I Am Louis XIV

"It was an unexpected surprise indeed," said Louis XIV.

At this time, Bontang had already received the king's bread, cakes, wine, coffee, etc. from the attendants outside the door. Louis XIV always valued his own health. Current medicine still cannot support a complete protection system. He rarely He eats sweets, is not addicted to alcohol, and seldom touches tobacco. He drinks milk instead of coffee with his children in the evening, but today is definitely an exception. Elario is his courtier and an old friend. When the king is with him , you can mention Marie Mancini, or Bishop Mazarin, or even Fouquet at will. These names may have been thrown into the ashes by the forgetful Versailles people, but they are still shining in the memory of the Sun King.

Because Elario was once the chief judge, he always regarded silence as a virtue, and the king's words would not spread easily from his mouth.

"Is it salmon?" Ellario said, holding up the king's bread. The reason why this kind of stuffed bread is called king's bread is because Louis was not complimentary about the "good meal" after the hunt - for kings, lords and lords. , cooking prey after hunting is a very common thing. A hundred years ago, these prey were still the main source of meat for the nobles. However, many of the prey obtained by hunting were wild, even if they did not live in woodlands or Those in the wilderness were also hunted by hunters, and there were no large-scale breeding farms at this time.

But this "deliciousness" also has a fatal problem, and that is parasites. Parasites have been attached to humans for thousands of years. In the large kitchen of the palace, prey can be treated carefully and thoroughly. Outside, the conditions are not so good, and they are almost always handled roughly. After that, it is put into the soup pot or placed on the bonfire. No one knows whether it is cooked through. Even in order to avoid scorching, the servants will consciously end the cooking in advance.

The result is that some horrible little creatures enter people's mouths along with the half-cooked meat.

If you do an anatomy on people before the 18th century, you will find that people’s stomachs at that time were full of bulging bugs, but even if they knew it, they would not care. Before Louis XIV, the nobles were pious and the common people were Because they are poor, they don't even take a bath. They keep the bugs that are visible to the naked eye on their bodies like domestic animals. How can they care about the invisible ones?

Because of this consideration, Louis XIV advanced the habit of picnicking by a hundred or two hundred years when hunting. In the early 19th century, the behavior of filling large baskets with cold meat, bread and wine was That is, outdoor picnics began to become popular. Of course, when he was not yet in charge, some people secretly laughed at the young king for being so particular as a woman, but as his majesty grew, this behavior became a kind of elegant taste.

King's bread became popular much faster than outdoor picnics. This is not entirely due to the king's face, but this kind of food that can be filled heartily without sitting upright is really suitable for appearing in casinos and dance parties. Conference room as well as other special occasions. And this kind of food is suitable for both high and low prices. You can stuff expensive ham into the bread, or you can stuff it with ordinary barbecue fillings, even with some butter or cheese.

In Florence, although there are more gout patients than stones on the road, anyone with a little bit of wealth will definitely enjoy fresh and sweet fish and shrimp and drink fine wine, even if the doctor has confirmed that this disease is not a curse of the devil. , it is not a blessing from God, but the "stone disease" caused by excessive intake of seafood and alcohol, which still cannot stop them from continuing to ruin their bodies - Louis XIV was a temperate person, but those who served him He would certainly be served the very best—the Italians’ favorite source of gout.

"Salmon, and maybe some oyster meat," Louis said, and then he thought for a moment and added, "You should have had these a lot in Rome, too."

In this era, lobsters were still known as sea cockroaches. The seafood favored by Italian nobles included whales, dolphins, salmon and barracuda, large sea crabs, and various shellfish. Louis said, Because it was a very common thing for bishops in Rome to entertain each other. Of course, during the period of Alexander VI, this kind of banquet inevitably turned into crazy killings of each other.

"Why," cried Elario, "you don't know France, don't you know Rome? If I had been invited by anyone, I would have thought there was a Borgia waiting for me in the kitchen. ” He was talking about Alexander VI’s family, the Borgias, which were famous for their use of poison.

"Even without poison, many people want me to die." Elario continued. If he was just a Frenchman, even if he had risen to the level of a red prince, the bishops would not elect him as the pope. The incident in Avignon left a shame to the Roman Church that the priests would never forget for a thousand years. But the problem is that although Elario's family is from Gaiola in the other world, tracing back to their origins, they were also originally in Italy. Elario is an Italian, and he is... qualified to become the Pope. Among the red princes Some people can't help but feel a little worried. After all, France is now powerful and wealthy. Louis XIV sent such a powerful assistant to Rome not for faith or the church.

In fact, if Elario had not been the chief judge and had outstanding talents, after he came to Rome, he was ostracized, framed or even assassinated, openly or covertly, and he would have been expelled from Rome and even lost his life.

"Okay, okay, I know you've suffered a lot." Louis moved the coffee to his mouth, his smiling eyes looking at Elario behind the rising fog: "But it's worth it."

Elario looked at him, "...of course." After a moment of silence, he said.

At that time, Louis XIV, who was still a young king, once raised a question-how could a group of incompetent people rule so cruelly over a group of capable people for such a long time?

Yes, just like before he met His Majesty, he ate half-cooked meat, drank water directly from canals and lakes, wore a hollow, rough black robe with an iron chain around his waist, strictly abided by the law, and was willing to endure all kinds of torture and humiliation. To him, isn't it as common as sunset and sunrise? He was already deviant enough, but when Bishop Mazarin found him, his first thought was to take the opportunity to extort a sum of money so that his family members who stayed in Gayola would not suffer from hunger and cold.

