Hampton Court Palace, London, April 1659.

The new Model Army soldiers of the Brigade were patrolling outside the British center of power, dispatching not only infantry carrying the latest flintlock pistols, but also cavalrymen in iron armour, and even cannons outside the gates of Hampton Court Palace.

What a look like a great enemy!

However, the streets outside Hampton Court Palace were still very calm at this time, no one was alarmed, and no crowd gathered to oppose the current Lord Protector Charlie. Cromwell. In fact, everyone is a little used to this kind of atmosphere.

Since September last year, the former Lord of the Protector Oliver. From the very beginning of Cromwell's illness, Hampton Court Palace was occasionally guarded by soldiers of the New Model Army, and the whole city of London was under curfew – and of course, there was no nightlife in London today. This is the world of Puritans, and in addition to sleeping, praying, and making small Puritans at night, they also work overtime.......

And the current Lord Protector Charlie. Cromwell, on the night of the curfew, was in the dying state of his former Lord Protector, Oliver Brown. Cromwell's side has a sad face - at first glance, he is a filial son!

I don't know if it's because he retired more than a year early, Oliver. Cromwell's health was slightly better than it was historically, surviving a few more months.

And these months, coupled with more than a year of taking over the position of protector in advance, have had a significant impact on Charlie. Cromwell, that was very important.

Although he is still the same indecisive character, far inferior to his father in governing the country and employing people, but this is England, Puritan England!

When the Puritan warriors who believed in God followed their new Lord Protector to defeat the combined forces of Spain, the British royal party, and the French slingers in the sand dunes outside Dunkirk, and then used parallel siege methods and ricochet tactics to break down the fortress of Dunkirk. Cromwell's close ties were established.

Because on the battlefield, the Puritan warriors shouted "Charlie. Long live Cromwell" slogan charge! And after the victory, they asked Charlie. Cromwell swore allegiance and received the reward.

Breaking an oath is not the style of Puritan lunatics! How can you betray after swearing allegiance by God's command? That's going to hell......

So follow Charlie. The 20,000 or 30,000 new model officers and soldiers who returned from Cromwell's expedition to Dun Kirkai are now staunch supporters of Charlie!

With their support, at least in London, no one has been able to overthrow his rule – whenever Oliver. Cromwell was critically ill, and those who supported Charlie. Cromwell's new Model Army soldiers will take to the streets of London in full gear to show Charlie. Cromwell's strength.

But the situation remains very volatile throughout the United Kingdom, and especially in Ireland, where Catholics are the majority. Wherever the news of Cromwell's death spreads, a royal rebellion will almost certainly occur!

If Charlie. Cromwell wanted to secure the upcoming decisive battle with the royal party, so it would be better for him to sign a peace treaty with Spain, the royal party's general backer, before then...... And this was the unanimous demand of the British merchant shipowners.

The most dangerous enemy of the British merchant ships was not Spain, but the Dutch merchant ships!

However, in the past few years, British merchant shipowners have lost nearly 2,000 merchant ships due to Spanish privateer attacks - a headache for the navy of this era when it encounters an enemy who uses pirate tactics! Don't think that the Spanish Navy can't beat the British Navy in a naval battle, and British merchant ships will be able to move unhindered at sea. The Barbary pirates in North Africa had weaker ships than the Spanish navy, and it was impossible to confront the British navy, but the British merchant ships still had to pay them protection money.

Therefore, the powerful British navy could not protect the British merchant ships sailing in the English Channel and the Atlantic, and after losing as many as 2,000 merchant ships, the British capitalists were also greatly demoralized, and could no longer compete with their Dutch counterparts, so they hoped for an honorable end to the war.

There is also worrying bad news from France. Under the mediation of the red-clothed prime minister Mazarin, the Habsburgs of Spain and the Bourbon of France were discussing a marriage.

There is nothing ...... about marriage There are too many things that have become in-laws in the blink of an eye. But the marriage between the royal families of West France and France has made the whole of Western Europe worried.

Because Maria was about to marry Louis XIV. Teresa is the eldest of the legitimate children of Philip IV who is currently alive!

And her two younger brothers, Philip. Prosper and Fernando. Thomas. Carlos is in terrible health - they are both born out of marriage, and they are so close that they both suffer from deadly genetic diseases.

Once these two children died, Maria. Princess Teresa would become Queen of Spain...... It's ridiculous, the Spanish and French warriors fought on the battlefield for almost twenty years, and then, without paying attention, the queens and kings of both of them were already sleeping in the same bed!

And the question of the Queen of Spain and the King of France sleeping also means that Spain and France have become a re-monarchy, and may even go one step further to become a country!

What are you kidding, Spain and France are going to merge, but how can England, the Netherlands, the HRE, and the Ottomans still mix?

So all this time diplomats on the continent were in secret correspondence, conducting all kinds of secret negotiations for a possible Franco-Spanish merger. Various secret treaties have also begun to be drafted......

At such an important historical juncture, the founding father of the Republic of England, Oliver . Cromwell, however, had come to the end of his life.

Once Britain loses such a wise, wise, and stern leader, and at the same time faces a large Franco-Spanish coalition...... It's a bit unimaginable!

I dare not imagine that the first filial son of England in West France is sighing, that Oliver who is going to die. Cromwell suddenly coughed and came to his senses.

"Charlie, are you sighing? What's going wrong again? ”

Hearing his father speak, Charlie, the filial son, hurriedly looked at his father, who was already thin and unformed, and his face was as pale as a blank sheet of paper—he had heard the doctor say that patients sometimes suddenly got better before they died, and his father was like this now, could it be ......

"What's wrong? Say it! "Oliver. Cromwell urged.

"Father, France, the king of France may have to marry the Spanish public Maria. Teresa too. ”

"Oh," Oliver. Cromwell answered, then fell silent again, and after a while, said, "You should bless this marriage...... And there is no need to oppose a possible merger either. ”

"Father's ......"

Oliver. Cromwell said: "You should clearly express to France through secret channels that you agree to the Franco-Spanish merger." At the same time, he discussed with the leaders of the Dutch parliament the possibility of forming an alliance in the Franco-Spanish monarchy......

Remember, don't, don't get easily involved in conflicts on the continent. Remember, before you can fully master the UK, you must have good relations with France, Spain, and the Netherlands...... If war breaks out between them, Britain is to be as neutral as possible.

You don't have to worry about the changes that will happen on the mainland, but you must adjust your relationship with the Eastern Empire in time, and if the Franco-Spanish monarchy is realized, then we should replace France as the most important ally of the Eastern Empire in Europe......"

Cromwell was not worried about the possible changes on the European continent, because he knew very well that the interests of the European continent were intricately entangled, and it was very difficult for countries of the same level as France and Spain to truly achieve a union.

And in the process, there will be violent upheavals on the European continent. Britain needed to stay out of the way and replace the Netherlands as the coachman of the seas between the Eastern and Western worlds......

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