In social history, scholars give prostitutes the first place on the list of the oldest professions of mankind because they are the social activity closest to human nature. The second place on the list of the oldest professions was unanimously awarded to the spy, because it was another civilized portrayal of the killing and fighting nature of human beings.

From the 12 Jewish spies in the myth of Moses in the Bible of the Jews' exodus from Egypt to the Trojan Horse in the ancient Greek epic of Homer, espionage has been an important part of human warfare in classical civilization. Almost all of the great figures who have left a name in the history of warfare are masters of espionage and intelligence warfare.

The work on intelligence and espionage warfare from a systematic perspective is probably Sun Wu's "The Art of War", and the old man even classified espionage warfare into five categories, so that the Eastern nation has been far ahead in the philosophy of war and military theory for 2,000 years.

However, most of these classical war intelligence and espionage activities were tactical, and the first to establish a strategic-level espionage intelligence agency in modern Western history was the 17th-century French Prime Minister, Cardinal Richelieu. As the originator of modern Western diplomacy, Richelieu directly elevated intelligence work from a mere military service to the level of national strategic decision-making, and carried it out persistently. The state-level intelligence agency he established with a professional management system played an important role in the rise of France in modern times, and even became an integral part of the tone of French Romanticism in modern Western literature.

In the East, what we are familiar with is naturally the indispensable Ming Jinyiwei, but the original intention of the establishment of Jinyiwei from the beginning is still biased towards domestic supervision functions, and there is still a big gap between Richelieu's modern French intelligence agencies and the professional operation of each performing its own duties.

……

Saturday, August 11, 1635, London.

Young Grover wore a silver wig, which was just emerging from this period, and wore a gown jacket made of two shillings and a foot of fine fabric. Tight gray pantyhose, shorts, and leather boots with brass buckles all show his aristocratic wealth and culture.

Walk through Cornhill Street and Rumba Street and you'll see a lively market trading area. In the crowded neighborhood, meat, fish, vegetables and fruits are displayed in a conspicuous place among the vendors, and barber shops, bakeries, and beer halls abound. Under the eaves, customers and shopkeepers talk loudly and loudly, and from time to time they use various excuses or conversation angles to gain a favorable position in the current transaction.

The rancid smell of expired fish, shrimp, and fruits and vegetables made Grover regret coming to this place of all sorts of hills. With a look of disgust, he dodged a disgusting manure truck and walked into a small bar down the street, where the oncoming bartender discreetly led Grove to the cleanest corner.

In front of the bar, a bottle of high-end wine from Porto, Portugal is being auctioned off among several drunkards. "One inch of candle prevails, and when it is burned, no more bids can be made" became the consensus reached by several drunkards. At a large table near the door, several men dressed as market vendors are making bets on the final outcome of the port of Kinsel, which is besieged by English troops.

Looking around the small bar, Grover secretly mocked this "London country culture" with a slight smile on his lips.

"The finest spirits, preferably Scotch whisky."

A few shillings were casually placed on the oak table, making Grover look like a well-established young English merchant, and his authentic "high accent" made the bartender wonder if it was a noble trade agent.

The wine came up, and the high-alcohol mellow drink made Grover a little uncomfortable. Soon after a small cup of stomach, I still felt a little dizzy.

"Hi sir, are there any stocks that can change hands?" A well-dressed middle-aged man didn't say anything to him. He sat down in front of Grover, and poured Grover's wine into his own glass.

"That depends on the market...... Is there an option to sell shares of the East India Company? 35 servings, each costing £8 and 15 shillings. Grover smiled as he took out a copy of parchment from his pocket and drew lines on the paper with the tips of his delicate fingers. If you're willing to buy it all at once, I can also sell an 8% stake in a brewery in Plymouth, and you're unlikely to find a better deal in all of London. ”

"The price is not too expensive. But I still need to find a judge to verify the authenticity of the following jiàn, and if it is correct, I will give you a gift after the transaction is successful. The middle-aged man took Wen Jiàn into his arms, took the wine glass in front of him and drank it down, and then walked away as if nothing had happened.

Grover exhaled softly as he walked out of the bar as he walked out of the bar, and then began to play with the wine glass in his hand......

……

Azores, Terceira, US Concession.

In a high-rise building in the deepest part of the Chinese American Consulate General, a dozen soldiers in the uniforms of the Chinese Army and Navy are walking around, and a wardrobe-sized receiver is lined up in the corner, and a number of telegraph operators are working intently. This is a shortwave radio station with a self-production rate of more than 50% of the real generation of parts manufactured by Huamei Electric Power and Telecom Group, and the radio equipment that was once assembled from various electrical parts collected after the catastrophe is gradually being phased out. Although it is several times larger, the good thing is that the parts are easier to maintain and replace.

It is a center for the collection and dissemination of military intelligence throughout Western Europe, with hundreds of secret messages sent daily from intelligence stations in London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Emden, Seville, Lisbon and Nantes.

"Director, Major, the information from the London station has arrived." A young European lieutenant knocked on the side of the office and saluted the two officers in the room, a man and a woman.

"Read!"

Lieutenant Colonel Li Jieming, who was transferred from the Military Police Headquarters to the Military Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense, looked sideways at Dai Qingqing, who was "kicked" from the throne of the director of the bureau, and lightly tapped the pencil in his hand on the table.

