles, and the sailors on the ship wear coats of different colors and fight with each other. Screaming, people kept falling into the water - even if they knew it was a performance, the people watching couldn't help but clench their hands.

This "fierce battle" lasted for about an hour, although the audience may think that only three or five minutes passed. The ships of the three parties retreated in an orderly manner under the command of the commander, and the black iron-clad ships once again Enter the battlefield - this time its opponent is not a colleague, but a target ship. If there were any British or Dutch people here, they would be extremely angry after seeing them, because these target ships are the ships of the two countries that were captured and confiscated by France.

The most conspicuous among them is the "Seven Provinciales" with which General Leut had fought side by side for twenty years. In the last battle between the British and French forces against the Netherlands, the sails of this ship were on fire, the mast was broken, and the poop and forecastle were damaged. All were damaged, but with the Dutch shipyards, it was not impossible to repair it. However, Louis XIV thought for a long time and decided to use it as a target ship after a little repair. Of course, a ship with such a prominent status cannot be used in ordinary training, but now is the most appropriate and appropriate opportunity.

The people of Dunkirk were very familiar with the "Seven Provinces", mainly because when the Dutch were galloping on the sea to show their power, the "Seven Provinces" was the flagship of General Leyter, whether it was the British or the French who saw it They all trembled, and they couldn't help but sigh for a while after identifying the "Seven Provinces", but then the iron-clad ship suddenly brought them back to the present. The leader "King Quan" took the lead in firing and bombarded the "Seven Provinces" again. The upturned mast and forecastle were completely destroyed, and its scarred sail ended its ill-fated fate a few minutes later, turning into gray-black smoke in the flames. But what gave the ship the final blow was " "Duke of Orleans", because in the previous trial battle with the British, the "Sun King" successfully rammed and sank the British "Sea King", so in this performance, the king gave up this honor to His own brother.

The Duke of Orleans couldn't help but turned crimson with excitement. When the "Duke Orleans" completely ran over the wreckage of the "Seven Provinces", he jumped up from his seat and clapped desperately - the king had to gently block it. For a moment, to prevent the overly excited Duke of Orleans from jumping off the terrace, he stood up, walked to the edge of the terrace, and waved his hat in the distance.

Today the king specially wore a bright red wide-brimmed hat. Even the ostrich feathers on it were bright red without any mottled colors. When he was swinging on the balcony, even from such a distance, people on the ship could see it. Arrived - then, the big steam whistles loaded on thirty iron-clad ships were sounded at the same time, even covering up the previous rumbling cannons. People's ears were buzzing, and then someone noticed that the king was heading towards his fleet. Salute.

The emotions previously suppressed by fear finally boiled over, and people let out earth-shattering shouts. They shouted Long live France, Long live Louis XIV, Long live the Sun King, while trying hard to rush under the terrace - at this time The power possessed by those nobles and ministers finally became apparent. Different from the people, they came up to congratulate the king in person. For a time, flattery was endless. Even the priests who praised God may not be as sincere and sincere as they were. Bright lotus.

"There will be a grand banquet tonight." Louis said, and then he turned to the people, because Dunkirk Castle is located at the center of the three docks, facing the sea, and the square connected to the docks also has docks, temporary storage and transportation Because of its important role, the passage is very wide, like St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, with a length of 1,100 feet and a width of 500 feet, enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. Of course, for the safety of the king, after selection, there are only tens of thousands of ordinary people here, but it can be seen that there are many people, and every face is like a flower bathed in the sun, filled with strong joy, men They waved their hats vigorously to the king, some ladies even jumped up, and others - mainly the squires and officers closest to the balcony, bowed deeply to the king.

"Hail," cried Louis, "my people!"

A tsunami of cheers suddenly swept through the entire square, like waves on the sea, covering the entire Dunkirk!

Louis' eyes couldn't help but moisten slightly. Is it because of the fleet? Dunkirk people, not just Dunkirk people - the king's twenty-year insinuations and Dunkirk teachings finally paid off. Why did the royal power weaken and why did it become strong? In the final analysis, it is closely related to the territory and power owned by the king. In the original Frankish state, the king only owned a small royal territory. At most, he could only be regarded as a big prince. The size of the territory limited the number of people, and the number of people directly Affecting the army and finances - therefore the kings of France have been working tirelessly to expand their territories through various methods, including but not limited to marriage, inheritance and sales.

Louis XIV also did this, but it was more than that. He was the king of France. Of course, his subjects should not be the subjects of a count or a duke. They belonged to France and to the king. The vassals of the vassals are not mine. As a vassal, this will not work with Louis XIV!

When he said "I am the country", he had already seen it - he would finally hold the whole of France tightly in his hands!

