I Am Louis XIV

But when the king was looking forward to it, the messengers of Fouquet and Colbert came to him on the same day. They brought good news. about 500 liters per Malto) and managed to smuggle cannon and muskets from the Sicilians, the king immediately summoned Friedrich Schaumberg, who was called by Bishop Mazarin to lead about A thousand foot soldiers came to protect the king's generals. He was born in Heidelberg and was a Protestant, so Queen Mother Anne never pretended to him. Fortunately, he didn't have much contact with this lady—he obeyed King's arrangement.

Although when he came, Mr. Bishop said that he could obey the king's orders except for marching and fighting, General Schomberg was still a little puzzled, because the king was underage, just a child, and it was said that he was at the age when he should learn He has been in exile, without an orthodox and coherent education, and he is ready to meet a violent and naive young child, but the reality is much easier than he imagined-the king is very tolerant to him, almost never Interfering with any of his decisions on military operations, even though His Majesty had his own thoughts on those refugees who followed the queen, he still consulted with him as soon as possible.

As for the king's decision—Schomberg said that it was not expulsion, but containment. From the standpoint of the general, he was in favor of it, and there was no other reason. Here I want to mention the weird recruitment system in Europe.

As we all know, the number of the country's standing army should match the national strength of a country in order to ensure the army's provisions and salaries, as well as the inevitable consumption of equipment, horses, and camps. But we can also notice that the current France is almost the entire The epitome of Europe, each country is at war with another or several countries, sometimes for prestige, sometimes for status, sometimes for money and territory, more often to defend themselves and their families— ——The confusion of the inheritance law has aggravated this situation, so even the smallest country will have a huge army that is completely disproportionate to its size. In the beginning, there was a country-to-country mercenary transaction, that is, one country leased its legions and equipment to another country for use. The most famous one was Italy, but the Holy Roman Empire, England, or the former France also No exception, so if someone came to the battlefield of this era, he would be surprised to see that a general of the Holy Roman Empire had artillery from Italy, musketeers from France, and infantry from Denmark or It was other Germanic countries, and perhaps cavalry from pagan lands.

Schaumberg's army is no exception. Because the time has dragged on for too long, some soldiers have fallen behind or fled. He urgently needs to replenish his troops. Refugees are the best targets.

First: They are almost all young lads - hunger is the cruelest and best screening machine, children and old people are always the first to fall, and women would rather starve to death than leave the village or Towns, because they know exactly what they're getting into.

Second: These people only need a piece of bread to be recruited into the military camp, without the temptation of salary or violence, and they will not escape easily. Although staying in the military camp is likely to die on the battlefield, leaving the military camp But it will definitely starve to death.

Third: Compared with the soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire, these French peasants are of course more willing to trust their king, otherwise they would not drag their tired legs to follow behind the king's driver in the first place.

But Schaumberg is also very clear, just like Queen Mother Anne strongly opposed (even had a big quarrel with the king), to accommodate these people means that they must have something to eat, and now France, everywhere They are all suffering from famine. Although they have enough gold louis in their hands, they may not be able to exchange for a large amount of food. At that time, these thousands of people will become their threat instead—especially annoying. Well, those lords not only failed to provide food for the king and his entourage in accordance with the law and tradition, but also instructed the merchants to raise the price of food to a terrible level.

It's just that Schaumberg would laugh at the thought of this, even the Bishop or the Queen Mother probably couldn't imagine that the first battle he came here, and many battles, was not to fight against the rebel army first. Yes, but against those hoarding, immoral and loyal businessmen. Although some businessmen also hired guards, these guards were okay with some poor unarmed people, but against these soldiers who had experienced thirty years of war There is no way to fight back.

This is what the king told Schaumberg to do.

Schaumberg was hesitant at first, but he soon found out that this kind of thing is really fun and exhilarating, especially when some hopelessly stupid lords dare to shout and ask the king to make decisions for them ——Bun Tang, the king's first servant, opened his eyes wide and asked them curiously. They were still begging the king before that there was only wheat bran left in the castle, so where did the wheat they are talking about now come from? Where are you coming from? If they are pleading for merchants, France has laws and courts, please go to Paris and appeal to the judges of the high court, and these honorable lords will give them justice.

How dare these lords and businessmen go? Everyone knows that in Paris right now, whether it is the judges of the High Court or Gaston, Duke of Orleans, they are crazily accumulating money. When they enter Paris, they will not be able to get out without being stripped of their skin.

It's a pity that this kind of behavior can be done again and again, but it can't be repeated, especially after the lord and the merchant have become obedient. Although they can't fully support this huge team to replenish all the supplies, they can at least make A proper gesture, the problem is that in this way, the mountain of wheat flows out continuously like a river.

