"My Majesty, we are about to rise in France! A military revolution of wooden shells, sandbag bastions, parallel siege methods, flintlock pistols and sleeve bayonets will soon sweep across Europe! Whoever is the first to carry out a thorough military reform and seize the opportunity of this military reform will become the leading military power in Europe. And we, the Kingdom of France, occupy an extremely advantageous position in this military transformation...... Because France has me! ”

On the outskirts of Paris, in the Château Saint-Germain, the Prince of Condé, who had returned to France half a month ago, was selling his theory of military change to Louis XIV, who had grown into a short young man who had grown into a small handsome young man.

The sudden return of the Prince of Condé was completely unexpected by the Bishop of Mazarin and the Queen Mother of France, Anne, who had caused a lot of trouble for Mazarin and the Queen Mother Anne after the departure of the Prince of Condé.

Even now, there are still many remnants of the Frondes who are cowering in Dunkirk Castle against France......

So Mazarin and Anne didn't want the Prince of Condé to return home, and if the Prince of Condé had to sneak back, it wouldn't allow him to see the young Louis XIV!

This, of course, was what Mazarin and Anne had in mind before Prince Condé arrived in Calais. But the idea came with Friedrich Friedrich, who went to Calais to meet Prince Condé and the Chinese mission. The return of General Bergschom was completely dismissed.

Because General Bergschaume told the Cardinal and the Queen Mother that the Prince of Condé, who had returned from China, was in great power!

With him in the French Army, then France will definitely be able to dominate the European continent!

If the Prince of Condé were to go to Austria or Spain, France would be in big trouble.

That is, either reuse the Prince of Condor, or kill the Prince of Condor...... Of course, it is not possible to kill openly, but it is still possible to assassinate!

Anyway, I can't let him run, or I'll have endless trouble!

So the Prince of Condé was now brought to the Château de Saint-Germain, and it was up to Louis XIV to decide whether to use it or to kill it.

The Prince of Condé, on the other hand, did not feel the danger at all, because he knew that both the Queen Mother Anne and Cardinal Mazarin wanted to strengthen the French crown, which was the root cause of their conflict with the French nobility.

Prince Condé was previously the leader of the aristocracy, and now ...... Since France was about to punch Spain and kick Germany, the contradiction between the nobility and the king did not exist.

The nobility and the king fought for the interests of the stock, because France did not make any oil and water in the Thirty Years' War, so they had to come back and pinch themselves.

And now, the Prince of Condé has the means to lead France to fight for hegemony in Europe, isn't one Europe enough to divide the oil and water?

"Your Royal Highness," Louis XIV was a little hot-headed by Prince Condé's foolishness, "if I appoint you Minister of War, how do you plan to carry out military reforms?" ”

"First of all," said Prince Condé, "I will take Dunkirk Castle for you, and once again smash the Spanish Dutch army to end the long war." ”

"End the war?" Louis XIV was stunned, "I thought you were going to seize the whole of the Spanish Netherlands for me!" ”

"I will take the Spanish Netherlands for Your Majesty, but not now," said Prince Condé, "because it will take at least three years to complete a military transformation." In three years' time, there will be a French army of more than 100,000 people, with new equipment and tactics, fighting for Your Majesty, and they will be invincible in Europe!

This army will be heavily armed with flintlock pistols and bombardments, which will give them a strong field capability. They will also learn the skills of quickly building fortifications with sandbags and besieging castles with parallel moats...... There will be no more bastions to stop their march.

Moreover, the officers of this army will be trained for a year and a half at the Château de Saint-Germain and will be loyal to His Majesty!

Finally, I will also form a staff committee for Your Majesty, so that Your Majesty can personally command the powerful French army to sweep across Europe, just like the Ming Emperor! ”

Louis XIV's eyes lit up, "Really?" Can I really be like the Ming Emperor, in which I command the army to fight? ”

Prince Condé nodded again and again, "Of course, in fact, the Ming Emperor is not a tactician, and the reason why he can command the battle is because he is assisted by a group of professional staff officers. ”

The prince didn't tell the truth, Zhu Cihong was of course a tactician, but he was a tactician. Neither infantry nor cavalry was well used, but the level of sappers and artillery was top-notch. There was no castle in the world that he couldn't take down, if anything...... Then if someone else fights, it will also break the head and bleed!

"But a military revolution also costs a lot of money, right?" Louis XIV said, "France's financial situation is not good, and it may be difficult to come up with sufficient funds to support reforms." ”

"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has issued a letter of full irrevocable guarantee of 3,000,000 taels," said Prince Condé, "to guarantee the loan of France to the Union Bank of Shenou!" ”

"300 taels? How much is that? Louis XIV asked.

"That's about 1,000,000 gold louis!" Prince Condé said, "Or 18 million livres." ”

"How much is the interest?" Louis XIV asked, "Can we pay it back?" ”

Now Louis XIV still knows that he has to repay the money he borrowed......

"With the guarantee of the Ming Emperor, the interest rate must be optimal, estimated at around 8%." Prince Condé thought for a moment and said with a smile, "As for repayment...... As long as there are Antwerp and Brussels, 1 million gold louis should not be an astronomical amount, right? Not really, but also Venice and Milan! ”

At this time, Louis XIV was finally moved by Prince Condé's words, and he nodded heavily: "Okay, I will go and discuss with the cardinal, and give you an army first, so that you can attack Dunkirk." If you can get it, I'll make you Minister of War and Chairman of the General Staff. ”

......

While Louis XIV was talking to the Prince of Condé, the British envoy Marville, who had returned from China, had returned to London, and his carriage was stopped by a group of petitioning citizens of the Republic of England during an affair at Hampton Court Palace by the River Thames.

"What's going on?" Marwel, who was in a hurry to meet Cromwell at Hampton Court Palace, asked a Foreign Ministry official who had come to the docks to greet him, "What are these people doing?" ”

"They are petitioning His Highness the Lord Protector." The official replied.

"Petition? Why? ”

"In order to invite His Royal Highness the Lord Protector to ascend the throne and be crowned King of England!" The official said, "How is it that we in England can not have a king?" This is not in line with the national conditions of England, and everyone is not used to it, so it is unanimously agreed that His Royal Highness the Lord Protector should become His Majesty the King! Mr. Marveill, do you think His Royal Highness the Lord of the Nation should be king? ”

"It should be!" Marville nodded immediately, how dare he say no, "Of course His Highness should be the king!" Not only should he be king, but he must also be king...... Look, look, so many citizens of England have come to petition. I'm sure the parliament is unanimously in favor of his coronation, right? ”

"Of course, all the councillors are looking forward to His Royal Highness the Lord of the Protector being crowned king!" The official said happily, "It seems that it will not be long before we can hail the king!" ”

Marville exclaimed: "That's right, we're going to shout 'Long live His Majesty!'" 'That's it. ”

Cromwell had heard more than once that someone had called him His Majesty, but each time he stopped it because he did not want to be king...... I used to think about it, but I don't think about it now, because he has a higher purpose, to be a person who can truly integrate the UK.

Because the current Britain is not really a whole, but a union of four parts, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, etc. - as Cromwell's authority grows, it does not seem difficult for England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales to be completely unified. But Cromwell also faced a conundrum, and that was the religious division of England!

The main thing is the split of Catholicism, Anglican Protestantism, and Puritanism, and this is the real problem in England!