"Lieutenant Grover forwarded the following information: the information has been verified, the main force of the English naval fleet of 35 ships has been assembled and is scheduled to set sail on the 15th of this month, and will join up with eight other warships at Plymouth on the way. Instructions for next steps are now being sought! The message was very concise, and the European lieutenant withdrew from the room with another salute after reading it.

"Qingqing, what do you think? The people in England are all arranged by you before. Li Jieming smiled politely at Dai Qingqing, who was not very good at love, as if he was still a little embarrassed to take over the CIA. From a certain point of view, Li Jieming, who liked criminal investigation literature since he was a child and often "compared" with Secretary of Homeland Security Liu Yun. It is indeed more suitable for the post of director of military intelligence.

"Whatever...... As long as it can make the English bleed, I heard that the people in Grover and the Plymouth docks are very familiar. Dai Qingqing took off her military hat and played with it boringly, with a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.

"Well, then let Lieutenant Grover act!" Li Jieming opened the drawer, took out a copy of the action paper, and wrote his name underneath.

Feeling that he was already a little redundant in the Military Intelligence Bureau, Dai Qingqing walked out of the intelligence center, planning to go back to the consulate room to change clothes, and then accompany Dai Botong to meet with several Irish independence nobles who had arrived from Spain.

Half an hour later, Dai Qingqing, who appeared in the backyard of the Consulate General again. It's already a beautiful Western-style dress. When I walked through the corridor in the backyard, a consulate maid was holding a large bouquet of flowers and arranging flowers into a vase hanging on the wall, and the fresh and rich fragrance of flowers came to my nose.

Suddenly feeling an indescribable nausea in her chest, Dai Qingqing covered her mouth at once, and then leaned on to the snow-white beams of the corridor and began to retch.

Oh my God...... A thought suddenly exploded in Dai Qingqing's mind, and a hint of flushing appeared in her pale face.

"Miss Dai Lin, are you alright?" The young Portuguese maid on the side also noticed that something was abnormal, and quickly put down the work in her hand and walked to Dai Qingqing's side.

"Oh. No, I'm fine, where is Mr. Dai now? Dai Qingqing hurriedly covered up the past and took a deep breath as if nothing had happened.

"I am meeting with His Excellency the Consul General in the living room on the second floor." The maid replied softly with her head bowed.

I negotiated in advance when I wasn't there! Dai Qingqing frowned. No matter how uncomfortable his body was, he walked up the stairs to the second floor with his skirt on his hand.

……

Early morning August 15, at the mouth of the River Thames in London.

Under the watchful eye of a large group of bureaucrats, Admiral Chad of England. The main fleet of 35 large and small warships led by Dean set sail. This seemingly haphazard fleet. A few months ago, he defeated the invading Irish fleet led by the Marquis de Santa Cruz of the Spanish Kingdom in one fell swoop, and almost trapped the Spanish army ashore. Now he is once again leading the main force, targeting the United States, Spain and Portugal, which have already occupied the Isles of Scilly.

According to the plan. The main fleet of the English Navy was to arrive at Plymouth Harbour on the 17th, where it would join the detachment of eight small and medium-sized warships withdrawn from St. George's Channel.

Dean knew more about the Chinese and American navies than any Englishman, and he had worked with Chinese Atlantic escort ships in the early years of his anti-piracy operations, and he was very familiar with the excellent combat capabilities and naval warfare methods of Chinese and American warships more than one grade ahead of the European powers. If the two sides really collide with the main forces, even if he has the advantage of forces, he thinks that the chances of victory are not high. But this time he had to go all out, because if the blockade of St. George's Strait by the Chinese and American fleets could not be stopped, the overall defense of Ireland would likely collapse.

Since it could not defeat the Chinese and American fleets blockading the Strait of St. George, they could only take advantage of the division of labor between the United States, Spain and Portugal to attack and annihilate the Spanish and Portuguese fleets cruising in the vicinity of the Isles of Scilly, repeat the invasion of the port of Kinsale, and destroy the enemy's logistics fleet and supplies anchored in the Isles of Scilly, even at a certain cost, and then quickly evacuate.

The Chinese navy relied more on logistical support than any European navy, and as long as it could destroy the logistical supply capacity of the Isles of Scilly, it could force the Chinese expeditionary fleet without an army to temporarily abandon the blockade of St. George's Strait, so as to restore the sea transportation line from Liverpool to Dublin, and send the local reinforcements that had been assembled long ago to Ireland.

The fact that the Chinese and American fleets did not block the more important English Channel shows that the other side is not really willing to fight the main force of the English navy in an all-out duel, so that the Spaniards can win a total victory in Ireland. This subtle gesture is probably the only dangerous entry point that Dean can take advantage of.

After the Battle of Kinsale, the Spanish naval force was not enough to pose a greater threat to the current main force of the English navy for at least a few years, and the ships of the Portuguese naval navy were more like playing the role of soy sauce, as long as the Irish land war could gain an advantage, it would be extremely beneficial for future armistice negotiations.

Dean, probably the most sober general in the English Navy who has the most sober understanding of the current military and diplomatic situation of the war, although he did not choose sides in the contradictions between the royal family and the National Assembly, but he resolutely defended the interests of the Kingdom of England at sea, and was more able to analyze the course of the war from a political and diplomatic perspective.

Dean even prepared for the worst, and if this sortie failed, he would do his best to persuade the National Assembly and Charles I to unilaterally negotiate peace with Huamei, but only if he returned to London alive. (To be continued......)