I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 187 Saint Denis (6)

After the fall of Lille, there were only 8,000 Spaniards left in Flanders, and there may be some Flemish people who were inclined to the Spaniards and the British who would like to attach the former, but there may only be 3,000 people. To 4,000 people, and among them, the ratio of cavalry and musketeers is very small, and the composition of personnel is relatively complex. Throughout July, the king of France used Lille as the main station, and his army used this to move to neighboring cities, Small towns such as Bettina and Armandier launched offensives to make this line of defense stronger, while the Prince of Condé and the Duke of Luxembourg in Luxembourg, and the Duke of Orleans in Dunkirk were also victorious and triumphant all the way. , It can be seen from the map that the king hangs in the palace, three sharp arrows are unswervingly heading for Brussels, the center of Flanders, the laurels and the key points.

The French army stayed in Lille, not as the Spaniards expected, not because of slack, not because of some serious blow, but ready to go - "the enemy of France," Louis, holding hot coffee, stared at him. Looking at the map, he said, "It's not Brussels, not even the Spanish." He smiled mockingly. "It's the Holy Roman Empire and the Church of Rome."

While Louis's army swept through Flanders like a destructive hurricane, the Holy Roman Empire was busy uniting all the enemies of France, and the Roman Church had long since shifted its political focus from France since the Crusades ceased. In the Holy Roman Empire, although every current French king still follows the name of "Pious Saint-Louis", everyone knows that in view of the conflict between kingship and religious authority, they can only be enemies.

However, if someone stood in front of this map, it would be difficult to say that these countries and churches were unfounded. First of all, the army led by the Duke of Orleans and the army led by the king directly threatened Brussels. Once Brussels was captured , then the complete fall of the Flanders region is a matter of time, and if we look up, we can see that the Netherlands, the size of the Netherlands is similar to the current Flanders region, and although the British and French governments are enemies, Their kings are dear cousins ​​and friends, and there is hatred between England and France, but now the war between the English and the Dutch is still in the air, and the Netherlands can now vaguely gain the upper hand in the naval war with England, but There is no way to fight against the mighty France on land, and now Karl XI is not yet in power. His mother is Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, her family once ruled Denmark, Sweden and Norway, although now divided, she is still not happy to see France continue to get Flanders, threaten the Netherlands, and then affect Denmark and Sweden, not to mention France's asylum to the former Queen Christina, She is sovereign and self-willed, directly overriding her son and the king to reach an agreement with the emissaries of the Holy Roman Empire.

Another country, Switzerland, is the same, because the area conquered by the Duke of Luxembourg and the Prince of Condé is not just a small Luxembourg. They first captured the Franche-Comté area, which also belongs to Spain, and this area is It is closely connected with Switzerland, and Switzerland has the same concerns as the Netherlands. They are also a small country and cannot resist the crushing of a giant chariot like France.

   Needless to say, the Holy Roman Empire, if Louis' Flanders campaign can achieve the desired results, then we can see how France spread its arms and intimately embraced the Holy Roman Empire in its arms...

"What do you think I should do?" said Louis, as if to himself, and gently pointed at the map. The seventeenth-century map was as splendid as the ceiling painting of a palace or a church. Above it was the lord of France. Paul Saints Michael and Saint Denis, surrounded by colonnades, ribbons and flowers, below is the giant who supports the world, the king wears a diamond ring on his finger, in the fourteenth century, the way diamonds were cut It is a point cut, which is the simplest octahedron shape, and then polished; until the fifteenth century, the table cut originally used for emeralds was used for diamonds, that is, to grind off a sharp corner above the octahedron, roses. The type cut appeared a hundred years ago, with twenty-four triangular faces and a base, and not long ago, a Versailles jeweler proudly presented the king with a piece of his carefully cut finished product - the cushion shape The cut, the rudiment of the brilliant cut—the brilliance and fire of a diamond is maximized.

It covered almost a third of the king's knuckles, and under the light of the candles, it was as bright as a star, and Bontang watched it move from Dunkirk to Ghent, from Ghent to the Netherlands , moving from Holland to Denmark, and above Denmark is Sweden, "You know what?" Louis said, "Ten years ago, I also liked hunting and riding." In fact, it is not so much that he likes hunting and riding, It would be better to say that the young king used this method to avoid the inevitable confrontation with the queen mother and the bishop of Mazarin - this is not an emotional issue, but, when you control the fate of a country, a casual sentence, a When orders can change the fate of thousands, it's hard not to want to do something... and Bishop Mazarin, Queen Mother Anne may not have thought about ruling the country forever, but they can also think that the king is too old Few, naive, unable to take on such a heavy responsibility.

   And what about King Carl XI of Sweden? The previous information said that the people in Sweden did not have much disgust for the king, or they knew very well that it was not the king who was running the country now, but the king who was born in 1655 was already eleven this year. At the age of three, then he clearly realized like Louis when he was young that he did not have the qualifications and experience to master a country for the time being? Or do you harbor resentment and dissatisfaction, or do you simply not understand your situation?

As for that Hedwig Eleonora, perhaps because she came from such a family, her ambition is no less than that of a man. Although she has always claimed that she does not want to interfere in government affairs, the relationship between the king and ministers She almost had to relay the conversation, and in the education of the king, he could only speak German, and he couldn't understand how to handle government affairs and foreign affairs at all—she couldn't compare to Queen Anne, Queen Anne was really good at it. Less interference in government affairs, she regards herself as an important weight, a strong shield, sheltering her young children and France from the wind and rain, although she also worries that Louis is not like a child - he does not like to play, He only loves to read, but he has not deprived Louis of his right to sit in the study - and the queen dowager did not even find a suitable teacher for her son.

