Vienna, Grand Palace.
The news that a Ming-Indian coalition force, led by Prince Henry of the Ming Dynasty, arrived in Istanbul was soon heard by spies of the Holy Roman Empire and sent to Vienna, the capital of the empire, as quickly as possible.
At the same time, there was another piece of information about the Portuguese King Alfonso transferred from the Republic of Venice. According to Venice, the Portuguese King Alfonso had defected to the Ming Dynasty, India and the Ottoman Empire, and with their support , raised an army of 15,000 men in Goa.
Now this army is marching towards Portugal in two ways... One of them will go through North Africa, passing through Egypt, Tripoli, Tunisia, Algiers, and finally seeking Moroccan Sultan Mullah Ismaili and Supported by the Barbary pirates in order to return to Portugal and regain the kingship.
The other group, led by an illegitimate son of the Ming Emperor, headed for Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire...and then into Greece, where it awaited the ships of the Barbary pirates.
Not long after his wedding (Leopold's first wife died in 1673), Leopold I was in his office, looking at the two reports, feeling a little at a loss.
With a thump, thump, thump, the footsteps of soldiers changing the guard could be heard in front of the door, and military boots hit the granite stone, making a strong rhythmic sound.
Emperor Leopold looked up from the two reports and rubbed his eyes. The sound of changing the whistle reminded him that it was getting late and he should go back to accompany his wife, Claudia Felicitas from the Delos branch of the Habsburg family... in order to give birth to him as soon as possible. Here is the male heir who can inherit the Habsburg family!
It's really sad to say that the "Lower Body Castle", which was once glorious and prosperous, has now reached the point where male heirs are in danger!
Leopold I himself was the only child of the Austrian branch of the Habsburg family! Carlos II of Spain was the only child of the Spanish branch of the Habsburg dynasty...and because Carlos II was infertile at all, his mission of continuing the lineage of the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Spain was completely in vain. On Leopold.
But Leopold, who is already in his thirties this year, has not been able to give birth to a son and a half daughters... This matter has almost become a national disaster! And it also caused a "scandal".
In order to save their country and Spain from danger, after the death of Margaret Theresa, the ex-wife and niece of King Leopold I, a group of Austrian ministers who were concerned about their country and the people followed the advanced experience of the Ming Dynasty and secretly organized a "Queen's Entry" He "admitted" Leopold I to a beautiful, smart, healthy, and very good at giving birth to Princess Leonore Magdalene Therese of a small German state. .
As a result, this incident angered Leopold - this Leonore Magdalene Therese was not named Habsburg (she was Leopold's cousin, and her blood relationship was relatively distant). And marrying her will not bring new inheritance rights. Because all her family members are very talented, with a large group of brothers and sisters...
After rejecting the candidate for queen chosen by his ministers, he chose Claudia Felicitas, who was from the Habsburg branch family (which was also extinct, with only a daughter left).
But I have been working hard for several months, and I have no intention of getting pregnant at all. Thinking about it makes me anxious!
Just as he was thinking about going back to his room to work hard, footsteps sounded softly outside the door, and then he heard the voice of an attendant: "Your Majesty, Count Montecuccoli wants to see you."
"Invite him in!" Leopold stood up from behind his desk as he spoke.
The count who needed the emperor to stand up and greet him was certainly not an ordinary count. The count of Montecuccoli was named Raimundo, and he was the generalissimo of the Holy Roman Empire.
He is Leopold’s most trusted minister!
He had been sent to France by the emperor a few weeks ago to discuss with Louis XIV a joint fight against the Ottoman invasion.
Of course, the Ottoman Empire's military preparations could not be hidden from Leopold's eyes and ears, but his empire had not yet recovered from the trauma of the Thirty Years' War, and was severely beaten by the French army in the "Heritage War" and was lost. The Principality of Lorraine seems to have difficulty fighting against the powerful Ottoman Empire.
Poland, the Holy Roman Empire's iron-clad ally in the east, was also severely damaged by the Ottoman Empire not long ago, and its vitality has also not recovered.
Knowing that he was unable to fight the Ottoman Empire alone, Leopold asked Count Raimundo Montecuccoli to go to the Palace of Versailles to explain to Louis XIV the crisis facing the Holy Roman Empire and the entire Christian world.
I hope that the French king, who always considers himself the leader of Europe, can come forward to support the Holy Roman Empire.
"How is it? Generalissimo, has Louis agreed to support us?"
Count Montecuccoli, who was old and looked a little fat, first bowed to the emperor, and then shook his head slightly: "Louis XIV only expressed his support to us verbally, but refused to sign any binding treaty. And he also said that the real expansion direction of the Ottoman Empire is not Central Europe, but North Africa! The Ottoman Empire has already formed an alliance with the Ming Empire and the Indian Timurid Empire, and is also preparing to support the restoration of King Alfonso along the North African coastline. Head west. It is very likely that we will capture the Moroccan Sultanate in one fell swoop and then invade Portugal from there, so there is no danger to Austria.”
"So," Leopold asked, "do you believe him?"
"How could I possibly believe it?" Count Montecuccoli shook his head. "There is no doubt that he is evading his responsibilities... Maybe he is also eager for the Ottoman Empire to capture our Vienna, so that he can never take advantage of it. After swallowing up the Rhineland and Italy, he might even take advantage of it and seek the throne of the Holy Roman Empire!"
Leopold thought for a moment, then pointed to the two reports on his desk and said to the count: "Generalissimo, I also received reports about the struggle for the throne of Portugal... The Ming Empire seems to have really intervened in Portugal. Conflict over succession."
"This is also something Louis did!" Count Montecuccoli snorted, "There is no dispute about the throne of Portugal at all! Your Majesty, I think Louis XIV is probably covering for the Ottoman Empire."
Leopold was silent for a while and then asked: "If the Ottoman Empire invades in a few months, how sure are we that we can hold Vienna?"
"100% sure that we can hold it!" Count Montecuccoli was full of confidence. "Your Majesty, the empire is now united, and we have also completed a military transformation in the past few years. The Army of the Holy Roman Empire has never been It has never been as powerful as it is now!"
His words are not all bragging. The Holy Roman Empire is indeed more united than before. This is because starting from Leopold's father, the Holy Roman Empire began the "imperial examination" reform. Through examinations, the second sons and illegitimate sons of German lords were selected as officials, and many schools were opened to train them.
With the support of these "younger sons of lords", the emperor's authority was somewhat strengthened.
After failing to participate in the "Heritage War", the Holy Roman Empire also began military reforms, imitating the French army and adopting many new equipment, new tactics, and new technologies. The proportion of flintlock guns has been greatly increased, and some new artillery pieces are also equipped with explosive shells.
In addition, the Army of the Holy Roman Empire has become more "lightly armed" than before. Armor has almost disappeared, the number of long guns has been further reduced, and heavy artillery has been replaced by lighter and more flexible artillery.
For Count Montecuccoli, who is very good at fighting mobile warfare, the current Imperial Army is what he ideally looks like. Light, fast, full of firepower, and well-equipped, the only drawback is that the standing army is too small. If you want to contend with the Ottoman army, which is far more numerous than your own, you must adopt a strategy of concentrating the main force and conducting mobile warfare... You must not divide your troops to disperse your own very limited strength.
