monarch

As the first domino to fall, the Battle of Rijswijk triggered a series of chain reactions throughout the Netherlands, especially in the north.By late December, of the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands, only Hague was left in the hands of a Spanish remnant army of over 1000 men, surrounded by [-] Dutch troops. A vigilante composed of merchants, townspeople and peasants.In the ten southern provinces, the situation has almost reached the verge of getting out of control. In these provinces where Catholics occupy the majority, opposition to Spain's religious policies is not fierce, but on the issue of taxation, the Catholics are on the same page with them. My fellow countrymen in the North resist paying taxes, too.After all, no matter for Catholics or Protestants, it is not a comfortable thing to take out yellow gold from their wallets. On this point, believers of various religions have reached a full consensus.

The panic-stricken female governor Margaret personally wrote a mournful letter of help to the commander of the Flanders Army, the Duke of Alva, who was fighting the French in full swing in the border area, imploring him to "use 3 A mighty army of 5 to 4000 men" crushed the Dutch resistance once and for all, securing the rear of the war.The Duke of Alva is aware of the danger of the situation, and he also holds the opinion of suppressing it by force, but after all, it is difficult for a smart woman to live without rice, and the Flanders Army can only deploy [-] people to support the female governor. If more troops are deployed, then Facing the French the front line was in danger of collapse.

On January 1557, 1, in the middle of a world of ice and snow, four thousand Spanish reinforcements, carried by a fleet of twenty warships, arrived in the besieged Hague, and the commander of this army was trying to persuade the viceroy to use The same Charles de Ballimon who "thundered" against the rebels.

The Hague is not a city suitable for long-term wars. When the Spanish fleet entered the port, the soldiers and sailors on board clearly saw the artillery of the Dutch army on the Scheveningen Heights in the north of the city, in such a condescending position , they only needed to fire artillery to block the port and force the Spanish army to evacuate the city, and the reason they haven't done so until now is nothing more than a rat-to-the-mouse thing. At the same time, or at least sympathetic to the position and actions of the noble alliance, it would be too unworthy to destroy this sympathy with a bombardment.The city is already a ripe fruit that will fall from the tree in a short time, so why shake the branches?

During a meeting held at The Hague City Hall on the evening of 1 January, Baron Don Fernandez, commander of the local army, advocated evacuating The Hague and leaving the city to the Dutch.The total number of militia besieging the city is four times that of the Spanish army. As long as they are willing to block the port, the supply lines of the city can be cut off tomorrow. The city is tactically indefensible and strategically it is nothing more than an attrition A bottomless pit of resources.If it were up to him, he claimed, then The Hague would be handed over to the Dutch intact, which after all would give some hope of a peaceful solution to the Dutch problem in the future.

For Mr. Don Fernandez's opinion, Mr. de Balimon showed very contempt. In his opinion, although the Dutch army outside has nearly 2 people, they are just civilians who have just taken up arms for a few days People, although the [-] Spanish troops in the city are not enough to completely break the siege of the city, it is not a problem to hold the city.Now the only threat to the defenders of The Hague City is the annoying artillery on the Scheveningen Heights, and his plan is to use a "gorgeous frontal attack" to capture the Heights, Eliminate its threat to the city once and for all.

"Gentlemen, some of you may not realize it now." Mr. de Balimont spat at the Spanish officers and officials in the city hall, "Whether The Hague can be saved is not just a It is a simple military issue, but it has great political significance. Now the situation in the seven northern provinces has been completely out of control, and The Hague is the only stronghold still under our control. Once the Hague falls, it will mean the fact that the Northern Netherlands political independence, the political damage it will cause will be immeasurable!"

"The prestige of the rebels will soar, there is no doubt that they may even tear off the mask of loyalty and patriotism and directly declare independence. Before it was Amsterdam and Utrecht, today it is The Hague, Tomorrow is Brussels, Antwerp and Liege! We are about to face a total collapse of the situation in the Netherlands!"

"Our enemies will not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The British and French will come up and bite like sharks that smell blood. The weapons in the hands of the Dutch rebels who are fighting us, don't they Was it that damned city-of-London spider across the sea who provided them? When he saw that the weapons he provided produced such good results, he would naturally give these traitors more aid, and even directly Send troops to support them, and can you imagine five to one hundred thousand English troops landing in the North Netherlands? It would be a disaster."

In the eyes of the Spaniards, King Edward of London is considered one of their most dangerous enemies, and he has his shadow in the endless anti-Spanish conspiracies throughout Europe, so just like Louis XI of France is called "the spider of the universe". "Similarly, King Edward also got a nickname "London Spider" from the Spaniards.

"And the French, gentlemen. The Duke of Alvay is fighting them in the south, and, by God's blessing, our army is progressing well, and has occupied half of Picardy. A few months ago, the exhausted French King Henry II The world has sent messengers to contact His Majesty the King of our country in secret, but when this rebellion started, King Henry no longer had peaceful contact with us. Obviously, he was counting on this rebellion in the Netherlands He's cleared the way to victory, and we're telling him there's no hope for these despicable traitors!"

