Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1229 The Panic of Dover

"His Majesty!"

Charles II stopped in his tracks, gazing at the warships so close before him and the flags flying on them that represented the British royal family.

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind. Turning around, he saw it was his friend and strategist, Prince Hui.

Wang Zihui was dressed in European attire, which was made in Lisbon but had a strong British style.

Although the combination of the oversized top and tight pants looked a bit awkward, Wang Zihui dressed very elegantly, and with a Europa rapier hanging beside him, he looked every bit the British aristocrat.

“I am not the king yet…” Charles II corrected him with a smile.

“No! Your Majesty!” Prince Hui said earnestly, “You are the King, the Lord of England whom even the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty acknowledges! Look! When you board this warship, the throne is right in front of you. You only need to take a step and you can walk steadily over, sit down, and wear the crown that is rightfully yours!”

"Your Majesty, I urge you to board the ship and reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to you! Your people have waited far too long!"

Charles II smiled. Throughout the journey, Prince Hui had constantly encouraged him and devised numerous plans. Their relationship was not merely that of monarch and subject, but also that of trusted friends. Now, the opportunity had finally arrived, and Charles II was not about to let this golden chance slip by. Although he knew that going to England was risky—Richard was still Lord Protector, the de facto ruler of England, while he himself was merely a figurehead king—his safety on European soil was assured, but once he landed in England, no one could guarantee what might happen.

Even so, Charles II had to take this risk because Prince Hui had made it clear to him that now was the best time for him to return to England. Although he could continue to patiently wait in Lisbon for changes to occur in England, ensuring his safety until Richard and the British nobles completely fell out, and after the two sides decided the victor and Richard lost power, the British nobles would then take the initiative to welcome him back to England.

While this approach offered security, it also introduced uncertainty. Political upheavals had already begun in Britain following Cromwell's death, with European nations closely watching the political landscape and secretly scheming to gain advantage. Even for the British nobility, overthrowing Richard would not be easy on their own, as Cromwell had left him with a political legacy, including his army.

While Charles II would be safe in Lisbon, he risked the situation escalating in another direction. Furthermore, with other countries already interfering in British politics, it wasn't impossible that the throne, which had seemed within his grasp, might fall into someone else's hands. Therefore, Charles II needed to return to England immediately to solidify his legitimacy as King and, in doing so, to bolster the confidence of the British nobility and the populace, thereby gaining their support.

To persuade Charles II, Prince Hui told him two stories. One of them, which he had told in the Ming Dynasty, was about Duke Wen of Jin. The other story was about Prince Xiaobai of the Spring and Autumn Period, who was also known as Duke Huan of Qi.

Through these two stories, Prince Hui tells Charles II that making the most appropriate choice at crucial moments is of utmost importance. If Duke Wen of Jin had not fled abroad to save himself, he would have met the same fate as Shen Sheng, dying long ago, and there would have been no Duke Wen of Jin to follow.

If Prince Xiaobai had not rushed back to Qi immediately after the death of the king, and had not pretended to be shot by an arrow while fighting his rival for the throne, thus deceiving his opponent and taking over Qi first, there would have been no famous Duke Huan of Qi.

Both monarchs made the most appropriate choices at the most crucial moments, which is why they were ultimately able to succeed. The same applies to Charles II now. He absolutely cannot continue to wait for changes in the British political situation in Europe; he must personally travel to England as soon as possible to demonstrate his determination and courage as king, thereby expressing his stance and uniting the British nobility and people to help him reclaim the throne.

“Thank you, my friend!” Charles II nodded emphatically, glanced back at the warship in the distance, took a deep breath, and strode resolutely toward it. Behind him, Prince Hui followed closely, along with fully armed soldiers. These elite Eight Banners soldiers were all burly and resolute, for they knew what they were about to face. For them, who had lost Liaodong and whose tribes no longer existed, their only hope for survival in distant Europe lay with their new master, Charles II.

Once everyone was on board, Charles II gave the order to set sail. The warships departed Lisbon one by one, heading northwest towards England. England was not far from mainland Europe, separated only by the English Channel. From Lisbon, the fleet would first sail north, then pass through Spain, reaching the west of the Strait of Gibraltar, before turning northwest to finally reach England directly.

