I Am Louis XIV

"I think this war is over, what do you think, Bontang?" Louis asked.

"I think so too," Bontang said.

People in this world always have the illusion that they can do what others can easily do. They don't know that Louis can intervene in the other world as a mortal king. In addition to the necessary courage, even Maza However, the bishop has to admit that he is lucky - he may die under the curse of the dark wizard, the Mancini family may reject his proposal, or a devout believer may think that he has blasphemed and assassinate him. This was all possible, and Louis was prepared to accept it. Fortunately, none of these things happened.

Now we have to see what will happen to those kings who finally outweigh their faith and fear and reach out to the other world.

However, the situation may be very bad for the Grand Vizier Ahmed they are facing now, because after the zombies failed to attack the city, the Ottomans not only did not continue to attack the city, but also sent envoys to intentionally Peace talks with the coalition.

"In the final analysis, the Grand Vizier is just a slave of the Sultan," Theodric said: "But the Grand Priest is second only to the Sultan in religious status, and their identities are equal in a sense. The imam was assassinated by Ahmed because he was unprepared for him, but the disciples of the Grand Imam discovered it immediately.”

"Did they report this to the Sultan?"

"Yes," Theodric said. His movements were considered fast. When the corpses were destroyed by Barras and his monks, he set off to the Ottoman camp to search for the devil's scimitar. , but before he reached the Grand Vizier’s camp, he was almost discovered and attacked. It turned out that at this time, the disciples of the Grand Imam had already taken advantage of Ahmed’s relaxation to swarm up and capture him. They were in Ahmed did this after he summoned the devil. You can interpret it as they need to provide people with evidence, or you can interpret it as they also want to see the ghouls capture Kamnik for them.

But they certainly didn't expect that as soon as the Grand Priest died, Louis immediately ordered the army to withdraw from the city wall - he asked Theodric what the Ottomans' attitude was towards wizards and vampires - in fact, even without Prince Vandro, Louis' According to the books he collected in Istanbul, the businessman found that in Ottoman Turkey, even the most devout and steadfast believers would make deals with the devil. In other words, they believed that being able to deal with the devil or even deceive the devil to gain benefits was a It's something worth bragging about, but their priests are much more rigid and strict. In other words, if it was Ahmed who made a deal with the Hitai patriarch, then the great patriarch would definitely not allow him to control this weapon. Scimitar.

Louis' wizards were also certain that although they killed many Ottoman priests when they accompanied Ludwig I in the battle, there was absolutely no chance that the Archimandrite was among them. The Ottoman Archimandrite used thunder and lightning to protect the Ottoman priests. Vizier Ahmed, when they retreated, they could still see that the white-bearded old man was still quite energetic and full of energy.

Then, it is possible that Ahmed killed the Grand Imam during the conflict. Although he was a mortal, the Hitai clan originally came from Egypt, and their patriarch was even worshiped by the Egyptians as the god of death and darkness. , although he was later defeated in a battle with another vampire and had to leave Egypt, there is no doubt that he studied ancient Egyptian magic. This magic sword may be far more powerful than people think.

In fact, Theodric didn't smell the scent of the magic knife. Maybe it had absorbed enough soul and blood for the real owner and returned to him.

In short, the Ottoman priests failed to find the magic knife, but they always had ways to search for and find various clues. After all, in Istanbul, these priests were equivalent to the judges and inquisitors of the Inquisition - "should be the Grand Priest" What message did the chief give them?" Theodric said.

"The Grand Priest must hope that this army can return to Istanbul," Louis speculated: "This expedition is doomed to fail, but looking at the behavior of Grand Vizier Ahmed, it seems that he wants these twenty-five Thousands of people died in his burial - does the Ottoman Turkish Sultan still maintain the tradition of quartering defeated generals?"

"Ahmed can become a madman, but it is not easy for the Sultan of the Ottoman Turks to gather these soldiers. Koprulu has been working hard for nearly two decades and only has a few useful cattle and horses," Ti said. Orderik said: "They should have obtained the will of Mohammed IV to deprive Grand Vizier Ahmed of his power and identity."

Louis nodded and moved a piece on the chessboard. Theodric looked down and couldn't help showing an unbelievable look: "How can you do it?" He asked: "Even little Louis is better than You have skills."

"Actually, I'm really not very good at using tricks," Louis said. "I just like to arrange everything as smoothly as possible."

"Perhaps this is why your generals and ministers like you," Theodric said. "It's easier said than done. You are the person I have seen who cares least about money and enjoyment."

"I thought I was already the king of France," said Louis. "I still have several royal ladies."

