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Chapter 957 Ten Years Later 4
In Europe, the war between Catholics and Protestants was in full swing. At the beginning, Catholics had an absolute advantage. Even though Denmark joined the Protestant camp with the support of England, the Netherlands and France, it was still no match for the attack of the emperor.

In 1629, the Holy Roman Empire General Valencia defeated the Danish army in succession, reincorporated the German region into the empire, and threatened the Danish mainland by marching to the Baltic Sea. Danish King Christian IV was forced to seek peace and signed the Treaty of Copenhagen with the empire, thus withdrawing from the war.

The Holy Roman Empire expanded its territory to the Baltic coast, creating an irreconcilable conflict with Sweden, which had been committed to building a Baltic power. However, Sweden was competing with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for control of the Baltic Sea and could not extricate itself for a while.

At this time, another historical celebrity stood up and lobbied the two sides to reach an armistice agreement, and then persuaded King Louis XIII of France to support Sweden in sending troops to fight against the Holy Roman Empire.

This man was Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, the Prime Minister of France and also a cardinal appointed by the Vatican.

If Bismarck was the iron-blooded prime minister of Germany's rise, then Richelieu was the iron-blooded prime minister of France's prosperity. After he took office, he quelled the Huguenot rebellion, eliminated many nobles who opposed the king, including Louis XIII's brothers, and consolidated the royal power.

At the same time, mercantilism was implemented, encouraging the development of French industry and commerce, supporting French merchants to compete with Dutch merchants in transoceanic trade and expand North American colonies, and using diplomatic means to find business opportunities for French merchants in the Ottoman Empire, Persia and Tsarist Russia.

Richelieu was also a hardliner in foreign affairs. Although he was a Catholic cardinal, he always believed that national interests were above those of the church, and regarded the Habsburg family as the main enemy hindering France's development.

It was driven by this idea that Richelieu not only paved the way for Sweden to send troops to fight against the Holy Roman Empire, but also persuaded King Louis XIII of France to provide Sweden with 100 million livres every year. He also tried his best to divide the German Catholic princes and induce them to remain neutral in the war between Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire.

In the 1630th year of Emperor Jing's reign (), the young Swedish King Gustav II declared war on the Holy Roman Empire and personally led his army to land in Pomerania (the Baltic region in northern Germany and Poland). He won successive victories and quickly consolidated the territory of the Protestant princes in northern Germany.

After that, Gustav II went all the way south and occupied Munich, the capital of Bavaria, in 1632. But the good times did not last long. A few months later, in the Battle of Lützen, the 38-year-old Swedish king was unfortunately killed. Although the Swedish army eventually won, it suffered great losses.

The war then gradually tilted in favor of the Holy Roman Empire. After the Battle of Nordlingen in 1634, Elector Johann George of Saxony signed the Treaty of Prague on behalf of the German princes with Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, no longer supporting Sweden, putting the Swedish army into a dangerous situation of fighting alone. The Holy Roman Empire army then launched a strategic counterattack.

The war was in full swing on the European continent. What was England doing as a European power at this time? They were not idle either. First they fought with Spain, and then they were involved in the French Civil War.

The result was that they lost both times. The then King Charles I of England was helpless in the face of an empty treasury and could not even pay the war reparations. The House of Commons was also unwilling to cooperate and had no intention of intervening on the European continent. It was hiding on the island trying to find a way to raise money.

In addition to these countries in Southern Europe, Western Europe and Northern Europe, there were two other important countries in Eastern Europe in the early 17th century that were capable of influencing the direction of the entire Europe: the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire.

To be precise, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth also joined the war, but they made a lot of noise but did little. They just applauded and cheered but did not contribute any money or send any troops. They were typical slickers.

The Ottoman Empire was not as cunning as Poland, but every family has its own problems. The Persian Sassanid Empire in the east was becoming increasingly powerful under the leadership of Abbas I. Since 1603, it has defeated the Ottoman Empire three times in a row, seized control of the entire Transcaucasus region, and continued to encroach on the empire's territory to the west. In 1623, the Persian army marched towards Iraq, and the Ottoman Empire resolutely fought back. At present, the two sides are in a stalemate in the Transcaucasus and Iraq, and the outcome has not been determined for more than ten years. How can they have the energy to interfere in Europe?

Is it true that there are wars everywhere in the world, and only here is the best scenery? In the past ten years, this is almost true. East and South Asia, under the background of the growing strength of the Ming Empire, have been in good order, and no large-scale wars have occurred.

But there is one weapon that is effective against all mankind. It cannot be hidden or avoided: time!
In the past ten years, many former enemies have vanished into thin air, and many relatives, friends, and colleagues have passed away. The imperial concubine Wang passed away, as did his grandfather, the Marquis of Yongning Wang Tianrui, and his uncle, the Captain of the Imperial Guard Wang Changxi, and his father-in-law, the Marquis of Boping Guo Weicheng.

Li Shi, Zhang Ran, Zou Yi, Wang Guotai, Bai Zong... a large number of princes also left the palace one after another, and even Wei Zhongxian, who could have been a scourge for thousands of years, died of illness last year. Obviously, he did not have the magical power to become a scourge.

Yuan Keli, the governor of Southwest China, Ye Xianggao, Fang Congzhe and Weng Zhengchun, the cabinet ministers, all failed to withstand the ravages of time. After retiring, Nguyen Xiangjiang returned to his hometown in Annan to spend his later years in peace.

Minister of War Wang Zaijin, Minister of Industry Xu Guangqi, Minister of Agriculture Wang Xiangjin, Supreme Court Minister Gao Panlong, Left Censor-in-Chief Gu Dazhang, Governor-General of Three Provinces Zhou Daodeng, Left Vice Minister of Industry Li Zhizao, Left Vice Minister of War Xiong Tingbi, and Editor-in-Chief of Banyuetan Ma Jinglun... also died one after another in office or at home.

Watching the familiar figures leave forever, Hong Tao did not have too much regret or grief. He had witnessed too many separations and deaths, and had long been numb. Only when he encountered some difficulties would he occasionally think of someone's voice, appearance and smile.

Looking at the aging Wang An, Yuan Yingtai, Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, Li Ruzhang, Li Rumei and the middle-aged Wang Chengen, Wei San, Tan Mingming, Zhu Haiou... It is like watching a historical documentary. The characters in the film are replaced like a revolving lantern, but the only thing that remains unchanged is the audience, that is, yourself.

According to the 25-year generation calculation, I have outlasted an entire generation. But if we only count political life, the highlight of most officials will not exceed 15 years, which means I have outlasted at least two generations.

Although the Ming imperial court did not carry out large-scale civil service reforms, it quietly changed the political landscape. Officials from the new school and the Haihu Division accounted for the majority and held high positions, while officials from the traditional imperial examination system were becoming fewer and fewer, and their voices and influence were becoming lower and lower.

The court is now truly united, with orders being obeyed and the emperor's will being the only one. There is no need to discuss right or wrong. Even if there are still a few people with different political views, they still have a hard time. There are only two options before them: either go with the flow or be crushed by the huge system.

This is the second step in Hong Tao's plan, exchanging time for power! Without desperately digging up the ancestral graves of traditional bureaucrats, one can eventually gain full control of the discourse power. Facts have proven that as long as the person in power has a long enough life span, a sufficient brain, and a little bit of luck, it can be done.

You can disagree with my ideas, or pretend to obey them but actually disobey them, but as long as you can't outlive me, you will have to hand over power sooner or later. Although this will take 20 to 30 years and requires enough patience, it can make the transfer of power particularly smooth and without any side effects.

(End of this chapter)