I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 337 The Battle of Kamnik (4)

Europa is different from another country located in the far east. If their generals, even their kings, die in the war or are captured, the rest will only be scattered, and few people will clamor for revenge for him, or It is said that this is the right of the heirs, and it is not until they re-elect the heirs that they can move on to the next step - so even a brave king like Richard the Lionheart has to endure the humiliation of being detained and extorted for ransom; It was King Arthur. After their death, the huge empire would only fall apart; not to mention that now, almost all the princes and mercenaries who follow the king and generals to fight are the vassals and mercenaries. Their money, and once their master and employer are dead, they immediately give up everything and go home.

The situation of the Ottomans is slightly better, but if the Grand Vizier Ahmed is really captured or killed, the army that has lost its only commander will have to return to Istanbul. Now it is the Grand Master who is dead. This is not good news, because the Grand Master was a spiritual leader, and his death only inflamed the wrath of all the Ottomans.

Later, when the monks of Kamnik recorded this battle, they surprisingly only had a few numbers and no long descriptions-he said in the record that from that day on, the Ottoman attack became crazy, There is no longer a difference between day and night, they are always on the attack, and they are constantly destroying the caravans that are trying to transport supplies to Kamnik, and Kamnik's defenders have sealed off all the cities. Gates, as they have been for hundreds of years, they cast each gate with stone and cement, making it a solid weight.

But before that, no one could have imagined that the king of France would have stored in this city so much gunpowder, grease and white phosphorous, which was enough to buy a city or more, and when they burned their enemies, they rose up The fire made the walls turn red, and the smoke connected heaven and earth like a torrential rain. Even so, the defenders were dealt a terrible blow - several times the Ottomans climbed the walls, their white hats swaying in the wind , like a terrifying flag - soldiers with such hats belonged to the Yenicheri regiment, and they should have been put in at the end.

Everyone thinks Grand Vizier Ahmed is crazy, maybe, he is almost doomed to fail, even if he can take Kamnik, the remaining supplies can't support him to go to Vienna, Muhammad The great achievement that King IV pursued to surpass his ancestor Suleiman I had come to nothing, and Ahmed was destined to be divided by five horses in the Grand Bazaar Square. Those who think this way not only have their enemies, but the Ottomans are whispering like this, the Grand Master has gone to heaven, the initial anger has turned into exhaustion, and even the stupidest Tatars know how to take this city. Cities have become impossible.

  —That terrible thing happened on the night of the eleventh day of the siege. The monk wrote so.

At that time, he heard a strange sound that seemed to overflow from hell, countless ****, countless mourning, countless creaking and countless squeaks, he put on his clothes, held up the candle, and walked out. To the gate—his monastery was not far from the city gate, and he was one of the few monks who did not leave with the kings—he was familiar with the situation, for during the day he worked with the craftsmen for the Defenders carry grease, shells and arrows.

He walked up to the movable **** that connected to the city wall—a sloping plank made of several planks, so steep that he expected to see a group of weary soldiers and perhaps a restless officer, but he was surprised. Yes, the person standing on the city wall turned out to be a bishop, he could swear to the Virgin, he was absolutely right, that was a bishop! Although he was wearing normal clothes, the purple-red belt around his waist was so conspicuous under the torches, and there were no soldiers on the city walls, only monks in brown robes and priests in black vestments.

The bishop was a little surprised when he saw the monk, but as if something important had come, he had no time to take care of a little mortal, he just waved his hand, and the monk walked back to the room in a daze, but his The will remained a little sober, he almost climbed out of the window of the room, but before he could think of falling from the small room on the clock tower to the ground thirty feet away from him, he saw the black tide coming from outside the city wall. stand up.

Look at it again, what kind of tide is that? It is the devil that crawled out of hell. No, even the devil is no more terrible than them. At least the devil still has skin, eyes, and mouth. The body burned by kerosene is like a piece of stick together... charcoal, people often hang a pot in the fireplace in winter, cook soup in it, or put a fork on the rack, grill it on Pieces of meat, but even the most seasoned cook misses the point, when these things fall into the charcoal, they burn instantly and violently, emit smoke, curl up, and finally stick to the charcoal.

This is what the monks saw. Their bodies were still flashing with dark red light. Some had no heads, some had no hands and feet, but they were all glued together. What the monks heard before was when these things moved. The voice - black smoke and debris constantly falling, and countless stumps, burned to the half-cooked innards - the monk thought he should have prayed loudly at that time, but he also admitted that he could also Weeping or shaking in horror, he couldn't remember how he crawled back into the room, he didn't even dare to stick his head out to take a look.

   More likely, the prayer he heard was not his own, but that of the saint.

His monastery was so close to the city wall that half the wall and several rooms were torn down to block the city gate, but the devils he feared were never able to climb the tower as he imagined and tear him apart. shatter, devour.

After seeing the sunlight pouring into the window, the monk finally got up with difficulty and looked out of the window, where all he could see were patches of black and gray. He tried his best not to think about what they were originally, but fortunately, , he saw a column of footprints walking from the city wall into the city.

