I Am Louis XIV

The name Dunkirk comes from West Flanders. In Dutch, it means "church on the dunes".

With such a name, the terrain of the city can also be imagined. When the Viscount Turenne took the king and the bishop to inspect the army, what they saw was not spectacular. Looking at Dunkirk from outside the town , it was an ancient and old city, although the Spanish privateers used it as a fortress and made a fortune through its protection, they did not value it itself, even the troops stationed here In this way, it stands to reason that the blockade of routes and ports by British warships a month ago should have aroused their vigilance, but apart from opening the sluices and flooding the nearby lowlands, they neither built new fortifications nor strengthened the city walls.

The water deposited in the low-lying places once caused some troubles to the French here, but many of them were farmers from the south and were no strangers to swamps and ponds, so they quickly tried to divert the accumulated water Now that we are gone, there are no major problems in those places except that they are wet and muddy.

Under the guidance of the Viscount Turenne, the king visited their camp - there are about 15,000 people here, and four to five villages can hold such a large number of soldiers. A catastrophe in the villages and towns near Erke——As described before, the army at this time was no different from robbers. They were fierce, brutal and shameless, without morals or shame. According to the custom, the men of the village, Old men and children would be killed, women would be the amusement of soldiers and officers, they would consume the last of the population's food, and burn their houses as they left, as in France as in England, Or it's also quite common in two different denominations-the Lord says love your neighbor, the bishop doesn't care if you kill them, as long as they are heretics, although Louis never thinks that lifting three fingers and lifting two fingers, What is the difference between a long cross and a short cross, wine and grape juice (all of which are reasons for religious wars).

The people here should feel lucky, because the Viscount Turenne knew that their king was benevolent, so when he accepted the surrender of the mayor of this town, he asked him to provide enough shelter and food for the army. The people in those villages Although they still have to suffer from exploitation and deportation, they can still save their lives. When the army leaves, they will certainly have to spend a period of extremely difficult days, but as the mayor said, they must thank God and the king.

It's just that Louis or the Bishop dare not take such flattery seriously. When the king travels, besides the musketeers, there are still two priests from the Inquisition to protect him. If you remember, there have been rumors in the court that The Duke of Gaston made a deal with the demons in order to seek the throne of his brother, and these demons were brought back by him hidden in some absurd paintings. This is where the accident of Louis XIII originated-and here is the Buddha. At the border between Randall and France, no one knows what will happen.

Viscount Turenne had heard that ghouls had appeared here.

The king has no time to take care of these things for the time being. What he focuses on is the difference between the British New Model Army and the French soldiers. In addition to uniform uniforms, the New Model Army also has a more ruddy complexion and a more calm demeanor than ordinary French soldiers. There is full confidence and pride in their demeanor, and what's more, they are full of vitality, like a tall and straight new tree, just like the Mr. Monk at the dinner party. Obviously, no matter from Psychologically or physically, they are far superior to the king's soldiers.

Louis did not like Cromwell, but he must also admit that he was an outstanding leader.

When he saw a house smoking, he rode over to it, where three officers were gathering, although on the ground (the family should have taken all the furniture as much as possible when they left, the king even had on the walls. I saw a blank outline of a spinning wheel) what was spread out was a map, but they should have dice or cards in their pockets, which made the king sigh again. Gambling is almost the only thing that the French people do now except dancing and hunting. It’s my favorite hobby, and the new model gentleman is slightly better at this point, because Cromwell himself is a rigid Protestant. All kinds of entertainment have been completely banned in the UK, and gambling is of course included, so their soldiers are at least in the open. He never gambled, and it seemed to the king that all the soldiers in red coats were taking care of their weapons and horses to while away the spare time after training.

