Chapter 138 Louis XIV takes power and goes to Marseille to negotiate

The more than 200 warships sent out were all wiped out at once, and the blow to Queen Anna was simply too great. However, Queen Anna, who calmed down, immediately realized a more serious problem, that is, King Louis XIV, who had succeeded to the throne, had long been dissatisfied with her monopoly of power, and it was only because the cardinal had always supported him that Louis XIV had no choice. The decision to send troops was also made by Queen Anne with the support of the cardinal, and it was not clear that King Louis XIV would regain power because of this incident. So Queen Anna immediately sent someone to inform the cardinal of the incident.

In fact, King Louis XIV, who had long been dissatisfied with Queen Anne in the Louvre, received the news of the attack on the port of Marseille and the destruction of the French fleet almost at the same time as Queen Anna. He felt his chance to regain power. For this reason, King Louis XIV wrote a letter to the influential cardinals who went out on tour, strongly condemning the fact that he blindly sent troops out without knowing the enemy's situation, which brought irreparable disasters to France. Although it was his own mother, Queen Anna, who was condemned. But the cardinal understood that the king was clearly dissatisfied with his support for Queen Anna's reins.

The cardinal weighed it again and again, and felt that if he could no longer support Queen Anna, and if he continued to support Queen Anna, his prestige would be affected, and he would be forced to challenge the king of Louis XIV, who had already ascended the throne, to challenge him about the matter in front of him and regain power by himself. Then you would be too passive.

Therefore, the cardinal wrote letters to Queen Anne and King Louis XIV, respectively.

The letter to Queen Anne advised Queen Anna to take the initiative to return power to Louis XIV, because the current situation is very dangerous, and negotiations with the Ming Dynasty are just around the corner, and if you send someone to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty and give up many interests of France, you will not be able to keep your rights. If you don't give up a lot of interests, the Ming Dynasty will not agree, and the consequences are hard to imagine with their military strength. So now is the time for you to give up.

Queen Anna read the cardinal's reply and scolded the cardinal for a while, but after calming down, she understood that the total destruction of the French fleet was indeed too big, and someone should be in charge. And the cardinal's analysis is very correct, although he is extremely unwilling and feels that many of his ambitions have not been realized, but Anna is a woman who knows how to advance and retreat. Anna wrote a letter to Louis XIV, in which she sincerely admitted to her son that the decision to send troops was a very wrong decision. He also said that he was a little old, and that it was time for you to be responsible for France. It means that the power is handed over!

The cardinal's letter to Louis XIV acknowledges that when Queen Anna decided to join forces against the Ming fleet at the invitation of the Spaniards, she did not stop this decision because of her own lack of calmness, and apologized. At the same time, he also said that His Majesty was old enough to be more responsible for France, and he would persuade the Queen to hand over power to His Majesty.

Having received a letter from the cardinal, and then a letter from the queen mother, Louis XIV was entitled to a real right. It all happened in one day.

However, Louis XIV did not have time to rejoice, and as soon as he gained power, he had to face the matter of negotiating with the Ming people.

The ambitious King Louis XIV certainly did not agree to show weakness to the Ming Dynasty. None of his men would disagree with the king when he first came to power.

But when Louis XIV asked his ministers who would negotiate with the Ming Dynasty, none of them wanted to go. This made Louis XIV very angry, and he said, "Damn, tell me what is good!" But when I really have to do something, no one is willing to contribute. ”

King Louis XIV, who was in a very bad mood, had no choice but to order, "Duke Beaufort, you are an admiral, you can go to France and talk to those hateful Orientals!" ”

The Duke of Beaufort was a well-known rectum, and when he saw that the newly ruled Louis XIV personally ordered his generals, he could not refuse, and asked: "Your Majesty, I will soon go to the port of Marseille and wait for those Oriental heretics." But if we refuse their request, we need to be militarily prepared. Otherwise, they will really bomb our port of Marseille and the ports along the coast, and we will have to have countermeasures! ”

When Louis XIV heard this, he was angry and wanted to kill him, and said to himself: "If only I had a way, would I not say it?" Can I talk nonsense with you guys here? But as a king, he could not say so, "Duke, I believe that you have a way of protecting the interests of France without angering the people of the East." We now need time to restore the military strength of France. ”

"Your Majesty, if you say so, I have no way to complete my mission, and I dare not guarantee that France will not be harmed by the Ming Dynasty naval army!" The Duke of Beaufort was really not polite.

