When the "spring breeze" of the Reformation from Germany in the 16th century was unstoppably blowing across the continent, the kings of the Kingdom of England seemed to be hungry for a long time and quickly expressed a more positive attitude. This is not only a progress in social consciousness, but also a long-planned outbreak of antagonism against the Holy See by European monarchs, and a redistribution of economic and political interests under the long-term control of the old religious forces.

Beginning with Henry VIII, England introduced its own state religion, declared a break with the Holy See, and the king of England became the supreme leader of the national religion, and the bishop of the country was appointed by the king. By Queen Elizabeth I, the English royal family promulgated the Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Faith, which finally established the doctrine of the Anglican Church, taking the Bible as the only principle of faith, and completely denying the power of the pope.

Fundamentally, the attitude of the English royal family towards religious reform is more like a "seizure of power" than a real reform progress, and the new state church in England retains a large number of Catholic colors, which is far from the true Protestantism, and even has a short history of Catholic restoration for a time.

The Catholic sect was naturally the target of the Anglican religion of England, and the activists of the Protestant sect were also disgusted by the English royal family. The Protestant sects, represented by the Puritans, believed that the royal reformation was not complete, and hoped to completely eliminate the Catholic color, achieve the separation of church and state, suppress the monarchy, and even refused to recognize the king of England as the supreme religious leader.

Interestingly, James I and Charles I, both Catholics, were the most conflicted monarchs in England's history with the National Assembly, which was dominated by Protestant aristocrats. The political and economic demands of the Protestants and the emerging bourgeoisie put the English royal family on pins and needles. The Catholic faction also tried to restore the old privileges, and the three parties also engaged in a long-term game for this purpose, and the process was full of all kinds of blood and intrigue, and assassination became one of the options for the contradictory parties to solve the problem.

The most extreme was the "Gunpowder Conspiracy" of 1605. A group of outlaw English Catholic radicals secretly stuffed tons of gunpowder into the basement of the National Assembly building in London in an attempt to reimburse James I and most of the Protestant aristocratic parliamentarians who participated in the conference.

Although the assassination was revealed in the final hours and the perpetrators were arrested and executed, the religious contradictions in England for the purpose of fighting for fundamental political and economic interests were far from ceased, and eventually led to the bourgeois revolution in England in the 17th century.

Wednesday, June 11, 1625.

Morning. Su Zining, who was sleeping lazily in the room, was woken up by an agent who played the role of a staff member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and John, the core figure of the English National Assembly, came to visit and was now in the study.

Thinking of the large number of so-called secret agents placed nearby by the National Assembly these days, Su Zining couldn't help but want to laugh. However, in order to be more natural, Su Zining, who was dressed, still practiced his bitter expression several times in front of the bronze mirror, and then walked slowly towards the study.

In the study, the John MP was looking through a book housed in the Tower of London. While constantly staring at the door. It wasn't until footsteps came that John sat up straight. The expression is unusually calm.

"I'm ashamed that I had a bad dream last night and had insomnia, so it was very rude to stay in bed all the time. I only have one last night left to compensate myself in the Tower of London. Su Zining stretched out his hand and took the initiative to show favor to John with a handshake salute.

"I'm sorry to have delayed your trip to England, which should have been done a long time ago, because this plague is the devil's jealousy, or God's warning, England should not be like this." John said pointedly. His eyes were quietly staring at Su Zining's face, as if he was capturing the other party's hidden scheming.

"It's true, for the sake of a little petty profit, to mobilize the public, itself is a superficial thing." Su Zining understood the other party's allusion very well, and replied unusually fluently, "But I can guarantee that the United States of America will stick to its neutral position." A peaceful and smooth England is in the interests of both countries! ”

"Well, those attitudes you've been emphasizing. But I think that in the power of His Excellency the Minister, it is possible to do certain things well. John sighed. Sitting back in his seat, "Your country's republican constitutionalism has always been the most commendable of the National Assembly of England, and there is nothing more painful than arbitrariness." But I don't understand why you can tolerate things that undermine the relationship between the two countries. ”

"You mean Dai Qingqing, oh, according to her own wishes, it's Miss Dai Lin. You may not know that her guardian is the ...... of our Congress. Moreover, Miss Dai Lin has an unusual family background, and of course, these should not be a problem between us. Su Zining implicitly picked up the green tea that had been cold, and his face was bitter.

"Actually, you already knew that this could happen, and you did a lot of unnecessary cover-ups." John's tone grew heavier, and his gaze became more and more aggressive, "At least I don't think you, a diplomat, should have arranged for her to come to England, as you could have considered it a long time ago, rather than saying the same thing over and over again in London." ”

Stopping the action of drinking tea from his mouth, Su Zining slowly put down the teacup, and a trace of imperceptible panic appeared on his face.

