Chapter 1558: Let Us Carve Up the World Together! (Begging for Monthly Tickets)

"Prince Henry, the Sultan asks what he should do."

The man translating Sultan Mehmed IV's words into French was the Sultan's most trusted black eunuch, named Ali, from Abyssinia.

He was a mixed-race black man in his thirties, perhaps with some Arab blood, very handsome, with a large forehead and an intelligent look about him.

"Please tell His Majesty the Sultan," Zhu Hengli answered, also in French, "that he need not worry about the revival of the Roman Empire. In fact, if one looks only at the coming decades, the revival of the Roman Empire is rather advantageous to your empire."

"Advantageous?" The black eunuch Ali did not immediately translate Zhu Hengli's words into French, but pressed in French: "Can you tell the Sultan why the revival of Rome is rather advantageous?"

Zhu Hengli smiled. "That is obvious. The numerous princes of Germany and Italy will not be won over simply because Louis defeated the Ottoman Empire; they will submit to Louis only because they are powerless to resist the mighty Ottoman Empire. In fact, it is precisely because they fear the Ottoman Empire that they supported Louis in becoming Roman Emperor.

So Louis is the one who most wishes to see the Ottoman banner flying over Vienna — until he has fully consolidated his Roman Empire. Considering the history of Europe over the past thousand years and more, Louis's consolidation will not be easily accomplished; perhaps it will not even be completed by the day he dies."

Zhu Hengli truly understood Europe. He not only had a mother from Europe, but also many European friends and teachers, and after graduating from the Imperial Academy he had entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And his political acumen was clearly not low either — he saw through Louis's intentions at a glance.

What Louis most hoped for now was probably that the Ottoman Empire would continue to bare its fangs and play the villain. Only in that way could he draw the German and Italian princes, terrified out of their wits by the Ottoman armies, one by one into his own camp, and also seize the territories belonging to the House of Habsburg or to the Catholic Church.

As for defeating the Ottoman Empire and recovering Austria and Bohemia — that was something he would never even consider! If Austria and Bohemia were recovered, would those German princes still be so obedient? Would the Pope in Rome still willingly surrender his temporal power? Would the great nobles of Spain still agree to turn Spain into a Spanish province of the Roman Empire after Carlos II's death?

Sultan Mehmed IV listened to the black eunuch's translation and sighed heavily. "The Grand Vizier told me the same thing — but I still cannot set my mind at ease!

Moreover, the nobles and Protestants of Bohemia and Hungary have always been difficult to rule. Even Catholic emperors have found them a great headache, let alone us. If those Protestant fanatics rise in revolt, my army might end up like the Germans in the Hussite Wars!"

It had to be said that this Sultan had not let a lucky victory go to his head; at least for now he remained fairly level-headed.

And he was not entirely ignorant of Central European affairs. At least he knew that the Habsburg dynasty was only the nominal master of this territory. In practice, the Habsburgs found it very difficult to fully mobilize the strength of Bohemia and Royal Hungary.

Otherwise, at the Battle of Győr, the army under Leopold I would not have numbered fifty or sixty thousand, but over a hundred thousand!

If Leopold had had that many troops, Ahmed Köprülü probably could not have won the battle.

And now, the Ottoman army had merely occupied the cities and castles in Austria, Bohemia, Croatia, and Royal Hungary that had belonged to the House of Habsburg. In reality it was only a few points; vast tracts of land remained under the control of the local nobility. The Ottoman Empire's basis of rule was even weaker than that of the old Habsburg dynasty — the Habsburgs at least had the support of the Catholics. What did the Ottoman Empire have?

Nothing more than the prestige built by killing Leopold. But to think that the Protestants of Bohemia and Hungary would tremble in fear would be a grave mistake.

In fact, in this era, apart from the Dutch, who were somewhat milder, all the Protestants of Europe were extremists — Puritans, Lutherans, Calvinists, Hussites, Huguenots — not one of them was easy to provoke. When it came to fighting religious wars, each was more zealous than the last!

