I Am Louis XIV

There is an attic in the priest's transept. The place where Barr hides is the staircase in the attic. This is an ingenious design. It is probably on the third to sixth steps. This part is a whole and is equipped with hinges, so that it can go up. When it is turned up, a cellar is dug underneath or simply combined with the cellar, it becomes an exquisite hiding place - this is a design brought from England, used by Catholics to avoid persecution by Protestants, or vice versa. When Dunkirk still belonged to Britain, some people fled here and brought this design with them.

There was a gap in the "door" of the priest's steps, and people inside could see the situation outside. After Barr took Eva and hid in, he saw that there were always four or five people coming, and there might be more, so he did not rush immediately. He went out, but as soon as he heard that they were going to the stables and thought of his own horse, he knew it was not good - as soon as they left the chapel, he got out immediately. Jack took a short time to make a decision, but he finally found it. At the opportunity of ringing the bell, when these Englishmen were frightened away, he wrapped the cold and wet carpet under Eva around his body and rushed into the stable.

He dragged the priest out, checked him roughly, made sure he was okay, ran to the fence, released his horse, and handed the priest to the first person who rushed in: "I must go at once," he said , while getting on his horse, "The British here are going to start a riot!"

This was also the reason why he delayed for a minute or two. When Eva was in the hiding place, under the influence of Barr's remaining wine, she sobered up for a while. It might not have been half a minute, but it was enough for her to say what she had to Let Barr know.

Eva is an unfortunate but lucky girl. She does not know that the reason why her husband is willing to marry her is because he needs to relax the vigilance of the French. He does not love her, so when she unexpectedly, or not so... Unexpectedly, because out of love, she had always been concerned about her husband's every move. As an officer and leader, Jack probably didn't understand that there were almost no secrets between husband and wife. It just happened. Eva was Discovered, while others were still hesitating, Jack wanted to kill her without hesitation.

She was lucky. Out of a little bit of girlish self-esteem, she didn't tell her husband, her parents, relatives and even the people in the town were all half-criminals. She didn't use swords like an ordinary country girl. She knew nothing about atrocities and conspiracies. Like the priest, her instincts engraved in her blood allowed her to escape death. She also knew how to stop bleeding - using mud to stop bleeding is one of the most effective medical methods here, not to mention fever. Yes, if she allowed the blood to continue flowing, she would either be too weak to run or die from excessive blood loss.

She found the priest correctly again, and even more fortunately, she met Barr. Barr was both a newcomer to the king and a student of the military academy. Therefore, although his return to Dunkirk this time was half official and half private, But I still have the latest potions and powders around me, just in case.

When he said this, the people in the town immediately expressed their knowledge. He watched Baltima run towards the road outside the town, while explaining the reason to the people who came to the chapel behind him. Some people found Eva in the hiding place, and Some of the men went looking for the British with their weapons, but they were unable to find them.

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This town is located between the seaside and Dunkirk Avenue, connected by a two- to three-hundred-foot path. From here to Dunkirk, it only takes Barr a quarter of an hour, or even faster, but as soon as the horse's hooves step on the solid Barr hesitated when the road was on the road. He paused for about two or three seconds, then resolutely turned the horse's head, turning from the flat concrete road to the muddy seaside wasteland.

The wasteland around Dunkirk is like all seaside wastelands. The soil is a terrible gray-white color and cannot grow any crops. However, there are always several tough plants that can grow on it. They either have thorns or have tough branches. It's like beef tendon, and even more deadly are the unpredictable pits and swamps. These are caused by the rainfall melting the salt in the soil. Although they are not as cannibalistic as the swamps in the forest, if you ride On a horse, it is possible to lose your balance and fall off the horse.

Not to mention it’s still night time.

Barr carried a kerosene lantern with him, which could be hung around the horse's neck so that he and he could see the way forward clearly. But in such a wilderness, a little light was undoubtedly guiding his enemies. He guessed that the British might be on the road. Setting up an ambush, but who knows if they may also have prepared men in the wilderness?

Walking through a roadless wasteland and not daring to light a lamp, his speed would be greatly slowed down. Fortunately, the college's food always took care of all needs. Barr would not have night blindness like his ancestors. He rode a horse. After walking for a while, I reached a place where thorns, vines and small swamps gradually increased. I dismounted and led the horse forward.

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One of Jack's captains came back, "We didn't see anyone passing by." He opened his pocket watch and looked at it - these were also in short supply in Paris and Versailles, but Jack had a way to get a few, and they were distributed this time. The various leaders of the big operation to ensure that they can start the battle in unison.

