I Am Louis XIV

Although he has grown up, it may take a long time for the crown prince, little Louis, to realize the profound meaning of Louis XIV's words - this is an era when people still cannot understand what a unified country and nation is, let alone fight and die for it. , which involves various issues regarding democracy (not modern democracy) that have been deeply rooted in people's hearts since ancient Greece and ancient Rome, enfeoffment, and the constant conversion of territorial ownership (as large as a country) due to marriage, war, and even sales.

Why did Louis XIV build the Palace of Versailles? Why did he establish four academies of art after the great victory over Flanders and the Netherlands? Why did he forgive the Huguenots? Why did Louis XIV let Vicomte Turenne and his third son Halle Duke Boer went to the Netherlands and Flanders precisely because he could no longer tolerate these nominal ministers and de facto princes. In the far east, even children knew that they had to clench their fists to attack. Lords and knights are always eager to tear this country apart.

Although from their standpoint, this is natural and natural, but it is conceivable that without a series of battlefield and shopping mall victories to gain the right to speak for the king, Louis XIV of France would be just another Leopold I. ——Even if your own country is threatened, you must rely on the assistance of friends and even enemies.

"But there is no need to be too impatient," Louis shook his son's hand: "What I want to hand over to you must be a complete and powerful France. You..." He thought for a while and did not continue. The three Among his sons, his favorite is little Luciano, the Duke of Colonna, but the one he prefers the most is little Louis. Little Louis will inevitably have heavier responsibilities than other children in the future, and he may even be People call him a mediocre person - because the glory of the Sun King can still shine on Europe for half a century if there is no accident, and now Louis XIV already has the Netherlands, Flanders and France, as well as a large colony, a The unparalleled land army left little room for Louis XV in the future, but he would continue to develop and the pace would not stop until the last moment.

Louis has expectations and guilt for this child.

——————

The crown prince, Little Louis, may not yet be able to understand Louis XIV's strict requirements that a country can only have one voice, but now General Vauban, Marshal Schaumberg and Count Henry, as well as King Ludwig I of Poland, have I have deeply understood its meaning.

Especially Vauban. Although he was born under Prince Condé, Prince Condé was quite skillful in managing the army. When he came under Louis XIV, he gradually became spoiled - of course, everything here To say he is spoiled is purely for a soldier. He is used to His Majesty the King standing silently but firmly behind him like a battle flag. He is used to the unhindered logistics created by the Marquis of Lovas. He is used to sophisticated products. The ordnance and horses are sufficient, and the soldiers are accustomed to being energetic, neatly dressed, strictly observing military regulations and determined...

When he was stationed in Ljubljana, he didn't feel anything because almost all of them were French soldiers. But when he withdrew across the Sava River and merged with the coalition forces, he felt as if he had stepped out of a grand, clean, and well-organized palace. The child entered a chaotic, dirty and smelly slum.

There are people everywhere.

These people, you can't even call them soldiers - they are worse than what Vauban saw in Camnico before, because the people wandering Camnico are at least the personal soldiers of generals and princes, and some of them look... They looked like beggars, some looked like lunatics, and some looked like bandits. Not to mention weapons, they were even dressed in ragged clothes or simply naked, wearing only some fur or cloth.

As Vauban's troops passed through the so-called camp, with their eyes fixed on their clothes, muskets, horses, and carriages, and especially on those who were wounded, a Tartar ran up and said something to Vauban, Vauban ordered all the soldiers to draw their weapons and placed more soldiers beside the wounded carriages to avoid the subsequent tragedy - the guard beside a carriage was slightly negligent, and the wounded on the carriage were immediately dragged out. They were horrified when they saw this, and immediately rushed forward to hit him with rifle butts and stab him with bayonets before snatching him back from the group of soldiers.

The wounded man who was snatched back was completely naked within a few dozen seconds. His silk underwear, his beautiful pants and jacket, his boots, socks, the cross around his neck, and even the bandages on his body were cut off. He was snatched away and the wound collapsed. When he returned to the castle, he found that a large lock of his beautiful chestnut hair had also been cut off.

