I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 513 God's Will (middle)

"But I have to remind you," after giving his answer, a knight suddenly said, "Is it possible that we will work with Eugene Savoy in the future?" This sentence immediately made the people present. , at least most people are uncomfortable.

Little Eugene (his nominal father's name is Eugene). Savoy, Count of Soissons, is a side branch of the Duchy of Savoy, but the Count of Soissons belongs to France, and his title comes from his mother - the most important thing is , Little Eugene Savoy's biological father was the Archduke Leopold I of Austria, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire who was hostile to King Louis XIV of France.

The surname of Olympia, the wife of the Count of Soissons, is also Mancini. After Marie Mancini became the first love of Louis XIV and the first royal lady, the beautiful Miss Mancini Very dissatisfied with her marriage—yes, for her, even though the Count of Soissons' father was a prince and his mother was a Bourbon princess, she still felt that she had been greatly humiliated, but now it seems, Maybe it was because Bishop Mazarin saw that she was a fool, and decided to marry her into a less prominent family, so as not to cause greater losses.

But Olympia's ambitions were not annihilated. She had a long-term affair with the Austrian ambassador in Paris while the Count of Soissons was serving the king in Paris, and used it to climb up their emperor Leopold. De I, but the relationship between the two was not as open as she expected, that is to say, Leopold I did not recognize her as his royal wife, without an official title, title and salary (the royal family at that time) Mrs. is a full-fledged official position).

It is not known what she thought of giving birth to a child for Leopold I with her death, but Leopold I did so probably to make fun of King Louis XIV of France, his Fortunately, because of Olympia's death, little Eugen's real life experience is known only to very few people.

Although the Count of Soissons graciously gave little Eugene his surname and birthright, and Louis XIV took him to Versailles to raise him, if possible, as little Eugene's grandmother expected , he should be like the illegitimate child born by the Duchess of Longueville to her lover La Rochefoucault, even if he occupies the title of the eldest son, he still insists on entering the abbey and handing over the duke's inheritance to the person who really should have him.

Just grew up in the Palace of Versailles and Louis XIV, and received the highest level of education with the crown prince, the princess, the princess and others, although he had no intention of competing with his adoptive father's son for Soissons. The earl's shade and gifts, but he is not willing to spend his life in a monastery in obscurity.

The Habsburg bloodline heavily influenced his appearance, he was short, square-faced, with a huge chin, tiny eyes, and a somewhat hunched back, but against that was his great ambition and talent and talent for war—in In Leon's offense and defense, he did not fall into a trap because of the young man's spirit and impulsiveness. Instead, he echoed the Duke of Luxembourg with a rather calm attitude, forcing Leon to surrender at a very small price. This is a good thing. But some people said that this young general was too mediocre and cowardly in the first battle, and some even suggested to Louis XIV that at this important moment, experienced generals such as Vauban and Schaumberg should be appointed. forward.

There is no doubt that Louis XIV rejected them. For Louis XIV, as the so-called "good fighters have no great achievements", although the French land army has been expanded to nearly 200,000 people, these 200,000 people Soldiers, each of which was built with the king's money, time and energy, if little Eugen could not stand the ridicule and temptation and forcibly attacked Leon recklessly, apart from the religious problems caused by it, the soldiers who were lost would be the ones who lost. It hurt him the most.

Little Eugen's tactics made some people seem calm and uninteresting, but they were right in the heart of Louis XIV. However, because someone said so, he was worried that little Eugen would shake his confidence because of the rumors, and he even gave it to him. Eugen wrote a handwritten letter.

No one knows whether little Eugen was shaken, but his counterattack came very quickly. After conquering cities such as Leon, Sara and Ponferrada, it was the famous area behind the mountains that welcomed the French army. It is a low-lying flatland surrounded by mountains, with many rivers and lakes, but also a real battlefield presupposed by the Castilians.

A hundred years ago, it wasn't the French who shook Europa, but the Spaniards. Their large phalanx made countless enemies feel fearful about it. The spearmen formed three large lines, and there were about fifty people in front of the line. Sixty people, twenty columns in depth, the four corners of the square are arquebusiers arranged in dense small squares, each large square is about 450 feet wide and 300 feet deep, sometimes the commander Depending on the situation, arquebusiers or cavalry teams will be added around.

