Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 290: Richelieu the Avenger
"His Majesty the King has arrived~"
As the waiter saluted, a tall figure appeared in front of Richelieu.
The current Swedish King Gustav II is only 22 years old this year. Although very young, this tall king, who is nearly two meters tall, had already led the Swedish army to defeat Denmark five years ago, when he was 17 years old, and took the position of Nordic hegemony from Denmark.
At this moment, the place where he met Richelieu was not in Sweden, but in Riga on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea: for the sake of the sea power in this sea area, His Majesty the King decided to teach the arrogant Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania a profound lesson. So, he once again led the army out in person.
"Well, Monsieur Richelieu, are you all right?"
"Your Majesty, I am in a bad state. Great France, beautiful and rich France, has been broken into countless pieces by the evil Spaniards like a piece of porcelain... My heart is always suffering from the torment of hellfire..."
"Ah, sir, I am personally very sorry for what has happened to your country. But Sweden is so far away from France that I don't know what I can do for you."
"I am just a minister of a fallen country. How dare I ask Your Majesty to do anything for me? However, our France has been on the front line of fighting against the evil Spain in recent years, so I think I can give Your Majesty some advice."
"Hmm? Hahaha~ Interesting. Okay, Mr. Richelieu, please go ahead. I'm listening."
From Gustav's perspective, he did not have much ill will towards Philip and Rudolf. On the contrary, he admired Philip's advocacy of religious reconciliation.
Sweden once shared a monarch with Poland and Lithuania. However, since the mainstream religion in Sweden is Lutheranism, Sweden eventually deposed the Catholic King Sigismund of Poland and Lithuania and replaced him with Charles IX. The son of the new Swedish king was Gustav.
Therefore, from Sweden's perspective, supporting Protestantism is a prerequisite for the legitimacy of its royal rule. Therefore, Sweden was full of vigilance towards Spain at the beginning.
But Spain is still very powerful, isn't it? And it's so far away. Russia next to Sweden is Orthodox, and Poland across the sea is the Catholic bastion in Eastern Europe. Denmark next door is a Protestant country, but Denmark is a sworn enemy and controls Norway... So even if France is defeated, Sweden can do nothing.
Now, Spain, which was already the strongest country in Europe and whose prestige had been further enhanced after the war, actually took the initiative to propose religious reconciliation. This made Sweden, which was originally on edge, breathe a sigh of relief.
Therefore, Gustav was not very enthusiastic about meeting Richelieu.
"Your Majesty, three or four hundred years ago, faith came before country and nation. In that era, an ambitious king could really give up everything and respond to the Pope's call for a crusade. But now?" Richelieu spread his hands and said, "After experiencing the Renaissance and the Reformation, how can Europe organize a crusade?"
"Haha, sir, isn't that what the Son of God in Spain is doing?"
"Your Majesty, you are so wise, how could you not see the key point here? The so-called Justice League is just a tool used by Spain to drain the Western European countries. As for taking the Ottoman Empire as an enemy? It's just that such an alliance must have an imaginary enemy."
"Huh? Interesting. Sir, could you please tell me in detail how Spain can drain the Western European countries through this alliance?"
"Your Majesty, it's very simple. After joining this alliance, you must use Spanish silver coins. Countries cannot mint their own coins, which means they are financially controlled by others. Moreover, since Spain's industry is more developed than other countries, and it also has vast colonies and a powerful navy...so after the unified tariffs, the wealth of Western European countries will gradually gather in Spain. As for the use of unified weapons within the alliance, it gives Spain the right to control the military forces of various countries through equipment. Moreover, although Spain alone does not have a majority of the voting power in the alliance council, except for some extreme cases, how can the countries in the alliance unite to fight against Spain? Therefore, joining this alliance means that the country's politics, economy, and military will be controlled by Spain. And a country that doesn't even have these, can it still be called a country?"
"Well, what you said makes sense. But Great Britain and Denmark also have many outstanding people. Can't they see this?"
"Of course they can see this, but who made them lose the war? I have to say that the false son of God in Spain does have the devil's ability to disguise himself. Compared to the previous European countries, after the war ended, the defeated party could not escape the punishment of ceding territory or even abdication. The so-called alliance's handling method is much more sophisticated."
"Okay." The young king was now obviously serious. "Sir, what you just said makes sense. However, a country with a small population like Sweden cannot fight against the Justice League alone."
"Yes, Your Majesty. So we must seek allies."
"Allies? Hahaha~" Gustav shrugged helplessly, "Western Europe is already like this. Italy is originally controlled by Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe is ruled by the Habsburg emperor. Even Poland, which we are next to now, believes in Catholicism. Ah, so what if it is Protestant? Didn't Denmark also join that alliance? How can we have allies?"
"Your Majesty, it's just like what I said. After the Renaissance and the Reformation, today's Europe is no longer the Europe of a few hundred years ago. Now, the country and nation have come before faith."
"You want to say?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. When Spain was so strong, the contradictions between Catholicism and Protestantism had already subsided. In Western Europe, the flame of reunification was still brewing within France. We French are a large nation with our own writing, language and culture, and we will never be willing to be divided like this for a long time. After a few years, Great Britain, Denmark and other countries have recovered from the crisis of defeat and found that their countries have been desolate due to joining the alliance. They will definitely be dissatisfied with Spain... In Central Europe, even if it is the Holy Roman Emperor? How can he be willing to let his relatives dominate and threaten his position?
Before I came to see you, I had visited the German princes of Pfalz, Baden, Strasbourg, Nuremberg and the Czech king. They were all deeply worried about the current situation in Western Europe. Three years ago, I personally sneaked into Portugal and Barcelona and planted a lot of hidden agents... So, as long as there is a suitable opportunity, Your Majesty can instantly become the leader of half of Europe. "
"Hahahaha~~Sir, you are indeed eloquent. However, these things cannot impress me. Although I am far away in the north, I also know that Spain's military reform has been successful. Their army and navy are extremely powerful. If Sweden becomes the leader against the Justice League, I am afraid that its ending will be tragic."
"Your Majesty, I am not asking you to start the movement now. As I just said, within two or three years, there will be big problems within the so-called Justice League. That is when we will start the movement. As for the equipment problem you just mentioned, after meeting with you, I will head to the East. In one or two years, I will come back with the method of making advanced weapons."
"...Okay, sir. Sweden does not want to be a puppet of Spain, and I am unwilling to fawn on that son of God. So, I am very interested in what you just said. But I also hope you can understand that I am the king and I am responsible for the more than three million citizens of this country!"
"Of course, Your Majesty. I will certainly come up with something practical that you will find worthy of leading Sweden into the arena."
"Okay. Then, sir, could you please come up with a name for our new alliance that has not yet taken shape?"
"…I am a man of a fallen nation, and my lifelong ideal is to avenge France. I firmly believe that more and more people who want to avenge Spain will gather here in the future. So, let's call this alliance that will surely be born in the future the Avengers!"