Compared with these Protestant fanatics, the Muslims of the Ottoman Empire, the Catholics of the Roman Church, and even the Orthodox were all moderates.

The reason these fanatics were quiet now was simply that they had no great love for the Habsburgs either. In particular, the more martial Hungarian nobles and Bohemian Protestants were waiting for a kingdom of their own — and if these Protestant fanatics had their own state, they might perhaps be easier to placate.

Just like the three German Protestant states of Brandenburg, Saxony, and the Palatinate, which had not shown particular bravery when the Ottoman Empire invaded Habsburg territory.

Zhu Hengli's conversation with Sultan Mehmed IV was not yet over when another black eunuch walked quickly up behind Ali and murmured a few words.

Ali immediately said to Mehmed: "Your Majesty the Sultan, the Grand Vizier has arrived and is waiting in the audience hall for you and Prince Henry."

Mehmed nodded and said to Henry: "Henry, let us go and see the Grand Vizier. He has come to see you off."

A month earlier, Zhu Hengli had received an edict from Zhu Cilang sent from the distant East. It was a formal decree from the Grand Secretariat, issued to Zhu Hengli through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the edict, Zhu Cilang required that after the war between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire was decided, Zhu Hengli should immediately make his way to France to meet with Louis XIV and discuss the complete cessation of the war.

Just as King Louis could not do without the Ottomans, so Zhu Cilang's Great Ming Empire likewise needed the Roman Empire — that enemy which appeared to bare its fangs. Enemies are sometimes very precious! Without the Roman Empire, once Zhu Cilang died, the United States of the Tycoon King, the Qing Kingdom of King Jiaqing, the Western Chu of Zhu Cijiong and Zhu Cien, and Galdan's Dzungar Khanate would all start fighting with the Great Ming Empire.

Therefore, after entering Vienna, Zhu Hengli had immediately written to his aunt Olympia Mancini, asking her to help bring this about.

And Louis XIV, busy becoming Roman Emperor, had no interest in fighting more ruinous wars with the Great Ming Empire in the Americas and the Indian Ocean. At least for now, things could pause; there would be time to resume after he had settled the Roman Empire.

Zhu Hengli had no intention of concealing his plans from the Sultan and Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire; on the contrary, he laid them out openly.

He also offered to carry messages between the two sides and facilitate secret negotiations. After all, King Louis could not do without the Ottomans now, and the Ottomans in fact also needed a Roman Empire ruled by Catholics.

Because those Protestant fanatics in Bohemia and Hungary did not necessarily want a Catholic Roman Emperor to liberate them. After all, Bohemia and Hungary were both "crown lands" of the Holy Roman Empire — that is, lands directly under the Emperor.

Once "liberated" by Louis, they would become provinces of a Catholic Emperor.

On one side, provinces of a Catholic Emperor; on the other, vassal states of a Muslim Sultan — how should one choose?

"Prince Henry, I think you need not go to Cologne, because Louis is on his way to Rome, where he will be crowned Emperor of the Roman Empire!"

Ahmed Köprülü brought Zhu Hengli news that was entirely expected — the Emperor of the Roman Empire should of course go to Rome to be enthroned.

"There is another piece of news I would ask you to convey to King Louis," Ahmed Köprülü continued. "His Majesty our Sultan will soon also be enthroned in Vienna as Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire!"

His words were likewise translated into French by the black eunuch Ali.

"Grand Vizier, what did you say?" Zhu Hengli was taken aback. "His Majesty the Sultan is also going to become a Roman Emperor?"

Well now — one Holy Roman Empire gone, and two Eastern and Western Romes spring up. At this rate, Romes were becoming a glut on the market!

"Correct!" Ahmed Köprülü said. "His Majesty the Sultan will govern Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Serbia, Transylvania, Moldavia, and Bulgaria in his capacity as Eastern Roman Emperor! Of these, Bulgaria and Serbia will become crown lands of the Eastern Roman Emperor, while the remaining territories will be entrusted to vassals to rule.

Furthermore, after serious discussion with the Sultan, we wish to appoint you Grand Duke of Austria in the Eastern Roman Empire!"