Chapter 81

The moment this decree severing ties was issued, it shocked the whole of Europe.

This was not just an ordinary territorial dispute, with a few cities or a port becoming spoils of war in the back-and-forth fighting between kings. It was the Netherlands, a land with more than three million people, incredibly wealthy and prosperous in commerce, and an area as vast as the Kingdom of Denmark, which also provided nearly half of Spain's tax revenue!

The ownership of this land could even lead to the rise and fall of a nation.

...

In the Madrid palace, a gloomy atmosphere permeated the entire palace like a thunderstorm. Among the passersby, regardless of their status, from powerful nobles to relatives of the king, to lowly maids and cooks, everyone was cautious and dared not utter a sound, for fear of incurring the king's wrath.

Inside the council chamber, Philip II, seated on his throne, said: "This is my mistake."

"Your Majesty?" a minister asked, puzzled.

"My mistake was being too frivolous and arrogant, always thinking I could take over England at any time. So I didn't nip a venomous snake in the bud, but let it grow bigger and bigger until it finally became a threat to me," Philip II said calmly but somberly.

"Then Your Majesty, should we send more troops to the Netherlands?" someone else asked.

"There's no need to send more troops. Just dispatch the invincible fleet to England. Once we destroy the leading cancer, William van Orange's decree will become a joke," Philip II said, waving his hand.

On either side of the long table, Spanish officials and nobles whispered among themselves before nodding in agreement, feeling that this was the safest approach, ensuring the stability of the Netherlands while also allowing them to attempt to annex England.

The invincibility of the Armada is not just a figure of speech.

This fleet, built with the full resources of the Spanish nation, consisted of approximately 150 large warships, over 3,000 cannons, and tens of thousands of sailors and soldiers.

In comparison, the British navy, along with the pirates, was as weak as two children facing a fully armed knight.

Even if sending such a fleet would incur huge military expenditures and worsen Spain's finances, Philip II could wait for the brave Spanish soldiers to set foot on English soil and march straight into London, just like the Scottish Queen who had repeatedly trampled on Spanish dignity and sent her to hell.

The massive, invincible fleet thus set sail from Spain in a grand and imposing manner.

More than a hundred large warships, like a dark cloud floating on the sea, sailed against the wind and waves, rapidly approaching the British Isles, like a beast with its jaws wide open, about to devour its prey, leaving a huge shadow over the heads and hearts of countless British people.

...

Mary had mentally considered and planned many times how to deal with the Spanish Armada.

This time, the lessons learned from history were useless.

Historically, when Elizabeth faced the invincible Spanish Armada, before she could even begin the war, the Spanish army was struck by unprecedentedly bad weather. A violent storm and thunderstorm lasted for several days, causing the entire fleet to lose its way at sea. Along with the torrential rain came plague and food shortages, which ultimately took over the work of the entire British army, sending most of the Spanish soldiers to their doom, while a small number had no choice but to slink back home.

Now, although the war is still between Spain and England, the time, place, and direction are all wrong, and Mary cannot expect such good luck to happen to her.

What she can rely on is the new type of weapon.

With war imminent, this time the Queen of England no longer concealed her arms factories, but openly exposed them. She also used her royal authority to mobilize all of Britain's manpower and resources to work overtime to expedite the production of weapons and transport them to Portsmouth at the front.

In addition, to boost morale and prevent them from being intimidated by the Spanish Armada, Queen Elizabeth II personally boarded a British naval warship and delivered a speech the day before the war began, calling on all Britons to defend their country and jointly resist the shameless invasion of Spain!

"Boom—!"

Along England's azure coastline, the wooden boats that used to roam freely fishing have all vanished. The fishermen have wisely hidden themselves in the port cities, covering their ears as they watch the distant cannon fire.

Flames were everywhere, and the smell of gunpowder filled the swaying decks, making it difficult for ordinary people with little combat experience to even stand still. Spanish and English ships kept approaching, and then the people on both sides drew their guns and opened fire. Cannonballs also kept hitting each other's warships, sending one ship after another to the bottom of the sea!

Amidst the chaos, Mary, maintaining a safe distance, persevered in ensuring the soldiers saw that in this era of heightened monarchical power, the very existence of the Queen was an inspiration to the soldiers!

Boswell, his face flushed, tense yet excited, clung tightly to the Queen, his blood boiling with excitement at the sight before him.

"Look closely, Your Majesty! Traditional matchlock guns are utterly powerless against our flintlock muskets! The gunpowder over there hasn't even been ignited yet, and we've already fired several shots in quick succession!"

"Even if they have more artillery, it can't match our artillery's greater range and accuracy, and its power will never be as great!"

"Look, the Spanish ship is sinking! It's sunk!" Boswell said triumphantly, waving his arms.

That's the allure of new weapons.