I Am Louis XIV

"No matter what kind of thoughts you have," Amon peeped at the light in the gap between the window curtains: "You need time."

"We'll have time," Henry said.

What made Henry so confident was nothing but the Russian army itself.

Anyone with military knowledge should know that in an army, two voices should not and cannot appear, but Henry learned from Amon that this Russian army has three generals, one Romanov's side branch, In the confidence of Alexei I, a Cossack who married the daughter of Naryshkin - the head of the cavalry regiment, and a member of the Miloslavsky family - he had gone to Holland to learn how to make and He uses artillery, so he is very proud. All the artillery of this army is in his hands.

These three people each have their own pride and their own capital. On the surface, the Cossack Golovin and the Alexander of the Miloslavsky family respect Boris Romanov, but in private, none of them obeys the other. Boris is a fat and dull person. Let the other two people say that he should be like a mascot and stay in the tent or room obediently, hugging women, eating meat and drinking, and don't care about anything, but say to Boris, One is a Cossack who is as low as a slave—even if he married a noble daughter of the Naryshkin family, as for Alexander of the Miloslavsky family, their family simply climbed up by grabbing the queen’s belt— — Here he neglected that Romanov was originally only the surname of Empress Ivan the Terrible. He was very clear about the contempt they had for him, but he hadn't found a chance to attack him yet.

Unlike Alexei I who was still on the sickbed, they didn't think that Karsava would be a great obstacle. Yes, for both sides in the war, armaments, situation, location and people's hearts all need to be carefully weighed stuff, but Carl Savar's disadvantage is too obvious.

Their only concern was Dauphin Henry of Poland. They were eager for merit, and a Dauphin, especially the Dauphin of Poland, Russia's old enemy, was too valuable.

"We must not let them escape!" Boris said, pausing his cane on the ground. The Russian court has not yet captured the Parisian fashion in clothing, but Louis XIV's habit of holding a cane is indeed It has been imitated by many people—up to the tsar and down to officials, and for Alexei I and Boris, who are sick or overweight, the cane really relieves a lot of burden.

The generals and officers in the tent were of course approving and flattering, and then the Cossack Golovin said, "Then why are we still here?"

"I know," Boris said, clutching his cane repeatedly, his palms were wet and warm, "you were trying to pry open their walls with cannon, then rush in, drag him out of his bed, and hang him on the On your horse--but no, Golovin, we are not savages."

He looked around. "I will send an envoy to Karsava to demand the surrender of the Poles and the French."

This sentence did not get unanimous approval for the time being. The officers secretly exchanged glances, and the generals either pretended not to hear, or lowered their heads in thought. Golovin, who was called a barbarian, showed a shameful expression. , while Alexander of Miloslavsky folded his arms, enjoying the jokes of the two enemies.

"What do you think, Alexander?" Boris didn't allow this person to stay out of the matter. He stared at Alexander and asked him to give an answer.

"...According to tradition and etiquette." Alexander said slowly: "We should really do this..."

"Look, I knew you would support me." Boris clapped his palms (the cane almost fell to the ground): "If our army has indeed subdued this Highness, then we can also promise to give him enough courtesy, To put it simply, it is to treat him like our Crown Prince, we will bring him back to Moscow, and he will be the most eye-catching trophy in the triumphant parade." He imagined fascinatedly: "He may be in the There's a room in the Kremlin, lucky fellow!"

"It may also be in a prison." Alexander said coldly.

The grievances between Poland and Russia can be traced back to before the Romanov dynasty. After the extinction of the Rurik dynasty, there was a chaotic and terrible blank period. relationship) first elected three fake Ivan the Terrible's "youngest son" Dimitri to be the tsar - the last one even succeeded, but his unrestricted preference for Poland quickly made Russia His nobles became suspicious, so they were quickly overthrown and executed.

Later, the Polish king wanted his son to be the Russian tsar, but because the Russians reacted too violently, he failed in the end.

It can be said that Romanov even thanked the Polish king. Without the king's help and misconduct, the Russian nobles would not be in such an urgent need for a tsar. When they asked Romanov to ascend the throne, they agreed. Many conditions that would not have been agreed to originally.

But for a big family like Miloslawski, the Poles are the worst enemy, and he would be more than willing to parade with the Polish crown prince-if the latter is doused with asphalt and feathers, it will be better. Those Poles, officers and soldiers, deserved to be crucified all the way from Kalsava to Riga.

