I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 163 Prince Conti and Leopold I

Prince Conti's name is Armand, and he is exactly thirty-six years old this year. Unlike his elder brother, he is not a brave and determined person. He also has ambitions, but he is mild-mannered or has a sense of fear of politics. It can be said that the rebellion of Prince Condé was entirely at the instigation of his sister and wife, but Prince Conti was not like this. He is like a clown who desperately needs to get the loud applause of the audience, and he can't wait to rush into the stage when he has the chance - during the first Paris riots, he happily took up the post of Marshal of the Frondists (at that time Prince Condé). It is the royal party, but Madame Longueville and the Prince of Conti are on his opposite), and when the second Paris riots, he is even more of a blood prince, and as mentioned before, he regards himself as a successor The nobles of the French throne.

It can only be said that he was fortunate to be born in France. Even if the nobles here rebel, they may not all be executed. Moreover, because Prince Kongdai was forgiven by the king and still used heavily, he was treated with high regard and light. He put it down lightly, and at that time Bishop Mazarin was still alive. He hurriedly married a niece of Bishop Mazarin and became the other party's son-in-law. Therefore, the bishop also found him a position as the governor of the province of Guienne, and then He was also continuously sent by the bishop to Catalonia to fight against Italy. After the death of the bishop of Mazarin, he was transferred to the Languedoc by the king.

Languedoc is located in the south of France, close to Spain, sunny and rich in wine, but it is not without reason that the king sent him there, compared to Guyenne, which once belonged to the king of England (there is a place name you will be very familiar with , known as Bordeaux), the Languedoc was obviously much more peaceful and orderly at a time when Spain was getting weaker, and it faced the Mediterranean, where the king intended to build shipyards and docks, a job not just anyone Everyone can contact and understand. At the request of the king, Prince Kongdai gave him a stern warning before his younger brother left. Now it seems that even if this warning did not make Prince Conti better, at least it guaranteed him. He didn't get any worse.

What Louis has to sigh is that maybe Prince Conti is just a mediocre person, especially compared to his brother, but speaking of it, he is far more fortunate than everyone else, because Prince Conti did not leave Languedoc for a long time. , the new governor of Languedoc was assassinated once. Fortunately, the new governor was a brave general, so he only suffered a little injury. Later, they found that the assassins excavated a path from outside the official residence that led directly to the governor. In the secret passage of the bedroom, if Prince Conti remained in Languedoc, with his lackluster skills, I was afraid that the king would have to find another person to go to the Holy Roman Empire.

The people who sneaked into the Governor's Palace were some Huguenots. Of course, the king kept them in mind. The feud between the Huguenots and the French royal family began in the early morning of August 24, 1572, when tens of thousands of Catholics in Paris The disciples, together with the king and the queen mother's soldiers, carried out massacres against the Huguenots, including even the dignitaries under the generals, even the then king of Navarre - the queen mother at that time was to preside over him and Margo. Princess Rita's wedding brought together the Huguenots - all forced to convert to survive, and the massacre spread from Paris to Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lyon, Rouen, and Orleans, Hundreds of thousands died, and the Seine in Paris was so full of corpses that the inhabitants dared not eat the fish in it, and atrocities continued until 1598, when Henry IV, the brother-in-law of Charles IX (King of Navarre), died. ) came to an end by promulgating the Edict of Nantes after gaining the dominion of France.

In this regard, neither the king nor the ministers of the court and foreign dynasties are surprised or angry. They have too many things to deal with now, and they have no time to take care of the domestic Huguenots, but as long as the king and ministers can With his hands free, these pagans will inevitably be hit like a thunderbolt - this Catholics are sure that Louis did not care much about faith, but the Huguenots have repeatedly challenged his patience and tolerance. Next, they should have nothing to complain about what he will do in the future.

In short, this lucky gentleman, Prince Conti finally came to the Louvre completely. At this time, the pursuit of fair skin is still limited to noble girls, so under the caress of the bright sun, Prince Conti is like a As a Spanish fisherman with a dark and shiny complexion, Philip the Duke of Orleans mocked him mercilessly and said that if a masquerade was held in the court, Prince Conti could easily make up as a black chieftain. Not only was Prince Conti not angry, Instead, he laughed and assured the duke that if there was such a banquet, he would definitely follow the instructions of his younger brother to dress up like this.

This answer made the Duke of Orleans helpless. He finally understood why his brother insisted on letting Prince Conti secretly dispatch the Holy Roman Empire. At least, he or Prince Condé would never be able to do this. This gentleman is actually willing to condescend to marry the niece of Bishop Mazarin, the daughter of a merchant, and of course he can be so servile in front of the king's brother who has real power and is deeply trusted by the king.

Regardless of the Duke of Orleans' mockery of Prince Conti, Prince Conti's appearance is still worth mentioning. He is the younger brother of Grand Condé, but in appearance, Prince Condé is more masculine and looks rough and tough, while Conte is more masculine. Even if the prince has tanned his skin, after rubbing the purple jasmine powder, his face can still be as beautiful and round as a lady, and his facial features are quite delicate, even too small. Such an appearance would make the man narrow-minded and timid in his actions, and his actions seemed to indicate that.

He bowed respectfully to the king, and when the king looked at him, he paid close attention to the king. The king was born in 38 years, and is already twenty-eight years old this year, his eldest son is six years old, and a young The prince and a little princess are of good age. From the perspective of Prince Condé, the king is open-minded, but this does not mean that he does not have the characteristics of a monarch. Prince Conti is very clear, This Louis is tolerant of people many times, not because he is really a kind person, but because his reason always overrides his emotions, so he will use Turena, he will also use Grand Condé, and even is himself.

