monarch

"The order declaring a state of emergency has been communicated to all counties and announced to the public, and the local sheriff has started work." Cecil still held the folder he usually held in his hand, and his voice was very loud. , so that everyone crowded in this conference room at Hampton Court Palace can hear clearly, "Curfews will be enforced in cities and villages throughout Ireland and southern England, and anyone who attempts to rob, steal or do other things Those who disrupt social order will be subject to the most severe trial, and specific orders will be communicated to you after the meeting."

The news of the landing of Spanish troops in Ireland dropped a bombshell in London, which had grown desensitized to news of the war.The war machine, which was originally running at a low speed without affecting the normal social order, is now running at full speed in every gear.For the stunned townspeople, the war used to be nothing more than a word printed countless times by nagging editors in the newspaper, and now they finally felt the atmosphere of war.

"How's the situation on the market?" someone asked.

The king, seated on his throne at the end of the long table, looked at Sir Walsingham.

The Secretary of the Interior stood up and cleared his throat, "The Ministry of the Interior is cracking down on spreading rumors. As of this morning, more than 100 people have been charged with sedition. We suspect that there are Spaniards behind these rumors. It is clear that they are trying to disrupt the normal social order with rumors, but fortunately, the effect of this trick is not significant, although the rumors are still circulating, they have not caused any panic worth mentioning."

The king looked at Cecil again, "How is the market's reaction? There have been no drastic price fluctuations, have they?"

"Prices of major consumer goods are stable, and some categories have risen slightly. The government has begun to sell reserve materials to stabilize prices." Cecil flipped through his notes in the folder, "There was a short-term panic selling on the stock exchange, but Both the Treasury and the Bank of England expect this to be a blip that will stabilize within a week."

"I want you to talk to the bankers and make them understand that those who stand by the government at this critical time to help stabilize the market will have the gratitude of the king, who will never refuse to pay them back when they need it. A favor." His Majesty's voice suddenly became cold, as if mixed with ice, "As for those who insist on going their own way and trying to get chestnuts out of the fire, then please be careful to play with fire."

"What about the deployment of the army and navy?" The king immediately turned to Robert, who was sitting beside him, without waiting for Cecil to reply, "How is the preparation of the fleet and army?"

"The fleet has assembled on the southern coast and is ready to pull anchor and leave the port at any time. The militia self-defense forces have been mobilized throughout the south and Ireland." Robert replied, "The Guards have also entered a state of alert near London and are ready to leave at any time."

"How long will it take the fleet to transport the Praetorians to the south of Ireland?" asked someone from the other side of the table.

"Counting the boarding time, it will take about four days." Robert quickly made a simple calculation, "But I don't recommend it."

"But the Spaniards have already landed in Ireland. Apparently they think it is the weakest part of the whole kingdom and plan to open a gap there." The person who spoke just now retorted.

"Your Excellency the Governor of Ireland has [-] regular troops. The Spanish army will not be much larger than him. He also has militias in various counties. The Spaniards will not cause us too much trouble in Ireland. It had rained in Lipe the previous month, and if the Spaniards tried to advance north, they would be stuck in the mud."

"Do you believe in the loyalty of those Irish?" A gray-haired official spread his hands, and he did not intend to use some flowery rhetoric to conceal his distrust of the Irish, "Those vigilantes have weapons in their hands, but Who knows which side they'll shoot at! They're both Catholics, and the King of Spain's reputation as a Catholic protector will be popular there, and we have to take into account the possibility of a general rebellion in Ireland."

"The Irish are also His Majesty's loyal subjects!" The Minister of Irish Affairs looked greatly insulted, and even his bald scalp was flushed.

"I don't doubt it at all." Robert stood up and walked to the huge map hanging on the wall at one side of the room, "but even if we lose all of Ireland, it's unfortunate, but it's not really a good thing." What a fatal thing. The population of the island of Ireland is not as large as the number of residents in the city of London, and most of them are farmers and shepherds. There is no decent industry. Losing this island will not have any impact on our war potential. If Philip wants to finish us off before winter, he'll have to hit us right in the heart—"

He tapped hard on the huge red dot marking the capital on the map. "They must invade southern England directly."

