I Am Louis XIV

The Order of Santiago is even older than Spain, having existed since the land was still called Castile.

And Leon has an inseparable relationship with the Knights of Santiago, because at the earliest, in 1151, the Kingdom of Leon still existed, but when it was co-ruled by King Ferdinando III of Castile, there were ten The two knights repented of their past sins and decided to devote themselves to Christ to protect the tomb of Saint Santiago - Santiago is Saint James in Spanish (Saint James is the patron saint of the Iberian region). This knights initially Known as the Knights of Cáceres, or the Knights of the Virgin Mary of Sword Castle, it was later officially renamed the "Knights of Santiago".

Compared with the once-mighty Knights Templar, the reputation of the Knights of Santiago may only be revered in the Iberian Peninsula, but their development trajectory is subtly the same as the former - they also protect pilgrims to the tomb of Santiago. The first funds were accumulated by the people and the territory around the tomb. Then, as we all know, with the swords in their hands and the honor of the knights, they began to lend money. As time passed, the wealth accumulated rolled over. They were able to purchase a large territory, as large as any diocese.

The chief of the knights is also equivalent to an archbishop, grand duke or marquis. He is the uncrowned king in this sacred land. During the installation ceremony, the members of the knights must swear to the portrait of the saint to follow the chief's instructions. Command, more than anyone else.

Please note that this is the most critical point. Here, the authority of the chief of the knights undoubtedly exceeds that of the king.

Just like the Knights Templar in France, after expelling the pagans from the Iberian Peninsula and the Knights lost their most important role, both the king and the church felt that they should be curbed or banned. Unlike the Knights Templar, Yes, the last great leader of the Knights of Santiago died "luckily" in a battle in 1491. Under the Pope's judgment, the position of the great leader of the Knights, the land and money of the Knights, and the relationship between the knights and The soldiers were all attributed to Philip I, the handsome man who was the husband of Queen Juana at the time and co-ruler of Spain with her.

After Philip I obtained the position of the Grand Leader of the Knights of Santiago, he began to dismember and consume the Knights of Santiago. The thirteen knights of the Knights of Santiago, who were similar to senators and princes, and even those who had the power to depose the Grand Leader, were replaced one by one. Or execution. Later, he simply abolished this system, so as early as a hundred years ago, the Thirteen Knights became a legend like the Knights of Santiago.

But tonight, the people of Leon saw the Thirteen Knights of the Knights of Santiago again.

As popular legends say, they are powerful, tall and energetic. They wear white cloaks depicting the Holy Sword of Christ outside their shining silver scales, and wear old and exquisite ship helmets, which are two-sided helmets. The helmet was raised as high as the bow and stern of the boat. Under the cloak was a broad-bladed sword that was not so common today. The feet were wearing thick boots - let Pippin see, these were riding beautiful Arabian horses in Lai. The knights patrolling this old city are more like actors than warriors.

Perhaps he was staring at it for too long. A knight turned to look at him. Pippin shuddered and quickly avoided the side alley.

"Who is that?" asked the knight's companion.

"A commoner," said the knight.

"I don't think so." The knight's companion said, "His gaze is uncomfortable. A civilian shouldn't have the guts to look at a knight like that. Delig, you stay here and I'll catch him."

"No need to make such a fuss." The knight called Delige said, but he still turned his mount and did as his companion said.

Although Pippin saw the knight riding the horse towards him, he immediately turned around and ran away, but how could human legs outrun the horse? He only remembered something whizzing down from the air - and later he thought it might be The scepter or light flail is one of the knight's common weapons.

He guessed right, the knight used the scepter beside him - the scepter here is not the kind of scepter we are familiar with, just like the flail is not the kind of flail we think, it is a kind of hammer that is very similar to a mace. , but a weapon that was more slender than a mace. The knight did not intend to kill him just like that. Maybe he wanted to torture him, so he just gave him a light knock, but such a knock also made him faint immediately.

When he regained consciousness a little, he couldn't understand what happened for a few seconds, until the knight's followers searched him at the request of the master. He lay on the cold and damp ground, being tossed and turned. He kept announcing what he was carrying: "Three pistols! Seventeen rials! Fifty-three pesos! (gold coins, silver coins and copper coins respectively)" "A small dagger!" "Hit!" Flint, a bag of salt!" "A pair of socks!" "A handful of chips!" "Some powder! My lord!"

"Wait a minute," Delig's friend, the very suspicious knight, immediately said, "Let me see the powder."

