Chapter 84
The British, who were locked in a standoff with the Spanish Armada across the sea, were completely unaware of the hellish conditions that had engulfed the Spanish ships over the past two weeks.
Starting with that young secretary, one after another, the young and strong Spanish soldiers fell.
They first felt fever, body aches, and fatigue, followed by red rashes that quickly became swollen and filled with clear fluid, covering their entire bodies and more terrifying than any scar from a wound.
Initially, under the orders of Spanish Navy Admiral Alessandro, these soldiers who had contracted smallpox received no help. They were carried out of the ship's cabin by people wrapped in white cloths and then burned alive in order to stop the spread of the virus.
While bearing immense pressure as he continued to attack the English, Alessandro hoped that God would bless this devout and great nation of Spain and grant a miracle to stop the spread of smallpox as soon as possible.
But clearly the devil's power was too great. England was truly an ominous country. As more and more people fell ill, even the healthy soldiers were defeated by the fear of the virus. They became more and more anxious every day and no longer had the will to fight on the battlefield.
Some prayed to God every day for a safe return home; some harbored resentment towards Alessandro for the tragic fate of their sick compatriots; and many more secretly disembarked at night and became deserters.
Under the oppressive force of Death wielding a scythe, the army has begun to become unruly.
At a meeting of senior military officers, Alessandro, who looked more than ten years older in just over half a month, said wearily, "We must withdraw our troops back to Spain, even if His Majesty Philip hangs me after we return, I must do it."
"How's the situation in the Netherlands?" someone else asked.
"We have been defeated. The cunning British breached the seawall, causing heavy losses to our army. On the way back, dysentery and sweating fever broke out," someone replied.
Alessandro, sitting in the superior position, weakly raised his eyelids but said nothing about Nidero's situation.
If it were more than two weeks ago, he would have been filled with indignation and would have cursed the incompetent Duke of Alba, accusing him of ruining the reputation of a great Spanish general by being utterly defeated by the army of a second-rate country in a third-rate country, thus greatly damaging the glory of Spain.
But now, the sudden outbreak of smallpox has exhausted him completely, and he has no energy left to pay attention to the Netherlands.
He was as triumphant as he was when he gained the king's trust and was given the command of the invincible fleet to sail far away. Now he was utterly dejected.
“But before we leave, there’s one last thing we need to do,” Alessandro said.
"Sir Alessandro, what is it?" asked his newly promoted adjutant.
"Under the cover of night, secretly row a few small boats out and dump the bodies of smallpox patients onto the British ships in batches. Not a single ship can be missed," Alessandro said grimly.
The suffering that the Spanish endured, the British must also experience.
...
When the bodies of the smallpox patients were cremated, the Queen of England listened to her servants' report, feeling a mixture of relief and lingering fear.
fortunately……
Fortunately, she managed to get vaccinated against smallpox in advance; otherwise, it's unimaginable how many British sailors would have lost their lives and how many families would have been torn apart.
In this era of limited information, the spread of smallpox vaccination was naturally not so rapid.
The City of London was a key focus, and with encouragement from the government and various guilds, more than 50% of its residents were vaccinated against smallpox, compared to only 20% to 30% in other British cities and rural areas.
As for the navy and army, they have always been Mary's main focus, so the soldiers here have been taking turns to be vaccinated from last year to this year. By the time the war with Spain broke out, about 70% of the army of about 20,000 men had been vaccinated against smallpox.
Mary promptly treated the vaccinated soldiers and then isolated them for a period of time. Except for a very few unlucky ones who unfortunately contracted smallpox, the spread of the disease was nipped in the bud.
In comparison, the pirates organized by John Hawkins and Francis Drake were among the hardest hit by smallpox.
These pirates spent most of their time at sea and had no opportunity to be vaccinated against smallpox, nor did they have any concept of preventing infection. Even though the Queen of England decisively sent twenty doctors with new ideas to help them treat smallpox, many pirates still contracted the disease.
Enraged, John Hawkins personally met with the Queen, pleading for a chance to send troops to pursue the Spanish along the sea route, to beat them to a pulp and make them pay for their shameless behavior!
