1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 956 Visiting the European Fleet ([-])

On July 1679, 7, France, Grace Le Havre (now Le Havre, a port city in northwest France).

The Port of Grace Le Havre was founded in 1517 and was called "Francisco City" at the time. It was named after King Francois I of France who ordered the construction of the city. That is, "Port of Grace" (Le Havre means port or dock).

The Port of Grace Le Havre was built to replace the silted ancient ports of Honfleur and Hafleur. The port is located on the north bank of the mouth of the Seine, one of the four major rivers in France, and its geographical location is very important.It borders the English Channel and is the maritime gateway to Paris, the capital of the Kingdom of France.

In the afternoon of this day, in the pouring rain, a Qi State visiting fleet composed of eight warships, two supply transport ships and five merchant ships arrived at the port of Grace Le Havre, which immediately aroused the enthusiasm of the local French. severe vibration

Before the Qi fleet arrived at the French port, the news of the Balearic naval battle spread like wind to France and was presented to King Louis XIV's desk.

For the maritime conflict that broke out between the Kingdom of Spain and Qi, Louis XIV was happy to see it happen.Not to mention, in this conflict, the stupid and arrogant Spaniards also suffered a lot. Not only did the naval ships suffer heavy losses, but also several coastal towns were shelled by the Qi fleet, which was a shame. Grandma's home.

Although Louis XIV did not have much good opinion of Qi, the relationship between the two countries was neither good nor bad, let alone close. They only exchanged ministers and maintained a certain amount of official exchanges.But compared to the Spaniards, who are the rivals in geographical competition and the permanent enemies on the battlefield, the people of Qi seem a little cuter.

In order to compete for the hegemony of the European continent, and to establish the natural borders of France, Louis XIV spared no effort to launch a war against the Habsburg Dynasty after taking office, and continuously attacked the Kingdom of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire in both east and north directions. The territory, to the southwest, tried its best to push the national border to the Pyrenees.

It can be said that Shinra and the Kingdom of Spain under the rule of the Habsburg family are the two main enemies facing France, and they are the opponents that Louis XIV is trying to weaken.In the just-concluded Franco-Dutch War, although the main combat target was the United Provinces in the lowlands, France still took the opportunity to severely injure Spain and Shinra, seized areas such as Franche-Comté, Flanders, and Hainault, and also gained The right to garrison troops in the Principality of Lorraine allowed the French power to extend to the German region, and gained an excellent geopolitical situation for France to dominate Europe.

A few years ago, I heard that Spain and Qi had a series of frictions due to territorial disputes at the southern tip of the Americas, and several armed conflicts broke out in their respective American territories. When the Spaniard got into trouble, the French were still delighted by it, which more or less involved a little excess energy of the Spaniard.

What makes the French even more happy now is that Spain is actually fighting with the Qi people at their doorstep.It is said that the fleet was sent by the State of Qi to visit Europe, and there were many diplomatic missions of the State of Qi accompanying it. If such an incident happened during the trip, the State of Qi would definitely be outraged, and it might be reported to Spain. People officially declare war.

Perhaps based on the fact that both sides have a common enemy, the French gave a grand reception to the arrival of the Chinese mission.

The local French officials even considered that the Qi people had experienced several sea battles and urgently needed to repair the damaged ships, so they generously vacated a wharf and dock and provided Qi people with a large amount of repair materials and canvas.

The officers and soldiers of the Qi State Navy guarded the ship very carefully, and refused the French shipwright to enter the bottom of the cabin, as if they were worried that their shipbuilding process and internal structure would be peeped. Although the French felt a little grudge, they also expressed full respect understanding and respect.

The French naval officers and soldiers in Hong Kong very enthusiastically invited the naval officers and soldiers of the Qi State to participate in various receptions organized by them, and they "exchanged" their experience of defeating the Spanish Navy with each other.

Four days later, an order from His Majesty the King came from Paris, graciously inviting the delegation of the State of Qi to Paris to meet King Louis XIV of France.

A 3000-strong royal guard cavalry will provide security guards for the mission along the way, accompanied by the king's favorite, opera composer Varese.There are as many as [-] royal luxury carriages, which thoughtfully provide vehicles for the mission members throughout the journey.The towns and post stations along the way will also provide the mission with the highest standard of board and lodging reception free of charge.

His Majesty the King requested that the places where the Qi State missions pass must present the wealth and strength of the French Kingdom to the guests coming from the East.

