Chapter 1546: The Sun King Is a Believer in God, After All!

Paris, the Palace of Versailles, the Oeil-de-Boeuf Antechamber

King Louis was receiving his ministers, his face grim and his brows tightly knit.

There was rather a lot of bad news!

First, yet another urgent plea for reinforcements from the Marquis de Marignane had been carried to Europe by the fastest sailing ship and laid before King Louis.

The Marquis de Marignane informed Louis that the "Mongol" nomadic horde had, since the summer, split into two columns and was steadily moving south and southwest. Along the way they ceaselessly destroyed the hunting tribes of the Indians, plundering their horses, seizing their women and children, and killing their warriors. This had thrown the entire central and southern Great Plains into the greatest terror; the surviving Indian hunting tribes were all fleeing southward, some into the Texas Governorate-General of New Spain, and some into the Louisiana Governorate-General of New France. Lacking food and shelter, these Indians had also clashed with the New Spanish troops garrisoning the Texas Governorate-General and the French troops garrisoning Louisiana.

On the Texas side, casualties on both sides had been extremely heavy. Don Juan José had been forced to draw part of his forces from the Mexican front to stabilize the situation in Texas. But as the nomadic column moving southwest approached Texas, Don Juan José would very likely abandon this remote New Spanish colony entirely before the end of 1674.

On the Louisiana side, however, because the Marquis de Marignane had beforehand concentrated the several thousand French troops deployed in New Spain at New Rome, and had also purchased large quantities of foodstuffs from New England, the situation remained fairly stable. Yet it could not be viewed with optimism, for the southward-moving "Mongol column" would very likely enter the Louisiana colony in the winter of 1674.

The Marquis de Marignane had therefore been obliged to prop up "Steel," the leader of the "Great Soviet" who had fled with him from Saint-Louis to New Rome, to consolidate the hunting tribes entering Louisiana. But this process was equally bloody, and the entire Louisiana Governorate-General had been thrown into chaos!

And as more and more nomadic Indian hunters were consolidated into the "Southern Sioux Confederation," the problem of their livelihood was laid before the Marquis de Marignane once more... The Louisiana region simply did not have enough bison to hunt. The Southern Sioux Confederation's way of survival therefore had to be transformed from hunting to pastoralism.

And such a transformation was not so easily achieved — herding cattle and sheep was a craft in itself! And the Indians did not have that many cattle and sheep to herd in the first place!

All of this would have to be solved by the French of New Rome: they would have to purchase cattle and sheep from New Spain and New England, and teach them hand in hand. The trouble involved was enormous, and it would cost a great deal of money!

Moreover, the Marquis de Marignane was extremely worried that once the "Southern Sioux Confederation" completed its pastoralist reform, it might turn into a "Great Soviet Khanate."

In his letter to Louis, he mentioned that the leader Steel had consulted him on matters concerning nomadic khanates!

Louis also knew this matter was not easy to handle, because the French population of North America was still too small. If they did not find a way to arm the Indians, New Rome could never grow, and would be overrun by those nomadic "Mongols."

Therefore, propping up a "Great Soviet Khanate" was the only way to resist the Mongol invasion.

As for whether this Great Soviet Khanate might one day become a threat equal to the American Mongols — that could not be worried about now!

The second piece of bad news came from Portugal and North Africa!

King Afonso had come back fighting, supported by the Ottoman Empire, the Timurid Empire of India, and the Great Ming Empire! He was now advancing along the coastline of North Africa. Worse still, this Portuguese king, who had been deemed "incapable of siring children," was said to have obtained a strangely effective "divine oil" in India, and had now recovered his virility and fathered a son with his new wife!

He was still the legitimate King of Portugal, and now he had a son. What were Prince Pedro and Maria Francisca, that pair of adulterers, to do?

Portugal was in Catholic Europe! It was not the East, where a man could become emperor by sheer military might. And even in the East, a usurper would generally kill the original monarch to eliminate future trouble! Who ever usurped a throne and left the root of disaster alive? And they had not even usurped it thoroughly — they had left the crown on Afonso's head and usurped only the regency.

