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

Chapter 1230 The King Arrives
Amidst the chaos at the dock, tax collector Robert struggled to gather a dozen or so people, including his subordinates and attendants, soldiers responsible for maintaining order at the dock, and a few low-ranking nobles, merchants, and ship owners who happened to be there.

Although outnumbered, they managed to organize themselves and, while evacuating the crowd, attempted to do something to stop the warships' attack on Dover. Even if they couldn't ultimately withstand the enemy's overwhelming firepower, they could at least buy some time, thus giving Dover valuable time to defend itself and prevent the city from being directly captured.

Just as Robert was anxiously issuing a series of orders and preparing for sacrifice, a young, low-ranking nobleman suddenly pointed to the sea and exclaimed, "Quick! Look! What's that?"

"What?" Robert turned his head to look in the direction he was pointing, but when he saw that the five warships were still heading towards them on the sea, he didn't see anything else and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Flags! Tax collector, look at the flags flying on the warships!"

"A flag?" Robert was taken aback, squinting at the flag fluttering on the warship. Perhaps his eyesight wasn't very good to begin with, or perhaps the warship was still some distance from the dock, but he couldn't make out what was wrong with the flag no matter how he looked at it.

"Does anyone have a telescope? Quick! Bring me a telescope!" the young nobleman shouted. As soon as he finished speaking, a monocular telescope was handed to him from behind. The young nobleman didn't care who brought it to him, he just took it and stuffed it into Robert's hands, telling him to use the telescope to look.

Robert raised the binoculars to his eyes, constantly adjusting the focus with both hands. When he finally saw the flags fluttering on the warship, he was first stunned, then let out a long breath, and his tension disappeared, replaced by a sense of ease.

Robert could clearly see the flag hanging in the telescope; he recognized it all too well—it was the flag representing the Stuart royal coat of arms.

As an Englishman, he naturally knew better than anyone what the royal coat of arms looked like. Although the royal family had long been expelled by Cromwell and the nominal king had left England for Europe, the royal family's influence remained. Especially after the Lord Protector was called away by God not long ago, the new Lord Protector, Richard, did not have the ability to control the country. In addition, Cromwell's perverse actions and harsh methods in England over the years had aroused strong dissatisfaction among the clergy and nobles. Now, there were calls throughout England for the king to return and continue to control England, and the calls to replace Richard were growing louder. As a local tax collector, Robert, although his position was low, was aware of all this.

At first, Robert thought it was an invasion by foreign enemies, because the five warships looked exactly like Spanish warships. Britain and Spain had always been rivals. Although Britain had defeated the invincible Spain in the Great War of 1949 and destroyed their invincible Armada, Spain still had a strong naval power and was one of the dominant powers in Europe.

With the domestic situation in England currently unclear and the political landscape in turmoil, clergy and nobles are locked in a fierce struggle with the Protector, Richard. Under these circumstances, it is not impossible for Spain to suddenly send warships to attack England, and the direction from which the enemy warships are heading is precisely in the direction of Spain, which is why Robert was extremely nervous at the beginning.

But when Robert realized that the flag flying on the warship was not Spanish but the flag of the Stuart dynasty, his heart finally settled. Although Spain was an adversary of England, it would never use the flag of an enemy royal family on its warships for concealment or a sneak attack. This was no small matter; it was a despicable act that would be intolerable to the nations of Europe. If Spain were to do such a thing, it would face the enormous risk of being antagonized by all the countries of Europe and even facing a full-scale war.

According to royal and noble traditions, there are specific rules for flying flags, making counterfeiting virtually impossible. Since these five warships are flying the royal flag of the Stuart dynasty, it means that the master of the Stuart dynasty is on board. And who could this person be? Robert understood without even thinking.

"It's alright, everyone listen to me! It's alright!" Robert smiled. Although he wasn't particularly loyal to the previous King Charles I—after all, Charles I's religious beliefs and conflicts with Parliament and the nobility had led to the English Civil War, ultimately resulting in his execution—Robert disliked Cromwell, the self-proclaimed Protector of the Kingdom, even more. As for Cromwell's successor, Richard, Robert considered him nothing more than a useless playboy.

