I Am Louis XIV

Will Sforza regret it? This is almost inevitable. Not to mention whether his inheritance rights as a side descendant can be recognized, it is an indisputable fact that he slaughtered most of Milan. The reason why he did not suffer immediate violent revenge was because Leopold I still needed Sforza. surname, but there is not much time left for him. Milan will be the battlefield, and the Holy Roman Empire will win. Whether Leopold I will give him the title and territory as promised depends on the mood and capacity of the emperor. France will win. Victory - needless to say.

But he will still do it, even if he can choose countless times, what can human beings give up in the face of huge interests is not only the lives of others? Nobles often laugh at merchants who would sell the ropes used to hang themselves. This is really a joke. In front of a sufficient price, the king can kneel down and worship, let alone his ministers. The princes,

The Sforza blood in Francesco's body is very weak, but it can still affect his character and behavior. He is as crazy, stubborn, eager for power and reckless as his ancestors - it is said that he can't wait The place "returned" to the Sforzesco Castle. This castle was once converted into the governor's palace during the Spanish rule. Now its old owner has returned. Although Francisco could not live in it for a day, he still converted the castle into a residence for the governor. The coat of arms of the Forza family - the human-devouring serpent - hangs everywhere in sight.

Fortunately, he still had some sense and was not arrogant enough to crown himself. It may also be because there were always Austrians around him to remind him that he should wait for the arrival of Leopold I and ask the emperor to canonize him.

It's just that this "Grand Duke" may not know that when he is complacent and thinks that he has a good card, things may change in another way.

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"Messenger of Alexander VIII?"

The Tuscan court, no, to be precise, it should be the Versailles court now, because the court always follows the king. Louis XIV condescended to come to Florence. Even as a guest, it did not hinder the proud The Versailles dominated the beautiful city - and the Tuscan nobility often fought with them over it.

Italy, especially Florence, was once the center of the Renaissance, so it has almost as special a significance on the peninsula as Rome. When it comes to art, beauty, and knowledge, they will not be afraid of any enemy, but they must not deny. The French have a vitality and beauty that is like the morning light of the rising sun and the young leaves of new leaves. They may be a little rude, a little reckless, and a little greedy, but everyone who sees them will feel a new impact. , involuntarily wanting to stop, observe, and see how far they can stretch or grow.

Some Medici officials have complained and blamed countless times for the irresponsibility and wanton behavior of Ferdinand, the eldest son of Grand Duke Cosimo III of Tuscany, but if, they mean, if they can give up their family and identity, Comparing Florence with Versailles is like comparing an old man who is entering his twilight years with a strong young man. The glory of Florence is like a gorgeous dress. Although it is still dazzling, it cannot cover up the brilliance emanating from the inside of the body. The smell of decay cannot cover the increasingly withered face; what about Versailles? Although it does not have as long a history as Florence - in the city, it is definitely a child that was just born. Although the achievements of Louis XIV, the Sun King, put him in a bright robe, its accumulation It can't compete with an ancient city like Florence, which can be traced back to the time of Caesar.

But the future of Florence can be seen. With the cut off of trade routes, the textile industry gradually shifted from Italy to Britain and France. This ancient city has lost its former splendor. Young people here can hardly find their own way out. Their elders didn't know where to lead them either - their experience was of no use.

If Versailles was all they had seen, it is not surprising that Ferdinand has been reluctant to return to Siena or Florence.

Not to mention Ferdinand, who had already gone to Paris and Versailles, even the young people in Florence were eager to put on that beautiful royal blue uniform after meeting Louis XIV's army.

Some parents firmly disagreed, some were ambiguous, some asked them to join the army of the Commonwealth of Italy, and some expressed strong approval. Suddenly, a lot of royal blues appeared in Florence. Don't get me wrong, those young people who are casual by nature and just want to join the army on impulse are not the soldiers that today's French army will accept.

There is a high probability that they cannot stand the hard training, strict military orders, and the boring days of being unable to rub shoulders with "famous ladies".

The French army is now a real army. It takes war as its profession, the country and the people as its faith, and is proud of morality and purity. They have extremely generous salaries, retirement pay and pensions, and do not need to worry about the future. Therefore, there is no need to plunder on the battlefield and in the occupied areas, and there is no need to disturb citizens and farmers - few people will still choose to rob and steal when their wallets are full. The hefty gold Louis and silver coins When they were in Florence, not only were they not driven away, despised and cursed like the soldiers of Louis XII, but they were also very popular.

The only thing that dissatisfied some residents of Florence is that these French people are not allowed to stay in places other than military camps, and they are not allowed to move alone. Well, these people are mainly "mingshu" and some who rely on "mingshu" to do business. people...

Louis XIV is not unreasonable, that's it. Even if his wizards have developed a special cure for the "Italian disease" (you know), he doesn't want all his soldiers and generals to be covered with it. Sores, ulcers and stinking... Although this disease is not as terrible as the Black Death, smallpox or dysentery, it will still seriously affect the combat effectiveness of the army.

Especially in his army, some arms are difficult to replace, such as artillery.

Something that may surprise people is that in the 17th and 18th centuries, after artillery occupied an important and main position on the battlefield, artillery also became a branch that extremely needed talent and talent - because at that time, People cannot see the point of impact, so the angle, direction, distance, and trajectory of artillery fire need to be calculated... Therefore, artillerymen need to be brave and fearless, but after being brave and fearless, they must be smart enough to learn from university professors (yes, That’s right, college professors) studied geometry, physics, algebra…

The outstanding ones among them are qualified to become gunners.

