I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 399 The King's Power

The people in the town of Karnak had to set out in a star-studded manner. They put all the valuable and life-sustaining things on the carriage, on the back of horses, donkeys and mules, on their shoulders - there were only four carriages, Among them, only the mayor's carriage was the one with carriages and luggage racks in people's impressions. Perhaps out of a sense of responsibility, perhaps out of the guilt of not being able to resist the French, the mayor gave the carriage to two pregnant women who were about to give birth. , and the old priest in the town, because not only was the old priest nearly seventy years old, but he also gave up two open-top carriages that belonged to the church property—that is, the kind more similar to horse-drawn flatbeds.

The last carriage belongs to the merchant in the town. His carriage is the largest of all carriages, because he often needs to pull in the goods from outside, and then sell the catches or handicrafts in the town - Karnak because It is also a holy place, where people often pick up fallen stones and carve them into crosses or icons for sale.

At this time, the sky was still dark indigo, and under the moonlight, the scenery was black and white, and only the places with torches had a little color. The mayor looked over, and everyone's faces were full of sadness and anger. He turned his head, and beside him was Merchant Fernand, a small man with dark and rough skin like any other seaside man, and only a belly about the size of a pregnant woman in labor can tell that he ingested more of Brittany's salt than anyone else. Cream, shortbread, blue lobster, and cider, he stood beside the mayor, scowling, rubbing his monstrous Breton hat in his hand.

His two sons and three daughters were hurriedly running around in the crowd, counting the numbers. Of course a wise man would not dare to bargain with a king, but there are always some fools who think they are different, Fernand's The children had learned to count and write in Huguenot Protestant schools, and it would be best for them to count and tell if all of them had left their houses.

Soon, Fernand's son and daughter came back. Not so unexpectedly, there were only 1,530 people present, and there were hundreds of people who obviously wanted to measure the patience of the French king. The mayor took a sip. Mouth, he was too exhausted, as he and his son had shouted, if the king of France meant to make Carnac a **** warning, they might not even see the king's shadow have to die.

   Painful death, as a traitor, it is impossible to be hanged or beheaded simply and quickly.

The mayor can be said to be the lowest-ranking administrator in this ruling system, but as long as he is in a high position, he knows all about the tricks of power, and he doesn't care what method his townspeople use to expel the refugees. , would Louis XIV care about one or two...even a few hundred Bretons?

Speaking of which, this His Majesty is willing to give them a whole night, which is tolerant enough. The mayor thought of this and immediately took action. He took the guards in the town - they are only when they need it, and they are at other times. Ordinary farmers and fishermen are young and strong young men. The leader is his son who likes to cause trouble. His eyes are red and his face is reluctant, but under the guidance of his father, he also knows the priorities of things.

   Unless they are willing to watch those people die, they have to pull them out.

In fact, not everyone is a stubborn fool, some people are just lucky, such as having several children, the children will be very small, people who need to hold and carry them to move around, and people who are too old to stand up , poor couples without relatives, blind, crippled, and feverish unlucky people, and some with some assets that cannot be taken away - like the owner of the only tavern in the town, whose property is wine, These things cannot be carried without ten carriages.

   "Besides," he said, "even the French have to drink." He thought the worst would be the French robbing the wine, but at least he could see his house and workshop.

   "If so," said the mayor mercilessly, "that musketeer will tell me that all Bretons are going to get out, except for a tavern-keeper and his buddies."

The tavern owner smiled embarrassingly, and he picked up the package - it seems that he was not unprepared. Before leaving, he touched each wine barrel with love, as if it contained his children, "I hope they Just drinking," he said.

  Besides these people, the most troublesome are some old people. They think that they can go to God at any time, so let them die in their own rooms, and no one can drive them away, not even the king of France.

"But the priest is going with us." The mayor didn't want to talk too much. These people are just idiots who want to gamble with the French king: "No one will do the sacrament of death for you. Do you want to suffer in purgatory?" The words immediately overwhelmed the vast majority of people, even a few old guys who stole the holy oil were carried out of the house by the young men.

