I Am Louis XIV

Rolf was still hesitating, but at this moment, the king said something that made him jump up from his chair.

Louis laughed unabashedly as if the prank had succeeded, while Rolf's expression was as complicated as the cake platter after dinner - because Louis XIV spoke neither English nor French, but the Jamestown area. The Mayan language spoken by the Indians.

America is a vast area, and the Indians are a decentralized society based on tribes. Therefore, from south to north, from east to west, they are divided into dozens of language families and hundreds of dialects. The Indians of a tribe have encountered The Indians of another tribe sometimes need to communicate with shouts and gestures like wild beasts - their lives are quite simple. Without private ownership, there is no soil for commerce, and no one will go from this tribe to that tribe. , and of course it will not derive anything similar to lingua franca.

When white people came among them and implanted the concepts of private property and transactions in their simple minds, English and French became the first lingua franca.

"Horn" used English when he talked to Rolf.

Rolf was more talented in languages. He used English as his native Mayan. When the king's envoy came to invite him to Paris, he learned French from the entourage and crew on the ship. Although this French used words Vulgar, but if it's just a simple exchange it's not a problem.

But it is nothing for him or "Horn" to learn French. A French king, a chief with warriors, horses, and muskets that they could not imagine, can speak in their language. This meaning is extraordinary. .

"Even if it's a small gesture." Louis said, what he just said was a motto in Mayan language, which roughly means - don't hesitate when drawing the bow, the bird will fly away - it is to remind people that they should Always be vigilant, seize opportunities, and don't miss them because of hesitation: "I am willing to treat you fairly. I am not Charles II and my people are not British."

"What difference do you make?" said Rolfe. "Your traders sell Indians in Jamestown, too."

“But when I issue a decree, no one dares to disobey it.”

Rolf did not close his frown: "Respectable chief, I don't want to question your authority, but why? Why do you have to be so kind to us?" It is possible for white people to come to their land. It only lasted a hundred years, but in just this one hundred years, they had deceived the Indians and suffered enough. All the words that represented evil and cruelty in the Indian language were not enough for them. To create more, he really couldn't trust a white man easily.

"Because I want my family, you can also imagine it as a tribe, to rule this continent." Louis said softly: "You are not a 'horn' or someone else who is so stubborn that you don't want to open your eyes. Real Indians, so I can tell you, I will let my marshal lead the army to your land and destroy all the people and things that are unwilling to accept us; then my officials will build mines , houses and streets, as well as reservoirs, warehouses and schools, and perhaps a few churches.

But unlike the British and those Anglo-Saxons, you should have noticed, Mr. Rolfe, that the British do not know how to cooperate or give in. They always just want to be superior to everyone, enslave and Oppressing others, exploiting the fruits of their labor, and enjoying themselves wantonly, but unwilling to give those who suffer a chance to breathe. "

For example, the "sheep eat people" created by the British, Louis completely did not understand the thoughts of the British King, Parliament and the nobles. Even if they found that wool was more valuable than wheat and wanted to shift from agriculture to breeding and textile industry, why would they want to transfer those What about the landless peasants who are forced into exile? They had made a fortune in wool, and a few scraps were enough to appease the anger of the people.

Fortunately for them, farmers had to abandon their homes and businesses because they lost their land. Their king and the court actually made laws saying that those wanderers lost their only property because of laziness. Not only could they not be given In order to avoid such terrible punishment, those who could still work had to accept exorbitantly low wages from factory owners and farmers.

How low is it?

Regardless of whether they are men or women, young people refuse to get married and have children. Because women receive more discrimination and harsh treatment (the lowest wages and the heaviest work), they have to run away late at night in order to have a roof over their heads and a bite of bread. They were working as traveling girls, and their patrons were the men who were supposed to be their husbands - Louis couldn't believe it when he saw this report - one of the most distressing issues when he was in power was the population of France.

The sharp decline in population has actually affected the recruitment of soldiers. This is why Charles II has been unable to launch a large-scale attack on France, even if he was half the size of the Netherlands. But before that, His Majesty the King probably didn't care. Firstly, it was because other provinces would import people to London, and secondly, because factory owners and farmers did not need too many manpower.

Everyone knows that before full mechanization, taking care of more than ten acres of land may require several laborers from a family to work together. This is even if there are cattle, let alone those who do not have cattle, but grazing sheep How many people are needed for a group, even if it is to release hundreds of animals? One, two or three? At most, add a few dogs. On the grassland, just scatter some grass seeds randomly.

Once agriculture is abandoned and turned to breeding, the labor force will definitely be overflowing. But Louis also said, in this case, as the king, members of Congress, and ministers, shouldn't you be prepared first, make plans, and use administration and violence? Are the means used to allow factory owners and businessmen to eat up this population? Even with a slight increase in wages, a textile worker can support his family. In the next twenty or thirty years, the population will slowly decline to a reasonable number as the economic system changes.

But the British adults don't, no, Louis even wonders whether they rely on trampling on the people to get the happy feeling of being able to control the fate of others at will like God. .

