I Am Louis XIV

Louis XIV had three biggest difficulties when he wanted to build an ironclad ship. One was that he needed a huge hull. The wood used in building the ship was not as people imagined. It was cut down from the forest, peeled off the bark, and sawed into the required shape. You can build a ship - a ship, especially a warship, requires wood that is not only complicated but also requires various special treatments for a long time. The keel, the bow post connected to the front end of the main keel, the mast seat, the helm seat, the side There are sometimes as many as three or even six types of wood used for boards and rudder blades. Building a fleet that is sufficiently intimidating from scratch requires a lot of money, time and effort.

Charles I of England was beheaded by his ministers because he was too obsessed with the construction of the fleet, which caused public resentment. Louis XIV did not want to follow in his footsteps, nor did he want to spend his whole life completing this heavy undertaking. , there is only one way to find another way - the thirty bulky Calais racing boats in Princess Henrietta's trousseau, which others think are worthless, seem to be a huge wealth shining with golden light.

The second difficulty is the power to drive the heavy hull. This is no longer something that human beings can participate in. Wind power - if there is a wind that can push an ironclad ship, there is only an uncontrolled hurricane. Such wind is by no means just a few ships. The sail can be controlled and furled. Fortunately, this problem was solved long before it was raised. Without steam engines, Louis XIV would not have proposed the idea of ​​ironclad ships at all.

The third difficulty is the iron on the armored ship. We mentioned before that the seven ironclad ships finally completed by Louis XIV's shipyard in Nantes used up all the steel storage in France for ten years. France is a steel-poor country, with almost no large-scale iron ore output except Lorraine. Origin, but as Louis XIV said, thanks to Leopold I, what France does not have, Austria has...

Leopold I owed Louis XIV a huge debt of 1.5 million livres - based on Queen Teresa's dowry, he had to marry three Spanish princesses to repay this debt, and the Spanish royal family also had to pay the debt. out - Austria's financial situation has never been ideal, not to mention that it also has to pay military expenditures for several other countries - because of the same faith, Catholic countries must stand on the same side, but even if they are direct relatives Brothers, keep your accounts clear too - especially in war.

Looking through the history books, kings were rarely criticized and overthrown because of their extravagant life. No matter how gorgeous clothes they wore, what rare jewelry they wore, or what magnificent palaces or churches they built, it didn't matter. They attracted the attention of their courtiers and the people. The only thing boiling is war. This is a real devil that devours both money and life. It can produce nothing but pain and sorrow.

Such a war of faith cannot be denied by the rescued Austria. The Marquis of Loise and Minister Colbert of France made the accounts very clear and organized, without any doubts. The Finance Minister of Leopold I Under the emperor's order, it had to delay repeatedly by talking nonsense and pretending to be crazy. Not only did other countries laugh at it, but the Roman Church as the guarantor also criticized it. Austria did this because it wanted to prevent the Ottoman Turks from attacking next time. Are you alone against the enemy?

But Leopold I is really... he can't get the money...

We won’t talk about how painful Leopold I was. Louis XIV waited for more than half a year. After Leopold I’s finance minister and envoys changed three times, he finally exposed his true thoughts. Of course, when it came to using the territory It was impossible to repay the debt. If so, the Austrians would not care about another war with the French - what he wanted was black iron.

Iron is an important war material at any time, especially after entering the era of thermal weapons. Muskets require iron, and artillery requires iron. When building forts and fortifications, cement mixed with iron slag will be stronger. This is important. Of course Leopold I was unwilling to give supplies - but there were only two options in front of him. The other was to sell tax collection rights to businessmen, which is the so-called tax farming. This mistake was made by the French a hundred years ago. It was a mistake, and so was Austria. It can be said that Leopold I followed the footsteps of Louis XIV in reforming tax laws. Of course, he was not willing to fall short.

He gave iron.

The Styrischer Iron Mine in Austria is an iron mountain with a height of 2,400 feet. It is the largest open-pit mine in Europe. As early as the third century AD, the Romans were mining iron ore here. The output is rich and the quality is excellent. One of the most valuable possessions of Leopold I and the Austrian Crown. It can be said that King Leopold I gritted his teeth and took out nearly half of the Styrischer Iron Mine's inventory before finally offsetting most of the debt.

This half of the inventory allowed Louis XIV to finally meet the armor and artillery needs of thirty ironclad ships.

What people see now is the most satisfying masterpiece of the Sun King. Even though they are far away, people can still feel the pressure brought by thirty giant ships - except for the people in the palace, most of the people gathered here are Dun The residents near Kirk, who are either sailors or fishermen, are very sensitive to the size of ships. Even if some of them can't even write their own names, they can easily estimate the displacement of these thirty ships. As they estimate, On the one hand, they suspected that they had made a mistake, because the draft of these Calais boats was obviously different from what they thought - maybe it was because they were carrying some heavy cargo?

But before they could calculate again, more ships appeared in front of them like dolphins following a group of whales. Thirty black giant ships lined up in a line. Later ships were arranged in layers according to the series, such as As people calculated, there are three hundred and twenty ships here. Excluding the thirty black ships that they don't know how to distinguish, there are thirty first-class battleships, fifty second-class battleships, and one hundred third-class battleships. On the left and right, there are some frigates and supply ships, but they are also equipped with about forty artillery pieces.

These ships were arranged in four columns amidst people's admiration and silence, and then starting from the black giant ship, the muzzle was opened, the dragon's throat trembled, and the deafening roar accompanied the light gray smoke across the dark blue The sea water stirred up waves, and the spreading tremors rushed to the embankment, and white waves stood up.

