I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 317 The King's Royal Expedition (8)

Of course, in the war between the Netherlands and Flanders, French soldiers used the bayonets on their guns to continue close hand-to-hand combat after emptying bullets in the war between the Netherlands and Flanders. Ottoman Turks fighting in comparison.

  The Ottoman Turks have a single but effective way of fighting. They do not have a military rank system similar to France, there is no command chain of generals - officers - non-commissioned officers - sergeants - soldiers, and they do not pay attention to any strategy or maneuver.

There can be thousands of soldiers under an officer, and they never give complicated orders (and the soldiers don't necessarily understand), usually: take a castle, or take a village, etc., no matter what they do, Just do it - for the sultan or the grand vizier anyway, they are just consumables that can be replenished at any time - the hegemony of the Ottoman Turkish Empire is completely exchanged for mountains of bones and blood like rivers and lakes.

  It has to be said that when Azapus (ordinary foot soldiers of Ottoman Turks) rush towards you like a colony of rats or ants - anyone will be afraid. That's what Louis XIV worried about, so he had to take his own expedition this time, or he couldn't guarantee that Leopold I or anyone else would let the French army face the most ferocious first wave of the attack.

"I don't mind transferring some Tatars to you," Ludwig I said. After all, when they conquered those Tatars before, Louis XIV's assistance was indispensable, but: "I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to The decisive role in this war," of course it is easy to use wild beasts against wild beasts, the problem is that the number of Tatars is simply not comparable to those of the Azaps.

"Not in this war," said Louis XIV, as he planned the preparations for a special service, "man's ingenuity is needed to fight beasts." He put down his glasses, "but we must first make sure that the French are in this war. Your position in the war, and you, my dear friend, if you wear too much in this war, your rule in Poland will be affected." The French king suggested not very religiously: "Don't care about the messiahs. Even if the church is willing to give you the title of a saint, don’t do it. Haven’t you seen that saints are all dead? Let us take care of things after death. If you are still a little worried, then wait until here. The battle is over, and if Vienna is still there, we will try to get you a church or a monastery from Leopold I."

   This call made Ludwig I heart-warming and ironic. Not to mention, can the monastery or church “brought over” from Leopold I still be credited to him? He doubted that he was talking about it when he was doing the sacrament of the last day, and the priest who saluted him would spit the holy oil on his face... But after spending a long time with Louis XIV, it will become a little tired, especially To God, Ludwig I said, drawing a cross on his chest, "You know tomorrow's meeting."

   "Yes, I know," said Louis XIV.

"So are you ready?" said Ludwig I. It stands to reason that the commander of the coalition should be Leopold I, but he would definitely be on Louis XIV's side - he didn't know Louis X Four bought how many people, but he knew that Louis XIV was a stubborn man, and there were few things he could not do that he wanted to do.

   "If there is any accident," said Louis XIV, "then let Vienna and Leopold I die."

  ———

   The second day's talks were also called "King's Talks" by later generations rather than the Kamnico talks, which are usually named after the location. Because in this meeting, a total of one emperor and three kings were present. Leopold I was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and the three kings were: Louis XIV of France, Pedro II of Portugal, and Lu of Poland. Dewig I.

Considering that the eldest daughter of Pedro II is already the crown princess of France, Ludwig I was originally the Prince of Condé of France, and Louis XIV spared no effort on his way to become the king of Poland. Of course, they could not be at this time. Became an opponent of Louis XIV, but Leopold I also had the full support of the three Electors of Brandenburg-Prussia, Saxony and Bavaria, and Spain.

The meeting place of the king was arranged in the town hall of Camnico, and during the first meeting between Louis XIV and Leopold I, their courtiers did their best to make an equal arrangement, and later the two monarchs Sitting on two chairs side by side, Leopold I was sitting on the right chair, which was a small concession from the French, because in the tent Leopold I was the master and Louis XIV was the guest, But in this meeting, Louis XIV could not back down any more - after the door of the Chamber was opened, Leopold I only hesitated for a moment, and Louis XIV walked in first with his head held high, and sat directly in the seat. The only owner chair.

For a moment, people thought that Leopold I would leave immediately, but he did not have the courage, or at least he had a sense of responsibility for Austria. He came to the first place in the right hand of Louis XIV and sat down. Down, and then King Pedro II of Portugal, opposite Leopold I, who was next to Ludwig I, but followed by the three Electors headed by Brandenburg. On the side of Leopold I.

In fact, there is nothing substantive in the "King's Talks", even the front line is still several cities, hundreds of miles away, Louis XIV swore an oath to God and the Holy Cross, although he did the coalition army Commander, but will never interfere with the command of any general, he is just a supervisor and a judge, no matter who it is, French, Austrian, Polish, Catholic or Protestant, here In a war, as long as they feel they have been wronged or encountered something embarrassing, they can appeal to him, and he promises that he will absolutely treat everyone fairly.

Not to mention what Leopold I, the other two kings, and the three electors thought, but for generals, even Austrians, of course, they would be willing to have such an honorary commander-in-chief, but then, Louis X Four also swore to them that if, in this battle, for cowardice or for various despicable reasons, anyone flees in the face of a ferocious enemy, and causes those brave and pious warriors to die needlessly, in the name of Our Lady, even if If others do not pursue it, he will also pursue it to the end, whether it is a person or a country.