“Mr. Hawkins, I understand your feelings, but the most urgent task is to control the smallpox outbreak within the pirate ranks and prevent this terrible disease from spreading further,” the Queen of England said gently.
“We have lost more than two hundred men because of smallpox, including my cousin, a young, upright and brave lad. He wasn’t a pirate like me, but he bravely fought this time, all to be loyal to England and the Queen…” John Hawkins said painfully, “…He didn’t kill a single Spanish soldier, but died in his sickbed because of the other side’s despicable and shameless plot. Is there anything more ridiculous than this?”
"Calm down, Mr. Drake. Victory and composure are always sisters; impulsiveness only leads to defeat. The struggle with Spain cannot be fought overnight. For decades to come, England will continue to clash with Spain over the New World, and you will always have opportunities to fight. Besides, they have suffered far more than we have. God has already punished those shameless Spaniards with the power of smallpox," said the Queen of England.
The Queen of England's words made perfect sense, leaving John Hawkins with no choice but to suppress his anger and leave the Queen's temporary palace.
What Mary didn't finish saying was that Spain's losses were not simply due to two defeats in war.
With the loss of the Netherlands, the invincible Armada was defeated once again.
She had a premonition that this would be the beginning of the decline of Spain, a country that had once dominated Europe.
...
When the Queen led her army back to London this time, carrying the afterglow of her naval victory, the whole city was filled with celebration.
Foreign Secretary Maitland held a grand welcoming ceremony, with a dozen adorable flower girls standing on the walls of London, who then showered down red and white roses representing England, thistles representing Scotland, shamrocks representing Ireland, and laurel leaves, which in Greek mythology symbolize victory.
It has a very auspicious meaning.
But when Mary rode her horse through the city walls and saw the vast expanse of red, white, purple, and green fluttering in the air, she still felt that rather than such a chaotic mess, it would be better to choose only one color.
Of course, Mary never voiced these complaints to Maitland. Instead, she enjoyed the festivities with her subjects and promoted them according to their merits.
Half of London was singing and dancing in celebration of Britain's acquisition of the Netherlands.
The Earl of Hertford, who had once again rendered great service in the Netherlands, was granted another title, this time as the Duke of Somerset.
Then, at the celebratory banquet, an ambassador from France casually presented the Queen of England with a letter from the French royal family, conveying the wishes of Catherine the Queen Mother to the most powerful queen in Europe at the time.
Queen Mother Catherine hopes for a remarriage between the King of France and the current Queen of England.
—Mary, do you remember my son, Charles IX?
Ever since you left France, he has been thinking about you constantly and is filled with affection for you. He is almost lovesick. If you could get married, he would love you as much as François did.
When we parted last time, you told me that Paris and the Louvre were your true homeland and home, and that the Valois royal family were your eternal family. My dear child, we are now very willing to become a real family with you again.
Leaving aside the elegant and subtle wording, this letter, if translated, roughly conveys the following meaning.
Mary held the pristine white letter in her hands. At first, she thought she had misread it, since anyone could sense Queen Catherine's dislike for her. But then she felt it was both unexpected and reasonable.
Things are different now than they used to be.
With the British Isles and the Netherlands as her dowry, it was enough to offset any ill will. Why would Queen Catherine the Queen Mother care about those personal grudges from the past?
“Isn’t Charles IX already engaged to Archduchess Elizabeth of Austria?” Mary said.
Mary had heard of the princess, Archduchess Elizabeth, who was dignified, pious, kind, and innocent, and also possessed a rather beautiful appearance and radiant blonde hair. She was also about the same age as Charles IX, and in every respect, she was a better match for the King of France than Mary, who was older and had a cold reputation.
“Your Majesty, but they are not yet married,” the French ambassador replied, a refined yet sly smile on his face.
What the French ambassador didn't say aloud in front of the British was that Britain, which owned the Netherlands, already shared a large border with France.
Therefore, if the Queen of England does not accept the marriage, then in order to prevent the threat from growing too powerful, Queen Catherine the Queen Mother will treat the Queen of England as an enemy from then on.
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