Ming Zuo

Robert Blake's fleet returned to London in dismay and panic, and immediately brought shock like a stormy sea.

Cromwell was already full of worries, but now that everything has become a reality, he finally realized the seriousness of the problem.

"Gentlemen, the king is not reconciled to defeat, and has received support from abroad. He would rather sell the interests of the country to satisfy his own selfish desires than agree to our request. We have no way out, and we must fight to the end."

It has to be said that Cromwell was a very wise leader.

In fact, before the arrival of the Sino-Dutch fleet, there was already a clear tendency to split within the parliament.

First of all, the Presbyterian faction is worried about the growth of the Independent faction, and has begun to discuss the matter of disbanding the army after solving the king.

In order to reverse the occupation, Cromwell introduced a new army policy.The mercenary system was abolished and replaced by conscription.

The New Model Army created by him performed very well in the civil war, achieved a series of brilliant victories, and gave birth to a large number of emerging military generals.

These generals only obeyed Cromwell's orders, regarded him as an idol, and united closely around him.

It was because of these people that Cromwell's power grew day by day, and he gradually gained the aura of no one else.

Why are the Presbyterians willing to hand over power to others?
So it is imminent to disband the army and weaken Cromwell.

According to the previous plan, the Parliament has already contacted the Scottish Pledge Party.As long as the Scottish Oath faction sends Charles I back, the Presbyterian faction will propose a resolution to disband the army in Parliament.

Cromwell also knew that this would affect his own destiny, so he adopted a policy of fierce confrontation.

He is contacting all military officers with the intention of creating a general army conference and replacing parliament with a general military conference.

But within the army, apart from his independent faction, there is also an equal faction that truly represents the bottom soldiers.

The fundamental purpose of these people joining the parliamentary army is to completely overthrow the king and realize a bourgeois democratic republic.

Cromwell's policies were more radical than the Presbyterians, but more conservative than the Equalityists, so they were attacked from both sides.

During this period of time, he has been thinking about how to calm down the turmoil and unify power.

The arrival of the Sino-Dutch fleet made him see an opportunity.

In the case of external enemies, internal conflicts can of course be covered up or digested.

Cromwell was a master of the medium.

Sure enough, the parliament no longer cares about fighting among itself.

"Do we still have enough sea power to counter Chinese and Dutch interference?"

"As long as we regroup and mobilize all forces, we can guarantee the security of the homeland."

Robert Blake gasped.

Watching his friend George Monk die in battle, and his side suffered heavy losses, he almost gritted his teeth.

He is determined to take revenge.

And the method he thought of was also very simple, and it was commonly used by the British.

If you can't fight the frontal battlefield, then all members will become pirates.

Anyway, as long as the British fleet can ensure that China and the Netherlands cannot effectively reinforce the king, it will be a victory.

When the parliament has completely defeated the royalist army at home, the support from China and the Netherlands will be meaningless.

At that time, we will settle accounts with China and the Netherlands.

"Has the Scottish side agreed to our request? We must be ready to march, and we cannot pin our hopes on others."

Fairfax, who hastily returned, also made a claim.

Before that, he had led the army to march towards Scotland under the order of Cromwell.As a result, when he was halfway, he was ordered to stop, and he rushed back to London for a meeting.

He has been keenly aware that the arrival of the Sino-Dutch fleet is likely to make the Scots change their minds.

But he wasn't too worried.

Although China and the Netherlands are very powerful at sea, the parliament has an absolute advantage on land.The weak Scotland's fighting power is very limited, and even if it returns to the king, it will not be able to stop the parliament's attack.

Maybe you can also take the opportunity to wipe out the Scottish separatists who are not loyal to the United Kingdom in one go, so that the British rule over Scotland will be strengthened.

Cromwell understood.

"We need two more infantry regiments to get the desired effect and the council has to provide all the support."

The Presbyterians and Equality Members present all looked solemn.

They all had a premonition that in this way Cromwell and his independents might no longer be able to check and balance.

But there is no way, war is greater than everything.

The Presbyterians and Independents had no choice but to hold their noses and agreed with Cromwell's proposition.

Cromwell announced on the spot that he would appoint Fairfax as the commander-in-chief of the Western Expeditionary Army and be solely responsible for the march into Scotland.

At the same time, Robert Blake was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the freedom of the sea operation, and he must do his best to prevent China and the Netherlands from aiding the king.

"Sir, we are gradually losing Parliament. If this continues, Cromwell will become a more terrifying existence than a king."

After the parliament, the Presbyterians got together and were all pessimistic about the situation.

The leader of the Presbyterian faction, Cardinal Tifa Komans, was also full of resentment.

"The king's stubbornness is the culprit that caused all this. His greed and stupidity ruined everything."

Another MP, Sir Robert Killigrew, was not pleased with Comanth's mindless complaints.

"Now is not the time to chatter. We must find a way to prevent Cromwell from expanding his power. Otherwise, the foundation of politics will be destroyed."

However, when it comes to practical solutions, everyone in the Presbyterian faction is blindsided.

They are used to being superior and have long been divorced from practical affairs.

In this era of wars, it is obvious that words and status alone cannot have enough power.

However, when the Presbyterians were at a loss, someone sneaked into London and found them.

"My lords, on behalf of King Charles II of New England, I would like to offer my sincere apologies to all of you. Because of the perverse behavior of the previous king, the country has been divided. The new king believes that now is the best time to reunite the hearts of the people."

The news of the coup shocked the Presbyterians.

No one thought that Prince Charlie, who was like a playboy, would be so bold and successful.

"The new king has received the full support of China and the Netherlands, and has reached an agreement with Scotland. Now 15 brand new troops are being formed and can march to England at any time. In addition, Portugal can also participate in the sea at any time. That is to say , Parliament will no longer have any chance of winning."

Coming up is a big stick threat, and the effect is very significant.

Knowing that Charles II has joined forces with China, the Netherlands, and Scotland, and that Portugal may participate at any time, everyone in the Presbyterian faction felt tremendous pressure.

After the stick, of course, the carrot.

"The new king deeply understands that the current situation is caused by the failure of the previous king to accept public opinion with humility. His Royal Highness believes that we can sit down and re-discuss the future of the country, don't we?"

As soon as these words came out, all the elders' eyes lit up, and their hearts jumped with joy.

The hope of retaining authority has appeared!