The death of General Leut, even more tragic than the fate of Prime Minister John de Witt's brother, and the descendants of Orange, William III, whose fate is still unknown, were so unbelievable to the Dutch that they could not even believe that it was a rumor spread by the French and the British, only that soon after, the ships of the Maritime Coalition towed back the "Seven Provinces" with a broken mast and a burned-out sail , that is, the flagship of General Reut, this ship accompanied Admiral Reut for more than a decade, witnessing the numerous victories he brought to the Netherlands, but it was after this naval battle that decided the fate of the Netherlands that it was tasked with transporting the remains of its master back to the Netherlands.

The general was struck by a cannonball, and the fragments of the wall panels that flew open were struck by the vital point, and his death came so quickly that he was allowed to say only a few words, "Holland, Holland!" and he shouted two times, and he was completely out of breath - his death was like a strong wind that dissipated the courage of every Dutchman, and the death of Leut was not only the end of the war between the Dutch fleet and the allied fleet, but also the end of the French war against the Netherlands.

The dead Leut probably didn't expect that his death was still betrayed by the merchants of Amsterdam, no, this was not their original intention, but when they met the king of France, it was clear that the situation in the Netherlands was already a mess, and those Dutch merchants were still complacent, and they were not worried about the loss of their assets in Amsterdam, if it was an ordinary person, they might just let it go so lightly, after all, in this era, the status of merchants was low, but Louis XIV was always thoughtful- He sent his spies to spy on the actions of the Amsterdam parliamentarians, only to discover that they were unknowingly transferring government assets, or rather, not just government assets, but real money that would take hundreds of years or more to build up credibility.

It is not surprising that the parliamentarians made such a decision, for they should remain in Amsterdam if Amsterdam was invaded by the French, or if it became a vassal of the sea, these precious metals would remain in Amsterdam, and in time they might become the spoils of the enemy's war, rather than they should take them all with them now, so that the new Dutch government could still gain the recognition and support of other countries on another continent, after all, they had a lot of bonds and capital.

Louis would not allow such a failure, and it occurred to him at once that even if Leuter was an unborn general who could see through this trap, he would still have to step into it, unless he was willing to see the Holland fall out of his hands, he could not be so ruthless, and at the last moment of his death, he was still worried about his country—or perhaps, these two cries were his last condolences to the Netherlands, because he knew very well that his death would lead to the destruction of the fleet, and the destruction of the fleet would inevitably lead to it." The last glimmer of hope for the "sea coachmen" was stifled, and the Netherlands would not return.

And Louis XIV finally won a big victory over the Netherlands.

————

This victory also frightened and angered the enemies of France, especially Leopold I, who made a mistake because of his youthful recklessness, and in order to make up for this mistake he had to remain silent, but this was his second mistake, after Louis XIV had captured Flanders, he did not stop, his sword was pointed at the Netherlands without hesitation, and Leopold I realized that he could be so stupid, he did not care about the secret covenant left in the hands of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and united countries and principalities with interests such as Denmark or Brandenburg, intending to threaten Louis XIV. At the same time, he constantly sent envoys to persuade important figures in the French court and court to persuade Louis XIV to abandon his ambitions for the Netherlands, or at least not so urgently—a voice that was not uncommon in Louis's ears, and the Queen Mother and the Duchess of Montpensier had written anxiously about the war, and in the streets of Paris, at salon banquets, there were often voices against war. Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, the Archbishop of Cologne, Denmark, Switzerland, and others all made war gestures at any time—as well as sporadic but constant riots in Flanders, and undercurrents in occupied Dutch cities, including the arms of the young emperor.

It can be said that in this battle, as long as Louis hesitates a little, he will be the one who loses, and once he fails, his fate may not be much better than that of William III, the reputation of the king and the country will fall to the dust, the former allies will immediately turn their faces and be ruthless, and the countries next to him will not be immune to robbery, the previous victory is just a wedding dress for others, and the heavy debt will destroy all the French- A king who has lost his authority is not in a position to continue dictating government affairs, and the French aristocracy and officials will inevitably reinstate the "tax system" in order to pay off their debts, which was one of the bad governments that induced the French Revolution a hundred years later.

To put it simply, the original intention of the tax system was that the king would hand over the right to collect taxes to those he trusted, and these people would send a large amount of taxes to the treasury as agreed. And the reason why the merchants were so happy to borrow large sums of money from the king or the duke was precisely because they could justifiably demand that they offset it with the position of a tax collector if the king and the duke were unable to pay their debts.

Of course, it is needless to say what these merchants-turned-tax officials were able to extort the commoners into for profit, and the commoners only knew that they were the king's officials, and even if some knew the inside story, wasn't it the king who borrowed from the merchants? What would the debts of the kings be borne by the kings for war and pleasure?

In this way, anger and unwillingness can easily accumulate, and once they reach the point of overflow, the raging fires they ignite can easily burn down an entire country.

————

Of course, the current king of France no longer has such worries.

In the civic hall of Amsterdam City Hall, the tables and chairs were removed, and inside were hundreds of oak chests, the corners of which were reinforced with iron bars and locked, but now they were open, and they were filled with gold and silver, some coins, some in blocks or bars, and the sun poured into the room through the glass windows, illuminating them, and the characteristic texture and luster of gold and silver held Madame Lavallière's breath for the second time, the first time when she was brought into the Louvre.