The success of this large phalanx even made France try to imitate it. The word "legion" also appeared in oral and on paper from this time. Later, due to the popularization and improvement of muskets, this large phalanx was changed in time. It is dominated by arquebusiers, and at most, it is as high as 60 to 70 percent.

The Spaniards are especially proud of the fact that they had previously defeated 30,000 French troops with this tactical phalanx at the Battle of San Quentin in 1557. The French were killed by tens of thousands and captured 6,000. , and thousands more scattered, the Spaniards lost only a few hundred soldiers, and none of them were officers.

   Immediately afterwards, in another battle, 20,000 people in France were also wiped out in the battle with the Spaniards, and the Spanish suffered no more than a thousand casualties.

Given that the Spanish army was not in the hands of the king, the Castilians also thought that they could be like the princes of Poland, even if they could not change the French Bourbon to Spain, or to welcome the Habs. Philip V of Fort was king, and they could use their armies to force future kings to recognize their power and status.

   But soon, little Eugen Savoy, who they thought "lacks the heart of a brave knight", completely and quickly defeated their sweet dreams.

   He raided at night in the battle of Sanafria and captured the local lord and his six hundred soldiers.

He was originally tasked with reconnaissance and forward in the Battle of Trolle, but when he noticed a stream of Castilian soldiers crossing the river, he decided to attack, even though there were only a hundred light cavalry around him at the time. Even so, he still caught the enemy by surprise, forcing the opponent with 3,000 people to abandon most of the soldiers who fell into the river and were intercepted in the dense forest.

   The last was the battle that later people called the "Battle of Palencia".

On the plains near the city, the French and Spanish armies both numbered 30,000. The Duke of Luxembourg was the commander-in-chief of the battle, and Eugene Savoy the Younger was ordered to command a cavalry of about 1,000 people. The troops, after the artillery bombarded each other, led the cavalry to charge the Spaniards, throwing grenades at the enemy's left flank. Even if it aroused suspicion at the beginning, the grenade that still made Colini’s mind delusional indeed had jaw-dropping power. The cavalry team led by Eugen easily tore open several large squares in a row and rushed directly to the heart of the Spanish army. position, and continuously ignited the smoke bombs, cutting off part of the connection between the front and rear.

When the Duke of Luxembourg ordered the soldiers to accelerate their advance, Eugene, in the permeable smoke, took advantage of the fact that the other generals had not yet had time to issue an order to encircle and suppress them, and led the team to the place where the Spaniards piled up gunpowder and dropped them there. He took the last grenade and detonated the ammunition. When the ammunition exploded, he was knocked off the horse by the air wave and broke his arm. He was able to endure the severe pain and jumped back on the horse with the help of his friends, rushing out of the chaos. battlefield.

  When the Spaniards began to disperse, he also led the cavalry to chase out at least fifty leagues, and captured countless soldiers and officers. Of course, in the previous battle, thanks to the grace of this young nobleman, there were not a few Castilian nobles who were fortunate enough to be invited to the French military camp.

Let's put it this way, in this room, at least two-thirds of the thirteen Santiago knights were captured by this unremarkable, short-statured young general who was as sharp as an awl when he first entered the battlefield or was forced to do so by him. surrendered.

   "No, if he was really so loved by Louis XIV, he should have gone back to Versailles," Zamora said.

  ———

   "You should go back to Versailles," said Louis XIV. "That's your home, I think so, boy, don't you think so?"

Little Eugen stopped when he heard the words, he raised his head and looked at Louis XIV, his king, his guardian and half his father, although little Eugen's biological father and the French king were like a pair of natural enemies, but perhaps It was because Olympia was also a Mancini, the sister of the king's beloved royal wife, and Louis XIV was very kind to him. The queen, the queen dowager and other noble girls who knew his identity never felt sorry for him. He was in Versailles. It is true that the palace grew up under the eyes of roses, gold and people's ardent admiration, just like the crown prince, the eldest princess and the grand princess.

   "I will visit you from time to time," he said, bowing his head and kissing Louis XIV's hand respectfully.

