This is the first day of Lent, and there will be forty days of Lent until Easter, but this Dutch merchant army is nothing, because they will probably spend these forty days on the sea, where meat has always been a garnish, and their staple food must be something caught from the sea, sea fish, Sea beasts and seaweeds, captains and first mates, doctors and other distinguished people could enjoy potatoes and cabbage, while the rest of the crew had to endure endless stomach burning and bleeding from the mouth, symptoms that were very common among the crew at a time when fresh fruits and vegetables had not yet been found to fight scurvy.

Captain Hahn had no such troubles, as a captain he could eat not only potatoes, but also tomatoes, coffee, and chocolate, but every time he had to spit on the deck before feasting, because these delicious fruits and vegetables had been brought from France to Holland, and the Dutch were sure that the crops they used to admire were edible, and when he thought of France, Captain Hahn's heart felt as if it had been ground up, he was an Amsterdammer, and his brother had dragged their prime minister out of the town hall that night not long ago, and then, together with some thugs, dismembered and bought and sold, and Hahn only regretted that he was at sea at that time, not at home, otherwise he would definitely try to stop his brother.

But turning back to asking himself, Captain Hahn was not sure whether he would have really managed to stop those men if he had been there—they were all crazy, the King of France had an army of 120,000 men, they all knew it, and they only had 20,000, such a disparity, unless General Leut's crew could climb ashore, they should not expect to win, no, it was no longer a question of whether they could win or not, but whether there would be a Dutch Republic in the future.

Under such tremendous pressure, as if they had gone through hundreds of dark days and still not seeing the light, they were full of suspicion and anger at the husband of the DeWitt brothers, and the sudden disappearance of William III, and the Orange Belt took the opportunity to use all kinds of methods to incite them in the streets, and these dissatisfied voices eventually converged into a rushing flood that completely destroyed their last barrier.

Yes, yes, Captain Hahn's heart could not help but pass through a gloomy and bitter emotion, he knew that his brother had also realized that he had done something stupid after venting, but even if Jesus came, there was no way to piece the DeWitt brothers back together, and the people of Amsterdam were in a state of confusion and confusion, and they did not know what to do, so they could only wander outside the town hall, hoping that William III or anyone who dared to take up the burden at this moment would come out and tell them aloud what to do。

There are always people who say that the councillors are putting forward a new government, but as described earlier in this article, the general council's bills are to be conveyed down the layers from the general council to the provincial council, and from the provincial council to the municipal council...... It's not as simple as building one or two ships, or signing a contract, everyone knows that whoever stands up at this time may become a hero to the Dutch, or a prisoner of the French, and there is even a voice that they are not unable to accept a ruler like the Sun King, but there are also those who counter that there was also a massacre of St. Bartholomew in Paris, and that the Dutch are Protestants, and no one knows whether a Catholic king will take their property or even their lives.

Even if Hahn knew nothing about politics, he could see that the Dutch Republic was already shaky, and he inquired from the mouths of the businessmen he knew, and they brought him disappointment, whether it was Utrecht, or Zeeland, or Gelderland, their provincial councillors were like they didn't see the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, and they were still debating and negotiating day and night, making deals overt and covertly— Even if they were timid, they did not want to be the ones who raised the flag, but they were afraid that someone else would take advantage of the opportunity to seize the power and thus get the greatest benefit - no doubt, if there was someone to turn the tide, the Dutch would not be reluctant to give him a crown.

In the case of dragging each other's feet, blaming each other, and even framing and murdering each other, let alone giving them a few months, even if they were given a few years, they would not be able to choose a person who could face the king of France.

Hahn stood on the deck, looking back at Amsterdam, which was no longer visible, and his heart was desolate, and he and the merchants behind him, every time they left Amsterdam, they didn't know if they could return to this beautiful city, or when they returned, it no longer belonged to the Netherlands.

A seagull swept past Captain Hahn's wind battleship, this wind battleship is an 80-gun double-deck battleship, the lower deck length is about 120 feet, the width is about 30 feet, and the displacement is about 1,000 tons, even so, it is no longer the capital ship in the Dutch Navy, the capital ships in the Dutch Navy are now three-deck warships with a displacement of more than 1,500 tons, and there are slightly inferior ships with a displacement of 1,200 tons, and a ship with a gun load of 90-98 guns - this "Freedom" The ship was originally under the command of General Reut, but because it ran aground during a recent cruise, it was converted to a merchant escort after repairs.

Even so, it and its four friends (similar warships) were the brightest of the vast procession, seventy-two caravan ships, which were so large that they were like a flock of hairy sheep, guarded by four strong and active sheepdogs, chasing the waves, and heading towards their destination in the morning light.

Captain Hahn took a deep breath, not hopeless!As far as he knew, there were also merchants and parliamentarians who were trying to bribe, bribe, and lobby the powerful men of other countries, and there were also soldiers who were recruiting soldiers, as long as they could hold on to the French, and when the other countries formed an alliance against France, even if it cost them, the Netherlands could at least preserve their own land and shipping routes—as long as they were ...... As he thought this, he suddenly heard a sharp shout, "Enemy!"

By the time the Dutch saw the British warships, they were so close that they could be seen directly with their eyes, and Captain Hahn was dizzy when he looked at the British battleships that were already preparing to seize the T-shaped line, but he was still the one who had followed General Reut through two Anglo-Dutch wars, and almost the next moment, he reacted, "Ready for battle!" he cried, and the crew around him ran rapidly, conveying his orders to all parts of the ship. The guns of the Liberty were arranged in the forward, middle and aft parts of the upper deck, in the bow and stern of the open deck, and on the lower deck there were twelve 36-pounder heavy guns, but Captain Hahn was worried that they had undoubtedly been ambushed by the British, and that they would not be given a chance to use their power.

