I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 237 Amsterdam!

   "Today's asparagus was served with hollandaise sauce," Bontang said.

Although the Dutch parliamentarians looked at Louis XIV like a lion, in fact, Louis's tastes tended to be light, focusing on the freshness and quality of the food. Hollandaise sauce was a kind of mild sauce that he only acquired from the local area after he came to the Netherlands. A new sauce extracted and improved from Buttery Sauce, a cream-yellow, semi-cured sauce that goes well with asparagus that have only been boiled in water, standing on a white ceramic plate, approx. Twelve or thirteen sticks, with reddish-brown pointed heads and emerald green stems, dotted with small brown leaves, the king pinched one, dipped it in the sauce, and ate it with satisfaction.

It was still his brother Philip and the Duke of Colonna who had dinner with him today. In the war against Holland, he could no longer lead an army as he did in the war against Flanders, but stayed by the king's side to serve The king charged with Viscount Turenne and Captain Vauban. The Duke of Orleans was not dissatisfied with this. He knew very well that if he continued to accumulate merits in the war, the relationship between him and the king would become extremely awkward. The war in Holland was the real war between nations, and in this war, the glory of the Sun King must not be obscured by anyone.

The Duke of Colonna was immature. As an underage child, he didn't like vegetables, but in front of Louis, he never dared to show it. Although Louis can be said to be a good father, there are times when a person establishes a When he has supreme authority, the people around him have to think more about everything he does.

The Duke of Orleans, watching the Duke of Colonna try his best to show that he doesn't...hate asparagus, can't help but think of his brother Louis when he was a child - when he and Louis were still coiled around his mother's lap, Louis was a picky eater The degree is far better than the current Duke of Colonna, but similar to the Duke of Colonna, although Louis never showed his fear of anyone - even the Queen Mother who was in power at the time, or the bishop, and The slinger, or those dark creatures, can control himself like an adult (some adults may not even be able to), he knows when to be patient, when to be perfunctory, and sometimes not. refuse without hesitation.

   "What's the matter?" the king asked gently, noticing that the Duke of Orleans suddenly stopped.

   "Oh, brother," Philip asked, "I don't like asparagus, can I leave it out?"

   "Of course, if you don't like it, don't eat it," said Louie.

With the king's permission, the Duke of Orleans, in the envious eyes of his nephew, set the asparagus aside, let his servants take it away, and replaced it with roasted venison in a sauce of honey and pepper, the Duke of Colonna's The gaze grew more eager, but he could only enjoy the plaice with his father, the plaice commonly known as flounder, a flat, odd-looking fish, but finely succulent without too many thorns—Louis, of course I noticed the look in his firstborn son's eyes, but the Duke of Orleans has been an adult for a long time. It was when he was at his strongest. The Duke of Colonna was still between a child and a teenager. I'm afraid I'll be tortured too.

In the past few years, Louis has a little understanding of the medical methods in the inner world. Different from the surgical methods that are popular and respected in the outer world, the inner world has gone to the other extreme. Whether the people in the inner world are injured If you are still sick, you can use a bottle of potion to solve it. The magic potion of the wizards can indeed be used for many purposes, but perhaps because the inner world was also in a war-torn relationship not long ago, the potion is not useful for some common diseases. And many potions also have considerable side effects.

To put it simply, that is to say, if someone has some unspeakable disease, in order for the potion to have the best therapeutic effect, the wizards' method is to cut that part open, gouge it out, and then combine the potion and magic. , let the cut off parts grow back...

"You wouldn't want that, would you," Louis whispered to the Duke of Colonna, who was sitting on his left-hand side, and Luciano Jr. said, "And I'll have Bontang staring at Philip drinking elderberry tea." Elderberry Tea is also a drink in the inner world. It has a very good effect on digesting greasy, but the problem is that it is bitter and astringent.

The Duke of Colonna laughed as soon as he heard it. Obviously, he got some balance. Philip complained loudly, thinking that Louis should not be so partial to the Duke of Colonna. "If you lose, you will gain, brother." Louis said, While giving the two candied cherries on his cake to the Duke of Colonna and the Duke of Orleans, "I'm going to see some people later," Louis said, "You help me take care of Lucy."

   Duke Philip kept the smile on his face: "Okay, brother, maybe we can go for a walk by the lake."

   "Don't provoke the swans," Louis ordered.

  ———

The king's brother and the Duke of Colonna retired, and the relaxed atmosphere of the room disappeared as quickly as the sweet smell lingering on the silver plate. Louis, with the help of Bontang, changed into his most gorgeous and complicated outfit. The king had a necklace hanging on his chest, a ring on his hand, and his long curly hair was draped over a coat that was thick like a plate armor because of the excessive embroidery of gold and silver threads. He moved his feet, and his silver heels were on the ground. Clanging.

   The king still has a tough battle to fight before the final battle against Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

In the seventeenth century Europa, there is one thing that is difficult for people to imagine today, that is, no country can start a war purely with national power. It is impossible to start a war such as Flanders or Holland, so at that time, According to traditional and objective conditions, even after Louis XIV captured Flanders, he immediately implemented a strict military control system, drawing blood from Flanders' body, which greatly eased the consumption of 120,000 people. But they still had to borrow from merchants and bankers at home and abroad—that is, issue war bonds.

