I Am Louis XIV

"Then this matter..." Elario asked. Innocent XII was very concerned about this matter. In addition to the fact that the Catholic king had the upper hand in the war against the Ottoman Turks for the first time in the past century, the Crusaders Victory will also bring countless money and people, as well as important ports and territories - this is very critical for the church that has lost France and Spain.

"No matter what happens in the future," the Duke of Orleans said, "if it can make these great nobles turn their attention abroad, Ludwig I will definitely be willing."

Little Eugen nodded quickly and heavily, and Little Duke Enghien also showed a look of understanding. He had completed all the history courses before. How could the king of France concentrate his royal power? Isn’t it because during the Hundred Years’ War and the Thirty Years’ War, in order to fulfill their obligations, plunder wealth, and invade territories, the French nobles often stayed away from the battlefield for several years, ten years, or even decades. Their territories were controlled by the king. Officials took over the management, and their knights and soldiers became fewer and fewer. When they were exhausted and wanted to return home, they found that they had lost the ability to make the king fearful.

Why were the great nobles of Poland able to elect and depose the king so easily? It was also because in order to rob slaves (Cossacks and Tatars), suppress the rebellion of the serfs, and compete with other nobles, they built their own armed forces - the familiar hussars, yes, the world-famous hussars. Not from Poland, not from the king, but from the Schlachta.

Before he was injured, Ludwig I was actively contacting the Church of Rome and the new king of Italy, intending to use this great cause as a bait to trick the country's great nobles into traveling thousands of miles away to fight on an unfamiliar battlefield. Consuming their soldiers, he can take advantage of this rare opportunity to consolidate and develop his own power. Now he can be said to be a great lord who cannot be underestimated, but when these great nobles come back, they will find that no matter what Whether it is politics or the military, they have no place to stand.

The best thing is that once this method is adopted, these nobles cannot help but be unmoved and cannot find any fault. After all, as a Catholic country, it is a matter of course to respond to the call of the church. From a moral and faith perspective, there is no flaw. ——Even since the 14th century, they have believed in everything from nobles to serfs—Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Yisilans, and they are even very friendly to Jews...

As for whether they can get the huge wealth they want by participating in the Crusades, look at the three major knights in the past, especially the Knights Templar in France. What they have amassed is something that even the king would covet. money!

In particular, it should be mentioned that the great nobles of Poland have been particularly sensitive and eager for money recently, for no other reason than because France, the original big buyer of wheat, is gradually getting rid of the war. The only war of Spanish succession is Not only has it entered the semi-cooling period, it has also been planted outside of France. France, the Netherlands, Flanders and Lorraine, and America have all planted a large amount of wheat, potatoes and corn, and the harvests are quite good. At least new granaries have been constantly being built, and the demand for imported grain has slowly dropped. ,

The French can live without the Polish wheat, but the Polish cannot bear to live without the French porcelain, glass, lace, jewelry... But the reason why these things are called luxury goods is because they are expensive, not to mention that they contain more There are many things that are easy to wear and tear. For example, lace can hardly pass through water, and glass and porcelain are easily damaged during cleaning and use. Except for exquisite jewelry... No, these jewelry also need maintenance, and the maintenance cost It's expensive, but without maintenance, gold will quickly become dull, gemstones will turn black, pearls will turn yellow, and silver will turn black within a few days.

These require money, not wheat.

When the agents of these big nobles shook their heads and reported to them, they were not to mention how angry they were, but their anger was of no use. They complained to Ludwig I, or in other words, forced him to ask the French businessmen to continue the acquisition. Their wheat had little effect, but even if Ludwig I could do it, he would not satisfy the desires of these big nobles, otherwise how could he lead them to where they wanted?

While he "managed" to persuade some French businessmen to continue purchasing Polish wheat, he told these nobles that he was intending to join the Tenth Crusade to refill the hole he had left due to the establishment of the army. After hearing what he said, some people among the big nobles were immediately moved. After some consideration, some people also thought that they could give it a try - if Ludwig I was not injured, this plan might have progressed to the final stage. During this period, they could see the flamboyant hussars in Rome.

"But the first thing is to send Duke Enghien to Warsaw first." The Duke of Orleans said that once Ludwig I dies, they must ensure that the elected King of Poland is still Bourbon, that is, Henry Bourbon. Next, the young Duke of Enghien should also immediately appear at the coronation ceremony as his only heir - when he wants to "inherit" this position in the future, it will also make people feel reasonable.

Otherwise, those with ulterior motives would definitely say that he was not a Pole, and he was not present when the King of Poland was crowned.

"How do we go?" Little Eugen asked. If they want to go to Poland, they must pass through the entire Holy Roman Empire, or go through the turbulent Hungarian region, or go around France, take a boat from the North Sea through Denmark and Norway, and then went to Poland after arriving in Sweden.

The Duke of Orleans only pondered for a moment before deciding: "Follow the procession of the Holy Roman Emperor."

After completing a mission, it is not uncommon for a mission to follow its own or an ally's army to its next destination. Although the Habsburgs were in decline, in order to protect the majesty of the emperor from being desecrated, the electors and the Austrians prepared an army of about 5,000 men for the emperor to escort him all the way from Vienna to Rome, and also from Vienna to Rome. Rome and back to Vienna.

Even on the battlefield, an army of five thousand people can have a considerable deterrent effect, let alone just to ensure the safety of a small group of people? Their trip was unexpectedly calm and peaceful, perhaps because the emperor and other electors did not want to talk to the French for the time being - except for King William I of Prussia, who always called the Duke of Orleans: "the best in-laws" !" Then he shouted to little Eugen: "What a young man with a bright future!" Although he didn't recognize the little Duke of Enghien, but knowing that he was a Bourbon, he also said sincerely: "Every Bourbon is loved by God. It’s here!”