So now the Portuguese nobles did not know what to do. Afonso was the lawful king, and had clearly been framed by his brother and his wife. How could they help a treacherous pair of adulterers oppose their lawful sovereign?

It was not only the Portuguese nobles who were at a loss — even Louis XIV himself did not know what to do. He too was a European monarch, and had to uphold the sanctity of royal authority. He could not openly support usurpers. Otherwise, if his own brother, the Duke of Orléans, should one day conspire with his wife and depose him, what then?

And the third piece of bad news came from the Holy Roman Empire! That state did not seem to be as fragile as Louis had imagined.

"Your Highness, do you believe the Ottoman Empire cannot take Vienna?" King Louis asked the Prince de Condé the same question once more.

"It cannot," the Prince de Condé answered with great certainty. "The Holy Roman Empire has likewise imitated our country and carried out comprehensive military reforms. Flintlocks and bayonets have been widely adopted, the number of pikemen has been greatly reduced, the cavalry has become more mobile and lightly equipped, and the artillery has been comprehensively improved. Moreover, through the efforts of Count Montecuccoli, they have established a field army similar to the new French army, numbering between thirty and forty thousand men.

Although we and the New Spaniards have recruited many mercenaries from within the Holy Roman Empire, this has not affected their new army. I therefore judge that Count Montecuccoli will employ the mobile warfare he excels at to deal the Ottoman army a heavy blow."

"The Ottomans have a hundred thousand men in the Janissary corps alone!" said King Louis. "And they too have carried out reforms. Can they really not defeat a Holy Roman Empire new army numbering only thirty or forty percent of their own?"

The Prince de Condé shook his head and said: "The Ottoman Empire's Janissary corps is far too cumbersome. The purpose of their reforms was not to strengthen field capability, but to strengthen siege capability. They have therefore equipped themselves with large numbers of heavy cannon and reinforced their engineers. But they have not carried out a thoroughgoing transformation of their infantry — the Janissary infantry still use old-fashioned matchlocks. Even more troublesome is that the Janissary officers are excessively conservative, and have ignored the changes that bayonet-equipped flintlock smoothbore muskets have brought to the battlefield. Recently the Ottoman ambassador even cancelled an order for twenty thousand flintlock smoothbore muskets, and instead sought to purchase two thousand Minie-pattern flintlock rifles."

"Seeking to purchase flintlock rifles?" Louis XIV frowned deeply. "Do the Ottomans intend to use skirmishers against the Holy Roman Empire's infantry? Is there any chance of victory?"

The Prince de Condé said with certainty: "None!"

Marshal Turenne also shook his head: "It is impossible. The Minie-pattern rifle's rate of fire is too slow; it can only be used for sniping, not for equipping line infantry. And two thousand is far too small a number to be of any use."

Louis XIV sighed, looking somewhat disappointed: "So it seems I cannot have Rome?"

"Not for the time being," the Prince de Condé replied.

Marshal Turenne added: "This time, I fear, it cannot be done — unless..."

Unless Louis XIV were to stand on the Ottoman Empire's side and attack the Holy Roman Empire from both flanks.

"That will not do." Louis XIV shook his head. "I cannot do such a thing. After all, I still believe in God!"

The Prince de Condé and Turenne exchanged a glance, and both showed relieved expressions.

The Prince de Condé said: "Since Your Majesty cannot attack the Holy Roman Empire from both flanks, then I suggest you stand on the side of the Holy Roman Empire and oppose the Ottoman aggression!"

Turenne also said: "This would also be of benefit to the Ottoman Empire. They have clearly overestimated their own strength..."

Louis XIV thought for a moment, then nodded: "It seems this is the only way. Before the war breaks out, there is still something I can do!

So — do we still deliver those two thousand Minie-pattern rifles or not?"

"Deliver them," the Prince de Condé said with a smile. "Their price is very high, and we have ample stock. Why not earn the money?"

Louis XIV smiled: "True enough. After all, we and the Ottoman Empire are still friends! If they do not invade, the friendship between the two sides can continue."

(End of Chapter)