***
Louis XIV was shot in the leg. Although the wound is slowly healing after treatment, the accompanying military doctor estimated that he would most likely become a cripple for the rest of his life.
This lame king usually goes to extremes. He may be physically disabled but mentally strong and achieve great things. He may also give up on himself and become perverse and tyrannical. I wonder what this bloated boy will be like in the future.
Because of their special status, Anna of Austria and Mazarin were separated from other nobles and imprisoned alone in a small cabin. Interestingly, this small cabin only had a small bed.
Logically speaking, one small bed would be enough, but the two of them often slept on top of each other in the Louvre, without ever hiding from others. Their relationship as old lovers had long been known to everyone in France.
But here, even if they were brave enough, they wouldn't dare to stand together. Anna of Austria was a woman with no political talent, otherwise she would not have entrusted all military and political affairs to Mazarin.
Trapped in such a situation, she was in a state of panic all day long, and Mazarin was also very uneasy, fearing that she would be dragged away and insulted by Qin soldiers. Although Anna was not young, she was well maintained and still had charm. In addition, her special identity still attracted men.
"Honey, what should I do? What should I do now?"
Mazarin looked out the small porthole at the turbulent English Channel with worry, and said softly, "Queen Mother, don't panic. Under normal circumstances, the Qin people should have immediately taken the treasures and captives and fled far away. Now they are staying in the Seine Bay and must have other intentions. There may be a chance for a turnaround."
Anna, who looked haggard, could not help but feel a glimmer of hope after hearing this. She asked anxiously, "What's the turning point? Honey, tell me what the turning point will be?"
"Queen, I am not sure yet, but I think the Qin people are staying here. It is very likely that they want to use us to influence the situation in France."
"So that means we won't be in any danger? Is that what you mean?"
“That’s understandable.”
Anna of Austria was a Spanish princess. After marrying to France, she and her husband, Louis XIII, had a very unhappy relationship and lived apart from each other within a few years of their marriage.
Moreover, people like Richelieu were always on guard against her betrayal of France and repeatedly ordered her to launch rebellions. Other French nobles also wanted to overthrow her regency.
Under these circumstances, it is impossible to say how deeply Anna felt for France;
Now that she has fallen into this situation, as long as she can save her life and the queen mother's wealth and glory, she doesn't care about the interests of France. To hell with it, the French have always believed that she is just a spy from Spain.
"My dear, can you go and talk to the Qin people? As long as they are willing to release us, it doesn't matter if you agree to some conditions."
"Queen Mother, we cannot take the initiative to ask the Qin people for help now. If I guess correctly, they will come to negotiate with us soon. If we take the initiative to go to the Qin people, we will have even less bargaining chips."
"But, we don't know what the situation outside will be like now. If De Bourbon controls the whole of France, we won't even have any bargaining chips."
This is what Mazarin was most worried about. The Fronde was originally manipulated by many French nobles and capitalists. Now there is a leader like Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé. Once they are captured, the whole of France will inevitably be in chaos.
Under such circumstances, the Fronde led by Prince Condé would most likely quickly seize power in France.
That would be really bad.
Between the gains and losses, Mazarin felt as if a heavy weight was weighing on his heart, making it almost hard to breathe. Should he take the initiative to talk to the Qin people
Do you want it
***
In the flagship command cabin, Zhang Haoran and his team were also discussing things enthusiastically. Paris, as one of the hearts of Europe, suddenly encountered such a big change, and the whole of Europe was in turmoil;
All the forces want to get involved and fish in troubled waters, including Britain, Portugal, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands and other countries, as well as Louis de Bourbon, Willick, Viscount Turenne, Van Ritter, Barak, Froud and other people in France who control heavy troops. They all have their own ideas. With so many forces stirring up France, it is difficult to predict what the situation will be like next.
