I Am Louis XIV

Of course, in the war between the Netherlands and Flanders, French soldiers used the bayonets on their guns to continue close-range hand-to-hand combat after emptying the bullets. However, this kind of close-range combat, which was similar to cleaning the battlefield, could not compete with the opponent. Compared to the battles of the Ottoman Turks.

The Ottoman Turks' combat method was simple but effective. They did not have a military rank system similar to France, there was no chain of command of generals-officers-non-commissioned officers-sergeants-soldiers, and they did not pay attention to any strategy or maneuvering.

There may be thousands of soldiers under one officer, and they never issue complicated orders (and the soldiers may not understand them), which are usually: capture a castle, or capture a village, etc., no matter how they do it, Just do it - anyway, to the Sultan or Grand Vizier, they are just some consumables that can be replenished at any time - the dominance of the Ottoman Turkish Empire was completely obtained with mountains of bones and blood like rivers. .

It has to be said that when Azap (ordinary infantrymen of Ottoman Turkey) rush towards you like a swarm of rats or ants - anyone will feel scared. This was what Louis XIV was worried about, so he had to lead the expedition in person this time, otherwise he could not guarantee whether Leopold I or others would let the French army fight the most ferocious first wave of attacks.

"I don't mind transferring some Tatars to you," said Ludwig I. After all, when they conquered the Tatars before, Louis XIV's assistance was indispensable, but: "I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to conquer the Tatars." "Playing a decisive role in this war," it is of course easy to use wild beasts to deal with wild beasts. The problem is that the number of Tatars cannot be compared with those of Azap.

"Not in this war," Louis XIV said, while planning the preparations for a special military force: "Fighting the beast requires human wisdom." He put down the telescope, "But first we must make sure that the French are in this war. position in the war, and you, my dear friend, if you lose too much in this war, your rule in Poland will also be affected." The French King suggested not very religiously: "Don't care about those saviors. Even if the church is willing to give you the title of a saint, don't do it. Don't you realize that all saints are dead? Let us worry about things after death. If you are still a little worried, wait until then. After this battle, if Vienna still exists, we will try to get you a church or monastery from Leopold I."

This call made Ludwig I heartwarming and laughing at the same time. Apart from other things, can the monastery or church "obtained" from Leopold I still be regarded as his credit? He suspected that if he mentioned this matter during the last sacraments, the priest who offered him the sacraments would spit on the holy oil in his face... But if he stayed with Louis XIV for a long time, he would become a little tired. Especially to God, Ludwig I said while crossing himself: "You know the meeting tomorrow."

"Yes, I know," said Louis XIV.

"So are you ready?" Ludwig I said. Logically speaking, the commander of the coalition should be Leopold I, but he would definitely side with Louis XIV - he didn't know that Louis How many people did Louis XIV bribe, but he knew that Louis XIV was a stubborn person, and there were few things he couldn't do that he wanted to accomplish.

"If anything should happen," said Louis XIV, "then let Vienna and Leopold I die."

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The talks on the second day were also called the "King's Talks" by later generations instead of the Kamnico Talks, which are usually named after the location. Because at this meeting, there was a total of one emperor and three kings present. Leopold I was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The three kings were: Louis XIV of France, Pedro II of Portugal, and Louis XIV of Poland. Derwig I.

Considering that the eldest daughter of Pedro II was already the Crown Princess of France, Ludwig I was originally the Prince of Condé in France, and Louis XIV spared no effort on his way to becoming the King of Poland. Of course, they could not do it at this time. He became an opponent of Louis XIV, but Leopold I also had the full support of the three electors of Brandenburg-Prussia, Saxony and Bavaria, as well as Spain.

The place where the king met was arranged in the town hall of Camnicot. When Louis XIV and Leopold I met for the first time, their ministers tried their best to make an equal arrangement. Later, the two monarchs Sitting on two chairs side by side, Leopold I sat on the chair on the right. This was a small concession for the French, because in the tent Leopold I was the host and Louis XIV was the guest. But in this meeting, Louis XIV could no longer give in - after the door of the Chamber of Commerce was opened, Leopold I only hesitated for a moment, and Louis XIV walked in first with his head held high, and sat directly there. Put the sole owner on the chair.

For a moment, people thought that Leopold I would leave immediately, but he did not have the courage, or at least he still had a sense of responsibility for Austria. He came to the first place on Louis XIV's right hand and sat down Next came King Pedro II of Portugal. Opposite Leopold I, his next leader was Ludwig I, but then the three electors headed by Brandenburg also sat down. On the side of Leopold I.

In fact, there was no substantive content in the "King's Talk". Even the front line was several cities and hundreds of miles away from them. Louis XIV swore an oath to God and the Holy Cross, although he did Commander-in-Chief, but he will never interfere with the command of any general. He is just a supervisor and a judge. No matter who he is, French, Austrian, Polish, Catholic or Protestant, here During a war, as long as they felt they had been wronged or encountered something embarrassing, they could appeal to him, and he promised that he would treat everyone fairly.

Not to mention what Leopold I, the other two kings, and the three electors thought, but of course the generals, even the Austrians, would be willing to have such an honorary commander, but then, Louis X Si Ye also swore to them that if in this battle, someone escapes from the fierce enemy due to cowardice or various despicable reasons, causing those brave and pious warriors to die needlessly, in the name of the Holy Mother, even if If others don't pursue it, he will pursue it to the end, whether it is a person or a country.