During the Thirty Years' War, King Louis XIII of France and Cardinal Richelieu swayed across the European battlefield and attacked from a distance, which greatly weakened the power of the Habsburg dynasty, including Spain, and took a solid step towards becoming the European hegemon.At sea, France followed Spain, Portugal, England, and the Netherlands in striving to colonize the Americas and expand overseas.

After the "Sun King" Louis XIV came to the throne, he focused on the goal of striving for hegemony in Europe, believing that France's military strength should not only be reflected on land, but also on the sea.

Since taking office in 1669, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Minister of State for the Navy, has devoted himself to building the French navy.In just eight years, the French Navy has nearly [-] large and small warships and more than [-] naval officers and soldiers, and has become the third largest navy in Europe.

At this time, the French army was even more indomitable in the European continent. After the baptism of the Thirty Years War, the Legacy War, and the Franco-Dutch War, it was almost invincible on land, and it became a country that was about to achieve dual hegemony on land and sea.

At this time, France was in Canada and Louisiana in North America (at this time, the Mississippi River had not yet penetrated), Santo Domingo, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Tobago and Grenada in Central America, and French St. Louis in Africa (now Senegal), Bourbon Island (now Réunion) and other places have established extensive colonies.

During this period, the strength of France was unquestionable. The Sun King Louis XIV naturally hoped that this mission from the New World countries could personally experience the majestic majesty and arrogance that France currently possesses, so as to convince them and respect the greatness. The Kingdom of France gave birth to a little awe.
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July 7, Versailles.

His Majesty's bedroom is located to the east of the Palace of Versailles, in the former hunting lodge of Louis XIII.In the bedroom, there is a golden and red brocade bed and an embroidered canopy, surrounded by gilded railings, and on the ceiling is a huge relief called "The Guardian King of France Sleeps".

This is the center of political activities in the Palace of Versailles, where the rituals of getting up, early pilgrimage, late pilgrimage and greeting ceremony are routinely held.

At 08:30 in the morning, the grand king’s wake-up ceremony began, and Louis XIV got up very punctually under the soft call of the waiter.The first batch of royal nobles who have the right to see them can be very honored to be allowed to come to the bedside, have a cordial conversation with the king who is still on the bed, discuss the situation in Europe and the country, and arrange the most important appointments and dismissals.

When the king gets up and puts on his dressing gown to go to dinner, the second batch of trusted ministers and nobles who are allowed to see him will stand at the table attentively, communicate in low voice with the king who is having breakfast in pajamas and slippers, and report the most important affairs in the country .

After breakfast, His Majesty the King took off his dressing gown and put on his formal attire. The third group of court ministers and nobles waiting for an audience stood silently on both sides of the hall, waiting for Louis XIV's inquiry.

After the complicated getting-up ceremony, His Majesty the King wore a carefully selected wig, knee-length tights, high-heeled shoes, and jewels all over his body, looking gorgeous and extremely rich.Surrounded by dozens of trusted nobles and favorite ministers, they went to the Apollo Hall (also called the Sun God Hall) to start a day of work arrangements and daily interviews. The hall was full of waiting nobles and officials.

Because of his childhood experience, Louis XIV did not have a good impression of Paris and always wanted to escape far away.He didn't want to live in the former Fontainebleau Palace, Saint-Germain Palace, and the Louvre. He tried to create a brand new world of his own.The Palace of Versailles is the ideal palace he built for himself for more than ten years.

Whether it is the pioneering garden landscape or the luxury and magnificence of the interior decoration, all kinds of ideas that refresh the imagination of the time are all-round display of Louis XIV's personal artistic aesthetics, and a physical ode to kingship.

Before the Palace of Versailles was fully completed, Louis XIV moved the entire royal court life here.In the palace, Louis XIV established an extremely strict etiquette system, such as the king's waking up ceremony, bedtime ceremony, meal ceremony, etc., all of which reflected the strict hierarchical royal order.Who is in front of who, who is in what position, who can present clothes to the king, etc. are all strictly restricted by the precepts.

In the top Vanity Fair Palace of Versailles, which pays attention to ostentation and face, competition is eternal.Being favored by the king can get position, land, title, annuity, otherwise nothing.Louis XIV also used these superb and skilled skills to control his courtiers.

"What's the current situation of the Qi State Mission?"

After receiving several waves of officials and nobles, Louis XIV suddenly thought of something and turned to ask his secretary of state.

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Kong Dai is leading dozens of ministers of affairs to conduct comprehensive contact with the Qi State Mission. They will conduct state affairs consultations in the morning. In the afternoon, the court etiquette officer will teach the Qi State Mission the audience etiquette. "State Secretary Jordan Villetu bowed and said: "It may take three to five days. After the people of Qi are familiar with and master the smooth court etiquette, they will come to see His Majesty."

