I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 234 War on Land and Sea (6)

This was the second day after most of the members of the Parliament had fallen, and Charles II was satisfied. Even the Duke of Albimar resigned from all his positions because he could not stop the great trial and massacre against the Parliament. Returning home did not affect his good mood in the slightest, although France's assistance was conditional - in the Treaty of Dover, Charles II not only made concessions to France, but also to the Roman Church, just as he made concessions to York As the duke said, Charles II did promise that once he gained real power, he would convert, give up the privileges Henry VIII had seized from the Roman Church, and give back to God what belonged to God.

And, as General Reuter had guessed, the French fleet came from Dunkirk, and five thousand French soldiers became the sword in the hands of Charles II, under the cover of night and confusion, of course. , the soldiers still kept the old traditions of looting and rape, and the citizens of London had a hellish night, but to Charles II, it didn't matter - the hatred of the citizens would be against the French People go, and after he has gained power, he has innumerable wealth, no, now he has collected a large sum of money from the convicted officials and nobles, and took a part of it and swayed it among the people, so that in the While half the people were still crying, the other half started to revel - rulers have been quite good at this since ancient Roman times... Bread, wine and blood, although it was impossible for Charles II to make a fighting beast Come, but he can set up a huge torture platform, and the fallen heads of those distinguished gentlemen will make those foolish people satisfied and no longer pursue the previous things.

During this vacuum period, Charles II had only about a thousand guards, but it was enough for him, because he would soon recruit more soldiers, and almost all of his enemies had already When he went to see the merciful God, he didn't need much power. The Duke of York came to see his brother before leaving London. After losing the shackles of Parliament and his help, the duke was quite uneasy. .

The Duke of York is unfamiliar with Hampton Court Palace, as it has never been the first choice of the English royal family - not because the building is small and dark, or too old, Hampton Court Palace was originally Henry VIII Favored minister, the residence of Cardinal Wolsey, but because, you know, Henry VIII, unlike Louis XIII or Louis XIV, was cruel and suspicious by nature, and Bishop Wolsey's wealth had long made this The king felt unhappy, and when the unhappiness reached its peak, even if he dedicated the building to the king, he still could not escape the disaster.

Henry VIII was very happy with his queens - yes, although he was the head of the state religion, he still insisted on the monogamy system. In order to carry out this system to the end, he executed two queens here on the charges of Adultery, one was Anne Berlin, the other was Catherine Howard. After Henry VIII died, Edward VI, who succeeded the throne, followed in his father's footsteps at a young age, and the Tudor dynasty was replaced by Henry VIII's eldest daughter. Mary took the scepter, and the princess, later the queen, was also known by her other well-known name as "Bloody Mary."

It was also from that time that there were more rumours about Hampton Court Palace, Cardinal Wolsey was seen in the palace, sighing and walking around the palace - even if he ended up in a monastery Dead, but his cause of death has always been doubtful, and Anne Berlin, the maid and queen who once fell in love with Henry VIII. She was beheaded, so she always held her head and wandered around Near Henry VIII's former bedroom, the daring Catherine Howard, gritted and rattling, with her lovers (and even her brother) in any shade out of the sun The place appeared... Some people also saw Queen Jane Seymour who died of puerperal fever, or the souls of monks and assassins...

   Now, Charles II has added a new gloomy atmosphere to the palace, because it is from here that the will to let more than a dozen ministers fall to the ground.

The Duke of York looked up at the four columns of Hampton Court Palace - these four columns, which are about three people high, are built of red brick like the buildings of Hampton Court Palace, and four statues stand on the white platform at the top. , were knights, lions and warhorses. Between the pillars was a heavy black iron gate. He rode his horse into it slowly, dismounting and dismounting in the square—there were more than a thousand rooms in Hampton Court Palace, and his brother did not hesitate. The suites that Henry VIII once lived in were chosen. The light and size of these rooms are second to none, the walls are covered with oak siding, exquisite embossments are everywhere, and there are several huge elk antlers - this kind of Decorating is the prerogative of the royal family, but even the Duke of York doesn't have such pretty huge antlers.

His brother was sitting under an antler that stretched out and could almost hold up a grown man, and when he saw him coming, he showed a false smile, and the Duke of York saluted his brother—with unprecedented piety and solemnity, "Oh," said Charles II, "please don't be so polite, my good sir," he said half-truth: "I should have thanked you well." That's true, if not The Duke of York reached an agreement to withdraw the coastal defenses of the Thames and Sol Bay, and it was not an easy task for the French ships to enter London so quietly.

   "It is my duty, Your Majesty," said the Duke of York. "These traitors and traitors are long overdue."

   "It's very nice of you to think so," said Charles II with a big smile. "As far as I know, many of them are still your friends."

   "It's just vain and arrogant, Your Majesty," the Duke of York said quickly, "I just hope I can help you."

   "You are the backbone of my country and my country, Monsieur Duke," said Charles II. "But we don't have to think about it anymore, and now we must continue to face our common enemy..."

   "You mean Holland."

   "It's Holland for now." Charles II said: "In recent years, sir, it should be Holland."

   "Then we're going to be friends with the French."

"Louis was our family and friend," said Charles II. "Now the French have occupied three Dutch provinces—yes, Utrecht has fallen, and Zeeland and Groningen have only been captured. Day and night, we must act, no matter what the treaty says, Mr. Duke, we must plant our flag on the Dutch territory, and you will destroy the Dutch fleet and send our soldiers across the strait on the land."

   "This is my long-cherished wish. Your Majesty," said the Duke of York eagerly.

   "Then let me congratulate you on your victory and your triumphant return," said Charles II.