Louis shook his head slightly: "So, everything I said before will be shared by the French and the Indians. You can work in our mines, live in our towns, and use our coal and clean water, your children can receive education in our schools, your patients can receive treatment in our hospitals, you can walk into our stores to buy things, and you can also seek help and help from our officials. Show your support to our soldiers and generals who fight alongside you, and you can even let our banks preserve your precious assets for you."

"But this land was originally ours." Rolf said. "Isn't it strange that you took it away and then gave us part of it?"

"I heard that Indians often listen to the sound of the wind, pay attention to the color and direction of the smoke, and accept the blessings and punishments from nature. You will not interfere with the destiny and prevent the cruel competition for survival - then, please now Tell me, when you see a group of gray wolves hunting bison, and the weak, old, young or disabled bison roll over and fall, letting out blood-curdling screams, and blood spurting out from their wounds, what will you do? Do you think they are immoral?"

Louis raised a hand to stop Rolf from continuing.

"The Indians now are the herds of buffalo, and we, whether the British or the French, are the ones who hunt you. Unfortunately, maybe given you enough time, you can get out of the closed fence and achieve your own civilization. But - this is fate, sir. You don't have advanced weapons, you don't have enough warriors, you don't have enough supplies. You are divided and have your own thoughts. Even at such a critical moment, you have not united together to become a force that only targets the outside world. the power of."

"You don't have time," Louis reiterated in a low voice: "So, you can only choose a less greedy hunter."

He talked to Rolf about those "sheep eating people" thing, "This is what the British did to their compatriots, how can you still have illusions about them? You should also be aware of it, and Spain People, unlike the French, they never wanted to coexist with you, they - of course, the easiest way is to completely wipe you from the map, your culture, your language, your descendants, They will all disappear in the river of history. No one will remember your glory, and no one will remember their sins."

"But we are different," Louis continued: "Rolf, the French may not be good people, but we have a little more bottom line, morals, and some romantic thoughts than the British. You only need to You’ll find out if you interact with people in Paris more.”

Louis is really not lying about this. The French’s current impression of the Indians, except for those few people who are keen on the slave trade, is still stagnant in newspapers and magazines. I don’t know whether the British did it intentionally or what. The Indians they describe are almost no different from wild beasts - they never say that the Indians have their own language, their own writing, their own totems (heraldry), their own traditions, their own laws, as well as love, family ties and Friendship - They worked hard to vilify or downplay the Indians, so much so that the French, who initially didn't care much about the colonies, were deeply affected.

But from today on, because of the favor and closeness of Louis XIV, the French will definitely flock to them, eager to contact them. Rolf can speak English and French, and "Horn" and other Indians can also speak French. There will be no obstacles to communication between them, and once people communicate with each other, it will be difficult to perform cruel behaviors without any burden as before.

Just like when two countries are at war, they will madly ridicule and slander each other, sketching the other side's army as a group of devils who deserve to die. Otherwise, everyone has sympathy and empathy. If they realize that there is a living person like themselves in the trenches and queues on the opposite side, it will be difficult for the soldiers to pull the trigger.

And as mentioned before, French immigrants are more relaxed than British immigrants. They are looking for additional property, and there is no way out. Up to now, the King's Flanders and North Holland It's not completely filled up yet.

"What do you want us to do?" said Rolf.

"It will be difficult for you," Louis said. "I said, my laws will shine like the sun on your land. Every inch of it, I will respect your traditions and culture, and discuss, trade or negotiate with you." It's a discussion to see how things should develop and be arranged, but..." He paused: "I know there are some Indians," he glanced meaningfully at Rolf, "who just want to drive all the white people out. "

"It's a pity that you may never be able to do this." He stretched out his hand to Rolf: "But you can at least choose a friend who is willing to stand side by side with you."

Rolf's chest twitched. The white chief was right - and there was no need to lie to him. Could he still see the British clearly?

Compared with the British, the French seem to be a better choice, but can he make this choice? He knew that if he decided to ally with the other side, his enemies would not only be the British, but also those stubborn and unyielding tribes--including possibly his former allies.

He held out his hand.

——————

Just as Louis XIV thought, Rolf and the "Horns" and other Indians indeed caused waves of happiness and relaxation in Paris.

Today's French people have wise kings, brave generals, capable ministers, invincible armies and steel behemoth-like ships. They have full money and a fulfilling life. They can't help but give birth to a kind of power in a big country. The arrogant attitude that can often be seen among the subjects. To put it simply, there is no arrogance, rudeness and unnecessary waste in them. Instead, there is a calm, tolerant and gentle temperament.

There's nothing they can't accept.

Because there were many trades to choose from, there was little regret when merchants gave up the slave trade, which the king despised. When people in Paris were surprised to find that Rolf and other Indians were not animals, but human beings with the same thoughts as them, they couldn't help but feel a little understanding - although this kind of thinking was just like the chase scene. The new play makes no difference, but that's enough.

Florence was once the center of the Renaissance, and Paris was also the center of the "Second Renaissance." But what was the central idea of ​​the Renaissance?

Person-centered humanism.

In this way, in the future, in the new continent that he cannot visit in person, the white river and the red river can truly intersect.