Xianlong!

This is the first cannon shot in September, and it is also the first roar issued by the French Royal Fleet in the glorious beginning of a hundred years. The history of France having a coastline but no navy has become a thing of the past. The sound of cannons is the same as the heartbeat in people's chests. A magnificent symphony was played, and at some point, whether they were nobles, officials, or ordinary people, they involuntarily put their hands on their chests, as if otherwise, the violently beating heart would My heart is about to jump out of my chest.

Xianlong! !

How loud, how dense, how magnificent! The roar of the artillery was continuous, like the thunder before the storm, rolling across the entire Dunkirk. The golden-red flames made the sun eclipse it, and could even illuminate the depths of the deep black water!

Xiang Long, Xiang Long! ! !

When people want to cheer, they find themselves in tears. Some people grab the brim of their hat and want to throw it into the air, but they are unable to do so. Maybe their friends and family want to speak to them, but their ears are still blocked. The rumble of cannons completely occupied the scene. Some people hugged each other, while others rushed to the dock and stretched out their arms, as if they could embrace these huge ships in their arms.

Not only the common people, but also the nobles. The former forgot their fear and jealousy, and the latter forgot their nobility and reserve. They all stood up, and the telescope was passed from one person to another in the hands of everyone. At the beginning, there was only the stands. Nobles passed telescopes to each other, but I don’t know when those telescopes with brass tubes, gold-plated silver, and even inlaid with gems and pearls were also held high in the hands of sailors and farmers.

Even the humblest, poorest, and even the greediest people did not pay attention to the value of the telescope in their hands, nor did they hold it and look at it non-stop. Each of them held the telescope and looked deeply at it for a few seconds. Imprint every detail of those ships in your eyes and heart, and pass it on to the next person.

Xianlong!

Louis rarely paid attention to the situation of others. Although this was his wish, he could not understand it until he saw it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears... This was not a picture and sound that could be achieved by imagination. He was a little dazed. , those ships lined up in the narrow strait like blades - yes, they were his. After twenty years, he finally built a powerful fleet for France, truly, like a pack of wolves on the sea. A general fleet.

Some people may say that this fleet has not been tested in war, but Louis knows that in naval battles, ships are the most important. Any progress and advantage can turn the entire battle situation around, just like the T-tactics that have always been used Three hundred years later, whether the fleet can win in the battle still depends on the speed, tonnage, armor, and number of artillery of the ship... It can quickly occupy a favorable position. The tonnage and armor represent the defensive capabilities of the ship. , needless to say more about artillery...

Even so, the king was the first to wake up. He looked at the Marquis of Loise beside him with a smile: "How many times have you prepared empty cannons?"

"Of course it is the forty time. This is your fortieth birthday." Marquis Lovas gently wiped the sweat on his forehead, his voice was slightly hoarse - the king's smile became meaningful, and he also smiled: " Every ship.”

"What a bunch of bastards!" whispered Louis. "Remind me that everyone on board will receive ten gold louis as a token of gratitude from the king."

"Please allow me to thank you on their behalf, Your Majesty," said the Marquis of Loise.

At this time, the people in the square suddenly became commotion. Louis looked at it carefully and saw that it was his iron-clad ship heading towards the dock. The terrifyingly large iron-clad ship had brought great harm to the workers of the shipyard, the king and others. The shock brought so much panic to the people in Dunkirk and the palace. At first, a single King Power almost made the Crown Prince and others breathless. A total of thirty giant ships seemed to have replaced Monsters in the world, people's necks tilted back involuntarily, and the people who ran to the dock before ran back in a panic. As they ran, they followed those who pointed at them and laughed.

"How wonderful." The Duke of Saint-Simon heard the people next to him say: "France."

France?

The Duke of Saint-Simon remembered that there were also schools run by the king's supervisors and priests in his territory. He also sent spies to inquire about the teaching content. It was not surprising that the teachers required students to be loyal to the king. One thing he couldn't understand was why they asked the children to reiterate that they were French?

Of course they are... French.

Duke Saint-Simon stared at the person in front of him. He tied his hair with a turban. His skin was dark and rough, and his lips were white. He was probably a sailor. He held a telescope in his outstretched hand. It belonged to Duke Saint-Simon. Yes, he looked He was a little timid and anxious. The timidity was of course because Duke Saint-Simon looked like a distinguished man, and the anxiety was because his friend had already run to the place closest to the black ship and was waving to him desperately.

"Answer me a question, and this telescope will be yours," said the Duke of Saint-Simon.

"Excuse me, my lord." The sailor was a little surprised, but still replied respectfully.

"The fleet is good, but it belongs to the king. What does it have to do with you? Why are you so happy?"

The sailor blinked, as if he didn't quite understand the question raised by the Duke. He said in a child-like confused tone: "My lord," he said, "I am a Frenchman, and this is a French fleet."

Duke Saint-Simon paused, "This is yours."

Seeing the sailor running towards his companion in a hurry, he said to himself, "How stupid we are."

Louis XIV's ambitions were greater than any previous king. He not only wanted to continue the glory of the Bourbon family, but his structure was not limited to the court and the court. His ambitions radiated to every corner of France, just like He calls himself the Sun King, and he wants every one of his people to be covered by his light and heat, just like a Parisian or a Versailles person. In the future, they will not only be for their appearance and talents, but also for their appearance and talents. Proud of knowledge or blood, but also proud of being a Frenchman.

So what does the king get?

Of course, I am the country.