I Am Louis XIV

Philip, Duke of Orleans, the king's most trusted and dear brother, stood at the window of the castle and sighed deeply.

This Fowlerville Castle, which is equivalent to being rebuilt, was originally intended to ensure the safety of him and his soldiers, and to resist the open and dark arrows of traitors and thugs. Who knows, the first thing it resisted was the plague.

It was not the plague, but the witches, who were the first to cry out, for a child had died and his distraught mother insisted that an old witch had killed him and offered him up to the devil, and this so-called witch It’s just a lonely old woman. As people in later generations imagined, the number of witch burnings in villages is higher than in cities. Maybe it’s because farmers and serfs hardly know how to think for themselves. In their lives, they need entertainment and anger, and in order to appease a crazy and violent mother, a lonely old woman who no one will even say a word for her is of course the culprit.

The Duke of Orleans felt compassion for a moment. Most of the witch trials at this time were actually tried by the secular courts. Only those who were really dangerous would trigger the tribunal, so the Duke asked those people to take the child's body He brought it in front of him. His elder brother once recommended him a book, a so-called forbidden book, written by Andre Vesalius. Philip knew that the king decided to keep Valo Vesalius because of him. There was such an ancestor, so he read the entire masterpiece with curiosity and horror. After reading it, the Duke of Orleans must say that Mr. Vesalius was convicted by the church. Had he been born fifty years too late, Philip would have advised the king to hang him as well.

However, there are far more things that can be learned from this book than the books in the church or the palace. The Duke of Orleans felt that if it can be confirmed that the child died of an accident or disease, in addition to avoiding the execution of an innocent person, here The restless breath can also be calmed. But what he didn't expect was that when the little boy was carried in front of the crowd and his clothes were untied to look for the wound, they saw bulging swellings of all sizes, some of which were festering, especially in the groin .

The last time the Black Death broke out, the casualties in Lorraine were not serious, perhaps because of the mountainous terrain and sparse population, but anyone who has read "Seven Days Talk" knows what the Black Death is like, they exclaimed Got up, backed up frantically, the mother seemed to want to say something, but as soon as she stood up, she suddenly fell, she lay on the ground, and began to vomit, and the noise of the people became louder—the Duke of Orleans pulled out immediately Handkerchief, press it on the face, "Cover your mouth and nose, let's go immediately!"

Fortunately, the Duke's soldiers and entourage didn't bother to do those low-level things-whether it was blackmailing or beating the low-level people present, let alone touching the dead body, so no one approached the woman and her child. He was the one who fought with the Duke of Orleans in several battles. He didn't hesitate to order the Duke. He immediately tore off the silk shirt in his coat and covered his face. His master left that dangerous place together. At the intersection, the Duke reined in and ordered the village to be sealed off. If necessary, everything here could be burned.

But it was too late, even before the Duke left, the epidemic blocked the whole of Nancy before the Duke's order - the child was just discovered by the Duke, and the real source of the disaster left the village long ago and went to other places went.

In an unknown place, there lay a merchant from England, who at first did not expect to be infected with the plague. He disembarked at Calais and began to have a headache and fever, but he was not a big merchant. He was able to lie down and rest just because of a little discomfort. He persisted in walking for two or three days, and finally died not far from a village because he could not resist the pain caused by the high fever. The rats in the field ate his body , died one after another, but before they died, they had brought the plague to the people in that village, and unfortunately, the messenger in that village was preparing to go to Lorraine, and he carried the letter day and night He died suddenly in an inn in Lorraine, but the innkeeper was worried about causing trouble, so he only secretly buried the guest who he thought had died from the cold.

Therefore, before the child died, the tentacles of the plague had already extended directly from Calais to France. Fortunately, His Majesty the King, who would often meet the Duke of Colonna in Calais, was not in Calais this time, but in Paris—but judging from the clear trace on the map, the Duke of Orleans' path had been blocked.

"Your Highness," the Duke's personal attendant said softly, "Mr. Pierre is back."

Pierre, Count d'Artagnan's cousin, he is an honest and reliable person, so the king sent him when he needed someone to help the fragile Mr. Varro Vesalius explore the mines. Of course he was very willing The one who took over this appointment, anyway, although he has a good relationship with d'Artagnan, but when D'Artagnan was just a musketeer, Mr. Pierre couldn't help but feel a little melancholy ——After Lorraine became the king's territory and the Duke of Orleans was dispatched here. He also stayed with Mr. Vesalius. Philip also trusted Montesquieu quite a lot-he sent this gentleman out before to negotiate with the border lords of the Holy Roman Empire to see if he could arrive. He took refuge there for a while.

But as soon as he saw the faces of the attendants, the Duke of Orleans knew it was not right. The news of the plague had already spread, and even he couldn't blame the prince who rejected them-not to mention that France and the Holy Roman Empire were clearly enemies. Even if they were friends, the Duke of Orleans would not hesitate to reject him if they switched positions—this was the Black Death, and it was no wonder that everyone turned pale.

According to M. Pierre, during the time between his departure and his return. The plague in Nancy has begun to spread eastward and northward, and on the west and south sides, what he dare not say is that he seems to have seen the rising smoke and fire from far away, maybe it is people who are Burning the villages and towns where the disease appeared, he didn't know, and he didn't dare to go, because he didn't know whether he was healthy or not.

There were already fallen people on the side of the road, some dead and some dying. Before Pierre returned to the castle, he washed it in the moat. He and his horse were thrown directly into the fire to burn their clothes. He stayed in the hut outside the city gate for three days before he was allowed to appear in front of the duke. The duke didn't blame him, just said a few words, and then let him go—the grass and trees in the castle are still lush and lush, People came and went, although they looked worried, but there was no chaos and noise.

