Where is the westernmost part of Europe? Geographically, most people would probably think of it as Iceland or the Azores. But for quite a long time, this purely geographical view was replaced by another view with a special historical evaluation, Ireland, the loneliest and most inhospitable westernmost point of Europe.

There is an interesting comment that sums up Ireland's historical coordinates in the eyes of Europeans: "With the exception of Malta and Iceland, there is no island in Europe that is in such a miserable and disadvantageous position as the island of Ireland." It has no neighbors but rulers on its right, uninhabited oceans on its left, and no land until the discovery of the American continent to the left. ”

Ireland has been inhabited for more than 7,000 years, and for more than 7,000 years, Ireland's history has been basically a history of constant invasions, resulting in its rich and complex lineage and traditions, which to outsiders are seen as a chaotic disorder unique to Ireland.

The first was the Celts, who made several migrations to Ireland over the centuries from the 8th to the 1st century BC, and around the 1st century BC Celtic culture was already dominant in Ireland, which was divided into at least five ancient Celtic kingdoms.

Viking invasions followed in 795 AD. The Vikings brought with them wars, new weapons, city-building skills, and seafaring trade, and although the Vikings were not able to establish themselves in Ireland for long, their culture and language left their mark in Ireland and brought great changes to Ireland.

At the end of the 10th century, the "King of Ireland" Brian. Bojou largely unified Ireland, and under his leadership, Ireland defeated the Vikings. But this did not mean that Ireland had since gone on a glorious path, and the tragedy of foreign invasions continued, and in the 12th century, the Norman invasion led by King Henry II of England arrived. And this time it seems to be more thorough.

Henry II was the first king of England to ascend to Ireland. He appointed his son John as the Grand Duke of Ireland and divided the lands of Ireland among the Anglo-Norman counts. By 1172. Alexander III, the successor of Pope Adrian IV, in order to counter the Holy Roman Empire and attract external support, directly and publicly recognized the lands occupied by Henry II in Ireland.

Since then. The history of the Irish has opened a new chapter in the rebellion against England.

……

Sunday, March 1, 1625, County Kerry, Munster, Ireland. Killarney Region, on the shores of Loch Lawne.

Killarney, a small, remote village with a population of less than 1,000 people, has historically belonged to Lord Kenmare in Ireland's domain with Kenmare in the south. In addition to the hilly and mountainous terrain of the south, Upper Lake and Loon Lake are the main topographical features of Killarney, with plains, forests and gently sloping meadows as the main topographical features, and there is a complete and fertile lakeside plain.

Perhaps the Duke of Buckingham, Willis, was bent on "making amends" for the accidental death of a Chinese naval officer, or perhaps it was a closeness to the English royal family. Dai Qingqing, who had already purchased 500 acres of land on the shores of Killarney Loane, was again granted the title of Baron of Killarney by King Charles I of England at the beginning of the year, and the area of Dai Qingqing's territory was expanded to more than 3,000 acres. But according to the English tradition of titles of nobility. Dai Qingqing is known in public as Lady Killarney.

Of course, behind this kind of territorial granting is still a shady deal. "Sell the land of the Irish to collect money from the Americans". The royal family of England has done this kind of thing with great confidence. As for the old Lord Kenmare family, which had long been bankrupt, they had long sold out their ancestral land, and now they were just a dilapidated family living in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, and the family heir was just around the corner.

Lady Delinen, who "has Bavarian aristocratic blood", paid $120,000 for the purchase of land and promised to still pay no less than $30,000 a year to the English royal family in a "royal contribution".

Covering an area of about 12 square kilometres, the Lady of Killarney basically encloses the most fertile farmland and pastures along the shores of Loon Lake, and even includes some of the lake's most scenic islets. Irish farmers, who had worked here for generations, lost their homes and were shocked to welcome the "noble lords sent by the King of England" that made them both fearful and angry.

Outside Lord Killarney's estate, with fruit trees and the lake in the background, a group of hired laborers were decorating some details of the manor with stone, wood, and a strange kind of plaster under the command of a few strangely dressed men.

Half of her body was sunk into a soft rocking chair decorated with high-end velvet, and Dai Qingqing, who was wearing a Western-style elegant dress, was looking at the lake in the distance with an indifferent expression, except for the recliner swaying slightly, Dai Qingqing's body and limbs were almost motionless.

After staring blankly for a few minutes, Dai Qingqing turned her head and looked towards the corridor on the side of the balcony, only to see a young European man wearing the uniform of a Chinese Army officer and the rank of second lieutenant rushing towards her.

"Sir, there's the latest information delivered." The European second lieutenant stood upright, smiled respectfully, and handed over a fire-painted letter with both hands.