He didn't even think he could replace Barras.

Bishop Mazarin ignited the seeds of ambition in his heart, but it was Louis XIV who spurred it out.

"What's wrong?" Louis asked.

"Nothing, Your Majesty," Elario said, "We were so young at that time."

"Are we very old now?" Although he already has more than one grandchild, Louis has never felt that he is aging. He is still energetic and has a sharp mind. Perhaps it is because of the changes that have been added to him as time goes by. There are fewer and fewer constraints, and he is more free and happy now than when he came to the throne.

"Maybe it's because you have seen the end of the road." Elario said: "Your Majesty, you are still so energetic, but I feel like I have walked for a long time."

"I used to be very reckless." Louis recalled. If he were now, would he insist on attacking Flanders or even the Netherlands?

Still yes, time can change many things, but personality is not one of them.

"You see where we're going," Louis asked again, "but do you see how we get there?"

"Just because I saw something." Elario couldn't help but show a proud smile: "Your Majesty, as the special envoy of Alexander VIII, I was entrusted by someone to make a summary of the negotiations with you."

"Then let's talk about who wants to negotiate with me. It won't be Mohammed IV."

"Mohammed IV is powerless," Elario said. "The people who want to negotiate with you are Charles II and Leopold I."

"He, you two adults," Louis said with a smile, "We are preparing for war."

"That's right," Elario said seriously, "They don't want to fight you."

"reason?"

"Do you want to hear the high-sounding or the real?"

"Tell me everything."

"The high-sounding thing is that they are deeply aware of your love for God and your loyalty to the church, and are unwilling to fight you when you fight the pagans and take back the Catholic cities."

"It's as if the arrival of Mohammed IV has nothing to do with them." Louis muttered.

"The true story is that Charles II was frustrated by his defeat at sea, and Leopold I...things there were not as good as he had expected." Unlike the only king of France, as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Leopold I The biggest components of Opold I's crown were honor and name. In terms of combat prowess, he was just the Archduke of Austria. Although he had persuaded the electors before, it still took a long time to raise military expenditures and recruit soldiers. The process was also ups and downs and unpredictable. If at this stage, France showed its flaws when it was struggling to support itself, Those hungry wolves will inevitably swarm you.

The problem is no.

As a result, among the seven princes (in the Treaty of Westphalia after the war in 1648, an eighth elector was established as a compensation to be awarded to the Count of the Palatinate), some princes began to waver. Of course, the first one to bear the brunt was those with The King of Prussia, who was related to Louis XIV by marriage, did fulfill his promise and gave a large part of the princess's dowry to Leopold I, which was regarded as compensation for the promised reward. For this reason, he He was also justified in refusing to join the coalition.

Although if the situation were reversed, he would certainly be happy to side with the Habsburgs.

The absence of the King of Prussia was indeed disheartening, and Leopold I also hesitated, let alone others. His hatred of Louis XIV was mainly accumulated in the repeated conflicts between the Habsburgs and the Bourbons, and the Spanish succession was even worse, but when it came to personal matters, he had no resentment.

Leopold I launched the war firstly to break France's upcoming hegemony, secondly for Spain, and thirdly because of economic problems... But if they cannot defeat France - and as soon as possible, then Austria will really fall into Into a quagmire from which there is no way out.

With this idea in mind, he decided to negotiate with Louis XIV. If he could get what he wanted through negotiation, he would not necessarily choose to continue the war.

"What do they want?"

Elario showed a smile of unknown meaning: "Spain's territory and territory are very vast. In addition to the mainland, it also has most of Italy, Flanders, and colonies in the southern, central and central parts of the American continent. There's a big chunk of it all in the north, as well as the continent of Africa, and there are many islands, so...

Leopold I can recognize the inheritance rights of your second son Carlos III to Spain, but in contrast, you must also recognize the inheritance rights of his son Philip V to Italy-Habsburg. In other words, you will owned Spain, and he owned Italy.

As for Charles II, he wants to buy back Calais, which is unlikely, of course. If not, Your Majesty, he and the British Parliament want the Spanish colonies in America..."

"Charlie must think this is quite tolerant, right?" Louis couldn't help but say after hearing this.

"It's just for sure," Eralius continued: "And the part of Spain in Africa - Leopold I hopes to give them to his eldest princess... Don't look at me like that, I think he Everything that can be used has been used, and his messenger said that if you agree, he is willing to marry you, and this part of the territory will be brought back to Bourbon as a dowry."

"The Crown Prince has married a Portuguese princess."

"Don't you have a second son? King Carlos III of Spain."

"Leopold I really deserves to be a Habsburg." Louis said dryly.

"So, what do you think?" Elario clapped his hands.

"I don't think so." Louis said: "Although I don't like fighting either-but I have come to this day, my friend, just to reduce future wars, at least in France. I will never retreat. " He put down the cup in his hand, "Besides, Elaro, our chances of winning are very high. Which gambler is willing to give up the bet even if he holds a pair of good cards that are rare to see in a century?"

"I think there is a reason for this," said Elario. "Your Majesty, don't forget Holland."

"So they think that after I divided the Netherlands with them, I will also divide Spain with them?" Louis XIV shook his head. At first, some people also questioned why he wanted to divide the Netherlands with other countries - at that time, he did not think he was capable. Against the coalition of nations, but now?

"Reply them and say I refused."