Chapter 53 Chapter 51 Sir

All this while the cardinal waited for news from England, but received nothing but unpleasant or ominous circumstances. Notwithstanding the siege of La Rochelle, and though the success may have appeared certain thanks to the precautions taken, and above all to the fact that the dikes stopped all ships from entering the besieged town, the blockade might be prolonged; A great disgrace to the army, and a great trouble to the cardinal, for, indeed, he no longer had to mess with Louis XIII and Anna Austria, because it was done; but he now It is necessary to reconcile Bassombierre, because Mr. Bassombierre has become the deadly enemy of the Duke of Angoulême.

As for the king's younger brother, he was the commander of the siege from the beginning, and now he left it to the cardinal to finish it carefully. Although the mayor of the city of La Rochelle put up a strong and stubborn resistance, some people in the city rose up and tried to surrender; the mayor ordered all troublemakers to be hanged.This repression quelled the troublemakers, who then resolved to starve themselves to death.In their view, starvation is always slower than strangulation, and starvation is not guaranteed. As for the siege, from time to time they caught some of La Rochelle's spies on Buckingham's side, or Buckingham's spies on La Rochelle's side.Whether it is the former or the latter, the conviction is quick.At the execution, Mr. Cardinal said only one sentence: Hang him!He always invited the king to watch the hanging.The king came listlessly to the scene, sat on the throne, and watched the execution carefully, which relieved him somewhat, so that he could sit in the city patiently; but all this did not relieve his boredom, nor He had the idea of ​​returning to Paris any moment; and therefore, had it not been for the spies and spies caught, his lordship would be in a very embarrassing position, whatever the cardinal's faculties of imagination.

But time passed, and the city of La Rochelle did not raise a white flag. The latest spy caught by the French side carried a letter.The letter made it clear to Buckingham that the city was at the end of its rope, and that there was nothing left to support it; but it did not follow: If your reinforcements do not come within fifteen days, and if they do come, we shall all starve to death. So the people of La Rochelle pinned all their hopes on Buckingham.Buckingham was their savior.It was evident that their courage would crumble, along with their hope, when they were sure to learn that nothing more was to be expected of Buckingham.

The cardinal therefore waited impatiently for news from England that Buckingham would not come to his aid. The use of force to seize the city was sometimes debated at the Royal Council, but this proposal has never been passed; firstly, the city of La Rochelle seems invincible, and secondly, no matter what the cardinal says, he knows very well that in this battle the French will attack The bloody terror of the French at war would be another political act that went down in history sixty years ago.The Cardinal was then, as he is called today, a great man who moved history forward.In fact, today, in 1628, La Rochelle was sacked and three or four thousand Huguenot Protestants were killed, no more than the number of Protestants killed in the massacre of St. Barthelemy in 1572. , roughly the same, and the king is devoutly Catholic, he will never be disgusted with this extreme method.But this extreme measure was always stranded in the face of the arguments of the besieging generals, who asserted that La Rochelle was invulnerable except by starvation.

The cardinal was mentally incapable of getting rid of the predicaments that had engulfed him in the mind of his formidable emissary, for he himself had long known the fickle nature of this woman, who was now like a serpent and now like a lion.She betrayed?she died?He knew her quite well, and anyway, he knew that whether it was for him or against him, whether it was a friend or an enemy at this time, as long as there were no major obstacles, she would not stay in one place without moving, and this was exactly the reason. What he cannot know. But again he counted on Milady intellectually: he had already guessed the horrors of this woman's past, which only his red cloak could cover, and he felt that she, for whatever reason, was not to him. All should be loyal, because only in him can she find a certain kind of support that is much greater than the danger that threatens her.

So the cardinal decided to fight alone, and I waited for every unexpected success like people wait for a happy fate.He continued to send men to raise the embankment that would starve the people of La Rochelle; while he waited, he looked at the city of countless catastrophes and great wisdom, as if he himself were Rob Like the forerunner of Speer, he remembered the words of his political forerunner Louis XI, and at this moment he hummed softly the adage of Tristan, Louis XI's collaborator: Divide and conquer. In the past, when Henry IV besieged Paris, he sent people to throw bread and food from the city wall; this time, the cardinal sent people to throw some small leaflets. Behaving unjustly, selfishly, and barbarously; for these chiefs have plenty of wheat in store, but they don't give it to them; and those chiefs are passing a code, for they have their own code, too, that women, children, and old people starve to death It doesn't matter, as long as the men defending the city are strong and strong.Since then, either out of devotion to resistance or impotent restraint, the maxim, though not generally carried out, has passed from theory to practice; the cardinal's leaflet has had an effect.The flyer reminded men that those children, women and old people who starved to death were their sons, wives and fathers, and it was more fair and reasonable for everyone to share difficulties, because only when we help each other can we work together.

