I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 240 Despair (two chapters in one)

  This article is the first point of origin, I hope everyone can support it.

   is written before the main text (the text in this paragraph is not counted in the number of paid words—modify and supplement after publication)

  Because some readers mentioned in the comments, I wanted to answer some questions about the Sol Bay naval battle, but I thought that some readers may have the same doubts, but did not raise them, so I will answer them here together.

  ——

1. The ship brought back by Mr. La Rochefoucauld, Duke of Merry, should indeed have three decks that can carry 100 guns. This is my clerical error. I have already corrected it. Thank you for reminding my readers and everyone before. For the errors pointed out in the comments, I will contact the editor to lift the ban and correct them one by one.

2. As for the rear-mounted gun problem mentioned by some readers, in fact, the rear-mounted gun appeared a long time ago, but there is no way to solve the problem of airtightness, so the range is not far, so although it can save the time to install the shell, Therefore, for a time, the front-loading artillery with better integrity was the main one. However, in the 18th century, that is, around 1700, screw breech blocks and wedge-type breech blocks appeared. The battle occurred around 1670. I A little adjustment has been made here, after all, there will still be a period of transition and experimentation before it is widely used.

3. The next step is to explain why an adult cannot understand why gunpowder should be poured from the top of the barrel. No, no, no, this is what I wrote briefly. After all, the urgency of the situation needs to be described in length and volume. Weakened - let's put it this way, first of all, the rear loader here uses a screw breech breech, you can imagine a very long round tube with a threaded*female in the rear, and a breech*male - just like your usual Screw it on like a closed nut. Of course, before **** it on, first feed the shell, then the gunpowder (packaging), and after **** the breech on, someone will stretch from the front of the breech and the matchlock hole above the barrel. Put a drill, the tip of the drill smashes the top of the gunpowder bag, (the gunpowder is wrapped under the hole of the match), then they put in half-grain, half-powder of black powder as the ignition powder, and finally insert a match to start the fire .

  Well...So, as you can see, there are about 200 words here...

4. In addition, some adults just directly accused the author of not being accurate enough in describing the war. Because it was too general, I didn’t quite understand where the error was. Because I didn’t participate in the naval battles of the seventeenth century, the descriptions in the book were basically With reference to physical data, online data, including movies, documentaries and pictures, plus some imagination, in a picture depicting the battle inside the ship, you can see that an artillery piece is erected on the deck (in the cabin), the artillery piece The body is fixed with ropes (before the battle, to prevent the artillery from sliding around, the deck cannot withstand the impact of such a heavy metal block, after the battle, it is to prevent the artillery from hitting the deck due to recoil), above the artillery , you can see the matchlock hole I mentioned earlier, but that picture probably already has a flintlock firing mechanism, but it still needs to be pulled by a string. Because of the huge recoil of the artillery, when the artillery is fired too close, it will cause personal injury - the current artillery still has such a device.

   There are about four or five **** crew members in the picture, ready to go, and a man in a neat suit is observing, the observer I mentioned.

5. Another adult mentioned how a solid cannonball lifts half of the stern of a ship. This is to blame for the vain aesthetics of people in that period. The stern of battleships in the seventeenth century has a great feature, that is It has a huge and towering stern with intricate decorations in the Baroque style - that is to say, from the pictures I have found, it looks like the walls of a palace suite, with reliefs, cutouts and statues everywhere, magnificent and gorgeous , according to the data description, it is like a stern sail that cannot be stowed, and even affects the ship (the bow tends to deviate from the wind), so it was gradually abandoned after a few decades...

6. Oh, I also remembered that a reader questioned that ships in naval battles should only use one side to attack the enemy at that time, um, sorry, this is also too clear that I did not describe it, yes, at the beginning of the war, both fleets will be Desperately fighting for the T-position to strike the enemy, that is to say, the ships of the same fleet will line up in a horizontal line, but after a period of time, the fleet that falls behind will not be beaten so stupidly, they also They will desperately destroy the enemy's advantage, so it is normal to intersperse and detour. Look at the oil paintings of naval battles. Except when they go out or return, the ships are interspersed with each other when they are actually fighting. If the ships are left and right in front There are enemies, is it still stubborn to use only one side of the artillery? If so, why arrange artillery on both sides of the hull and on the stern and bow?

   But maybe I didn't write it clearly, so readers misunderstood that all the artillery of one ship was aimed at an enemy ship, sorry.