Boris' idea is also very simple. He has no military talent, and he can sit here only because he has the same surname as the Tsar. If it takes a battle to capture the Polish crown prince, everyone knows that it cannot be his credit. But if the Poles had surrendered before the war started, he could have taken the opportunity to get the most of the credit.

But he is Romanov.

Because the queen has passed away, the situation between her and the two sons of the tsar cannot be said to be satisfactory. Alexei I still has not given up the idea of ​​creating a more suitable heir. Alexander looked at Golovin. If Golovin objected, He also avoided being hostile to Boris. It is a pity that Golovin was able to come here as a Cossack and marry the Naryshkin family, so he was destined not to be a reckless idiot. He said nothing, Only grinned at Alexander.

Both Alexander and Golovin were unwilling to provoke Boris. Even if he was just an empty skin with no appearance, Boris' decision was naturally unopposed and there were many supporters. After all, the Russian court and army had not yet broken away from the old The stereotype of the times, not to mention the time when it has an absolute advantage, a hundred years, no, fifty years ago, even if the two armies were evenly matched, the attacking side would still send envoys to ask the defenders to put down the city gate , surrendered.

"Let who go?" Alexander asked, "If possible, I am willing to act as the envoy."

"You can't." Boris would not let Alexander appear in front of the Polish crown prince: "You are the most important person in this army, my dear friend, even if we lose me, we can still win, but if we lose Without you, our future is as bleak as if we lost the sun." He said hypocritically, and then his eyes fell on Golovin, and the Cossack shook his head immediately. He may have such talents, but he also It is clear that in the eyes of these Russians a good Cossack should be as strong and capable and "quiet" as an ox.

Fortunately, Boris didn't really want to send Alexander or Golovin, and he didn't dare to go to the Polish camp in person. After thinking for a while, he showed a subtle smile: "Father Adrian? "

—————

In the Russian army, besides Boris, Alexander and Golovin, there was a fourth voice.

The voice of religion.

In the Russian army hundreds of years later, there are still priests in black, and it is even more impossible for the army today to be separated from priests. Although they are not priests of the Roman Church, but priests of the Orthodox Church, it seems that priests everywhere It's the same, they are like vines coiled around the trunk, while relying on the king's power, they are also competing for power with the king's power.

But in terms of religious power and royal power, Russia and Britain have many similarities, that is, the archbishops of the Orthodox Church have always been appointed by the tsar, and they are generally their confidants, such as the archbishops of Ivan IV. Therefore, it is almost impossible for the tsar to give in to the archbishop because of his beliefs. Even if the archbishop wants to let the religious power surpass the royal power, he will face the disaster of killing himself-this matter was also done by Ivan IV.

Another special feature of the Romanov dynasty is their first tsar. His father was forced to become a priest. Later, he was respected by the Russians because he stood still in the face of the imprisonment, torture and threats of the Poles. With the beloved Elder Filaret, although he is a religious leader, his heart undoubtedly belongs to his son. Between the religious power and the royal power, he naturally tends to the latter, which also makes the Russian church further was contained.

Such a church must not be able to interfere with the tsar's decision. When Alexei I decided to use the inhuman power in Russia, he encountered less opposition than other monarchs in Europe.

In this army, it is full of wizards, shamans and the spirits they raise.

These 10,000 people were able to approach so close to Karsava in such a silent manner, which was also caused by the wizards driving their "slaves"—a monster called the forest demon Lesh.

Monsters like Lesh have always lived in uninhabited dense forests and swamps. If anyone passes by them, they will catch him, take off the clothes of travelers, stab their eyes, and devour their flesh and blood, in order to escape the pursuit of humans. To paralyze their prey, they use shrubs to disguise themselves as roots and dry branches, and they can also use them to create seemingly walkable surfaces, or to cover the entrances of caves and passages.

Father Adrian, who was mentioned by Commander Boris, was holding up three fingers at this time, making a holy gesture. White light jumped on his fingers and landed on a mess of bushes, accompanied by a few sharp and anxious chirps With a sound, two "Lesh" quickly rushed out from the shadows, and as they were burned into powder by the white light, the illusion of bushes they created also disappeared, revealing the entrance of the room.

Adrian cursed in his heart, no matter whether it was the Roman Church or the Orthodox Church, no priest would like wizards and spirits, but the trend of the times made them helpless.

The disgusting smell left by "Lesh" remained in the room, as well as the greasy slime, and some things that Priest Adrian didn't want to know. He stood outside the room, wondering if he should let some servants When he came to clean up, he saw Boris' attendants running towards him quickly.

A sense of foreboding came over the priest.