I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 311 The King's Royal Expedition (2)

If possible, Louis did not intend to go to war at this time - he arranged several marriages for his sons and daughters in a row, just to let France rest after capturing the Netherlands and Flanders - the glory created by Saint-Louis has long been in François I was far away from France when I was alive, and after several civil wars between Catholics and Huguenots, between cardinals and their opponents (Richelieu and Mazarin), this strong warrior repeatedly injured himself.

When Louis XIV came to the throne, France at that time was like a tall beggar in ragged clothes. Although it was not like the Duke of Tuscany who followed behind the Holy Roman Emperor to pray for a little mercy, as a philosopher said, When a person constantly recalls the glory of his ancestors, it means that he has nothing to admire in himself. If Louis XIV died in the attack of the scorpions or the werewolves, France may also usher in a new one. The tragic end of ancient Rome.

  —a divided regime, officials and nobles with ulterior motives, a confused people...

When Louis XIV conquered the Netherlands, he was also persuaded to say (I don't know if it was because of bribes, or because of his intention) that the victory of the previous war to capture Flanders was beyond people's surprise, and the king could Just take it as soon as you see it, why would you have to mortgage the royal property and palaces in an almost desperate attempt to conquer the Netherlands - but at that time, Louis XIV saw clearly, first of all because of the special geographical location of Flanders, if he stopped in Brussels, then Even if he captures the entire Flanders, he will "let" Flanders out little by little under the pressure of the Netherlands, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, because Flanders alone cannot support him now. With a standing army of 150,000 people, there is no army of this size, and his desire to stabilize his rule in such a vast new territory is just a pipe dream.

But if he gets the Netherlands, not only can he get huge assets from the Dutch treasury enough to offset the cost of the two wars, but he can also take this fat cow in his pocket, although it will probably not be able to get used to the king wearing it for a while. The bridle on the head, but the blood transfusions to France have already begun in the past two years. After all, the tiered tax imposed by Louis XIV was not higher than the highest tax during the Spanish rule, and the tax on Dutch merchants and bankers, The lowest order is even lower than the original price of the Great Council.

In addition, Viscount Turenne strictly implemented the war law policy after he became the governor of the three provinces of the Netherlands - the most unbearable policy is those who are not the king but also the members of the king's parliament, but not to mention the Netherlands, even the French three-tier parliament It also existed in name only after Louis came into power, and the High Court was also dispatched by the king. These origins are traced back to pirates and merchants. In terms of blood and surname, they cannot be compared with Viscount Turenne, who is also a descendant of Orange. On a par.

When it comes to the army, how can those mercenaries who are always ready for treachery and the reckless men of the family compare with the professional soldiers under the Viscount Turenne who look forward almost day and night to a rebellion or a small People make trouble, so that they can put a star on their shoulders or add a sharp sword...

   Those who are unwilling have also tried to stir up dissatisfaction with the French. Of course, the Dutch people have no good feelings for the French. But not everyone who is born in this world will sincerely accept that freedom is higher than life.

After months of being bound by strict laws, they were surprised to find that there were fewer idiots roaming the streets doing nothing, and that the poll tax and wartime tax on them combined were no more than that of being ruled by Parliament. when it was heavy - not that Louis XIV was a saint, but the Netherlands now has no fleet, yes, no one would think that the big merchants or parliaments would take money out of their own pockets to keep the fleet running, These are still scraped from the bottom of the population, but at that time, the reason was irrefutable.

No matter where the people are, if they can live their lives peacefully and without worries, it doesn't matter whether they can go out after nine o'clock in the evening, and as Viscount Turenne said, as long as a city can guarantee five years If there are no riots, some stricter measures can be banned, and people are willing to endure when there is hope.

   To say that there is really something that cannot be saved by the king's leniency, it may be a matter of belief.

Because he has no faith, Louis XIV has always been a hard worker on religious issues, and he has a bad impression of Huguenots, so in order to maintain domestic technology, education and economic development, the only thing he can do is to put Huguenots The Huguenots gathered in one place, lest they should entangle another force where he could not see, the Huguenots were forcibly taken from Nimes, Montauban and La Rochelle, and some other places To move to Orleans without loss would be impossible—Louis XIV had no sympathy for that.

Perhaps seeing the ruthlessness and firmness of the king, the Huguenots were also divided into several forces, and the moderates decided to follow the king's order and move to the Orleans District - they believed that they could gather the Huguenots. Together, they form a relatively large force, which is also better than when they are scattered everywhere and are broken by the Catholics; there are neutrals who try their best to escape; there are radicals, but they Failed to make a little storm in front of the king's army.

There is also a force, they ask the king's physician Chamblance to plead for them - they want to go with the princess to Sweden, or to go to Brandenburg-Prussia with the princess - the former is fine, the latter Louis Fourteen is about to sigh that their sense of smell is sharp. Perhaps until now, Leopold I did not know that the eldest son of the Grand Duke of Brandenburg was in Paris.

"You can go back and tell them this," Louis said kindly to Chambord - to which he had not hesitated to contribute forceps and delivery techniques, to add an important course to the Royal Academy of Sciences in France, and perhaps to The person who saved the lives of tens of thousands of babies and mothers, even if he was also a Huguenot, the king was willing to show his kindness: "I will indeed let the eldest princess and the lord of the county bring enough servants and courtiers, He looked into the eyes of Chamblance: "But I have two demands, sir, first that they be French, and then that they must put up enough capital to convince me that he has become the dowry of my daughter and niece." the value of."

