Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2445 Savoy

On December 1701, 12, just a few days after Christmas, the small town of Campo Morone had long since resumed its usual rhythm: work, hard work, endless hard work.

Italians love Catholicism and are willing to dedicate their souls to God, but Catholics do not love them, and the people are still deeply trapped in poverty.They worked all day long, farming, logging, fishing, and raising livestock, but in the end they got nothing.The nobles and the church took most of the wealth, leaving them with barely enough food.The more difficult life is, the more people want to seek spiritual comfort in religion, and then the wealth of the church grows, which seems to be a cycle that can never see the end.This cycle is so strong that if there is no external force, it will be difficult to break through the various grassroots themselves.

Fortunately, people from the east coast came here, which brought a different impact to this mountain town.The arrival of nearly 2 people (including the Italian soldiers who were trained together) created a large market demand. Over the past few years, quite a few shops or workshops have gathered in the surrounding area.Restaurants, hotels, taverns, shops and even brothels can be seen everywhere, and the population of the entire town has doubled several times, making it a relatively prosperous town in northern Genoa*.

The prosperity of the urban economy has greatly changed the local social order. There are fewer people engaged in pure agricultural work (the land here is limited, isn’t it?), and more people are engaged in industry, commerce and service industries. The status of nobles (landlords) Those who are more enlightened will invest in industry and commerce, and those who are conservative will continue to live on the land with declining income, and watch the price and labor increase day by day. In the end, they may not be able to maintain the existing standard of living.

The small town of Campo Morone currently has a population of about 6000, which is settled all year round.In addition, there are floating populations that are several times this number coming and going.When there are many people, there will be more right and wrong.Fights, petty theft, gang vendettas aside, none of this mattered to East Coasters.What they are more concerned about is that the complex population composition here - most of the new additions to the small town of Campo Morone, mostly businessmen from other parts of Italy or even foreign countries - will provide an active soil for spies.

In order to spy on the movements of the army on the east coast and the daily training of the army, these spies can stay in hiding for a long time, looking for opportunities while doing business.The Genoese have always been in charge of the anti-espionage work, but their skills are just that. It is no problem to catch a few low-level spies, but it is useless to deal with those who hide deeply.Fortunately, the people on the east coast didn't have much to keep secret. Generals from various European countries had a copy of the composition and organization of the army, and they had known about it for a long time.As for the rest, it's up to you, whatever you like.

Early this morning, the gates of the Eagle's Nest Fortress, the center of attention of all the spies in Campo Morone Township, opened wide, and teams of soldiers from the east bank in dark blue uniforms came out one after another, and formed a team on the playground outside the fortress. .

Lieutenant Colonel Bai Chuanping, head of the Sixth Mixed Regiment and garrison commander of the Eagle's Nest Fortress, walked slowly in front of the companies on a beautiful white horse.

The military parade on a white horse is a tradition formed by the East Coast Army in recent decades.Bai Chuanping, a regiment commander, was not qualified to hold any military parade.But who told him to be an outsider? With the title of a fortress commander, a person who stomped and trembled in northern Italy, this ostentation naturally went up.

Of course, today's military parade is not purely for ostentation, in fact there is also a sense of deterrence in it.Recently, the Duchy of Savoy in the west did not know what to do. It was a bit like Louis XIV. It actually imposed heavy taxes on businessmen who entered the Duchy of Savoy from northern Italy, and at the same time found fault. Businessmen from Genoa and Milan were imprisoned, and bilateral relations suddenly became tense.

Northern Italy can probably guess what the Principality of Savoy thinks.The last time I fought against the French, I was beaten so badly. Not only did I lose my troops, but I also cede land for compensation. I was really demoralized.This time, the Duke of Anjou, the grandson of Louis XIV, became the new king of Spain, and the Grand Duke of Savoy felt that the situation was not good, because his country might be attacked by Spain and France.It was at this time that the French envoy also arrived in Turin, forcing the Duke of Savoy to express his position.

The duke is quite obedient in this matter.He recognized the legitimacy of Philip V for the first time, and believed that he was the well-deserved king of Spain.However, when the envoy talked about letting the Principality of Savoy join France and the West to help them suppress nobles or foreign forces who opposed King Philip V, he hesitated again, and he still refused to give a clear answer.

From here we can see the attitude of His Excellency the Duke, that is, the two ends of the head, and the grass on the wall.On the one hand, he has a heartfelt fear of France, fearing that one day his country will end up being invaded, dismembered, and annexed by France, so he is always wary of France.On the other hand, his country borders on France, which is unavoidable, and his potential ally, Austria, is on the other side of the Alps, with Switzerland in the middle. The transportation is difficult, the communication is inconvenient, and the business contacts are not as many as France. .