The house occupied by the officers apparently belonged to a wealthy yeoman in the village. The house has two floors, the upper floor is a bedroom, the lower is a living room and kitchen, brick walls instead of wood or mud bricks, and a fireplace and chimney. The officers There is a hearth on the place where a funnel-shaped fume hood is hung above the hearth, from which the smoke from charcoal burning can rise to the sky. An iron pot is hung on the hearth, and the steam and smoke seen by the king are all From here.

"Is this your breakfast or your lunch, gentlemen?" asked the King.

"Lunch," one of the officers said nervously, "is lunch for the three of us, Your Majesty."

The king could almost guess why he was so nervous, because in addition to the fresh fish soup in the iron pot, there are also dried meat, black bread, cheese and eggs, and a barrel of ale, which can be said to be quite rich—"Soldiers What?" Louis asked.

"Fresh fish soup and bread too!" said the officer.

The king believed he would not be deceived, but the supply of the French army was less comforting than the new model army with its constant supply of meat and dairy, and the king took this to heart, compared to the uniform Coat or hat, soldiers will of course care more about their bellies.

But after the inspection along the way, the mixed clothes of the French soldiers still gave the king a headache. At this time, people did not have the concept of military uniforms, so everyone wore their own clothes, and the regulations on weapons were not uniform. At least there were several types of muskets. , most of them are matchlock guns, and the people who use this weapon can be seen at a glance, because they carry a wide shoulder strap on their backs, and there are gunpowder bags on the shoulder straps-pious soldiers generally use this kind of firearms. The powder packs are configured into twelve packs, called the Twelve Apostles, and one pack of gunpowder can be fired once; the projectile bag-contains round lead bullets; medicine.

Those who use the wheel gun will have a lot less burden, because this kind of gun uses the friction of sulfur ore and the steel wheel to generate sparks to ignite the gunpowder, or the newer flintlock, the flint on it can guarantee more than 30 times However, almost all of these guns belong to the officers. In addition to being more lethal, they also have a more gorgeous appearance-like the basic operation of gold-covered black-bottomed gun stocks, and some people embed gems and pearls on them. ,ivory……

In addition to the appearance, there are also some people who try their best in terms of function, like a large-caliber musket whose muzzle is like a trumpet. In addition to being loaded with lead bullets, it can also be stuffed with stones of similar size...Multi-barreled guns , from four barrels to twelve barrels... Hybrid guns - no, not muskets, because they look like knives, axes, or shields with a musket barrel in them...

King can only say he was eye-opening.

The Viscount Turenne was not surprised, and was even very interested in some of them. By the way, I forgot to mention that the current hot weapons, except for artillery, can only play a role in consuming the enemy's combat power when starting a war. The battle was still fought with swords and spears, so soldiers and officers had swords whether they used muskets or not.

Louis made another note in his pamphlet.

Finally, they stood on the edge of the barracks and looked at Dunkirk. On the gray walls, they could vaguely see soldiers walking around. Viscount Turenne dispatched a part of the army to besiege the city, while the main force stayed here until the reinforcements from the Spaniards , before the end of the day, he looked at the king several times, Louis knew what he was worried about, just like any general in battle, he was most worried about someone deliberately taking his command - but if that Is man the king to whom he swore allegiance?

In particular, Louis is twenty years old this year, which is the age at which a young man is most successful and proud, and he is not a fool, so it is hard to say whether the king will have his own views on the upcoming war, Or opinions, Viscount Turenne doesn't care whether the king wants to give him advice, what he is afraid of is that the king is too stubborn-he means that even if he has never commanded even a battle, the king will be eager to try and want to Before people show off their excellent military talents (the devil knows if there is any).

Because in front of them, Prince Condé, who had become an enemy, won a huge victory as a commander for the first time in battle.

Louis saw his concern, and the young king couldn't help laughing: "No," he said, "No, Monsieur Viscount, I won't meddle in things I'm not familiar with, Monsieur Bishop, and you too , you are my arms, I will not restrain you as I wish like a child - I only hope that you can give me a victory, you can, right?"

