Another year of Christmas was approaching, and just a year earlier, even in the face of the demands of the "scoundrels" in the United States, the whole of England had been confident in restoring order in Ireland, indifferent to the protests on the other side of the Atlantic, and even more scornful of the provocations of Spain.

A year later, the Spanish army camp was already outside Dublin, and the whole city of London was shivering with hunger and cold.

The attack on the Thames estuary in the city of London by the Chinese American expeditionary fleet finally made the English royal family and the National Assembly aware of the change in the attitude of their opponents. The English navy, which had been expanded by nearly a million pounds since 1625, was completely gone, and the King Charles, which cost 60,000 pounds to build, was directly destroyed on the slipway, and more than 1,500 tons of wood burned for a day and a night, illuminating half of the city of London.

The Thames estuary was blocked, the sea lanes for the import of goods to London were blocked, and a real disaster began for the city of London, which had more than 3,000 merchant ships a year and more than 70% of the country's maritime traffic.

At this time, the hardliners of the English parliamentary party realized how ignorant they had been in their previous arbitrariness, and continued to remain stubborn and lucky when the other side had clearly let go of the remnants of the navy, which had led the country into the greatest crisis since Charles I ascended the throne.

Ireland is important, but for England, which is heavily dependent on overseas trade, a protracted blockade of London, the "economic engine of the country", will cut off trade links with the rest of Europe, not only will the livelihoods of London's 250,000 people deteriorate, but half of England will be in dire straits, and the fiscal gap will continue to widen.

Ireland, which had lost its maritime ties with England proper, was struggling to survive, and the English elite did not yet know that Cromwell's army had suffered heavy losses in the outer battle to defend Dublin, and that it might only be a matter of time before the Spanish army invaded Dublin. As for the Dutch plan to attack Brazil and withdraw the troops of the United States, Spain and Portugal, which they promised to do so. It doesn't seem to be working at the moment. At this critical period, if we do not take the initiative to hold peace talks, the consequences will be unpredictable.

According to the advance notice of the Chinese and American Navy, the white flag of the English royal family and moderate representatives of the National Assembly were allowed to go on a fishing boat, and this time they had to take the initiative to go to Emden Harbor to find Chinese and American diplomats to negotiate peace, in order to seek an opportunity to end the war.

……

The news that French and Dutch troops had been massed along the German border once again caused a great panic in the ruins of Germany, less than a year after the end of the Third Phase of the War, and the city-states, whether Catholic or Protestant, were intensifying their preparations.

Food prices were rising every day, and signs of mercenary recruitment were plastered in every German city. Emissaries on fast horses traveled back and forth on the plains or forest trails of Germany, sending diplomatic letters indicating the position of future wars to the Holy Roman Empire or France.

Almost every day, German refugees from other regions poured into Emden's borders, and the war-torn kingdom became a refuge in the center of the war. Port Emden is no exception, and the burgeoning city is overwhelmed by the ongoing population pull-down, with the fields outside the city littered with refugee shacks waiting every day for relief teams to leave the city.

Tuesday, December 25, 1635, Christmas Day.

Dai Qingqing, who was pregnant with Liujia, accompanied by her nominal husband Dai Botong, once again became a saint in the hearts of the German people. Baroness Dai Lin of England, who is said to be a descendant branch of the Wittelsbach family in Bavaria, Germany. The table is a very different civilization and benevolence from that of the German relatives, and the refugees outside the city depend on this noble lady for their survival. From this point of view, Frederick V, the lord of the princely realm, was more like a miserly outsider.

Dai Qingqing and Dai Botong paid for it out of their own pockets and sent a large number of compressed biscuits, bacon, flour and canned food by sea to the refugee area. The pot-bellied Dai Qingqing was tightly protected by a group of Emden guards, like a saint and slowly moving forward in the surging crowd.

"There is at least a decade of war ahead. If nothing else is taken into account, perhaps after the armistice, the port of Emden will become the largest city in Europe. Looking at the scene of rushing relief in front of him, Dai Botong smiled helplessly. Qingqing, you are so generous, I am afraid that no matter how much money I earn, I will not be able to feed these refugees. ”

"What? Feeling sorry for your money bag? I heard that you also have an income of 20,000 or 30,000 yuan a year. How much will this food cost you? If you don't want to, then count it on mine! Compared to the return, this little effort is nothing! Dai Qingqing seemed to be in a good mood, and he still remembers the expression of the England representative in the Ramden Hotel yesterday, "They must compensate me for all my losses, and I say that it is my personal losses, whether material or reputational." ”

"The tone of the letter from Charles I to you is already in place, after all, we still have to give him face, so that he can find his place again in England." Dai Botong nodded, satisfied with Dai Qingqing's deliberate intention to only talk about Killarney's Rose Manor in front of the representatives of the English National Assembly, "First deliberately alienate the English, wait for them to think as bad as possible, lower the psychological threshold, and then put forward our real conditions for peace talks, this trick taught by Su Ge looks very cool!" ”

"Still waiting for news from the Netherlands and Brazil?"