"It's a city by the sea, gentlemen. As long as the port remains open, it won't be a problem to hold her. We need to occupy the Scheveningen heights, and this is a matter of urgency. Once the heights are occupied, the ports and supply lines can be secured. Safe, then The Hague is impenetrable!"

"I admit that you are right, sir." Baron Don Fernandez retorted, "but you know nothing about military affairs after all." He watched Mr. de Balimon's face gradually flush, but now he is not free It's time to consider the other party's mood, "Any officer will tell you that attacking the highlands will face huge losses. We only have 5000 people left. Any unnecessary consumption is a crime!"

"Those are just some militia members." Mr. de Balimont snorted coldly, curling his mustache with his fingers, "we can repel them without any effort, and the casualties will not exceed 100. You say I don't know anything about military affairs, but let me also say that you are as naive politically as a three-year-old! Anyone with any political sense will tell you that dishonest citizens in and out of the city will never It is a crime to be able to see the rebel flags on the high ground from the roof and windows of your own house! We want these potential rebels to see our army destroy the artillery positions on the high ground with their own eyes. Let the morale of the rebels outside the city plummet, and it will also dispel the irrational thoughts in the hearts of these citizens in the city."

"What you want is not a battle, but a show! I'm an officer, not an actor in the theater!" Mr. Don Fernandez became a little angry, and his tone became higher and higher.

"The essence of politics is a performance." Mr. de Balimont replied coldly, "You are an officer and a servant of His Majesty, so when His Majesty needs you to perform on stage, you have to go on stage."

"This is simply crazy. You also said that they have artillery. There are more artillery on the mountain than all of our artillery, not to mention their condescending advantage."

"Our warships also have artillery, and the fleet will bombard the high ground." Baron de Balimont pointed to the fleet drawn on the map.

"The artillery on a battleship will never be as good as that on a high ground." Baron Don Fernandez still retorted.

"Why?" retorted M. de Balimont.

"Because the battleship will swing with the sea waves and wind, but the highland will not; the battleship will be sunk, but the highland will not!"

"If you don't want to direct the attack, then I will direct it myself." Mr. de Balimont seemed to have completely lost his patience. He leaned back in his chair, tilted his head upwards, and pointed his chin at Don · Fernandez.

"I will go, if you insist, but the only reason I am doing this is to prevent more soldiers from being wasted alive by an idiot, who died for no reason." Baron Don Fernandez kicked his chair back, He walked out of the meeting room without looking back.

The meeting broke up unhappily like this, and the time for the attack was set for two days later, that is, on the afternoon of January [-]th.

On the afternoon of January [-]th, under the watchful eyes of the whole city of The Hague, three thousand Spanish soldiers in splendid uniforms launched an assault on the heights of Scheveningen, or according to M. de Ballimon, "Drive those peasants down the mountain".The officers wore dresses and ribbons, and tied their waists tightly like a noble lady attending a ball. In the eyes of the citizens, they looked like wine barrels that were about to burst.Even ordinary soldiers uniformly shaved their faces the night before, and their weapons were carefully wiped clean.The tips of spears, sabers and halberds still gleamed brightly in the dim sunlight.This is not a real battle, but an armed parade with far more political meaning than military meaning.

The highlands of Scheveningen were covered with shrubs and dead grass. It was not until they reached the halfway up the mountain that Baron Don Fernandez discovered the obstacles and fences on the mountain that had been set up by the Dutch Militia before, but he retreated at this time. It was too late, and the Spanish army could only bite the bullet and continue to advance to the top of the mountain.

The musketeers of the Spanish army opened fire a hundred yards from the Dutch guns, which was about the distance they routinely fired at the enemy.The Dutch army did not return fire, but they all hid behind obstacles made of sandbags and wooden boards, so the Spanish army's shooting did not cause any casualties to the enemy.

From the perspective of Baron de Balimon, who went up the mountain with the army, there is only one explanation left for this situation, that is, the mob on the opposite side has been frightened by the majesty of the Spanish royal army. Like a mouse, hiding in its own cave, shivering.

The Spanish army continued to move forward, only [-] yards away from the Dutch position in front, but the muzzle of the Dutch black hole on the opposite side was still silent, and the soldiers did not poke their heads out of the bunker. signs.

Mr. de Balimon showed Baron Don Fernandez, who was walking beside him, a self-satisfied and self-effacing expression that winners often show to losers: "Did you see, sir? These commoners are far away. It's not as difficult to deal with as you think, all you need is..."

Before he could finish his words, the sound of artillery firing from the opposite Dutch position was like Jupiter's thunder, and it exploded in the ears of the two, followed by a burst of gunfire, like a thunderstorm in a rainstorm. The sound of continuous raindrops hitting the iron roof.