Then another duke spoke, "Your Majesty, we need to calm down now. We must admit that we in France are now in very big trouble. Those Ming Dynasty people have the ability to do what they say, and we have no way to counter them. Their ships had to stop at sea and open fire on us, flattening all the ports along our coast. That would be a huge loss. If they blockade us at sea, it will be a disaster for France. We can't afford to take it lightly! ”

"Dear Duke! Let us know what you think! Louis XIV didn't know what to do, and he wanted someone to come up with an idea.

"Your Majesty, we need to pay some price to minimize our losses!" The duke was not polite, he knew that the new king was arrogant, but it could not be eaten. If it were to be more ambitious, France would probably pay a higher price.

"Is our great France going to bow to those stupid and ugly Orientals?" Louis XIV still did not face reality.

Seeing that someone had spoken the truth, another viscount also spoke, "Your Majesty, we must admit the fact that we were defeated. Our adversaries are going to negotiate with us as victors. ”

The viscount's words poured on Louis XIV's head like a basin of cold water, and at this time he calmed down from the brain fever of holding power, but at this time he gritted his teeth and his mother, the cardinal, and said: "You have caused great trouble to give me power." I'm afraid they're looking at my jokes right now! "It's really a dilemma at hand, and succumbing to the Ming Dynasty will seriously affect your reputation, and you will humiliate France just after taking power. It is even possible that they will use this excuse to regain power from their own hands. But if they didn't agree to the demands of the Ming Dynasty, would they really let the port towns along the French coast be destroyed by them? If this were the case, the Queen Mother and the Cardinal would also regain power in the name of their inability to govern the country.

Louis XIV had no way to say this hatred in his heart. However, Louis XIV knew that both his supporters and opponents were now watching him, and that the hurdle he had to pass in power really could not be trivial, so Louis XIV was heartbroken, "Ladies and gentlemen, the matter in front of us is indeed a great problem for France, no matter how we decide today, our enemies and people who do not know the truth will scold us." I'll take care of this myself! Duke Beaufort, come with me to Marseille, and we will not be able to do anything until this problem is solved. ”

"Your Majesty, you can't go on an adventure yourself!"

"Your Majesty, if you come forward in person, you are likely to be disgraced!"

“”

The people below actually wanted Louis XIV to go to Marseille, because no one dared to make a big decision but him. If the negotiation process had to go back and forth for instructions, it is likely that the Ming Dynasty would not have been able to wait. But they all had to pretend that they did not agree with the king's risk. Louis XIV hated this hypocrisy from the bottom of his heart, but he knew that it was not time to clean them up, and that it was up to them to maintain the situation for the time being.

But Louis XIV had already decided: "Leave it alone, the time has come to solve the problem as soon as possible." Since we have provoked the incident, we will have to pay the price. Now there is not much time left for us by the Ming Dynasty. Take my Great Seal with you and set off tonight! This matter must be kept secret from the outside world. If anyone dares to reveal the slightest bit of news, except that I am no longer the king, he will definitely be broken into pieces! ”

This harsh sentence was addressed to supporters of Queen Anna and Cardinals. In fact, the meaning of this sentence is too deep, and His Majesty the queen and cardinal will inform them of Louis XIV's affairs, but if the king knows about it, Louis XIV will have reason to put them to death. So these people are very embarrassed one by one, if they don't inform the queen and the cardinal, they won't be able to stay in the court, and they will even get rid of them.

Louis XIV was really a neat man, and immediately after saying that, he set out with the Duke of Beaufort and the captain who delivered the letter.