   Finally, I would like to reiterate that the original point of this article is that the author is eager to work hard at night, and he is courageous. He does not dare to have any perfunctory responsibility. He will never dare to disappoint any reader. I also hope that readers can give me some support and encouragement! Nine fish bow here...

   Text:

   This is the last battle of France against the Netherlands, and it is also a war of extermination. This is the last chance for the Dutch and the last chance for the French.

From the very beginning, Viscount Turenne did not think that the war could end as easily as before. He was prepared, but when he actually encountered resistance that was almost desperate, he couldn't help feeling sad - Amsterdam is a city on water, Everyone knows that from the sky, the city is like a half-cobweb. The city hall, the main square, the stock exchange, the church and the prison are like spiders entrenched in the cobweb, with layers of artificial waterways. Around, the Amstel River is like a branch that spans between the square and the interior of the Netherlands, connecting Amsterdam with the outside world, but this is not the only external passage in Amsterdam. The west leads to the North Sea and the east leads to the Marken Lake. The Marken Lake is above the IJsselmeer, which can also be said to be the inland sea of ​​the Netherlands - the Nasu Sea. Between the Ai River and the city.

After Viscount Turenne led his army to accept Muyden, he learned that in Muyden, there is a sluice connected to the Macon Lake. It can only be said that the people of this city have not yet had the courage to break the boat and put them His city was destroyed along with his enemies, and he had to thank God in his heart - perhaps the blessing of the king? After all, it is too bizarre for them to get the two cities of Muyden and Vesp. However, since the French now got the Meuden, another importance of the Meuden has also been highlighted. Now the only passage in Amsterdam is the Ai River in the west. If the British fleet can be as Louis expected Beat Holland's Reuter that way, and Amsterdam is truly a caged bird.

It is a pity that, as far as the news from General Estres, the coalition forces at sea can only stalemate with Leuth, and it is not the coalition that has the upper hand, but Leuth who has the upper hand - the British navy has lost the face of this The courage of the Dutch, and the French, uh, really, they are, as the Dutch say, a bunch of "hicks who only swim in bathtubs", and Lewitt is cautious, always offshore Youyi, the Dutch fleet has only a small number of large three-deck ships, and the average waterline is shallower than that of the coalition fleet. No matter how the coalition forces lure them, they will never enter the North Sea. The reason why Leuite is afraid of them is because the coalition forces The number of ships far outnumbered the Dutch fleet. The fleet was the last bargaining chip for the Dutch, and Leuth couldn't believe what the Netherlands would end up being if they lost the fleet.

Viscount Turenne shook his head and left this little regret behind him. The roar of the artillery had become more and more intensive. Because of Amsterdam's special geography, the French had to face five full moats, and most of the bridges had been blocked. The Amsterdam people demolished the buildings by the river as fortresses and fortifications to confront the French, but their artillery was completely incomparable to the enemy's - Prime Minister Werther must have never imagined that when he drastically cut the army's military expenditure, he The targeting of the Orange royal family has become the most Achilles heel of the Netherlands.

"Keep the rhythm!" shouted an officer, who was in charge of an artillery team. Listen carefully, the sound of the cannons is indeed rhythmic, and the rhythm is even quite beautiful. Every sound is loud and loud. The sound was accompanied by the cry of the soldiers, both to ensure the safety of themselves and their companions, and to ensure the frequency required by the officer - the officer put a hand on his forehead and looked forward to observe the results of the bombardment. Suddenly, a The dark shadow occupied part of his vision. It was the enemy's cannonball. The solid iron ball rolled and jumped from the side of the fort into the ditch. Two soldiers were knocked down by it and fell silently. This time The impact changed the trajectory of the iron ball. The officer only felt that he was grabbed from the ground by an invisible giant. He flew into the air, and then fell. Before falling to the ground, he lost consciousness.

When he was out of the darkness, the officer found himself swaying up and down. He opened his eyes and saw only vague shadows. He was in pain and couldn't move. A warm object came to the side of his face. Someone was talking to him, but he couldn't move. The voice was also weak and frivolous, and the officer tried his best to shout, "Let someone take my place!" He shouted so much, but in fact he couldn't make his voice at all, the man still guessed the meaning from the way his lips moved. of.

   "The general has already done that."

   said the man.

