I Am Louis XIV

Leopold I knew that he had suffered the biggest setback since he was in power. Fortunately, the Netherlands, needless to say, Switzerland, which originally belonged to the Habsburg family, would definitely lean towards the Holy Roman Empire in this alliance-to-alliance game. Not France, the same is true of the Oldenburg family in Denmark. As for the Roman Church, after the previous humiliation, they will never support the French king. The problem is that Alexander VII is said to be seriously ill and will soon go See God—Leopold I had to devote part of his energy to it, after all, he was not without enemies in the church.

The King of France, far away in Lille, is much happier. The road through Brussels has been smoothed out, and the armaments, supply points, and rest locations along the way have also been determined and clarified. The King’s Guards set off first one day , and then the king's convoy. When leaving Lille, Louis did not ride a horse, but sat in the carriage, casually flipping through the documents in his hand, and the Viscount Turenne sitting opposite him bowed and opened the curtain , looking at the people of Lille outside, who were forced to cheer and bow when the king entered Lille, and did the same when he left, "Look," he said softly, "Your Majesty, their eyes are full of hate."

"This is the best compliment for us." Louis said without looking up.

Viscount Turenne let out a loud laugh and lowered the curtain, "Your Majesty, don't read documents in the carriage, it's not good for your eyes."

"Oh, I thought Bontang wasn't here, I could be more casual," Louis said, but he put the papers aside graciously: "When will we be able to arrive in Brussels?"

"We can arrive tonight." Viscount Turenne said, "Captain Vauban is looking forward to your arrival."

"Speaking of which, tell me," the king asked with a bitter face, "Didn't Vauban build another huge platform for me?"

"Why, don't you like it?" said the Viscount Turenne.

"But it makes me look like a cruel king." Louis glanced at him quickly and made a gesture. He wanted to name a few Roman emperors, but to be honest, the Roman emperor who died in his bed was too much. Less, he really didn't want to curse himself in this extraordinary world, but he really felt like he was watching a bloody fight, even surpassing those ancient people who took the life and death of gladiators as their source of joy. Roman.

Viscount Turenne thought for a while, and then understood the king's thoughts, "I think you should regard it as a magnificent and brilliant performance."

"show?"

"Yes, everyone here is fighting for you, for France, and their deaths are far more noble than those caused by famine, plague, or crime. When they fight for you, they know Your own family will not be displaced, knowing that their parents, sons and daughters and wives will not starve because of your gift to them, and they will not have to worry about going to hell when they die because there is no priest to perform the last sacraments for them , and don't have to worry about howling after being wounded, and dying naked in the mud, you have done what all kings have not done, you are a saint, Your Majesty, I guarantee that in your glory, Even the most cowardly of cowards will have great courage, even if they have to face the most ferocious enemy, as they charge forward, feel that you are watching them, it is like being blessed by God , allowing them to face everything without fear."

"What you said is a bit too exaggerated." Even Louis couldn't help but feel a little blush.

"Oh, Your Majesty, I have a clumsy tongue, and I can't say a tenth of it. You should go and see your soldiers, and you will know that there is nothing wrong with what I said."

"I will." This is exactly what Louis planned. Tomorrow will be the most important and final battle for Flanders. There may be many soldiers here that he will never see again.

—————

When the king arrived at Waterloo on the south side of Brussels, as Viscount Turenne said, it was dusk, and the twilight was low. Only the place where the sky and the earth intersected was still the afterglow like a white line. Waterloo is a small town, so of course it can’t afford it. Tens of thousands of French soldiers were stationed, so the tents of soldiers and officers stretched for several miles from the town. The king rested for a while in the best house in the town, and then set off for the camp—“But you Haven't had dinner yet." Bontang said, holding up his cloak, serving the king for so many years, he is also familiar with the king's style, Louis doesn't like people who are rebellious or obedient, no matter the intention is good or bad, Like now, Bontang can remind him, but he can't say, Your Majesty, you should have dinner before going to the barracks.

"I'm going to see what the soldiers are eating, and I'll eat with them." Louis said casually.

He left Buntang in the room—Buntang had many things to do, such as the king's obligatory bath before going to bed, which was no easy task in this small and remote town.

As soon as the king left the room, he was followed closely by two priests, and a host of attendants, some of whom were the king's trusted musketeers, some the second or third sons of his ministers, and some—everyone knew, But no one will say it, the Italian wizard from Gayola Island disguised as a traveling student of the Colonna family.

They are so prepared to guard against the black wizards from Flanders. Although the king of France has been on the march for some time and the crown of victory is within reach, those black wizards seem to have been burned. , motionless, without any reaction, in the city they captured, the wizards only found some dangerous remnants—things like that portrait, although they are disgusting, they are not very lethal. The wizards of Gayola Island don’t feel at ease about this—the dark wizards in Spain can survive the vigorous siege in the Inquisition, not because they are cute enough—they are not only evil, but also chaotic, and almost all of them are It's crazy.

If it weren't for the recent years, the wizards of Gayola Island have also been in and out of the court from time to time, learning a lot from the mortals they despise, and they even tried to persuade the king to return to Paris, but they also know now that if they don't get there The golden fleece, everything that the king, and even the whole of France, have paid for it will be in vain, and even the glory of the king will become much bleak.

