I Am Louis XIV

In Poland, in Ottoman Turkey, and in Russia, the roots of slavery still remain. If a Tatar leader says to the people he wants to be loyal to, we are all slaves of God, as if we are equal to a certain extent, then Anyone who hears this will definitely be unhappy - it shows that this Tatar is not a simple warrior.

Louis was interested in the Tatar leader not only because of the courage and danger he showed. He had been the king for so many years and had long known that anything that appeared in front of him would not be a coincidence. Where was he stationed? Everyone in Kamnik and even Slovenia, including the Ottoman Turks, knew it, let alone a Tatar under the command of such a Polish noble.

It is even possible that his actions were prompted by the great nobleman. Although the vassal vassal is not my vassal, if the king's ministers are magnanimous and intend to show favor to the king, they may also praise him. The knight was sent to the king.

Even so, the words of the Tatar leader still left Louis speechless for a while. He raised his hand to ask the Tatar leader to stand up and returned to his seat.

The leader of the Tatars raised his head and stood like a black cypress tree that had been struck by thunder and rain. He accompanied his master and saw many dignitaries. What was on the wall? He had seen the layers of silk carpets on the board, the silver cups and gold plates on the table, or the clothes and crowns inlaid with gems. He had also seen the women dressed in colorful furs and brocades surrounding the king. Minister, he has seen guards with halberds lined up on both sides of the road as neatly as knives and forks at a dining table. He has seen tents so big that they can cover the entire sky. He has seen horses, cattle and sheep swarming like clouds. Toward the sky, after they were slaughtered, their blood flowed like a river...

Before the Tatar leader came to Kamnik, he also knew that the French king was a powerful sultan or khan. The territory he commanded may not be as vast as Mohammed IV of Ottoman Turkey, but it was definitely To be more prosperous and unified - People have a wrong impression of Ottoman Turkey, that is, the Sultan can always do whatever he says. In fact, the Ottoman Empire is similar to the Roman Empire in the past. Because the territory is too vast, it has to adopt enfeoffments. Governors, generals, and officials ruled. Because the Sultan was also worried that these once loyal servants would develop undue ambitions because they had been in power for a long time, these pashas and viziers even came from Yeni. Cheri, who was promoted from the Sultan's slave soldiers.

Their power, glory, lives, and even their children were in the hands of the Sultan. Behind the golden windows of the meeting hall, the Sultan could execute any minister he felt was not loyal enough.

But the bad parts of human nature can never be eliminated by education, training or threats. Just like the envoys of Leopold I once mistakenly believed that the governor of Bosnia would sell Bosnia to them-if a Pascal If Xia or the vizier can get rid of servility and ignore the hostages in the hands of the sultan, if they make a desperate move, such a thing will not happen before...

What made the former master of the Tatars jealous was that King Louis XIV of France not only owned a huge country, but his power was also concentrated in his own hands just like Suleiman the Great in the past, and his ministers and generals were He was so loyal and willing to complete any task entrusted to him - even the current King of Poland, Ludwig I, Prince of Condé, obeyed the words of this king who could almost be his own son.

But when such a person rides the strong horse of France on the battlefield, no matter who it is, he will retreat. The previous owner of the Tatars still held some delusions before seeing Ludwig I. When he met Ludwig I, his heart succumbed to invisible pressure, because he didn't even dare to confront Ludwig I. How could he dare to scheme against the French king who could make the latter bend his knees? He asked the Tatars to come to the king as if they were sending a precious gift to flatter the king.

He guessed what Louis XIV was thinking, because France had lost interest in fighting the pagans since the last Crusade - instead it was very interested in the enemies of the Roman Church. Later, the alliance between France and Ottoman Turkey It can be traced back to the "Sacrilegious Alliance of Fleurs and Crescents" signed by Francois I and Suleiman I in 1536. Not to mention how much turmoil and scrutiny this alliance caused, the name alone tells you that the church How angry and uncomfortable.

It’s just that this alliance was destroyed during the Louis XIII period, because the Netherlands, Venice, and Britain also began to trade with Ottoman Turkey and gradually became weaker. The steel and coal that Ottoman Turkey desperately needed could be obtained from these three countries, and France could not. It doesn't matter anymore. At that time, the first and second Fronde civil strife broke out in France. Louis XIV later directed his sword at the country, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. It was normal to neglect Ottoman Turkey.

Therefore, to Louis, the Ottoman Turks were unfamiliar. Although Ludwig I provided as much information as he could, there was nothing better than a man who had followed the Polish nobles and fought against the Ottoman Turks for decades. The Tatars are much more useful.

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Grand Vizier Koprulu Ahmed was a strong young man. His father was the founder of the surname Koprulu in Istanbul. However, this arrogant Grand Vizier passed away in 61 years. Later, his son, Ahmed, took over his power and position. Unlike his father, he was humble, gentle and polite - of course, this is an adjective that some people find delicate. , because at least the Queen Mother and the Sultan in the palace would never think so - if he was really so gentle, he would have been torn apart by his father's political opponents.

But what worries the grand vizier is that he is similar to him in age. Sultan Muhammad IV, who was born in 42 AD, was obviously tired of being a mascot and decoration. He told a female slave that he longed to be like his great-great-grandfather, who could command eunuchs with just a gesture. Holding a long bow, he used the bowstring to hang the ministers who were discussing political affairs outside the golden window. Although he drank a lot of wine at that time, Ahmed knew that wine, a liquid brought by the devil, would only make people speak out about him. His true words will not make people go against his will.

