I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 389 Fleet! fleet! fleet! ! (Down)

Louis XIV wanted to build an ironclad ship. There were three biggest difficulties. One was the need for a huge ship hull. The wood used in the construction of the ship was not as people imagined. A ship, especially a warship, requires complex wood and requires a long time of various special treatments, the keel, the bow post connected to the front of the main keel, the mast, the rudder base, the bulwark , There are sometimes as many as three or even six kinds of wood used in the rudder blade. It takes a lot of money, time and effort to build a sufficient deterrent fleet from scratch.

Charles I of England was beheaded by his courtiers because he was too obsessed with the construction of the fleet, which made the people angry. Louis XIV didn't want to follow in his footsteps, and he didn't want to spend his whole life to complete this heavy cause. , there is only another way - the thirty clunky Calais racing boats in Princess Henrietta's dowry, others seem to be tasteless, he looks like a huge wealth of gold shining.

The second difficulty is the power to drive the heavy hull, which is no longer something that human beings can participate in. Wind - if there is wind that can push ironclad ships, there will only be uncontrolled hurricanes. Such winds are by no means just a few sails. Can be controlled and retracted. Fortunately, this problem was solved long before it was raised. Without the steam engine, Louis XIV would not have proposed the idea of ​​​​the ironclad ship at all.

   The third difficulty is the iron on the ironclad ships. As we mentioned before, the seven ironclad ships that Louis XIV finally completed in Nantes' shipyard used up all the steel stockpiles of France for ten years. Origin, but as Louis XIV said, thanks to Leopold I, France does not have it, Austria has it...

Leopold I owed Louis XIV a huge debt of 1.5 million livres - according to Queen Teresa's dowry, he had to marry three Spanish princesses to repay this debt, and the Spanish royal family took it Out - Austria's financial situation has always been not ideal, not to mention that he has to pay the military expenses of several other countries at the same time - because of the same faith, Catholic countries must stand on the same side, but even a direct brother, Keep the accounts clear - especially war.

Throughout history, kings are rarely accused and overthrown for their extravagant lives, no matter how gorgeous they wear, how rare jewels they wear, how magnificent palaces or churches they build, it doesn’t matter how much they attract courtiers’ vests and people The only thing that boils is war, a real devil who devours money and life, and produces nothing but pain and sorrow.

Such a war of belief, as a rescued Austria, of course cannot be denied. The Marquis of Lois and Minister Colbert of France made the accounts very clear and organized, and there is nothing to pick on and doubt. Leopold I's Minister of Finance Under the emperor's order, he had to delay again and again with nonsense and pretending to be crazy. Not only did other countries see a joke, but the Roman Church, which was the guarantor, also made a lot of criticism. Austria did this because it wanted the next time the Ottoman Turks came. When celibate against the enemy?

   But Leopold I is real... can't come up with the money...

We will not talk about the pain of Leopold I. Louis XIV waited for more than half a year. After three waves of changes between Leopold I's finance minister and envoy, he finally revealed his true thoughts. It was impossible to pay the debt, and if so, the Austrian would not have cared about another war with the French—he wanted black iron.

Iron is an important war material at any time, especially after entering the era of thermal weapons, iron is required for muskets and iron for artillery. When building fortresses and fortifications, cement mixed with iron **** will be stronger, so important Of course, Leopold I was reluctant to give the goods - but there were only two ways in front of him. The other one was to sell the tax collection rights to the merchants, which is the so-called tax package. This mistake was made by the French as early as a hundred years ago. It was wrong, and so did Austria. It can be said that Leopold I followed in the footsteps of Louis XIV to reform the tax law. Of course, he did not want to fall short.

   He gave iron.

The Stericher Iron Mine in Austria is an iron mountain as high as 2,400 feet, the largest open-pit mine in Europa. As early as the third century AD, the Romans mined iron ore here, with abundant output and high quality. One of the most valuable possessions of Leopold I and the Austrian royal family. It can be said that Leopold I gritted his teeth and took out nearly half of the stockpile of the Sterischel iron ore before finally offsetting most of the debt.

   This half of the warehouse allows Louis XIV to finally meet the needs of the armor and artillery of thirty ironclad ships.

Now what people see is the most satisfying masterpiece of the Sun King. Even if they are far away, people can still feel the pressure brought by the thirty giant ships. Except for the people in the palace, most of the people gathered here are Dunke. The residents near Erke, who are either sailors or fishermen, are very sensitive to the size of the ships. Even if some of them can't even write their own names, they can easily estimate the displacement of these thirty ships. Suspected that I had made a mistake, because the draught of these Calais boats was clearly different from what they thought - perhaps because of some heavy cargo?

But before they could count again, more ships appeared in front of them like dolphins following a school of whales. Thirty black giant ships lined up in a line. As people have calculated, there are 320 ships here, minus the 30 black ships they don't know how to distinguish, there are 30 first-class battleships, 50 second-class battleships, and 3rd-class battleships in a hundred. There are also some frigates and supply ships, but they are also equipped with about forty guns,

The ships were lined up in four columns in the admiration and silence of the people, and then began with the black ship, the muzzles opened, the dragon's throat quivered, and the deafening roar accompanied the light gray smoke over the dark blue. The sea water caused waves of fluctuations, and the spreading tremors rushed to the bank of the embankment, and white waves stood up.