"He may not have walked from the main road." Jack said: "Maybe he is a resident here and is more familiar with this place than us. If you take people to look in the wasteland again, if you still can't find it after walking out for half an hour, then Just come back."

"What if he went and warned the French?"

"He can't arrive within an hour," Jack said calmly: "In an hour it will be time for us to start the war. Even if he brings news to Dunkirk, it won't matter."

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Jack's estimate was accurate. Before Barr arrived at Dunkirk, he saw an ominous dark red color, and the sound of fighting came from this blood-like color.

He returned to the road, remounted his horse, and drew his long knife.

The city gate connected to the avenue was originally closed at night, but I don't know how the British did it. Now a gate and the small gates on both sides are open. The British and the French are fighting each other - the British have They took off the dark gray "potato" clothes that they were deeply ashamed of, as they called it, and wore ordinary coats, but each of them had a bright red shoulder strap on their body, as if they had once again become the Protector's The New Model Army, they chanted Cromwell's name as if they wanted to pluck him from the top of Westminster Abbey and place him on their heads like a crown.

Barr sneered. As a descendant of pirates, Barr certainly did not have any deep-rooted ideas of "divine right of kings", but pirates only spoke with swords and fists. They only admired powerful people and victors, the Sun King Louis XIV. All of them are true. Lord Protector Cromwell is just a loser, and his Puritan style also makes the pirates deeply disdainful. Barr said that if Cromwell and Louis XIV changed places, even for those Beautiful women, wine and delicious food, pirates will only be willing to follow their king!

He rushed into the crowd like a whirlwind.

Barr acted as both teacher and student in the military academy. When others learned from him, he also learned from others. How to use weapons on horses was taught to him by a new Tatar student named Anwo. Barr must Admitted that he may have learned less than one-tenth of the skills, but it was enough for him to destroy the British defense line-the sudden gap that was opened caught the British off guard, mainly because their weapons were so poor, they were not the king's soldiers Of course, they had no share in the weapons and equipment in the king's army. They were able to knock on the city gate only because of the gunpowder brought by British merchants and the laxity of the French. But after the city gates were opened, the man who was scheduled to poison the French dinner missed it, and only a small number of French soldiers were unable to continue fighting.

So a stalemate formed at the city gate, but more soldiers were coming, and Barr caused another kind of panic-Barr returned to Dunkirk in uniform, although he could not see clearly in the dark night The color is royal blue, but under the light of the torch, the golden tassels on the shoulders and the golden buttons on the chest shine brightly, and the British can't help but think of...

"Cavalry!" shouted an Englishman. He might not be entirely English because he was too young. It is possible that his father was an English soldier. He might have had a French mother, but he thought he was an Englishman - he When he thought about the possibility that the king's cavalry might be pushing towards them like an iron wall, his courage disappeared. After all, he was still so young, maybe just an adult.

But in war, the God of Death never looks at the age of the deceased. He subconsciously wanted to escape, but was hit in the face by an unknown person. His whole face immediately deformed, and he began to cry and wave randomly. With his weapon drawn - an act that would be suicidal in a confrontation between two armies, more swords hit him - Baal lost sight of him before he jumped off his horse, shouting his identity, Standing with the French soldiers on one side.

"The Musketeers are coming," one shouted.

So Barr and others began to retreat into the corridor, and the British, except for a few poor poor people who were already dizzy, slowly stopped. Their failure to rush into the city wall was equivalent to failure—— When the French musketeers arrived, it could be said that they were committing suicide in the corridor. Jack stood under the torch, and his face was illuminated by the flickering flames. "Let's go," he said. .

When the British left, a loud bell suddenly sounded over Dunkirk, which meant that all French people in the Dunkirk area would be alert.

When the musketeers arrived, they went out of the city to pursue the British, but Barr was unable to leave. Although he was still a step late, the Duke of Vendôme, who was stationed in Dunkirk, wanted to see him, so he had to deal with it. Pack up and go meet the most senior person in Dunkirk.

Speaking of which, Barr and the Duke of Vendôme are not unrelated - Duke Vendôme's grandson Joseph Jr. is Barr's classmate and student, and they have a very good relationship - you know, even if their status is very different. Jean Bart's father was just a captain of a privateer, and the Duke of Vendôme's surname was also Bourbon. The Duke of Vendôme was the illegitimate son of Henry IV. In his youth, he fought against Richelieu and Louis XIII. However, during the period of Bishop Mazarin, perhaps because he was no longer so energetic, he began to reconcile with the bishop - but before Louis came to power, the old gentleman had already lived a life close to seclusion, but Louis X In Four's plan, Dunkirk needed an important person who was trustworthy and important to guard it, so he came.

