I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 500 French and Spanish (2)

   The first thing these Catalans see is the unforgettable royal blue.

  This elegant and pure blue was appointed by the Bourbon royal family as the exclusive color of the royal family, not without reason. In the bright sunlight, it is like a quiet and deep lake; in the moist moonlight, it is like a vast sky; It's more like a shining gem.

These musketeers, who served as protectors and as a manifestation of the king's authority, wore royal blue uniforms, riding tall horses, with flintlocks and long and short swords hanging from their belts, and wearing rolled-up hats decorated with ostrich feathers. Hat, raised his head proudly, and sent the king's officials - French and Catalans to the high platform built in the center of the square. Sitting in high and low positions, two familiar heralds stood on both sides of the high platform, carefully looking at the increasingly dense crowd.

   Seeing that the people are almost here, one of the messengers raised the horn and blew, pulling the attraction of the people to them, and then opened the scroll in his hand, cleared his throat, and read aloud. At first, people were still in a panic, but within a few minutes, someone who couldn't help shouting loudly, what was he shouting? Like Ruhr's father, he wondered if what he heard was true? Did the king of France really exempt them from the poll tax? They don't have to pay war taxes either? window tax? Livestock tax? Or some other tax?

  The Catalans are accustomed to being exploited. It is no exaggeration to say that as long as Louis XIV does not add stacks of war taxes, they can be grateful to Dade, but also no poll tax? They must have heard it wrong. As those people started to shout, some people who were far away and could not hear clearly also knew the content of the announcement. They were equally unbelievable, and the voices of constant questioning and questioning came one after another like a tide. Even if the herald has a throat like a famous opera singer and blows his trumpet, he cannot continue to convey the content of the document.

   It wasn't until a French official stood up from behind a linen-covered table, drew a short gun, and fired a shot in the sky, that the chaos was finally forcibly suppressed.

   "That's a captain," said Ruhl in awe.

"How do you know?" Ruhr's father saw that the adult had already sat down. Although the sound of gunfire was loud, it was because it was the "gunshot" that made people quiet. Since the advantage of hot weapons on the battlefield Better than cold weapons, this special voice often sounds in many people's nightmares, making it impossible to ignore.

   "Look at the shoulders, and the wrists," Ruhl said, his words inevitably mixed with eagerness and admiration.

   "That's a Frenchman," said Ruhr's father.

"We can also..." Ruhl said, and was sternly glanced at by his father - yes, the French reserve army can also be converted into a formal army, and the soldiers in it can also be promoted continuously because of their military exploits, but this way How many people are there, one tenth, one percent or one thousandth, one ten thousandth? In particular, it is the French army instead of the Catalan army, mortals have selfishness, do the ancestors of Ruhr have only one chance to be promoted to knights? Of course not, but there is always someone who finds a shortcut faster than him.

The herald can finally continue to read the king's decision aloud, to say that without young people like Ruhr, the Catalans here may have hesitated for a while, and they have suffered so much that I don't think such good things will fall on them, they are like beasts wandering around a trap, always thinking that the sweet bait is mixed with poison, but with their own sons, brothers and even nephews and nephews bring that first The news of , now the announcement seems to be confirmed again, and their suspicions are not so great.

In addition to these, there are also people who will be the administrators of this city. They all stood up from behind the long table and walked to the center of the high platform to let everyone see themselves and introduce themselves. The first one was the resolute and arrogant captain. , he will be in charge of the security force of the small town - he declares that no more evil will be allowed to breed in the city, and then the mayor and his officials, to the consolation of the Catalans, they It was some people who were familiar with the former, namely the members of the Catalan parliament and nobles, who gently and politely told everyone here that the greedy and cruel Spaniards had been driven away by them, and they would be gracious and merciful in the Sun King. Reborn under rule, thank God the people don't have to pay any taxes for the next four months - they repeat it, hoping that people will spread the word and make sure that the most remote villages will know the news.

   "But so," asked a butcher suspiciously, "where does His Majesty get the money to fight the war?"

   "The Sun King has as much gold as the sun today," said the French captain. Then he moved his hand to his belt - where the pistols and swords hung, and continued, half-smiling, that if anyone asked the Catalans for taxes for the next four months, he was not a spy, He was a liar, and he encouraged the public to arrest the man, or tip off the French, "There will be a bounty!"

After saying this, the captain beckoned to the side, his attendant brought his horse to him, and he returned to his mansion right next to the square in front of everyone's eyes. This mansion was certainly gorgeous and spacious enough to suit him. identity, but most importantly, anyone who knew he lived here.

There is no way of knowing what people think of Ruhr. They did not leave, but boldly surrounded the officials on the high platform, asking questions without end. At first, the officials could answer patiently, but the people's questions were only a few. One, it's just asking over and over - really, really no tax, any tax?

  Do farmers want to pay, do they want food if they don’t pay? Do businessmen want to pay? Is it not necessary for all commodities to be bought and sold? What about craftsmen and workshops?

  No, no, no, no, no artisan, no merchant, no farmer, no matter what you do, all you have to do during these four months is to work and feed yourself and your family! The officials said this over and over again, with dry mouth and at the same time lamentation and pain in their hearts - Louis XIV could have asked the Catalans to pay the poll tax, or only the merchants, However, Louis XIV personally participated in and formulated the French tax reform system, knowing that the officials' ability to insert needles is more powerful than pangolins or ants. In order to prevent him from erecting too many gallows in Catalonia, He simply waived all taxes and publicized it, lest a good thing turn out to be a joke.