War bonds can be traced back to ancient Rome, when soldiers in the ancient Roman legions needed to equip themselves with weapons and armor. They often borrowed from merchants to buy what they needed, and then used the spoils they plundered during the war. Repayment of loans, and later with the gradual privatization of the ancient Roman legion, the commander of the legion had to equip his soldiers with ordnance and guaranteed supplies, so this kind of behavior became more common and large-scale.

The reason why the Netherlands can become the wealth concentration of Europa is also because the Dutch first applied financial and credit business to their armed forces. As described earlier, the Dutch navy is invincible because of the Dutch businessmen. In this need, warships are also their commodities. When each fleet needs to be maintained and expanded, merchants will buy bonds to support them. Their return is the **** and looting of warships, as well as the compensation and compensation of the defeated. ransom, and colonies and slaves.

   The man that Louis XIV is going to meet tonight is the businessman who has been buying bonds continuously and in large quantities, allowing him to wage these two wars in succession.

What is incredible is that among these businessmen, there are actually Dutch people. They have no guilt for this behavior that is equivalent to treason. They are very calm and even arrogant. Louis knows that they will say in private that the Dutch Although the army was defeated by the French, the great sun king also had to borrow from the Dutch, and even if the French king won the final victory, they could still make a lot of money.

However, in this era, this kind of thinking can be understood by many people. After all, in the hearts of many people, the concept of the country is not as clear as later generations. If it is about belief, if it is about ideas, they can sacrifice property or even life for it. , but the country... This is also because there are many places, regions and even principalities that are constantly changing everyone at this time. For example, if Louis XIV had his way, half of the Netherlands would be a large province in France in the future.

"Oh, good Bontang," Louis raised his hand to cover his face, "hold the candle away, it's too dazzling. How many diamonds are in this coat? I think I could wear it to light up my soldiers. ."

   "You are the Sun King," said Bontang earnestly. "I think you are mocking me." Louis said, and Bontang nodded: "You are as wise as St. Augustine."

   "The wise saint has a lot of fate," Louis tightened his scarf: "I'm just a layman who hopes to have a smooth journey."

  ———

Although it is an interview, the merchants are not qualified to talk to the king directly. They are allowed to meet the king, more like to seek a practical promise and guarantee. After all, the victory of France is imminent, and Louis asked them to continue to add more Investment, his army of 120,000 is like a hungry beast. If Louis can't make it full, it can attack the king. The merchants are all embarrassed. For this war, they have invested nearly a thousand Thousands of Rivers' money, although this can be said to be a necessary investment, their coffers are also drying up.

Unexpectedly, the first one to stand up was a Dutch businessman, "Mr. Count," he said, carefully peering from behind his downcast eyes at the corner of the king's coat, which was dazzling in the candlelight. This coat alone, It might be around a million livres, not counting the king's jewelry, enough to repay the interest for these months, but although this king doesn't have the delays of other kings, he has to know—"Sir," he Repeated: "If possible, can we know why you still need such a huge sum of money?" He said cautiously: "As far as I know, your army is invincible, and the gates of Amsterdam are about to open to you. Open, if the splendid Caesar, the venerable Sun King wants to hold a grand triumph, we can offer you ten percent sincerity, as long as you say, sir, we will do it."

"Your Majesty doesn't need these false names," replied the Marquis of Lois on behalf of the king, "what he needs is your sincerity." He paused, "don't worry about your investment, the king is willing to add a cent of interest to appease your needless anxiety, And after the war," he said, "everyone here gets a royal charter—" As soon as this sentence fell, the merchants were in a commotion, and maybe some people couldn't understand what a charter was, so here A clear example is the Dutch East India Company, which grew into its current behemoth under a charter issued by the Dutch Parliament, which allows you to monopolize the sale of a certain commodity, or a shipping lane, or maybe a The autonomy of a city... wait, maybe the king of France is not so generous, but the power in the hands of a king, even if a small part is ceded, is enough for them to change families, and even become the source of a prominent family name.

The Dutch merchants retreated to the ranks of the merchants, and they whispered to each other, and Louis nodded to the Marquis of Lois. It was not until the door was opened and closed that they re-calculated and considered anxiously. The Dutch merchants have been hesitant, because the merchants who nominated him as their representatives wanted him to ask the French king to reduce the tariffs on Dutch merchant ships and commodities—since Louis XIV declared war on the Netherlands, and raised the tariffs on Dutch goods and merchant ships to 30% in one go. This crazy move made Dutch merchants complain a lot. Under such high tariffs, their transactions were impossible at all. Going on, the door of Holland is indeed about to open to Louis XIV, but the door of France is still closed to the Dutch, that is, at that moment, a thought slipped through the businessman's mind-maybe let France win the Netherlands Not a bad thing either.

Such a thought is like a pebble that fell into the IJsselmeer, and soon disappeared. The merchants made a decision after a few minutes, and they were willing to invest more in the king's war, only the denomination and number of bonds, The date of repayment and the interest had to be renegotiated. The Marquis of Lois handed the matter over to his subordinates to see the king to report the result. He was rather flattered when he was allowed into the king's bedroom, because Louis XIV was in this regard. Much like a Puritan—he didn't like being surrounded by ministers and nobles all the time.

The king had long since changed his heavy coat and put on a soft velvet robe. Winter was coming, and the fireplace in the room was ablaze with fire, so that every face in the room was wandering in uncertainty. , When the Marquis of Lois gave the answer, although he couldn't look at the king's face, he heard a soft sigh.

   (end of this chapter)