  Long!

This is the first cannon fire of September, and the first roar of the French Royal Fleet in the glorious beginning of a century, and the history of France with a coastline but no navy has become a thing of the past. A magnificent symphony was played, and I don't know when, whether it was aristocrats, officials, or ordinary people, they involuntarily put their hands on their chests, as if not to do so, the violently beating The heart is about to jump out of the chest.

  Long!

   How loud, how dense, how magnificent! The roar of the artillery was continuous, like the thunder before the arrival of the storm, rolling over the entire Dunkirk, the golden red flame eclipsed the sun, and even reflected the depths of the deep black water!

  Hamlong, Hiroshi! !

When people want to cheer, they find themselves in tears, someone grabs the brim of their hat and wants to throw it in the air, but their arms and legs are weak, maybe their friends and family want to talk to them, but their ears are still blocked The rumble of cannons took over completely, and some people hugged each other, while others rushed to the dock and stretched their arms, like this can hug these huge ships in their arms.

Not only the commoners, but also the nobles, the former forgot their fear and hatred, the latter forgot their dignity and restraint, they all stood up, and the telescope was passed from one person to another in the hands of everyone. In the beginning, there were only the stands. The nobles passed telescopes to each other, but at some point, those brass tubes, gilded and silver-plated, and even inlaid with gems and pearls, were held high in the hands of sailors and peasants.

Even the humblest, poorest, and even the most greedy people didn't pay attention to the value of the telescope in their hands, and they didn't hold on to watching, each of them held the telescope and looked deeply for a few seconds. Imprint every detail of those ships in the eyes and in the heart and pass it on to the next person.

  Long!

It was rare for Louis to not pay attention to the situation of others. Although it was his wish, he couldn't understand it without seeing it with his own eyes and hearing it with his own ears... This is not a picture and sound that can be achieved by imagination, he was a little dazed, Those ships lined up in the narrow straits like blades—yes, his, after twenty years, he finally built a mighty fleet for France, truly, like a pack of wolves at sea. fleet.

Some people may say that this fleet has not been tested by war, but Louis knows that in naval battles, ships are the most important, and any progress and advantage can turn the whole battle situation, just like T-tactics have always been used After three hundred years, whether the fleet can win the battle still depends on the speed of the ship, tonnage, armor, and the number of artillery... It will quickly occupy a favorable position. Tonnage and armor represent the defensive capability of the ship. Not to mention the artillery...

   Even so, the king was the first to wake up. He smiled and looked at the Marquis of Lois beside him: "How many times have you prepared empty cannons?"

"Forty times, of course, this is your fortieth birthday." The Marquis of Lois wiped the sweat on his forehead gently, his voice a little hoarse - the king's smile became meaningful, and he also smiled: "Every time ship."

   "What a bunch of bastards!" Louie whispered, "Remember to remind me that everyone on the ship can get ten gold louis, which is the king's thanks."

   "Allow me to thank you on their behalf, Your Majesty," said the Marquis of Lois.

At this time, the people in the square suddenly became agitated. Louis watched intently. It turned out that his ironclad ship was heading for the dock. The terrifyingly large ironclad ship had brought so much damage to the workers of the shipyard, the king and others. The shock brought so much horror to the people in Dunkirk and the court. At the beginning, just one Royal Majesty almost made the Crown Prince and others breathless, and the whole thirty giant ships seemed to be replaced. The monsters of heaven and earth, people's necks can't help but lean back, and the people who ran to the dock before ran back in a panic, while they ran, they followed the people who were pointing at them and laughing hahaha.

   "Very good." The Duke of Saint-Simon heard the man beside him say: "France."

   France?

The Duke of Saint-Simon remembers that there were also schools in his domain that were run by the king's custodians and priests. He also sent spies to inquire about the teachings in them. It is not surprising that the teachers asked the students to be loyal to the king. There was one thing he couldn't understand—why would they ask the kids to reiterate that they were French?

  They are of course…French.

The Duke of St. Simon stared at the man in front of him. His hair was **** in a turban, his skin was dark and rough, his lips were white, he was probably a sailor, and he held a telescope in his outstretched hand. A little cringe and anxious, of course, because the Duke of St. Simon looked like a prominent person, but anxious because his friend had run to the nearest place to the black ship and was waving to him desperately.

   "Answer me a question, this telescope is yours," said the Duke of St. Simon.

   "Excuse me, my lord." The sailor was a little surprised, but replied respectfully.

   "The fleet is fine, but it belongs to the king. What does it have to do with you? Why are you so happy?"

   The sailor blinked, as though he did not quite understand the question asked by the duke, and said with a childlike bewilderment: "My lord," he said, "I am French, and this is the French fleet."

   Duke St. Simon paused, "This is yours."

   Watching the sailor hurried to the back of his companion, "How stupid we are," he said to himself.

Louis XIV's ambition was greater than that of any previous king. He not only wanted to continue the brilliance of the Bourbon family, but also not only limited to the court and the court. His ambition radiated to every corner of France, as He calls himself the Sun King, and he wants every one of his subjects to be covered by his light and heat, just like a Parisian or a Versailles. Proud of knowledge or blood, and proud of being a Frenchman.

   So what can the king get?

   Of course, I am the country.

   (end of this chapter)