When he arrived in Marseille, Louis XIV knew that he really should come. If you hadn't seen the port of Marseille bombarded by the naval artillery of the Ming Dynasty, inside the Louvre, you wouldn't have believed that the situation would be so tragic. Several castles that he thought were simply impregnable were blown into ruins. There was not a single intact ship in the entire port of Marseille, and after seeing the port of Marseille, Louis XIV and the Duke of Beaufort understood that they had to surrender to the Ming Dynasty naval army. Otherwise, all the coasts of France would be like this, and France would be finished. Without warships, merchant ships, and ports, it would be like a man with broken hands and feet. Louis XIV couldn't help but say: "France can't do without hands and feet!" ”

The Duke of Beaufort said, "Your Majesty, what should be done, in fact, we have all discussed it in Paris, and we all know what to do. But Your Majesty can't be caught by them? ”

"I'm not afraid of anything for the sake of great France!" Louis XIV was even more determined at this time, "My father tried hard to form an alliance with the English to deal with the Spaniards, but they made a mess. We must give France some more time to restore our military strength. ”

The Duke of Beaufort sighed and said, "Alas! Even if we can build hundreds of warships, but the navy doesn't just have ships, it needs a lot of experienced captains! ”

"It's too late to say anything now! Tomorrow is the time when the Ming Dynasty naval army will come back, and you go over to negotiate with them. Don't answer them right away, just say you'll come back and talk about it. We'll talk about it after we meet! Louis XIV commanded.

"Well, that's for the best! Your Majesty is going to find out the bottom of them first! Said the Duke of Beaufort.

Before returning to the port of Marseille, Mu Yi sent a telegram to the command center, informing his family that he was about to negotiate with the French, and asked his family if there were any instructions.

As soon as Zhang Zhimu entered the office, Ouyang He called in, and after saying this, Zhang Zhimu thought for a while and said, "Tell Mu Yi and Zheng Zhilong that we need France to open a few treaty ports to us." At the same time, if possible, we will occupy a few hundred acres of land in their port concession. The lease can be for a hundred years, and we have to enforce our laws within the concession. Our people's crimes are dealt with by our own laws. The French have no human right to deal with us. Please consider the details of other details. ”

Ouyang He put down the phone and said to Chen Yufeng: "Mr. Chen, I think the gap between us and Mr. Zhang is here." What he thinks is simply unbelievable. Then Ouyang He said Zhang Zhimu's opinion to Chen Yufeng.

Chen Yufeng nodded and said, "That's right!" It is impossible for us to send troops to occupy all the countries of the West. But we defeated them and put a foot in them. That way, it's easy for us to sell our goods there. What a great idea! ”

After reading the telegram sent by the command center with Mu Yi, Zheng Zhilong clapped his hands and said, "Oops! Why didn't we think of that? I thought I would be done with a little money from the French! ”

"In that case, we'll have too much to discuss!" Mu Yi said, "We have to leave a team in Marseille to do administrative management and trade here, and we also have to send a team of marines to maintain law and order here." I think I'll discuss it with Mr. Lu and their people, and ask them to leave some more people. The political commissar on our Fuzhou was steady and scheming. Let him stay! ”

"I think it's okay! However, the French have not yet agreed to this! Zheng Zhilong said.

"Huh! Whether they want to do this or not, they can't do it. When they sent warships to fight us, they didn't ask us if we wanted to! Mu Yi said, "It's still the old way, we settle accounts with them, and if they can't afford to pay it, they will cede the land to us, no, no, they will rent the land to us!" ”

"Huh! If we don't get it right, we'll have to beat them up. Zheng Zhilong said, "However, the telegram from the command center asks us to ask the French to open a few treaty ports. In my opinion, we still need a port on the Atlantic Ocean near the British, and it would be better to get a concession as well! ”

Zheng Zhilong and Mu Yi came to the map, Zheng Zhilong pointed to Le Havre and said: "This port of Le Havre in the English Channel is guarded at the mouth of the Seine, which is the gateway to Paris. I hadn't been there, but I knew it was a major thoroughfare. I think we'll get it in two places, one east and one west. If we don't prepare any more, we won't be able to eat all at once. Besides, we started with the French, should Spain do the same? ”

"Hmmm! Lao Zheng, you're so right, we are Spaniards! I think this Barcelona is good, we want Barcelona on the Mediterranean side, and we have to choose a place near the Strait of Gibraltar, I think this Gibraltar Peninsula is a good place, we have a place in Gibraltar City. On the other side of the Atlantic, you might as well pick a place! Mu Yi said.