   He even casually said that there are thirty thousand French soldiers here, but there are ten times as many troops in France - of course the Sun King can fulfill his oath to the end.

This is also the decision that Louis XIV made after learning about mercenaries, especially Italian mercenaries. After all, for mercenaries, no matter how much money they can’t enjoy, it’s useless, so when the situation is unfavorable, they first One reaction was to flee, and now the king of France threatens them that if they dare to do so on the battlefield, they will be hanged if caught - some mercenaries actually flee after hearing such an edict Now... the generals outside of the French army don't know what to say.

Only Marshal Schumberg could understand Louis XIV's worries, because he was an Austrian, had been the leader of mercenaries, and had also fought with the Ottoman Turks. He knew the way the Ottoman Turks used their troops. When the ground rushes over, as long as it is not Samson or David (both are the strong men depicted in the Bible), the idea of ​​running away will inevitably arise. At this time, loyalty and honor must be spoken, but the mercenary There is no such thing. Once they decide to give up their money to save their lives, they will immediately turn around and flee. You also know that once someone takes the lead in fleeing, the most tenacious army will collapse like a fortress built by sea and sand.

Louis XIV could not pick out the mixed mercenaries in the Austrian and Spanish armies. Not every king was qualified to establish his own standing army. He could only rely on this kind of intimidation to expel some cowards with ulterior motives in advance. , and also prepare those who stay, at least they will not escape so unburdened.

Just when Henry, Vauban and Schumberg were about to leave and attend the meeting between the generals, the king also made two suggestions. The first was to strengthen the strength of the supervising team, including but not limited to providing better horses, Weapons and more soldiers, and the second is to build more fortifications on the front lines.

Cement was used in Versailles by Louis XIV as early as 20 years ago. After continuous development and innovation, the cement factories in France not only produced amazing output, but also provided a variety of different cements, ranging from firmness to setting time. The difference is that there is also a lot of quick-drying cement stored in the armament warehouse of the Marquis of Lois. These cements are being sent to Camnic together with wheat and dried meat.

  So Vauban's idea was to build fortifications in the Sava River Valley, with low fortresses, winding walls and hidden trenches. As soon as the voice fell, there was a lot of discussion at the meeting. Although the generals present have heard of Vauban's name and know that he has outstanding talents in defending and attacking fortresses - but he is also too whimsical. The Ottoman Turks have 250,000 troops. How long will their front line be? Nobody knows, and who knows where they will attack?

   "Then do you mean to imitate the former Hungarians?" Vauban asked.

Here he refers to the Battle of Mohaci, that is, the battle between King Lajos II of Hungary and the famous Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I. In this battle, the Hungarians also wanted to introduce the Ottomans into the hinterland, and then Combined with the two supporting armies, the advantage of the Hungarian cavalry on the plain was used to annihilate the enemy at one stroke. It is a technique that requires the most discipline and courage. The Hungarians' retreat turned into a rout after encountering a massive attack by the Azap infantry. They finally fled to the expected battlefield - a plain dotted with scattered swamps. At that time, everyone wanted to escape, and the Ottoman Sipatchy cavalry and the Yenicheri regiment slaughtered 25,000 people on the Hungarian stage, that is, the entire Hungarian army.

   As soon as the other two support troops heard about it, they withdrew without looking back.

King Lajos II of Hungary died in this battle, which is not very honorable, because he fell into a swamp when he fled, and was drowned because the armor on his body was too heavy... Now people in Hungary, still Will say: "It's like Mohaci is as miserable as it is."

All the thoughts of some of these generals, Vauban also knows that they are not not brave, they are just used to using castles to resist the attack of the Ottoman Turks, but only the castle is not enough, it needs more consumption of the Ottoman Turks. Strength, can only attack instead of waiting.

Vauban proposed that they should not only defend north of the Sava River, but also attack south of the Sava River, which does not mean that they should take the initiative to attack the Ottoman Turks - they should be like hundreds of years ago Destroying the fields of the Ottoman Turks, burning their houses, and destroying their roads, as the knights did, even if it only cost them one Azap, they might be able to kill one less soldier.

Leopold I's general, the equally famous Raimondo Montecuccoli, objected. He was a veteran who had fought in the Thirty Years' War and had a deep understanding of the Ottoman Turks. I have to admit that this way of hardening the walls and clearing the fields will really annoy the Ottoman Turks. 250,000 people will put pressure on the enemy and the commander-in-chief, and the fodder required by their cavalry mounts is also an amazing daily amount. Numbers, it's not enough for these to be shipped from the rear alone.

"But the Slovenians have always been grateful to our Emperor for his tolerance." Since 1500, the Habsburgs have controlled Slovenia and intend to incorporate it into Austria, if, as Vauban said, the inhabitants will be forcibly driven out. , burning houses and harvesting wheat ahead of schedule, polluting wells and other practices will undoubtedly lead to the hatred of Leopold I in Slovenia.

  Vauban was about to laugh angrily. There were obviously better ways to ensure victory and reduce casualties, but they were rejected because of Leopold I's greed. Are all the French saints? Even the masters of Vienna are unwilling to pay a price for it, but to sacrifice people who have nothing to do with it?

"But if the Ottoman Turks come, they won't be able to keep their homes and even lose their lives." Schaumberg said, in exchange for Raimondo Montecuccoli's stare, but although Schaumberg was a former Austrians, now French, and it is not uncommon for knights of different nationalities to serve a king.

   (end of this chapter)