Zhang Haoran once again mentioned one of the main tasks of this trip to Europe, which was to lobby the Holy See to integrate European forces to attack the Ottoman Empire so that the Qin Dynasty could better implement its Central Asian strategy and successfully incorporate the area east of the Ural Mountains, the Kipchak Steppe and Transoxiana into the territory of the Qin Dynasty.
In fact, the Central Asian strategy of the Qin Dynasty is even more important than that of Europe, because it is the back garden and treasure trove of strategic resources that Qin Mu wants to leave to future generations.
The Ottoman Empire is now at its peak. Its territory spans across three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. It has fought against many European countries alone, has already reached the steppes of East Europe, and has even almost occupied Vienna, making Europe feel under great pressure. The Ottoman Empire's war potential should not be underestimated.
On the other hand, most people in Central Asia now believe in Islam, and it is thousands of miles away from the Central Plains. The Qin Dynasty will face tremendous pressure if it wants to compete with the Ottoman Empire for territory in Central Asia. This is why Qin Mu sent an envoy to Europe to lobby the Vatican.
In this regard, Zhang Haoran has already had the practical idea of lobbying the Holy See and even Spain, but now, Philip IV is going to personally invade France; Protestant countries such as Britain, Portugal, and the Netherlands are also trying to get a piece of the pie;
Once everyone gets involved, Spain's energy will probably be trapped on French soil. What's the point of attacking the Ottoman Empire
How to keep the situation in France under control while dismembering this country that has the great potential to rise as the new overlord of Europe is really a headache.
Zheng Jie suggested: "Master Zhang, how about we talk to the Queen Mother and Mazarin first?"
Zhang Haoran nodded and said, "Okay, let's talk to them first."
Just as he said this, the soldier in charge of guarding Anna and Mazarin from Austria came in and reported: "Ambassador Zhang, the French Prime Minister wants to see you."
Zheng Hao couldn't help but look at Zhang Haoran, and they saw smiles in each other's eyes. In this situation, even a fool knows that whoever takes the initiative is actually passive.
Because the situation was unpredictable and it was not good to delay any longer, Zhang Haoran said, "Since Mazarin wants to see you, I will meet him first."
Just as Zhang Haoran stood up, Zheng Jie suddenly had an idea in her mind and said quickly, "Master Zhang, wait a minute. I suddenly feel that we seem to have made a mistake in who the real boss is."
Zhang Haoran was slightly startled, and turned back to look at Zheng Jie. Zheng Jie continued, "Master Zhang, Anna of Austria is the Queen Mother of France, which is equivalent to the Queen Regent. From this point of view, although Mazarin holds all the power, it was given to him by the Queen Regent. In other words, Queen Mother Anna is the real boss. If we want to talk, we should talk to the Queen Mother. This is the right thing to do."
After listening to this, Zhang Haoran could not help but nod his head repeatedly. After observation, he found that although Queen Mother Anna was the regent queen, she did not have much political talent. She was in a state of panic after being captured. Talking to such a woman would definitely be much simpler than talking to Mazarin.
In the narrow cabin, Mazarin was whispering with Anna of Austria when the cabin door was suddenly opened and two Qin soldiers came in. Without saying a word, one of them grabbed one of Mazarin's arms and dragged him out.
Mazarin and Anna were shocked. Anna even desperately hugged Mazarin's legs and shouted, "What are you doing? Let him go! Let him go!"
Mazarin also shouted angrily: "Let me go! You bandits! Let me go..."
At this time, an oriental face appeared outside the cabin door, and he said in not very fluent French: "Mr. Mazarin, we want to talk to your queen mother, you must step aside. If you want to stay here, we will have to knock you out."
"I want to see your ambassador! Ask him to come to see me!"
When Anna of Austria heard that someone wanted to talk to her alone, she was inexplicably startled. Her first thought was that she was a woman, what was there to talk about? They must be... She subconsciously let go of Mazarin's thighs and covered her chest, as if she was afraid that someone would suddenly rush in and tear off her clothes...
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