I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 243 Cold

  Amsterdam in 1672 was the first monument erected by the Sun King during his long and glorious journey.

Louis XIV fulfilled his word, and the French soldiers filled their purses with gold and silver, and they were as content as their king, and eager to return to Paris—the defense of Holland would be taken over by Captain Vauban, for For this young man, this is a great challenge and reward-although I have talked with Viscount Turenne before that the three Dutch provinces of France will be governed by Viscount Turenne, but Viscount Turenne will return with the king first. Paris, at the triumphal and celebratory banquets, he will be the closest minister to the king, half out of Louis XIV's sincerity, half out of later needs, after all Viscount Turenne will stay in Holland for several years , and in these years, the king will delegate power to him, just like handing over the rights of Lorraine and Alsace to Duke Philip, so that he can calmly face the inevitable endless conspiracies and rebellions.

The king must strike his trust and respect for Viscount Turenne into people's hearts like a nail in a piece of wood, in order to avoid suspicion and jealousy between monarchs and ministers, otherwise the three provinces of the Netherlands can only be said to be an explosion that could explode at any time. Powder keg. Viscount Turenne was very aware of the king's intentions, so on the way back to Paris with the king, he appeared by the king's side more often than Madame Lavalier, who once, He even jokingly said that his title of First Lady of the Royal Family should be given up - this made everyone present burst into laughter, but objectively speaking, although this kind of behavior is excessive, but the effect is obvious, just to bribe Di The number of Dutch merchants and deputies of Viscount Rainer is almost equal to that of Madame Lavalier.

   "How many people have come to visit you today?" During dinner, the king asked Viscount Turena, who quickly put down his knife and fork, bowed politely, and said, "Nine."

   "Then I win," Madame Lavalier smiled happily: "I have twelve here."

   "How dare the fireflies compete with the moonlight?" Viscount Turenne wasted no time in complimenting him.

   "But I remember that Viscount Turenne won the first two days," said Louis. "What else do they ask for besides buying back the East India Company and the West India Company?"

"It's the same old story," said Viscount Turenne contemptuously, "these merchants may think they can buy it even in the Netherlands, they want ships—the ones we captured from the North Sea battle, and shipping lines, charters, etc. Wait, by the way, Your Majesty, there is a messenger from New Amsterdam, where the Governor Peter Stewisan, who is stationed there, is willing to offer you his allegiance, but on the contrary, he wishes to keep his position and that power."

   "Isn't New Amsterdam dedicated to the Duke of York by him in '64?"

   "After the Breda contract (Second Anglo-Dutch War) he took it back, so now New Amsterdam is New Amsterdam, not New York."

"Oh, I remembered that the Dutch parliamentarians wanted to go to New Amsterdam. I didn't go into it at the time. It seems that it is true. The Governor seems to have his own plans." Louis gestured slightly, The waiter on the side took away the plate in front of him and served a tender roast lamb, which was one of the king's favorite meals. While pouring mushroom juice, he said casually: "A foreigner. Maybe that's what he planned, yes, I've heard that there are also some Dutch people who set up a provisional government at the Cape of Good Hope."

   "If you allow this messenger to visit you..."

"No," said Louis dryly; "I've had enough of the merchants, especially the Dutch merchants," he said: "the money has given them too many illusions, and it's time to break them, Viscount. You don't need to give that messenger any answer, sir, and by the time we get back to Paris, the messenger of Charles II should have been waiting for a long time, and perhaps the messenger of Austria, Denmark or Brandenburg - of course, the latter depends on Luxembourg When will the Duke and Prince Condé make them change their minds."

"As far as I know, His Royal Highness and the Duke can handle it with ease." Viscount Turenne said, this is not a lie. The attack of Louis XIV's army was like a thunderbolt, which not only destroyed the psychological and physical defense of the Dutch, but also let Leo Pod I's alliance is caught in a dilemma - if they abandon their original plans, all the money they have spent on this war will be in vain, but if they send troops, they will face almost unscathed. 90,000 French troops, they didn't even go deep into the Netherlands, but stuck to the border between the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire, just to prevent the coalition forces from sniping at them - they are moving now, but looking at the number and momentum, it is obvious that it is completely tentative , just want to confirm whether the French army is disguised as strong.

However, they will be very disappointed. Louis never thought that only when the army was stationed in every city represented the complete conquest of the Netherlands. Only when the fingers were clenched would they have the strength to fight out. Only when the army was dispersed could they form a deterrence. thump.

Not to mention now, even in the future, for the three provinces of the Netherlands that Viscount Turenne will manage, the king also believes that the power should be concentrated on the most critical cities, instead of paying attention to every place, everyone, just Let them fight each other - it's not that Louis despised the Dutch, since they were all merchants, the best way to rule was to impress and divide them with profit.

You know, when Louis went to war with the Netherlands, some Dutch people complained that because the Dutch government was too tough, the French king levied too high taxes on Dutch goods, which affected their business, although it sounds ridiculous. - They don't seem to know anything about war, but that's not bad news for Louis.

Louis plans to implement different taxation systems in the three provinces of the Netherlands, including the Flanders region, according to regions and cities. The cities and provinces that are willing to submit to the feet of Louis XIV will receive preferential treatment. Those places and people who complain and hate will have to taste it. Homemade bitters.

   "Merchants are indeed a disgusting thing," Louis said as if to himself: "But in the face of power and interests, they are a very useful tool."

Viscount Turenne and Madame Lavalier looked at each other. The king often lost his mind when dining or chatting. Salmon to the king, interrupting his thoughts, "Thank you, ma'am," said Louis, before continuing the conversation: "Mr. Viscount, you know that we already have Nova Scotia and Quebec, so what do you think, Which part of the negotiation should we lean towards?"

