I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 531 Negotiations Before the War

   Will Sforza regret it? It is almost certain. Not to mention whether he can be recognized as a sideline descendant, it is an indisputable fact that he slaughtered more than half of Milan. The reason why he did not receive immediate and violent revenge is because Leopold I still needed such a Sforza. Surname, but there is not much time left for him, Milan will be the battlefield, the Holy Roman Empire will win, and whether Leopold I will honor his promise to give him titles and territories depends on the emperor's mood and capacity. Victory—not to mention.

   But he will still do it, even if he can choose countless times, what human beings can give up in front of huge benefits is not only the lives of others? Aristocrats often laugh at merchants for selling ropes to hang themselves. This is a joke of 100 steps and 50 steps. Before the price is enough, the king can kneel down, let alone his courtiers. princes,

The blood of Sforza in Francesco's body has been very thin, but it can still affect his character and behavior. He is as crazy as his ancestors, stubborn, hungry for power and reckless - it is said that he can't wait. "Returned" to the Sforza Castle, which was once converted into a doge's residence during the Spanish rule, and now its old owner has returned, although Francisco did not live in it for a day, he still kept the Sforza The coat of arms of House Erza—the serpent that devoured humans hangs everywhere in sight.

  Fortunately, he was still a little sensible, not so arrogant as to crown himself. It was also possible that it was because there were always Austrians around him to remind him that he should wait for the arrival of Leopold I and ask the emperor to give him the canonization.

   It’s just that the “grand duke” may not know it yet. When he is smug and thinks he has a good card, things may change in another way.

  ———

   "The messenger of Alexander VIII?"

The court of Tuscany, no, it should be the court of Versailles now, because the court always followed the king, and Louis XIV came to Florence condescendingly, even as a guest, it did not hinder the proud The Versailles reigned supreme in this beautiful city - for which the Tuscan nobles fought them.

Italy, especially Florence, was the center of the renaissance, so it has almost the same special significance in the peninsula as Rome. When it comes to art, of beauty, and of knowledge, they will not fear any enemy, but they must not. deny. The French have a kind of vibrant beauty like the rising sun and the morning light. They may be a little rude, a little reckless, and a little greedy, but everyone who sees them will feel a new impact. , involuntarily want to stop and watch to see how far they can stretch or grow.

Some Medici officials have complained and rebuked countless times for the irresponsible and reckless behavior of Ferdinand, the eldest son of Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, but if, they mean, if they can give up their family and identity, Comparing Florence with Versailles is like comparing an old man entering his twilight years with a robust young man. The splendor of Florence is like a splendid robe. Although it is still splendid, it cannot hide the radiance from the inside of the body. The smell of decay can't hide the increasingly decayed face; what about Versailles? Although it does not have as long a history as Florence - in the city, it is definitely a newborn child, although Louis XIV, the achievements of the Sun King have put on him a dazzling robe, but its accumulation is It cannot compete with Florence, an ancient city dating back to the time of Caesar.

But the future of Florence can be seen. With the severing of trade routes, the Yona textile industry has gradually shifted from Italy to the United Kingdom and France. This ancient city is no longer as gorgeous as it used to be. Young people here can hardly find their own way. Their elders also didn't know where to lead them—their experience was useless.

  If Versailles was what they saw, it is not surprising that Ferdinand had been reluctant to return to Siena or Florence.

   Not to mention Ferdinand who has gone to Paris and Versailles, even young people in Florence are eager to wear that beautiful royal blue uniform after seeing the army of Louis XIV.

   Some parents strongly disagreed, some were ambiguous, some asked them to join the army of the Federal Kingdom of Italy, and some expressed their approval. For a time, a lot of royal blue appeared in the city of Florence. Don't get me wrong, for those young people who are sloppy by nature and want to join the army only on a whim, they are not soldiers that the French army will accept today.

   There is a high probability that they will not be able to withstand the hard training, strict military orders, and the boring life that they cannot spend with "Ming Shu".

The current French army is a real army. It takes war as a profession, takes the country and the people as its belief, and takes pride in morality and purity. They have extremely rich stipends, retirement funds and pensions, and there is no need for future Therefore, there is no need to loot on the battlefield and occupied areas, let alone harass the citizens and peasants - very few people still choose to rob and steal when their wallets are full. When they were in Florence, not only were they not driven, despised and cursed as the soldiers of Louis XII were, they were very popular.

The only thing that makes some residents of Florence dissatisfied is that these French people are not allowed to stay in places outside the military camp, and they are not allowed to act alone. Well, these people are mainly "Ming Shu" and some people rely on "Ming Shu" to do business. of people…

Louis XIV is not unreasonable, that's it, even if his wizards have developed a special cure for the "Italian disease" (you know it), he does not want his soldiers and generals to be covered all over Blisters, festering and stinking... Although this disease is not as terrible as the Black Death, smallpox or dysentery, it still seriously affects the combat effectiveness of the army.

   Especially in his army, some arms are difficult to replace, such as artillery.

It will be surprising to say that in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, after artillery occupied an important and main position on the battlefield, artillerymen also became an extremely talented and talented army - because people at that time It is impossible to see the impact point, so the angle and azimuth, distance, and trajectory of the artillery shot need to be calculated... So, artillery must be brave and fearless, but after being brave, they must be smart enough to be able to learn from university professors (yes, yes , University professor) learning geometry, physics, algebra…

   Among them, those who stand out are eligible to become gunners.