Viscount Turenne did indeed send another person to replace him when he found out that the officer had fallen. The shelling continued, and more and more soldiers were being transported down on stretchers. Some of them were as conscious as the officers. Speaking, there are some people, such as the two soldiers who fell silently, their chests were terribly sunken, and they knew that there was no way to live. After they were moved out of the trench, they were put aside. In the tent on the other side, compared to the quietness of this tent, the tent on the other side will be much more noisy - there belong to the unfortunate but lucky survivors, among those who wear masks, robes, or aprons, Many of the medical staff wearing headscarves are wizards, and the potions they concoct have helped real doctors a lot. After all, amputation at this time is no different from slaughtering animals, while the potions of wizards are paralyzing and pain-relieving. , hemostasis is impeccable.

  Captain Vauban hurriedly ran over from the other wing of the battlefield. This time he didn't even build a high platform and invited the king to come to watch the battle. A sleepy beast that still has fighting spirit is the most terrifying.

   "How?" asked Viscount Turenne.

"We have advanced to the carriageway square!" shouted Vauban. "We are building a pontoon bridge!" Because the bridge previously built over the river has been dismantled, he and the soldiers are rebuilding the bridge. The Dutch probably did not expect , Captain Vauban's soldiers are better at engineering than at war, and the width of artificial waterways is far less than that of real rivers. "We have to synchronize." Viscount Turenne said that the current situation is that they can Go all the way without hesitation, but the loss of the soldiers will be greater, and the king has always loved his soldiers - the geography of Amsterdam has hindered them, but also gave them some help, for example, the soldiers There is little chance of them fighting face-to-face, because the artificial canal cuts Amsterdam's neighborhoods into pieces, and they just have to gradually nibble away, destroying everything with artillery instead of soldiers.

Such tactics were of course discovered by the Dutch, and those brave people who were willing to stand up to protect the people also felt a little frustrated. The French cannonballs seemed to be endless. If, if the Dutch government was willing to cast them on One-tenth of the navy to fill up the force on the road, they don't have to be so hard - their artillery and shells are still unloaded from ships under repair, and it is conceivable that this amount is not at all compared with the French's arms reserves. way to compare.

   "How many shells do we have?" the captain asked.

"Eight." The answer made the captain grit his teeth. "We'll retreat after we knock them out." But before he got off the topic, a cannonball passed their fortifications and fell between them. The shell was not round, it was cylindrical, and there were still a few small holes in the case. If it was stopped, the shell exploded, and the countless projectiles hidden in it, driven by gunpowder, turned the fortification into a **** on earth in an instant.

Viscount Turena raised the binoculars and looked at it and sighed. This kind of cannonball was also researched by craftsmen and scholars under the encouragement of the king's reward, but after testing, Viscount Turena and others were very disappointed, because Although it is powerful (to the soldiers), it is difficult to control. It may not explode, explode early, or be too weak, but the king insisted that the craftsmen drive out a group and bring them to Amsterdam.

From the very beginning, Mr. Viscount prepared to use these expensive new toys to destroy the enemy's artillery positions. Although there were also failures, the huge lethality still made Viscount Turenne decide to support craftsmen and scholars after returning to Paris. Develop this - called "Pomegranate" shells.

"Pomegranate" constantly creates gorgeous pictures in the fortifications and fortresses of the Dutch. Those sticky or hard things make the gray-white stone walls and ground colorful, and also make the people who see this scene colorful. The man involuntarily held his throat so as not to vomit. However, as the subsequent soldiers came up, these twisted and mutilated remains soon disappeared from their sight - replaced by a carmine red river.

They continued to re-fortify the Dutch fortifications and erected artillery pieces. As the previous captain was deeply jealous, more artillery shells were sent up. In the last battle, because of the king's order, let alone wasted The shells, and even the artillery, burst due to too frequent firing. The officers were not stingy. As time passed, the roars from the Dutch positions became less and less, and the last few were equivalent to nothing, only the French ones. The artillery was still roaring, opening the way for the soldiers to victory.

  What the French cannot understand is that, at this point, there are still people hiding in their houses to resist. Who are they? The answer came after they had captured two waterways. "Huguenots," said Captain Vauban, and the man spat on him in silence: "Hang him and throw him into the river," Vauban said. , these Huguenots should have fled to the Netherlands during the religious war. As financiers, businessmen and skilled workers, they are like a duck to water in the Netherlands. The Netherlands can develop into the world's first financial and economic center with them. ties, but what they can get in Holland will be taken away in France, they are more radical than the Huguenots in France, not to mention that Flemish black wizards have no hands and feet behind them, more than real The Dutch, these pagans were even more afraid of a Catholic king, especially a French king who was again their master.

   But their resistance was like a man's arm in the end.