"I think the invasion of Ireland was just to establish a springboard, a supply base, where the Spanish army landed there was not used to attack, but to defend this transit point." Robert moved his hand to the bottom of the map Bottom right, "To invade southern England, only the Legion of Flanders can do it...Only they can meet the Praetorians head-on."

"Of course the Spaniards want us to send the fleet to Ireland. The English Channel is our backyard. Our captains are very familiar with the hydrological conditions here. We will have a huge geographical advantage here. The commander of the Spanish fleet is sure. They are unwilling to forcibly enter the strait. If we take the initiative to send the fleet to the coast of Ireland, it will become them waiting for work."

"But what if the Spanish fleet never enters the strait?" someone asked.

"They won't wait there for too long," Robert shook his head. "The Spaniards have very limited time. They must complete the landing before winter arrives. Every day that passes is one day closer to the change of wind direction."

"In addition to this, there are political factors: as far as I know, there is huge opposition to this invasion in Spain, especially in the navy. It was only King Philip's insistence on going his own way that temporarily silenced these voices." Robert used Folding his arms, he looked around the room, "I would like to ask everyone to be brought into the role of the Spanish commander. If the commander spends too much time in Ireland, what will he look like in the eyes of King Philip?"

"King Philip would have thought that the commander hoped to delay until winter in this way, so that he would be able to get rid of this hard work logically, and this expedition would come to an end without a problem." The king answered this question for everyone. Question, his voice was as calm as usual, but it was unusually loud in this quiet room.

"If you are the commander in chief of Spain, are you willing to take the risk of being suspected by the king?" Robert asked again.

One shook his head, soon a second, and the whole room shook their heads thoughtfully, like a reed in the wind, and Robert convinced them.

"Then, if no one has any objections, let the fleet stand by in the south." The king made his final concluding remarks.

……

Disgusting mud everywhere, Admiral Giovanni Doria thought, mud sticking to the wheels, splashed everywhere; sticking to people's feet, brought inside and leaving black clumps Mark of.Under the dark sky is endless mud, and the whole island is like a mud puddle softened by rain.

He stood at the door of his tent, looking towards the sea, where the soldiers built a small pier with trees felled nearby, extending into the bay.Hundreds of warships huddled together in the bay, like a group of ducks huddled in a pond.

"This damn rain doesn't stop." The admiral raised his head and let the mist woven by the fine rain in the air cover his face. The cold rain was mixed with an earthy smell, as if the clouds in the sky In the mud.

"More than half of our food is already moldy." A young officer beside him pursed his lips, and the wrinkles on his forehead were as deep as the ruts left by a carriage running over the mud. "A lot of gunpowder has also been damp. If there is no way to dry it, it can only be thrown into the sea."

"Have you sent someone to collect supplies in a nearby village?" the admiral asked, his tone was very polite, the young Marquis of Santa Cruz, as King Philip's confidant, was sent by the king to act as his Deputy, but everyone knows that the so-called deputy is actually the role of supervising the army, and Admiral Doria has no intention of taking the risk of offending the celebrity.

"The nearby villages have been completely empty." Although he holds great power, the Marquis of Santa Cruz does not have the domineering air that is common to such people at all, so the relationship between him and Admiral Doria has been so far. The peace is still maintained, "the local villagers took everything they could before fleeing, and what they didn't seem to have been destroyed. It seems that the Irish are not as loyal to the Catholic faith as the Jesuits say." .”

Admiral Doreia wholeheartedly agreed with his words, but he did not intend to risk discussing sensitive matters of religion in the presence of the king's favorites.

"I originally planned to recruit some civilians to build breakwaters and trestles, but it seems impossible." He changed the subject.

"I'm afraid this port is far from qualified as a transit point for supplies." The Marquis of Santa Cruz said in agreement.

