Chapter 45 Chapter 43 The Red Dovecote Inn

The king was very eager to be in front of the enemy's army, and he had more reason than the cardinal to attack Buckingham with the enemy, so as soon as he arrived at the barracks, he wanted to plan all the military deployments, first to expel the British army from the Isle of Ray, and then to intensify the siege of La Rochelle; However, contrary to expectations, the king's strategic deployment was delayed by the open and secret struggle between the two gentlemen Bassompiper and Schonberg and the Duke of Angoulême. Both Mr. Bassumbierre and Mr. Schoenberg were French marshals. They both demanded to follow the king's order and take command of the army; but the cardinal was afraid that Bassumbierre would still convert to the Huguenots in his heart. La Rochelle, a brother of the same religion, was merciful, so he elected the Duke of Angoulême instead, and urged the king to appoint Angoulême as regent first.But he was afraid that Bassumbierre and Schonberg would lose the morale of the army, so he had to divide the military power among the three: Bassumbierre was in charge of the northern camp from Lale to East Pierre; the Duke of Angoulême guarded the army. The eastern camp from Pierre du East to Perigne; Schoenberg in charge of the southern camp from Perigny to Angourdin.

The king's younger brother Xingyuan was stationed in East Pierre. The king's palace is sometimes in Etret, sometimes in Jali. Finally, the camp of the cardinal was set up on the sand dunes in Shiqiaotun, with simple and undefended barracks. In such an arrangement, the king's younger brother watched Bassumbierre; the king watched the Duke of Angoulême; and the cardinal watched Schonberg. After the deployment, all parties immediately planned to expel the British army from Le Island. The situation is very favorable: the soldiers and horses have not moved, and the food and grass go first. Only with sufficient supplies can the army be strong and strong; at this time, the British army only eats bacon and poor biscuits to survive, so the number of sick people in the barracks has increased sharply; The coast of the ocean is in a time of treacherous winds and waves, and every day there must be a break of the mast. From Cape Aegion to the ditch, when the tide recedes, there are wrecks of all kinds of ships on the beach; Buckingham, who stubbornly defended the Isle of Ley, would sooner or later break out and retreat.

But Monsieur Tuiras reported that a new attack was brewing in the enemy camp, and the King decided that everything should be cut off, and he gave the necessary orders for a decisive battle. It is not our intention to write a diary of the siege, but merely to relay the events connected with the history we narrate, and we shall sum up the situation in two sentences: The success of the military operation greatly shocked the King and greatly honored the Cardinal.The British army retreated steadily, was beaten everywhere in the encounter, and was completely wiped out when they passed the Loax Island. 250 captains, and 20 high-ranking servants in the palace; four cannons and 60 military flags were left behind. These military flags were later brought back to Paris by Claude Saint-Simon, and hung in Paris in a magnificent manner Over the arches of Notre Dame.

There was a hymn of thanksgiving in the barracks, and the song was heard from the barracks to all France. The cardinal has been sitting firmly in the head coach who continues to besiege the city, at least for the time being, without worrying about the threat from the British army. But, as we have just said, the break is only temporary. Following the arrest of the Duke of Buckingham's envoy, it was learned that the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, England and Lorraine had formed an alliance. The spearhead of this alliance was France. Moreover, Buckingham did not imagine that he was so soon compelled to desert the camp, and that the French found in his coffers documents confirming this alliance, and, as the cardinal testifies in his memoirs, These papers had a great deal to do with Mrs. Scheverus, and so involved the Queen.

The bearer of all the responsibilities is the cardinal, because the one who does not take responsibility is not the prime minister who monopolizes the power; therefore, this resourceful and broad genius works nervously day and night, and pays attention to listening to the promotion from a certain European kingdom. the tiniest sound. The cardinal was well aware of Buckingham's capacity for action, and especially of the hatred he harbored; his own influence would be ruined if he threatened the victory of the French alliance: Spanish policy and Austrian policy were still in the Louvre. There were only a few believers, but there must have been representatives; and he, Richelieu, Minister of France, eminent Prime Minister, was over.The king is obsequious to him like a child, and hates him like a child hates his teacher. He will definitely abandon him in the future and let his brother and queen take revenge on him. Then he will surely fall, and France may accompany him. He is going to ruin together, so he must put all his eggs in one basket, bet it will win or lose.