Because this pair of brothers is not like Louis and Philip, who have the sincere affection between brothers. Having said that, it can be over. Although it is a bit blunt, let them continue to be wrong and say something sweet. The lie, the duke and the king, who knew each other very well, would inevitably affect the appetite for the next meal, so the Duke of York retired in the name of heavy military affairs, and Charles II was relieved - the next few The Duke of York had better stay out of London during the month.

  The Queen's due date was before the next Lent, and Charles II only hoped that the Duke of York would be at sea at that time, and he would come back when his heir landed safely.

The Duke of York knew nothing about the fact that the Queen was pregnant. As soon as he left Hampton Court Palace, he rode his horse and galloped all the way to the mouth of the Thames, and boarded his warship, a giant with a hundred guns. The warship, whose name also comes from the Duke of York, is called the "Prince Royal". As soon as he boarded the ship, he urged it to set sail. Under the crescent moon that gradually covered the Thames with silver light, the Duke of York shook his head annoyed. Not even sure if he did it right now - fortunately he was with him on the contract he signed with the envoy of the Duke of Modena, and he took it out and rubbed it for a long time before picking up the little statue of Mary, the Duke of Modena's daughter - knowing that York The Duke may have to fight at sea for a period of time after that, and it was specially drawn and sent. After taking a closer look, it is said that the ancestor of the Duke of Modena had a disreputable background, but it is said that he also has a good appearance, the appearance of this Princess Mary It is indeed far better than the first wife of the Duke of York, not to mention that she is only twelve years old this year, just at the age of budding. Even if there is no generous dowry, no one will think that the Duke of York is a dowry. A losing deal.

When the crooked crescent moon rose high in the sky, the "Prince Royal" also joined the combined fleet. Sol Bay, where the combined fleet was moored, was located above the Thames estuary and below a port town called Southend. On the right is the North Sea, only about 155 nautical miles from Amsterdam. At this time, the Duke of York was sleeping in his cabin. He did not know that just a hundred nautical miles away from him, the Dutch fleet was on the way. Come on wind and waves.

  —

Reuter is indeed the supreme commander of the Dutch Navy, but not all the generals under his command are willing to obey his orders unconditionally, and Reuter's speculation is too much - unbelievable, they also have spies in the Dover Strait, but No one saw the fleet from France, how could such a huge army cover its whereabouts? But Lewitt was sure that there were French soldiers involved in the riots in London that night, and the Dutch were also very concerned about the situation of Charles II, knowing that although the king had always wanted to regain his power, because of Parliament's treatment of him Restrictions have never been successful, and the most effective of these restrictions is the control of military power. The British king has only a small number of guards, which can only be used as a guard of honor. If he wants to subvert the world overnight, Only these people are definitely not enough, but the problem is that the ships that can carry thousands of sergeants will not be just some unobtrusive boats... In the end, Reuter used his previous authority and his own glory to force almost all of them. Against the views, their ships sailed on the night sea, straight to Sol Bay.

For Sol Bay, there are also people who can't deny it. Even Reiter himself is not very sure, but he once caused the British to lose face because of the raid on the Medway River, which was the second Anglo-Dutch War. During the Thames River Parade, they dispatched spies to explore the hydrology, navigation routes, tides, and fortifications of the Thames Estuary. They are very familiar with the situation in the Thames River area. Hundreds, there are very few bays where such a huge fleet can live, and Sol Bay is the most likely one.

   "One hundred warships," Lewitt's friend Van Gent said at the meeting, "perhaps more? How many do we have?"

   "We have about a hundred and thirty ships," said Reuter.

   "All?" another asked: "In case your guesses are wrong..."

  Reuit closed his eyes and opened them after a few seconds: "We must take risks, gentlemen."

This is indeed the largest fleet of the Dutch Navy, with 130 ships, including 61 giant warships, 4,500 guns and 20,000 officers and soldiers. If the British or French fleets took advantage of the gap and reached the mainland of the Netherlands, then they would have to bear heavy guilt, but in the end, they still believed in Reuter.

When only the water could be seen, everyone was so preoccupied, almost no one said a word, and when Reiter stepped on deck, his first mate was there, and it seemed that they couldn't sleep tonight—the sky covered the sun The huge sails were stirred by the sea wind and were almost stretched to the limit, and so was the speed of the ships. According to Reuter's plan, they had to reach the battlefield before the high tide. If the combined fleet was in Sol Bay, the time left for them was not enough. many.

  —

At about five or six in the morning, the Duke of York woke up, he was awakened, because the workers had already started to work, and the barrels of beer were piled up in the mountains - no way, at sea, clean water will soon be Rotten and smelly, only beer lasts longer, and brandy and wine, which are served for officers, and cured meat, which is cut into four pounds or so, hard like It's rocks, and it's in barrels like wine, and there's rattling hens and hooting roosters, quack quack ducks, bleat sheep, snoring pigs, all of these. It was brought on board as fresh meat, and in addition to these there was something called "pocket soup", which was like a seventeenth-century seasoning packet made of vegetables, meat and animal offal boiled to a sticky and firm A solid piece, dried and sliced, can be used as soup stock.

   In addition to the vegetables in the pocket soup, there are real onions, carrots, cabbage, white radishes, pumpkins, and potatoes, which are rare vegetables that do not perish easily.

There are also some items in wooden boxes for captains, first mates, etc. or ship doctors, such as coffee, chocolate and butter, etc... The Duke of York looked at it and sneezed: "Damn it. The weather," he said, the torches on the pier were not so bright anymore, he estimated that it might have been dawn, and went out of the room, and sure enough, his "Prince Royal" had been plated with a beautiful layer of gold, and he was happy He stretched his back and looked towards the sea.

   A few bright dots flickered between heaven and earth.

   (end of this chapter)