I Am Louis XIV

What happened in Léon did not surprise Louis XIV.

He told his ministers, generals and children more than once that they should always put themselves in their shoes - not only for the sake of others, but also for their own sake. We all know that sometimes, those kings who were assassinated, betrayed, or exiled, or the great figures who became famous for a while, would be confused as to why they were treated like this, but as bystanders, we can see it clearly. ——The human heart is always the most difficult to predict and extremely greedy.

Like the Huguenots in this incident, from a Catholic point of view, Louis XIV inherited his grandfather Henry IV's tolerance for the Protestants, not only allowing them to continue to maintain their original beliefs, but also not paying taxes and future As for the move of the Huguenots from the four cities to the border city of Orleans, it was completely a small punishment for the disobedience of these Protestants.

But to those Huguenots who still remembered the massacre of St. Bartholomew, Henry IV was a religious traitor (Henry IV was originally a Huguenot who later changed his name when he inherited the French throne). Catholic), his sons, and grandsons are not only the descendants of traitors, but their fear and restrictions on the Huguenots are like jailers looking at criminals, which makes the Huguenots complain endlessly, but in the final analysis, this is also Because the latter has never stopped taking radical measures on religious issues.

Whenever a person hates another person, no matter what that person has done, he can find fault, not to mention that Louis XIII ignored and ignored the Huguenots. Although Louis XIV also allowed them to join the army and do Businessmen or low-level officials are also required to move their families to residential areas.

For the Huguenots who were born after Louis XIV came to power, although the king's order caused them some losses, it was not unacceptable - the king did not deprive anyone of their property or family, and provided them with housing, positions and Some charters (commercial) allow them to continue to live together according to their original ethnic groups or territorial relationships, allowing them to maintain their original living standards and habits after moving to a strange place.

Children could go to schools run by the king, young people could seek opportunities in the king's government and army, and their priests could serve the Huguenots in churches. Most people spent a period of unrest and fear. As time went by, I slowly adapted to the life in the new settlement - but were there people who maintained their resistance from the beginning to the end and became more and more intense, full of dissatisfaction and anger about this matter?

some.

There are many die-hards, conservatives, or purists among the Huguenots, either because of the massacre and the subsequent "annihilation" of the Huguenots by Louis XIII, Bishop Richelieu, and others. Because of their deep hatred for the Bourbon family, they were either worried that the easing of conflicts between Catholics and Huguenots would affect their existing majesty and power, or they wanted their faith not to be tarnished - among Catholics Among Protestants, sometimes unbelievers, hypocrites, and heretics are not as abominable and unforgivable as heretics.

Vice Captain Colini is undoubtedly one of the above three types of people, but before the Leon incident, he disguised himself very well, or in other words, he was not a pure disguise. He was very brave during combat and treated soldiers and colleagues He is also very friendly. It can only be said that his faith obviously comes before the country and the people.

Louis XIV was pleased that although little Eugen was young and inexperienced, he could see through the trap set by the other party at a glance and did not let France sink into the quagmire of religious opposition in vain - he personally replied to little Eugen's letter. , while praising his calmness and composure (Colini's temptation is still very attractive, especially for young people who are new to the war), he also replied to little Eugen's request - little Eugen wrote in the letter At the end, he said that he asked His Majesty the King not to delve into the matter and make it public. He would reorganize the army, clean up spies and villains with ulterior motives, and appease the Protestant soldiers and officers. However, if the matter was made public, it would not only stir up the Catholic Church. The suspicion of the Protestants around them would also frighten the young Huguenots.

This is also a trap that their enemies may have set. Louis thought, if everyone in an army is wary of their companions, how can they work together to fight against foreign enemies? It's just that little Eugen, or even the Duke of Luxembourg, can't make the decision on behalf of the king - this is the king's army. After repeated consideration, Louis agreed to their request. It doesn't matter to him - after all, he is not a pious person, but little Eugen and the Duke of Luxembourg have made such a decision, and they will inevitably have to work harder.

Young Eugen and the Duke of Luxembourg finally breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the king's permission. Many people have blamed the king for his "impurity" on religious issues, because Louis XIV has always been unwilling to drive out all Protestants as the church and devout Catholics expected, but as long as there is a little sense, It can be seen that if you follow the path of dictatorship in faith, you will inevitably suffer setbacks in science, military, art and literature - no, it should be said that there are no restrictions on any objective conditions, whether it is race or origin. , belief or gender will bring the entire society to a standstill and make the country and its people lifeless.

Little Eugen, who grew up in the Palace of Versailles, and the Duke of Luxembourg, who had a strong rebellious spirit from the beginning, would certainly not care about this. However, if the trial and execution were not to be held in public, they would have to be wary of anyone sowing discord. Fortunately, some members of the army There are Catholic priests and Protestant priests - although they did not attend the meeting before, just like the priests in France are all the king's priests, the Protestant priests also have to follow the king's will, and they really don't want this. Things went from bad to worse - once the Huguenots were restricted from employment in the army and government, it was not impossible that the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew would happen again. They very eagerly agreed to Eugen's request. The Huguenots, like most Protestant denominations, only recognized the Ten Commandments and the two sacraments, that is, baptism and the Eucharist. There were no sacraments such as the Mass, but in The Bible says to "meet together always", so Protestants also have worship practices, but they are not as rigorous as Catholics.

It is impossible for any shepherd not to recognize his own sheep. It was very simple for the Protestant pastor to gather the believers together. They sang the Bible together, prayed, and received the Holy Communion. The pastor then offered to pray for Colini and others together. , if someone does not understand the reason, let the chaplain explain it to him, so that the Protestants in the army will not be deceived by others and worry that this is another purge of Huguenots by Catholics.

There were not many people who followed Colini's rebellion. They were hanged after praying and then buried quickly. The scene that interested people wanted to see never happened.