"Yes," said Louis, "and that's not all, but I've always wondered what it's like to take a walk among the riches of fifteen thousand merchant ships." ”

"What do you think?" asked Madame de Lavallière, her cheeks were red and her eyes were bright, she had never shown such a smile and attitude before, although she had not complained, but one could tell at a glance that she was unhappy, but to-day that gloom and more disturbing things had left her, and even the less delicate face had revealed the brilliance of a woman immersed in love.

"Excellent, my lady. In the decades before, Louis said, the Dutch had regarded the sea almost as their pasture, and their merchants were the best shepherds, who had drawn blood from the flocks of trade and fed themselves, turning the tiny country into the behemoth it is now — wood from Norway, fish from Denmark, wheat from Poland, furs from Russia, wine from Italy, ceramics and lace from France, spices from Arabia and South Asia, cotton from India, woolen wool from Flanders, and silk from Serris...... They became the weight and even the weapon in the hands of the Dutch merchants, who, with their accumulated wealth and reputation, opened the Bank of Amsterdam, where the merchants' goods were priced, where the securities of trading companies were priced, and even the loans of kings and emperors were determined to the last number.

Now it belonged to Louis, to the King of France—though the Duke of York thought he should have a portion of it, but Louis's messenger had only said a word, and he decided not to waste his time and tongue here in vain, and hurried back to London—hoping that when he would return, just in time for the queen to give birth, so that he could see the birth of his nephew for the first time, Louis thought badly— The chest now opened alone would be enough to cover all the costs of his two wars against Flanders and against the Netherlands, and as he promised, all the soldiers who participated in the battle against Amsterdam would return triumphantly with gold and silver coins in their purses.

Oh, I forgot to say that Colbert and his men were hurrying up, and Louis thought to himself that the de facto Chancellor of the Exchequer would be ecstatic - he was one of the secret witnesses to the King's pledge of Fontainebleau, and he looked like he was ready to faint at any moment during the whole process...... And since that day, the last few hairs of our venerable Mr. Kirbert have also fallen out, but by this time London has begun to worship the wearing of wigs, and he has been able to retain his dignity before the courtiers.

While war can easily ruin a king, the benefits are undoubtedly considerable, but the question is ...... The Marquis de Lois, knowing that he should not disturb the king at this time, was compelled to ask the king what he wanted to do with the merchants and bankers, who might have come faster than Colbert, who had invested a large part of their assets in the banks and stock exchanges of Amsterdam, and now that they were all in the hands of the King of France, must have been anxious.

Louis could not admit that thousands of merchants and bankers would have been completely destroyed, and many more would have suffered heavy losses - after all, the Dutch East India Company had previously accounted for half of the world's trade, but would Louis have done this? No, he would not have dried up and fished, and if it was only for the sake of territory, the Netherlands would not have been worth his desperate bet, but the problem was that he could not just open the doors of the vault and let people exchange money as they pleased- The Netherlands has now lost all its credibility, and the Bank of Amsterdam is an empty shell, and if he retreats, there will be a terrible run, for fear that there will not be enough precious metals to exchange for money—after all, there is still money circulating outside, and he cannot even open a stock exchange, and once it does, the value of most securities will fall like a tide receding from a dam.

"Let them go to Paris," Louis leaned over, grabbed a handful of golden florins from the box, and then opened his hand and let them fall between his fingers, and for a moment, the voice was clear and moving: "Go to the Royal Bank of France to exchange their bonds." ”

————

In 1672, the King of France conquered the Netherlands, and the Netherlands became a member of the French provinces, and before the fall of the Netherlands, the Dutch parliamentarians and officials planned to flee with government assets and establish a government-in-exile government in the colonies. As a result, all the wealth of Amsterdam was owned by King Louis XIV of France, and there were countless people who couldn't sleep at that time, they didn't know whether the money they deposited in the bank of Amsterdam could be cashed.

King Louis XIV of France, who had always been known for his kindness and forgiveness among his people, was not so much so to his enemies, or to the people of other nations, who once made an impressive remark: "A king who cannot be hated by the people of other countries will not be a good king." And then his actions seemed to confirm this statement, so that the people at that time were desperate that their money could never be cashed in again.

And what is surprising is that this king not only seized the Netherlands, but also took on the problems left by the Netherlands, and on the fourteenth or fifteenth day after he obtained Amsterdam, Paris established the Royal Bank of France, and all those who had held the bonds and notes of the Amsterdam bank could exchange the arrears at their discretion, and this "discretion" was quite delicate, and it directly related to the previous relations between France and other countries - The countries that were friendly and even allies with France, such as England and Sweden, could undoubtedly be cashed in at will, while other countries, which were in a neutral position in this war, such as Portugal and Russia, could exchange a part of it, and for an indefinite period of time, as for the princes of the Holy Roman Empire, Denmark, Switzerland, etc...... Their bonds and notes are probably ...... The so-called Schrödinger bonds and notes......

The king's whimsy did not end there, and the shares issued by the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, which belonged to the Dutch East India Company and the West India Company, were willing to be taken over by the newly formed Paris Stock Exchange, but the price was regrettable. Then, there is another way, which is to exchange it for the French royal property in proportion, such as glass, ceramics and dyes.

The result was a happy affair, with the worried stockholders no longer having trouble day and night, and the King of France owning the Dutch East India Company and the West India Company, two fat, golden-laying chickens.

The Dutch, to be precise, the people of the province of Holland in France once said with great exasperation that the Netherlands had been plundered twice by Louis XIV - and this is not wrong at all.