   After saying that, Louis tapped Chambrance's chest again, "For example, your son and student."

Hearing this, Champollance was startled for a moment, and then he couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was not that kind of radical Huguenots at first. He was chosen as the leader because of his great popularity. Students—Since entering medical school, they have become even more disdainful of some of the Huguenots’ past practices. They feel that when they are forced to convert and oppress, it is justifiable to resist and flee, but in the king When you are so tolerant, doing this again is equivalent to treason.

   "We are French first and foremost," said his son.

The king's meaning is clear, he can even allow a Huguenot to follow the princess or the princess, but only if it is a Frenchman, not a Dutchman or a Swedish People—he thought of the teaching books produced and published by the Duke of Orleans himself, of the ubiquitous superintendents, of the vivid descriptions of saints and heroes (all of them French)—the king was persevering to The concept of nation and country is infused into each person, no matter who he is, what he believes in, even if it is the devil, he must imprint in his soul the concept of being a Frenchman more than any other definition.

   So even without the unnatural death of Louis XIII, Louis XIV would not have tolerated the Huguenots, not because of their beliefs, but because of their beliefs that divided the country in two.

   But that is the state and the nation... What about the monarch, shouldn't Louis XIV want people to be completely loyal to himself and his descendants? Such an act is too dangerous for a king, because when people put country and nation before the king - they may abandon the king for both.

"So, what about you? Where would you be in your imagination?" Chambrance heard his question, and realized that he had unknowingly said it, and after a brief dizziness, he He suddenly calmed down—the king had met him in the morning, and now the sun was shining brightly, through the huge glass windows, leaving a scorching mark on the walnut floor, even looking at it, the eyes sting, But when you're bathing in the sun, the heat it brings to your body makes you feel more comfortable.

  Sun King, what a fitting title.

  Louis thought about it, he really never thought that from the moment he was born, he was closely related to this country, like one body.

   "If it must be said," Chambolance heard His Majesty the King say softly, "Sir, I am the country."

  ———

I am the country, if it weren't for the question of M. Chambolance, Louis XIV might not have thought of this sentence, but... I am the country, not as some people think, it means endless pleasure and extravagance - in the fate of On the scale, when a person's weight can keep pace with the entire country, it also means that he bears a weight that ordinary people can't bear at all. Of course, he can give up or refuse, but from that time on, I, the country, It was meaningless to him.

No matter what kind of shock Mr. Chambrolance received, Louis XIV quietly left the sentence behind him a few minutes later. Any rhetoric that is not supported by facts is just an air of impoliteness.

  Because it has been decided to rescue Vienna, some important policies implemented by Louis XIV before have to be revised accordingly.

  If he is still in Paris or Versailles, the person who executes it can ask for an audience anywhere and ask the king's opinion - but if the king is far away in Hungary, going back and forth, even using the wizard's raven, will delay a lot of time.

Therefore, the king wants to delegate power to the Duke of Orleans, the eldest princess, the lord of the county, and even the little Eugen who is studying in the military academy. Except for being old, he only likes to chat among the female officials. Even the queen mother who plays cards has always been cautious. The silent queen was also pulled out, not to mention the Duchess of Orleans, who was originally in charge of women's education in Paris and Versailles.

Louis XIV said that in the year, two, or three years after he left Paris, his series of policies should be carried out without interruption, no matter what setbacks or gratifying results he sees. , he also specially mentioned that although the eldest princess, the grand princess and the little Eugen have work to do, they still have to study every day - even the little Duke of Angie, his courses and teachers, the king also arranged for him now...

For this, Ludwig I, the eldest son of the Grand Condé, is naturally very grateful. After all, the meaning of the little Duke of Enghien in Versailles is a hostage. Without the support of France, it is difficult for their father and son to establish a foothold in Poland, let alone establish authority. His arrival was the return of Ludwig I - but Louis XIV had no intention from the beginning to make the young Duke of Enghien a **** - maybe some people would, but Louis XIV knew that an incompetent **** could provoke out of more trouble than a wise careerist.

Moreover, the age of the young Duke of Angie can also allow the king's primary education to develop to a younger age group. At this time, people's education for young children still mostly relies on women in the family, the child's mother, aunt or sister, but such a long Older children often have great flaws in character - after all, those who love him must indulge him in every possible way, and the result is their brutish and tyrannical character, which must be corrected by the teacher's whip and stick, which forms a public school. The inevitable corporal punishment system in China, of course, is also related to the qualifications of teachers.

With the addition of Huguenots in terms of teacher resources, Louis XIV could start courses and schools for children between the ages of six and ten as soon as possible, although at this time people felt that children were not when they were ten years old. Half an animal, but it turns out that children's characters and minds mature much earlier than they thought.

The little Duke of Angie did not know what kind of terrible world he was about to face. He still lived a leisurely life. The only thing he was not satisfied with was that the time of the big princess to accompany him was shortened, and he could only stay with her in the morning. for a while.

  His father had visited him, but he left as fast as he came, and the little Duke of Enghien could not even remember his face.

The people around him started to get busy too - at least until the king left, the little Duke of Enghien was going to move out of his previous room and into a suite near the queen, so that the queen could be sure to take better care of him and also Some courses must also be started in the suite first.

   (end of this chapter)