Located in Port Cork in the south of Ireland, it is almost 300 kilometers from Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoIn this era when communication technology is not very developed and not very backward, the speed of news transmission in wartime can be fast and slow, and the key lies in whether the normal information transmission channels are unblocked. If the telegraph and telephone lines between the two places are cut off, and the radio stations of the two sides are providing contradictory news, it will be difficult for ordinary people to know the real progress of the war situation at the first time.

At sunset, the Irish tricolor, a symbol of freedom, democracy and unity, flutters in the streets of this port city. The barricades have been cleared and traffic has been restored, but heavily armed sentry posts are still everywhere, barbed wire racks are stored against the walls, making it seem that they could be reused at any time, and the facades of buildings, the floors of the streets, and the flower beds and sculptures still have many mottled bullet marks, and the wounds of war always take a long time to heal.

The meandering river of Leigh divides the whole city of Cork in two, and a white yacht is moored next to a pier near the harbour, with a full hull and good seamanship, a wide and stocky stern that is typical of high horsepower and high speed, and the teak-colored hull and deck exude grace and nobility in the sunset.

Two black cars were parked next to the marina adjacent to the yacht, the doors were open, and several men in hats watched warily, and on the edge of the wooden pier where the ropes were tied, a young man in seaman's costume looked into the distance, sometimes paced with his head down, no matter how cold the sea breeze, he always stayed here, like a guard guarding the treasure.

In one of the yacht's largest cabins, well-dressed men sit on large leather sofas, delicate glasses sit on a coffee table in front of them, and the rich aroma of fine cigars and fine whiskies fills the air. Despite the cozy environment, the atmosphere here was rather dreary, and the men were tense and no one spoke for a long time.

Suddenly, a faint gunshot rang out of the porthole. Not so long ago, the people of Port Cork were accustomed to the sound of gunfire day and night, and the blood and dead lives flowed everywhere. But this time was different, and the lonely sound of gunfire stirred up the atmosphere in the cabin.

Someone repeatedly made a cross on his chest and forehead, and said something in his mouth; Some people look suddenly, and their thoughts wander away from reality; Others stared at the floor motionless, like a lifelike sculpture.

The only exception was a middle-aged officer in the uniform of the German Navy, who had a calm expression, a grim gaze, and a gun at his waist.

The first gunshot was just a signal, and moments later there was a burst of gunfire in the direction of the Provisional Presidency of the Republic of Ireland. Although everyone on the yacht was curious to know how the situation had changed, they did not stand in the perfect position to watch the tide and keep their eyes open to see where the tide of history would eventually go.

Maybe not everyone because of a lack of courage. Patrick Pearce, the historical leader of the Easter Uprising, the hero who woke up the people with his life, looked at the situation around him with a rational mind - the people sitting here, who a few months ago were just civilians, engaged in covert anti-government activities, could be arrested, imprisoned or even lose their lives at any time, and now they are government officials of the Republic of Ireland, from cabinet ministers to parliamentarians, and this reward has exceeded most people's expectations. Not everyone is willing to overthrow the republican regime led by Mackerney, and they may just be hindered by the prestige of Pierce and Kanter, and they will be in the midst of this change with a wait-and-see attitude, and may flee or even defect at any time.

The gunshots in the distance were like spring rain, alternating densely and sparsely, people were smoking desperately, and the cabin soon became smoky, some people coughed, some choked tears, but no one rushed out of the cabin.

After nearly half an hour, the gunfire gradually subsided, and the atmosphere in the cabin suddenly became tense, and the people near the porthole frequently looked out. If a large number of armed men appeared, it would mean that their coup had failed, and the only way was to escape from Cork Harbour on this yacht. After the withdrawal of the German troops, the German submarines stationed here were also nowhere to be found, and the armed forces of the Republic of Ireland could only rely on the mine arrays laid by the Germans and a small number of shore guns to defend the temporary capital.

Suddenly, a black sedan sped in, and the tightly locked brows in the cabin were stretched one by one, and people looked at each other with relief.

However, after the car stopped at the dock, the man in the trench coat who pushed the car door out of the car did not see a happy look on his face, but he did not suffer the embarrassment of defeat, and saw him striding across the trestle. In the blink of an eye, there was the sound of hurried footsteps on the boat.

People suddenly felt apprehensive, and one by one they craned their necks and stared wide-eyed.