The old man's hair was as silver as silver, but his body was still very healthy. He was more energetic than Baal who had been running around for half a night and participated in another battle. He asked his servants to bring them meat, bread, Butter and cheese, tea and coffee, and wine. Barr thanked him, then sat down and ate a hearty meal.

He had originally planned to enjoy a sumptuous dinner at the priest's place, but he didn't expect to encounter the British incident. It was not until the incident was over that he felt hungry, and his intestines seemed to be stuck together. He took out a single-handed charge. The bravery of the British line came to bear against his new enemy - all food, and the battle was settled in a few minutes.

"I like young people like you." said the Duke of Vendôme. He also knew Jean Bart very well. There was a detailed description of this friend in his grandson's letter to him. He had great expectations for the friendship of young people. He has great hope, but his son is a little vaguely dissatisfied. Jean Bart's background is really not flattering, but this old Duke, who was also young, has developed a pair of sharp eyes through decades of changes. At first, he allowed his son to marry one of the Mancini sisters, becoming half-brother-in-law of the king and retaining his territory and title. It can now be seen that their King Louis XIV is not the kind of person who cares about origin and blood. He is like a young man in a military cadet. In the future, he may be another Condé or Henry (referring to Viscount Turenne). ), Schaumberg, Vauban... If you don't make friends with people of such humble status at this time, why don't you wait until he becomes a highly respected subject before you flatter him?

After the servant took away the empty plate, Barr smiled a little sheepishly, and then he showed a slightly worried look. The clock in the corner pointed to four o'clock in the morning. It was not yet sunrise, but the gray-blue sky showed spots of bright red - he didn't know if it was an illusion, but he seemed to hear gunshots and shouts.

"Those British..." he asked cautiously.

"Well," the Duke of Vendôme sat up straight, "a bunch of restless guys!" he said, but there didn't seem to be much worry in his tone.

Jean Bart soon got a position under the Duke of Vendôme, and he heard more and more news, most of which was unfavorable to France.

At one moment someone said that the British burned a full armaments warehouse filled with blankets and tents; at another moment someone said that the British intercepted a caravan carrying wheat for Louis XIV and took away part of the grain. The rest were all burned; soon someone said that the British used gunpowder to destroy the Dunkirk Avenue-that is, the avenue from Dunkirk to Paris; a few days later, I heard that the Dunkirk The dock was also damaged, and the ships parked in the port were doused with grease and almost turned into a pile of expensive fuel.

Barr had no idea what the Duke of Vendôme was doing. He even began to worry whether the British had managed to bribe the Duke of Vendôme, or whether the Duke was still resentful of Louis XIII and his descendants. He saw When the ship in the port sailed out of Dunkirk in order to avoid a second damage, and was said to be temporarily anchored in Calais, his troubles rose to the highest level - he ran to confess to the priest.

Paris and Versailles have an inhumane secret - many of the King's birds are cassocked.

Hundreds of years later, when people were still arguing over whether priests had the right to reveal the contents of others' confessions, in this era, or even earlier, priests had long been the eyes and ears of the church and the king. In normal times, the contents of confessions are kept secret, just because they do not directly affect their interests - for example, the Shoe Society uprising that arose in Alsace more than a hundred years ago failed many times in a row. Why? , because although they advocated the abolition of church courts and restrictions on clergy salaries, some members always went to the priest to confess...

After confessing, Barr felt much better, but he was a little unable to face the Duke of Vendôme, because the old Duke was really kind to him, but a few days later, the Duke of Vendôme sent him to hunt down the leader of the thugs, that is, that An Englishman named Jack, so Barr immediately accepted the order and went out.

Jean Barr was from Dunkirk, and he knew how to deal with the British, or in other words, how to block their way out.

On the one hand, he used threats and bribes to control the British who did not participate in the riots. Although they claimed to be innocent, Barr knew that they would definitely provide supplies and even hiding places to the rioters. They gathered together and promised that if they were proven innocent after the riot, they could go home safe and sound with the bounty. On the other hand, he put a heavy bounty on the heads of the British thugs, especially their leader, the man named Jack, but others were also worth a lot of money, so the pirates in the entire Dunkirk area and their descendants took action. .

After all, since Louis XIV cleaned up the offshore waters, they have either been incorporated into the French Navy, or they have to stop working. There are not many opportunities to make a fortune like this.

The Duke of Vendôme should also be able to think of these things and be able to do them. Barr didn't want to think about why the Duke of Vendôme didn't. He brought Jack to the Duke of Vendôme. The Duke laughed when he saw this man.

"I don't know what your first and last names are," said the Duke of Vendôme, "but your name is certainly not Jack."

Update completed.