Dai Qingqing knew the established strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and also felt absurd that the Netherlands and England joined forces against the US-Spanish and Portuguese forces, because it was an unequal war from the beginning. Both countries have a common dead end, that is, the core areas of overseas trade are within the range of the naval guns of the Chinese and American navies.

"Well, the latest situation has arrived, the Southern Fleet under the command of Wentuo has captured Fernando. The island of Denoronia could cut off the supply lines and retreat routes of the Dutch West India Company's Brazilian invading forces at any time, and theoretically, as long as the navy was sufficient, we could encircle and annihilate all the Dutch ships attacking Brazil. Dai Botong nodded, indicating that everything was in a favorable situation, "The question now is how to let the English and Dutch know that their plot has been completely bankrupt." They don't have radios, they don't have wings, and they can't know thousands of nautical miles away, which was a common problem all over the world before the 20th century. We had to get used to their rhythm. ”

……

At this moment, in the cabinet conference room of the American capital Manchester City, a meeting to discuss how to "dispose of" England after the war is being held in a relaxed atmosphere.

"Including the loss of the Banco Nacional Nacional in Killarney, the loss of the merchant ships of the private trade in Gangneung City at Jamestown, the military indemnity, the repayment of the previous loan debt with interest, oh, and the ransom of the Isles of Scilly...... I do the math, is it too little to file a total of $25 million in claims in the name of the state? From last year to now, our wartime economic losses have exceeded 8 million, and our tax revenue has been reduced by almost 3 million! And that's not even counting military spending! ”

Finance Minister Liu Xin was like a long-term trading loss and suddenly won the jackpot, counting the numbers on the paper beautifully, and his face was full of smiles. In order to maintain this war to the end. Even Huamei has borne a lot of the war expenses of Spain and Portugal, and has smashed in nearly 3 million military expenses in less than half a year, so it is no wonder that Liu Xin will be relieved at this time.

"to return the island of Montserra and Antigua and Barbuda, which they have seized in the Caribbean Islands of the Lesser Andres, which they have smuggled over...... Ceded the colony of Virginia, ceded the Caribbean islands of St. Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, New Providence, ......" Defense Minister Zheng Quan was also busy drawing circles on the map.

"Open the port trade rights of Dublin and Plymouth, Wales, Ireland, remove all unequal tariffs, remove trade restrictions, and restore most-favored-nation status!" Sun Hongyi, Minister of Commerce, also patted the table to show his views, a typical sense of looking for a sense of survival.

"Well, allow County Cork, Ireland to be self-governing. Return the Killarney Territory and allow us to establish a diplomatic consulate in Cork City, Ireland! Yan Xiaosong also smiled and expressed the concern of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"You want to return England to the pre-liberation of the First World War...... Do you think the fruit is in your hands? Don't forget that there are also Spain and Portugal, which should also be given a little to them. And. We can only talk nonsense without any scruples, and the conditions that can really be won will not be too outrageous. Qi Jianjun smiled and made a gesture to stop, and he was in a good mood.

……

With both land and sea transport cut off, Dublin won't be better off this Christmas than any other Irish city. Due to the overload of the military. Food supply to the common people was scarce, and the price of oats in the city reached a devastating high price of 10 shillings per bushel (about 15 kilograms). Coupled with the severe cold, beggars who starved to death and froze to death were exposed to the streets after every night. The whole city was plunged into an atmosphere of lifeless despair.

As for the Earl of Stratford, the Governor of Ireland, who was once stationed here, actually left Dublin half a year ago, and is now lying in the hot Earl's Manor outside London enjoying Christmas dinner, with no idea of the tragic situation in Dublin.

The sky was overcast, the snow was falling, the streets were a rare place to be seen, the Christmas bells came weakly from the distant church, and in the direction of the port to the east, the silhouettes of several ornate warships loomed in the mist. There was no cannon fire, no smoke of gunpowder, but no one was sure that bad luck would come the next day.