"Why," a soldier couldn't help saying as he entered a room, "why are they insisting on this?" The mansion belonged to a wealthy businessman, who was in the river, and his wife heard the In French, she immediately swallowed the gold, and when they entered, she was still struggling in pain, and the soldiers had to give her a stroke to end her pain completely.

  Vauban is standing in front of a painting. The figures in it are undoubtedly the couple. The wife in the painting is bulging. "Are there any children here?"

   "No, sir," replied the soldier.

   "That's good," said Vauban.

  ——

In the painting, the couple's child is being held by a woman, crowded in front of the Amsterdam bank, her face is sad, the roar of artillery can be vaguely heard here, her husband is going to the bank to exchange money, and they are leaving Amsterdam. , about a few minutes later, her husband came back, but with empty hands, the woman was startled: "God," she shouted, "is the bank out of money?"

"That's not it," said her husband, still frowning, but not as worried as he left: "The bank is full of gold, yes, they opened the treasury, and we can exchange money, I I got it too, but when I thought that we would have to stay outside for so long, I put the money back into the bank, the bills are easier to carry and safe, and no one can take them without my signature."

"But what if the French occupied this place?" the woman asked terrified. Her sister and brother-in-law were determined not to leave their homeland, and only let her take their own children. There are many people like this, but those who leave There were a lot of people - "they don't want to get Amsterdam," the man said. "Look at the people on the dykes, and the people at the sluices, the French might be able to come in here, but don't think about going out unless they can Become a fish," he licked his lips: "but we should go."

"where are we going?"

   "Now there's only a boat to the Cape of Good Hope," said the man.

  ——

The Marquis of Lois shook his head. Although he did not think that the terms of the peace proposed by these Dutch parliamentarians could be of any use other than making the king laugh, as a minister, he could not arbitrarily overstep, especially in such a major event. , he stood up, carrying the document to the king.

About an hour later, when he came back, the expressions of the Dutch parliamentarians suddenly became ugly-because if the French king intends to negotiate with them, then there will not only be so little time, the Marquis of Lois only said one sentence: "Your Majesty, I've come to tell you," he looked around: "My Viscount Turenne is already in Amsterdam."

  Some of the envoys were pale, and the Marquis of Lois didn't see them. He returned the document to the Dutch envoy, nodded slightly, and left.

The leader of the messenger opened the document and read it again. At this moment, they were also very clear that the French king would never withdraw without sufficient benefits, so in the clause, they not only promised to compensate the French military expenses of 10 million blue shields, but also Willing to open all ports to French ships, willing to form an alliance with France against England and Spain, they have also discussed, if the French king is too greedy, where is their bottom line? The final conclusion is that they can give up part of the colonies in the Americas, or share the Spice Islands, but now it seems that they don't know much about the king. This is not greed, but cruelty and viciousness. He did not Give them a chance, a little hope.

   "In that case..." The leader of the messenger said gloomily, "Let's deal with it as we agreed before."

  ——

The battle in Amsterdam has been fought from morning to dusk. One is that the Huguenots are really tenacious, and the other is that Viscount Turenne cherishes soldiers enough. In fact, even if there is no order from the king, he will not use it. The casualties of the soldiers to highlight their own merits, this is not to say how kind the general is, but, this is a war against the Netherlands, yes, but the anti-French alliance that has been formed will not be because they have captured Amsterdam. Is it vain to let your previous preparations go to waste? It is very likely that they will have to fight a few vicious battles in the next few battles before they can completely leave the fruits of their victory.

   "See," he said to Vauban.

"I see." Vauban said, what they saw was a brightly lit city hall, and the soldiers also saw it. After the last gunshot disappeared, and I didn't know where to start, the French gave a loud cheer, Then two more, three more, many more, and at last they came together, "Long live the King! Long live France! Long live Louis XIV!", and they rushed towards the people in the heart of Amsterdam like a tide, As if to engulf them with the darkness.

  A member of the Werther family stood on the pier, his lips were tight and his eyebrows were furrowed: "These French..."

   "Let them be complacent, the sea will punish them for us." Another MP said he didn't seem to care about this matter, even if Amsterdam's fall was a foregone conclusion: "How much time do they need?"

   Senator Witte glanced at him: "Who told you to remove all the gold, silver?"

   "Or, leave it to the French?" the other said.

   "But we're going to New Amsterdam," Senator Witte said. "We're the only ones going to New Amsterdam, so how do those people redeem their tickets?"

