"But Catalonia and Spain are different," said Eugen Jr. "First of all, it is a country that was once powerful and still very large. Although it was formed by the merger of Castilla and Aragon, it has been unified for nearly three hundred years, and its foundation is more stable and unshakable than that of the Netherlands."

"Speak on, kid."

Little Eugendhal paused, thought for a while, and sorted out his own language: "Spain is not only powerful but also huge," he repeated: "It also almost replaced Britain as the enemy of France." Britain and France also fought for the inheritance rights for nearly a hundred years, but as Habsburg's tentacles repeatedly extended to the countries of Europa through marriage, the Holy Roman Empire and Spain became a new threat to France. They were like two arms on a person, holding France tightly in their arms.

Li: "Habsburg ruled Spain for almost two hundred years. Their rulers deeply imprinted the "French is the enemy" in the minds of the Spanish. During François I, Carlos I fought with him for fifty years to establish his status as the most powerful country. The reason why Spain and France did not have frequent conflicts does not mean that the hatred between the two countries has disappeared. It can only be said that they had to face new and more difficult enemies at that time."

"The Spaniards met the British, and we launched eight religious wars," said the Duke of Luxembourg.

"Now Spain is in decline, France is rising. We should drink hard for the strong enemy that once became weak," said Eugen. "But the world is impermanent and the fate is ill-fated. No one of us can predict what will happen in the future. We can only focus on the present - anyone who is sober knows that as long as Spain is not destroyed, it will always be the enemy of France."

“No doubt.”

"But to destroy such a giant, even if we can do it, it will be hated by the kings of the whole world." Little Eugen took a deep breath: "Flander and the Netherlands have no king, but Spain has it. One king will kill another king, which will be a harbinger of its destruction and an evil thing that will never be allowed to happen. If His Majesty insists on his own, he will be the enemy of everyone." He looked at the Duke of Luxembourg and saw the same light in his eyes: "But inheritance is different. Of course, a country will definitely need a king, the people need someone to guide, officials and generals need someone to manage, and even God and sir, there is a good person who can shepherd the flock for him. This is His Highness Charles's innate power and obligation, and it is beyond reproach."

"At that time, everyone said that His Majesty, our king, was so cowardly that he dared not ask Philip IV for the dowry of the 500,000 livres, now it seems," said the Duke of Luxembourg: "How cheap is it to buy a country for 500,000 livres."

"But for this reason, His Majesty cannot treat the Spaniards as they do to the Flanders, and for the Spaniards, they all hope that Leopold I's son would inherit the Spanish throne. Habsburg has been operating in Spain for a long time, consolidated its power, and also caused accusations and troubles."

"Your Majesty said, is the most conspicuous thing the target?" said the Duke of Luxembourg in a rare humorous manner.

"So the best direction is for the Spanish to accept the result calmly," said Eugen. "But it seems impossible now. Habsburg and the former vested interests will not allow things to go in this direction." He rubbed his fingers and looked excited: "Of course, we would also hope to have the opportunity to make contributions, but His Majesty is a kind man. He would rather see our soldiers return home happily, although it is a rare glory to sacrifice their lives for the king."

"War is inevitable, but as you said, Your Majesty will definitely avoid unnecessary casualties and losses." said the Duke of Luxembourg.

"So your Majesty needs an example. He wants everyone, especially the Spanish who have been ruled by Habsburg for a long time, to see the difference between Louis XIV and Philip IV, and Carlos II. The Catalans were the first area to bow their knees to France to express their obedience, and the king gave them favors, just like eating the most tender grass for the most gentle lambs." Eugen said: "He did not want to plant too many hatred species in this pasture. This is a vast land, with a large population and a complex border. If the natives of the Spanish were incited like the natives of the Netherlands, we would be in peace for the next twenty years."

"And with the demonstration of the Catalonian region, His Majesty's subsequent policies can also be implemented and implemented."

"People act with interests," said the Duke of Luxembourg. "In fact, if you look closely, your Majesty's approach is no different from that of the Spanish. He also drew the young and middle-aged people who are most likely to launch a riot in the newly occupied area, used heavy labor and work to consume their energy, dull their thoughts, and let their troops and officials replace their former managers, and also deprived the opponents of their wealth and land..." He blinked at Eugen: "But we have also seen that the Catalans not only did not fall into panic and chaos, but instead bloomed with vitality like a small tree that was washed and dirty."

"This is exactly what I am confused about." Eugen said: "It must be said that there is a difference, sir, that is, His Majesty has abandoned all the taxes in Catalonia over the past few months. It is a considerable amount of money, but even Carlos II or Philip IV, any king or emperor can bear this loss. Why don't they do this?" Even contrary to the words.

"For they cannot, and do not want or do that." The Duke of Luxembourg said extremely terrible words calmly: "Our Majesty does not need nobles, children."

His eyes were always on Eugen's face, but he could not find shock and shake in it - "It seems that you young people really discovered this earlier than us."