After dealing with these people, little Eugen tried to attack Leon. As expected, crosses and images of saints were erected on the city walls of Leon, and the holy bones of Santiago (St. James) were installed on the wall. In the crystal box, the priest kept announcing to the soldiers under the city wall that attacking Leon would inevitably trigger divine punishment.

"Then let it be as they wish," said little Eugen.

So the French army bypassed Leon and captured Saladin and Ponferrada one after another.

What are Saratoga and Ponferrada? They are the two cities on the left and right of León, and they are also important points where the two lifelines of León run through - León is like all medieval cities. , is strategically located, backed by the Cantabrian Mountains, with the Esla River on the left and the Minho River on the right. Saracon and Ponferrada are large cities near these two rivers. From these two rivers, Starting from this city, there are three ancient Roman avenues, the center point of which is Leon.

Leon originally had a population of over 100,000. Thanks to the priests' tireless propaganda, so many people came to pilgrimage. However, this city was not a food-producing area. In other words, almost all the food it needed was from From the outside, that is, Sala and Ponferrada are supplied.

Before Eugen the Younger took control of these two cities, shipping on the Essla and Minho rivers transported wheat and other commodities to Saracon and Ponferrada, which then transported them to Lai via ancient roads. hold head high.

It is nonsense to say that the officials and soldiers of Leon did not think of this. They did store some food, which was enough to last for a while, but what they did not expect was that little Eugen did not attack Leon - - Not only did he not attack, but he held a grand mass very piously in a monastery outside the city to show his respect for St. James. He also did not stop the messengers who reported the "holy miracle" everywhere. To add fuel to the flames, even though they captured Saracon and Ponferrada and took control of the main roads, they did not stop the pilgrims from coming to Leon.

The number of pilgrims quickly increased from 100,000 to 150,000. It is hard to imagine that in this era of inconvenient transportation, such a large number of people increased in just a few weeks - but it is also possible. Because in the two cities occupied by the French, many people who were worried about being murdered or blackmailed by the French went to Leon in the name of pilgrimage.

The priests of Leon and the knights of the Knights of Santiago still wanted to prevent people from entering the city, but... those "pilgrims" who were not innocent could no longer retreat. They crowded outside the city gate and made a shocking noise. The roar of the earth - not only the poor people, but also former officials, city councilors, military officers, and big businessmen were among them. To make matters worse, malaria quickly became endemic there because so many people gathered outside the city.

This disease is still a troublesome thing even hundreds of years later, not to mention that now, people are getting more and more crazy, and some people are even shouting to go back to Saracon and Ponferrada, let the French - they too Catholics, come and open the gates to them.

Don’t forget that almost all the knights during the Holy War were originally established to protect pilgrims and pilgrim roads. The Knights of Santiago existed to protect pilgrims who visited the relics of St. James. Although here Before, they existed in name only, but now that the knights now use this name, they are inevitably constrained.

The city gates opened wide and pilgrims poured in. This ancient city began to suffer unprecedented pressure, not only food, but also clean drinking water, accommodation and the dirty things that have to be mentioned - guess what How much excrement will these hundreds of thousands of people bring?

In short, little Eugen, who was not easily provoked, or foolishly attacked the city directly because of the youth's stubbornness, made the members of the Knights of Santiago feel deep regret - Deliger and his friends arrived Don't get me wrong about the underground prisons. They are not here to interrogate or release these mostly innocent criminals. They are here to relieve some pressure on the city and prepare for welcoming new criminals.

Pippin's feet had begun to rot, but he was still alive. He wondered how he could still be alive. He was lifted out and saw the sunshine. Unfortunately, this was the last ray of sunshine he saw. After he People in the past were hanged or drowned. Of course, using a sword is faster, but not everyone can use a sword well. The craftsmen and butchers with rough hands and feet numbly held the rope as if they were doing another job. The noose was tied into a slip knot and put around the criminal's neck. They made the criminal lie face down on the ground, then put their feet on the back and pulled the rope to complete the job - it was safer than hanging directly. The hanged person might also It is possible that someone escaped with his life because the rope loop was not tightened, but someone who broke his neck would definitely not be able to survive.

When Pippin was put down, the ground was muddy, filled with the feces and urine left by people before they died. He was shaking all over and his eyes were black. He had to firmly grab a finger that had been bitten by a mouse before. "I am an agent," he shouted, "I am an agent of the French!"

The executioner (temporary worker) who was about to stand up subconsciously paused and looked at the gentlemen next to him. It must be said that Pippin made the right decision. He was immediately pulled in front of the two knight gentlemen.

Delig and his friends failed to recognize Pippin at first, but no matter whether it was Pippin or not, anyone who shouted that he was a French spy would always have to go through some interrogation, so Pippin finally escaped death. At least he won't have to die for the time being.

"I can get you... medicine!" Pippin clicked his tongue and moistened his throat with the blood oozing from his chapped lips: "The French... medicine! That wonderful and wonderful medicine!"

"We don't want that." Delig said coldly, "Do you have anything else?"

"Like where the French store their grain," he added. The French army's armaments and supplies have always been the best and most abundant. The Marquis of Lois's "road-army-warehouse" policy has also been widely circulated, although Eugen the Younger's army has already captured Saladin and Ponfe. Lada, but the Duke of Luxembourg's army is still nearby, and there will definitely be French grain stores around. If they can take advantage of it and capture part of it, the emergency situation in Leon can also be alleviated.

"I think..." another knight interjected, but was immediately interrupted by Pippin.

"I know!" cried Pippin hoarsely. "I know, but not much, sir... not much..."

Delige's eyes suddenly shone, "It's okay if it's not too much." He said, his friend looked a little strange at the side, but in the end he didn't say anything.