I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 559 The Duke of Mondlier and the Duke of Harlepur (middle)

  The people of Paris and Versailles must have been inseparable from these two dukes in their recent after-dinner chats.

   One might ask, shouldn't war be more of a concern to them? The problem is that although Louis XIV was prepared for a long war, even he did not expect that although his enemies were not as strong as they thought at first, they were tenacious, like they had their teeth embedded in the lion's mane. The hairy hyena, knowing that if he slackens, his neck will be bitten off immediately, so he doesn't let go of his mouth - at the same time, he also has a small hope that maybe Louis XIV will be wrong? Misappropriation of military spending because of vanity, or catastrophic fame because of belligerence, or fear of generals and younger brothers, and want to suppress them?

  Unfortunately, none of these things happened.

The war with the British in North Holland, to which France belongs, has become a war with William III of Orange, behind whom stands the Dutch government-in-exile with nowhere to go - now the minister and general of the grand duke , after Schaumberg and the Indians drove them out of America, they had no way out, and so did William III... He was mad to fight the French to the end - he and his The army became vulnerable and torn apart after Charles II had withdrawn his power, but the bad was in this fragmentation, as if the sand was to be picked out of a grain of wheat that had been sprinkled with sand, to these It will take a lot of time for the Dutch, who are rebellious for various reasons, to clean up.

   Of course, not only the three provinces of North Holland, but also the territories owned by William III and the British.

  For this reason, rumors that the Duke of Hallebul would become the king of the Netherlands were rampant.

Did   Louis really want to do this? No, anyone who knows a little about the majesty knows he won't. The Duke of Harleur is not the kind of person who is very politically sensitive, but he is as obedient and content as his mother. Thinking that he has the ability to be a king, he is very satisfied with the Halepur Forest, not to mention that Brussels has always had a governor sent by the king.

  This governor is an old minister who has passed through the two dynasties of Louis XIII and Louis XIV. He is well aware of the king's intentions - why does France want Holland and Flanders? In the final analysis, it was for England, who had almost completely engulfed France and now could not even hold one last foothold - could they be willing? That is definitely not possible. Don't forget that William III was the nephew of Charles II, and Charles I was willing to marry his princess to Orange, which is very telling.

The Orange family has been described before. The first Orange was only a courtier of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. He grew up and worked in the court of the former sister, the viceroy of the Netherlands. It can be said that, Later this Mr. Orange sided with the revolting Dutch, a total betrayal and deserved to be hanged.

And even if he inherited the title of Prince of Orange and the lands of his deceased cousin, it was only a branch of Nassau (Count of Nassau), when he married the daughter of the Elector of Saxony, it was considered a high climb, and he was becoming The king of the Netherlands was murdered by an assassin a few days ago, so seriously, his descendants are just an ordinary nobleman-although the Dutch parliament and the people recognize William I as the father of the Netherlands.

   He had twelve children, but in the long war, he exhausted his family property and left them little inheritance. His eldest son, the future Wilhelm II, was as ambitious as he was, determined to carry out his father's unfinished business - but not to rebel against Spanish and Holy Roman rule, but to force the Dutch Parliament to take the surname in Orange Bow down and obey.

  How could such a young man get the attention of Charles I and marry his eldest daughter to him?

Naturally, it was for the Netherlands. After William II contracted the plague at a young age and died, William III immediately became a treasure for the British and the Dutch. It was only later that the Dutch Parliament and the British Parliament brought the war between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to the top of the list. When the table is over, his situation becomes even more embarrassing - if the British had defeated the Netherlands, he might have been a puppet, but if the Dutch had defeated the British - in fact, he would have become a piece of cake What a pity, when Louis XIV defeated Flanders, William III was almost excluded from the center of power.

Therefore, when Louis XIV and Charles II were still in a period of tenderness and love, when they divided up Holland together, they were prepared in their hearts to drive each other out completely - if England won, then With the basis to compete with France, if France wins, it can make Britain completely an island.

Also because the governor of Brussels and the governor of North Holland knew exactly what Louis XIV was thinking, and they taught the young Duke of Haleb in the same way, saying that Haleb would be better off in the army than in the court to seek power. Look for the promotion step, so that even if Holland becomes a major province of France in the end, the Duke of Hallebourg can still maintain an identity that cannot be underestimated by others.

  The king will not allow the Netherlands to become a country again, so wouldn't the previous sacrifices be in vain?

So the duke of Hallepur doesn't take the whispers of some people to heart, the Netherlands will not be his, nor the duke of Montreal, etc., it should be said that the king is not prepared to let more Many **** became kings. And, even in Italy…

   If His Majesty let him go to Montreal and the Duke of Montreal to Brussels, it might also be because he has been in the army for several years, and the Duke of Montreal is only an adult and doesn’t look very strong.

  Thinking like this, he followed the attendant who came to summon him into the playroom.

The playroom is right next to the Venus Hall. When dancing and banquets are held, it is used for people to rest and talk temporarily. There are card tables, chairs, couch, and billiards and other amusement facilities. Yes, rest. Gambling and billiards are also included.

In fact, Louis XIV did not like gambling. In order to cater to the Queen Mother or the Queen's interest - there was Marie Mancini before, he would only participate in gambling, if he did not go hunting, or walking, and did not want to read, Just play billiards with his own children—just the first of his children, the Duke of Harrpur, to be involved in such an activity.

