I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 534 Prelude to Viscount Turenne's Birthday Banquet

   "I told you to go to the king's side, that's why I asked you to stay with your majesty."

   Viscount Turenne said reproachfully.

"Your Majesty's side is full of talented people, and I am just a mediocre person who is not worth mentioning." Villar said that he is still very young, not yet thirty years old this year, but he has been in the army for nine years. Compared to Viscount Turenne, who joined the army at the age of four, he also has a wealth of combat experience. Whether it is at sea or on land, he says he is a mediocre person, but if he is really an insignificant person, how can he be defeated by Turenne? The viscount was promoted to the king?

   But when Louis XIV asked him if he wanted to stay with him or go back to North Holland, he was still determined to go back to his teachers and superiors.

Viscount Turenne was born in 11 years, that is to say, he is almost seventy years old. It stands to reason that he should return to his hometown of Sedan in the Ardennes to take care of his life, and Louis has also missed him. Years of loyalty and diligence, ready to give Sedan, the town instead of the original Duchy of Sedan, back to him, that is to say, Viscount Turenne may, as the second son who is not valued, take back the place that his father had with him. The elder brother's lost title is a rare honor.

But North Holland is too important. It is not only the territory of France in the Netherlands, but also the nail presupposed by Louis XIV. After this battle, they may be able to completely recover the Dutch territory that had to be cut to other countries. , considering that Viscount Turenne's maternal grandfather is William I of Orange, his bloodline is as fondly remembered and respected by the Dutch as William III, the puppet of the British king. If anyone changes, even Louis XIV, the Dutch It won't be as docile as it is now.

  Viscount Turenne may not need to board a ship, mount a horse, and rush into battle, but he must be captured by North Holland, at this critical moment.

The revolts of William III, Duke of Utrecht, with the support of the English, to restore the glory of the House of Orange, are still repeated, no, nor should they be called rebellions, because for William III and his supporters, they are the restoration Netherlands. It is a pity that there are not many people who are willing to support them in North Holland. The parliamentarians of the government in exile have frequent contact with the former, and they are even willing to make William III King of the Netherlands - it seems that they also deeply feel that if they are one By standing firmly by William III's side from the start, and allowing the Netherlands to become a kingdom ruled by a dictator rather than a big-ticket "commodity" controlled by parliamentarians and businessmen, the Netherlands won't fall completely so quickly.

  Viscount Turenne didn't know how William III felt, but most of his attention was really not on William III.

It's funny, although William III's "recovery" seems to be very powerful, the original ills of the Dutch Republic are still spores in his government and court, and the British are using the authority of Charles II to run rampant. Ji - as far as he knows, although the orders of William III are still limited to Utrecht and the surrounding small cities, his officials and generals are divided into at least three factions, the royalists, the republicans and the British factions, They quarrel endlessly every day, frame each other for a little power and gain, and fight each other.

Louis XIV and Viscount Turenne have the same thoughts, this is not a war between Holland and France, the war between Holland and France has long been over, and now it is a war between England and France, just to suppress the riots of the Utrecht people, is it not? What is of great use is like beating flying insects with a giant hammer. It may not get any results. It may also make the soldiers exhausted and cause fear and panic in the Dutch in other areas.

   To treat a disease, in addition to taking care of the wound on the surface, it is also necessary to investigate the location of the lesion.

The Battle of the Double Bay severely damaged the British sea power, but now it seems that Charles II's ambitions did not sink into the English Channel. He was like a gambler, willing to gamble. , issued a large number of war bonds, and levied three war taxes on the populace, and he executed some opponents, seized their assets, and hung their heads on the spire of Westminster Abbey.

Because it was a war with the French, and Charles II promised handsome returns, and there were those war bonds that were huge - not everyone wanted to believe Charles II, but... when Louis XIV was talking privately with Viscount Turenne , tell him that Charles II held a grand banquet, how grand, even the squires near London were invited, and people entered Windsor Castle - the largest royal castle in England , the king's army surrounded the castle.

The people inside left one after another, or were released, all pale and resentful, with huge war bonds in their hands—not to mention not being able to carry the money with them, the bankers and the Jewish moneylenders were also there. In the invited ranks, they had to mortgage their land and manor, and also mortgaged themselves to Charles II. They could stand by and even take advantage of the fire, but now, if Charles II is defeated, they will To go bankrupt and ruin.

   How could such a Charles II be defeated by a sea battle? It should be said that the closer to failure, the more insane he is.

Viscount Turenne learned from the king's "birds" that all the shipyards in the UK are now working around the clock, even if they do not have the qualifications and abilities to manufacture ships, the ordinary sailing ship Charles II also needs - small boats can Used for carrying supplies and arson. While the Dutch government-in-exile looked to Britain for a foothold in the New World, which had been recaptured by the French, it also continued to gather up Dutch ships that were lucky not to be captured by the French.

Then there is Denmark. Denmark's shipbuilding industry mainly depends on fishing rather than commerce. Denmark and Norway have a long coastline and many ports, but Denmark faces the North Sea, and on the west side of the North Sea is England and Norway. Facing the icy Norwegian Sea, crossing the North Sea through the narrow English Channel, and crossing the Norwegian Sea, facing the British threat, and the long journey, the merchants were not crazy enough to choose such a route.

  The relationship between Denmark and the United Kingdom was not very good at first, but now they have joined hands, together with the Dutch government-in-exile-the coalition forces converged in the Norwegian Sea and came to the North Sea.