Compared to Cromwell and his son, Robert actually thought the previous kings were slightly better. Moreover, Charles I had long since lost his head, and his successor, Charles II, was nominally the true King of England. Furthermore, unlike his father Charles I, Charles II was much more popular among the British people, making him a more suitable candidate to become King of England than his father.

Unfortunately, Cromwell's attempt to consolidate power led to the expulsion of Charles II, forcing the king to wander in Europe. During these years, even while Charles II was away, the English people held not only sympathy for him but also high hopes. It was for this reason that after Cromwell's death, the clergy and nobles clashed with Richard and sought to bring Charles II back to the throne. However, the struggle raged in London, with Richard unwilling to relinquish power, and the outcome remained uncertain. Unexpectedly, the appearance of five warships flying the royal flag surprised and delighted Robert; he never imagined Charles II would return to England at this time and come to Dover.

Once it was confirmed that the flag belonged to the Stuart dynasty and the king, the panic at the dock vanished instantly, replaced by joy and anticipation.

Robert immediately rescinded his earlier orders to garrison and counterattack. To prevent any misunderstanding that might lead to the fort opening fire without authorization, he even sent someone to the fort to instruct the soldiers stationed there not to act without permission. Then, Robert directed the merchant ships that had not yet left the dock to move to the sides, making room for the largest and best berth in the middle for the arriving warships.

By the time he finished doing all that, the warship was very close to the port, and at that point, the royal flag could be clearly seen without any binoculars.

As the warship slowly docked and came to a stop, Robert subconsciously straightened his clothes and then led his men to greet it.

The first to disembark were dozens of fully armed soldiers. These soldiers were tall and well-equipped, but Robert found them somewhat unexpected because their equipment and clothing were completely different from those of European and British soldiers. Their armor had a strong exotic style, and even through the gaps in their helmets, their faces did not resemble Europeans. They did not have the high noses and colorful eyes of Europeans, nor did they have golden, yellow, red, or flaxen hair. Instead, they had black eyes and black hair, along with flat faces and distinctive features. For a moment, Robert couldn't figure out where these people belonged.

However, another group of musketeers soon disembarked from the warships. These musketeers were easily identifiable; their attire clearly indicated they were Portuguese. Robert could understand the presence of Portuguese musketeers, as he already knew that Charles II had married a Portuguese princess. These musketeers were likely from the Portuguese royal family, specifically assigned to Charles II as his guards, just like the five warships, which Charles II had borrowed from the Kingdom of Portugal.

After a while, the main figure finally appeared. When Charles II, dressed in magnificent attire and accompanied by several attendants, stepped off the gangplank, Robert's eyes instantly welled up with tears. Although it was his first time seeing Charles II, he recognized him at a glance from his clothing and demeanor. This young and tall man, with a steady gait, a smiling face, and an air of authority in every gesture, must be his King Charles II.

In an instant, Robert instinctively knelt on one knee before the king, adopting the most honorable posture of greeting. Around Robert, and behind him, countless others followed suit, with several commoners even prostrating themselves completely in the presence of the king, too nervous to even look up.

“Sir, I am Charles II, your king. Please tell me your name and title.” Charles II approached Robert and his companions and asked in a magnetic voice.

“Robert…Robert Evans, Your Majesty, I am the tax collector here, this is Baron Sean, this is Baron Kevin, and this is Mr. Allen…” Robert’s body trembled slightly with excitement as he answered the king’s question loudly. As he answered, Sean and the others also introduced themselves and offered their sincerest greetings to the king.

"Thank you for your welcome, my friends!" Charles II did not address them as subjects, but as friends, which greatly increased the goodwill of the young king among the crowd.

It's important to understand that their social standing was far inferior to that of Charles II. Robert was merely a local tax collector, while Sean and Kevin, though holding baronial titles, held low-ranking ranks and were not from the prominent British nobility; they were simply minor country nobles from remote areas. In other words, their baronial titles were merely inherited, and given their remote hometowns, aside from their titles, they were no different from the local gentry. They would likely never even see the King, let alone high-ranking nobles, and would certainly not be noticed by those in power.

As for Allen, he was merely a businessman, a businessman with some assets. The others were even less impressive; most were commoners. In the presence of such a high-ranking figure as the King, they were so nervous that they could barely speak. When they heard Charles II address them as "my friends," they were moved to tears.

(End of this chapter)