What did Charles II think of Louis XIV? When he first met Louis, Charles II, who was only the Duke of Cornwall, did not value this young relative very much, after all, he was eight years older than Louis, and before Charles I was imprisoned and executed, he was also being taught by his father to learn how to become a king, and Louis was surrounded by only ambitious Mr. Bishop and Queen Mother, who would have thought that it was not Charles II who finally gathered the royal power in his hands, but Louis, of course, you can say that the kings of France have been committed to this time, but the former Henry VIII was also the king of earth and heaven (meaning that he has both supreme kingship and clerical power) It was only since James I that the power of the English king was gradually transferred to the hands of parliament and princes, and in this regard, subsequent kings fought for it more than once, but the worst result we have also seen was that the king's noble head fell into the dust, and from then on, no fool would think that the king was any different from himself.

Charles II's gloom was fleeting, and when he returned to London, he realized that Louis XIV, who was eight years younger than him, saw a future that might be clearer and more long-term than him, and he insisted on aiding the Duke of Cornwall, not only because of their previous kinship, nor the willfulness and naivety of children, but for the persistence and stability of the monarchy, all, any traitor, even the Lord Protector Cromwell, could not be recognized by him, and Charles II, even if he was not crowned at that time, Louis XIV also regarded him as a king, and this, the monarchs of Europa at that time did not seem to be aware of it, Charles II at that timeNot only must we be wary of these people handing themselves over to Cromwell, but we must also worry about our own food, clothing, shelter and transportation.

He was grateful to Louis XIV, but as time went on, this gratitude inevitably turned into jealousy, and while he was still arguing with the Parliament about how much annuity he should have for the following year, Louis XIV not only inherited the property of the Bishop of Mazarin, but also set up a large estate in Lorraine and Alsace, and he had a new army stationed at Versailles for the sake of his own standing army (nominally the army guarding the castles and fortresses of the royal family) and the lords, and he was still serving his henchmenWhen he was struggling with his ministers for one or two positions in the court, Louis XIV went straight to Flanders and seized an incomparably vast territory for France.

How could this make Charles II suffer as if he was bitten by a poisonous snake, Henrietta's ridicule he could not refute, fortunately Henrietta was just pretending to be unintentional, as soon as she saw Charles II's face change, she immediately made a sister's proper posture, and it was a kneeling confession, and it was a diligent service, and finally Charles II's expression slowly eased: "You have become reckless," Charles II said reproachfully, but there was not much real anger in his tone: "Are you the same in the French court?" I owe a good debt of gratitude to Louis and Philip for being so tolerant of you. ”

"Alas, it's not so much recklessness as it is that I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I'm finally able to say it now. "My brother, my king, please restrain your anger a little, and listen to me......"

"I listen, Henrietta, you rapping bird, noisy trumpet, or rather, a sharp dagger, your words piercing my heart. ”

"You are the king. ”

"As you say, in name only. ”

"You need money, you need weapons, you need soldiers and generals who are loyal to you, you need obedient ministers and people. ”

"This is what they fear, and they will do whatever it takes to strangle all my attempts in the cradle, even if it is necessary to put each other to the death of a king, oh, look at me, Henrietta, they have already done it. ”

"So we need an ally. ”

"Who? Louis XIV?"

"Who else but him?"

"William is our nephew," said Charles II, "I am his uncle." ”

"Louis is also our cousin. Henrietta said, jumping down from her chair and kneeling beside Charles II: "The main thing is, Your Majesty, France is a strong lion, and Holland is just a lizard with two heads. ”

"It is precisely because France is already so powerful that I, as the king of England, cannot make him more dangerous. ”

"You're right," Henrietta's lips curled subtly, "but first, you must be the king of England." ”

"They have the worst thoughts," said Charles II, "but I am not without a defence." ”

"I'm sure you have one or more trump cards," said Henrietta, "but in a game, if you play a trump card, it often means that the game is at the last moment, and the trump card has fallen, whether you want it or not, it must come to an end." She took Charles II's hand: "If you have fifty thousand, nay, even ten thousand, I will not fear your safety," she pointed out bluntly, "and you have not, and I have seen with my own eyes the cannons cast by the craftsmen for Louis, and on them are inscribed with the words 'The Last Argument of the King,' my dear brother, though I am shallow and ignorant, I know that this is a good word of caution." ”

"So Louis will let you tempt me," Charles II suddenly thought of something, and he smiled: "It is said that Leopold I is so embarrassed now because he received five hundred thousand louis from Louis XIV. "Although neither Louis XIV nor Leopold I made much of it, Leopold I's strange behavior at the Battle of Flanders aroused suspicion for a long time, and then they heard that the Grand Duke of Tuscany of Florence had in his hands a document of great importance for both France and the Holy Roman Empire, and those who were shrewd guessed that Leopold I might have made an alliance with France against Spain, although it is not known what kind of devil Leopold I encountered to go mad like this— However, they all agreed that the stakes must be so great that Deopold I could not take care of the Spanish Habsburgs.

Charles II knew better, for example, that Leopold I had indeed tried to buy Bosnia, and that the "emissary" of the Bosnian governor had indeed visited several kings, but in the end the deal proved to be a prank, a hoax, a funny and vicious joke.

"I don't want to be the second joke. Charles II said.

"You are my brother, how could I watch you fall into such an embarrassing situation?"