  The North Sea is an upside-down purse, with the Norwegian Sea above, England on the left, Denmark on the right, and North Holland below.

  ————

  The Duke of York raised his telescope and they were now near the Orkney Islands in England, at the entrance to the North Sea.

For him, this combined fleet only wins by quantity, and its quality cannot even be compared with the fleet that sank in the Battle of Double Bay, but what leeway do they have to choose at this time? The mockery of this fleet, and the commander of this fleet, which is himself.

  If anyone sees the Duke of York now, he will be astonished. The Duke of York is only five years older than Louis, which should be in his prime. But he looked even older than his elder brother. His temples were white and his face was wrinkled, especially at the corners of his eyes and his mouth. Two deep nasolabial folds almost divided his face into three pieces, making the timid One can't help trembling when one sees it.

   But if you can know his experience over the years, you will not be surprised at all.

Charles II's fear of him dates back to when they were still in exile, and when they returned to London and Charles II ascended the throne, he was displeased with his younger brother who seemed more talented and healthier than himself. It's just that the stubborn royalists won't allow the king to execute his heir until he gets the real evidence of the Duke of York's treason - yes, the Duke of York is the heir of Charles II, and for this reason, Charles II once He endured his murderous intent again and again.

This situation was finally changed by their sister, the Princess Henrietta, the Duchess of Orleans of France. At her instigation, Charles II used wizards and got a son with the help of the devil. But the most absurd, the most disrespectful, the most ungodly Henry VIII did not do!

  The Duke of York hated Princess Henrietta for this, and he tried to kill the witch, but ended up putting himself behind bars.

Since then he has been a frequent visitor to the Tower of London, and Charles II seems to have taken a liking to the unspoken method of torture, when the Duke of York dined, danced, gambled, slept, and even While squatting in the "prayer room", the king's musketeers would break in and take him into the Tower of London.

There is no such thing as a punishment for the Duke in the Tower of London. According to his title and status, His Majesty the King has graciously furnished him with a set of luxurious bedrooms, a study and a small hall for entertaining guests. He can still wear brocade clothes. Jade food, enjoy it freely, but who can sleep peacefully in a prison? There is also a king and brother outside who can push him to the guillotine at any time. The ghosts in the Tower of London seem to be waiting for new members to join, and the duke can hear their calls every night...

The Duke of York has grown old rapidly in just ten years. He feels that he is the devil in the bottle. After three hundred years, anyone who dares to release him will be torn and devoured by him, the fury of hatred. Burning his reason, if it wasn't for the unwillingness that kept urging him to stay calm, he might have gone crazy long ago.

This time he was able to become the Anglo-Danish coalition not because Charles II suddenly repented, he just needed a scapegoat, and if the Duke of York could win, then his reward would only be a short period of peace - when people did not Before forgetting him, Charles II would not do anything to him, but when the ecstasy gradually subsided, then he was a toy that Charles II was playing with.

   Like William III.

But if it fails, it is very possible, but with him, when the people and nobles hold the king accountable, Charles II will push him out, and at that time, even if Charles II wants him Beheading, it is difficult for anyone to make a different opinion. And what about the angry crowd? The Duke of York knew them very well, and once a duke, a prince bleed, they would feel relieved and terrified, just as Cromwell had done after Charles I, they would have put their Guilt is released to the relatives of the deceased.

   That's disgusting, isn't it, that Charles II first benefited from the death of Charles I, their father, and now he's coming for his favor.

   "I must win." At least there is a chance, the Duke of York murmured.

   "Your Highness."

   The Duke of York turned his head. "Don't call me that," he said. "Your Majesty already has a son."

   "For me, you are Your Highness." However, the person who came here changed his name: "Your Excellency," he said, "Everything is ready, just wait for tomorrow."

   "I hope it will be a fine day tomorrow," said the Duke of York, and he stretched out his hand and embraced the young man affectionately.

There are not a few people who are willing to join the Duke of York—this is one of the reasons why Charles II has always been dissatisfied with this younger brother. He feels that if the Duke of York has no ambition, he should drive these people away, but if the Duke of York drives away these people, only It's turning yourself into fish on the chopping board.

This young man is of course the confidant of the Duke of York, and there is another reason for him to be favored by the Duke - John Churchill, born in the ancient but declining Churchill family, the Churchill family is a stubborn royalist, in Cromwell When he was in power, he was hit so hard that when Charles II came to the throne, he only occupied a small and obscure position in the court.

John's father, Old Churchill, inserted his son into the ranks of the court servants and sent his daughter to the Duchess of York. Of course, he was not going for the Duchess, he was going for the Duke himself. John's sister Arabella soon became the love of the Duke of York, and their illegitimate child was ten years old.

With such a relationship, John Churchill has naturally become the right-hand man of the Duke of York - but he and his family have now made a choice and can no longer regret it. Like the Duke, he is full of the upcoming war. Anticipation, with a tragic eagerness—must be victorious!

  ———

When the people of Amsterdam received the invitation of Viscount Turenne, they couldn't help but talk about it. Although the Viscount could be said to be the uncrowned king of North Holland, he was always reticent and reclusive. It is such a big event as the crown prince's marriage that he will hold, otherwise he would rather handle official affairs or inspect military affairs.

   "Can we know what happened?" someone asked.

   "The lord has prepared a grand performance—probably to celebrate his own birthday." The servant who brought the invitation said truthfully.

  This - Viscount Turenne's birthday is September 11th, now it's the end of October... What kind of birthday is this celebrating...

   (end of this chapter)