   As an aside, Napoleon, who was born a hundred years later, finally became a gunner and quickly stood out because he was sensitive enough to numbers.

   A soldier like this cannot be replaced by anyone.

  ———

   Pierrot is such an artilleryman.

Artillerymen are eligible to wear red shoulder straps on royal blue clothes, as well as various small badges - that's an added bonus, if a gunner hits a fortress, a bridge, a city gate...and so on, The king will reward him with a special golden louis. The front of the golden louis is the king's head, and the reverse is the result of his destruction.

Gunners generally have two or three such achievements. Pierrot has seen the most respectable old gunner with several gold coins on his chest like a bead necklace. Everyone who sees him is very fond of him. Respectfully. He is also very envious, but he is still a reserve gunner. Although his math scores have always been good, but he has not been on the battlefield, of course, it is impossible to have this honor.

When his superiors called him, he was still very excited, thinking that he would have his own king cannon - a flintlock rear mounted gun engraved with the coat of arms of the Sun King, which may not be as heavy as naval guns. Or the former front-mounted gun, but it can move flexibly and accurately aim. Pierrot has seen and stroked it, and felt its power when he was practicing. He fell in love with it at once, even in his sleep. They all shouted its name.

   Backfired, he was summoned...because His Majesty the King specially brought him up to receive the Pope's envoy.

Pierrot is the illegitimate son of the current Pope Alexander VIII. The Pope's illegitimate son has always had the right and obligation to communicate as a messenger, even directly as a messenger. Soldier, he has no right to refuse.

   "Oh," the visitor said with a smile when he saw this situation: "Don't be discouraged, little Pierrot, I'm going to see the Sun King. If you have any requests, I can convey them."

   Pierrot's eyes suddenly lit up. If it were someone else, he might not believe it, but the Pope's envoy was Cardinal Elarius.

Elatrix comforted Pierrot a little and went to the king's room. First, the cardinal was not qualified to let a king wait. Second, Louis XIV was also his benefactor and the family's benefactor, especially when Louis XIV was there. What does it mean to send Elarius to Rome after having achieved something? For a priest, the brightest future is to advance step by step in Rome, even for a French priest. Louis XIV is willing to do this, and his generosity is beyond the reach of others.

   "We haven't seen each other for a long time, Your Majesty," said Elarius.

   "Let's raise your head up," Louis laughed: "Elalius, you have always been a rash guy, you really don't need to be so restrained, but it makes us feel unfamiliar."

"Then I'll be bold again." Hearing the king say this, Elarius also laughed, he raised his head, and the two looked at each other. They were not happy when they first met. Louis XIV heard from the Bishop of Mazarin. Said, Elaius is a too greedy person - of course the bishop will not consider the other party's difficulties, Elaius does not have a good impression on all kings, as a priest of the Inquisition, the nobles he has seen are all degenerates Vicious, vicious and cruel, a king so young is more likely to go astray - just look at Carlos II, and if it's just a commoner, he can do almost anything.

However, Elarius opened a new door for Louis. Before that, the only non-human around him was Mary, but the little witch could not be used as an example or representative, and it was impossible for Lu Yi to pass Mazar. However, the bishop went to contact the monsters hidden in the mist, and Elaho asked him for gold, wheat and cloth. Louis was willing to do so, but it was only as an employment fee. Of course, it was expensive, but if it was used to build a bridge, this amount would The cost is worth it.

He was flattered by what Louis gave to Erali, but what Erali gave to Louis was enough - Louis's power in the world is still dominated by wizards, but there is no doubt that the priests were prepared by Louis to weaken and control the wizards. Daggers, of course, a monarch will not allow the power in his hands to be unique and indispensable.

   "Call Bontang for some cake," said Louis, "and tell me about Rome."

   "Give me some more king's bread," Elatrix said, waving her sleeves, "I haven't had breakfast yet."

   "What makes you so anxious," Louis stepped aside, and Bontang leaned over to pour hot tea for them: "Is Alexander VIII about to go to see God?"

   "Papa is in good health," said Elarius.

   "I thought he was going to get a lot of threats." Louie said: "His behavior exceeded a lot of people's expectations."

"This has something to do with you. Of course, papa issued such a decree, which made Leopold I very angry, so it is difficult for Italy to become your handicap as he imagined, but Your Majesty, it is also an accident. Rejoice, your suggestion was not only heard by Alexander VIII, but also by some cardinals."

"what!"

"If this holy war has some results... Your Majesty, you don't even need to retake Istanbul, I mean, Constantinople, as long as we can get back Crete, and the ports on the east coast of the Adriatic, or Athens, it is enough for Alexander VIII and all those associated with it to proudly record this on the coat of arms, and maybe even canonized after death, not to mention the endless benefits afterward... And you are quite sure yes, isn't it?

  You are the one who once defeated the Grand Vizier and the army of Ottoman Turkey. "

"If you say a big battle, it can't be said to be a defeat." He just took advantage of the contradiction between the Grand Vizier and the Grand Priest, as well as the ignorant Azaps, Tatars and Albanians against the new style. The fear and ignorance of weapons are nothing more than the fear and ignorance of weapons. Even in the end, the Ottoman army still retreated to their country in a smooth and orderly manner after agreeing to a truce, not a defeat.

   "That's what I meant," Elaho shook his head: "As long as a rational person knows that it is impossible to completely defeat so many enemies, but for hundreds of years, this is the best result."

   So there are many people who are willing to answer the call of Louis XIV.

   "Among the princes in red, most of them are Italians," Elarius said.

   (end of this chapter)