I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 131 Money is always a problem (Part 1)

The Marquis of Kreki raised his hand and put it on his chest, not only to show his loyalty to the king, but also to restrain his excitement. He did imagine it, but he was not very sure. The civil strife in France has not been a few years. , and the king's emphasis on internal affairs also means that the treasury money is constantly flowing into the streets and manor - look at the new Paris to see how much effort the king has spent on this, and Versailles, which gradually accommodated nearly 50,000 refugees , there has become a village, and since the king has generously allowed them to use the resources of the swamps and forests, more and more people are willing to settle there, even forming a small town and several villages around it.

He has also heard that His Majesty intends to reform the military system, of course, from the king's willingness to tolerantly accept a foreigner, a Protestant to become his marshal, and he simply forgives Prince Condé and all his relatives and friends. , how much your Majesty cherishes and values ​​talents with military talents - he also intends to create a new legion, and give flags, uniforms and uniform weapons to the original legion, as a descendant who also starts from a low-ranking lieutenant , the Marquis of Crecy knew that the money needed for these moves would flow out like the waters of the Seine and never return.

But as a general, he is happy to see these, just like he is also happy to see his king dare to face any enemy, whether it is the king of Spain or the pope, but he must also consider the king's purse, after all, he is more The king is older, and the younger king is probably not so thoughtful, and the merchants and commoners who have to bear heavy taxes are not as docile as they were during the Thirty Years' War. The two previous riots can almost show that With this question over, the Marquis of Craigie lowered his head and considered it carefully, almost ignoring the king's question.

   "Mr. Crake?"

   "Yes, Your Majesty, sorry."

"It doesn't matter," said Louis, who could see that the Marquis of Crecy was not deliberately scornful, but did not know what was going on in his mind: "Prince Condé had already led his legion in the area of ​​Haute-Bilinius, and now Spain Peace with France, he asked me if it was time to come back, well, I think, you should go there, with my letter, I want you to go to Perpignan, and I will send fifteen Calais Ship over." He smiled at the wide-eyed Craigie, who were waiting for my order in Sardinia. "

   "You mean..." asked Marquis Kreki tentatively.

   "Well, we might fight against Italy, no, Rome." Louis said almost amiably: "Although the Pope may have his mind, I also want my country to be respected."

   "But Your Majesty, Sardinia belongs to Spain."

   "I believe that His Majesty Philip IV will be willing to give us this facility," said Louis.

   "I thought you would take some peaceful measures first."

"Yes," said Louis, "but what does it have to do with me sending troops?" Of course he could wait for the Pope to respond before sending troops, but first, during that time, the Pope is likely to try to provoke him with The relationship with other countries can prevent him from sending troops to Rome, and secondly, the Pope can also take the opportunity to incite the Catholics and clergy in the country to oppose him. Once, and won't be the last.

   Now that he knows what the enemy will do, why should he foolishly wait for the opponent to deal cards? Louis was young, and his ministers, even in his old age, had to act resolutely, and the charge of the Marquis of Crecy was handed over to the High Court the next day, and the High Court was made when the king returned to Paris for the second time. After the puppet was left to be manipulated in the hands of the king, the judgment came down on the third day. Pope Alexander VII, or, in other words, the popes after him, lost their territory of Avignon in France because of their disrespect to the French king. .

Speaking of Avignon, of course, it is a shame for the Roman church and the popes, because it was the king of France, Philip, the handsome man, who looted Avignon in France with the Pope at that time because of taxation and other issues. One hundred years, the election of the Pope was manipulated. In those hundred years, the Pope was always French, and the place where the Pope resided also changed from Rome to Avignon, although the later Pope finally moved the church back to Rome, But Avignon is still regarded as the second holy city - it can be said to be the only gain of the church in the century of humiliation - in 1347, the Countess Giovanna (Queen of Naples), the owner of Provence, where Avignon is located, was convicted of Murdering her husband and being chased by her brother-in-law, she had no choice but to ask Pope Clement VI for asylum.

  The price offered by Clement VI is Avignon, and the price of Avignon is 80,000 gold florins, which is similar to a big gift. Since then, the French kings have tried their best to retake Avignon, but the Church of Rome is not a fool. Dispute was resolved.

In addition, Mr. Craigie's fear that his reckless behavior will lead to the king's dissatisfaction with him is unnecessary. No one knows better than Louis that this battle with the Roman church must be fought, not to mention that in the werewolf incident, he It is a victim, but even in order to escape the victim's revenge, the Roman Church will do its best to make France change its king - and Louis also showed the mind of a ruler, like the sea when it is tolerant, and it is narrow when it is narrow. The time is like the eye of a needle, and now is the time for him to be narrow-minded. While the Roman Church was still trying to perfunctory France by hanging a Corsican and a thief, the French king's army had quietly crossed half the Ligurian Sea and arrived in Sardinia, where the Pope condoned his brother to leave. Rome, when they ran back to their hometown of Siena, the king's army was ready to go. Just waiting for the carrier pigeon to bring the king's order, it was about to land in Naples and go straight to the heart of Rome.