However, as soon as the general entered the room and saw the happy face of the king, he knew that the two people they placed high hopes on had lived up to their trust. He quickly took off his hat and bowed deeply to the king. After getting permission, he walked forward and took the opened letter. He read Fouquet's letter first, and his smile never disappeared from the beginning to the end. He was still breathing deeply, as if he could smell the letter between the lines. To the fragrance of wheat.

"Those cannons, muskets?"

"As you arrange," said the king. No one knows his army better than Schaumberg. According to Bontang's report, this general is extremely dedicated to his soldiers, so even if the employment period has passed, it is time for him to return. During the harvest period, most of the soldiers remained in the army, and Schomberg also visited the newly recruited soldiers one by one, and appointed his most trusted officers to guide and train.

"I've got an idea," Schaumberg said excitedly.

"And this one belongs to Colbert." The king signaled Bontang to hand over the second letter to Schaumberg. Schaumberg opened it and saw that Colbert's harvest was greater than Fouquet's, but One of the ships contained about ten martos, which he couldn't understand, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, what is this 'Pommes'?"

It's potatoes.

But Louis can't say that directly, because the Spaniards who discovered the Americas first discovered potatoes, but they ate them raw, of course, not only harsh but also poisonous; Potatoes are not mentioned, and they are buried in the ground like devil's apples; as for the French, they tasted the berries from potatoes in another way, and it is conceivable that the sour taste is simply unbearable to human beings. of.

There are also potatoes that turn green and directly lead to death, and potatoes that are cut open are considered to be related to leprosy because they turn black—not to mention, anyway, potatoes have since become the most disgusting plants for Europeans Only some noble people planted a few in the garden because of its beautiful flowers.

Colbert got his potatoes from America. He was a man of ideas and courage. In his letter to the king, he said that he had baked and boiled some potatoes according to the native method without any accident. It is also full of energy and quick thinking, and only a small piece of this fruit can make people full, and the cooking method is simpler than wheat, even if it is not washed, it can be cooked directly by throwing it into the campfire.

"It's a novel food," said Louis, "but it's delicious when done well." He smiled at the general who was still a little confused, and had already decided that when the potatoes arrived here, the royal family members would lead by example, given that People's curiosity, they may be willing to try this tuber that saves them from starvation now and in the future.

———————

They are now in Hetel, which is located on a high ground on the right bank of the Aisne River. It has been an important military fortress since the tenth century, with thick walls and sharp artillery. Fortunately, the lord here is an out-and-out king. Dang, as soon as he saw the king's envoy, he followed the envoy all the way to meet the king and queen mother. He also served the royal family and the entourage very thoughtfully, and it was not a problem to organize a kitchen that satisfied the king.

Potatoes——is a good thing that can be used as a staple food, as a snack, or as a dish. The hardcover cookbook presented by the king's first servant Bang Tang took the breath away of the people in the kitchen , not daring to say a single superfluous word--according to the orders that Bontang read aloud, this mud-looking thing was washed, peeled the lumpy skin, and then cut into pieces and peeled into pieces. sliced, cut into shreds... roasted with chicken, boiled with pork, baked in the belly of goose or sandwiched with cheese, and extravagantly set up a large pot of oil, put the potatoes soaked in salt water Put it in and fry it...

The golden potato chips were brought out first, and of course, it was sent to the king first, and all the people stared at the king, watching him pick up a pinch of salt and sprinkle it carefully and evenly, After flipping them over with a fork, I picked them up with my fingers and chewed happily.

The rich aroma made people move their index fingers, and when their share was put on the plate, everyone at the banquet followed the example of the king, sprinkled salt, flipped it over with a fork, and took their fingers— —Some impatient people grabbed it with their hands and got burned. Fortunately, almost everyone was immersed in the crispy outside and soft inside of the fried potato chips, as well as the sweetness brought by the starch. Few people noticed them. It's ugly.

Afterwards, there are roast chicken with potatoes, pork stewed potatoes, baked potatoes with cheese... The new delicacies have made people guess, and some people have guessed that sweet potatoes are similar to potatoes-interestingly, there is almost no difference between sweet potatoes and potatoes, but sweet potatoes have been around for a long time. Having found their way into European royalty decades ago and gaining popularity, potatoes have had an ill-fated life.

When the king announced the answer to the riddle, the people were a little surprised, but they didn't panic. After all, they had eaten potatoes many times at the banquet. No one died of poisoning or leprosy, and they were as honorable as the queen mother and the king. After eating them all, what are they worried about?