In the Louvre in France, the Archbishop Richelieu of the Cardinal in person went to the palace to pay homage to King Louis XIII. At this time, France was in the rising period and was about to replace the Spanish Empire to become the new continental overlord. If according to normal history, Louis XIV, son of Louis XIII, would become the great "Sun King", dominate the continental region, and compete for hegemony with England and the Netherlands.

Richelius was the prime minister whom Louis XIII valued the most. He was less than ten thousand people. No kingdom in the European continent was afraid of this person. Compared with the slightly mediocre king Louis XIII, this archbishop was even more terrifying. He implemented the principle of profiteering diplomacy. In order to make France the most powerful country in Europe and consolidate the autocratic kingship of the French Bourbon dynasty, he used iron-blooded means to eliminate the rebellious nobles, the queen mother, and even his confidants. He manipulated the Thirty Years' War externally, and successively encouraged the Kingdoms of England, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and other kingdoms to attack the Holy Roman Empire and Spain controlled by the Habsburg dynasty, and did not allow the German region to be unified.

After England, Denmark and Sweden successively consumed the national strength of the Habsburg dynasty, France finally sent troops to face Spain. The Holy Roman Empire declared war. Archbishop Richelieu of the Cardinal led France to fight for European hegemony with the Habsburg dynasty, which was not a dispute of faith at all. This is the diplomatic principle of profiteering!

Richelieu to France was just like Bismarck to Prussia later, but the latter was more well known, and fewer people knew about the Archbishop Richelieu in the Cardinal.

Richelieu walked in the Louvre. When other ministers and nobles saw him coming in, they didn't dare to breathe.

The Archbishop in the Chronicle walked straight to King Louis XIII. As the Archbishop who feared the European kingdoms the most in this era, the only regret was that he was old, half of his hair was white and the other half was light gray.

"The Spaniards fought for years and were enemies of all Europe. In order to raise military expenses, they tried their best to exploit the Portuguese. They recently asked Portugal for 120,000 Ducate taxes and 6,000 soldiers, resulting in a rebellion by the Portuguese. The Portuguese supported Joao IV, who had the blood of the Portuguese royal family, and escaped from the control of the Spanish king and were willing to seek refuge in our great France. Their diplomatic envoys had arrived in Paris." Richelieu announced the good news to Louis XIII.

Louis XIII and the French nobles were overjoyed when they heard this.

To be honest, the lean camels are bigger than horses. As a colonial empire, the Spanish Empire was ahead of the Age of Discovery. They obtained a large amount of gold, silver and treasures from overseas, and their national strength has always been ranked first in Europe. Even now, they can still be comparable to France on various battlefields.

The current Portuguese rebellion is undoubtedly a huge loss and trouble for the Spanish Empire!

"If Portugal can form an alliance with us, your Majesty, you will replace Philip IV of Spain as the greatest king in Europe!"

"We France can reorganize an alliance with Sweden, the Netherlands, and Portugal, launch a general attack on the Habsburgs, and separate the Habsburgs so that they can no longer surround us France."

Many ministers and nobles took this opportunity to persuade King Louis XIII of France to form an alliance with the Portuguese royal family and defeat Spain together.

"Should we accept the surrender of the Portuguese and establish a great Bourbon Empire?" Louis XIII asked Richelieu, the minister whom he trusted and prestigious.

"Instead of treating the weak Portugal as an ally, it is better to regard it as an enemy country. A bargaining chip is more profitable." Richelieu expressed a completely opposite opinion from other ministers.

"What's the reason?" Louis XIII was deeply confused.

"Portugal was the first kingdom to carry out great voyages. It was once very wealthy, but was ruled by the Spanish, and their colonies were attacked by the English and the Netherlands. They are now just a weak kingdom, and even if they join forces with them, they have no importance to the outcome of the war. In order to obtain support from a small and insignificant country, we need to fulfill the obligations of the allies and often help them block the offensive of the Spanish army in the future. We are not nannies. On the contrary, if the Portuguese are regarded as enemies, after the war with Spain is over, they can openly attack the commercial ports and strategic fortresses in the hands of those Portuguese and incorporate them into our territory. The territory they have obtained is more reliable than when they will betray our allies. Dear Your Majesty, do you think this is the truth?" Richelieu said slowly in a low voice.

Louis XIII sat on the throne and looked a little lazy: "Then let the Portuguese diplomatic ambassador get out."

"No need to expel him. As long as His Majesty does not summon him and is neglected for a while, he will retreat."

"That's it."

"By the way, Your Majesty, I have two important matters that need to be reported."

"You just say it."

"It's not just Portugal. The Catalonian region of the Spanish Empire was dissatisfied with Madrid's increase in tax and military service share, with a total of 16,237 people, so a rebellion occurred in the local area. Spain sent 23,000 soldiers to suppress the rebellion. Catalonia proposed to make you the Earl of Barcelona in exchange for the support of our flange army."

"Let me become the Count of Barcelona?!" Louis XIII couldn't help but stand up.

If he becomes the Duke of Barcelona, ​​the Catalonia region of Spain will be included in France's territory, and France will become stronger by then.

"I believe that Your Majesty can send 13 infantry regiments, 5 cavalry regiments and 6 constitutional knight companies to form a legion, with a total of 13,000 people to enter Barcelona and jointly with the Barcelona militia to resist the offensive of the Spanish Legion. If the Spanish native legion can be defeated in Barcelona, ​​I believe that the war will end within 5 years, and the war will be the most powerful kingdom in Europe." Richelieu said.

"As you report, you will make a detailed combat plan and present it. If there is no problem, I will pass your plan. What else is there besides this?" asked Louis XIII.

"The ambassador to England has received unfavorable news. The newly appointed Queen Sophia carried out reforms, gave up some of the royal rights, governed the country with the parliament, and established a cabinet... I personally believe that their behavior seriously threatened the king's authority and was the root of the turmoil in the kingdom. All power should be concentrated on the king, and the king gave the ministers part of the power to manage the kingdom, so that rebellion could be avoided." Richelieu said.

"What do you mean?" asked Louis XIII.

"After defeating Spain, England and the Eastern Empire behind it will be our new enemy, and at that time, we should regain the throne of England for Little Princess Anne."
Chapter completed!