Because hair can also be sold for money.

He later said that he had no doubt that if the other French soldiers had not snatched him away, they might have eaten him alive, and he showed the bite wounds to others.

There are many people like this, and it was precisely because of what happened that Vauban remained silent during the rest of his trip, even though he saw that the trenches, bunkers and protective walls he designed were either shoddy or poorly made. It doesn't exist at all. Those cement, iron tools, and even sand, etc. can be exchanged for money, and those soldiers would rather die in the subsequent battles than waste energy on fortifications.

They had a glimmer of luck - they were separated from the Ottoman Turks by the Sava River. They had burned all the ships they could find. Maybe the pagans couldn't cross the river at all. Even if they could cross the river, they would be exhausted. , even if they still have the strength to swing their swords and shoot, the person who dies may not be themselves, so why put themselves through such hardship.

Vauban crossed the so-called coalition front with a frown on his face. As soon as he returned to Camnico, he went to see the king and asked him to retreat further.

"I suspect that once the Ottoman Turks cross the river, they will be able to march straight in." Vauban said bluntly.

Schaumberg on the other hand blushed a little, but he was a member of the Holy Roman Empire before. Of course he knew the virtues of those mercenaries, especially those placed at the forefront. They were definitely the worst and least valuable ones. He It is conceivable that these people were ready to flee as soon as the war started, and Leopold I must have prepared enough war supervisors for them.

"You don't have to trust our allies," Louis said, "but you have to trust the fortifications you built for me. My dear friend, if you think there is a safer place around Castle Hill, then point it out. bring it on."

Count Henry on the side was a little worried before - for the sake of his father Ludwig I, he now started to laugh. After all, Castle Hill has been reinforced by Vauban for several months, which is almost equivalent to reconstruction. There are reserves here. There is a lot of food and ammunition, enough soldiers, and water sources that come from deep underground and are not contaminated. He even dared to guarantee that the castle would never be breached within three months, and that the French reserve army was on the border and ready to leave at any time.

"And I can't leave," Louis said. "You haven't forgotten that I am the commander-in-chief here."

Everyone bowed and bowed. Louis XIV wanted to compete with Leopold I for the position of commander-in-chief precisely to ensure that Leopold I could not be the fisherman in the dispute between the snipe and the clam.

"With all due respect," the crown prince Louis said boldly: "Father, Leopold I has never had any goodwill toward us or France, and he will definitely be our enemy in the future, so why should we come to our aid? What about him?"

Louis leaned back on the table and propped up his chin, "To put it grandly, this is a battle of faith. We are a natural alliance. As a Catholic country, of course we should put aside our prejudices when facing pagans and be united in dealing with the outside world."

"What about speaking less grandly?"

"I want to look at the power of Leopold I, look at the power of his allies, look at the Ottoman Turks - and look at ours, this is the first war our soldiers and generals have ever encountered - I I mean, Vauban," he shouted suddenly, and Vauban quickly stood up straight: "You have never thought of such a scene before."

"It completely exceeded my imagination," Vauban said.

"Facing the enemy, any imagination is useless," Louis said: "The only way is to see with your own eyes, hear with your own ears, and feel with your own eyes." He pressed Little Louis' shoulders: "Although I should put you Sent back to Paris, but I still hope you can see the war afterward."

"Your Majesty..." Everyone present said in unison, and they all showed dissatisfaction.

"Gentlemen," said Louis XIV, "when do you think the next time the Dauphin will see this grand scene? Is he still the same as now, just a spectator? Can he still say, I want to go back? Paris?"

"But Your Majesty..."

"The Prince of Orleans is still in Paris." Louis said calmly: "If you really have no confidence in me, yourselves, and the Crown Prince - then I tell you, there is a third heir and a fourth heir in Paris. ." This sentence was too heavy. No one dared to answer. However, the crown prince, Louis, stood up: "I can understand your feelings and consider your worries, but I want to support my father here. , my king, I have come of age, I may be the commander-in-chief in the next war, I must stay here, gentlemen, I believe you can ensure the safety of me and my father, I will be with my father to witness your efforts France wins!"