"Well, although the Qi people are inherited from the ancient oriental civilization, after all, they live in the wild Hanzhou continent, so they must lack a perfect etiquette system." Louis XIV said with a smile: "I hope that our tedious and strict court etiquette will not As for embarrassing them too much."

Many nobles and officials in the Apollo Hall couldn't help smiling knowingly when they heard His Majesty's words.With the strong rise of France in the European continent, its influence has become far-reaching. The court etiquette and court clothing of the entire royal family have become the objects that the European royal families are vying to imitate, and it is also the birthplace of leading the entire European fashion.

Louis XIV once said, "A perfect courtier should know the rules of etiquette and learn it as he learns the doctrine."

In the Palace of Versailles, all people must abide by the court etiquette formulated by His Majesty the King, and no one may violate it.For example, it was stipulated that the noble lady could not open the folding fan in front of the queen. If she was negligent, she would be exiled from the palace if she was negligent, and might be imprisoned or even whipped.

Louis XIV also specially formulated a dress code for court women. In the Palace of Versailles, all ladies must wear palace attire.Even the wives of foreign ambassadors must do as the Romans do when they enter the palace, otherwise they will cause diplomatic disputes.

The courtiers who live in the Palace of Versailles must keep in mind various etiquette systems, ranging from dressing when going out to standing and walking, where to walk, what posture to use, how to use a man's cane... Faux etiquette means self-defeating. Minor deficiencies will also lead to discussions.It is no exaggeration to say that those who have a bad memory may really not survive two episodes of Gongdou Opera.

In order to present the strength and wealth of the French Kingdom in front of the people of Qi, and to demonstrate the majesty of the royal family, Louis XIV plans to hold a grand welcome ceremony at the Palace of Versailles.At that time, as many as 500 people including members of the royal family, nobles, senior officials, artists, writers, entertainers, etc. will come to the meeting.

This grand ceremony will definitely leave a deep and shocking impression on the guests from the East.

"Your Majesty, we can take advantage of the visit of the Qi State Mission to sign a military alliance with them against Spain." François-Michel Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, Minister of State for the Army, saw that His Majesty suddenly aligned China became interested, so he stepped forward and suggested at the right time: "In this way, at some point in the future, when we have a war with Spain, Qi can use their superior navy to attack the Spanish American territories and cut off their overseas funds." input of."

"Is it necessary?" Louis XIV said disapprovingly: "Our Kingdom of France has the most powerful army on the European continent, and our naval strength is also growing. Colbert promised me that in the next ten years, we will definitely Build our French navy into the most powerful navy in Europe and even in the world. With this, our Kingdom of France will usher in a great moment."

"Your Majesty, although the people of Qi are very far away from the European continent, they control the Indian Ocean and jointly monopolize the lucrative eastern trade with the United Provinces." The Marquis de Loufoy continued to persuade: "We only need to sign an alliance with them The contract does not need to pay anything, but it can cut off the Spanish wealth channel in the Americas during the war and contain the weak Spanish navy, which is beneficial to our Kingdom of France and does not cause any harm."

"Heh..." Louis XIV looked at the Marquis de Loufoy playfully, "You actually have a serious understanding of the world's maritime situation. If this is the case, shouldn't you exchange positions with Colbert and become a navy? Secretary of State?"

"Your Majesty..." The Marquis of Loufoy was startled, bowed and saluted, "For the sake of the great France, I will obey His Majesty's will and follow His Majesty's arrangements..."

"Over the past few years, you have made drastic adjustments to the armaments of the entire kingdom and tirelessly trained the soldiers. This has allowed our army to develop rapidly, and its combat effectiveness has also increased sharply, defeating one enemy after another. Regarding this, I am very grateful. Satisfied." Louis XIV said with relief: "So, my Marquis of Loufoy, continue to guard your own job, and make the army of our Kingdom of France the most powerful army in the entire European continent. Let all enemies All prostrate at our feet."

"Obey, Your Majesty!" the Marquis of Loufoy bowed his head and promised.

During the past ten years, when Louis XIV was preparing for war, his foreign minister Leonard tried his best to find allies for France, his finance minister Colbert found him the funds needed for the war, and his army minister Lou Foix And look for soldiers for His Majesty the King.

As for using a country in the southern New World to restrict Spain, Louis XIV, who was full of pride in his heart, simply dismissed this.

(End of this chapter)