These leaflets had all the effect their writers could hope for, and finally persuaded many of the inhabitants to enter into private negotiations with the King's army. The cardinal, seeing that his device had come to fruition, was applauding at its usefulness, when a subject of La Rochelle passed through the gate of Bassumbière, under the watchful eye of the cardinal. The defense line of the king's army closely guarded by Er, Schoenberg and the Duke of Angoulême.How the man from La Rochelle got through God only knows.He dived back from Portsmouth and entered La Rochelle, and said he saw with his own eyes a magnificent warship ready to set sail in eight days.He also said that Buckingham had informed the mayor of La Rochelle that a grand alliance against France was about to be proclaimed, and that the triple alliance of England, Austria, and Spain would send troops to France at the same time.The letter was read publicly in all the squares, copied and posted in the streets, so that even those who had begun peace talks broke off and decided to wait for the announcement of such an encouraging relief.

This unexpected situation aroused Richelieu's initial anxiety, forcing him to involuntarily turn his eyes to the other side of the strait again. During this period, only the real head of the army was disturbed, while the soldiers of the king's army lived a happy life; Adventurous excursions on dikes or at sea, some of them breaking their fortunes and looking for flowers, and not caring about such indecent and dirty things, were the amusement of the whole army to pass the time.Not only the hungry and worried townspeople, but even the cardinal, eager to seal them off, could see it. Sometimes, like the last gendarme in the army, the cardinal, riding on his horse, glanced thoughtfully at the project of the embankment, which he had recruited from all over the kingdom of France to build according to his orders.As far as his wishes were concerned, the progress of the project was slow.At this time, if he met one of the musketeers of Treville Company, he would go up and look at it with a strange look; when he recognized that it was not one of the four companions, he would combine that deep look with That endless meditation moved elsewhere.

One day, because there was no hope of negotiating with the people in the city, and because there was no news from the English side, the cardinal was upset, so he walked out of the camp gate. Accompanied by Laoudinier and two, he walked along the beach, and the boundless sea accompanied his infinite meditation.He reined in the horses and climbed a hill; from the top of the hill he caught a glimpse of seven men lying on the sand behind a hedge, surrounded by empty wine bottles, leisurely enjoying a patch of sunshine so rare at this time of year.Four of these seven were our musketeers, and were about to read a letter which one of them had just received.The letter was so important that they threw all the cards and dice on a bronze drum.

Three others, attendants of the four gentlemen, were busy uncorking a large bottle of Collioure. We have just said that the cardinal is in a bad mood, and when he is in this state of mind, nothing can add to his gloom more than the sight of other people's happiness, and he has a strange prejudice, he always He thinks that other people's happiness is what arouses his gloom.He motioned for Laoudinier and Cahussac to stop, got off his horse, and walked towards the suspicious and cheerful people.He hoped that the sound of his footsteps would be softened by the sand, and that the hedges would hide his walking figure.It seemed to him that he might be able to hear a fragment of the other person's conversation that interested him; and when he was ten paces from the hedge he heard the chatter of the Gascon d'Artagnan, He already knew that these were the musketeers, so he had no doubt that the others were the three other people who were always said to be inseparable, namely Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.We shall judge whether his desire to eavesdrop on the conversation was aggravated by this discovery; there was a strange expression in his eyes, and the quickness of his steps as he walked towards the hedge; but still he heard only a few indistinct There was no syllable of any substance; at that moment he was startled by a loud and short cry, which attracted the attention of the musketeers.