As an aside, Napoleon, who would be born a hundred years later, finally became a gunner and quickly stood out because he was sensitive enough to numbers.

Soldiers like this cannot be replaced by just anyone.

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Piero was such an artilleryman.

Artillerymen are eligible to wear red shoulder straps and various small badges on their royal blue clothes - that is an extra compliment. If an artilleryman hits a fortress, a bridge, a city gate... In this way, the king will reward him with a special gold Louis. The front of the gold Louis is the king's portrait, and the reverse is the result of his destruction.

Gunners usually have two or three such achievements. The most respectable old gunner that Piero saw had several gold coins strung on his chest like a bead necklace. Everyone who saw it was very fond of him. Respectfully. He is also very envious, but he is still a reserve gunner. Although his math scores have always been good, he certainly cannot have such an honor without going through the battlefield.

When his superiors called him over, he was still very excited, thinking that he was going to have a king's artillery of his own - a flintlock breech-loading cannon engraved with the Sun King's coat of arms. This kind of artillery might not be as heavy as the ship's. It was a cannon or a former muzzle-loading cannon, but it could move flexibly and aim accurately. Piero had seen and touched it, and felt its power during exercises. He fell in love with it all of a sudden, even in his sleep. Zhongdu shouted its name.

Contrary to expectations, he was summoned... because His Majesty the King brought him out specifically to receive the papal envoy.

Piero is the illegitimate son of the current Pope Alexander VIII. The illegitimate son of the Pope has always had the rights and obligations to communicate with the envoys, and even directly serve as envoys. Although Piero wants to take another path, he has no choice but to be a son or an illegitimate son. Soldier, he has no right to refuse.

"Oh," the visitor said with a smile when he saw this situation: "Don't be downcast, little Piero, I am going to meet the Sun King. If you have any requests, you can convey them to me."

Piero's eyes suddenly lit up. If it were anyone else, he might not believe it, but this papal envoy was none other than Cardinal Ellalius.

Elario comforted Piero a little, and then went to the king's room. Firstly, the cardinal was not qualified to make a king wait; secondly, Louis XIV was also his and his family's benefactor, especially Louis XIV in After achieving some achievements, he sent Eralius to Rome. What does this mean? For a priest, the brightest future is to be promoted step by step in Rome, even for French priests. Louis XIV was willing to do this, and his generosity was truly unmatched by others.

"We haven't seen each other for a long time, Your Majesty," Elario said.

"Keep your head up," Louis said with a smile: "Elario, you have always been a reckless guy. You really don't need to be so restrained. Instead, you make us feel strange."

"Then I will be bold again." Hearing what the king said, Elario also smiled. He raised his head, and the two looked at each other. They were not happy when they first met. Louis XIV was because he heard what he heard from Bishop Mazarin. It is said that Elario is an overly greedy person - of course the bishop will not consider the other party's difficulties. Elario does not have a good impression of all kings. As a priest of the Inquisition, all the noble people he has met are Depraved, vicious and cruel, a king at such a young age is even more likely to go astray - just look at Carlos II. If he were just a civilian, he could do almost anything.

Elario opened a brand new door for Louis. Before this, the only inhuman person beside him was Mary. However, the little witch could not be used as an example or representative, and Lu Yi could not pass Mazar. However, the bishop went to contact the monsters hidden in the fog, and Eralius asked him for gold, wheat and cloth. Louis was sincerely willing. It was just as a hiring fee. Of course it was very expensive, but if it was used to build a bridge, the money would be The cost is well worth it.

He was flattered by what Louis gave to Elario, but what Elario gave Louis in return was enough - Louis' power in the world is still dominated by wizards, but there is no doubt that priests are prepared by Louis to weaken and control wizards. Of course, a monarch would not allow the power in his hand to be unique and indispensable.

"Ask Bontang to bring some cake," said Louis, "and then tell me about Rome."

"Give me some more king's bread," Ella waved his sleeves slightly, "I haven't had breakfast yet."

"What makes you so anxious?" Louis stepped aside and Bontang leaned over to pour hot tea for them: "Is Alexander VIII going to see God soon?"

"Papa is in good health," Elario said.

"I thought he was going to be threatened a lot," Louis said. "His behavior exceeded a lot of people's expectations."

"This has something to do with you. Of course, Papa issued such a decree, which made Leopold I very angry. It would be difficult for Italy to become a constraint for you as he imagined, but Your Majesty, it can be regarded as an accident. Congratulations, your suggestion was not only listened to by Alexander VIII, but also some cardinals were moved."

"ah!"

"If this holy war can achieve some results... Your Majesty, we don't even need to take back Istanbul, I mean, Constantinople, as long as we can get back Crete and the ports on the east coast of the Adriatic, or It's Athens, which is enough for Alexander VIII and everyone related to it to proudly record this on the coat of arms. Maybe he can be canonized after his death, not to mention the endless benefits in the future... And you are very It's a sure thing, isn't it?

You are the one who defeated the Grand Vizier and the army of the Ottoman Turks. "

"If you talk about a great battle, you can't say it was a defeat." It's just that he took advantage of the contradiction between the Grand Vizier and the Grand Imam, as well as the ignorance of Azap, the Tatars and the Albanians against the new style. It was just the fear and ignorance of weapons. Even in the end, the Ottoman army retreated back to their country smoothly and orderly after agreeing on a ceasefire. It was not a defeat.

"That's what I mean," Elario shook his head: "Anyone with sense knows that it is impossible to completely defeat so many enemies, but in hundreds of years, this is the best result."

Therefore, many people were willing to respond to Louis XIV's call.

"Most of the red princes are Italians," Elario said.