Chapter 80

William van Orange received a lavish welcome upon arriving in London.

But before William van Orange met the Queen of England, the astute Foreign Secretary Melville first told him about the terrible events that had occurred in the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, the once-thriving trade has come to an end, because no one dares to do business anymore, because they cannot afford the heavy taxes, and even the farmers in the fields cannot find a single grain of oat to fill their stomachs.

The Inquisition there reopened, and every day Protestants were identified and thrown into the dungeons. Once imprisoned, the only way for them to get out was by beheading or being burned alive.

From south to north, whether it was Amsterdam or Antwerp, no city could escape the clutches of the Spanish. In the streets and alleys, anyone with a bit of property would be tried in court by the Spanish "Committee for the Elimination of Violence." Throughout the process, there was no defense or evidence; the conviction depended entirely on the whims of the Spanish.

Their bodies were hung atop the bell tower to dry, while their hard-earned treasures were shipped to Spain, chest by chest, to serve as Philip II's private treasury.

In a short period of time, thousands of innocent Dutch people have been hanged!

The Duke of Alba, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, from Spain, didn't care about how much tax revenue the Netherlands could generate each year, unlike the King of Spain. He only wanted to suppress the Netherlands with the cruelest methods and turn the Dutch into obedient slaves.

William Van Orange felt dizzy listening to this, and could hardly imagine what his wife and children, left behind in his hometown, would suffer, let alone imagine where his former colleagues, who had stood shoulder to shoulder with him, were now lying on some gallows with their gray eyes wide open.

“This is too bloody, too cruel. I can’t believe my homeland suffered such cruel torture at the hands of Spain…” William Van Orange said, tears streaming down his face.

He pleaded with the Foreign Secretary for an audience with the Queen of England, then hurriedly boarded a carriage and entered the English court, where he met Queen Mary Stuart, who had risen to prominence in Europe in recent years.

After hearing William van Orange's purpose, a hint of sympathy appeared on the Queen of England's face, but it quickly disappeared. She simply said in a calm tone, "Prince Orange, you should know that England's help is not free or cheap."

“Once the Spanish are expelled, the Netherlands can reopen the wool market to England, allowing England to earn large sums of gold coins as before. I know that England’s wool business is currently suffering a severe blow. The reason you sent a mission to negotiate with Governor-General Margaret last year was for this very reason!” William Van Orange said.

Mary shook her head and said, "The Spanish Armada is invincible at sea. If we were to go to war with them, England would have to pay an enormous price. A wool market alone would never be enough."

“I can also get the merchants of Antwerp to forgive the British treasury’s debts, all of which have existed since the time of Henry VIII!” William van Orange said.

"If the Netherlands remains in such chaos, it's questionable whether those merchants will even survive, let alone travel all the way to London to collect their debts," the Queen of England said, remaining unmoved.

“The Netherlands can also pay for the entire cost of the British military deployment… I guarantee it will be no less than the wages paid to the troops than your national treasury’s annual income!” William van Orange said through gritted teeth.

“Prince of Orange, if this is all the bargaining chips you have, then I can only say I am very disappointed…” The Queen of England shook her head as she stood up from her chair, intending to leave. “…Rest assured, out of respect for you personally, I will grant you political asylum within the UK. Even if the Spanish ambassador comes to demand your release, I will not hand you over.”

Seeing that the Queen of England was about to leave, William Van Orange felt a surge of anxiety. He stepped forward and raised his voice, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive my offensive words... but given your position, why put on such a show? If you weren't looking for an opportunity to deal with Spain, you wouldn't have come to see me!"

The Queen of England paused briefly.

"I do intend to find an opportunity to cause some trouble for Spain, but Your Highness, it depends on the situation. England has plenty of time, and there's no need to wade into a quagmire at this moment," the Queen of England said, turning around with a hint of nonchalance, as if she didn't care at all.

That's how it is; England has time, but the Netherlands doesn't.

These words clearly struck a nerve with William Van Orange, causing a flicker of anxiety to appear in his eyes. He paced back and forth in the Queen's study like a headless fly before finally saying, "Your Majesty, your dispatch of troops to the Netherlands is merely to deal with the Spanish army. A decisive victory against Spain will further solidify your position in Europe and your throne at home. If you miss this opportunity, perhaps the next time England faces Spain, the army will be confronting the invincible Armada!"

The Queen of England sat back down in her chair, invited the Prince of Orange to sit opposite her, opened the small blue-and-white porcelain box from the Far East on the table, took out a few small black round stones and played with them between her fingertips, looking unhurried.

“Even so, it would be a huge loss for me to get England to send troops just for this small benefit,” the English woman said.

"...What exactly do you want?" After a long while, William Van Orange asked in frustration.

The Queen of England sat up slightly, raised her eyes, and said with a smile, "The Netherlands, I need the Netherlands."

“If the Dutch are willing to acknowledge me as their monarch, then I will naturally send troops to protect my people.”

The worst-case scenario still happened. Upon re-entering the room, William Van Orange, who had a vague sense of foreboding, immediately stood up, his movements so forceful that the chair fell to the ground!