The distance from Lisbon to England was short, taking only three days at the fleet's speed. By the second day, the fleet had crossed the Strait of Gibraltar; to its right lay French territory, and to its left, England.

The fleet turned northwest as planned, and by the next morning, as the sun rose, England was within reach. After continuing along the course for a while, the land ahead became clearly visible, and the most striking sight was a white cliff. Upon seeing this white cliff, Charles II was extremely excited, and his hands clenched involuntarily, for not far from this white cliff was Dover, his first choice for landing in England.

Dover is a port city, most famous for the White Cliffs and the nearby Dover Harbour. Dover Harbour is located in southeast England, slightly inland, with a maximum width of about 40 kilometers and a minimum width of only 28 kilometers, and a depth of 50 meters, making it an excellent harbor.

It was just the beginning of the day, and the residents of Dover were waking up in the early morning. The city and port were just awakening, welcoming the start of another day.

As usual, everyone was busy starting their day's work. At the port, several merchant ships were docked, and many dockworkers were loading and unloading cargo. The local tax official was patrolling with a few people, while some merchants and people dressed as low-ranking nobles were leisurely discussing something on the side.

Everything seemed no different from any other day, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the day would soon pass in this ordinary atmosphere. But no one expected that today would be a special day. Just as a merchant ship was busy unloading cargo, a porter wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced casually towards the sea. The scene before him instantly stunned him.

"My God!" The porter's eyes widened. What did he see? Warships! Five warships! These five warships were sailing towards Dover Port in a triangular formation. Because the warships came from the southeast, the people of Dover Port, bathed in sunlight, did not notice them at first. By the time they were spotted, the five warships were already not far from the port.

"My God!" The porter rubbed his eyes hard, as if trying to determine if what he was seeing was a hallucination. After he came to his senses, he exclaimed and, no longer caring about the goods he was carrying, hurriedly ran up the gangplank toward the port, shouting as he ran.

Instantly, the entire dock erupted in chaos, especially among the dock officials and guards, as well as the ship owners, captains, and sailors of the merchant ships, and many ordinary people. Everyone scrambled forward; some ran towards Dover, some towards the ships, some panicked and ran around like headless flies, and some were speechless, forgetting to run, staring dumbfounded at the approaching warships.

"Get the ships off the dock as soon as possible! Quick! Get to the fort! Davis! Damn it! Where are you, Davis? Sheriff! Does anyone know where the sheriff is? God! They're here! They're here!" Amid the chaos, Robert, the dock tax collector, was probably one of the few who could keep his composure. He shouted orders for everyone to disperse while issuing a series of commands.

However, he was just a minor tax collector, whose daily work consisted of collecting taxes at the dock. He was neither a county official nor a magistrate, so this was all he could do under the circumstances. Moreover, he had very few people around him; there were hardly any soldiers at the entire dock, and the magistrate who usually swaggered around was nowhere to be seen.

His shouts brought order slightly. In fact, it was also because of the time that everyone reacted. Most people had already fled towards the city, while the ship owners, captains, and sailors of the merchant ships rushed back to their ships, quickly untying the mooring lines, intending to leave the dock before the warships got too close and avoid direct confrontation with their cannon fire.

But how easy was it to accomplish all this? The warships were incredibly fast, and in just a few minutes they were not far from the dock. If nothing unexpected happened, they would soon be within firing range. Seeing this, the ship owner and captain wore expressions of despair. Although their merchant ship also had cannons, how could a mere armed merchant ship possibly contend with the opposing warships? Once a battle broke out, their merchant ship would soon become a target and sink to the bottom of the sea.

Needless to say, the forts not far from the docks were in a similar situation. Dover had never encountered such a situation before. The docks were not well-manned to begin with, and the incident happened suddenly, especially with the sheriff absent and reinforcements not yet arriving. It would take time for the forts to be prepared and to open fire. Moreover, facing five heavily armed warships, the forts equipped with only three cannons were practically useless.

(End of this chapter)