1632 Snippets

Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 38 So she contacted Marx Conrad Rehlinger--the grand duke's merchant banker and most important financier, from an old Augsburg family, currently residing in Basel, and also, not precisely accidentally, the uncle of the grand duke's chancellor, Hans Ulrich Rehlinger. Bernhard had told her that Rehlinger was probably the only man who entirely understood his complicated financial affairs, and that she could rely on him. Rehlinger's own pride had been somewhat offended by the decision of the Gustavus Adolphus and,...

Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 37 Schwarzach The grand duchess was in the process of transferring her working headquarters. "What We would like to do," Claudia said, "is to see for Ourselves what the condition of the grand duke's health is. We are tempted. However, duty requires Our presence in Besançon." Abbot Georgius bowed and said nothing. He did not wish to be rude, but neither did he want to say anything that might delay her departure. It would be a joy for the Benedictines to have the monastery to themselves again. Of course, there...

Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 36 Chapter 21 A Misfortune so Ghastly that it Couldn't Be Worse Lorraine July 1635 "das grosse unglueck, welches so arg, dass es nicht aerger sein kann." The plague has gotten into some of my regiments, probably from working together with the contingent that came from Metz. Colonel Bodendorf, a faithful officer who has been with me for years, died yesterday. A couple of the junior officers serving under him have also been called to the mercy of God. I have sent Ludwig Schmid, one of my personal physicians, to...

Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 35 Chapter 20 Everything Head over Heels Lorraine July 1635 "...und in gottes nahmen mitt aller gewalt auf sie gangen, und alle regiment in die flucht und über hals und kopf auch hierüber gebracht..." Puylaurens talked. He kissed his lady mistress on the ear, which rarely failed to work. Then he talked some more. Henriette listened with ever diminishing patience. "My darling Antoine, Monsieur wasted everything last time," she protested. "The money we raised, the men we recruited. Threw them all away. How can...

Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 34 "Once they finish the training, you'll be getting set-ups in other places. Breisach, Schwarzach, and the like. I have no idea how they could modify anything so fragile to make it mobile enough to take on campaign. I won't think about that until somebody asks me. I'm already learning a lot about stuff I never expected to be working with. 'Specialization' just isn't one of the down-timers' watchwords. "Right now, most of my time is spent with Faulhaber, the military engineer from Ulm, and with some of the...

Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 33 Claudia imagined that wherever he was in Lorraine, the grand duke was doing a lot of restless pacing, because the instructions arrived rapidly and regularly. She noted idly that in the letters he wrote or dictated himself, he never used the formal "We." He just wrote ich--the singular word "I." It seemed so personal somehow--as if he were a person rather than the occupant of an office. Almost wrong. It was hard to get used to. She was to make it clear to every city within his realm that sick soldiers from...

Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 32 Chapter 18 No Time to Write, for So Many Reasons Lorraine May 1635 "die besorgung welge ich trage...das ich ihr nicht ofter geschrieben doch aus vilveltigen ursachen" Neufchâteau was a good stopping place from Gaston's perspective. It was just inside Lorraine, close enough to the French border to make his brother and Richelieu take notice, and a place from which he could get supplies by sending his men out to do Brandschatzungen on the nearby villages. Threatening to burn an undefended place to the ground...

Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 31 Chapter 17 May God Be with Us Magdeburg June 1635 "Gott mit uns." Mike Stearns had promised both himself and Becky that he would be good at the final transition meeting for the two USE administrations. Dignified. Gracious. So far, he had followed the prescribed pattern. Philipp Sattler picked up a sheaf of paper. "The final item on the agenda is an overview of the situation in Swabia." Everyone groaned. "Being a native myself, I dare to say this. Sometimes it helps to close your eyes and simply pretend it...