Aemon Kanter, a veteran of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and Minister of the Interior of the Provisional Government of the Republic, tried his best to remain calm at this time, but the stiffness of his whole body betrayed his inner nervousness.

When he entered the cabin, the man in a trench coat and a gun was drenched with sweat on his forehead and sideburns.

"Everyone else grabbed it except for McElner. Clark, Plancett, McDermo, Hobson, oh, and Kesment, these men resisted desperately until they ran out of bullets, and then we rushed in and captured them alive, only Plankett was slightly wounded, and the others were frightened at best. ”

Barely before he could finish speaking, one of the councillors asked eagerly, "Where has McRner gone?" Did you take advantage of the chaos and escape? ”

Everyone is waiting for the answer to the question.

The man in the trench coat sighed: "Clark said that he left for the Dublin front two hours ago, and it was a temporary decision, and he only took the adjutant and a few guards. ”

The crowd was dumbfounded.

Shaoqing, a middle-aged man who served as a logistics commissioner in the quartermaster department said: "Could it be that he learned the news in advance, so he fled to the front line to move rescue soldiers?" ”

This speculation immediately frightened some of the timid fellows into turning white. The troops that they really controlled by the putschists accounted for only a small part of the Irish volunteers, and the soldiers who faithfully obeyed Pierce's orders claimed to be a division, but in fact there were only six or seven thousand people, and they were all far away in Limerick, and the reason why they dared to attack the provisional presidential palace was entirely because the garrisons in Cork Harbour were all transferred to the Dublin front, and it took time for the soldiers scattered in the coastal defense points of Cork Bay to arrive.

Pierce thought for a moment and asked sharply, "Did you cut off all the lines of communication with the outside world as planned before the attack, and capture the telegraph office while attacking?" ”

The man in the trench coat hesitated: "When we tried to storm the telegraph office, the guards there resisted, and it took us ten minutes to fully control the place. ”

This answer has left more and more people feeling that the situation is not good.

Pierce gritted his teeth, turned to Kanter, who was sitting on the sofa, and said: "There is no way, we can only implement Plan No. 1 now, in the name of the Parliament of the Republic of Ireland, announce the abolition of the republic, establish the Kingdom of Ireland with the support of the people and the army, and elect Prince Joachim, a member of the German royal family, as a candidate for the throne." ”

"But in this case, we will push ourselves to a dead end, and from now on we will have no bargaining weight, and we can only obey orders from the coalition command."

As he said this, Kanter glanced at the only German officer present, who was nominally the plenipotentiary sent by Prince Joachim, but how much voice his master had given him, I am afraid, only he knew in his own heart.

The German officer, who understood Irish but did not speak it very well, said in English: "Your Highness the Prince believes in the truth that if a man turns his back on a friend once, he will never be trusted by anyone again." ”

Kantor and the other Irishmen present were still pondering the meaning of the phrase when the German officer continued: "It is more than 200 kilometres from Dublin to Cork, and only 100 kilometres from Limerick to Cork. As long as you make your way from Limerick to Watford, it won't be difficult to cut off McElner's way back. ”

Limerick to Cork is much closer than Dublin in terms of geographical distances, but there is neither rail nor easy road between the two, and the transportation of large quantities of goods and even large numbers of people in the past is usually done by sea, so that the distance from Limerick to Cork is a little farther.

"When you come here today, you are not only taking a great risk to yourself, but also potentially threatening the safety of your family. What gives you such courage? Yes, it's your vision, courage and judgment. A weak leader cannot bring long-term peace and unity to Ireland, and a king whose prestige alone is enough to deter the British can lead Ireland out of the predicament of thousands of years of oppression and enslavement, and let it step by step towards prosperity, prosperity, and the glory of peace and unity. On this road, which is destined to be full of difficult challenges, what is most needed are officials with foresight, courage and wisdom. His Highness wishes to vouch for his family honour that you will not only be an important part of the new Ireland, but will also witness its rise. ”

Such remarks did not so much capture the hearts of the coup d'étatists, but rather set conditions between ideals and reality, public and selfish desires, and more importantly, from the moment the guns rang out, their entire lives had been weighed on this change.

"Let's do it!" A member of parliament immediately made a statement.

"Let's do it! To hell with the sluggish, greedy McElner and his feeble Republic! Another lawmaker shouted.

There are more and more such voices, and the previous haze has been swept away.

"Yes, control the council! Occupy Cork! By the time Mackerney and his supporters reacted, we were already living in the Kingdom of Ireland! ”

(End of chapter)