sir!cried Grimer. You speak, I believe, the devil, said Athos, rising on one arm, and overwhelmed Grimer with his fiery eyes. Then Grimer said nothing more, but pointed to the other side of the hedge with his beckoning hand, and this finger also pointed out the cardinal and his two attendants. All four musketeers stood up and saluted respectfully. The cardinal looked annoyed. It seems that gentlemen musketeers are going to send guards!Will the British come overland, he said, or do the musketeers consider themselves high officers? My lord, answered Athos; and in the general panic he alone always preserved his gentlemanly composure and coolness, which was never lost, my lord, when the musketeers are absent from their duties, or when theirs is at an end, they always To drink two cups and play dice, and to its servants, they are high magistrates. servant!The cardinal muttered, when someone passed by, the servants all had passwords to notify their masters, could this be a servant? This is simply a sentinel! But His Excellency sees very well that, if we do not take this precaution, we shall run the risk of being disrespectful when Your Majesty passes by, and shall not be able to express our gratitude to Your Excellency for allowing us to be reunited.D'Artagnan, Athos then changed the subject. Didn't you just want to find an opportunity to thank your lord? Now the opportunity has come, so take advantage of it. These words were calmly spoken, showing that Athos was not afraid of danger, and this impeccable courtesy made him sometimes a more dignified king than a born king. D'Artagnan stepped forward and stammered a few words of thanks, but under the gloomy gaze of the cardinal, his words of thanks stopped at the beginning. Never mind, gentlemen, continued the cardinal; he has not changed his mind in the slightest by the episode that Athos has brought out, never mind, gentlemen, but I don't like common soldiers, having the honor to serve in a privileged army, that's all Put on the big shot, discipline is the same. Athos allowed the cardinal to fully express himself, nodded his head in agreement, and continued: My lord, we have not forgotten discipline, I hope so.We are not on duty, and we think that since we are not on duty, we can spend our time as we please.If we are honored, His Excellency the Bishop gives us any special orders, we will obey them immediately.When your lord saw it, Athos grew impatient with the disciplinary questioning, so he frowned and went on saying, your lord saw it, and we came out with weapons in order to meet the smallest alarm at any time. He pointed to the four muskets that stood next to the bronze drum on which cards and dice were strewn. Believe me, Your Excellency, interposed d'Artagnan, if we could have thought that His Excellency was coming to us, we would have greeted His Excellency of our own accord. The cardinal bit his beard, and then lightly bit his lower lip. You are always together, as you are now, armed and guarded by servants, do you know what you look like?You are like four conspirators, said the cardinal. oh!Come to this, my lord, it is true, said Athos, as the bishop saw the other morning, we are secretly working together, but only against the people of La Rochelle. snort!Gentlemen of statesmen, the cardinal also frowned and said, "When you see me coming, hide that letter. If I can read what's in your mind the way you read the letter, I might read it." I found that there are many secrets in your mind that no one knows. A red cloud flew over Athos's face, and he took a step closer to His Excellency. It seems that you really suspect us, my lord, and we seem to be undergoing a veritable interrogation; if so, please explain to Your Eminence, and at least let us know what is the matter with us. If it was an interrogation, the cardinal continued, all but you, Monsieur Athos, have had it, and they have all answered it. Therefore, I have told Your Excellency that although your Excellency interrogates, we are always ready to answer. What letter have you just read, Mr. Aramis?Why hide it? A letter from my wife, my lord. oh!I think so, said the cardinal, that letters of this kind should be kept secret; but they may be shown to a confessor, and I have been ordained. , you know that. My lord, Athos said with terrible calmness; he took the risk of his head to answer, so his calmness was all the more terrible, my lord, it was a letter from a woman, but the signature of the letter was neither Marion‧ Lorme (Note: Marion Lorme, concubine of the court of Louis XIII.), nor Mrs. Aegiron (Note: niece of Cardinal Richelieu.). The cardinal's face was pale as death, and a fierce gleam shone from his eyes; he turned his head, as if to give orders to Cahussac and Laoudinier.Athos saw the move; he took a step towards the muskets which the three friends were watching, and he could see that they, too, were very reluctant to be caught.The Cardinal outnumbered them four to one; the Musketeer and his valet made seven of them.The cardinal considered that Athos and his companions would be outnumbered if they really took action; so he melted that anger into a smile with the skill of instant adaptability. alright!He said, you are all upright young men, upright in the sun and loyal in the dark; if you can defend others well, then there is no harm in defending yourself; gentlemen, I have not forgotten that late night, and it was you who escorted me The Red Dovecot Inn, if there is any apprehensive danger on my way, I will ask you to accompany me; but as there is no danger, please stay where you are, and drink up your bottles. Liquor, bet your money, play your cards, goodbye, everyone. The cardinal mounted the horse Caussac had brought him, saluted the musketeers, and walked away. The four young men stood there without moving, silently watching the cardinal go away until he disappeared without a trace. Then, they looked