I Am Louis XIV

After the fall of Lille, there were only 8,000 Spaniards left in Flanders, and there may be some Flanders who are inclined to the Spaniards and the British willing to join the former, but there may only be 3,000 Among them, the proportion of cavalry and musketeers is very small, and the composition of personnel is relatively complicated. Throughout July, the king of France used Lille as his main station, and his army used this to send troops to neighboring cities. Small towns such as Betina and Armandière launched an offensive to build this line of defense stronger, while the Prince of Condé and the Duke of Luxembourg in Luxembourg, and the Duke of Orleans in Dunkirk, were also victorious and triumphant all the way. , From the map hanging in the king's palace, it can be seen that three sharp arrows are heading unswervingly towards Brussels, which is also the center of Flanders, the laurels and the vitals.

The French army stayed in Lille, not as the Spaniards expected, not because of slackness, nor because of any serious blow, but ready to go—"The enemy of France," Louis said, holding a cup of hot coffee, Staring at the map, he said, "Not Brussels, not even Spaniards." He smiled derisively, "It's the Holy Roman Empire and the Roman Church."

While Louis's army swept through Flanders like a hurricane, the Holy Roman Empire was busy uniting all the enemies of France, and since the end of the Crusades, the political focus of the Roman Church had long shifted from France to France. In the Holy Roman Empire, although every current French king still inherits the name of "Pious Saint Louis", everyone knows that in view of the conflict between royal power and religious power, they can only be enemies.

However, if someone stands in front of this map, it is difficult to say that these countries and churches are worrying unfoundedly. First of all, the army led by the Duke of Orleans and the king's own army from Dunkirk directly threatened Brussels. Once Brussels is captured , then it is a matter of time before the complete fall of the Flanders region, and when we look up, we can see the Netherlands. The size of the Netherlands is similar to the current Flanders region, and although the British and French governments are enemies, Their kings are dear cousins ​​and friends. Although there is hatred between Britain and France, the war between the British and the Dutch is still in progress. The Netherlands can now vaguely gain the upper hand in the naval war with the United Kingdom. There is no way to fight against the powerful France on land. Karl XI is not yet in power. His mother is Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. Her family once ruled Denmark. Although Sweden and Norway have split now, she still won't be happy to see France continue to get Flanders, threaten the Netherlands, and then affect Denmark and Sweden, not to mention France's asylum to the former Queen Christina, She was powerful and self-willed, and reached an agreement with the envoy of the Holy Roman Empire directly over her son and the king.

The same is true of another country, Switzerland, because the area conquered by the Duke of Luxembourg and the Prince of Condé is not just a small Luxembourg. They first captured the Franche-Comté area, which also belongs to Spain. It is closely connected with Switzerland, and Switzerland has the same concerns as the Netherlands. They are also a small country and cannot resist the crushing of a giant tank like France.

Needless to say, the Holy Roman Empire, if Louis’s Battle of Flanders can achieve the desired results, then we can see how France spreads its arms and hugs the Holy Roman Empire intimately...

"What do you think I should do?" Louis said as if talking to himself, and gently tapped the map. The map of the seventeenth century is as splendid as the ceiling painting of the palace or the church. The patron saints Michael and Saint Denis, surrounded by colonnades, ribbons and flowers, below are the giants supporting the world, wearing a diamond ring on the king's finger, in the fourteenth century, the way diamonds were cut It is a sharp cut shape, which is the simplest octahedron shape, and then polished; until the fifteenth century, the table cut method originally used for emeralds was used for diamonds, that is, a sharp corner above the octahedron was ground off, and the rose The French cut appeared a hundred years ago, with twenty-four triangular facets and a base, and not so long ago, a Versailles jeweler proudly presented the king with one of his finely crafted pieces—the pillow. Brilliant cut, the prototype of the brilliant cut - a diamond that maximizes its brilliance and fire.

It covered almost one-third of the king's knuckles, and under the light of candles, it was as bright as a star. Bontang watched it move from Dunkirk to Ghent, from Ghent to Holland , moved from the Netherlands to Denmark, above Denmark is Sweden, "Did you know?" Louis said: "Ten years ago, I also liked hunting and riding." It would be better to say that the young king used this method to avoid the inevitable confrontation with the Queen Mother and Bishop Mazaran-this is not a matter of feelings, but, when you control the fate of a country, casually say, When a single order can change the fate of tens of thousands of people, it is hard not to want to do something... Bishop Mazaran and Queen Mother Anne may not have thought of ruling this country permanently, but they can also think that the king is still alive. Too young and naive to take on such a heavy responsibility.

And what about King Karl XI of Sweden? According to the previous intelligence, the people in Sweden do not have much dislike for the king, or they are also very clear that the king who manages this country is not the king, but the king who was born in 1655 is also 11 this year. At the age of 10, he realized as clearly as Louis when he was young that he did not have the qualifications and experience to control a country yet? Or do you harbor resentment and dissatisfaction, or do you simply not understand your situation?

As for that Hedwig Eleonora, perhaps because she came from such a family, her ambition is no less than that of a man. Although she has always claimed that she does not want to interfere in government affairs, the relationship between the king and the ministers She almost had to convey the conversation, and in terms of the king's education, he could only speak German, and he didn't know how to handle government affairs and foreign affairs at all-she couldn't compare to Queen Anne in this regard, and Queen Anne was real She seldom interferes in government affairs. She regards herself as an important weight, a strong shield, sheltering her young children and France from wind and rain. Playing, only loves to read, but did not deprive Louis of the right to sit in the study - and the queen mother did not even find a suitable teacher for her son.