  The atmosphere in the square was quite lively at one time, if no idiot asked such a question.

   "What about the 11th tax?"

  ———

   "This is the dwelling place of God! It is the kingdom of heaven on earth! You... how dare you! Come! Come! Come and drive these devils away!"

"I don't know if it's heaven on earth," the visitor said rudely, and even said lightly, "I only know that this is a city in the province of Catalonia in France. Of course, so are churches and monasteries," he said proudly. "Any clergy without the king's approval is illegal, sir," said Yang Yang, "please leave the king's church and convent at once, or we shall force you to do so."

   "This is my monastery, this is the church of the Alva family, you can't do this!"

In the face of the priest's loud and angry scolding, the visitor just shrugged helplessly, "Okay, it seems that you have made a choice." He waved his hand, and the attendants behind him stepped forward, although the priests here also raised their hands. With candlesticks and paper knives, the head priest also held a spear—probably drawn from the suffering statue of saints who often held the instruments of the torture they suffered when they died. , The spear tip is cold and shining, and it is still very sharp.

But no kind of spear can compare to a musket. When they saw the dark muzzle, the priests felt their legs go weak. Even the priest was no exception. "Don't be too ugly, Father."

   "You will have retribution! You will go to hell! You will be burned for a thousand years!" the priest murmured as the servants pushed and shoved.

One of the attendants tried to punch him, but his master stopped him. "I don't think so," said the visitor with a smile, and then, while the priest and priest were stunned, he took off his laity's coat and put on the attendant's hand. The black vest that came: "I have a letter of appointment and removal from the priesthood issued by the king."

The new priest stretched his body to the hoarse sound of the curse of the old master, and looked like a master at the lead windows painted in stained glass, the niches with statues of saints, the hanging silk flags, the white marble altar, the silver Candelabra, golden censer, bronze cross of Christ Jesus... Jesus, the Virgin and saints are all clothed in holy garments, of course, all dedicated by devout believers.

The new priest came from Germanic-en-Laye, and his elder brother was fortunate to have left a name in the heart of the king. After he graduated from the Roman seminary, his elder brother recommended him to the king, although their parents preferred him to be in the French church. He found a position in the monastery, but as an ambitious young man, he preferred the feeling of reaching the sky in one step - rather than in a certain church in Germany-en-Laye, the monastery started as an ordinary priest, and now he has become a master in one fell swoop. Wouldn't a priest be more agreeable?

   Danger is certainly there, but what is there that does not need to be paid for? The new priest was already prepared, and his elder brother also gave him a lot of help—after all, his elder brother was the police chief who was going to ensure the safety of the city... His elder brother would not have time to come to him until the next night. As soon as he entered his brother's room, he saw the new priest biting the king's bread while looking at the ledger left by the previous priest.

   "Don't forget His Majesty's will," the captain reminded.

"No." The new priest said that Louis XIV meant that if someone was willing to give, the priest didn't have to stop it, after all, it was a matter of faith, but if no one gave, the priests and priests appointed and dismissed by the French king did not have to be forced to recruit , at least for these four months. But one thing to remember, people's devotion must be returned to France, not Rome... let alone fall into one's pocket, unless he wants to try what it's like to dance on the street light poles in Paris . ,

   "I am a wise man." There are many good days in the future. The new priest pointed to the boxes in the room: "These are for you first, and some of them were hidden in the vineyard of the monastery by that guy, and there may be other places."

   "Do you need to torture people?"

   "No, that's a coward and an idiot." The new priest said contemptuously, "No, wait, I may be wrong, he's still very bold in some ways."

"How to say?"

  The new priest showed the ledger to his brother, "Look, how does this guy collect taxes—not 11, not 91, 81, or 71—Sir, he collects May 1."

   Even the well-informed captain was surprised.

   "How did these Catalans live before!"

May 1 here does not refer to Labor Day, everyone, it means that the people who work hard in this land are paying the king's poll tax, the lord's rent tax and labor tax, and there is no fixed number and frequency of war tax or other taxes. In addition to the harsh and miscellaneous taxes, the "May 1st Tax" paid to the church's remaining income, as the name suggests, has changed from one-tenth to one-fifth.

No wonder they couldn't believe that the French king would cancel all their taxes for four months in one fell swoop, and even the captain felt pity now, "If there are still guys trying to rebel, I will never show mercy. "He said that if he was Catalan, he would be willing to put Louis XIV in the niche of the saint's statue.

"But it also has something to do with the Spaniards." The Spaniards will not leave the Catalans for such a fat position, like the "Alba" that the original priest shouted, that is Castile All the surnames of the nobles in the court, this greedy clergyman, who must have been an Alva before becoming a priest, certainly did not show any mercy to the Catalans.

The captain walked over to open the box, and the box was full of golden light... At least tens of thousands of livres - it's hard to imagine that this is just the wealth accumulated by the original priest in this small town for a year... not counting the ones he handed over to the Church of Rome .

   "Your Majesty's decision is really wise." He said sincerely.

   (end of this chapter)