William Van Orange blurted out, "No, that's absolutely impossible!"

Staring at the calm Queen of England, the color quickly faded from William Van Orange's face. After a long while, he insisted on repeating it again.

"...The Dutch fought desperately against Spanish rule, not to become vassals of another country," William van Orange said hoarsely.

"I am not a vassal of another country. I will never follow Spain's measures, like a mosquito sucking blood from a human, constantly absorbing the nutrients of the Netherlands to nourish England..." The Queen of England raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "...I swear to God, my rule will be as fair and just as it was with Ireland. I will never hold anyone accountable because of religious issues, and in the end, all my subjects will live better lives!"

"And all of this is predicated on the Dutch being willing to submit to me in all their heart and to regard me as their one and only king."

At this point, the Queen of England fixed her clear, dark eyes on William van Orange, awaiting his final decision.

“…That’s impossible. The Netherlands has never had any business dealings with England other than business,” William van Orange said with difficulty.

"But precisely because of this, there is no more hatred, is there? As for the rest, Prince of Orange, I believe that with your reputation among the Netherlands, you can absolutely persuade them to accept England. The Bible says that the relationship between a monarch and his subjects is like that between a shepherd and his flock. If the shepherd can fulfill his duties properly, that's fine, but if it's a tyrant like Philip II, then you can't blame the flock for seeking a better shepherd..." The Queen of England changed her tone, softening her words slightly, and said with a smile, "...Of course, I don't insist that you make a decision now. You can stay in London first and think it over slowly, or you can see how I have treated Ireland over the past few years. And whatever decision you make, I can assure you that you will always be a distinguished guest of the English court."

"Whether you watch Spain continue to ravage that lowland, or go into exile and try to find mercenaries of varying quality to fight against the Spanish army, or accept a monarch like myself and give the Netherlands a fair, just, and unoppressed future, these are decisions you must make."

"Prince of Orange, the future of the Netherlands is in your hands."

“Forgive me for being frank, but all three options are terrible,” William Van Orange murmured.

“There is never anything truly perfect in the world, and you always have to choose one… Anyway, England is not in a hurry,” said the Queen of England.

...

Is England not in a hurry?

England is extremely anxious.

She had been planning this opportunity for a long time and absolutely could not miss it. As soon as she left the study, she continued to organize various new weapons and soldiers according to her previous preparations.

Cecil, standing beside the Queen, thought of the wealth of the Low Countries and asked with a mixture of anticipation and worry, "Do you think the Prince of Orange would be willing to acknowledge and support you as the new monarch of the Netherlands?"

When the Queen came to Cecil to discuss how to open up trade routes to the Netherlands, Cecil thought it meant sending envoys to negotiate with Spain. She never expected Her Majesty to be so bold and reckless as to directly seize the Netherlands, which was tantamount to snatching food from a tiger's mouth.

As the Queen's decisions were implemented step by step, the vast lowlands seemed within reach, and the dawn of success was faintly visible.

This will be the prelude to Britain once again extending its territory to the European continent.

Thinking of this, Cecil felt a surge of excitement.

"It would be best if he were willing to support me, but if not, then please let him live in London for a few years. I promise to provide him with a comfortable and generous life," the Queen of England said calmly.

The decision to invade the Netherlands was made long ago. Amid the bloodshed brought by Spain, the British did not need to do much. They only needed to stop the cruel persecution by acting as saviors to gain a lot of prestige among the Dutch and prepare for their next rule.

Let's wait a few days. If someone like William van Orange, who is familiar with the terrain, joins the fight, it will be much easier to win against the Duke of Alba of Spain.

If William van Orange was unwilling to join her, it would only mean a slight loss of advantage. With smokeless gunpowder, muskets, and revolvers, Mary remained confident that the English army could remain invincible.

As for William van Orange, Mary personally hoped he could help her persuade the Dutch to accept British rule.

But if he can't let go of his beliefs and insists on sticking to them, just like in history, dedicating his life to making the Netherlands a republic without a monarch, then she absolutely cannot put this time bomb back and watch him run to Germany to constantly raise troops to resist the government, creating trouble for himself for decades to come.

If this were to happen, she would have to keep William van Orange under house arrest for 5 to 10 years until the people's hearts were won over before releasing him back to his hometown.

...

Willem van Orange had no idea that a single wrong decision would lead him down a completely different path. After several sleepless nights and tossing and turning, thinking of his wife and children suffering in his hometown and countless Protestants, this man, who was originally the father of the Netherlands, finally made a difficult decision.

He issued a decree severing ties with the whole of Europe.

—As everyone knows, God commands monarchs to cherish their subjects as shepherds tend their flocks.

—When a monarch fails to fulfill this duty, when he oppresses his subjects, tramples on their rights and freedoms and treats them like slaves, then he is not a monarch but a tyrant, and the Estates-General should legally depose him and replace him with someone else.

—Now I declare that the Netherlands formally no longer recognizes Spain as its monarch, but instead pledges allegiance to another glorious and great Queen, Mary Stuart.