"Your Excellency, Minister Su, you speak English beautifully. I have become proficient enough to use it with people in my own country. John stood up, took his hat and saluted, intending to take his leave.

Su Zining's eyes were tight, as if he was completely unprepared for the horse feet he exposed, and he seemed to be quite surprised by the fact that John sent a secret agent.

"Mr. John!"

At the moment when John was about to walk out of the door, Su Zining took a deep breath and called out the other party's name, and John also stopped and turned around at this time.

"Actually, it's hard for me to accept your previous attitude, or an inappropriate sense of distrust." Su Zining straightened out his suit and showed a helpless expression, "First of all, Miss Dai Lin's family has board seats in many senior enterprises in China, and I think it is the Kingdom of England. They also have to rely on Dutch bankers to deal with the financial problems of many countries, and these things that are pressed on politics can never be shaken off by every country, and what they want to achieve is not something that a foreign minister can resist, just as the National Assembly of England has been trying to do something......"

"Secondly, you don't trust me, just like I don't trust everyone around me. I had to be cautious about what might be at the heart of the country's foreign policy, even with other Chinese citizens outside the room. In the most critical dispute, I have to keep the insiders to the minimum. Otherwise, it will cause unnecessary trouble in the country. Miss Dai Lin and I have different opinions, but we are both trying to do this, and you can rest assured that none of the Chinese citizens outside the corridor can understand English, have you not noticed that the interpreters in the WÈN delegation have already returned home early with the business delegation? ”

After speaking, Su Zining shrugged his shoulders slightly, drew an end to his defense, and then nodded politely.

"Yes. I also can't trust all the people around me, which is why I'm here alone today to visit His Excellency the Minister. This time it was John's turn to be stunned. After a long pause, he smiled, and this time, John's eyes softened a lot, and a strange atmosphere of the meeting ended quietly.

……

The next day, the day the medical team of the Chinese American Business Visiting Group was about to leave London, and after attending the final farewell luncheon at the Tower of London, all the members of the group would board the light cruiser Republic and the Ao Shun merchant ship in the harbor and set out on their way home.

Zhou Kemin deliberately changed into a brand new military uniform in the room. Slowly inspect his clothes in the bronze mirror. Wipe your shoes clean, then gently tie the officer's ceremonial sword around your waist, and finally put on a large-brimmed hat. The figure of the blurred man in the mirror is tall and well-proportioned, with a dignified demeanor. It's been five years since the crossing, and the once immature post-90s boy has quietly undergone many changes.

"Hehe, Zhou Kemin, it's still stinky!" The door was kicked open. Dai Qingqing was dressed in a gorgeous Chinese-style palace dress and was looking at herself with a smile.

Thinking of the inexplicable conflict between the two on the cruise ship a few days ago, Zhou Kemin smiled apologetically. As a boyfriend, as Dai Qingqing's personal bodyguard, she has been together in London for more than two months. Zhou Kemin increasingly found that he was more like fulfilling a relationship of mutual trust between comrades-in-arms rather than real emotional dependence.

"Okay, still angry about that day?" Seeing that Zhou Kemin was smiling very reluctantly, Dai Qingqing walked up directly and grabbed the other party's arm with a grin, "At today's farewell banquet, the Duke of Buckingham wants to give me two Scottish Shepherds!" Hehe, I've wanted to have this kind of dog for a long time! Brother Ren got so many dogs for Sister Yang last time, I am so envious! ”

If you want to say that the biggest thing that Ren Changle did in London before, I am afraid that he was ordered by Yang Wenwen to search for all kinds of British famous dogs in England, in comparison, how many business contracts were signed is secondary. Ren Changle's image of running around with all his dedication to Yang Wenwen once aroused the disdain of the entire business visit group.

"Qingqing, we're still good friends, right?" Seeing Dai Qingqing's attitude, Zhou Kemin finally mustered up the courage and said seriously, the meaning of his words was clear.

"We've always been good friends! However, you still have to stand the last shift today! Ah, by the way, I forgot the jì necklace! ”

In addition to a smile on Dai Qingqing's face, she didn't show any emotion, but she suddenly remembered something, patted her head and ran out of the room.

Walking in the corridor in a hurry, the smile on Dai Qingqing's face slowly dissipated, her lips were bitten, and tears kept rolling in her eyes.

……

In a small inn just two blocks from the Tower of London, a few men in black robes despite the heat were quietly sitting in their rooms talking.