at each other. Every one of them showed a look of astonishment, for although His Excellency said a friendly farewell, they understood that the cardinal went away full of anger. Only Athos smiled, and his smile was bright and tinged with contempt.As the cardinal stepped out of sound and sight he said: This Grimmer called too late!Athos really wanted to get angry with someone. Grimer was about to reply that he was sorry when Athos raised his hand, and Grimer fell silent. Did you ever hand over the letter, Aramis?asked d'Artagnan. I, said Aramis in a measured tone, I have made up my mind: if he insists on the letter, I will hand it to him with one hand, and with the other I will plunge the sword into his chest. I wanted to do the same, said Athos, and that is why I came between you and him.To be honest, this man is really careless, how can he talk to others like that, it seems that he has only dealt with women and children. My dear Athos, said d'Artagnan, I admire you; but we are wrong. What, we are wrong!Athos asked rhetorically, to whom does the air we breathe belong?To whom does this sea in which we swim and gallop belong?Who does this beach we lie on belong to?To whom does this letter from your mistress belong?Does it all belong to the cardinal?On my reputation, this man thinks the world is his; and you stood there, stammering, trembling, and dejected, as if the Bastille stood before you, as if the dreaded Medusa Because of offending Athena, her hair turned into a poisonous snake and her face became extremely ugly. Anyone who looked at her would be turned into stone. Later, she was killed by the hero Perseus and cut off her head as a sacrifice to Athena. as ornaments.) will turn you into stone.Could it be that being a lover counts as engaging in conspiracy?You love a woman locked up by the cardinal, and you want to rescue this woman from the cardinal's hand; this is the game you play with the cardinal, and this letter is your hole card , why do you show your hole cards to your opponent?Things can't be done like this.Let him guess, that's great!We have already guessed his cards, we! Indeed, said d'Artagnan, what you say is true, Athos. In this case, what happened just now will not be mentioned again, and Aramis will take out his cousin's letter again, and read it from the place where Mr. Cardinal interrupted. Aramis took out the letter from his pocket, and the other three friends came forward again, and the other three servants gathered around the pot-bellied wine bottle again to drink. You have only read a line or two, said d'Artagnan, so start over from the beginning. All right, said Aramis. Dear cousin, I believe I shall decide to go to Stenay, where my sister has sent our little maid to be sent to a Carmelite convent; , the salvation of her soul cannot but be at stake.However, if our household affairs are organized as we wish, I'm sure she'll risk hell to get back to those she's attached to, and she'll know better that someone is thinking of her .During this time she was not too unfortunate, for all she desired with all her heart was a letter from the one she loved.I know that it is difficult to get this kind of spiritual food through the iron bars; but anyway, as I have already told you, my dear cousin, I am not too stupid, and I will certainly undertake the task.My sister thanks you for the wonderful and timeless keepsake giveaway.She had had a period of great uneasiness, but was somewhat relieved as she had sent her clerk to the Abbey in case of accident. Goodbye, dear cousin, message as often as you can, that is, whenever you think you can be sure. hug you Mary Misson ah!How thankful I am to you, Aramis?cried dArtagnan, dear Constance!I have news of her at last; she is alive, she is safe in a monastery, she is in Sternai!Do you know the way to Stenay, Athos? A few leagues from the frontier; as soon as the siege is cleared, we can go that way. It won't be long, there should be hope, said Porthos, because a spy was hanged this morning, and the guy said the La Rochelles were eating shoe uppers.I reckon they're going to nibble the soles when they've finished eating the uppers, and I don't see how much they've got left to eat after they've eaten the soles, unless they cannibalize each other. Poor fool!Athos drank a glass of high-end Bordeaux wine while talking. This wine was not as famous as it is today, but it was called a high-end wine at that time, poor fool!It seems that Catholicism is not the most beneficial and lovable religion among religions!Anyway, licking the roof of his tongue with his tongue, he added with a click, those are honest people.Well, what are you doing there, Aramis?Athos went on, "Have you pocketed that letter?" Yes, said d'Artagnan, Athos was right, and it should be burned; besides, who knows if Monsieur the Cardinal has the skill to interrogate ashes? Perhaps he will have some skill, said Athos. But what do you want to do with that letter?asked Porthos. Come here, Grimer, cried Athos. Grimmer rose obediently. To punish you for speaking without permission, my friend, eat this paper at once; and then, to reward you for your service to us, drink this glass of wine; here's the letter, chew it hard. Grimer smiled, fixed his eyes on the full glass of wine that Athos had just poured out, ground up the letter, and swallowed it. Well done, Master Grimmer!Athos said, now drink up the glass, and the thank you will be spared. Grimmer drank the glass of Bordeaux wine in silence, and while enjoying the glass of fine wine, his upturned eyes, although silently watching, spoke with a kind of gratitude. Well now, said Athos, unless Monsieur the Cardinal is cunning enough to have Grimmer's stomach opened, we may be at ease. During this time, His Excellency the Cardinal continued to walk desolately, and the mouth hidden in the beard murmured to himself: I made up my mind to let these four people belong to me.