However, when the Marquis of Crecy stood on the undulating deck of Calais and looked out at the boundless blue sea, he could not help but wonder if the king's actions were so quick, whether he had expected it, or whether he had planned for a long time, but these When he saw Naples, he had forgotten all about it - there were no credible admirals in the French army, and although a general took the path of his younger brother Philip and recommended himself to the king, the king rejected him - the king had When Dunkirk was assassinated and stranded in the inner world because of the need to lift the curse, many people urged the younger brother Philip to participate in the Dunkirk talks in the name of the regent king. Philip firmly refused, Therefore, the king is willing to trust his younger brother, but he is unwilling to promote those generals and courtiers who are flattering and steered by the wind. He can't blame his mother and Bishop Mazarin, and can't he coldly treat the villains who are surrounded by the king's younger brother? ? After careful consideration, he chose the best friend of Prince Condé, that is, François-Henri de Montmorency-Boutville, who fled to Spain and still never left.

Speaking of which, it is normal for the former Count of Bootville to be so close to Prince Condé. On the day he was born, his father was executed for killing his duel opponent. When he was in an infant, he was handed over to him. Raised by Prince Condé's mother, Prince Condé is six years older than him, but they do get along like brothers. After Prince Condé was captured in the Battle of the Dunes, the Count of Boutville surrendered, and together they Back in Paris, although Prince Condé was forgiven by the king, he was still deprived of a series of honors and positions from the head of the Royal Knights, and so did the Count, but just when they thought they were going to be so silent , First, Prince Condé was sent to the Spanish-French border to threaten Philip IV, and then he was appointed commander-in-chief of the legion, to Naples, to Rome.

   Such an appointment could not help but surprise him, and he even foolishly said in front of the messenger: I am not a naval commander! This sentence made Colbert, who was the king's messenger, unable to restrain his laughter. "Alas," he said, "Mr. Duke, if you want to command a fleet, I think there is still a chance in the future, but this time you will lead It's still infantry - spearmen, musketeers and grenadiers, just by sea." François then realized that he had been foolish, and quickly apologized to the hot minister, inviting him to join him in his He was a guest at the mansion and deliberately asked him about the king's true intentions.

One more thing to mention here is how this Monsieur Count became Monsieur Duke, which is related to his marriage - when Prince Condé went into exile in Spain to fight for the Spaniards and France, the Spaniards He was canonized as Duke of Luxembourg. This title made the bishop of Mazarin and the king very dissatisfied. After Spain was completely defeated in the war with France, in the Peace of Pilinius, Spain had to divide southern Luxembourg to France. Under the various plans of the Prince, Mr. Count obtained the title of Duke of Luxembourg through marriage. Although the bride is ugly and the groom is short and ugly, this marriage still attracted the jealousy of many people. Some people think that the king should not be so generous The acting prince and his henchmen, it is only here that the title of the Duke of Luxembourg is confirmed, and the appointment of Prince Condé and François follows one after another. It can be said that this is the king who has given them a merit to prove that he has indeed served his life wholeheartedly. Opportunities for kings - this is the style of a young king, who rarely plays underhanded tactics, or threatens and intimidates people to submit, he just puts on conditions that you can't refuse.

   Whether it is Condé or Francois, they must do their best for the king, otherwise, no matter if one of them is negligent, the other will inevitably be implicated.

This is what Craki saw with François, Duke of Luxembourg. He did not look like a well-known general at all. He was small, carried on his back, his eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes were wide apart, Small, with a downturned nose and an unsightly little chin.

   "Do you have anything to tell me?" the duke asked, noticing the marquis' gaze on him.

   "I'm sorry, Your Excellency," said the Marquis of Crake, "I'm just worried about the battle that follows."

   This sentence made the Duke of Luxembourg smile, "Oh, why do you think so, do you think that the Pope of Rome can send angels to fight for him?"

   "If angels do come down from the clouds, the first thing will destroy the second Babylon," said the Marquis of Craki.

   "Is Rome really so bad?"

"It's worse than you think," said Kreki, "although people say that a hundred years ago Rome was a hundred times worse than it is now, but I can't imagine what that would have been like, but even if it were Now in Rome, I feel like I've suddenly become a good, pious person."

   "Okay okay, I see, so do you think Rome has an army or a solid wall?"

   "The Pope has no army, but his king has." Craki said: "And the faith in the hearts of the people is more difficult to break than the city walls."

   "You are right," said the Duke of Luxembourg, "but do you know what His Majesty the King told me?"

   "If I am fortunate enough to listen," the Marquis of Craki bowed, "please speak, I would love to know."

   "Your Majesty said," the Duke of Luxembourg looked back at the sparkling port—"If the sword is sharp, take the hilt and turn it toward our enemy."

To be honest, the Marquis Craigie could hardly understand this sentence, but as soon as the army landed, he understood, because they only rested for one night, and the whole army set off before dawn. Not far from Rome, about fifty leagues—everyone they encountered along the way, mercenaries, merchants, civilians, were all imprisoned and killed if anyone resisted or tried to escape , In this way, until they arrived at Hadrian's Palace, no one in the city of Rome noticed it, and when the papal guards and family mercenaries were in chaos, the blue and gold lily banner of the French king had already been put into the sight of the Roman people.

This is not the first time Rome has been surrounded by French troops, the last time the tragic Boniface VIII was captured, imprisoned and humiliated. The century-long humiliation in Avignon that followed has made the church still haunted to this day. Seeing that the tragedy is about to repeat itself, Alexander VII, who hastily fled all the way to Castel Sant'Angelo, was about to faint nervously. He wrote a lot in a row. Letters to the kings of Catholic countries for help, but these letters could not be delivered at all.

Of course, Louis could just intimidate, and the Pope would still give in, but since the army has stepped into Naples, the loss of soldiers' salaries, provisions, equipment, transportation, etc. can no longer be recovered, so Louis does not plan to just forget about it. …

   (end of this chapter)