"Villiers will make the whole country shed blood for this war, and he is even fueling the ambitions of the Americans!" A hoarse and deep old man's voice echoed in the room, "And as far as I know, Miss Dai Lin, who provided arms loans to the royal family this time, is still a Catholic!" If Villiers is used by the Americans, I am afraid that England will again fall into a much more serious crisis, and we will lose all our interests in North America! Therefore, we cannot allow the emergence of a French Catholic queen with another difficult opponent! ”

"For England! That Villiers must go to hell! Another middle-aged man couldn't help but throw away his hood, and it was the noble member of the National Assembly who had asked Dai Qingqing to stay on the dock to treat the plague," Lieutenant Brown. The fate of England is on you, and God will bless you! ”

"Well, Sir Eddard will arrange for you to enter the banquet hall, you must try to get as close to Villiers as possible before shooting, remember, you only have two chances to fire!" The black-robed old man lowered his voice and stroked his fingers on the table, "As long as Villiers is dead and His Majesty Charles has not returned to London, we can annul any agreement he signed with Duke Frederick!" Or even the dissolution of arms loan agreements with the Americans. Because he is the guarantor of the loan! ”

"One qiē for England!" The young black-robed man stood up, his eyes glowing blood-red under his hood.

……

Dull 17th-century court music was played feebly in the ballroom of the Tower of London, and groups of well-dressed English aristocrats toasted the members of the ornate medical corps across the table.

The Duke of Buckingham sat proudly on the main seat at the end of the table, flanked by the beautiful Miss Dai Lin and the more noble Minister of Foreign Affairs Su Zining, and by Miss Dai Lin's side was her "fiancé" Navy Captain Zhou Kemin.

"God bless you forever beautiful, dear Miss Dai Lin. If it weren't for King Charles, who was still far away, you should have had dinner with him again! The Duke of Buckingham grabbed a piece of chicken leg and shoved it into his mouth. While muttering polite words.

"There will be a chance, hopefully before I come back to London again. The manor house in the suburbs could be tended to a lot, especially the lawn and the flower terraces, and I would advance the servants' salaries for a year. Dai Qingqing elegantly cut the white bread, and smiled at Zhou Kemin beside her, "Thank you, I want a piece of cheese." ”

Zhou Kemin hurriedly stretched out his hand and served the plate for Dai Qingqing from a distant place on the table. The captain's handsome appearance, as well as his courteous and decent speech and demeanor, made the English ladies present a long time in love.

Maybe it's about to be boarded. Leaving this terrifying city, this "spilled" spice-spilled, rough but sumptuous luncheon gave every member of the medical team a good appetite.

A male servant came over with a large steaming plate covered with a white cloth, and judging by the aroma it was a barbecue or something.

"Your Excellency, on behalf of the Chinese American Republic, I would like to express my deep gratitude to your country for your hospitality, and I am confident that our Government and the Crown of England will strengthen their friendship in the years to come. Cheers to the United States of America. Cheers to the Kingdom of England and to the health of His Majesty King Xià of England! ”

Su Zining stood up and pushed away the chair behind him, preparing to make a final closing speech for this luncheon. His movements were so sudden. The banquet servant who happened to pass behind him was blocked by a chair that had been pushed away.

The body involuntarily stepped back, and the center of gravity of the large plate in his hand changed, and it slipped abruptly in front of everyone. After the plate hit the ground, the white cloth was also pulled aside, and a pile of roast meat was scattered, revealing two flintlock pistols wrapped in oilcloth!

Lieutenant Brown, disguised as a servant, saw that everyone's eyes were gathered, and he had no choice, so he quickly bent down, grabbed the flintlock pistol in the barbecue pile with both hands, and pointed directly at Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, a few meters away.

Lieutenant Brown's action of leaning over to take the gun immediately caused the diners on both sides of the table to burst into a panicked shout, and the Duke of Buckingham was also stunned, but the sudden change obviously caused his body and brain to temporarily lose contact.

Su Zining reacted very quickly, kicked the chair next to him, Lieutenant Brown, hit the opponent's body, and then waved his arm to block the opponent's right hand that was about to pull the trigger.

A gunshot rang out, and the lead bullet hit the ceiling, leaving a cloud of debris behind. The banquet hall was directly fried, and both men and women were in a mess with screams. The Duke of Buckingham finally reacted, holding his head like a lost dog, and tried to hide into the chaotic crowd.

"Go to hell, clown!" Lieutenant Brown's first shot missed, and in his irritation, he raised his gun in his left hand again, and in his sight, the timid and stupid Duke of Buckingham actually hid behind Miss Daylene, an American, and was about to blend into the crowd led by the company.