"Is it because of Eugene Savoy?" Eugene Savoy, the Count of Soissons and his biological son, are by the king's side. The Count of Soissons is also an experienced and sophisticated general. The king's spear has generally pierced the key position of the upper Hukar River. Not long ago, he went to the Duchy of Savoy and persuaded his cousin to go to Bourbon instead of Habsburg. When the dust settled, The Count of Soissons will definitely be able to have a room in the Palace of Versailles by virtue of this merit, and his wife and children will also officially appear at the banquets and dances in Versailles. At that time, Xiao Ou, who occupies the position of the eldest son of the Count of Soissons Gen's situation would become embarrassing - even if not many people knew his true origin, but since he was half a child of Louis, it would be difficult for him to brazenly usurp the interests of the eldest son of the Count of Soissons - in the court and the court , the eldest son and the second son with the title and inheritance rights of the territory, and the youngest son are two completely different concepts, and people's attitudes and choices towards them are very different.

  In history, it is not without the eldest son who should inherit the title and territory. Because he was favored by the king or the superior, he gave the title and territory to his brother, and he became the king's general or courtier himself.

   "One of the reasons." Little Eugen said, he looked at Louis, the big chin that was more eye-catching than ordinary people trembled: "Your Majesty, you may already know..."

   "Well," said Louis XIV.

The room suddenly became much quieter. Only Prince Charles was still running around. He was about the same age as when he left his mother and was raised by the mother of the Count of Soissons. Root put on an age-inappropriate gloomy mask, nothing in common with the ruddy-faced, always giggling Ciel—Prince Ciel has always been free from any restraints. He rested on his father's lap when he was tired from running. , pressed his warm face on the king's noble stomach, tilted his head and looked at little Eugen, he still had a little memory of little Eugen, so he reached out to him.

  Little Eugen held the soft little hand, his eyes sparkling.

  "Mary..." Women in France and even many Europa countries will have the name Marie, but now Louis XIV must be calling for Marie of Orleans, that is, the Grand County Lord.

Little Eugene Savoy is about the same age as the big county lord, and the big county lord's beauty is recognized by the Europa people. Her father, the Duke of Orleans, needless to say, he occasionally wears women's clothes when he likes it. "Icon of Stone" is also dumped. Her mother is Princess Henrietta of England. Princess Henrietta is a bit neurotic, but since she has had an affair with Louis XIV more than once, she knows that she is by no means that The ugly girl who looks like no salt, their first child, the grand county master has absorbed all their advantages. She is still a rosebud, which makes the dukes, princes, and kings fascinated by it, especially Carlos II, people say, the madness and freak king's brooding is not only because of the huge dowry of the big county master that is enough to buy a steel fleet.

The current husband of the great county lord, Frederick, the prince of the King of Prussia, is so attentive to the great county lord, which should reasonably arouse the dissatisfaction of the Prussians, but as soon as the great county lord appeared in front of them, they all died down. - Even the most stubborn old guy must admit that it is impossible and immoral to let a young man neglect such a wonderful existence.

Little Eugen and the big county master have been together for several years, because little Eugen is taken care of by the queen, their rooms are not far apart, and they still have classes and play together. Little Eugen has an admiration for the big county master. Not weird, not weird at all.

   "I had a crazy idea," said little Eugen, "I once wanted to follow her to Prussia as a bodyguard to the great lord."

   "Not crazy," Louis said gently, stroking Shire's fluffy, steaming curls: "You love her."

"But Mary doesn't love me." Little Eugen murmured: "No, she loves me, but not a girl's love for a lover, but a sister's love for a brother, that's a noble, pure love Yes, powerful love." He said: "She taught me how to love her, Your Majesty, she said, that I should make a career, a glorious career, and when a man mentions my name , or when my name is published in a newspaper, or when a certain regiment, a certain territory, or even a certain ship is named after me, she can say aloud, look Ah, this is my dearest friend, dearest brother, Eugene Savoy."

   "Then," he continued tenderly, "perhaps hundreds of years from now, when someone mentions me, they will also mention the people around me."

   With a naive yearning, he said eagerly: "Her name will be inscribed on the pages of history because of me, Your Majesty."

   (end of this chapter)