I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 160 The Black Death of London

The advantage that the monks had won before was taken away by the vampires. This time, the vampires didn't even cover it up anymore. Monsters - they are stingy with only a drop or two of blood, and as soon as the blood gets into a human's mouth, or in a wound, the man immediately twitches violently, his eyes roll up ugly, almost to the point of seeing Until the black eyeballs are not seen, there are no more corridors in the square, and torches are lit everywhere, so black hair grows on their skin, their backs are hunched, their fingernails and toenails are stretched to protrude from their sleeves and shoe uppers, etc. The bizarre and terrifying changes made it clear to people that their faces were also catalyzed and changed, their lips stretched forward, their noses shrunken, and they looked like mice or bats.

As soon as they were able to stand up, they turned around and rushed towards the terrified ex-similars. This time the humans were smart enough not to block the corridor, so there were still some terrified people who rushed out and jumped into the moat, or It was to run up a makeshift wooden bridge, and as soon as the priests and rebel leaders saw the situation, they knew that their plan was likely to fail. Faith is a double-edged sword. People believe that there is a cure for disease in the castle. When the holy artifact was created, they would attack the castle regardless of their lives, but when they found that they had to choose between the black death and the death or depravity caused by the dark creatures, they chose the plague without hesitation. After all, the priest They say that those who die from the dark creatures or the fallen will never make it to heaven unless they can buy the last indulgence that they can't even imagine the price of.

But seriously, the people who can afford the indulgence here have either left or are with the Duke of Orleans. These common people can get a handful of bean soup provided by the rebels (the reason why it is said to be a handful is that Because some of them don't have cutlery like wooden bowls at all) enough to be content, and many don't even have a clue. They were afraid of death, but they were even more afraid of going to **** and suffering forever, so they ignored the swords, arrows and bullets of the soldiers and continued to run outside the castle, but the rebel army suffered a considerable blow.

Some soldiers actually followed these people. The leader of the rebel army and the messenger of the Roman Church cursed angrily and shouted loudly, asking their officers to recruit and gather the soldiers again, but at this time, they thought Hundreds of thousands of soldiers appeared on the wall of the castle that was out of ammunition. They used small trebuchets to throw clay pots the size of a baby's head at the enemy's camp. Because the pots were small, they could be thrown very far. The place where the clay pot shattered as soon as it fell, and a greasy liquid with a pungent smell flowed out of it. The rebel leader was still confused, and the messenger of the church couldn't help but change his face, "Go!"

   Before his words landed, a rocket roared, and the oil spilled all over the place immediately!

The raging fire rose up like a high red wall in an instant, not only dividing the rebel army, but also enclosing them in small hells, wherever the black liquid was contaminated, even rocks and sand. They are all burning, and people don't need to say more, and the people and horses on fire will inevitably run around frantically in search of a chance for survival, and the fire on them spreads in all directions like a plague.

   "Calm!" shouted the rebel leader: "They won't have much kerosene!"

Human beings began to use the black oil naturally formed underground as early as the ancient Greek period. The "Greek fire" that can be used on warships was what the king had asked the scholars to study before, but in the territory of France and the areas controlled by France, The output of underground oil is not high, but there is abundant coal storage in Lorraine, and coal tar is a necessary raw material for dyes, pharmaceuticals and other references, so its extraction work has never stopped, so even in this era, The refining of coal tar cannot form factory production, but the coal tar brought by the wizards is enough for the Duke of Orleans to create a catastrophe - but the rebel leader and the king probably did not expect that the duke would endure it until now Just using them, the rebel leader was right, there was not much black oil, but their camp was in chaos, and General Schumberg's army attacked.

Originally, General Schumberg was reluctant to face the rebels head-on because the rebels had countless black death patients. He learned from the king's bachelor that the plague was mostly spread through exhaled gas and wounds. Or spread through saliva, and on the battlefield, no matter which one is difficult to avoid - but now, the black death patients recruited by the rebels have instead become their blades. When order is out of order, Their soldiers were also threatened by the Black Death, but these people turned their backs to the king's army. The soldiers of the king's army wore expensive gloves, covered their faces with soft silk, and held muskets in their hands. Reassures them a lot.

   They marched on the flames and the corpses to launch their final attack.

The battle continued until the sky was getting dark, and by the end, both sides were exhausted, and when the dazzling sun shone on their faces, everyone could not help but narrow their eyes, and some people could not help but want to sit or lie down. , but they were immediately caught or reminded by vigilant and tenacious companions - not all the corpses on the ground were soldiers, but more of those black dead patients, or people who didn't know if they were carrying the plague - yes It is said that now any side can win as long as there are reinforcements, even if there are only a hundred people.

   So when an army gradually appeared at the top with the sound of horns, they all looked over expectantly, and then the face of the rebel leader was ashen because he saw the color of royal blue.

   That was the king's army.

  ———

Louis opened the letter under the eager gaze of the Queen Mother and the Orleans Tool Lady. According to the king's wishes, the Duke of Orleans should leave Lorraine and Alsace, where the Black Death spread, as soon as possible, but the king was both relieved and worried. Yes, the duke insisted on staying in Nancy, and he, General Schumberg and the king's reinforcements, and the lords of Lorraine who had taken refuge with him, tried to restore order to France in the chaos - the king knew his brother perfectly It means, because he did the same when he rebuilt Paris. Although riots and plagues will cause a lot of deaths, social unrest, and political instability, on the other hand, such as Paris, such as Lorraine, such as Arles Sass, these places are not completely subordinate to the king, chaos is the best time for the king or the duke to take absolute rule.