But if you disappoint him, just like Fouquet once, the Bastille is your best destination, and what is even worse is of course—Prince Conte also received a letter of help from Fouquet from the prison, But the king behaved like there had never been a Nicholas Fouquet, no matter how he struggled and how he begged, Prince Conte felt that if he also let the king down, then his ending would not be any better. place to go.

   "How much do you know about the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I?" Louis asked.

   "Not much, Your Majesty," said Prince Conti honestly, "and I came to know him as an enemy."

"Nothing is better than nothing," said Louis. "And as enemies, we are often better able to see what others are doing, so we can peer into their hearts and minds." He raised his hand, and Bontang and Philippe joined forces. A huge portrait came, and after lifting the curtain that blocked the portrait, Prince Conti saw the portrait of Leopold I, and then Bontang and another servant moved the map of Europa, which was still passed by Louis' re-survey was more detailed and careful than the previous map.

"He doesn't look as majestic and elegant as you, Your Majesty." Prince Conti said with complete sincerity. Indeed, Leopold I's father had a non-Habsburg mother, but Leo Pod's grandparents were still cousins. When Leopold I's father, Ferdinand II, got married, his wife was the Spanish princess, the noble daughter of Habsburg. The inheritance of premature death and disease is embodied in the big chin of Habsburg blood. Leopold also has such a big chin. In the portrait, he is half-sideways according to the tradition, so the chin is particularly protruding, which makes his The face looks like a mirrored C.

And although the emperor is still two years younger than Louis, he looks older than when Louis XIII died, perhaps because of his bulging eyes, drooping bags, and a lingering sadness . Although this young emperor can also be said to have become the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire through various means, bribes, transactions and threats, he was not less tortured than the Archduke of Austria. King Carl X of Sweden and Prince Trasylvania of Hungary formed an alliance to oppose the emperor. Hearing this, Prince Conti glanced at the king subconsciously. Opold I's terribly thwarted war was precisely what their Majesty had managed to promote in order to avoid the Holy Roman Empire's meddling in the war between France and Rome...

  King, the king saw nothing as himself.

Later, with the help of the Polish king, John II Kazimierz, Leopold I fought off the alliance between Sweden and the Hungarians. The problem is that this war not only threatened the rule of Leopold I, but also caused With a serious consequence, it was to support Leopold I, King John II, who lost his resistance in the face of the Ukrainian uprising, ceded Eastern Ukraine to Russia behind the Ukrainians, and later In Sweden's war against Poland, he ceded northern Livonia to Sweden, and now Poland exists in name only. His Majesty is said to be about to abdicate and become a priest.

Zmich's territory is in Poland, which is why Amon is so angry that he is about to make John II ham... A little careless, the Zmich family will lose its After the inherent territory, he can only wander around constantly, becoming the laughing stock of the blood clan.

Of course, this secret news Prince Conti has not yet been able to know, but he knows that the Austrians have been facing the threat of Ottoman Turkey. Although this behemoth slowed down the expansion of the territory in the late sixteenth century, it even lost some important stronghold, but it was still a formidable threat and the number one enemy of Leopold I. And because of the alliance between Sweden and the Principality of Transylvania - it is obvious that Karl X of Sweden was manipulated by the French behind the scenes, while the Principality of Transylvania was a puppet of the Ottoman Turkey, so Leopold After getting a chance to breathe, King De I brazenly declared war on the Ottoman Turkish Empire. They fought from 1963 to 1964. The Holy Roman Empire lost first and then won. The Turks' offensive momentum was curbed, so on August 10th At that time, a peace treaty was signed with Austria.

Here I have to hear the Church of Rome again. There is no doubt that the Church of Rome, at least on the surface, can be said to hate pagans, and there is absolutely no possibility of compromise and appeasement. Therefore, from 1096 to 1291, the priests have been in Try to unite the entire Europa, form a crusade, and carry out a crusade - the so-called religious war, but in the final analysis, this is just a delusion and fiction made by the Roman church to expand its rights and influence in the mortal world. The results can be seen at a glance - the strength of the church has indeed increased in these nine crusades, and when the church begins to weaken, the crusades will be over.

And Leopold I's victory over Ottoman Turkey can be said to be a great encouragement to the Europa people. Just a few days ago, Louis heard that the Pope intends to form a crusade again - although people say that there is little hope, But even if it is slim, Louis does not want the church to be successful. Now the priests can drive their swords against the pagans, and they can also drive their swords against France or themselves in the future.

  Especially the latter. When Louis was a boy, Bishop Mazarin said that the king's enemies are all over France and beyond, and it is still the case today.

   "So," said Prince Conti cautiously, "do I still want to inquire about this?"

"You don't need to listen carefully," Louis leaned back in his chair. "Maybe someone will come and talk to you in person." This sentence really made Prince Conti sweat. He knew what the king meant. After all, he had twice targeted the king. He held an important position in the riots of the first time, the first marshal and the second "His Royal Highness". He also once urged the Duke of Orleans to take over the title of "King Regent" when the king was assassinated... If the king wants to If he is investigated, then he can stay in the Bastille until his hair and beard are white, but on the bright side, those big fish swimming in the shadows, seeing such a fragrant bait, will definitely swim over and bite the hook.

   "I'll write down everyone's name for your inquiries," he said quickly.

   (end of this chapter)