The squires looked at the duke curiously. The duke of Hallebourg, who had never been in Versailles, was a comparison of the dukes of Montreal—the duke of Montreal was slender, he was strong; the duke of Montreal was gentle, he was rough; the duke of Montreal was ceremonious, he… is too straightforward. It can be said that the Duke of Montreal was as much admired and loved at Versailles as he was dissatisfied and defensive, and if not for the presence of the king, he might have been rumoured to be ostracized from the court.

The Duke of    lived up to expectations and shot a ball that almost jumped off the table. The blood of the werewolf allowed him to see a lot of thin cracks on the ball: "Oh," he said, "This ball..."

   "It's ivory," said Louis XIV with a smile. "What ball do you use in Brussels?"

   "Bronze **** wrapped in rubber," said Baptiste, Duke of Harlepur, and his younger brother August immediately showed a look of admiration.

   "Well, it's a lot of strength." Louis waited for the squire to change the ball and hit a shot. "I heard Viscount Turenne say that you are the best grenadier he has ever seen."

"I'm talented," Baptiste said. He didn't show any pride or anything to be proud of. He faced some mortals. Although he did not inherit the characteristics of a werewolf, he was compared with mortals. , still with sharper eyes, stronger limbs, and greater strength, he can easily throw a tin can containing gunpowder for hundreds of feet, and he can throw it for half an hour or more without interruption.

   "You are already a captain." Louis said: "Have you heard that I intend to exchange August's domain with yours?"

"I heard that, Your Majesty," said Baptiste, with a puffy shot: "As you wish, Your Majesty, I don't mind," he said sincerely and indifferently: "I like to fight, not to do one. Officer, I've heard that America is very vast."

   "Yes, I also thought that America would be more suitable for you." Louis said, and August, who had been listening by the side, couldn't help but exclaimed: "Your Majesty!"

   "Don't worry," said Louis, "I want you to go to America." Then he pondered for a while: "With August."

   "Ah," Baptiste said plainly, "you mean . . . do you want me to protect him?"

   "No," said Louis, "you are my son too, Baptiste, even if you didn't grow up with me...I still love you."

"So…"

  Louis set up the club, and Bontang stepped back with his attendants, "You know, the Netherlands will eventually become a province in France."

"You always have your ideas and arrangements, and you never fail or miss." Baptiste said, "I would not change my attitude even if it were not your son. You are a great king. ."

"Come beside me," said Louis, "and so do you, Auguste." When they were all standing up--it happened to be the narrow side of the pool table, "look at this pool table as the existing territory of France and the The range that can be affected." He looked at Baptiste and measured the length of the latter's arm: "Baptiste, go get that red ball."

   The red ball was only a few inches away from them, and Baptiste simply reached out and got it.

"This is Paris, it could be Versailles," said Louis, "and then go get the white ball." Now Baptiste struggled a little, the white ball was just barely within reach of his fingers. "The white ball is Brittany, Lorraine or Marseille." He nodded: "Although it takes a little effort, it is still within the range that can be easily controlled."

   "Then the yellow ball," said Louie.

   "I'm going over there," said Baptiste, "or I won't be able to touch it."

   "A king can't be out all the time. Look at Richard the Lionheart." Louie said, "You can get the club."

  Baptiste did as he was told, swiping the yellow ball to his side with the club.

"This club is my ministers, generals, and people, and I rely on them to manage my new territory—although I can, but it's not yours or my arm, and it's always a bit diaphragm and powerless to use." Louis said : "But there's no way, they're too far away from me, so it's better to be nice to anyone or anything that can help us."

   "Are those Indians too?"

"You could say the same," Louis stared at the blue ball that was furthest away from them, almost next to the other side: "or not, because America and the other colonies are like the blue ball, sir. They, it's so far away from us that even if I emptied it all, it wouldn't stop them from becoming another country."

   The expressions of the two dukes could not help changing.

   "So I thought and thought, yes, not only do I want August to go there, but I also want you, Baptiste, to go there."

   "Am I going to stop them?"

   "How is that possible?" Louis laughed: "I just hope you can replace me..."

   "In your place?"

   "Witness for me to witness the birth of a new regime, and to ensure that it will not become a sword against France."

Baptiste was silent for a moment: "But father, can't you be their king?" He thought about it and said, "Although America is far away from here, Marseille is not close to Paris. With wizards, we Communication is guaranteed, as for your generals and officers—if that's your concern, then, like the British governors, rotate every few years, and you can use them as a compliment and encouragement for loyalty and talent..."

   "What about the people there?" Louis laughed: "I can't make them move every few years."

   "They are also French."

"It's not going to leave France," said Louis. "People call me Caesar, and I want to be Caesar. Caesar also wants the great Rome to live forever. Unfortunately, it's like a transplant from Provence to Lower Normandy. Citrus trees will produce fruits with different tastes, people move to another place, and different changes will occur with the passage of time, and the long distance will catalyze some intense thoughts, which depend on worship or fear of a person. To maintain a huge empire - ah, let's not say Caesar, just look at the sultan of Ottoman Turkey, everyone is his slave, has he succeeded?"

   Still a little uncomfortable, there is only one chapter today, sorry.

   (end of this chapter)