Amsterdam in 1672 was the first monument erected during the Sun King's long and glorious journey.

Louis XIV fulfilled his promise, and the French soldiers' purses were full of gold and silver coins, and they were as satisfied as their king, and were anxious to return to Paris, where the defense of the Netherlands would be taken over by Captain Vauban a great challenge and a great reward for the young man. Although I have talked with Viscount Tyrrenne before, the ruling of the three Dutch provinces in France will be held by Viscount Tyrrenne, but Viscount Tyrrenne will first return to Paris with the king, and at the triumphal ceremony and celebratory banquet, he will be the closest minister to the king, half of which is from Louis XIV's sincerity, and half out of the needs of the future, after all, Viscount Tyrrenne will stay in the Netherlands for several years, and in these years, the king will give him power, just like handing over the rights of Lorraine and Alsace to Duke Philippe, so that he can calmly face the inevitable intrigues and rebellions。

The king had to strike his trust and respect for the Viscount of Tyrrenne into the hearts of the people like a nail into a piece of wood, in order to avoid suspicion and jealousy among the kings and courtiers, otherwise the three provinces of Holland would be nothing more than a powder keg that could explode at any moment. Viscount Tyrrenne was well aware of the king's intentions, so on the way back to Paris with the king, he appeared at the king's side more often than Madame Lavallière, who once even jokingly said that her title of first royal lady should be relinquished— This made everyone present laugh, but objectively speaking, such an act, although excessive, had a clear effect, just by looking at the number of Dutch merchants and parliamentarians who came to bribe Viscount Tirenne, almost on a par with Madame Lavallière.

"How many people have come to visit you today?" At dinner, the king asked Viscount Tirena this, and Viscount Tirena hurriedly put down his knife and fork, bowed slightly politely, and said, "Nine." ”

"Then I win," said Madame Lavallière, with a pleasant smile, "I have twelve here." ”

"How dare the fireflies compete with the moonlight?" said Viscount Tirrenne, who wasted no time in complimenting him.

"But I remember that the first two days it was Viscount Tirrena who won. "What do they want other than to buy back the shares of the East India Company and the West India Company?"

"It's still the same old thing," said Viscount Tyrrenne contemptuously, "these merchants may think that even the Netherlands they can buy it back, and they want ships—the ones we have captured from the naval battles of the North Sea, as well as shipping routes, concessions, etc., and by the way, Your Majesty, there is an emissary from New Amsterdam, where the Governor Peter Sterivisan is willing to offer you his loyalty, but on the contrary, he wishes to retain his position and power." ”

"Didn't New Amsterdam be dedicated to the Duke of York by him in '64?"

"After the Breda contract [the Second Anglo-Dutch War], he took it back, so now New Amsterdam is New Amsterdam, not New York. ”

"Oh, I remember, those Dutch parliamentarians wanted to go to New Amsterdam, I didn't look into it at the time, it seems that it was, and the Governor looked like he had his own agenda. Louis gestured slightly, and the waiter took the plate in front of him, and offered a tender roast lamb, one of the king's favorite meals, and he poured mushroom juice on it, and said nonchalantly: "A foreign country, perhaps so he planned it, yes, I have heard that some Dutchmen have established a provisional government at the Cape of Good Hope." ”

"If you allow this messenger to come and see you......"

"No," said Louis with amusement, "I have had enough of the merchants, especially the Dutch merchants," he said, "and the money has given them too many illusions, and it is time to break them, Monsieur Viscount, you need not give the messenger any answer, for when we return to Paris, the messenger of Charles II will have been waiting for a long time, and perhaps the envoy of Austria, Denmark, or Brandenburg—the latter, of course, depending on when the Duke of Luxembourg and the Prince of Condé will be able to make them change their minds." ”

"As far as I know, His Highness and Mr. Duke are at ease. Viscount Tirrene said that this was not a lie, and that the thunderous blow of Louis XIV's army not only destroyed the psychological and physical direction of the Dutch, but also put Leopold I's alliance in a dilemma - If they give up their original plan, then all the money spent on this war will be in vain, but if they do, then they will have to face 90,000 French troops who are almost unscathed, and they do not even penetrate into the Netherlands, but stick to the border between the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire, just to guard against the sniping of the coalition forces against them - they are moving now, but looking at the numbers and momentum, it is clear that it is completely tentative, just to confirm whether the French army is pretending to be strong.

However, they must have been very disappointed, Louis never thought that stationing troops in every city meant complete conquest of the Netherlands, that only by clenching his fingers and fighting out could he have strength, and that the army could not be dispersed to form a deterrent, and that they would inevitably be hit head-on.

Not to mention now, even in the future, for the three Dutch provinces that Viscount Tyrrenne will manage, the king also believes that he should concentrate his power on the most critical cities, instead of focusing on every place, everyone, let them fight each other - it is not that Louis despises those Dutch, since they are all merchants, then the best way to rule is to impress and divide them with interests.

You see, when Louis went to war with the Netherlands, some Dutchmen complained that the Dutch government was too tough, and the French king had imposed excessive taxes on Dutch goods, which affected their business, although it sounded ridiculous - they didn't seem to know what war was, but this was not bad news for Louis.

Louis was prepared to impose different tax systems in the three provinces of the Netherlands, including the Flanders region, according to the region and the city, and the cities and provinces that were willing to submit to Louis XIV's feet would be given preferential treatment, and those who complained and resented the people would taste the bitter wine they had brewed.