Louis touched his son's shoulder comfortingly.

"Then this matter ends here," he turned to little Louis: "You go back to your room now and have a good rest."

Little Louis, the crown prince, knew that he could not participate in what happened next, so he bowed to the king and withdrew.

Louis sent Vauban to Ljubljana before, not to show off, but to prevent this capable general and his army from being forcibly involved in the chaotic and disorderly war that followed - of course what he saw More than Vauban, the intelligence sent by his spies every day can fill an entire room - mainly because there is too much chaos in the coalition. As the saying goes, "A vassal's vassal is not my vassal", Leopold I He doesn't have many troops under his command that he can directly command. He still relies on a few powerful princes, and the knights and knights under these princes also have their own thoughts - not necessarily bad intentions, but even good-intentioned soldiers who cannot obey orders. It will also lead to the worst consequences.

Here you can see the biggest difference between a professional army and a mercenary army. The generals in the professional army can implement their will down to the smallest squad. In the mercenary army, even the highest-ranking regimental commanders and captains may not obey the orders of the commander-in-chief. ——The orders they receive are often broad-based, such as guarding a village or something, and that's all. The more precise the machinery, the harder the gears are. Whether these people can complete the task is still in doubt. But in the meantime, let alone ask them to do complex tasks such as detouring to decentralized aggregation.

"It's good to know what the Ottomans have to offer?" said Louis. "Their army has only one voice - the Grand Vizier."

The number of coalition forces could not be compared with the Ottoman Turkish army, and they made too many noises here.

Vauban nodded: "The Ottoman Turks have no tactics, but their soldiers are not afraid of death."

"As long as there is a Grand Vizier," said Louis, "they will fight to the last man."

"It's a strange tradition," Schaumberg said, "so generally the enemies of the Ottoman Turks would focus on the center camp."

"It is also a place tightly surrounded by several powerful legions, like a stamen wrapped in petals." Louis said: "So I asked Vauban as the vanguard to go to Ljubljana, and my general did not Living up to expectations gave me a brilliant victory.”

"It's all because you gave me enough gunpowder and cement," said Vauban.

"But only if you willingly obey," Louis said. "I have already shown my sincerity, so they can't ask us to do more, so these cowardly villains began to coerce His Majesty Ludwig I."

Speaking of this, Count Henry couldn't help but show anger and worry. As a Polish king with an unstable foundation, it was undoubtedly the most important thing to overwhelm the great nobles and Schlachta and win the battle against the infidels. The best method, but the problem is that Prince Condai is already in his fifties. Although he is strong, he has fallen from his peak. "You will go to your father from tomorrow on." Louis said: "Bring the medicine with you." and wizards.”

There were also wizards in Poland, but Condé did not dare to use these wizards.

"And Marshal Schaumberg, your task tomorrow is to raid the formation for Ludwig I."

Schaumberg stood, bowed slightly, then sat down.

"Vauban and I stayed in the rear." Louis said to Count Henry again: "Go and tell your father that you can tentatively attack tomorrow, but I don't think our victory will come so easily, but it doesn't matter, as long as Our lives are safe and we can try many more times, but the Ottoman Grand Vizier may not be able to do the same."

"Do you think we might have to stick to Camnico?"

"This is the best possibility," Louis said. "Fighting a quarter of a million people, unless I'm crazy."

Clearing out the country is not just about removing or burning all the food and poisoning the water sources. All ships within a hundred miles upstream and downstream of the Sava River were collected and pierced. The sentinel of Grand Vizier Ahmed This news has been sent back a long time ago.

So the wizard's raven saw this scene.