These people, as well as the immobile, the disabled and the very young children who can be tucked into the gaps in the carriage, the others are allowed to lean against the carriage, and two that are really immobile and unpleasant The old man, the mayor pulled a tattered sampan behind his carriage and let them sit in it and be dragged away.

In the dark, whispers and curses—even those directed at the mayor, never stopped, perhaps because of distrust, or rebelliousness, the procession was moving very slowly, and if anyone urged them, they would say loudly, It's not time yet. But this situation soon disappeared. When the mayor's pocket watch, which Fernand had brought back from Paris, pointed to a quarter to two, everyone heard the sound of horses' hooves rumbling like summer thunder. They saw that under the moonlight, the silhouette-like cavalry line after line swept across the sky and the earth, and they were heading in the direction of Karnak, the town and the stone circle.

After the surroundings became silent again, the mayor squirmed his dry lips, trying to say something, but couldn't say anything... Next, their speed became a little faster, and at the end of the four o'clock At that time, they may have only walked a little more than half of the distance, and the mayor's heart could not help burning, but there was another painful groan from his carriage - one woman was about to give birth, and the other woman was not. Knowing whether it was because he was frightened or driven, he also shouted.

Fortunately women in town never need doctors and midwives to give birth, older women can act as both, but then they have to stop, some are sent to fetch water, some need to pick up firewood, mayor Clenching his fists, Fornan was asking his daughter to bring some clean cotton cloths over. Seeing him like this, his heart sank.

   Before he could say anything, a haughty figure stepped through the morning mist into the makeshift camp: "Why stop?" the young French officer asked.

   "Two women are about to give birth." The mayor said: "Please, and your loyal Majesty, please be tolerant. This is not something we can control."

"You're right," the officer actually agreed, but before the mayor had time to be happy, he showed a contemptuous and indifferent smile: "It seems that this is God's will, these two Bretas The children of the Nepalese are destined not to witness the possibility of the supreme glory, take them to continue walking, mayor, if you cannot arrive at the place we designated on time, then you will lose more than this."

The mayor grabbed his son's arm violently. The young man, who was similar to the king's musketeer, held down his dagger and almost rushed out, but his anger was immediately caught by the cavalry that slowly emerged from the mist. Extinguished, he retreated in disgrace, cries came from the carriage, the stopped procession set off again, the French cavalry had been trailing them like an invisible whip that everyone could only close Mouth, running desperately forward, their throats were full of sweet and fishy taste, but perhaps by God's blessing, they were tenaciously supported to the wasteland at the end of the peninsula.

The musketeer snorted softly—His Majesty the King had given an order long ago, no matter if it was a minister, a soldier, or even a servant, as long as he was French, he was not allowed to walk outside alone. The cavalry squads act together.

   "Mr. Bourbon." A cavalryman stepped forward, "We have already counted, one is not much, and one is more."

   "The maternity in the carriage?"

   "Two mothers, but only one child survived."

"Maybe it's because God also thinks that there are enough Bretons," said Joseph Bourbon. As the grandson and designated heir of the Duke of Vendôme, his mother is also Marie Mancini's sister. He knows that There are many more things than others - this assassination of the king involved many people, many levels, and many of them had directly or indirectly received the favor of Louis XIV. Joseph did not know what kind of mood they were in to take advantage of it. An innocent lady - to assassinate such a good king, but that didn't stop him from venting his anger.

  ———

   "I used to want to be a good king," said Louis.

If possible, no king would want to be a tyrant like Nero, who was ridiculed and hated by people, but only wanted to be an emperor with a noble and holy reputation like Trajan and Hadrian, although Louis said , the curse of the enemy is the best compliment to the king, but when he put it into action, he still took into account the feelings of every class as much as possible - although he deprived the nobles of their territories and armies, he also gave back They have office and money; he asks merchants to do things for him, but never delays or denies debts like other kings; Showing enough tolerance; even like the Grand Condé, Prince Conti, who almost became an acting king, he didn't have the slightest ill will when he lifted and used them.