The friar's notes were later left in the monastery and were sporadically discovered by several historians while studying the Battle of Kamnic around 1997, though they always believed that the so-called devil It's just a friar's imagination, which is very common on the battlefield - like other documents and materials related to "anomalies", this record was quickly found and collected by the Church of Rome, and it was never seen.

  ——

   Bishop Ballas was in a very mixed mood, thinking that Louis XIV would vent his hatred in this battle. He was consecrated to the king like a sacrifice by the head of the cardinals. When the king was still young, Barras abandoned him and France, and almost killed him. He has now become a behemoth that the church has to avoid. Barras was still a dog in the way, and the bishop had left him with a loaf of bread before he was hanged, lest he go mad with hunger.

He also knew that when the king asked the Roman church for him and the priests around him, he deliberately used them as shields and abandoned sons. Barras was not very resentful. Although he was short-sighted and ungrateful, he still had a little bit more. With his own dignity, he would not beg a victim to give up his right to revenge - but at the last moment - indeed, at the last moment, Louis XIV abandoned his original intention.

   He gave Barras information (Barras really didn't want to know where this information came from), and also gave Barras more monks and priests, as well as a few relics. This allowed them to defeat the enemy and see the sun the next day.

When Louis XIV heard the news that Ballas had repelled the enemy, he clapped his hands happily, and ordered Hood to remove the last insurance - we put this behind, while waiting for Ballas to come to see him, Bishop The gentleman must have come to see him first.

Barras had thought a lot along the way, from the Inquisition to the wizard, from the wizard to the Huguenots, and from the Huguenots to the Roman Church, and he wondered how the king was willing to forgive him, and what could he do? A useful place...but he didn't have to think for a long time, because after a few minutes, Louis XIV solved the mystery directly: "I intend to let Elaeli go to Rome, what do you think?"

Barras could hardly control his jealousy. The meaning of Ela's going to Rome was completely different from the meaning of his going to Rome. Behind him stood the Sun King, the richest and most powerful king. When he was speaking, he found that his throat could hardly make a sound: "But I am just a bishop, Your Majesty, in Rome, there are as many bishops as a cannibal."

"Hey," Louis put on an amusing expression, "do I hope you can give us any surprises? You must be staying in Paris, sir," he said, "I hope you can do your duty as you are now. , faithful," said Barras, who could not help but bow his head. "If you can do it," said Louis, "Monsieur Larivière is seventy years old, sir," he looked at Barras, who couldn't hide his surprise, nodded: "I'll get you a cardinal's shawl and a mansion in Paris. If you feel the need, then Versailles will also have a place for you. ."

  Ballas was completely bewildered, he couldn't understand at all, if the king said he had reserved a place for him in the Bastille, he would surely believe it, but cardinal? Or the Cardinal of France? The assets left by Bishop Mazarin after his death have supported a country's expenses for several years. There is no need to say how powerful the Cardinal of Paris can be! Even if he can't reach the level of Bishop Mazarin... that would be countless times better than being an obscure little bishop in Rome!

"But what can I do for you? No no no, Your Majesty, you can do whatever you want me to do, even go to **** to fetch water!" After making sure that he was not dreaming or being tricked , shouted eagerly and excitedly, his hands clasped the cross on his chest tightly, walked over on his knees, and kissed Louis' shoes without hesitation.

   "What I want you to do is not complicated." Louis said: "What you give to the church, give me what."

  Barras raised his head sharply, panting, his eyes rolling uneasily: "But I've..."

"I'm going to give this to Elarius," said Louis, "how the people in the church will treat you, I'll see from you and Elarius—they are better in the hands of Elarius than in the hands of the church. It's safe to come here."

  Barras was unwilling to be silent. Indeed, if he was one of the people he betrayed to the church, he would definitely be willing to follow Elarius, not a harsh and vicious mortal.

Bishops, priests, monks, and all those who know the inside story treat them as followers of the devil. They are not very different from wizards. They use them like slave soldiers used by the sultans of Ottoman Turkey. They are the most dangerous. The things they are doing, but always only get a little leftovers.

   "I'm not going back to Rome?" he asked.

   "Not to go back to Rome." Louis said: "I now appoint all the priesthoods in France."

"I have no idea…"

"Elarius will know," Louis laughed, "I always thought that a man should be allowed to do what he is good at—Eraleus has never bothered me about the monks, and I think you can too, or rather , Eralius in Rome and you in Paris can also meet my expectations...I don't think you will have no backhand, now, I want you to give this backhand to Eralius, and then you can spend the rest of your life in Paris peaceful day."

  The king of France tapped his cross with his toes: "What you wanted thirty years ago, sir, you can get now."

  ———

Bontang walked in after Ballas had left. Louis looked up and saw that there was only a cup of tea in the silver tray. It seemed that Bontang didn't think the king would want to leave Ballas for a cup of tea, and there was no need for it. In other words, Louis kinda likes this kind of person, as long as the bait is enough, he will fly over.