Therefore, people found that in the camp in Shiqiaotun where the cardinal stayed, the number of messengers increased with time, day and night, in an endless stream. Some of these were monks, recognizable by their shambolic cassocks, members of the Church of the Battle; Plump bodies; and finally some peasants with dark hands, but slender legs and feet, who smelt of nobility for a mile around, Secondly, there were other people who were not so pleasantly present, for repeated reports came that the cardinal had come close to being murdered. To tell the truth, the enemies of his lord's cardinal say that his lord's lord himself unleashed a band of clumsy assassins, so as to have the power to retaliate if necessary;

The cardinal's personal prowess, never questioned even by his most insane detractors, did not prevent the cardinal from making frequent night outings, sometimes to the Duke of Angouleme. To convey important orders, sometimes to discuss state affairs with the king, and sometimes to meet with a certain envoy, because he does not want people to enter his palace. Let's talk about the Musketeers.During the siege, the musketeers had nothing to do, no one strictly controlled them, and lived happily.This was all the more convenient for our three companions, since they were friends with Treville, they could easily obtain permission from him to hang out and stay until the barracks were closed before returning to the camp.

So, one night, d'Artagnan was on duty in the trenches, and could not accompany his three friends, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis; Come back to the tavern, which Athos discovered two days ago on the Jali road, and they call it the Red Dovecote Inn.They proceeded along the road leading to the camp, taking up positions, as we have just said, for fear of being ambushed.At this moment, when they were about a quarter of a league from the village of Boisnal, they thought they heard the sound of horses' hoofs coming towards them, and the three friends reined in their horses, drew close together, and occupied the middle of the road, waiting for the approacher. .After a while, just as the moon came out of the clouds, they found two horses appearing at the corner of a road. The two horses caught a glimpse of the three of them, and reined in their horses, as if they were negotiating whether to move on or turn around.This hesitation aroused suspicion among the three friends, and Athos advanced a few steps, and exclaimed in a decisive tone:

Password! your password?replied one of the two riders. This is not an answer!Athos said, Password?Please call back before we shoot. Be careful what you do, gentlemen!The trembling voice seemed to have the habit of ordering. This is the senior officer on the night patrol, said Athos. What do you want, gentlemen? Who are you?The same voice asks in the same tone of command, and now it is your turn to answer, or you will be punished for disobedience. The king's musketeer, said Athos; and now he was more and more convinced that this man who interrogated them had a right to question them thus.

Which company? Trevellian. Follow orders and move forward, and report to me what you are doing here and now. The three companions walked over dejectedly, and now they all believed that they had met a master, so they let Athos act as their spokesperson. One of the two riders, the one who spoke for the second time, was ten paces ahead of his companion; Athos made a sign to Porthos and Aramis to step back, and he himself stepped forward. Sorry, sir!We really don't know who we're dealing with, said Athos, and you can see we're very guarded. Your Name?asked the officer who half-hid his face with his cloak.