   Such thoughts and practices have won him the loyalty of countless people, but it has also made some people mistakenly believe that they can try again and again to test the bottom line of the king in three places without paying a heavy price anyway.

When he realized this, the first thing that came to Louie's heart was not anger, but exhaustion. He felt a deep tiredness. Mary left him forever, and it seemed that he took the most important thing in his body. Part of the things he once couldn't have but expected...the pure, warm, lovely things...all gone.

   He had thought about what to do with these stubborn Bretons, gentle, step by step, put himself in his shoes, and so on.

   But he can also…

   Do whatever you want.

   Thinking of this, Louis couldn't help laughing. "Okay," he turned to the Duke of Orleans beside him, "let's disembark."

The people of Karnak Town were driven to the wasteland overnight, but the king's team set off at noon on the third day. Even if they changed to a Tier 3 battleship, the height of the ship would not allow them to leave directly. In the past, if passengers wanted to leave such a huge ship, they had to rely on small boats. The ladder was lowered from the side of the boat, and they climbed into the boat one by one, and then the boat went to the pier, and the whole process of disembarking was over. But this will undoubtedly damage the prestige of the Sun King, so the officials of the port of Navarro can only build a wooden pavilion at the dock according to the requirements of the French. Linked with wooden planks, it becomes a wide floating bridge in the air. The floating bridge and the pavilion are wrapped in shiny silk and colorful ribbons are used. The flag of the Sun King hangs from a high place. Golden spikes, stinging the eyes of every Brittany in the sun.

Louis XIV must have walked in front of everyone. Behind him was the Duke of Orleans, followed by a large group of hot dignitaries. As the king walked down the stairs with a cane, he watched the tip of the cane stay on the crimson silk carpet. The deep dent in the bottom, Viscount Arthur and others who came to greet him couldn't help but wonder if the rumor was true. They didn't dare to look up at the king at will. The Viscount dared to swing between the British and the French before. Because Louis XIV has always been very mild to his opponents, as long as he is not morally corrupt and stupid, he seems to be willing to give the opponent a chance.

In comparison, it was obviously more dangerous to insert the heads of more than 100 MPs in Westminster Abbey, and Charles II, who was swaying in the wind with Oliver Cromwell, who was betrayed by them, was obviously more dangerous. It is more inclined to the secret mission of Charles II. Maybe it is handled properly, and the Bretons can not only regain their autonomy, but also regain their independence.

But this ludicrous idea was soon shattered by the king's army, and when Louis XIV no longer wanted to regard the people of Brittany as his subjects, they had to face the same things that Louis' former enemies felt. Terrible, or even more terrifying, because they don't have a real military - Brittany's real army has long been exhausted by Charles VIII and Louis XII, and the riots before Louis' pro-government count as Mazarin The bishop didn't take it seriously, let alone the current Sun King.

   "What is this?" Louis asked with interest. In addition to Viscount Arthur and other nobles from Brittany, there were actually a group of prisoners in prison cars who came to greet him.

   "A group of fraudsters," said Viscount Arthur: "They claim to be the envoys of Charles II, but they can't produce a letter of appointment or any other legal document."

These are the members of the secret mission of Charles II. In addition to the devil servants who entered the lost forest without any news, there are also a few ordinary people in the mission. After the army of Louis XIV surrounded Rennes, Ya Viscount Ser immediately made a choice.

   "Do you want me to judge them?" This is not unheard of, because according to tradition, the person with the highest status will automatically become the highest judge of the circuit court, usually Viscount Arthur, and now of course the king.

   "Let us follow the law," said the king kindly: "the fraudster should first have the hand that forged the paper cut off, and then be hanged."

   (end of this chapter)