"Your Majesty." Louis' words made Viscount Turenne feel ashamed. The man who was old enough to be the king's grandfather blushed and even spread to innocent ears. He did have this concern, but the king pointed out that he felt that he was really He despises his sovereign too much.

Louis has decided to be a bystander. He is a king, not a general. Even in the current war, the kings often drive their own soldiers, but they can only be said to be a symbol or encouragement to the soldiers. It will depend on Louis's personal valor to turn the situation around—by then, he will not be far from the king of subjugation, just like poor Charles II.

"Then," said Viscount Turenne eagerly, "if possible, can you stay here until the war begins?"

Louie looked at him.

The general looked at him with bubbly eyes, and his fingers twirled around flexibly. It was obvious that the king should not go to the dangerous battlefield... "There is a bell tower here, your majesty, from where you can see The entire battlefield."

"Have you decided on the battlefield?" Louis asked.

————

"There are not many places that can become battlefields outside Dunkirk." The bishop said, opening a secret letter and handing it to the king: "Prince Condé and the Spaniards are rushing here in a hurry, Your Majesty, they He even dropped his own artillery."

"Thanks to your spies," said Louis, "whether it was misleading the Spaniards to Cambrai, or having all the secrets about them."

"It's hard to say." The bishop said reservedly, "I'm still confirming some news, Your Majesty, but what is certain is that our Prince Condé is not having a good time—the Spaniards say it nicely, but they don't do it so well." It’s a matter, the main power of this army is still in the hands of Don Juan, of course, he is the illegitimate son of Philip IV after all, and Condé is a Frenchman.”

"How many are there?"

"It's similar to ours, but the ingredients are more complicated." The bishop stopped suddenly because his head throbbed suddenly. He pressed his forehead and closed his eyes. "There are Spaniards and Prince Condé's Soldiers, as well as mercenaries from the Holy Roman Empire, and the Royal Army of the Duke of York."

"Wait, is the Duke of York the one I know?" Louis asked. He had been reading the secret letter just now, so he didn't notice the strangeness of Mr. Bishop.

"That's the one, the younger brother of Charles II," said the bishop with the same tone. "Compared with his elder brother, he has more people who support him. The people who gathered under his command supported him with two thousand soldiers, but it is still true." Under the unified command of Don Juan."

As he spoke, the Bishop deliberately glanced at the king, "That's the disadvantage of having brothers," he said.

Louis just looked up and smiled.

"By the way." The Bishop said suddenly, "I may introduce someone to you in a few days."

"who?"

"The man who wrote this secret letter," said the Bishop.

This sentence really surprised the king. Everyone knows that Bishop Mazarin inherited a spy organization from Bishop Richelieu, and the two bishops in a row fed them like a pack of hounds. Yes, it allowed them to grow and multiply to a terrifying level in a short period of time. Their tentacles were not limited to France, even Ottoman Turkey, but Louis never thought of touching this fine net. This is the bottom line of Mr. Bishop, just like the throne under Louis.

But Mr. Bishop said that this spy, who is likely to be the leader or an important nail, should be introduced to the king.

"Why?" Louis asked.

At this time, the pain that made Mr. Bishop's eyes black has passed. He raised his eyes and looked at the king. The twenty-year-old king was already 5.5 feet long. Since the length unit of France is longer than that of other countries (5.5 feet is basically equal to 5.9 feet), so now the king is already a tall and healthy young man, but he has begun to age. Every day when he opens his eyes, Mr. Bishop feels that the sound of the angel's trumpet has become louder.

If he was worried about putting power (whether overtly or secretly) in the hands of the king prematurely, it would make him do something out of his mind, but... the matter of the Duke of Anjou can finally make the bishop Mr. has made the final decision.

There is something about the update - because I also suddenly found out that the book was on the shelves (originally thought to be on the 1st of next month), so I didn't save the manuscript - until the 1st of next month, there will be a week of daily updates.

It's late today, and the daily update is usually at 8 pm, thank you.