"Yes, who wouldn't be envious? Even I know that the most beautiful lady in Paris right now is only Madame Montespan of Versailles." Theodric joked: "But you really don't plan to canonize your youngest son?"

"It depends on whether Madame Montespan does what I want," Louis said, supporting his queen: "My son will always be recognized and canonized, but he is still in his infancy, so we Don’t be too anxious.”

"You can be so cruel sometimes." Theodric moved the soldier - it was almost to the end: "But be careful, any woman is underestimated."

Louis raised his head and glanced at Prince Vandro. He had seen in the secret volume that Theodric died suddenly in his twenties. At that time, he was not only young and healthy, but he was probably related to a woman. Queen, Or his lover, Louis said nothing, moved a knight, and ate the soldier who was only one step away from reaching the bottom line - it could almost become anyone on the chessboard except the king, most of them were queens - - "So I will nip all her ambitions in the cradle, but I will also be very fair. As long as she can do things for me, I will not let her hands be empty."

"But Madame de Montespan must be jealous, because you are more lenient to the Duchess of Colonna and to Madame de La Valrière than you are to her."

"Mary and Louise are different from her." Louis said: "Your life is much longer than mine, and you must have met many more people than me. Then you must know that there are some kind of people who are born bad. They It seems that he is born to do evil."

"That's a little too much to say of a woman who has given birth to your child," Theodric said.

"Mary Mancini was the first lady I fell in love with," Louis said. "We were both young at that time. Her love was simple and selfish, while my love was almost lost in the many crises at the time. , I must admit that her love was a precious comfort to me, but this emotion eventually turned sour. I deceived her, told lies, and put her and my children in a difficult and dangerous situation. situation, so I favored her because I knew I couldn’t give her what she wanted.”

"As for Madame de La Valriere, she was the former maid of the Duchess of Orleans. She was not an impressive lady. I don't know how to describe it, but at that time I really hated those people who were constantly recommended by ministers. The noble daughter of the Queen and the Queen Mother, I can be said to have been willful and impulsive once. When she was allowed to appear holding my arm, I looked at those people and guessed in my heart that if they knew that I would rather If a werewolf becomes a royal wife, not their niece or niece, how ugly will their expressions be."

"But you also feel sorry for Madame Lavalriere."

"She is a person who is willing to suffer in silence without telling me. I may not love her, but I respect her. She is not greedy, so even if she made a mistake in the end, sir, I still gave her a child. , a fiefdom where she can live peacefully with her people.”

"So," Louis went on, "these two ladies, one whom I once loved and the other whom I respected, acted for me as any worthy minister or general would—and this Where is Madame Montespan?" He paused: "She is lucky. She has two fathers who are deeply in my heart. I also need a pair of red-gloved hands for me - since she is willing to kill for this. My husband framed the Duchess of Colonna and ruthlessly used her adoptive and biological father, then I will fulfill her wish." Louis said calmly.

"What about her and your kids?"

"I will not let her child stay with her." Louis said: "I will find a suitable guardian for him, and I don't think Mrs. Montespan will be able to have too much time to accompany the child to grow up. She can get her It’s something you want to get, but it’s definitely not going to be easy.”

"Then you think she'll just give in?"

"Maybe I will struggle for a while," Louis said with a smile, "I will need you to help me then."

"I am not your minister," said Theodric, squeezing Louis' king into a corner.

"I have never thought so. Although we are not related in any way, I think the king of Frank would be very willing to see France become the most glorious, powerful and prosperous promised land in Europe."

"Maybe it's not just Europa." Theodric said, "Your words moved my heart. I will look at you. Human life is short, but it is always so bright."

"Now please witness this small but bright flash." Louis said.

——————

In the records of later generations, people agree that when the Sun King Louis XIV accepted the surrender of the Ottoman Turks as the commander of the coalition forces, he kept holding a kitten in his hand to express contempt for the Ottoman Turks, or perhaps to It is implied that they are all a group of servants of the devil - but the Turks believe that this is because the sun Louis XIV was grateful for their bravery and loyalty, so he completed the whole ceremony with a cat - because in Turkey, the true god It is true that the believers never abuse animals. They even like cats and dogs very much and believe that only cowardly people would harm innocent animals.

No matter what they said, they would never guess that Louis just wanted Theodric to participate in the surrender ceremony. After all, without Prince Theodric's intelligence, he would not have been so determined to ask the army to retreat, leaving an empty place. On the city wall, only a few priests were left - the sudden death of the high priest made Louis XIV wary, and then there were the unnecessary casualties of the Jenichery Army. Only a man who is about to make a desperate move would not hesitate to give up what he thought he could abandon. Big names are dropped at will.