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"Seriously. Captain Wilson, who was in charge of the operation and one of the Duke of York's cronies, said, "I still can't believe it, is it the alchemists' tricks?"

"I don't think you need to care so much," said his first mate in his heart - alchemists are only afraid of disguise, these fellows...... Maybe it was a servant of the devil, but he didn't show it at all, "as long as they did what they promised." ”

"I think ......," Captain Wilson sighed deeply, but did not continue, and he could think of what the first mate could think of, but he did not expect that the gossip in London was not all nonsense.

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"Captain Hahn?"

Captain Hahn was taken aback because the man in front of him had actually come out of the flames, and he immediately drew his sword - a captain who has spent almost half his life on the sea knows more than the average civilian, after all, the sea is unforgiving and unpredictable, and some merchants with capital occasionally hire wizards, but these wizards are dangerous people at all times.

The wizard was not angry at Captain Hahn like this—he was dressed like a wealthy merchant, "Don't be nervous, I'm just an ordinary wizard," he said, thinking so, he wasn't even a dark wizard, so he escaped the Great Clearance of the King of France, but he didn't expect that he was just making a deal with the merchant and running to the safer New World, and he would encounter this kind of thing: "Just to tell you, Mr. Captain." He said, "It seems that war is inevitable, and the gentleman who hired me has decided to give you some help if you need it." ”

"Help?" Captain Hahn remembered that there were indeed twenty-four armed merchant ships among the seventy-two merchant ships, although they were merchant ships, but they also had 60-80 guns, which were fully ready for battle, and he was about to thank him, when he saw the wizard swing his hand, and a few points of flame fell on the deck, burning a few black spots, "In front of the fleet is our master's clipper," The clippers were small three-masted ships with long ramming angles, smaller than the most cargo-carrying flat-bottomed ships and the armed merchant ships with guns, and of course they carried goods in the merchant ranks, but apparently not to the point where they could not be lost, for the wizard then said, "These clippers are carrying wool," and he said lightly: "My mercenary said that the wind was in the right direction, and that he intended to set them all on fire, and then rush at our enemy...... While it may not be possible to prevent them from taking the T-head position, the smoke and fire that follow will also interfere with their vision, so we may be able to buy a little time. ”

Captain Hahn hesitated for only two seconds, then immediately nodded: "Thank you very much," he said quickly, "Tell your employer that I will report his losses to General Reut and include them as additional payments for battle damage." ”

"I'll tell him. The sorcerer said that he threw a handful of brimstone at the ground and left in the rising flames.

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First a little, then a piece, then a whole ship, it burned, even though it was noon, it was still so bright that it was too hard to look at it, and black smoke rose from the sea to the sky, like an unskilled painter carrying a crude charcoal pen and scribbling between heaven and earth.

"They're just crazy!" cried Captain Wilson in exasperation.

The crew jumped out of ship as soon as they set it on fire, and the ships behind rescued them, and though it was dangerous, the captain and the merchant had been promised enough money to squander comfortably for years— The ships that had been set on fire, having lost control, only one rushed straight towards the British flotilla, the others went staggered elsewhere, but even so, the huge smoke they raised, as Captain Hahn had hoped, interfered with the view of the British fleet, and Captain Wilson ordered the cannon to be fired, sinking the clipper that had rushed to the center of the fleet.

They did not have much time to buy the Dutch fleet, and in the meantime Captain Hahn's warships and armed merchant ships had been heading for the sides of the British fleet, and although the British were now in a good position and Hahn's ships were within range, the Dutch merchants showed a rare courage to use their merchant ships as sea fortifications, allowing shells to hit their precious cargo and to allow them to cross the British blockade.

The British sent twelve wind battleships and six clippers armed with guns, but the decisive action of the Dutch caught them by surprise, and before they could decide whether or not to actually destroy these merchant ships, that is, their trophies, Captain Hahn had already led his warships and armed merchant ships around the right side of the British fleet, so that they would occupy the T-shaped position.

For a time, the waves were rolling, the flames were blazing, the cannons were roaring, and the old enemies were fighting each other on the blue waters, and who won and who lost at this time depended on the courage of the two captains and whether the battle situation was sharp enough - Captain Wilson had the upper hand, but he was also a greedy man, or rather, his master, the Duke of York, was often overstretched, which was a declaration of war by England against the Netherlands, but at the same time, the Duke of York also wanted to be able to fill his own pockets...... On the battlefield, even the slightest hesitation can change the outcome - Captain Hahn did not waste the time that the merchants had bought for him, his "Liberty" was already in a volley of cannons before it had completely crossed the hull, his choice was not incorrect, although his guns could not hit the British ships, but they made their ships slow down a little, after all, not everyone had the courage to rush into the fire, he defeated the cowards.

Although Captain Wilson, after realizing his mistake, tried to make amends, even at the expense of ordering his ships to fight the Dutch for a favorable position again, in the end, he had to watch with remorse and watch, surrounded by smoke and broken planks, the "Liberty" proudly and lightly skimmed their field of vision, and flew over the net with most of the merchant ships, and once again plunged into the arms of the sea and the blue sky.

The British were left with a sunken clipper ship, and three merchant ships that had completely lost power because they had served as sea fortifications, and the crew had set fire to the ships as they left the ship, so they could only say that they had found nothing.

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"I really don't know what to say. Louis said, as he brought the letter to the candle and lit it.

Needless to say, the contents of this letter, written by a member of the provincial parliament of Gelderland to the mayor of the free city of Nijmegen, would not have occurred to the councillor that his messenger was not as fast as the French army.