Thousands of slaves, almost all young men, were plundered by the Ottoman Turks from neighboring villages and towns. Usually, the towns acquired in the war belonged to the Grand Vizier. In other words, as long as the wealthy and powerful people in the town pay enough ransom, they can continue their previous lives. However, due to the early purging of the coalition forces, the Ottomans' supply lines have become longer and further away, and the Grand Vizier has also No longer playing the tolerant and enlightened game, all Christians were destroyed. The elderly and children were the first to be killed, followed by women, and then men. All the most popular slaves in the past were The army.

A few bold Ottoman merchants and soldiers disobeyed the orders of the Grand Vizier and wanted to secretly send a boy as beautiful as the bright moon to Istanbul. They thought it was nothing - after all, the price of beautiful boys in Istanbul was already high. It has reached a very scary point, especially since this war is doomed for them to not be able to obtain too many slaves, and the price may go up.

They bribed many people, but this matter was discovered by the eyes and ears of the Grand Vizier, who had been monitoring everyone. Under everyone's gaze, the slave was burned alive, and the soldiers and merchants were stripped of their clothes. Join the ranks of slaves.

Mutefirika's cavalry, dressed in bright clothes, galloped from tent to tent, constantly repeating the Grand Vizier's orders and his promises. He promised not only to Ljubljana before, but also to any future destinations. A city, any city when he returned, he would not take a penny, and he was also willing to take out the reward given to him by the Sultan and distribute it to every soldier here.

The dwarfs and attendants of the Grand Vizier kept walking up to the soldiers, describing how shiny the golden crowns on the heads of the Catholic kings and lords were, how silky the fur cloaks on their bodies were, and how plump the women around them were. Beautiful, how luxurious the mansion is, what they eat is plump venison, what they drink is sweet wine, each of them is worth a city or even a country, as long as you catch one of them, not only can you get a lot For ransom of leaves, one can also obtain official positions and fiefs.

Even if they can't catch those kings, being able to catch a knight is enough for them to be prosperous. Those shining armors, those exquisite muskets, those tall and strong horses...each of them can be sold for a considerable price in Istanbul. , as well as the knight's ransom, or simply selling it as a slave--all is fine, all is fine!

Go, go, go to war, you can get everything if you win, go to heaven, it doesn't matter if you lose, you can go to heaven, there are countless virgins waiting for your grace! Go, go, go!

Such words will certainly make nobles or generals sneer, but for those poor people who have barely seen the world, it is like a shot in the arm. Their eyes bulge and their noses wheeze. Even though his cheeks were sunken because he hadn't had a good meal for a long time, a bright red glow of happiness appeared on his face.

They wielded whips, sticks, and anything else they could get their hands on, and beat the new slaves without hesitation.

These slaves have just been plundered into the army. They are not like the old slaves who have become weak after long-term labor. Even after a lot of hunger torture, they still have the strength to stand under the threat of the sword. Drag the cement block.

Vauban probably would not have thought that after moving the cement blocks he had thrown on the road to hinder the advance of the Ottoman army, the Grand Vizier did not just leave them on the roadside. He ordered the soldiers and slaves to Cut down trees from the forest on both sides, remove the bark, cut off the heads and tails, and roll them under the cement blocks. In this way, they can follow the army all the way.

This method was once used by the ancient Egyptians to transport the stones for building the pyramids. The stones generally weighed about two tons. The cement blocks poured by Vauban were about two cubic meters in size, and their weight was coincidentally similar to the pyramid stones. ——But unlike the former Egyptian slaves, the Ottoman slaves had neither beer nor bread to drink. They killed each other, or waited for their companions to fall and then ate their corpses. They dragged and dragged them indifferently. Carrying heavy cement blocks, they kept walking all the way - although there were such records during this war, it was hard to believe later that more than 20 such large cement blocks were transported to the banks of the Sava River.

No one knows how many slaves died as a result of this on the road, but one soldier came to the priest for help because he could not lift his arms. This was not because he was carrying rocks or wood, but because he had to continuously pull out from under the rope and collapsed on the spot. Caused by a slave who could no longer get up.

