Chapter 66

As the saying goes, "Give a stick and then a treat," and the Queen of Scots followed this principle in dealing with these disunited English nobles.

However, the situation in London, with its population of hundreds of thousands, was complex and complicated. In addition, there was the need to appease and deter the restless Protestants. After finally dealing with the trivial matters and preventing them from secretly siding with Elizabeth I, the Queen of Scots led her army to Portsmouth, which took longer than expected.

Contrary to expectations, because of this slight delay, the Spanish fleet, working day and night with all its might, has successfully reached Portsmouth and rendezvoused with Elizabeth.

...

This is a battle that will determine our fate, so we must be extremely careful and not be careless in the slightest.

Fearing they might defect, the Queen of Scots did not dare to use the British mainland army. Instead, she reorganized the old troops and brought in troops from Scotland and Ireland for the final battle.

When these soldiers from different countries and regions, speaking different accents, come together, the mixed army can be described as having an impressive presence and being well-trained.

As for the generals, the Queen of Scots brought along all the useful generals she could, including the Duke of Lorraine, Boswell, Arthur Erskine, the Earl of Desmond, and Albert.

On the way, Mary learned the bad news, as well as the engagement between the Queen of England and the King of Spain.

On the ship in Portsmouth harbor, in full view of everyone, Queen Elizabeth negotiated with the envoys sent by Spain, and finally settled on the status of betrothal between herself and the King of Spain, agreeing to marry within three years.

It is said that, in order to express his regard and affection for this marriage, the King of Spain not only brought many precious gifts, but also specially commissioned an artist to paint a miniature portrait for Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth gladly accepted the portrait from the Spanish envoy, and then bowed her head to kiss it, her attitude full of affection.

"For the past few months, I have been worried that other European countries would send troops to intervene in the struggle between Elizabeth and me, and now that worry has come true," said the Queen of Scots, though she hadn't expected it to be Spain.

The struggle between her and Elizabeth drew the attention of all of Europe, not only because it was about who would rule an island nation, but also because it signified a shift in power between Catholicism and Protestantism.

However, in previous speculations, Mary had always been wary of Catherine the Great of France, a country that had the ability to send troops and would help Elizabeth.

After all, she didn't have a strong sense of religious affiliation, and in the original "history," she even tried to make peace between the Huguenots and Catholics in France. In addition, she disliked herself, and her youngest son had just become very close to Queen Elizabeth. With all these factors combined, Mary wouldn't be surprised if Catherine the Queen Mother sent troops to help Elizabeth I.

As for Spain... Mary was initially quite at ease. After Elizabeth I, who had just ascended the throne, used Philip II like a fish to tease a cat, relations between the two countries deteriorated rapidly. Based on this, and also due to the Catholic camp, Philip II consistently declared in various documents and letters that the Queen of Scotland was the rightful Queen of England.

Unexpectedly, it is now Queen Catherine the Queen Mother who is watching coldly, while Spain sends troops to help Elizabeth.

Thinking of this, the Queen of Scots couldn't help but sigh and subconsciously touched the diamond ring on her hand again.

This diamond ring was a gift from Queen Elizabeth I to the Queen of Scotland, and Mary never took it off for several years after she put it on.

Then, the Queen of Scots quickly wrote a letter to Catherine the Queen Mother, suggesting that she take advantage of the Spanish weakness and immediately send troops to avenge the humiliation of the French king being captured by the Spanish at the Battle of Pavia.

...

The war began after the Queen of Scots' army arrived in Portsmouth.

Skipping all prior preparations and intrigue, and abandoning all possibilities of peace talks, this time Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I completely tore apart the last shred of pretense of friendship, desperately trying to kill each other.

Thick black smoke and flames constantly flickered in this once bustling port.

Sometimes, it was the Scottish soldiers who secretly swam and set fire to the Spanish sailing ships, causing billowing black smoke to rise from the azure sea; other times, it was the Spanish soldiers who disembarked and launched a surprise attack, filling the entire tent with the smell of gunpowder and blood.

Day after day, the sound of gunfire echoed in the ears of every Portsmouth resident.

The repeated small-scale skirmishes resulted in victories and defeats for both the Spanish and Scottish allies, but neither side gained a significant advantage or engaged in a decisive major battle.

The war briefly reached a stalemate.

...

Inside the central tent of the Scottish allied forces, Queen Elizabeth II had just ordered the hanging of an envoy, or rather, a lobbyist, from Queen Elizabeth II.

The envoy came under the guise of Queen Elizabeth II negotiating peace with the Queen of Scotland, but secretly visited various minor leaders among the mercenaries, promising them more money than the Queen of Scotland had asked for, hoping they would withdraw their troops by ship and return to Italy.

Albert promptly discovered the messenger's ill intentions and brought him over to the Queen of Scots for handling.

After executing the messenger, Queen Elizabeth said, "Elizabeth is getting anxious. In the past, she would have made her bribes carefully and without leaving a trace."

“But with the stalemate, we can’t win in the short term,” Albert said, a hint of frustration in his voice.

Now neither side can do anything to the other; Elizabeth I is anxious, and so are they.

“The counties in southeast England have rebelled. The nobles there received a secret letter from Elizabeth and rebelled under the pretext of supporting the Tudor dynasty and resisting the invaders. The army is heading this way. Your Majesty, we must suppress it in advance to prevent Elizabeth’s army from expanding further,” David Leejo said cautiously.

The Queen of Scots rejected the uprising without hesitation.

In this era, Spain's strength was no joke. They avoided naval superiority and fought on land. In addition, Spain had many famous generals and Philip II did not send his full force, so they barely managed to draw.

This stalemate, this precarious balance, made Mary hesitant to make any rash moves.

If she had lost even a little bit of strength, she might have been defeated by the Spanish and British navies.

"Is there any news from the Vatican?" the Queen of Scots asked again.

“Pius V has excommunicated Elizabeth I, but the news will take time to spread,” David Lich said, referring to a message sent in encrypted language less than ten minutes earlier.

The Queen of Scots smiled slightly, stood up and immediately ordered, "Speed ​​up this, turn this news into a song, and have the soldiers sing it everywhere, to the Spanish across the border."

"Also, I'm going on a secret trip tonight."

"Your Majesty, where are you going?" Albert asked.

"In an English soldiers' camp..." Queen Scott said something that left everyone speechless, stating her decision without room for doubt, "...I am going to visit the Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Northumberland."