Therefore, the Principality of Savoy is such a tragedy. From an emotional point of view, it should be on the side of Austria, but from a rational point of view, it should have a good relationship with the French.This kind of contradictory emotions is superimposed, tormenting the rulers of this country all the time, causing their policies to waver from time to time, like grass on the wall.

In the time and space of the later generations, Savoy would fall to one side for a while and fall to the other for a while, without any position at all.But in this time and space where people from the east coast intervene, the situation is a bit interesting.In history, Prince Eugen led an army to blitz North Italy, integrating local resources and manpower. The Principality of Savoy once fell to Austria, which is normal.But now?Leopold was hesitant about whether to march into northern Italy, fearing that it would attract a strong counterattack from the people on the east coast.This New World country has a lot of money, and its production capacity is also very strong. It can easily arm a large number of troops.There are so many Italians, if a large amount of weapons flow in, it will be very difficult for the Austrians to rule locally, so he hesitated.

And since Northern Italy is still standing there, and the Federal Assembly is steadily exercising its powers, what hope does the Principality of Savoy have?Count on the Austrians to send troops through Switzerland to rescue them?Do not make jokes!Therefore, the current monarchs and ministers of the Principality of Savoy are actually a bit inclined to the French side. There is no other reason. Austria is far from being able to quench its thirst, in order to protect itself!

Therefore, we can now understand why the Savoys, under the pressure of the French envoys, made some bad moves against Northern Italy.The East Coast Army held a military parade here at the Eagle's Nest, just to deter the Savoys who are about to move, don't overestimate your capabilities and bring shame on yourself!

The military parade lasted for half a day. After the end, the Sixth Mixed Regiment, led by the deputy head, conducted military exercises with the Italians.As for Lieutenant Colonel Bai Chuanping, he returned to his office inside the fort because he had received new information.

"Louis XIV's move is quite hated. If all parties hesitated before whether to fight, they should have given up their illusions now." Lieutenant Colonel Bai Chuanping slapped the table with a slap, slightly said excitedly.

He had just received information that Louis XIV ordered the Paris Congress to enact a royal decree, retaining the final rights of Philip V and his family relationship as King of France.Although Philip V is not legally the first heir to the French throne, it is very unusual for Louis XIV to hold this meeting. He is likely to change his original mind and give Philip V the right to inherit the French throne ——As a very strong and uncompromising monarch, he can certainly do this—if that happens, Spain and France will really merge, which just touches the bottom line of Britain, the Netherlands and other countries.They have no room for hesitation and can only use force to stop Louis XIV's crazy idea.

On January 1702, 1, news came from the north that the French army entering the southern Netherlands had clashed with the Dutch militia. Although no casualties were caused, the situation was already very critical.According to the agreement signed between the United Provinces and Spain after the end of the last war, in order to prevent the invasion of France, the Dutch will station troops in some towns in the southern Netherlands on the border with it as a buffer, including the important port city of Antwerp.

After Louis XIV's army marched into the northern part of the Southern Netherlands, he demanded that the local Dutch army withdraw, and brazenly sent troops to surround the Dutch barracks in Antwerp—the headquarters of the Dutch garrison in the Southern Netherlands— The Dutch protested strongly, and the French responded with cannons. In the end, the Netherlands gave in and withdrew into the country after packing up.

At this time, the Spanish ambassador in The Hague hypocritically explained to the speaker of the three-level parliament, Van Beveninghe, that the French army entered the Southern Netherlands at the invitation of the Spanish government.The previous garrison agreement signed by King Carlos II was inappropriate and should be abolished.At this time, no matter how stupid people are, they have realized that there is no room for turning things around. Louis XIV no longer wants to hide his hostility, and now there is no other way but war.

Lieutenant Colonel Bai Chuanping, as a senior commander, is of course qualified to have access to this information.He is now a little worried that Louis XIV, who has integrated the power of France and Spain, is overinflated and wants to make a difference on the Italian side, so that he will inevitably be involved in the war.

"Damn it, it's better to act first. Let's blitz the Principality of Savoy and let everyone see the demeanor of my man from the Great East Coast Army!" Lieutenant Colonel Bai Chuanping thought frantically, but soon he Discouraged again: "Forget it, this matter is a bit big, and no one dares to help wipe your ass. But if Savoy takes the initiative to call, things will be much easier to handle. Well, this matter can actually take advantage of the North Italian Public opinion, their people just suffered a loss in Turin, so what if they don’t find their way back!”

(End of this chapter)