   "You really decided to give Paris to this man?"

   "I need such a person to supervise Paris for me." Louis said, a shadow passed over his face, "Maybe I'm too forgiving." It wasn't long before he left France, and those careerists were about to move again.

   "Isn't the gallows that Madame Montespan erected in Paris enough?" said Bontang.

"Bishop La Rivière wasn't a good, hard-working student when he was in the seminary, and he's really running out of energy now," Louis said. "I need a cardinal who's definitely on my side. "

   "Barras?"

"His age and experience are just right, and no one can afford a higher price." If it was Barras 20 years ago, Louis would not have considered it at all, but now Barras has been tortured and lost. With all his confidence, he would hold tight to the lifeline that Louis XIV had left.

When La Rivière was chosen to be the cardinal, it was because he was not an ambitious person who liked to point fingers at others. He was happy to accept everything the king gave him, and was very satisfied. He had a room in Versailles, He had mansions in Paris and Fontainebleau, and lived a life of ease, save for occasional cover-ups for the impiety of the king. But for such an optimist, it would be too difficult for him to face the oppression from the Roman Church and the French conservative forces.

  Louis XIV promised him before the expedition that he would choose a cardinal again after returning, and Bishop Larivière would retire to a convent to be abbot.

Regarding this candidate, Louis XIV originally wanted to give it to Eralius, but the restlessness of the Roman Church made him change his mind, although now the head of the cardinal is willing to cooperate with Louis, and even sent his illegitimate daughter as a hostage, But no one can tell what will happen next, and Louis's indifference to priesthood appointments and removals and religious taxes dooms him to find it difficult to reconcile with the church, as long as the church has an ambitious bishop.

  In that case, why didn’t he choose one of his own to join the church?

Elalius was a man of great daring and a good grasp of opportunity, he was Italian, in his prime, and could surreptitiously manipulate the monks of Gayola and Gilead (power in the hands of Barras), whether it was Whether it was the Inquisition or the Church of Rome, he didn't need to worry about finding strong supporters. Behind him was Louis XIV, the uncompromising giant of the Sun King.

Moreover, compared to those Roman priests who were unable to satisfy their desires, he asked for absolutely not much. Louis and him tentatively mentioned this matter. Of course Elarius is willing, even if there are bound to be thorns along the way, those who have solidified class He will definitely slander him in every possible way and scold him in every possible way - but when he thinks of the reward after the success of this matter, his face that still looks a little cute even after the age of confusion can't help showing a sweet smile, and he even recommends it to Louis Ballas.

Barras is a poor, short-sighted fellow, but he has some good things—Barras was the Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition for twenty years in Paris, he was in the Roman Church for twenty years, and he also had one in his hands. To criticize the monks and wizards who were loyal to him, he was old and if Louis XIV gave him a chance, it would be his last chance, and even he couldn't stand another toss.

   And what can those people give him, he has lost faith in the Roman Church, Parisian dignitaries have changed several times, and he has no one familiar with him except the king.

Of course, the necessary beatings are still needed, but even if the lifespan of a wizard is longer than that of a mortal, it refers to ordinary mortals. Louis felt that it would be good for Barras to let him use ten years, and ten years was enough for him to choose And cultivate a proper cardinal.

  While he was planning this, Hood came back, and like Barras, he must return after completing such an important thing.

   The wizard was covered in white ashes, and there was some invisible milky mud under his feet.

   "Is everything done?" Louis asked.

"It's all as you'd expect," said Hood, his coat soaked all over, not because of the difficulty of what he was doing, but because it was so dangerous that, if handled carelessly, half of the The extent to which Kamni can be sent to heaven.

The gunpowder of the coalition forces is not endless, and since the beginning of the siege, they have been isolated from the outside world. They used so much gunpowder before that Louis XIV couldn’t make some out of thin air, but Kamney But in order to satisfy the appetite of more than 100,000 people, a large amount of food is hoarded, and there is a large amount of wheat flour in these foods.

Camnea was an ancient city, that is to say, like most Roman cities, it had sewers and catacombs, and in a way its bottom was riddled with sorcerers and kerosene, It's easy for them to dry out.

Louis didn't expect these things to have the same unexpected results as Ljubljana, but he had to make sure that even if something went wrong with Barras and his monks, his preparations would bury those terrifying demons. In the Stone - How did Prince Vandrake Theoderic leave Paris and run all the way to Slovenia, that is, because he heard that the Hitai Patriarch of the Blood Clan seemed to have reached a deal with a certain high-ranking human being.

  The holy weapon of the Hitai is a machete, and it is said that all people killed by this sword will become its slaves for its drive - not exactly, but it can drive corpses.

   Dealing with the devil was a rebellion against the gods for the Ottomans, but now that there is a Louis XIV, it is hard to say whether there will be an Ahmed.

   (end of this chapter)