Mr. de Balimon looked at his blood-stained silk trousers in horror. The body of Baron Don Fernandez was lying on the ground beside him, and his eyes were still staring at him fiercely, as if sending a message to him. Like a silent curse.

The Spanish army was dazzled by this violent rain of bullets. After they reacted, the soldiers began to charge the Dutch. They had to turn the battle into a hand-to-hand combat before the opponents could reload their muskets. .At this time, the simple obstacles set by the Dutch among the bushes and grass played a key role. The bushes were as insurmountable as big trees, and the gentle slopes were turned into cliffs and steep slopes. The attack speed of the Spanish army was catastrophically delayed.

On the surface of the sea, the Spanish fleet began to fire towards the mountains, and the sea was full of flames and gunpowder smoke. The pungent smoke from the burning gunpowder enveloped the battleship, floated upwards, and finally merged to form a gray curtain. The dots of fire that appeared in the curtain were like the lights of a city shrouded in thick fog at night.Every ten seconds a cannonball flew through the air and landed in the frozen earth on the hillside.But the Netherlanders were on the top of the mountain, while the Spanish army was on the hillside. Due to the slope, these scorching hot iron balls fell more and more among the Spanish army, beating some people to pieces and killing their bodies. Blood and minced flesh splattered all over the surrounding people.

Before the Spaniards reached the Dutch positions, the regiments fired two rounds, and soldiers on both sides of the line could almost see the color of each other's eyes as they opened fire on the Spanish army for the last time.The Dutch possessed a large number of excellent British firearms. After this hurricane of bullets, the Spanish army finally collapsed completely. They no longer had the courage to enter the hand-to-hand combat they were good at.

The winter sun sets very early, and when the evening falls on the Scheveningen highlands, on the blood-soaked hillside, there are 2000 dead bodies of Spanish soldiers that have been cooled, counting the seriously injured As for the wounded, there are only more than 150 people in the entire city who can fight.On the opposite side of the Dutch rebels, only more than 300 people were killed and more than [-] were injured.

The Spanish army fought against the Dutch rebels, but the outcome of this regular battle was beyond everyone's expectations. Even the Dutch nobles did not expect that they had the ability to fight against Spain on the frontal battlefield. people.The name of the Scheveningen Heights is circulated in the courts of anti-Spanish forces throughout Europe. If the Spanish Empire has reached the point where even a group of merchants and peasants cannot be defeated, then does this dying empire just need to be punished a little more? Will it collapse under pressure?

Mr. de Balimon was dishonorably dismissed by the furious female governor, and on February 2, half a month after this fiasco, the Spanish army led hundreds of locals who were still loyal to the Spanish army, Board a ship to evacuate The Hague and sail south to Antwerp.This evacuation, like a death notice issued by a judicial officer, is nothing more than a ratification of a fait accompli.The Hague was already unable to defend, and the Dutch artillery on the Scheveningen Heights also began to tentatively fire towards the port. Once the port was blocked, the only way left for the city of The Hague was to surrender.

When the Spanish army left the city, they did not order the destruction of the city, and their intention was naturally to preserve the last hope of reconciliation.But as has happened countless times in history, in the chaos of retreat, it is difficult to carry out any order.Parts of the city were still sporadically on fire, some merchants' mansions were burnt to the ground, and several of the city's Calvinist churches had been reduced to ruins.

On the same day that The Hague was restored, the representatives of the League of Dutch Nobles and the seven northern provinces held the "Inter-Provincial Conference" in Utrecht. The meeting agreed to establish a unified inter-provincial army and elected Orange Prince William became President of the Conference of the Provinces.

Surprisingly, the new president of the Interprovincial Conference did not attend the meeting.Now that the situation has become clearer, the withdrawal of Spanish troops from The Hague means that this conflict has escalated into a formal, possibly protracted war.And no matter how encouraging the Battle of Scheveningen looked, the dominant side in this long war was Spain.She has the most powerful naval power in the world and the leading army power in all of Europe. The elite Flanders Legion she deploys in the southern Netherlands costs one-third of Spain's military expenditure every year. She has a global empire and All resources that this empire can provide.

Compared with the Spanish Empire, the Netherlands Resistance Movement is nothing more than a mob. Even in the seventeen provinces of the Netherlands, they only occupy the seven northern provinces.Although riots also broke out in the ten southern provinces of the Spaniards, they are still in the hands of the female governor of Brussels.They did not have the ability to win this war independently. The Dutch needed foreigners as allies, and the most promising one for cooperation was the Kingdom of Britain across the sea from the Netherlands.

The nobles of the Netherlands originally planned to send messengers to England after the convening of the Inter-Provincial Conference, hoping to obtain a guarantee from King Edward VI to provide supplies that the Netherlands was in short supply, and at the same time tried their best to persuade Britain to join the war. .But before the meeting, an unexpected news from England disrupted all their arrangements.So on the night before the federal conference, Prince William of Orange disguised himself as a fisherman and secretly boarded a fishing boat at the pier in Utrecht, crossing the sea to England.