This is due to this castle, because he has lived with his brother Philip since he was a child, and his brother Philip did not suffer during the most embarrassing times of the royal family, and the rich income he enjoyed ensured that he could travel wherever he went. Set up a comfortable nest for yourself. Of course, Fowlerville is a big nest, because it is also a military fortress, so the food reserves in it are enough for the people here to enjoy the first half of the year. Cloth and fur are also available, especially For water supply, the castle originally had an underground well, just below the main building, which was used to ensure the castle’s water supply. Not far from it was the Merthe River. The Duke of Orleans diverted water from the river to ensure the cleanliness and sanitation of the castle.

Now the Duke no longer allows people to draw water from the aqueduct, and the groundwater has to be treated and boiled. Anyway, in order to supply geothermal heat, the castle has accumulated a lot of coal—and because the Duke of Orleans once cleaned up Paris for the king—someone still has the bathroom It is nicknamed the Orleans Room. Since he may pass through some dirty and messy places, the king also reminded his younger brother to be careful to stay away from mice, wild cats and dogs, and civilians... This is also a helpless thing, and it is precisely because of this that in In this newly built castle, not only are there almost no rats, but there are also very few bedbugs and fleas that people are accustomed to. Pack your own people.

This made it impossible for even a single person who might be infected with the plague to appear in the castle. Before the people around discovered this, the drawbridge of the castle was pulled up and all the doors were closed. But since a few days ago, people have been crossing the moat. , wanted to climb the city wall, or knocked on the city gate to beg for shelter-but no one dared to let them in, even though these people seemed to be healthy, and there were many nobles and ministers among them, but who knew if any of them carried As for the people carrying the plague seeds, as long as they are a little negligent, this still vibrant castle can turn into a dead and silent mausoleum in just ten days.

"Your Majesty..." the Duke's attendant said subconsciously, but then he suddenly closed his mouth, because he also realized that the king will not come here, and so will his army and ministers, they can only stay here silently Wait until the plague takes the lives of everyone around, and wait until the rain and the scorching sun wither the seeds of the plague, so that they can come out of the castle and return to Paris. Before that, even if they can, the king's army will not Allowed...all roads to Paris should be blocked by now.

No one is more important than the king, they all know this, but they still have a little hope... After all, the king is still here.

The people in the castle think so, and the people outside the castle think so too. The people of Lorraine and Alsace were originally not so willing to be ruled by the French—the Duke of Lorraine came to be a bit wrong, and his position as Duke It was usurped from his elder brother. In Lorraine, there are still many supporters of his elder brother. Now, apart from those ambitious people who have been on the verge of moving, there are also some people who have nowhere to go because of the plague. And the fierce nature broke out, "Philip the king is at Nancy!" cried they, "to Fowlerville!"

They said so, and they did so. They knew that to the King of France, Philip, Duke of Orleans, was not only his dearest younger brother, but also his most reliable subject, and he was also a direct descendant of the French royal family, not far from the throne. With two men like this, if they catch him and hang him in front of the ranks, the king's army will not let him out of the way—they will leave Lorraine and escape the plague! Even if they couldn't get rid of the scythe of death in the end, at least one noble person fell into the abyss of death like them!

The ridiculous thing is that the orders issued by the soldiers sent by the Duke of Orleans - the documents on how to resist the plague, no one wants to read or listen to them, and the ignorant people are persuaded by those who are interested in it. At first, it was just the lord The army of merchants, guards of merchants, mercenaries, and later countless farmers and slaves wielding flails (really used to thresh wheat) and pitchforks, or sticks followed them, forming a mighty army , although this army is mixed, good and bad, chaotic and disorderly, but the leader did not expect them to do anything - when they arrived in front of the castle, people who had already started to fever rushed towards the moat, and the soldiers shot arrows or threw stones , their corpses fell into the moat—it was when Lorraine gradually became humid and hot, and the corpses soon began to rot. Although the people in the castle did not have to rely on the moat for water, the strong When the stench spread in from outside the city wall, people still couldn't help but feel that death was approaching.

The people outside the castle are indeed very vicious. While inciting the civilians to attack the castle, they are still spreading the news that there is still a clean land in Nancy. Of course, people who cannot go to the Holy Roman Empire or enter the hinterland of France will only Fleeing here, the castle's arrows were quickly exhausted, and all the houses that could be demolished were also demolished. Even the sculptures that the Duke of Orleans liked were put on the city wall and smashed, and were thrown as stones to the enemies outside— —These guys who can't be called soldiers at all, they seem to have lost their minds, desperately trying to enter the castle-they have seen it all! The people in the castle are indeed alive and well! Still have the strength to carry stones and swing weapons! No bubonic plague in it!

They don't think about it at all. They already have fever, muscle pain, weakness, and black spots and pustules. Once they enter the castle, they will not heal without medical treatment. They will only infect more people, and then go to death together in pain, or They thought about it, but some priests and bishops said that in this castle, in the hands of the Duke of Orleans, there is a holy relic from the Virgin Mary, which protects the people in the castle and protects them from the plague. , as long as they enter the castle, they can also enjoy this great blessing.

Think about it, every day, no, every moment, someone falls and dies around you, and you have heard the death knell tolling—do you still fear pain, fear death? In other words, if you stay here, you will surely die, but if you can enter the castle, maybe you can live?

This kind of thinking makes people rush towards the city gate like a wave. They are unarmed, they have not received any training, and they have suffered countless casualties, but none of these can offset their desire for life. , would be scared to death, and even so, it is still difficult for them to continue to strengthen their will-people keep pouring in here, and they have only themselves, no reinforcements, and no hope.