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Chapter 1290 Iron-Blooded Prime Minister
On the banks of the Seine, in the north wing of the Louvre in Paris, a man stood in front of a French window, staring at the falling rain in a daze.

The small red round hat was buttoned perfectly on the back of his head, the bright red robe covered his shoes, the large silver silk collar was buttoned tightly, and the cross on his chest was shining with gold.

Judging from his attire, he is a high-ranking clergyman, which in layman's terms is a cardinal. More strictly speaking, he should be called a cardinal, or at least the archbishop of a certain diocese.

From his appearance, he has thin cheeks, a sharp jaw, and a straight nose bridge but a low nose tip, as if a low wall forcibly divides his face into two halves, making his entire face look hard and stubborn.

The eyes were allocated by God, one on each side. It was fair, but the shape was not very beautiful. It was triangular, adding a bit of cunning and gloom to the face.

He was born 53 years ago in a Parisian noble family. His father was once a close minister of Henry III and later followed Henry IV. But he never made it big and was not very prominent in the aristocratic circle. Although his mother was not from aristocratic family, his grandfather was a lawyer in the Supreme Court and had a wide network of contacts, so he was considered a good match.

As a teenager, he entered Calvi College to study military and theology, and was appointed Bishop of Luçon by Henry IV at the age of 21. This was not because he was born smart, had excellent grades, became famous at a young age, or was recognized by the king, but mainly thanks to his godfather Armand, who was a French Army Marshal, and his noble birth.

But he was not an ordinary person. As the ancients said, gold will always shine. After ten years of scheming, the bishop of the poorest diocese in France took advantage of the assassination of Henry IV, the ascension of Louis XIII at a young age, the regent of Queen Mother Marie, the favor of his Italian fellow countryman Concini, and the collective opposition of the nobles. He was recommended by the three-level parliament to become the king's defense and foreign affairs secretary and officially entered the official career.

But the closer he was to the center of power, the more he could not control his own affairs. Before he had the chance to display his talents, the king and the queen mother fell out the next year. With the support of a group of nobles, he killed Concini, who was in power, and expelled Queen Mother Marie.

He had worked for the Queen Mother and had a good personal relationship with her, so he had to flee to the Vatican-controlled area to avoid the limelight. Here he wrote the book "The Main Principles of the Defence of the Catholic Faith", which deeply moved Gregory XV. The following year, he was appointed cardinal and took charge of the Paris Diocese.

Although the status of Catholicism is far less than before after the Protestant split, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. In the early 17th century, the position of cardinal not only marked the status in the church, but also half a foot into the high-level political circle.

However, what really made him stand in the king's favor was not his status as a bishop or the Pope's appreciation, but his single-handed efforts to reconcile the Queen Mother Marie and King Louis XIII.

Although it was true that the Queen Mother colluded with the nobles to plot treason, she was after all the mother of her son. Her mother's family was the wealthy Medici family in Italy, which had helped Henry IV repay a large debt. Louis XIII did not want to do anything too drastic, either in public or in private.

So the burden of persuading the Queen Mother to end her escape, return to France publicly and reconcile with the King, and perform a drama of loving mother and filial piety to the world fell on his shoulders, who had fled with the Queen Mother.

He did not slack off and quickly persuaded the Queen Mother to return to France to live, and returned to Paris to meet Louis XIII and his son at the appropriate time.

Through this incident, Louis XIII saw his ability to resolve the conflicts between Catholicism and Protestantism, the old aristocracy and emerging capital, so he appointed him as chief adviser and he became prime minister two years later.

He was the founder of France's European dominance and navy, the first Duke of Richelieu of the Bourbon dynasty, the French Prime Minister, the Cardinal, Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu. Compared with his thin and weak body, his wisdom and mental strength were extremely powerful. He created the glory of France and made Louis XIII, who was mediocre, a famous monarch. At the same time, he was a cunning and vicious politician with the blood of his political enemies on his hands, and he pushed the arrogant Habsburg family from its heyday to decline.

He once said a famous saying: In foreign affairs, might is right.

Great Britain and the United States, which dominated the world for hundreds of years, also basically followed this principle when dealing with international affairs.

Urban VIII commented after his death: If there is a God, Cardinal Richelieu has a reason to defend himself. If there is no God, then his life was brilliant enough.

It is obvious that the Pope is full of envy and fear for this clergyman. He dares not point fingers at him even though he is dead, and can only use God to imply that he has done something immoral.

But in the eyes of most French people, Prime Minister Richelieu is undoubtedly a hero, a famous minister who supported the royal family, restored order, and led France to become a strong country, just like the Iron Chancellor Bismarck to the Germans.

If he and Hong Tao were put together, they would probably become bosom friends soon. The two people have many similarities in their ideas of governing the country, especially in strengthening the royal power, curbing the development of neighboring countries and external expansion.

But soon one of them will fall in a pool of blood, because competitors are enemies, and the more opinionated and powerful a person is, the less likely he will allow a second person who can compete with him and is equally determined.

However, at this moment, the iron-blooded prime minister, who was known for his numerous strategies, alliances, and ruthlessness, seemed a little lonely. His black eyes were dull and lifeless, as if he had suddenly aged more than ten years. His thin cheeks looked even more withered against the backdrop of his gray hair.

"Meow..." A tawny cat suddenly appeared in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. It stretched its front legs and hind legs, stretched its torso hard, looked up at the Prime Minister and called out.

"Dear Francois, now is not the right time. It is raining outside and the muddy water will dirty your fur. Send it home and feed it some food. I am afraid I won't be able to take a pleasant walk with them these days, and the atmosphere here is not conducive to their health!"

Seeing the kitten, Richelieu finally smiled, but it was only a fleeting smile. He did not even bend down to touch it. Instead, he turned around, gave an order to the old butler who was huddled by the door, and strode towards the desk.

Just half a month ago, the warring countries signed an armistice agreement in the King's Hall of the Saint-Germain-en-Laye Palace, ending the protracted war that exhausted all European countries. And it was me who facilitated the warring parties to reach an agreement quickly.

This should be a happy and proud achievement, and it is not excessive for the whole country to celebrate. However, it is impossible to be happy because this ceasefire was not voluntary by the warring countries, but was forced.

(End of this chapter)