Bontang walked out of the room behind the terrace. The two attendants behind him were carrying a three-foot-square box. A three-foot-square box required two strong young men to carry it, of course because the contents inside were too large. It was heavy - the Marquis of Loise couldn't help but take a deep breath, it was full of golden Louis!

The king's hand was deeply inserted into the pile of gold coins, and he grabbed a large handful of gold coins. Then he raised his hand and let the shiny little thing shine dazzlingly in the sun. People under the terrace saw it and couldn't help but exclaim. There was a pause, and then he shouted louder, "It seems that gold coins are more popular." Louis said jokingly to the Duke of Orleans, then waved his arms and sprinkled a bright golden rain into the air.

At a glance, the hat and hair were all replaced by outstretched arms. The king scattered the gold coins three times in succession, being careful not to scatter them in one place to avoid causing a stampede, so he gave up the position to his younger brother, the Duke of Orleans, the Duke of Orleans. Although he was very keen on this kind of activity, in fact, he liked to be noticed more than his brother, but when he saw that the king was returning to the room, he hurriedly threw coins twice, allowing the queen and the crown prince to continue the coin throwing activity... I chased him.

"Brother, brother, Your Majesty!" he shouted, in a hurried manner that was rare since he stopped wearing skirts and changed to trousers. Louis stopped and turned to his brother: "Slow down," he He paused with his cane and said, "Why are you so urgent?"

"Can I go to the Duc d'Orléans?" the Duke of Orleans begged. He had boarded the "King Power" in Nantes, but the "Duke d'Orléans" was one of the ten newly completed ironclad ships. Compared with the "King Power" , its armament and armor are even more perfect, especially the craftsmen who decorated its mast, forecastle and stern beautifully in accordance with the king's requirements - this is other ships besides the "Sun King" None of them, let people know at a glance how much the king values ​​his younger brother.

More importantly, the king once promised his younger brother that as long as his younger brother was willing to be loyal to him, he would not hesitate to use him. The Duke of Orleans did it, and Louis XIV also did it. This made the Duke of Orleans become ambitious-he came from the Netherlands. After coming back, he has not been to the battlefield again. In the past few years, he has been tired of dancing and dressing up, and he wants to smell the smoke and blood - if this ship belongs to him, does it mean that it will be his flagship from now on? Already?

Louis saw the Duke's thoughts and couldn't help but laugh and cry: "A naval battle and a land battle are not the same thing." He said.

"I won a great victory for you on my first battlefield." The Duke of Orleans said, and it was true.

"I will not allow anyone to waste his talent." Louis said: "Yes, of course the Duke belongs to the Duke." He patted his brother's shoulder affectionately: "And if you want to board the Duke of Orleans, There's an opportunity right now," he said, "because we're going to take a boat to Rennes."

————

Everywhere, there are happy people and sad people.

All the royal family members on the terrace participated in the activity of throwing gold coins, and the Duchess of Orleans was no exception. The princess looked at her mother's pale face and shaky body. After hesitating for a while, she stepped forward and supported her. Arms, "Stand up," she whispered: "Stand up, mother, don't let others misunderstand you."

An exotic princess is an unpopular character in any court. Because of the British riots not long ago, the people in Dunkirk had a bad impression of the Duchess of Orleans, and the rumors among noble ladies were even worse. Swords hurt people even more. At this moment when everyone is rejoicing, if a British princess or a French duchess shows a different attitude, then what awaits her will definitely be people's accusations and attacks - especially since Britain has almost given up. When it became clear that there was going to be hostility with France again.

To be precise, the devastation caused by the Hundred Years' War has never healed in both countries. Even Louis XIV's "friendship" with Charles II was limited to two people and was an undisclosed secret. Princess Henrietta and The marriage of the Duke of Orleans was only a temporary peace. Britain did not want to see a powerful France, and France did not want to see a unified Britain.

So at this time, the performance of the Duchess of Orleans is very important. The eldest princess gritted her teeth and helped her mother up - most of the weight of the duchess was on her daughter, but the eldest princess could also feel that she was trying to support her - she was indeed very weak, but at this time, even if she died next moment Even though she died, people had to see that she died happily.

Both she and the princess could feel that people's eyes were focused on them. At this time, the crown prince Louis quickly came over and held the duchess's other arm: "Hold on, madam." He whispered. explain.

At this time, the queen was holding a handful of gold coins, looking at the people with a smile, asking them to bless the king, bless France, and buy time for the Duchess of Orleans. When Mrs. Orleans finally came to her side, she immediately gave the gold coins in her hand to the duchess. The Duchess of Orleans reluctantly stretched her arm out of the balcony railing. The gold coins rolled and fell, but she looked further away.

Not a ship, but a Dover.

U.K.