The congressman seemed to be laughing, but luckily they were all in the dark, "If they can come to Amsterdam, of course we will exchange it, but if not, we have nothing to do - Sir, what do you mean by looking at me like this, this is the Didn't you raise your hand to agree with the decision made by the General Council?" Senator Witte was silent.

"It's a no-brainer," the councillor continued. "We're going to build a provisional government in New Amsterdam. We need a lot of money. If they've exchanged all the precious metals, how can we convince the merchants and envoys? They're all Dutch. People, presumably would be willing to give up a little personal gain for the Netherlands."

   "Insignificant?" Senator Witte said: "That's their life savings, maybe they'll starve to death in the Cape of Good Hope, or Batavia."

   "It's not our fault either," the congressman opened his hands: "Look, we gave them a chance, but they didn't cherish it. They naively believed in us, and they should pay for their mistakes."

   "That's because you gave them a promise of incomparable beauty." Promised triple interest, and precious concessions.

"That's because they are too greedy, sir, every Dutchman should know that the verbal agreement is just a piece of paper and has no legal effect. Only the contract in black and white is the most real," said this, the congressman's eyebrows raised, "But in New Amsterdam, the contract is not the most powerful proof, the most powerful are the muskets, the artillery and the ships,"

   Senator Werther did not speak again until he boarded the ship for New Amsterdam, not the Cape of Good Hope or Batavia.

This three-deck ship has no ballast stones. Its ballast stones are all gold and silver. It is cold, but it is extremely desirable. The sea breeze brushes the face of Senator Witte. A smile finally appeared on his similar face, especially since he had seen the firelight spreading from the city hall to the dam and the sluice.

   "Look," said Senator Witte, "that's what they got when they left you, uncle."

  ———

Not a single dignitary on the dykes and sluices had ever been in and out of the city hall, there were only one or two merchants among them, the rest were craftsmen, sailors and retired soldiers who knew that it was difficult for them to skip a death, although The boats were prepared, but as soon as the dams and locks were opened, the raging waters would not listen to human control - no one knows how many people will survive here, but they have been staring closely at the Town Hall Square and Vespa Street, that is the only way to the city hall from the outside world. They have to wait and see the enemy step in here before they can open the dyke, otherwise the French may have the possibility of retreating to the heights and escaping punishment.

Finally, in the darkness, a light of fire appeared, and an officer holding a torch appeared on Vespa Street with his head held high. The soldiers behind him held muskets, suspicious and vigilant. Shaking lanterns and signaling, these Dutchmen who stayed here, ready to deliver the final blow, waited with bated breath—more soldiers poured into the squares and streets, and there should be more elsewhere. Thinking that this distance is not enough for them to withdraw, on the Ai River, the person sitting in the boat stood up and issued a decisive order.

As soon as a dam breaks, others will join in and let the water run into the city. Two-thirds of Amsterdam's territory is three to fifteen feet below sea level. Once the water comes in, these soldiers They are bound to die, not to mention that it is still night, even the Amsterdam people who are good at swimming don't know where they should go to be saved.

The man in charge of the dam was a crew member, a young and strong man. He didn't think he would be able to escape at all. When he was on the ship, he often played a game similar to gambling with his companions, that is, a man Tossing silver coins into the water on the pier, another dives in to find a catch, he always wins - he lit the fuse and watched it hissing toward the powder keg, his heart beating fast, When a hand was placed on his shoulder, he thought that someone was worried that he would not be able to escape, so he specially reminded him.

   He turned his head and wanted to say thank you, but what he saw was a set of white fangs.

  The werewolf bit his throat in one bite.

  ———

In the records of later generations, this is the largest incident of werewolves attacking humans since the Roman Church recognized werewolves in 1414. No less than 100 people saw werewolves chasing humans and running out of the shadows. They threw humans in the On the ground, they were torn apart alive, some of them were Dutch, some were French - some said they saw three or four werewolves, some said they saw at least seven or eight werewolves, and some said that The pack of werewolves is as numerous as a pack of killer whales, and they are even like killer whales who kill not for satiety but for pleasure, because they are constantly attacking humans.

Later, someone secretly made up that these werewolves were all raised by King Louis XIV of France, because the dead were all Dutch, and the French soldiers, even if they were only an arm's distance away from the werewolf, the werewolf did not attack him. Point, of course the French would never admit it, they thought it was one of the most ridiculous rumors in hundreds of years, how would they think that their glorious majesty would do such a thing? To contain and drive werewolves? Ha, why didn't he say he also married a witch and made a deal with a vampire?