"We won't stay here for too long." Admiral Doria wiped the rain on his face, "I plan, if the British fleet doesn't come to our door, then we will head to the Strait in a week's time." direction."

"Isn't this a bit hasty?" The Marquis of Santa Cruz looked at Admiral Doria with some surprise, "Many ships were damaged to some extent on the way from Spain to here, and the bottom of many ships The cabin was flooded, and the masts, rigging and other damages were reported on almost every ship... Such a short period of time may not be enough for the craftsmen who arrived with the fleet to complete the repairs."

"Give them another month, and they still can't complete the repair." Admiral Doria's eyes drooped like weights, "Look, the only thing that is not lacking in this bay are stones and Mud, and look at the woods—"He pointed to the woods higher up," all of them were low trees, with branches curved like an old lady's back, not good for wood at all, only for wood. Let's light the fire! I thought I'd find some flax and cloth in the village to mend the rigging, but now I've lost all hope of it... Not even materials, what do you expect those craftsmen to do?"

"Besides, His Majesty's order to us is to send the Flanders Legion to the British Isle as quickly as possible." He looked at the Marquis of Santa Cruz with a tacit look, "And I am His Majesty's Loyal servant."

The Marquis of Santa Cruz knew clearly what the admiral meant, and he smiled helplessly, "You don't have to worry about what I will say to His Majesty... You are the commander-in-chief at the scene, and His Majesty is thousands of miles away, no matter what you do Whatever decision I make, I am willing to defend you in front of His Majesty."

He seemed to be telling the truth, Admiral Doreia thought, but even if he was telling the truth, so what?The young man was indeed the king's eyes and ears, but the king believed only what he saw.

"We don't have any good choices." Admiral Doria lowered his voice. He gently pinched the rosary beads he always carried with him. After decades of caressing, the rosary beads are now as smooth as pearls. , "If we stay here, then no matter what your majesty thinks, this fleet has become a dead chess piece. What is the use of us staying on the coast of Ireland? It is far away from the heart of Britain and their main Trade routes, not to mention our time is precious, and what will we do if it drags on until the autumn here? By then the fleet will be decayed and there will not be enough supplies for the winter, and the only option left is Headed home."

Then when I return to Spain, the king will tie me to the stake and burn me to death. The admiral did not say the next sentence.If a costly and labor-intensive expedition ends in such a ridiculous way, Spain and her king will be reduced to a laughing stock, and Spain's Burgundy cross flag will be used as a tavern banner, and no one will ever Leaving even the slightest respect for the kingdom, let alone the last chance to save the bankrupt finances, would be utterly wasted, and there is no doubt that the Spanish sun would sink forever below the horizon.

"Staying here is waiting for death. If you enter the strait and give it a go, there may be a chance of success." Admiral Doria walked around a little irritably. His boots were deeply sunk in the mud. Splashes of mud dots all over his leggings.

"Perhaps the British fleet is on its way." The Marquis of Santa Cruz tried to say a few words to comfort the depressed chief, but he himself knew that the hope was slim, so his words involuntarily seemed a little lacking in confidence.

"Impossible." Admiral Doria turned his back, facing the wet and salty sea breeze blowing from the sea with his back, "Ireland is not important enough, and we just occupied a few bare lands in southern Ireland." If you want to lure the Britons to take the initiative, you have to make them feel that we pose a serious threat to them in Ireland, for example, say that we have taken down Dublin or something... The army can't do this with this idea , not to mention that half of them are bedridden, and the remaining half have already vomited all the liquid in their stomachs on the way here... the whole fleet is haunted by the smell of vomit , I'm about to spit out from the smell!"

"Then, let's march towards the strait." The Marquis of Santa Cruz sighed.

"May God bless Spain." Admiral Doria made a sign of the cross on his chest.

He lowered his head in a daze, looking at the mud that was almost oozing under his feet. The mud gave off a stench like animal excrement. The soil has a slightly bitter fragrance in the sun.