"Are you talking about a Dutch colony? Your Majesty." After nodding affirmatively, Viscount Turenne drew a map on the map in his mind, and then counted carefully: "The first colony of the Dutch was In Batavia, then they went west from Batavia and occupied the island of Sumatra, and then they took the Spice Islands from Portugal, and they also owned Malacca and Sidolan, and it is said that there are also some islands in the Far East, You mentioned the Cape of Good Hope, and the New Netherland, which is New Amsterdam, by the way, in South America, they also got some small islands."

"If you are looking for wealth," said the Viscount Turenne, "then there is no doubt that the Spice Islands and Malacca, Cidoland are the real treasures." Mr. Viscount spoke slowly, peeping as he spoke. The king's expression, his understanding of the colony still came from his uncle, Prince Maurice. In fact, at this time, the kings of Europa were not so keen on the colony. What they were looking for was still Europa and a route that could bring gold and silver. , but out of the sensitivity of a soldier and a statesman, Viscount Turenne hesitated for a while, and then said: "My personal opinion, Your Majesty, may be immature, but I think we should continue to seek Amelia. Plus... as far as I know, that's quite a lot of territory."

   "...you're quite right, except for one thing," the king said after a few seconds of silence: "Mr. Viscount, the problem is its astonishing expanse, sir, we don't have that many people."

Viscount Turenne sighed: "You are right." Indeed, according to the king's census three years ago, France has only 20 million people so far, and according to the scholars' calculations, America The area may be the size of sixty-two France, and even if all of these populations are devoted to America, they are as sparse as the peppercorns sprinkled by a miserly hostess in soup, Viscount Turenne continued to sigh regretfully: "But Your thoughts are still precious," he heard the king say, "I will write them down in my little book."

   "It is a great honour," said Viscount Turenne. "Besides, Your Majesty, it's time for you to eat, your fish is getting cold."

"You are right, any waste of food is unforgivable." Louis said, he looked at Madame Lavalier beside him, and while they were talking, Madame Lavalier did not move her plate. The fish in: "Don't wait for us next time, you know, ma'am, men are always careless," he said, reaching out and pouring a little lemon juice for Madame Lavalier himself and frying the fish superior.

Madame Lavalier enjoyed the king's gracious service, which used to belong to the queen or the queen mother. Her silver fork pierced directly through the crispy skin and into the soft flesh, and she lifted it up. The first thing she smelled was a strong sour smell, and then the fishy smell unique to fish, which indicated that the delicious taste was coming, she thought so, but her stomach turned violently in the next moment— She rose from her chair with an almost unpredictable speed, quickly disappearing from the sight of the king and Viscount Turenne.

Both Louis and Viscount Turenne had wives and children, and since Madame Lavalier seemed to be in good health recently, and Viscount Turenne remembered that the lady had been conceived several times before, he immediately guessed By the time Madame Lavalier was probably pregnant, she had been with the king for several months, and the king had no queen or other women by his side.

Sure enough, after the imperial doctor checked and inquired about Madame Lavalier's recent situation, it was basically certain that Madame Lavalier was pregnant. This is good news. The king and Lavalier Mrs. Er gave him generous rewards, but a moment later, another imperial doctor specially summoned by the king broke the illusion of warmth - the person who came was Varo Vesalius.

Varro Vesalius is not only a doctor, alchemist and potionist valued by the king, but he is also a wizard. Under his command, there are a number of witchcraft teams ranging from twelve to twenty-four. , loyal to the king, to serve him—Madame Lavalier, as someone who had worked with him on several occasions, could not have been more clear.

Madame Lavalier's hot body, which was still rejoicing to be pregnant, suddenly became cold, especially her heart, which seemed to freeze, she looked at the king pleadingly, the king was gentle but He pulled out his hand resolutely: "Ma'am," he said, "you promised me."

   "Your Majesty... you can't..."

   "I will keep my promise, ma'am, and you should keep yours too," said the king.

   "This is our child."

"As long as it is not a werewolf, it can get what I promise, whether it is a man or a woman," Louis looked into Madame Lavalier's eyes: "But if we are destined to be tricked by fate, Madame, we can only suffer from for his punishment."

   "Your Majesty!"

   "They will take good care of you, ma'am, until the child is born." Louis said: "Now, although you are a werewolf, let us pray to God together."

  ———

Varro Vesalius has witnessed all of this, including Madame Lavalier's madness and grief after the shattered dream. He can no longer say that the king is wrong. Since he became the king's physician, he has seen too much. This kind of tragicomedy also deeply understands what kind of person Louis XIV was...or, what kind of existence a perfect king should be. Personal emotions can never affect the king's political, military or political decisions —His concession to Madame Lavalier was also because, after the victories over Flanders and Holland, if there were some unexpected events that were unfavorable to the king, this majesty might also The reason why it is firmly in control.

Madame Lavalier does not know, she can only say that she still has a glimmer of extravagance, and it is also the gentleness and enthusiasm of the king over the past few months that has made her delusional, but the king's meaning is very clear, he always remembers him and him. The appointment of Madame Lavalier.

Vesalius shook his head. He went back to his room, sat down on the desk, opened the drawer, and took out the figurines of his wife and daughter. The king is always tolerant of useful people, and their figurines are sent to him every year. In the past, his wife became more reclusive because of her unfailing appearance, and his eldest daughter, the Marquise of Montespan, had a son and a daughter.

   He is a grandfather.

   (end of this chapter)