The last chance, Lieutenant Brown gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger in the direction of Dai Qingqing.

In the training and training subjects of Liu Yun, who has two knives, Dai Qingqing's positioning is more like an intelligence collector or leader, rather than a combat agent who rushes to the front line. I haven't experienced much actual combat, and I don't have the ability to respond to emergencies in this situation. In this sudden assassination scene, Dai Qingqing's immaturity was exposed. In just over ten seconds, she barely showed any kind of skill that an agent should have, except for the action of standing up and retreating out of fear and subconscious.

And this time, several Huamei agents who were responsible for protecting the visiting Wèn group had no time to deal with this emergency because of the chaos of the crowd.

A snow-white figure rose up from the side and directly covered Dai Qingqing, and at the moment when Dai Qingqing's body was blocked, the gun in Lieutenant Brown's hand rang out.

The lead bullet directly entered Zhou Kemin's body from his left chest, and a bloody hole instantly exploded on the snow-white navy uniform. Zhou Kemin snorted, lowered his head slightly, his big-brimmed hat fell to the ground, and then his body slowly fell backwards.

Several English guards finally squeezed through the chaotic crowd and knocked the fleeing assassin to the ground in three or two blows. One of the guards seemed to be particularly excited, and directly waved the weapon in his hand, and hit Lieutenant Brown in the head in one fell swoop, and the assassin's head instantly blossomed.

"Zhou Kemin!"

Dai Qingqing let out a sharp cry, and immediately leaned down on Zhou Kemin in a pool of blood, desperately using her hands to block the other party's wound that kept gushing blood. Blood poured out of their fingers unstoppably, quickly staining their brand-new clothes.

"Qingqing, are you okay......" Stretched out his hand with difficulty and gently pulled down Dai Qingqing's skirt sleeve, Zhou Kemin actually smiled.

"I'm fine, I'm okay! Zhou Kemin, you have to hold on! Brother Zhao, save Zhou Kemin! Dai Qingqing wiped her tears, grabbed Zhou Kemin's blood-stained palm, and cried a lot.

"Stop the bleeding first! Quick, get the medical kit from the wagon! Come on! ”

Lao Zhao, the leader of the medical team, rushed over, yelling at the several gorgeous agents who were squeezing in, grabbed the corner of Dai Qingqing's skirt and tore it open, and then pressed it Zhou Kemin's left chest wound.

"O my God! I'm not going to let any of the villains go! They all deserve to be hanged! The Duke of Buckingham, who was immortal, also came over under the protection of a large group of guards at this time, and when he saw the familiar appearance of the American Navy captain lying in a pool of blood, his face immediately turned blue.

The blood continued to spread, and the bleeding from Zhou Kemin's shattered left chest and heart area still couldn't be stopped, and slowly, Zhou Kemin's pupils began to spread, and the slight squirming at the corners of his mouth gradually stopped.

There was a whistling wind in my ears, and my body sank and floated, as if a warship was speeding on the sea. The trance feeling at this time is vaguely the same as the thunderstorm at the time of the catastrophe. The figures in the line of sight are swaying rapidly, and occasionally a few times, several ghosts will gather a clear pattern, a young girl's beautiful face, very similar to Dai Qingqing, but the other party is wearing the clothes he bought for a certain Indian girl.

"Qingqing...... Dama ......"

After muttering the last sentence in his mind, Zhou Kemin felt extremely sleepy, and his eyelids wanted to close unstoppably, and then he planned to fall asleep like this.

A minute later, Lao Zhao stopped what he was doing, stared blankly at Zhou Kemin's relaxed and quiet expression, and a tear quietly came down from the corner of his eye.

"Brother Zhao, hurry! Come on! Dai Qingqing burst into tears and knocked on Lao Zhao's arm with a crying voice.

"Qingqing, Xiao Zhou, he ......" Lao Zhao wiped his face with a bloody palm, and when he turned his head, it was already a blur of blood and tears.

"No...... Zhou Kemin! Wake up, hold on! Dai Qingqing saw that her whole body was soft, and she fell directly on Zhou Kemin, and hugged Zhou Kemin who had become cold with both hands, crying like a man.

More than 20 people surrounded a corner of the banquet hall like this, whether they were European or Chinese, they all hung their heads, except for Dai Qingqing's cry, they all remained silent.

Quietly watching this cruel farce start so absurd and end so absurdly, Su Zining ignored the dirtiness of the ground and sat down on the ground tiredly, looking at Zhou Kemin who was surrounded by countless people with empty eyes. (To be continued)

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