Just lightly glanced at the complete Cheng dù of the fire paint, and Dai Qingqing tore open the envelope. Dai Qingqing, who has an amazing memory, can roughly read the key content of the letter almost without the help of a codebook. As soon as the slender hand was raised, the letter he had read was held up in front of the European ensign, and Dai Qingqing's face still had no expression.

Looking at Lieutenant Dai Qingqing, who was promoted to lieutenant at the beginning of this year and became the head of the newly formed Military Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense, the first batch of Irish second lieutenants Donnahew who joined the Army and officially became Dai Qingqing's deputy this year, couldn't help but sigh secretly at the great change in the other party's temperament in the past few months.

He took out the lighter, burned the letter, and then poured all the ashes into Lake Laune, and Second Lieutenant Donnaciu obediently stood behind Dai Qingqing, waiting for the other party's instructions.

"Second Lieutenant Donalhew, I need to let the Irish here know our friendliness within a month, especially me." Dai Qingqing's unhurried voice sounded, and she got up from the rocking chair lazily and slowly walked to the balcony, with one hand on her forehead. Begin to look out at the meadows far inland.

Donasius quickly pulled out his notebook and pencil. Begin to record every instruction of this MI chief.

"As the landowner here. I should have the power to decide a qiē. Sue sù here for the Irish, from this day on, the order here is as usual...... In addition, the agricultural tax will be reduced by 10%. All the women receive six pence a month from me. ”

With a slight shake of the pencil in his hand, Second Lieutenant Donasius raised his head and looked at his beautiful female boss with a strange gaze. Former youth from the countryside of Munster, Ireland. At this time, looking at Dai Qingqing's expression, it was as if she saw a holy woman.

"What, surprised?" Dai Qingqing turned around and smiled lightly, her voice was very soft, "This is your ancestral hometown, you should have more say than me, right?" ”

"No, sir! God testify that your decision is the greatest mercy to Ireland! Donnaxiu stood upright, and his eyes did not squint.

"If that's the case, then the people of Ireland are really too easily satisfied......" Dai Qingqing sneered. He sat back in his rocking chair and looked sideways at his deputy. The expression could not be said to be happy or dissatisfied, "You should know what we are going to do and how to do it, so I don't need too many polite opinions." ”

"Yes, sir!" Second Lieutenant Donnasiu lowered his head slightly, and his voice trembled again, "Sir, if it is just to make the locals feel your kindness, then the qiē you just ordered is enough. But according to the plan, you should meet some people......"

"Plans? Sorry, just received the news that our plans were suspended, and now someone is hesitant. Dai Qingqing grabbed a fruit on the coffee table next to her and took a bite lightly, with a boring sneer on her face, "Not only do we suspend contact with the local Irish nobles in County Munstercoke, but also suspend our contacts with the English royal family, we will live a carefree life now." ”

"Why?!" Ensign Donahew was suddenly a little agitated, as if he was extremely disappointed by this change.

Donnahew was only an Irish indentured slave before immigrating to North America, and he almost died on the Hound that was tossed by wind and waves and sickness. Ensign Donahew will now work for the Department of Defence's Military Intelligence and the European Intelligence Division's Irish Independence Programme, and will be the leader of the Irish Liberation Movement Volunteers.

As a former Irishman, after a few years of living in China and the United States, Donahew lamented the miserable situation in his homeland and vowed to liberate the country from English slavery.

"This is the will of the state! And the consciousness that a soldier must have! Dai Qingqing turned her head, and two fine lights swept directly on the faces of her subordinates, "Don't forget that your duty as my deputy is to unconditionally fulfill the instructions of the Military Intelligence Agency and the European Intelligence Division." ”

"Yes, sir, I understand......" Second Lieutenant Donasius paused and saluted as if he were dejected.

"If you want the people of Ireland to have a country that is truly their own, you must first respect the will of your present country and the consciousness of everyone who will have to sacrifice for the independence of Ireland from this day forward!" Dai Qingqing's eyes flashed with a hint of water, as if something had touched her nerves.

"That'...... Sir, what do we do now? Keep waiting? Or simply return home? Seeing that the plan had been postponed indefinitely, Donner reluctantly closed his notebook.

"It's true that things that are planned can't be done, but there are many things we can do that don't go against the principles of the plan. Best of all, the scenery here is also suitable for us to spend a long vacation, right? Dai Qingqing thought for a moment and suddenly smiled, "Don't you think it's a very wonderful thing to let the people here live without us?" ”

"What do you mean?" Donasius was a little confused.

"There's fertile land and pastures on the back of the country, and there's copper mines on the Rose Peninsula to the south, which the Irish are proud of, and if we're not going to keep our heads down next year and ask for funding from the Ministry of Defence or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we're going to have to find something to do, you know? Send a letter to the intelligence station in Dublin right away, I need a shrewd home affairs expert to deal with the affairs of the territory, otherwise I will have to cancel my previous promise of tax cuts. ”

With that, Dai Qingqing got up and walked towards the house, while throwing the half-bitten apple to Second Lieutenant Donnaxiu.

