I Am Louis XIV

Sorry, it's late. I finished yesterday’s chapter and felt dissatisfied, so I re-wrote this chapter entirely...

——————

For no reason, this scene reminded little Louis of the scene when LeBron and others were painting. Painters with an entire royal family behind them would never skimp on paint. They would always pick up a ball of paint at will with a shovel-like scraper. Throw it on the canvas, then spread it lightly, and finally use the brush to modify it. Sometimes, some colors and shapes do not meet their expectations, so they pick up more new paint and use them to cover up the original color. .

The commanders of the coalition forces and the Ottomans seemed to have this intention. Groups of slaves and mercenaries were driven onto the battlefield. No one cared about their life or death, and no one cared about the outcome. Everyone knew that this kind of battle was nothing. The meaning, in a difficult-to-pronounce sentence: "The reason why I invest in these consumables is because I don't want the enemy's consumables to consume my soldiers."

After a wave of these so-called "soldiers" were consumed, the supervisory team retreated in an orderly manner to Castle Hill - the hill where Ljubljana Castle is located. They retreated behind the first line of defense, and the Grand Vizier Your ponytail flag finally appeared slowly in the distance, and this bloody prelude came to an end.

The groans that could be heard before dark were no longer heard at night. The July temperature caused the corpses to ferment with an unpleasant smell, so the Ottomans first had to clear the hills before digging trenches and building forts. On the battlefield below, they scribbled the dead together and poured grease on them. The fire lit up people's faces, and sometimes feeble groans could be heard. Some Slovenians who were just lucky enough to be injured were killed. Roasted alive.

In addition to these ominous lights, there are also torches lit by craftsmen working all night to assemble cannons for the Ottomans. The Ottoman Turks are not inferior to the Europeans in thermal weapons. Earlier, they It was even possible to cast gun barrels on the battlefield - but before the Koprulli era, the Ottomans lost this calmness, and all Ahmed could do was to ensure that he carried more than a hundred light and heavy cannons.

These cannons were disassembled into barrels, brackets, etc. and hauled to the battlefield by oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages. It took a lot of time to reassemble them, so the Grand Vizier ordered him to wear yellow boots and a high hat. The guards brought a box of gold coins. After assembling a cannon, the light cannon can take away one handful of gold coins, and the heavy cannon can take away two gold coins. With such a huge reward, the craftsmen all worked hard and worked all night long, sweating profusely. It is said that some people even fell to the ground and stopped breathing when they staggered to the box and grabbed a handful of gold coins.

Of course, Grand Vizier Ahmed would not be moved by such a death. If he were defeated here, he would be hanged with a bowstring when he returned to Istanbul. He lay on the couch, half asleep and half awake for a while. He got up at dawn and crossed the town below the mountain, which was Castle Hill and the Ljubljana Castle on Castle Hill. This castle was originally a castle in armor. Giant, now France's General Vauban has covered his armor with spikes. The combination of bunkers, trenches, low walls and slopes makes this hill look like a huge hedgehog. It can be imagined that it is difficult to attack How hard it would be to get down this castle.

"What are those?" Ahmed suddenly asked: "Those are like thorns? They don't grow naturally, right?"

"Black iron thorns will not grow underground." The Grand Imam next to him said this. He could see things far away without relying on a telescope like Ahmed. "Those are artificial creations." They saw It is another product that was mass-produced after the steam engine was manufactured - iron wire.

Iron wire has been around for hundreds of years. Craftsmen used pliers to pull out the iron wire, wound it around a pipe with a fixed diameter, cut it into a coil, and then braided it into chain mail. However, this drawing method has not existed since. After the invention of the steam engine, it was completely eliminated. The steam engine was extremely powerful and could produce iron wire day and night. This was the first time that these iron wires were used on the battlefield - in the previous war between Flanders and the Netherlands, a France was the offensive side, and secondly, the production was insufficient, so it was not used in large quantities - it was unfamiliar to both the coalition forces and the Ottoman Turks.

But even if a big black iron tree suddenly stood up in Ljubljana, it could not stop the progress of the war. The Grand Priest said goodbye to him, and then he had to divine a suitable date for the war. Grand Vizier Ahmed could not hide his uneasiness. He returned to the tent, pondered for a while, walked to the locked box and opened it. In the Grand Vizier's box, there were Precious ornaments, silky clothes and gorgeous weapons, he put his hand on the box for a long time, still undecided - if anyone was around him, he would definitely be able to see that this noble man, second only to the Sultan, was paying close attention. Attached is a silver scimitar with a gem-encrusted scabbard.