Then, he talked a lot with the Duke of Orleans about the eldest princess, and thanked him repeatedly for marrying such a good daughter to his son. He invited the Duke to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with him every day, and also invited him to have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. Hunting, dancing together - when they parted ways in Prague, William I, with an attitude that would never tolerate rejection, forcibly left half of his Guards, that is, five hundred people, all capable young men. , have all been on the battlefield and killed people.

"Did your Majesty find something?" Little Eugen asked.

"There is no doubt," the Duke of Orleans said helplessly: "I used to think that Frederick...now that I think about it, like father, like son." The road that Frederick and the princess walked It has been called the Road of Adonis, and the various actions of Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia are indispensable.

"careful!"

The squire walking in front of them suddenly shouted, and little Eugen immediately grasped the short gun, but the Duke of Orleans grabbed him and pulled him back hard, almost dislocating him. Eugen only had time to open his mouth and before he could ask any questions, he saw the bright moonlight suddenly darken and a large pile of black things pouring down from a high place. Then he heard a cry - "Down." Shit, pedestrians give way!”

After realizing what those things were that fell from the air, splashed on the ground, and stained their boots, trousers, and cloaks, little Eugen couldn't help but let out a half curse. The reason why it was said to be half a curse was because of the stench that filled the sky. It was pouring into their mouths and noses crazily. The Duke of Orleans even coughed, and the French attendants around them couldn't help but look disgusted.

The attendant who opened the way for them was from Prague, which was not surprising, but he still rushed into the darkness quickly. After a while, he pulled a skinny woman down, picked up the scabbard and beat her hard. He got up and beat the woman until she kept screaming. Little Eugen looked over and saw black marks on the woman's head and face under the silver moonlight. He had seen injuries and death. Of course he knew it was blood stains, so he glanced at the person next to him, and the person immediately stepped forward knowingly, stopped the Prague man, and gave him and the woman a silver coin respectively.

Little Eugen breathed a sigh of relief. Although... it was very unbearable and unpleasant, it was not to the point of killing anyone.

They carefully walked around that place before returning to the official residence where they were temporarily staying.

"This is Prague, right?" When he and Duke Orleans were taking a bath in the room next to the dormitory, behind the steaming white mist, little Eugen couldn't help but said: "Why...is it like this?"

Prague is only eighty leagues away from Vienna, but when he was in Vienna, he hardly noticed any discomfort in daily life-not least Mrs. Olympia who felt that Vienna was like Paris. Anyone who has been to Paris, France, will feel that Vienna is like Paris, as if they have returned to their motherland - everything that Paris and Versailles have, Vienna has, the gas lights that stay up all night, the clean and wide streets, the separation of people, cars and horses, and the dense and lush street trees on both sides , small but exquisite gardens, neat and bright residential areas, splendid palaces and majestic cathedrals, complete water supply and drainage systems, everyone is gorgeously dressed and behaves elegantly.

"Now don't you think that Leopold I is useless?" Duke Orleans frowned slightly. There was not a single fully equipped bathroom in Prague. They were still using a bathtub, and the water in the bathtub was The servants were sent to bring it up from downstairs bit by bit, and then poured it into the cauldron in the fireplace to heat it, and poured it into the bathtub for them to use. This bathtub - obviously has a long history, and the Duke tried his best not to think about its original use. What's the use of pie? It's just that he can't stand its roughness - even if it's covered with silk, he can still feel the dense thorns poking his thighs.

"No one knows better than me how much money His Majesty the King has spent on public facilities in Paris and Versailles." The Duke of Orleans said, gritting his teeth and pushing himself up with his arms: "Let's put it this way, use that money to It is enough to raise an army.”

"It's still your army," he added.

Little Eugen couldn't help showing a look of awe.

"So don't think that your father, I mean Leopold I, is useless. In fact, if he had been born earlier or later, he would have been a good emperor."

The Duke of Orleans said: "Do you think any monarch, lord or official can make a fake like Vienna? You are wrong, stupid boy, my brother used his own money at that time, Leopold The same goes for De I, but those people, if you give them a chance to make a name for themselves, they will naturally be overjoyed. But if you want to say that this money must be used for people's livelihood, I'm sorry, this is absolutely impossible. If among them Someone who is willing to use it in the army or to pay officials' salaries can be considered a good person, but in the end it will mostly be used to satisfy their personal desires."

Little Eugen said nothing.

"Eighty leagues," said the Duke of Orleans, "is enough to change—nay, to leave many things the same."

"But...don't they feel guilty?" Little Eugen asked: "Obviously they can make their people's lives better."

"How are those humble commoners living?" the Duke of Orleans said calmly and cruelly: "Does it have anything to do with them? Why should they care about this kind of thing that will neither make them prosperous nor make them rich? Little things?"

Little Eugen knew that the Duke was right, but he still thought of the sleepless night in Vienna, and the ordinary people who came specially to see off Leopold I. They were not officials or nobles. Although they were neatly dressed, they looked good. It can be concluded that they are not a wealthy family. In an era when transportation is not convenient, even if they live in the suburbs of Vienna, it takes a lot of time and money, but they still come and crowd the streets of Vienna.

Prague is only eighty leagues from Vienna.

Little Eugen suddenly understood what Louis XIV meant. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have understood the Sun King and his brother's appreciation for Leopold I.