The ghouls may win, maybe they won't, but whether they do or not, if they are greeted by a group of mortals on the city wall, they will suffer heavy losses and even have no chance of survival. Louis XIV certainly wants to weaken Leopold The power of a lifetime, but I have never thought of being so despicable.

——————

The Ottoman Turkish envoy clung to the hanging basket and when he was pulled up the city wall, the first thing he smelled was a rich sweet smell.

Stove fires were flashing everywhere in every corner of the city, and the steaming white smoke was mixed with the fragrance. Golden bread was constantly being taken out of the simple stoves, and every soldier and citizen could reach for it if they wanted to. , Eat as much as you like.

The smiling soldiers probably didn't know that these breads baked from fine wheat flour (because they are driven by steam engines, French wheat is always ground finely and cleanly) must be eaten immediately because they have become damp. Used for processing - these things were just a step away from overturning the city, but now they became delicacies in their mouths.

The Ottoman Turkish envoys guessed that they might be watched with hatred and contempt as they walked through half the city, but what they didn't expect was that not many people really paid attention to them, because the battle was over, and some people even moved out with wine. Drinking, as well as the prey they captured, some people even took out cans - of course not canned peaches or tangerines, just some ordinary canned meat, but it was exciting enough for these Ottomans.

The supplies of the Ottomans were originally only supplied to the three legions under the direct control of the Grand Vizier. Starting from Azap, to the slave soldiers and mercenaries, almost all of them made a living by plundering, but this time the despicable Christians actually moved away They invaded the entire city, villages and towns, and cut the wheat in advance. They could not find anything to eat or drink. If Ahmed did not allow them to enter the cities that should belong to the Grand Vizier to rob, they might not be able to persist at all. At this point - but just like that, some people began to eat horses. They claimed that the horses were left behind when the Christians fought with them - the owners of the horses generally did not dare to say anything, at least what was put on the fire was just their horses.

This was considered mild, and today, few people care about what other people are eating.

And they no longer had a commander, the dead Grand Imam, or the still-living Grand Vizier Ahmed.

Ahmed's only value was to bear the consequences of this defeat. Others did not put much pressure on the peace talks. Even the mighty Suleiman I faced Vienna's double city walls in 1529. After returning in vain, the battlefields between the Ottoman Turks and the Europeans were either on the islands or in the Hungarian area. Repeated competition for an area was common.

Little Louis, the crown prince, stood beside his father as an attendant, looking at the Ottomans who came in with their heads held high with wide eyes. Fierce emotions were swelling in his chest. Unlike the heretic Louis XIV, the crown prince Although he is not a fanatical believer, he also longs for the glory that Saint Louis once brought to France - for Louis XIV, this is just a necessary training, for him, his crown prince, and his The army, not all wars, will not treat people as human beings at all.

Louis didn't know whether his future battlefield would be on the Ottoman Turkish side, but if his eldest son, the Duke of Colonna, could unify Italy, then he would also have to face the Ottoman Turks - the Ottoman Sultan was eyeing Europe. For hundreds of years, they attacked Naples more than once. Renaissance writers also mentioned that even the citizens of Florence were robbed by the Ottomans and sold into slavery.

Now it seems that Ottoman Turkey is still a giant python. Although it swallowed the bitter pill because of its overly greedy soul and overly bloated body, it may take a long time for the bitter pill to be truly effective. The dubious slavery system replaced the feudal system, but thus cleverly achieved a balance, as if every Ottoman could accept this method.

Speaking of which, it is not the Holy Roman Empire that truly inherited ancient Rome, but Ottoman Turkey. The same pyramids standing on the bones of countless slaves, the same priests who can change from servants of gods to generals at any time, the same stern and Harsh divine law, not secular law, is equally precarious for anyone - from slaves to emperors.

Such an idea prevented Louis XIV from arousing too many emotional fluctuations when he accepted the kneeling of the Ottoman Turks. For France and him, this war was over, and France's expenditure in this war was no less than that of Flanders. In this battle, his army suffered very little losses and successfully defended the majesty of Christendom. He has discussed with the cardinal leader that in order to prevent some people from making trouble under the pretext of faith, he will go Rome accepts papal commendation.

Take the army with you.

Therefore, after the peace talks ended, the French evacuated faster than the Ottomans. They could reach Italy directly from Slovenia and enter Rome in less than two weeks - it is said that Clement Ten Shi was already dying when he issued the last edict, but miraculously he is still alive now. Louis recalled the letter from the Cardinal leader and couldn't help but guess that the Roman Church, at least Castel Sant'Angelo, had completely fallen into the hands of the Cardinal leader. ?

The tone of the venerable red prince's letter did not sound like he wanted Clement X to face Louis XIV.

This chapter will be updated by 1,000 words tomorrow morning.