Those who once opposed the king openly or secretly, if in normal times, if they die to the point where there is no heir who can inherit the territory and title, will definitely arouse suspicion, and even some princes will question their masters because of this, but the riots will It means that anything can happen, and the plague even nearly destroyed the entire Florence, and the 80% mortality rate can be repeated in Lorraine or Alsace.

Those who besieged Fowlerville Castle were strangled by the combined efforts of the vampires and the royal army. Not many survived, and the messenger of the Roman church, a cardinal, was killed by Chaumu without even saying his name. If General Ge is beheaded, his existence will be a problem, at least, he will cause more problems than benefits - he and other unknown people are doused with black oil and burned, all of which are overseen by the general himself. Yes, guarantee that no soldier can leave the bishop's clothes or jewelry by carrying the body.

Of course, the Queen Mother and the Duchess of Orleans disapproved of the Duke of Orleans staying in Lorraine, but the Duke's attitude in the letter was very clear and resolute. When they went to plead with the King, the King could only promise that he would send more Medicines and doctors, so as to minimize the chance of misfortune, and of course he is willing to let his younger brother return to Paris as soon as possible, but the Duke of Orleans wrote a letter to the king alone. Those vicious refugees, he is not willing to flee back to Paris in despair, he will use his means to completely take back Lorraine and Alsace into the hands of the French.

   "In that case," said Louis in his reply: "I grant you the greatest power in Lorraine and Alsace."

Soon after, from the Queen Mother, to the Duke of Orleans, to Madame Lavalier, to Colbert, to the Count of Dardanhan...even the king's hairdresser and lace supplier were harassed by the constant stream of visitors— Because the Duke of Orleans committed atrocities in Lorraine and Alsace that even the devil should fear, yes, Lorraine and Alsace are now completely covered by the shadow of the Black Death, and those princes, lords and lords Ye may not all be willing to submit to the banner of the golden lily, and the power of the church is just around the corner.

At this time, the rumor that the Duke of Orleans has a "sacred relic" is still like a spark in the charcoal heap, which is constantly revived, and the Duke of Orleans did not even spend the slightest effort on it. It seems that he does not think that Fowlerville Castle will be It repeats itself again, but just when the ill-conceived villains think they have met an arrogant but foolish enemy, the Duke moves.

He now has a new army of about 5,000 people, and 8,000 of his vassals, a total of 13,000 troops. Even if he wants to start a king-to-king battle, it is enough, but he doesn't seem to care about getting the so-called so-called Instead, they pushed them out in a destructive way—first from Nancy to Verdun, then from Verdun to Tours, and then from Tours to Alsace… One On the way he saw no one, no matter how lofty his position, or his illustrious birth, or his prestige, because "no one can compare with the king's brother," he said, and gave the order , let the soldiers drive away anyone they saw - villages, towns, castles, even monasteries, churches without exception, and if anyone insisted on leaving, his soldiers set fire to the building, burning the building along with the people inside.

This kind of behavior is comparable to Vlad III, the former Grand Duke of Wallachia, but the human who was pierced by people and became a vampire prince was only a few hundred miles from the battlefield. The criminal law has executed thousands of Turkish prisoners, but the actions of the Duke of Orleans have caused a death toll no less than that of the Black Death. Not to mention how "shocked" the Roman church is, even some merciful scholars or lords would persuade him to stop this horrific behavior, and some even claim that the Duke has been possessed by the devil.

But they only dare to talk about it, just like the former Vlad III. Before his death, people said that he was a "kind and good man", and the Duke did so with his high-sounding reasons - now it has been proved, The fire is indeed the best way to deal with the Black Death. The flame will burn the seeds of the plague. He and his army are safe and sound. The absence of symptoms is the best proof, and... The people in Lorraine and Alsace treat him well. When gnashing their teeth with hatred, the French from the Verdun-Tours line gave the duke the position of half a saint, because the black death they feared was like a fire after the duke did this. The frost melted away like that.

In addition, the Duke of Orleans is not without measure. He did not wantonly massacre, but only forced the people of Lorraine and Alsace to flee and relocate. As for where they go, as long as they are not in France, he does not care, but just look at the map , you know that the closest place between Lorraine and Alsace is the Netherlands (Netherlands), the Holy Roman Empire, Switzerland and the Kingdom of Sardinia. There is no doubt that these countries will not allow the possibility of carrying plague seeds. The refugees entered the country, and one slaughter after another began, and interestingly, by this time, the duke of Orleans' malevolent reputation had waned and was no longer so loud.

  In the spring of the following year, the Duke of Orleans led the king's army and returned to Paris.

  ———

Hearing this news, King Charles II of England laughed. Since his coronation, he has lifted many Cromwell bans and allowed people to drink, dance and gamble. He also likes to hold various banquets and dances. , or take his courtiers to hunt, so he is called the King of Joy by the people, but anyone who sees this smile will never be able to say the word "joy".

His attendants bowed their heads and dared not look at their king. Under the happy skin of Charles II was a hideous face. Compared to Louis XIV, he was just a puppet, a prince, an elder, and a minister. Yes, and now the Church of Rome dares to threaten him - the Church of Rome has lost control of this huge diocese for nearly a hundred years since it was expelled from England by Henry VIII, and now, the rift between Charles II and the Parliament It seems that the flies also smelled the fishy smell, and they buzzed around, trying to **** blood from the wounded body.

   (end of this chapter)