More than two hundred years later, when the Ottoman Turkish Empire finally perished, people could still see the remnants of these cement blocks along the Sava River.

The current Grand Vizier Ahmed had no idea what would happen next. He could only focus on what was in front of him. This was the narrowest place on the Sava River within a hundred miles, only three hundred feet. He also saw the fortifications on the other side. With the army, bridges were demolished and ships were scuttled, but he didn't care. He just waved his hand, and his attendants quickly ran down to issue orders - the remaining slaves and the hired soldiers began to be busy cutting down more trees and transport them to the river.

There are large cement bricks lined up along the riverside along the tents. They look like a group of taciturn warriors. The tents are cut open and braided into strong cowhide ropes. These ropes are used to secure rafts made of wooden poles. These rafts are connected to each other and then pushed into the water by a group of strong Tatars. The river water immediately pushes them to the southeast - one end of the cowhide rope on the rafts is fixed on the cement On the block, it was immediately stretched straight.

Some of the ropes broke, some did not, and Ahmed immediately ordered the heads of the slaves to be beheaded if they were the ones who had made the broken ropes. The remaining slaves were then forced to continue braiding more cowhide rope.

More Cossacks who were good at swimming jumped into the water. They only had swords and axes on them, but they faced fortifications and muskets.

Under the bright midday sun, this group of Cossacks rushed forward fearlessly. One fell, two fell, but the third one might break through the defense line - Vauban's original worry was not unfounded. If the coalition forces had honestly dug standard trenches and built fortifications in accordance with his requirements, the Ottoman offensive would not have been as smooth as a red-hot blade cutting through condensed butter, but their laziness ultimately led to their Big defeat.

There were not just this group of Cossacks, there were more Cossacks who swam across the three hundred feet. They had ropes on their shoulders. As soon as they landed on the shore, they started to pull it up and pull the raft on the other end of the rope towards themselves - it's ridiculous to say that , without those perfunctory fortifications, it might be difficult for them to find something to fix the ropes - this is a wide river beach after all, but with these cement blocks that failed to protect the coalition soldiers, they provided the Ottomans with convenient cement blocks. Directly tie the iron anchors into the gaps and ravines of those things.

Viewed from the sky, the Sava River is like an empty loom. The Cossacks are clamping the longitudinal silk threads. The rafts are like beads on the silk threads, connected one by one, and they are fixed. After it was straightened, more soldiers further reinforced it, Ottoman priests prayed, the military band played music, and countless soldiers ran across the pontoon composed of rafts like ants in a hurry but orderly manner. .

"There is no way these pontoons can allow artillery to pass," Ahmed told the Grand Imam.

The Grand Priest gave him a stern look: "We are here to ensure that our brave soldiers are not harmed by the devil's curse."

"For victory over the Christians," Ahmed said. "That's what the Sultan says."

The Grand Imam looked at him with furrowed brows, but Ahmed just waited, motionless.

"Mosang, you go with him." The Grand Priest finally looked away.

Mosang was a priest, and his brother had died in Ahmed's tent not long ago. He bowed to the Grand Imam and followed Ahmed away.

——————

"What are those Ottomans shouting?" a mercenary leader asked dissatisfied.

His deputy handed him a telescope and said with a very ugly face: "Their artillery has passed the pontoon bridge, and they are cheering."

How can this be! ? The mercenary captain almost screamed, but it was true, these Ottoman devils were coming towards them.

King Leopold I did know the virtues of these mercenaries very well. Those supervisory teams were not in vain. They forced the mercenaries forward and collided with the Ottoman Azap infantry. This was a terrible torrent, although The mercenaries originally planned to escape, but in fact once they were involved, almost no one had this opportunity and time. They could hardly breathe and could only shout and wave their swords - muskets were almost useless at this time. , because even the latest repeating muskets can only hit two or three enemies, and the damage caused by the muskets is difficult to panic these Azaps - only cuts with knives and axes, bloody stumps, and flowing internal organs , the shrill howl will make them change their way.