However, someone did look up the information about Madame Louise Lavalier, because she heard that this lady was once scolded by another lover of the king, calling her a long-tailed beast, but They couldn't find any clues in the portrait of this lady - features like ring and middle fingers of the same length, she even gave birth to an illegitimate child for the king, the blood of the duke has been passed down to this day, Apart from inheriting the beauty of the Sun King, there is nothing to be concerned about.

- These are not what the current Madame Louise Lavalier can know, her mouth is full of blood and scars - the blood comes from those innocent human beings, but the scars come from her and her father Clayland's desperate death The slaughter - in order to obtain the accommodation of Louis XIV, Cleillin pretended to be dead, and let his daughter lead his people to the feet of the French king in his place - he did not understand his daughter's willful behavior, according to him, the benevolent The king has already allowed their clansmen to settle in Wansen Forest, which was not given to them by Charles I. Louise does not have to have a common child with the king.

  Louis's heroic face was not in line with people's preferences at this time.

   He persuaded Louise that when a suitable time came, she could retire from the position of the royal lady, go to Wansen, and choose one of her own clan to be her husband.

Louise always used silence to oppose her father, but this time, in front of her family, she couldn't hold back any longer, "You are the one who is really stupid! My father!" She shouted: "I admit that I have something wrong. Realistic expectations, but that's the beginning, father! But I've been by his side for so long, can't I see what kind of person Louis is?! Wansen doesn't have to be a werewolf, no , no place for a werewolf! On the contrary, a werewolf has nothing to cherish a king - I think you know, think about how Charles I and his son treated us!"

   "Louis XIV was different," Cleylin argued, "he was a benevolent man."

"That's true for his subjects," Louise said, "but not necessarily for us, even compared to those bohemian witches... Yes, we might be able to stay in Wansen, but if it's just for the sake of King's kindness - how fragile can this false pretence be?"

   "Louise!"

"He never touched me," Louise said. "No, I could see in his eyes that he had yuwang, but he controlled himself without even needing me out of his sight, and He's in the same bed -- a guy like that, how much weight do you think we can put on his scales when he thinks he's making a decision?"

"I can…"

"This is the most fortunate thing, father," Louise interrupted her father calmly: "Louis is a king, but he is also a just ruler, and any of his rewards can be exchanged for merit. Yes, if we obey the king's orders, it is equivalent to exposing the inner world to the people of the outer world. If we violate the law, we will never be able to return to the inner world, but do you really think we should go back? ?You went back, and the result was traded by the wizards in Serbia as goods to the wizards in Gayola. If it wasn't for Louis, you would be dead - werewolves are tools in the eyes of kings, but in the eyes of people in the inner world , beasts and sacrifices, or experimental materials, I prefer to choose the former."

"I know you have your supporters," Louise continued, "and I have mine, father, and I don't want to see useless self-sufficiency in the clan, so let's just go by tradition—I want Challenge you, chief!"

   "As you wish," Cleland said.

  ———

Louise closed her eyes, her battle with Clayland ended sooner than she expected, the old and seriously injured gray wolf was quickly suppressed by the strong and young silver wolf, and Louise bit down. Clayland's throat, then let go, "Come on, father," Louise said, "I won't kill you."

  Clayland left without a word.

  The obedience of the wolves to the new leader gives her a promise from the king that humans cannot find hidden scourges in the dark, but werewolves' eyes and noses can.

  The silver wolf raised its head and let out a long howl towards the full moon. The wolves agreed. With a longer cry, the silver wolf jumped off the embankment and ran towards the palace where the king was.

  ——

  Louis, having heard the howls of the wolves, stood up and opened the door to the terrace.

The moonlight shone on him, he watched the giant wolf rush towards him like a wave of water, and leaped to the terrace of ten feet in a single leap. Louise had grown more than the first time in the past few years. When they met, she was even bigger, and it seemed that she could swallow the king whole with one mouth. The rich fur made her look like a snowy hill, she breathed softly, and the thick **** breath rushed towards her face: "You Victory," she said, "your flag has been hoisted in front of Amsterdam City Hall."

   "How wonderful," said Louie, "you have brought me this good news."

   "I'm here to ask you to fulfill your promise." Louise said, and then, as if the giant wolf had never appeared, in front of the king was a young woman clad in moonlight.

   "Do I disgust you?" she asked boldly.

   "No," said Louie, "it's not like I'm out of options."

  Louise's eyes lit up, she jumped forward lightly and knocked down the king directly.

   (end of this chapter)