The scabbard of this scimitar is very delicate, but because of its exquisiteness, it is inconspicuous among the dozens of scimitars inlaid with gold and silver. Ahmed hesitated for a while before taking it out and hanging it on his belt. superior.

As soon as he lifted the curtain, he was startled because there was actually a person standing in the tent outside - a dazed waiter.

"Why are you here?" Ahmed asked.

"Sir," the waiter said respectfully, "Master asked me to deliver..." He couldn't finish the next words, and he couldn't finish them, because Ahmed had already pulled out the knife and slit his throat. The child fell to the ground with his eyes wide open, his blood dyeing the golden and dark green silk carpet a dark red.

Ahmed recognized him; his master had a brother who served the Grand Imam, and Ahmed could not take any chances.

——————

The next morning, the light artillery brought by the Ottoman Turks had been assembled. They tried to bombard the bunkers and drive the shells into the trenches. The walls of these bunkers were unexpectedly thick, and the narrow shooting holes made it impossible for the shells to penetrate. The front of the trench, which was below ground level, had a small forward slope to slow down the power of the shells, which was effective but disappointing. Especially when the first batch of Azap infantry rushed into the trench and occupied the bunker, they found that most of the soldiers inside had been evacuated from the connecting trench.

The barbed wire fence in front of the trench also caused a lot of trouble for Azap and the cavalry, especially the low-level cavalry who were converted from herdsmen and Tatars. They had no armor and were covered in beast furs, so they could easily be caught by the barbed wire fence. Pulled, penetrated by bullets. Without them constantly intruding the people in the castle, the pressure on the defenders would be much less. Even the soldiers guarding the bunkers and trenches suffered very little losses. They could even be said to be orderly and calm. They retreated to a safer place, repaired themselves, and then plunged into a new battle again.

This situation did not change until the Ottomans' heavy artillery was completed. The heavy artillery could suppress the defenders' counterattacks and destroy the bunkers. The Ottomans began to dismantle the barbed wire fences and fill in the trenches.

Grand Vizier Ahmed and the Grand Imam both looked at the removed barbed wire. Anyone with eyes can see how effective this metal thorn is in defense-it surrounds every one or two inches. The iron wire with sharp barbs can bite deep into a person's skin and flesh like the teeth of a cat or dog if you don't pay attention. If you pull it forcefully, it will tear off a large piece of skin and flesh, and even scratch the bone. Even if it is just holding on to the clothes, it is difficult to break free.

This is still for infantry. If it is for cavalry, the horses' limbs are even more vulnerable to damage from iron spikes, which can lead to disability or even death.

"If I were a Christian general, I would save them for future battlefields," Ahmed said, looking at them.

"Perhaps they thought they could stop us in Ljubljana," the Grand Imam said, ignoring Ahmed's darkened expression.

————

The battle that followed was not only brutal, but also mind-numbingly long.

After the war officially started, although guns and cannons have been popularized in the armies of both sides, the use of trenches and city walls, ladders and siege vehicles still accounted for most of the battle, but it was no longer arrows that whizzed by. Instead of bullets, what people threw at each other became metal grenades instead of earthen jars. However, a large part of the cannons were filled with granite stone bullets. They could even outperform those loaded with gunpowder when attacking city walls. Similarly, part of the cannonballs fired back by the castle defenders were made of cement. These cannonballs, which could only be used as training bombs and targeted strikes hundreds of years later, have the same kinetic energy as real stone projectiles, so The amount of gunpowder required is also similar.

General Vauban even strengthened part of the city wall of Ljubljana Castle early to place cannons to avoid the ridiculous accident that the city wall would collapse before the enemy was defeated. Of course, the city walls, bunkers, and artillery shells all required a large number of cement, but having tasted the sweetness of the war between Flanders and the Netherlands, French businessmen even provided countless limestone, coal ash, and iron slag without any commitment or mortgage. etc.

Their initiative turned the offensive and defensive battle of Ljubljana Castle into another war of attrition. The Ottoman army of 250,000 could make any king tremble. Ahmed relied only on numerical superiority. Even though the cannons in Ljubljana never stopped roaring and roaring, and bullets poured out like torrential rain, he still continued to issue offensive instructions. Behind these soldiers were the supervisory team holding sticks and whips, and behind the supervisory team was Yeni. Cherry and Mutefirika Legions, any deserter who breaks out of the defense line of the Supervisory Team will be beheaded on the spot.