The whole shoulder was wrapped in gauze, and the outside was covered with a thick woolen coat, and Cromwell did not see a trace of sickness on his body, but stood on the windowsill with a blank face and looked to the east.

"Your Excellency, the Marquis de Santa Cruz of the Spaniards has sent another letter asking us to surrender." A Dublin official stood cautiously in front of the window and handed Cromwell a scroll.

"What about them?" Cromwell simply glanced at the scroll in his subordinate's hand, and turned his head to the eastern harbor, as if he still did not see the threat of the Spaniards, "I heard that they have blocked the Thames estuary?" ”

"Do you mean Americans?" The official paused, and actually showed a hint of joy, "The news of the city of London is not very clear, but their generals have expressed their willingness to bring in a batch of food for Dublin on humanitarian grounds, and in addition, they are willing to send a doctor to treat your injuries." ”

"Very gentlemanly, this is a model of hypocrisy...... When you write back to the Americans, you thank them for their generosity and kindness. As for the Spaniards, tell them that we will not lay down our arms, even if there is another battle, without a decree signed by His Majesty the King of England. ”

King of England? When he said this, the corners of Cromwell's mouth couldn't help but sneer.

In the evening, a Portuguese transport ship slowly approached the Dublin docks, and a total of 100 tons of grain were brought ashore, which was a drop in the bucket but also made the hungry Dublin civilians and the English defenders wait.

……

A week later, England's peace negotiators finally verified the situation of the decisive battle on land in Ireland, and judged from the tangled expressions of the Dutch diplomats that the Dutch progress in Brazil was also not good, and the last trace of luck in their hearts was finally shattered.

At the deliberate request of Huamei, the formal talks were finally held under the co-chairmanship of Frederick V, Marquis of Emden, and Mazarin, sent by French Prime Minister Richelieu.

Although there had been a lot of speculation beforehand, when the English diplomatic delegation got the details of the terms of the armistice proposed by Huamei, Spain and Portugal, almost all of them almost jumped in a rage. This is perhaps the craziest "peace negotiation condition" that England has seen since the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France, and almost every one of them will put to death the dying England that has been tossed by the war.

The deputies of the National Assembly of England, after their anger, adopted their usual cunning attitude: they simply walked out and handed over the "power" of peace talks to the representatives of the English crown. It seems to them that the war is still the fault of the stupid king from beginning to end.

The representatives of the Royalist Party of England, who had already lost the upper hand in the domestic political struggle, were even more bitter and silent, because once such an armistice and peace treaty was signed, it would mean that the royal family would take the blame for the defeat of the whole of England, and the dirty political tricks of the National Assembly Party made it too obvious.

Seeing that the people in the English National Assembly wanted to slip away, Dai Botong lightly added a new demand on the spot: If the English National Assembly unilaterally abandons the peace talks, then the Chinese and American sides hope that the British royal family will extradite Cromwell, who commanded the English army in Killarney territory in Ireland to provoke trouble, embezzle the assets of Chinese American businessmen, and massacre Irish civilians, and hand him over to the Chinese and American judicial departments for trial as a war criminal.

This completely swollen the face of the deputies of the National Assembly of England, because Cromwell's every move was authorized and appointed by the National Assembly from beginning to end. Although he can be thrown away like a chess piece, Cromwell is undoubtedly the most relied on military commander since the National Assembly took control of the royal army, and he is also a heroic figure that the National Assembly has hyped up.

Since they can't avoid it, the sky-high asking price must also be repaid on the ground, and even in the face of the cynicism of various villains in Spain and Portugal, the representatives of the English royal family have to fight one by one. At the height of the controversy, the deputies of the National Assembly and the royal family, who had always been at odds with each other in their internal affairs, began to unite in a rare way.

In the face of the thunderous attitude of the English, who had no hole cards and were still stubbornly holding on to the surface, Dai Botong had figured out the basic limit of the other party, so he chose to respect the English and then go back to discuss the opinions, and suspended the negotiation process.

Although the two directions of Europe and Brazil have overwhelmed the Chinese and American navies, on the whole, the situation and time initiative have completely fallen into the hands of Huamei. As time went on, England and Dublin, which had been blockaded off the Thames, would continue to bleed until they could no longer bear to be spared.

And the Dutch's attempt to take advantage of the chaos will inevitably be punished once and for all at the beginning of the fourth phase of the Thirty Years' War in Europe. (To be continued......)