Please state your name first, sir, Athos is disgusted by this investigation, and please produce evidence that you have the right to interrogate me. Your Name?The rider asked a second time; he dropped his cloak, revealing his veiled face. Mister Cardinal!The Musketeer cried out in amazement. Your Name?His Excellency the Cardinal asked for the third time. Athos, said the Musketeer. The cardinal gestured to the squire, who approached. Let the three musketeers follow us, he whispered, I don't want to be known that I'm out of camp; with them I'm sure they won't tell anyone. We are all court guards, my lord, said Athos, do as you command, and do not fear anything.Thank God we know how to keep secrets. The cardinal's eyes were piercing, penetrating the bold interlocutor before him. Your hearing is very good, Monsieur Athos, said the Cardinal, but now, listen clearly: it is not out of distrust that I invite you to go with me, but for my safety: your two companions are probably Messrs. Porthos and Aramis? Yes, my lord, said Athos; and at this moment the two musketeers who were behind approached with hats in their hands. I know you, gentlemen, said the Cardinal, I know you!I know that you are not exactly my friends, and I am not happy about it, but I know that you are all brave and loyal court guards, and I can rely on you.Mr. Athos, I beg you and your two friends to accompany me, so that if we meet His Majesty the King, he will envy me for having such a guard. The three musketeers bowed and lowered their heads, sticking to the horse's neck and saluting. Well, on my honor, said Athos, it makes sense that His Excellency will take us with him.We've met some nasty looking people on the way, and even had a fight with four of them at the Red Dovecote Inn. Had a fight, why is that, guys?The cardinal asked, I don't like fighting, you know that! It is for this reason that I ask His Excellency to allow me to report what has just happened; because His Excellency may have learned of the situation from others besides us, and may think that our fault was due to the error of the message. What happened to that one?asked the cardinal, frowning. Well, my friend Aramis has a small sword wound on the arm, but His Excellency can see that if His Excellency orders him to climb the city tomorrow, this small wound will not prevent him from charging forward. But you are not the kind to be cut with a sword at will, said the cardinal. Be honest, gentlemen, and you can fight back hard; admit it, you know, I have a right exempt from punishment. Me, my lord, said Athos, I did not even use my sword, but took my adversary by the waist, and threw him from the window; Toss hesitated a moment, then continued as if he had broken his thigh. ah!ah!What about you, Mr. Porthos, said the cardinal? Me, my lord, I knew that dueling was forbidden, so I grabbed a stool and threw it at one of the robbers, bruising his shoulder, I think. Well, said the Cardinal, what about you, Mr. Aramis? Me, my lord, since I am very gentle in nature, and my lord may not know it, I am about to convert to religion, so when I was about to pull my companions away, one of the villains didn't know what to do and pierced me with a sword my left arm: so my patience was exhausted, and I drew my sword; as he sprang at me again, I believe I also felt that his body was pierced by my sword, but I knew very well that he Just fell down, and it seemed to me that someone carried him away with his two other companions. Too much, gentlemen!The cardinal said, there was a dispute in the bar, and the three of them lost their combat effectiveness. You have done it hard enough; but what did you do it for? The rascals were drunk, said Athos, and they knew a woman was staying in the hotel at night, so they tried to break in. Break in!Why break down the door, said the cardinal? Surely wanted to do violence to the woman, said Athos, and I had the honor to tell His Excellency that those wretches were drunk. Is that woman young and beautiful?asked the cardinal with some unease. We have not seen her, my lord, said Athos. You did not see her.ah!Well, said the Cardinal hastily, you have done well to protect a woman's honor, and I myself am going to the Red Dovecote, and I shall know whether what you have told me is true. My lord, said Athos boldly, we are all court guards, in order to save our heads, we dare not lie. So I do not doubt what you say to me, Mr. Athos, not for a moment, but, changing the subject, said the lady alone?The lady was shut up with a knight, said Athos, but, in spite of the noise, the knight did not appear, and it may be presumed that he was a coward. Don't jump to conclusions, the Gospels say, the cardinal retorted. Athos bowed. Well now, gentlemen, continued His Excellency the Cardinal, I know what I want to know; come with me. The three musketeers turned around behind the cardinal. He raised his cloak to cover his face again, reined in his horse, kept a distance of eight to ten steps from the four followers behind him, and walked forward. In a short time, they came to the lonely inn; perhaps the owner knew that there would be a distinguished guest, so he had already dismissed the pestering people. Ten steps away from the door, the cardinal signaled his attendants and the three musketeers to stop on the spot. A well-saddled and bridle horse was tied in front of the shutter. The cardinal knocked three times, but in a peculiar way. A man wrapped in a cloak went out at once, exchanged a quick word with the cardinal, then mounted his horse again and galloped in the direction of Surgers, that is, towards Paris. Come forward, gentlemen, said the cardinal. You speak the truth to me, my guards, he said to the Three Musketeers, It is not up to me whether it is good for us to meet tonight; wait, come with me. The cardinal saddled and dismounted, and the three musketeers dismounted; the cardinal threw the bridle to his squire, and the three musketeers tied their respective horses to the shutters. The innkeeper stood at the door; the cardinal seemed to him no more than an officer visiting a lady. Do you have room downstairs?Let these gentlemen wait for me by the fire in comfort.asked the cardinal. The innkeeper opened the door of a hall where, by coincidence, the bad iron stove had just been removed and a large, beautiful fireplace had just been replaced. I have this hall, replied the innkeeper. Very well, said the Cardinal, come in, gentlemen, and please wait for me, I shall not exceed half an hour. When the three musketeers were about to enter the downstairs hall, the cardinal, like a man who didn't need guidance from others, went straight up the stairs without asking for more information.