   Not to mention that the regents will take on this responsibility, they have a lot of work, and sometimes they can't even think of the king in the court.

   "Has Philip's spies have any new information coming back here?"

"Only a letter has been sent here today," said Bontang. The king went back to his desk and sat down. Under the bright candlelight, he unfolded the paper, which was covered in fine print. The spy was originally a Venetian. He got a lot of fresh goods from the king, such as dyes, glass, mirrors and sugar, corn, potatoes, etc., which made him successfully become one of the royal merchants of the Swedish court, mainly because of the long winter in Sweden and cold, so whether starchy potatoes that can be stored for a long time, or corn-based spirits, made of caramel, are very popular there - he did not have the qualifications to accompany around Karl XI, But it's not difficult to inquire about the hobbies of some kings - and it won't cause too many people's doubts. After all, as a businessman, it is quite normal to find out the preferences of the superiors and to flatter them accordingly.

As far as his reward is concerned, like all children, Karl XI is fond of sweet corn candy more than wine, and he is indeed strong, and although only eleven years old, he can already hunt stags, and he is often around him. There are some young people who take off their hats and cheer as they run about in the streets, and the king reciprocates them with loud shouts, some say that the king, who has not yet been in power, may have more support than ever. More of Queen Christina.

He treats people with kindness, with a warrior-like rudeness and straightforwardness. He has hardly ever seen him beating up commoners and servants. He is also quite generous in his rewards to his servants, and he does not care too much when spending in taverns and hotels. In addition to the fact that sometimes he still can't calculate the number, and although he also enjoys dramas, it is difficult for him to understand the allusions and words in dramas other than religious dramas. It seems that in terms of book education, it is too much. There is a lack of time, so he relies heavily on the attendants around him, and often needs them to calculate and explain for him.

   In addition, because he was only eleven years old, the other side of things was difficult to probe... On the back of the parchment, the agent left a sketch of the latest portrait of the king.

Louis also asked Bontang to find out for him the portrait of Charles XI they had collected earlier. The portrait may be younger than when he was sketched, but he was also dressed as a man instead of wearing a skirt. The characters in the portrait naturally passed by. Beautification, but compared with the sketch, it is not too deviated, and this is not what Louis cares about. He pays attention to the face of Karl XI. There are many genetic or non-genetic diseases that can be presented on the face. , even if the artist deliberately concealed it, the spy's sketches will tell the truth - from this point of view, Karl XI is a good boy with a good appearance, the proportions of his hands and feet are well-balanced, his body has no signs of chicken **** or a hunchback, and he can ride a horse. Hunt, said he had no problems with breathing and coordination, "Elizabeth." Louis said that his daughter, seven years younger than Karl XI, was now only four or five, but the marriage contract between state and state was never about age. Yes, and for men and women, it's not a problem that men are larger than women.

"It's just that I still hope that Elizabeth can be happy." Louis said in a letter to Queen Anne, yes, he has decided to marry his daughter Elizabeth to Charles XI, and to conclude this marriage contract is not a good way to destroy the sacred The anti-French alliance between the Roman Empire and the Roman Church will be a huge blow, and it will be very successful. After all, if the Queen Mother of Sweden and the king have any concerns, they are afraid of the behemoth of France, but if this behemoth can cooperate with them Becoming an in-law, don’t forget that the mother family of the Queen Mother of Sweden is a branch that split from Oldenburg in Denmark. She is only worried about France’s invasion of Denmark and then against Sweden, but if France is willing to support Holstein Because of Oldenburg, to gain the dominion of Denmark?

Against France, the best case is to remain unchanged, support France, or even just remain neutral, then in the future Karl XI's territory is likely to return to the original size of Oldenburg, that is, Denmark, Sweden and Norway... Who can be unmoved?

   But before that, they need to do one more thing.

  ———

Ms. Christina, the former Queen of Sweden, once resolutely abandoned the throne that she regarded as a burden. Although there were also aristocrats and the Protestant church, but as far as Louis was concerned, she soon regretted it. After the tenth died, her nephew was only five years old, so she declared that if Karl XI died, she would be the queen of Sweden again, the problem is that Karl XI's health has been satisfactory, after she left France , has been traveling between Rome and Stockholm, wandering, her reputation was damaged when she was in Fontainebleau, so she was not welcomed and supported by the Romans or Swedes, but fortunately, under Louis's mediation, she was still able to get Although the tax money of one's own territory cannot be squandered, it is not a problem to maintain a decent life.

It was only during this time that her behavior kept disappointing Louis, first of all, she didn't care about the reputation of women and kings, she let women perform plays in her palace (at the time it was like yinluan). her behavior, even illegal in some places); long-term intimacy with some young scholars, actors, and a cardinal; she held Catholic ceremonies in places where Protestants prevailed, only to be thrown out by the locals in embarrassment ; Even semi-openly set up an alchemy laboratory... Yes, if she was just acting as Ms. Christina, although these actions were not in line with the moral values ​​of the people at the time, they also had little to do with others, but since she was a right If someone ambitious for the throne went, then such an act would be tantamount to slapping her supporters in the face.

  Louis is not so embarrassed, but...if he can get a response from Sweden, he must also show due gestures.

   (end of this chapter)