This cannot be blamed on Mohammed IV. He is the sultan but has no power. Of course he will feel suppressed and betrayed.

As for the Queen Mother, of course, like any woman in the Sultan's harem, she was a slave girl plundered by pirates or the army. She became a human being because she was favored by Ibrahim I, but she was not like any other woman. A slave was so ungrateful that she didn't make a sound when her sultan was deposed and executed, so even if she was the one who promoted Koprulu, Koprulu would still warn Muhammad at the last moment Fourth, don’t listen to women.

Never listen to a woman, this is to prevent the Venetian Queen Mother from using the power of the Ottoman Turks to benefit the Christians.

Never let ministers have money, that's because once ministers have money, they will firstly not go to war for money, and secondly, they will become ambitious because of the wealth they hold.

Always keep the treasury full in order to cope with war. Nothing consumes more money than war.

Never let the army sit idle. Of course, in order for the Ottoman Turkish Sultans to rule this vast land, they needed countless armies. These armies are like swords hanging on the wall and dogs tied in cages. They cannot be used from time to time. When the ground is full of blood, they will bite their master out of hunger.

When Ahmed thought of this, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh. His tent was stationed at the center and highest point of the entire camp like the Sultan. Of course, it was impossible for a total of 250,000 people to all move together. Even if If they are willing, the roads and supplies will be overwhelmed, so the camp where Ahmed is located is mainly composed of the Yenicheri Army, the Sipachi Army and the vassal army of the servant country, that is, the Mutefirika Cavalry Regiment - later They are different from the Yenicheri Army and the Sipachi Army. They almost all come from the noble territories conquered by the Ottoman Turks. They are both hostages and soldiers, with generous salaries, and are dressed like the Janissaries. Uniform.

The roles of these two legions were similar to Louis XIV's Dragoons and Guards, with horses, retinues and the latest weapons and equipment - such as muskets and artillery. They will never appear on the battlefield at the beginning of the official war, and these tasks will be handed over to the infantry and cavalry at the bottom.

These low-status cavalry mainly came from Wallachia. Moldavia and the Transylvania we are familiar with-Wallachia was also well known in this era, thanks to the former Wallachia. Vlad III, the Grand Duke of Guia, ruled what is now Romania from 1456 to 1462. As a devout Christian, he was extremely fond of impaling his pagan enemies. At most, 20,000 prisoners were impaled. He was impaled on a spear and died in agony. Their bodies followed the road from the battlefield to the gate of his castle. It is said that some of the enemies who saw this scene were so frightened that they turned and ran away.

However, since the death of the Grand Duke, Wallachia has returned to the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Now it and the other two regions are the most important vassal states of the empire. According to the law of the Sultan, in addition to the usual blood tax and the obligations of the lord, Once there is a war, men in local herdsmen families will also have to perform military service. Of course, they cannot compare with the Yenicheri Corps and Mutefirika Cavalry Regiment. Their horses and weapons are all configured by themselves. The color of the clothes is even more mixed and chaotic.

They are like a circle of colorful ribbons surrounding the camp. Outside are the gray and black Azaps, the humblest infantrymen. Most of them are farmers or craftsmen, but for recruitment, they are just like those who suppress The Tatars of Remia are not very disgusted, because they want to take this opportunity to plunder. As long as they can go home, the proceeds of their plunder can often make a family live prosperously and smoothly for several years.

Tatars seem to be the same everywhere. Among Polish Tatars and Crimean Tatars, only a few Tatar leaders can own horses, tents, precious metal utensils and jewelry, as well as muskets. The Tatars can't even afford horses, but they are the bravest vanguards on the battlefield - they are just as good at bows and arrows as their ancestors, and their arrows are no softer than musket bullets. .

These Tatars are scattered around the camp, like tassels hanging from the edge of a woman's skirt. Similar but keeping a distance from these Tatars are the Cossacks, these "free people", who have no faith, no family, no surname, but they know how to fight using large vehicle formations linked by horse-drawn carriages - so they are responsible for some small artillery, ordnance and supplies, and also know how to fight in rivers and lakes, although this may not be used in this battle Special skills.

There are also some Kurds on the plateau, Mamluks in Egypt, and even Venetians, Hungarians, Italians, and Austrians, because starting from Suleiman I, knights can remain as long as they are willing to fight for the Sudan. Because of their own beliefs, there are many Catholics and Protestants who are willing to serve the pagans. However, once they are killed in battle, their families can only receive a very small reward, so they have to fight bravely to prevent their children from He and his wife ended up with nothing.

In addition to soldiers, vassal states and servant states also need to provide materials to the empire-timber, muskets, horses, mineral metals, asphalt, sulfur, nitrates, etc., and after the army sets off, it will inevitably have a heavy impact on food like a tide. However, even if these countries are willing to spend all they have, they still cannot afford the weight of an army of 200,000. Therefore, Ahmed not only recruits businessmen to provide supplies for the army, but also intends to plunder food and food from the villages and cities he passes through. Money is used to ensure that the soldiers will not only not mutiny, but also be full of desire for the upcoming war.

But they did so. After coming out of the Ottoman Turkish occupation area, this pagan army launched a bloody carnival. Everywhere they went was a mess. Amidst the howls, hungry wolves swarmed. So far, not even a single intact bone was left behind after leaving, only stains of blood indicating what kind of tragedy had happened here.

So what do people in Istanbul think of Sudan's Grand Vizier Ahmed, who is considered a kind and good man? Of course he was very satisfied.

This situation continued until the third city.

It was a ghost town.