The king understood what the wizards were thinking, and he temporarily put all this in another place. He was warmly welcomed by Vauban a thousand feet away from the barracks—also to prevent the king from being killed by some god knows how. The fools of existence intercepted, torches were lit on the concrete parapets and forts, the wooden fences were removed, and the patrols either stopped at the roadside, bowed to the king, or turned away... The king greeted those who were reddened by the fire. The ostrich feathers on his hat trembled with a slight nod of his head in salute, and occasionally he stopped to ask the name of an officer whose voice must have trembled with excitement.

"Although I would like to talk more with our boys," said the king with a smile, "I am very hungry, and I smell a tempting aroma—your supper should be ready." .”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" said Vauban proudly. "I ordered them to start cooking an hour ago, and everything should be ready by now."

"What do you eat?" the king asked seemingly casually, "Can I be added?"

Viscount Turenne glanced at Vauban. Vauban hesitated briefly, but then he raised his head: "It's a great honor, Your Majesty!"

Vauban's boldness is not without reason. Before Louis, the supplies of the army, especially for soldiers, were not very decent. As mentioned before, during the Thirty Years' War, the troops of the kings of Europa still had to hire Of course, don’t expect mercenaries to have discipline or morality. No, it should be said that mercenaries who have these two things have long since starved to death, because the employers and generals of mercenaries always deduct their commissions. If they want to live with supplies, if they want to survive, if they want to find a life for themselves, the mercenaries must go to plunder. Their food and clothes are all robbed from the villages or city residents they pass, station and capture. , whatever they have, they will eat whatever they have. When marching, they will eat dried meat and biscuits—yes, the kind of biscuits we are familiar with, but the biscuits used as military supplies only have the simplest prototype—without adding Yeast flour, add milk, or add water and bake twice, add sugar or salt if possible.

In Louis's army, there were biscuits too, and the new word was invented, "twice-baked bread" biscuit--French bis (again) and cuit (toast), and since the cultivation of corn had become Sugar and salt are generously added to it, but this is emergency food, and even if the soldiers get it, they will carefully put it in their bags. They now have three luxurious meals a day, including porridge, bread, bacon and cheese.

Bread and bacon are only available at noon, and now it is night, so there is only porridge and cheese. Even so, it can be regarded as a good meal for the soldiers-although it is porridge, it is better to say that it is a thick soup. There are crushed carrots, wheat grains, beans and small pieces of cured meat. Before serving, butter is put in. It is hot and filled with a wooden cup. Pierced the potatoes with a bayonet, didn't even need to be cleaned, roasted on the campfire, and eaten straight away - only some NCOs carefully peeled the potatoes, or put them in water before roasting .

The officers do not eat with the soldiers, they have their own tents, and the meals are richer and more refined than the soldiers. Vauban led the king into the tent, and the king used his silver cutlery-the king turned over a fork. On the back, I found that there is still a small coat of arms engraved on it. Well, Vauban does not have his own coat of arms yet - Vauban's grandfather was once a lord and had his own castle, but because of the law of primogeniture, he was only the second son Vauban's father could only stay away from his homeland and rely on his own mind and hands to start a business. Vauban could become a lieutenant in the army and exhausted the family's money-but since the king wanted to use Vauban, he would not treat him Without knowing it, the coat of arms on it does not belong to Vauban's family, Vauban noticed the king's sight, "A gift." He said without shame, the king laughed, for this ambitious young man To a human, this might be just a trivial spoil of war, and he used it indifferently, on the battlefield.

It is impossible for the king, not even the Viscount Turenne and Captain Vauban to eat and drink with the soldiers, but the king still tasted the "porridge soup", let the picky people taste it, this porridge soup is not only greasy , and rough (caused by the wheat grains and beans inside), the carrot was put in by the king, because people at this time often suffered from night blindness due to lack of vitamin A, and he didn't want his soldiers to become blind at night , but after the carrots are boiled, the taste and texture are really unsatisfactory. Occasionally, you can eat a little cured meat, but it is similar to sawdust. What's more, also by the king's order, this porridge soup is added Added enough salt, so - very salty.

But this can increase the strength of the soldiers, and it is also the reason why people unanimously praised the king for his generosity-France also produces salt, mainly in the Mediterranean and Brittany, so the price of salt is not as good as pure inland The area is expensive, but it is not something that ordinary people can squander at will. Some people only add a lot of salt to the first meal every morning, because the men have to go to work in the next day, and there is no strength without salt. , the taste of a meal at night becomes bland, but in the king's army, let alone salt, they can even eat sugar.

King Vauban and the Viscount Turenne ate several plates of baked potatoes, soup and cheese, as well as roast quail—very fresh because they caught them when they set up their tents. There are also snakes, rabbits and moles.

After a simple meal, the king went to the sick and wounded camp to have a look. Because all the wounded soldiers had stayed in Lille, the tents here were still empty. Only one soldier who was bitten by a snake was being treated by the witch. ——In fact, when they entered, the treatment had already been interrupted or ended, and what the king guessed was the uneasy look of the Bohemian woman, and the bright salt around the bed—salt is not counted in the army It is a rare thing, but it cannot be wasted at will, but salt has an irreplaceable role in witchcraft, mainly to remove evil and filth. Snake venom can also be regarded as a kind of filth. Using salt is indeed a good way.

Just look at the soldier's ruddy complexion, and he can even stand up and salute the king.