Not to mention that the regent ministers will take this responsibility, they have a heavy workload, and sometimes they can't even think of the king in the court.

"Have Philip's agents come back here with any new information?"

"Only one letter has been delivered here today," Bontang said. The king returned to his desk and sat down. By the bright candlelight, he unfolded the document full of fine print. The spy was originally a Venetian. He got a lot of fresh goods from the king, such as dyes, glass, mirrors and sugar, corn, potatoes, etc., which made him one of the royal merchants of the Swedish court, mainly because of the long winter in Sweden It is also cold, so whether it is potatoes that are rich in starch and can be stored for a long time, or spirits made from corn, and caramel made from corn, they are very popular there-he has no qualifications to accompany Karl XI. , but it is not difficult to inquire about the hobbies of some kings - and it will not arouse too many people's suspicions. After all, as a businessman, it is very normal to ascertain the preferences of the superiors and thus tend to cater to them.

In return for him, like all children, Karl XI liked sweet corn syrup more than wine, and he was indeed strong. Although he was only eleven years old, he was already able to hunt stags. There were some young men who, as they ran about in the streets, were greeted with hats off, and the king returned them with loud shouts, and it was said that the king, who was not yet in power, might be more popular than he had ever been. Christina Queen is more.

He treats people kindly, has a warrior-like rudeness and straightforwardness, and has hardly seen him beating civilians and servants. He is also quite generous in rewarding his servants, and he doesn't care too much when spending in taverns and hotels. In addition to sometimes not being able to count the numbers, and although he also enjoys plays, it is difficult for him to understand the allusions and words in plays other than religious plays. It seems that in terms of book education, it is really too much. However, it is too short, so he relies heavily on the attendants around him, and often needs them to calculate and explain for him.

In addition, because he is only eleven years old, it is difficult to detect other things... On the back of the parchment, the secret agent left the latest portrait of the king with a sketch.

Louis asked Bontang to find for him the portrait of Karl XI that they collected before. The portrait may be younger than the sketch, but it is also dressed as a man instead of wearing a skirt. The characters in the portrait naturally passed by. Beautification, but compared with the sketch, it does not deviate too much, and what Louis cares about is not this. What he pays attention to is the face of Karl XI. There are many genetic or non-genetic diseases that can be presented on the face Even if the artist deliberately conceals it, the spy's sketch will tell the truth. From this point of view, Karl XI is a good-looking boy with well-proportioned hands and feet. There is no sign of chicken breasts or hunchback in his body, and he can ride a horse. , Hunting, said that he has no problems with his breathing and coordination, "Elizabeth." Louis said that his daughter is seven years younger than Karl XI, and is only four or five years old now, but the marriage contract between the country and the country has never been seen. Age, and for men and women, men are older than women, it is not a problem.

"It's just that I still hope that Elizabeth can be happy." Louis said in a letter to Queen Anne. Yes, he has decided to marry his daughter Elizabeth to Karl XI. The anti-French alliance between the Roman Empire and the Roman Church will be a huge blow, and it will be very successful. After all, if the Queen Mother and the King of Sweden have concerns, they are afraid of the behemoth of France, but if this behemoth can be with them As for in-laws, don’t forget that the mother family of the Queen Mother of Sweden split from Oldenburg in Denmark. What she is worried about is that France invades Denmark and then targets Sweden. But if France is willing to support Holstein What about the Danish dominion because of Oldenburg?

Against France, the best situation is to remain unchanged, support France, or even just remain neutral, then in the future Karl XI's territory is likely to return to the original size of Oldenburg, that is, Denmark, Sweden and Norway... ...who can not be tempted?

But before that, they still need to do one thing.

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Ms. Christina, the former queen of Sweden, resolutely abandoned the throne that she regarded as a burden. Although there were also aristocrats and Protestant churches contributing to the flames, as far as Louis saw, she soon regretted it. After the death of the tenth, her nephew was only five years old, so she declared that if Karl XI died, she would become queen of Sweden again. The problem is that Karl XI's health has been satisfactory. , has been traveling between Rome and Stockholm, and her reputation was damaged in Fontainebleau, so she was not welcomed and supported by the Romans or the Swedes. Fortunately, under the mediation of Louis, she was still able to get Although the tax money of one's own territory cannot be squandered, it is not a problem to maintain a decent life.

It's just that during this time, her behavior kept disappointing Louis. First of all, she didn't care about the reputation of women and the king. She let women perform dramas in her palace (it was like Yinluan at the time. behavior, even illegal in some places); maintained a long-term close relationship with some young scholars, actors, and a cardinal; she held a Catholic ceremony in a Protestant-dominated place, and was embarrassingly driven away by the locals ; and even set up an alchemy laboratory semi-openly... Yes, if she was just Ms. Christina, although these actions were not in line with the moral concepts of the people at that time, they had little to do with others, but since she was a Someone with ambitions for the throne, then such behavior is tantamount to slapping her supporters in the face.

Louis is not so embarrassed, but... If he can get a response from Sweden, he must also show his due gesture.