"You are also the wife of the Duke of Orleans, and the mother of the Grand Lord. Charles II shook his head.

"What I have brought is not a false promise," said Henrietta, "but a solemn commission, brother Wang, you need not worry, your majesty does not need any signature or certificate, and he has asked me to tell you that if you wish, France will not only be willing to give the same reward as Leopold I, but he will also be willing to share the Netherlands with you." ”

"Share the Netherlands," repeated Charles II, "how wonderful it sounds, but the problem is that at the present the Netherlands does not belong to anyone, and neither I, nor Louis, have any rights to it, and even if I wish to believe it, Parliament will not allow it." ”

"But you are the king, and your brother, the Duke of York, is the Lord of the Admiralty. "The king has the right to declare war, and the admiral has the right to command the navy to go on battle.

"This is the second reason why I would be jealous of Louis XIV, the Duke of Orleans had been put up acting king when he left Paris, and his fate was unknown, but Philippe refused, and my brother, in the same situation, would have only taken it with ecstasy, nay, he would have snatched the crown and scepter that he had long longed for. ”

"You're saying he's not loyal to you. ”

"Ambition outweighs the piety and respect which he ought to have," said Charles II, "and tell me of the third place where I envy Louis XIV, Henrietta," and he said bitterly, "I have not yet had an heir, no son, not even a daughter." "And he is almost forty, and the queen is thirty years old, and people at this time do not live long, and a man at forty should have several children, and Louis XIV already has a healthy crown prince and princess, and Charles II is still empty-kneeling, although he has fourteen illegitimate children.

Sometimes, Charles II almost followed the example of Henry VIII, sent his queen to the convent, annulled the previous marriage contract, and chose one of his lovers as the queen, as long as she could give birth to an heir for him, but he also knew that it was impossible, Henry VIII was powerful at that time, and he opened his mouth to become a constitution, both at home and abroad, he almost failed to restrain his people, and Charles II, it was not easy for him to hold on to it until now.

"Is he willing to conspire with our enemies now?" asked Henrietta calmly.

"It can only be said that he is waiting for the price to sell. Charles II said.

Then you offer a price he can't refuse. ”

"What's the price?"

"What could there be, what he desires most, since he wants it, brother king," said Henrietta, "even if you do not hesitate to grovel to the thugs, then tell him that you are worthy of him as your heir." ”

"And then?"

"As long as he is willing to obey your orders," said Henrietta, "he may be given the title of Prince of Wales." ”

"He won't believe it easily. ”

"You don't have an heir yet, and that's your biggest bargaining chip. ”

"I am afraid that it will be self-defeating," said Charles II, "that those men are willing to collude with him precisely because they do not want me to sit on the throne, and if I wish to recognize the Duke of York, they may take advantage of it." ”

"But then you'll have an army. ”

"The army?"

"From Dunkirk to Dover, Brother Wang, Dover to London, two hundred miles, they can come to you in less than a day. ”

"They are French. ”

"A king can hire soldiers of any nation as he pleases, as long as they are willing to serve him. ”

"If I fail, then I'll follow in my father's footsteps. ”

"Now there are fifteen thousand soldiers in Dunkirk," Henrietta said, "and as soon as the British Navy sets sail, the fleet of Dunkirk will be present in the Strait of Dover at once." Henrietta propped up: "While they are still panicking and agitated by the navy's expedition, your army has taken control of the city of London. ”

"I'm going to think, Henrietta, think about it. ”

"The one who brought me to you will not put you in a dangerous situation," Henrietta said softly, "Brother Wang, when you were the Duke of Cornwall, when you were rejected by almost all the kings of Europa, he was the only one who stood by your side, and at that time he was not even in power, and even so, he did everything he could— His Majesty has told me that this is done out of love, but in the end it is because you are the King of England, and that a king should not be deprived of the duties entrusted to him by God by Parliament, Ministers or Bishops, and this idea has never wavered in his mind to this day. ”

It is undeniable that Louis XIV has indeed been on the road to the centralization of royal power, and for this reason, he not only does not tolerate any behavior in France that shakes the royal power, but also disdains any bold traitor, such as the English Parliament, who is bent on restricting the royal power and putting his own interests above the king, which can be said to be the most hated by the king.

"If we get Holland," said Charles II, embarrassed, "what then will William do?"

"Let me tell you the truth," said Henrietta grimly, "even if William could become king of the Netherlands, what could he give you? Don't forget that William Orange grew up in the Habsburg court, and that Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, and the female governor of the Netherlands, regarded him as his own child, and chose for him a bride of great birth, and made him governor of the three provinces at the age of twenty-six, but how did he repay them? You probably wouldn't believe him even if he didn't even go bankrupt for this, after all, he was only two days away from the throne, and his child, Wilhelm II, had imprisoned members of the Dutch Parliament, and if it weren't for that inexplicable smallpox, maybe he was now the most terrible enemy of cause and effect, then how could you think that little William would be a kind nephew?"

After a pause, she added: "Our little William, who was called the 'Prince of Vengeance' when he was still under the tutelage of his grandmother, and when he was declared an adult, he not only succeeded in taking Zeeland from the republicans, but also became the supreme military commander of the Netherlands, and if he got the Netherlands, do you think he would be willing to make peace with you, with the British?" At that time, let alone give back and assistance, I am afraid that you will be beheaded by the mob because he is accused of treason, like our father. ”