Coupled with the promise given by the Grand Vizier to plunder and massacre at will after capturing the castle, the Azaps rushed forward like a group of wild beasts that had lost their minds. They were like wrinkled beasts under the city wall. They were piled up like silk, so much so that the defenders in the city had to burn their corpses to prevent the enemy from scaling the city wall the next day.

At the same time, the Ottomans followed their usual method of building huge siege engines - when they attacked Istanbul, they built siege towers that exceeded the city wall. Of course, they can do the same now, or even go further, but this plan is because of the surrounding All the trees were cut down and burned by Vauban. The process was slow and unconcealable, so they were quickly discovered and destroyed by the defenders. However, the Ottomans were also good at digging trenches. Without the threat of bunkers, they had been The trench was extended to the edge of the defenders' firepower and dug downward. The top was covered with stacks of cowhide tents to defend against the shells. Although the defenders dropped a lot of kerosene, they failed to pose any threat.

The Ottomans, who had the upper hand in numbers, continued to cause trouble day and night while digging. General Vauban persisted for a whole week. In just seven days, he looked as if he had aged for more than ten years. His eyes were red and his cheeks were sunken. He deserved comfort. It was the Crown Prince Louis who had returned to Kamnik three days ago - the fall of Ljubljana Castle was a foregone conclusion. The Crown Prince Louis had finally seen a real war, and there was no need to stay in the way until the last moment.

Death is always with people, endlessly.

Vauban has been closely watching the movements of the Ottomans. During the intervals between battles, the Grand Vizier still needs to pray and fast. At this time, the Ottoman offensive will not stop, but because there is no commander, they Only obeying the previous order, which was to fight to the death, which was one of the weaknesses of the Ottoman army - he turned around and said hoarsely: "We can retreat."

Vauban has long prepared a secret passage from Castle Hill to the Sava River. Although there are inevitably cavalry servants of the Ottomans wandering here, they are mainly responsible for police posts and patrols, and their own strength is not strong. , the number was not small, and the last part of the army that withdrew from the Ljubljana Castle passed the last barrier-the Sava River without any danger. When they turned back to look at the castle they abandoned, they saw a white streak. Smoke and dust penetrated the sky and the earth.

——————

Like all the castles attacked by the Ottomans before, Ljubljana Castle blocked all the gates with stones and cement from the beginning. The Azaps who attacked the castle could only use ladders and siege engines to climb the city walls. , they were even confused at first because there was suddenly no one on the city wall. However, in previous wars, it was not uncommon for the defenders to collapse and abandon the castle and escape. They were like hyenas hungry for flesh and blood. He ran down the city wall so quickly towards the nearest mansion, hoping to find food, money and trembling citizens inside.

More and more soldiers climbed up the city wall and joined the looting team.

For these Azaps, who were little more than slaves, almost everything was good, and only a few Transylvanians ran towards the center of the castle, where the main tower was, where Whether it belongs to the owner of the castle or the generals of the garrison, many valuable things will be left behind. They were even more sure when they saw that the steps in front of the main tower gate had been removed and a big lock was hung on the door. With their own ideas in mind, they moved the stepping stones, picked the lock and rushed in.

They did find some scattered coins, utensils and ornaments here. More soldiers poured in. They ran around frantically in each room. An unwilling Azap finally discovered the sound coming from under his feet. There was something wrong with the sound. He carefully avoided the sight of others and walked down a hidden ladder.

All castles have rooms, warehouses and cisterns underground, and this castle is no exception. Azap closed his eyes and let himself get used to the dim light underground - the faint light of fire came from the end of the passage, reflecting After lighting up the wall, he walked over. As soon as he turned a corner, he suddenly saw a huge warehouse in front of him.

An old woman was sitting on a wooden box, holding a torch. When she saw an Ottoman bearded man, she was not panicked at all. "Oh," she said, "I thought I had to wait longer."

She lowered her hand, and the torch lit the fuse beside it.

Azap's smile stopped on his face. He may have thought a lot at this moment, but no one can know it.

——————

During the attack and defense of Ljubljana Castle, the Ottomans lost nearly 10,000 people, but in the subsequent explosion, they lost a similar number of casualties and also lost the castle.