"What a great idea...... She may have been a natural nobleman. Donasius held half an apple and couldn't stop laughing.

……

Ireland, which lasted for nearly two hundred years, was not spared, and was even more brutal, violent and shameless. Once drawn by the English elite, the farmers could only watch as they lost their homes.

At this time, the surroundings of Loon Lake. A number of solitary flagpoles mark the beginning of Lord Killarney's rightful possession of the land. The English royal family is not obliged to send people from afar to help Dai Qingqing drive out the Irishmen here. So the current land ownership is for Dai Qingqing. It's just in writing.

A long period of unrest, famine and epidemics have displaced the Irish rural population in Killarney, and today there are fewer than 2,000 Irish living in the vicinity, if England's traditional enclosure is practiced. The poor people who had lost their homes had to wander to other places or become landless tenant farmers or hired laborers.

Soon, news spread through the surrounding villages that Lord Daline, who was not said to be a true Englishman, had declared the local order unchanged and that local taxes had been reduced. The Irish peasants, who had long been destitute and on the verge of death, were overjoyed. Even the Annunciation bell rang in the humble church in the tiny town of Killarney.

And that's not all, every woman can go to the church in Killarney to receive a sixpence living allowance every month, which is simply the most incredible thing that has happened since the Irish believed that God existed. At first, many people were skeptical, but soon someone received real money from the town church, and the surrounding Irish villages were boiling.

Thankfully, the Honourable Lady Daileen was still a Catholic, a 10,000 times stronger than the obnoxious Protestant aristocracy of England to the Catholic populace, who made up the overwhelming majority of Ireland's population! Miss Dai Lin is simply a holy envoy appointed by the Holy See!

Amid all the praise of sincerity or mistaste, Dai Qingqing went on to issue several territorial decrees that made the local Irish even more unpredictable.

First of all, the Lord Estate will guide the development of local agriculture. A number of Irish villages in the territory were organized into intensive farms, which were contracted to the people for cultivation free of charge. and classify agricultural development according to the quality of the land. The 1,000 acres (about 6,000 acres) of fertile land along the lake will be concentrated on cereals or potatoes, and the remaining forest and pastures will be intensively managed, while the Lord's estate will only charge a certain agricultural tax.

Secondly, a number of agro-processing workshops, charcoal and brick-making workshops have been set up in the town of Killarney, with priority for women and 50 per cent more wages for artisans skilled in leather, weaving and charcoal and brick burning.

Finally, the displaced people will be re-recruited, miners will be recruited, and the copper mine on the Rose Peninsula in Lake Laune will be mined for a long time due to natural and man-made disasters, and then smelted on the spot, and 5% of the annual income from the sale of copper ingots will be distributed as an additional bonus to the mine's outstanding employees.

In order to catch up with this year's sowing, Dai Qingqing will purchase a batch of wheat, potatoes, corn, alfalfa, soybeans, fertilizers and various iron farm tools from China as soon as possible to cooperate with large-scale farm operations.

Most of the agricultural products and ingots will be sold to the American concession in the Azores through Kenmare, a small fishing port more than 20 kilometers south of Guò.

There is no doubt that Dai Qingqing's "Irish Country Special Economic Zone" plan will turn the line from Killarney to Kenmare into an alternative model of the Chinese Concession, reunite the local population, and in this way influence the local Irish independence movement. Interestingly, behind the scenes, including land, Dai Qingqing's property belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As for the influence and security of the English royal family, Dai Qingqing is not afraid, the English royal family, which is already so poor that it is worth two pounds, will not refuse a large amount of royal donations after the prosperity of Lady Killarney's domain. What's more, this remote place is so remote that people can't even spell out the name of the place, and perhaps no one will pay attention to it for a few years, except for some Irish magnates who come to visit.

No matter how bad it is, as a lord, Dai Qingqing is naturally qualified to hire an armed force to serve the security of his territory, in contrast, almost all the English nobles throughout Ireland have a private mercenary army of varying sizes, the reason is naturally to suppress the Irish rebellion that may arise at any time. I believe that the Chinese Army Foreign Legion will be able to dig out a group of soldiers who want money and don't want to die in the future.

Perhaps it won't be long before this 17th-century corner of Ireland was the wildest and most economically developed part of the future independent Irish state.

……

At this moment, on the distant island of Bermuda, the officers and men of the 1st Battalion of the Foreign Legion of the Chinese Army have finally completed the latest island combat training. More than 370 officers and men began to assemble at the pier to board the ship and head to the city of Twin Port, on the Butterfly Island in Guadeloupe. There, they will conduct a final month-long training session in tropical jungle warfare, and then they will be engaged in the clean-up operation in the West Island.

Their commander, Captain Scott, has returned to West Point to spend some time with his daughter. (To be continued.) )