Once these mercenaries fell, a few Azap would rush to collect his things, and then new axes or swords would hit them, and then others would avenge them. The Tatars and Cossacks rode horses and held muskets, constantly wandering outside the position, looking for opportunities to break through. When they saw the war supervisory team, they wanted to defeat or disperse them. Because there was no supervisory team, these hired soldiers The soldiers who come will run away.

But Leopold I’s war team is different from these mercenaries. It should be reminded here that the war team is not just people who are greedy for life and afraid of death as people think. They are trustworthy people of the general, with equipment and The supplies were of the best, and they were always separated from the Ottomans by the mercenary army. They looked at each other from afar across the chaotic crowd, like wolves and dogs guarding each other around a flock of sheep.

There is also a group of poor people in the mercenary team. They are the original herdsmen in the highlands. Because they were dissatisfied with the coalition forces that plundered and occupied their homes, they deliberately introduced the Ottoman Crimean Tatars into Kabul. Mnico almost accidentally hurt the crown prince of King Louis XIV of France.

The more than two hundred piercing pillars can only be said to be the revenge of the Tatars who served the French. The coalition's revenge was to drive all the herdsmen they could find here. They had no weapons except sticks in their hands. Facing the Ottomans and the supervisory team behind them, they were dead no matter whether they were moving forward or backward.

There may be some of these herdsmen who are desperate - compared to the Ottomans, these outsiders are obviously more hateful, but once the battle begins, it is not up to them - the Ottoman Azap does not care whether you are forced or voluntary, all those who stand in the way Everything in front of them will be destroyed!

This battlefield can hardly accommodate any more people, but soldiers on the pontoon are still pouring in. Some soldiers even jumped from the bridge and crawled onto the river beach wet from waist-deep water. Some even Unable to suppress the bloodshed in his heart, he slashed at his companions with a knife.

This situation may have lasted for more than ten minutes. It was completely different from what the poets had imagined and described. The entire battlefield seemed to have been trampled and bitten by hordes of wild beasts. The supervisory team had retreated, leaving behind a desperate crowd. Some people There were wailing surrenders, but the massacre did not stop until Grand Vizier Ahmed gave the order.

At this time, there were not many people belonging to the coalition forces on the battlefield, and there were even very few injured people. They were all dead, and their bodies were spread out in a gorgeous long carpet on the river beach. The Azaps were stripping away their trophies in an orderly manner. , just like those mercenaries did to the wounded in Vauban, these dead mercenaries could not escape the fate of being deprived of their last bit of value.

The artillery didn't play a role in this battle. It didn't matter. There would be another chance later. It was not far from Kamni.

This victory boosted the morale of the Ottoman army until they saw Kamnik.

In the Middle Ages, almost all cities had high and thick walls, otherwise they would not be able to resist the plundering of enemies or thieves, and Camnica was no exception. Vauban did not bother to rebuild the walls, but only built outside the original walls. The bastions and outer city walls were added because time was tight and there was no need to consider the cost and aftermath. These bastions and walls were all rough and heavy, and some places were even unreasonable. But this roughness, heavyness, and unreasonableness were all In order to increase the defense of the city, to be precise, the increase in defense settings against the Ottomans gave the defenders in the city a great sense of security.

When he saw the bastion and the protruding artillery muzzles, Grand Vizier Ahmed's joy disappeared. The Ottoman tents spread out like continuous fungi under the city wall again. Grand Vizier's The tent is the most visible.

"Surrounding him were Janiceri, Mutefirika and Sipachi," Anwo said.

The Crown Prince looked down from the tower. Although he knew that these enemies could not break into this place - he believed in his father, but in this situation - he felt dizzy and grateful that he decided to stay in the end.

Of course, it is impossible for all twenty-five Ottoman armies to be here. There may be tens of thousands of people here. They are already so densely packed that they seem to cover the entire earth. They seem to be vast and endless. They light up at night. When a torch is lit, it is like a star falling from the sky to the ground.

This is a sight that makes people feel numb all over.