"The nobles in the court of Versailles are so numb," he continued: "It is because His Majesty the King has always restricted and forced his enemies, domestic rebels, foreign monarchs and lords, Charles VII took advantage of the opportunity of the Hundred Years' War to obtain the power to collect taxes and recruit soldiers, and made the French king a 'real king'. Now Louis XIV is taking advantage of the opportunity to expand territory to clear out those lords and lords who he thought were useless and might even become constrained, and let his voice become the 'only voice'. He does not need to use nobles and priests to manage the people for him. 'I am the country' he said so. He only needs to face his people and France, rather than a group of stubborn, conservative and greedy parasites."

"...I think Your Majesty is more than that." Eugen said after a while of silence.

"So I hated him at first, not only for my brother and friends," said the Duke of Luxembourg. "But without France and without the crowns the French had brought for him, his enemies must be able to see through His Majesty's true thoughts, and they would resist at all costs even for themselves." He picked up his teacup and swallowed the cold tea into his stomach. "So, my child, the enemies we encounter may be completely different from those that His Majesty encountered."

"And I fight for this," said Eugen.

"I really don't know if I should be happy, sad, or depressed," said the Duke of Luxembourg. "You know, that means your descendants will..."

"There will be a better future," Eugen said gently, "if I had."

———————

Of course, Little Eugen could not be just a soldier. Even if he is not the eldest son of Count Suisson, he also graduated from the Royal Military Academy. Although he can only command five companies for the time being, equivalent to half a regiment, there are one team of grenadiers and auxiliary soldiers, which total about 800. At the beginning, the company captains were worried about the young commander. Don’t get me wrong. They were not worried about Little Eugen, but like such a young noble child, even if he was not as low as an ordinary soldier, he would cause serious damage to the battlefield due to impulse, or because of the terrible scene of flesh and blood splattering for the first time, he was frightened and trembled all over, losing the ability to think, and would only escape or collapse on the ground.

Although Eugen didn't know what the company captains were thinking after the respectful mask, in addition to what they learned in school, he had an advantage in Versailles who had his own room, that is, he could ask for advice on battlefield famous generals such as Viscount Tirena, Vaubon and even Daconde. They might not be able to immediately teach a young man who had never seen the battlefield to become a general who would win every battle, but it would be easier to understand and familiarize him with the battlefield.

Let Eugen see that the real battlefield is terrifying, but it does not shake his firm will. After several small but fierce battles, he also understood why the Duke of Luxembourg had such a dialogue with him. The royal power of Spain was severely weakened during the time of Philip IV. By the time of Carlos II, the situation of their own governance became even more serious. They were not facing a large-scale and established Spanish standing army, but the private army of local nobles. These were only "vassals" and upholding the inheritance for hundreds of years.

The "chival spirit" of Xi is brave in fighting and is not afraid of death and injury. The entourages and soldiers who go out with the knights, although most of the latter are peasants and craftsmen, they are like the people mentioned by Louis and Eugen. They have not received education and cannot have their own ideas. They are just a group of blind followers and are willing to follow familiar people. Even if you tell them that as long as they are willing to come to the French, they can enjoy low-rent land, spacious houses, and mild laws, and they will not believe you or betray their "master".

In front of the well-trained and well-equipped French army, these private troops could not stop the Duke of Luxembourg even as fearless as Don Gilleshode, who dared to challenge the windmill. What made Eugen feel uncomfortable was the eyes surrounding them, fearful and hated... He saw the tombs of the wet topsoil built on both sides of the road, like a silent protest and curse, but the most terrifying thing was the mortals hidden in the shadows.

"They will be moved away soon," said the Duke of Luxembourg. "You see, as the king did in Orleans, and in the settlements of the Huguenots."

Little Eugen breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously. He had seen information and maps and knew why the king did that - people would become cautious in strange places, and no one would easily take risks for someone they didn't know, let alone forced migration would not allow them to take away all their property, and unmovable fields and workshops, and shops could only stay where they were. When the villagers and citizens who hated the French were moved to another place, it would be difficult enough to ensure their survival and family alone. Even if they still wanted to take revenge and resist, they might not be able to hide it from their neighbors.

In this way, when they finally settle down and can continue their own planning... they will find that time will always take away a lot of things, courage, energy, memory... If not, then death can do it.

Although the Duke of Luxembourg's advance did not stagnate like Louis XIV, it was not fast. Eugen saw people constantly coming across the Pyrenees. French priests and officials took over various affairs in the cities and villages in an orderly manner. They were all trained in junior and middle schools run by Louis XIV in the past twenty years. They were all familiar with what the king wanted them to know. Even if the situation in their location was not very clear, they could handle everything with the French garrison responsible for stuffing the people into the "condom".

There are countless merchants one after another. Although only the Catalonia region was declared tax exemption by Louis XIV, a city has replaced a new ruler. Can merchants still find loopholes for huge profits? The licenses issued by Spaniards will inevitably be invalidated. Who can get the license issued by French officials first, wouldn’t it be possible to make a fortune?

There were also incidents of attacking soldiers, officials and merchants, but Louis XIV also informed the Duke of Luxembourg early on. In any city or village where such a thing happened, not only would the attacker be hanged or stood in a cage, the taxes in this place would not only not be discounted, but would also double. If such things happened repeatedly in three places, the taxes would continue to rise until the people here had to use their own land and assets to offset the tax.
Chapter completed!