"Huh! Actually, I haven't been here either, but I know that the Spaniards have a wool export center on the Atlantic side, right here, called Bilbao. Zheng Zhilong pointed to the map and said.

"Alright, this is Bilbao!" Mu Yi said.

"Good! In this case, we have a general idea of the situation! Zheng Zhilong said, "I just don't know if our esteemed King of France is ready to rent us a piece of land?" ”

"Hmmm! I guess Your Majesty has to think about it! Mu Yi said.

Strange to say, King Louis XIV, who was waiting in Marseille, was looking forward to the early arrival of the Ming army.

According to the agreement, the Ming Dynasty navy should have arrived in the past few days, but after waiting for a whole day, he didn't see the shadow of the Ming Dynasty fleet, the captain who delivered the letter, waiting anxiously on the dock, in fact, he also knew that the sea voyage was not bad at all, but he knew that His Majesty the King of France was waiting in Marseille. The captain was secretly worried, if the ship of the Ming Dynasty did not come, he would be falsifying information, and being beheaded was a trivial matter, and he was likely to be hanged on the gallows.

The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became, and the Duke of Beaufort over there would send someone to inquire about the movement after a while. It made the captain want to run away. But he didn't dare, his family couldn't run away from France.

Finally, when it was dark, and the Mediterranean sun had begun to retract his bright smile, a lookout soldier reported: "There seems to be a column of smoke on the sea!" ”

The captain drew a cross on his chest and said, "Thank you to the Virgin Mary!" ”

Finally, the shadow of a ship on the sea ahead gradually appeared in the twilight. As agreed, when it got dark, the captain drew a circle with a torch to show that they were ready.

Through the binoculars, Mu Yi and Zheng Zhilong could see very clearly that it was the captain they let go who was drawing circles with torches!

Zheng Zhilong said: "Commander Mu, I have always been a person who has a clear credit for people! How should we reward this captain? ”

"It is the most practical thing to give him some silver!" Mu Yi said, "I think the French are still trustworthy!" Really came on time! ”

"Hmmm! After talking, it's time to reward him! However, Mr. Zhang repeatedly told us that we should fight raze with raze, and I think if we build a concession here, we really need some French help! Zheng Zhilong has thought more.

"Good! I think this man will be of use to us! Mu Yi said.

The Tarzan approached the port of Marseille and did not enter, but dropped a speedboat and sailed to the shore, where it took the captain of the messenger.

When the captain came to the deck of the Taishan, Zheng Zhilong asked with a tense face, "Have all your letters been delivered?" ”

The captain's expression was already very calm, not like the last time he left the Taishan, and he said with a smile: "General, I have sent your letter to our Majesty the King. "The captain didn't talk about the complications of their interior in France, and outsiders didn't understand it.

"What do you mean by king?" Zheng Zhilong asked.

"Our Majesty the King has sent the Duke of Beaufort to wait for you in Marseille. Our Majesty is very sincere to have a good talk with you, and Your Majesty said that he is willing to be a friendly country with the Ming Dynasty! "These days, the captain has been taught some diplomatic language.

"Great work, Captain! Tonight I invite you to drink, and tomorrow we will have a good talk with your Duke of Beaufort!" Zheng Zhilong said.

"Your Excellency the General is polite, I still immediately return to our Duke of Beaufort, and you will have a meeting tomorrow!" After the captain finished speaking, he asked, "When you come ashore, we can come and pick you up?" ”

"Tomorrow, please come to our ship to talk, and we will send a speedboat to pick him up!"

"That's not good!" Said the captain.

"We've got the final say! Nothing bad! Zheng Zhilong was not polite, "Don't worry about the Duke and Mother, I'll go back after drinking today!" ”