He even casually said that there are thirty thousand French soldiers here, but there are ten times that number of troops in France - the Sun King can certainly fulfill his oath to the end.

This was also a decision Louis XIV made after getting to know mercenaries, especially Italian mercenaries. After all, for mercenaries, no matter how much money they have, it is all in vain if they cannot enjoy it. Therefore, when the situation is unfavorable, they first One reaction was to run away, and now the French king threatened them that if they dared to do this on the battlefield, they would be hanged if caught - some mercenaries actually actually heard such an order. Escaped... No general outside the French army knew what to say about this.

Only Marshal Schaumberg could understand Louis XIV's worries, because he was an Austrian, had been the leader of mercenaries, and had fought against the Ottoman Turks. He knew how the Ottoman Turks used their troops. When the earth rushes towards you, as long as you are not Samson or David (both are strong men described in the Bible), you will inevitably have the idea of ​​​​escape. At this time, loyalty and honor will speak, but mercenaries There is no such thing. Once they decide to give up their money to save their lives, they will immediately turn around and flee. As you know, once someone takes the lead in fleeing, the most tenacious army will collapse like a fortress made of sea sand.

Louis XIV had no way to pick out the mercenaries mixed in the Austrian and Spanish armies. Not every king was qualified to establish his own standing army. He could only rely on this kind of intimidation to expel some cowards with ulterior motives in advance. , and also to prepare those who stay, at least they will not escape so unburdened.

Just when Henry, Vauban and Schaumberg were about to leave to attend a meeting among the generals, the king also made two suggestions. The first was to strengthen the strength of the war team, including but not limited to providing better horses, Weapons and more soldiers, and the second is to build more fortifications on the front line.

Cement was used by Louis XIV in Versailles twenty years ago. After continuous development and innovation, France's cement factories not only have an amazing output, but also provide a variety of different cements, ranging from firmness to setting time. There is a difference. The Marquis of Lovas' armament warehouse also stores a lot of quick-drying cement, which is being sent to Camnico along with wheat and dried meat.

Therefore, Vauban's idea was to build fortifications in the Sava River Basin, with low fortresses, zigzag walls and hidden trenches. As soon as he finished speaking, there was inevitably a lot of discussion at the meeting. Although the generals present had heard of Vauban and knew that he had outstanding talents in defending and attacking fortresses - but he was also too whimsical. The Ottoman Turks had an army of 250,000 people. How big would their battle front be? No one knows, and who can tell where they will attack?

"So do you mean to imitate the Hungarians of the past?" Vauban asked.

Here he is referring to the Battle of Mohács, which was the battle between Hungarian King Lajos II and the famous Ottoman Turkish Sultan Suleiman I. In this battle, the Hungarians also wanted to introduce the Ottomans into the hinterland, and then He combined with the two supporting armies to take advantage of the Hungarian cavalry on the plains and annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop. However, Lajos II probably did not expect at the time that gradually retreating and luring the enemy deeper were always important in all tactics. It is a technique that requires the most discipline and courage. The Hungarian retreat turned into a rout after encountering a massive attack by the Azap infantry. They finally fled to the expected battlefield-a plain dotted with scattered swamps. At the time, everyone was thinking about escaping. The Ottoman Sipach cavalry and the Janiceli legion slaughtered 25,000 people, the entire Hungarian army, on the Hungarian stage.

As soon as the other two supporting troops heard about it, they withdrew without looking back.

King Lajos II of Hungary died in this battle, not very gloriously, because he fell into a swamp while escaping and drowned alive because his armor was too heavy... People in Hungary now, He would also say: "It's as miserable as Mahachi."

Vauban also knew the thoughts of some of these generals. It was not that they were not brave, they were just used to using castles to resist the attacks of the Ottoman Turks. However, castles alone were not enough. They had to consume more of the Ottoman Turks. Power can only attack instead of waiting.

Vauban proposed that they should not only launch defenses north of the Sava River, but also launch attacks south of the Sava River. This does not mean that they will take the initiative to attack the Ottoman Turks - they should do what they have done for hundreds of years. Like the previous knights, they destroyed the fields of the Ottoman Turks, burned their houses, and destroyed their roads. Even if this only cost them one Azap death, they might be able to kill one less soldier.

Leopold I's general, the equally famous Raimondo Montecuccoli, objected. He was a veteran who had fought in the Thirty Years War and had a deep understanding of the Ottoman Turks. I have to admit that this method of fortifying the wall and clearing the field will indeed trouble the Ottoman Turks. The 250,000 people will put pressure on the enemy and the commander, and the fodder required for their cavalry mounts is also an astonishing amount every day. Figures, these alone are not enough to be transported from the rear.

"But the Slovenes have always been grateful to our Emperor for his tolerance towards them." Since 1500, the Habsburgs have controlled Slovenia and intend to merge it into Austria. If, as Vauban said, the residents are forcibly driven away , burning houses, harvesting wheat early, and polluting water wells will undoubtedly arouse the hatred of Leopold I among Slovenians.

Vauban almost laughed in anger. There was clearly a way to ensure victory and reduce casualties, but it was rejected because of Leopold I's greed. Are all French people saints? Even the owner of Vienna is not willing to pay some price for it, but he wants people who have nothing to do with it to make sacrifices?

"But if the Ottoman Turks come, they will not be able to keep their homeland, and may even lose their lives." Schaumberg said, earning a glare from Raimondo Montecuccoli, but although Schaumberg was a former The Austrians were now French, and it was not uncommon for knights of different nationalities to serve for the same king.