The medicine powder was quickly handed to the knight. The knight took it and smelled it, and carefully observed the bottle under the light of the torch. The outside of the bottle was wrapped in paper, with the name and name of the medicine written on it in small but clear words. Usage - That's why the retinue knew it was medicinal powder: "This is the French medicinal powder."

"It wouldn't be surprising if he is a businessman," Delig said: "Nowadays, many businessmen always prepare French powder." What he did not say is that in the armies of various countries, whether they are standing armies or mercenaries, there are also I will try my best to get some French powder around me - nothing can stop bleeding, promote wound healing and prevent fever better than that kind of powder. Sometimes it can save your life, and more often it can prevent you from losing an arm. Or a leg.

Although priests and officials in Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, or any country that opposed Louis XIV would loudly claim that the reason why this medicinal powder is curative is that it came from the hands of the French who made a deal with the devil, including but not limited to There are - toad skin, maggot mucus, placenta, ashes of dead babies, secretions left after a man exchanges with a witch, devil's toes, fragments of an inverted cross...all kinds of blasphemous and dirty things. But what made them helpless and angry was that after listening to their sermons, people believed that this medicine must be extremely effective. Not only did it fail to prevent the French from amassing a considerable amount of wealth on it, but they seemed to have guaranteed it. generally.

Businessmen are the people who need this powder the most after mercenaries. This powder can be applied externally to treat wounds caused by swords and bullets, and taken internally to prevent fever caused by cold and dampness. In emergencies, businessmen can also Sell ​​it for money or a chance to escape.

But another knight just looked at the powder in his hand, opened the cork and smelled it. After confirming that it came from the same place as the medicine in his bag, he asked the servants to throw the businessman or whatever he was into the prison. Inside: "Maybe he is just a small businessman." He said to Deliger: "But this does not prevent us from being more careful. It is known that the French have as many spies as crows perching on the branches."

But as he spoke, he still stuffed Pippin's medicine bottle into his arms.

There were so many people like Pippin that the prison could no longer be closed. They were crammed into caves that never saw the light of day. It was difficult to even breathe, let alone standing. Some strong people crawled to the weak ones. People's bodies and heads protrude, and bodies are stacked on top of each other horribly. After a while, the person at the bottom will die quietly, because there are so many people in the prison that the jailer is not even willing to come in and kill the person. Drag them out, and they will stink and rot together with feces and urine.

Pippin was lucky, because he came later. He was tied by the passage, like a tired dog, but he could still breathe. He didn't know if he could survive. He was not too upset, he only cursed. The two Santiago knights, he saw, had not been discovered—they did not know that he was an agent of the French. But they dealt with him casually, just like crushing a small insect casually, without caring about his life or death.

He had never so longed for a French victory, even though he was a Castilian, it should be said.

Although Pippin was captured, there are still many "birds" like Pippin. Some of them are more alert than Pippin, and some are more cautious than Pippin. People can enter the city, but it will be very difficult to get out. However, some people still found an opening. They got out of Leon City and ran to the French camp overnight to report to them the strange situation in Leon City.

"I can probably guess what they want to do." Little Eugen said: "Invite the priests to come over."

In a country where Catholicism is the main belief, the king's standing army is equipped with nurses and doctors just like army nurses and doctors. Each legion is bound to be equipped with military priests. They must provide sacrifices for every soldier who died after the war. They had to perform the last sacraments, comfort the painful wounded and exhausted medical staff in the wounded barracks, pray for the artillery and guns, and pray for the soldiers. It can be said that they were quite busy.

What little Eugen now has is a complete legion. In this legion, the king considerately provides four priests, each with several assistants. There is also a personal priest beside little Eugen, so that when he wants to confess, he can There is no need to worry about leaking information - of course, these priests are good people who are loyal to both God and the king. And everyone is clear-headed and strong.

When I heard that there was another saint appearing in the city of Leon, there were also the Thirteen Knights of the Knights of Santiago who had not been seen for more than a hundred years, the youngest and most authoritative (because he was little Eugen's personal priest) The priest just thought about it for a while and understood what they were about to face.

“Saint James once preached in this area for twenty years. Later, he went to the holy city of Jerusalem and was martyred there. His disciples transported him from Jerusalem all the way back to Galicia, where he had preached, and buried him here. ." The young priest said: "The Knights of Santiago were established and maintained today in the name of 'protecting the tomb of St. James.' However, since their chief was concurrently appointed by Philip I of Habsburg, The Knights became the property of the royal family, and from then on they could only exist in name only. Now that they have been lifted out of the dust and put in front of everyone, they are just using Saint James to force us to retreat or negotiate."