"Merchants are indeed a disgusting thing," said Louis as if to himself, "but they are a very useful tool in the face of power and profit." ”

Viscount Tirrene and Madame Lavalier glanced at each other, and it was not uncommon for the king to wander away during meals or small talks, and Madame de Lavallière took a pan-fried salmon from her own hand and gave it to the king, interrupting his thoughts, "Thank you, ma'am." Louis said, and then continued the previous topic: "Mr. Viscount, you know, we already have Nova Scotia and Quebec, so what do you think we should lean towards in the negotiations?"

"You're talking about the Dutch colony? After receiving the affirmative head, Viscount Tirrene drew a picture on the map in his mind, and then carefully counted: " The first colonization of the Dutch was in Batavia, and then they went west from Batavia and occupied Sumatra, and then they took the Spice Islands from Portugal, and they owned Malacca and Cedoland, and it is said that there were some islands in the Far East, and you mentioned the Cape of Good Hope, and the New Netherlands, which is New Amsterdam, and by the way, in South America, they also acquired some small islands. ”

"If you are looking for riches," said Viscount Tirrena, "then there is no doubt that the Spice Islands and Malacca, Ceduran are the real treasures." Mr. Viscount spoke slowly, as he spoke, he peeked at the king's expression, his knowledge of the colony still came from his uncle Prince Maurice, in fact, at this time the kings of Europa were not so keen on the colony, they were still looking for Europa, and there were routes that could bring gold and silver, but out of the sensitivity of a soldier and a politician, Viscount Tyrrenne hesitated for a while, and still said: " My personal opinion, Your Majesty, may not be mature, but I feel that perhaps we should continue to seek the America...... As far as I know, that's quite a vast territory. ”

“...... You are quite right, except for one thing," said the king, after a few seconds of silence, "the problem is in its astonishing vastness, sir, sir, that we do not have so many of us. ”

Viscount Tirrena sighed when he heard this: "You are right. Indeed, according to the King's census figures three years ago, France had so far had only 20 million people, and according to the calculations of the scholars, American might have the size of sixty-two Frances, and even if all of them had been put into Amerika, they would be as sparse as peppercorns spilled in soup by a miserly mistress, and Viscount Tirene continued to sigh regretfully: "But your thoughts are still precious," he heard the king say, "I will write them down in my little notebook." ”

"It is a great honor," said Viscount Tirrenne, "and, your Majesty, it is time for you to dine, for your fish are running cold." ”

"You're right, any waste of good food is unforgivable. Louis said as he looked at Madame Lavallière, who did not touch the fish on her plate as they spoke: "Don't wait for us next time, you know, Madame, men are always careless," he said, reaching out and pouring a little lemon juice for Madame Lavallière on the fried fish.

Madame Lavallière, who enjoyed the courteous service of the King, which had previously belonged to the Queen or the Queen Mother, pierced the crispy skin of the fish and plunged into the soft flesh of the fish, and when she lifted the fork, she first smelled a strong sour smell, and then the peculiar fishy smell of fish, which heralded the coming of the delicious taste, she thought, but her stomach stirred violently in the next moment— She rose from her chair with an almost undetectable speed and quickly disappeared from view of the King and the Viscount of Tyrenne.

Louis and Viscount Tyrrenne were both men with wives and children, and given that Madame de Lavallière's body seemed to be in good health lately, and that Viscount Tirenne remembered that she had been pregnant several times before, he immediately guessed that Madame de Lavallière might be pregnant, and that she had been with the king for the past few months, and that there was no queen or other women with him.

Sure enough, after the royal doctor examined and inquired about Madame Lavallière's recent condition, it was almost certain that Madame Lavallière was pregnant, which was good news, and both the king and Madame Lavallière gave him a rich reward, but a moment later, another royal physician specially summoned by the king broke through this illusion of warmth - it was Varro Vesali.

Not only was Varro Vesalius a doctor, alchemist, and potions master valued by the king, but he was also a sorcerer, and under his command there were a variable number of potions squads ranging from twelve to twenty-four, loyal to the king and in his service—Madame Lavallière, who had worked with him several times, could not have been more clear.

Madame Lavallière, who had been rejoicing in her pregnancy until her hot body, suddenly became cold, especially her heart, which seemed to freeze as if it were about to freeze, and she looked at the king pleadingly, and the king gently but firmly withdrew his hand: "Madame," he said, "you promised me." ”

"Your Majesty...... You can't ......."

"I will keep my promise, ma'am, and you should keep yours too. The king said.

"This is our child. ”

"As long as it is not a werewolf, male or female, it will receive what I promise," Louis looked into Madame de Lavallière's eyes, "but if we are destined to be played by fate, Madame, we can only suffer the punishment from him." ”

"Your Majesty!"

"They will take good care of you, ma'am, until the child is born. Louis said, "Now, although you are a werewolf, let us pray to God together." ”

——————

Varro Vesalière witnessed all this, including the madness and grief of Madame Lavallière after the illusion was shattered, and he could no longer say that the king was wrong, and since he became the king's royal physician, he had seen much of this tragicomedy and had a deep understanding of what kind of man Louis XIV was...... In other words, what a perfect king should be, personal emotions can never influence the king's political, military, or political decisions—and his concession to Madame de Lavalier is also due to the fact that, after the victories over Flanders and the Netherlands, his majesty is just as likely to keep it firmly under control in the event of some unexpected event that does arise against the king.

Madame Lavalier would not be unaware, she could only say that she still had a glimmer of luxury, and it was the gentleness and enthusiasm of the king that had given her the illusion in the past few months, but the king understood very clearly, and he always remembered his agreement with Madame Lavallière.

Vesalius shook his head, he went back to his room, sat down at the desk, opened the drawer, and took out the statues of his wife and daughter, the king had always been tolerant of useful people, and their statues were sent to him every year, and his wife became more and more simple because of her undecayed countenance, and his eldest daughter, who had become the Marquise de Montespan, had a son and a daughter.