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

Chapter 1233 Baron
On the surface, Charles II's return to the country and restoration of the monarchy seemed to have gone very smoothly, as if it were a dream come true. But in reality, Charles II knew very well that without his own thousand elite troops, the support of his father-in-law, King João IV of Portugal, and the planning of Prince Hui, it would have been impossible to achieve this.

First, Charles II chose the most opportune moment to return to England, precisely when the conflicts between various factions within the country and Richard were at their most intense. Returning at this time meant that Richard, the Lord Protector, was unable to attend to his landing at Dover due to his conflicts with the clergy and nobles. Simultaneously, his return provided the latter with a legitimate political justification to demand that Richard relinquish his Lord Protectorship and restore England's original monarchical system.

Secondly, the warships lent to him by the Kingdom of Portugal, along with the thousand elite troops he brought back, were the foundation for Charles II's foothold after landing in England. While warships alone could certainly have a deterrent effect, the problem was that even the most powerful warships couldn't land on land, and Charles II couldn't possibly suppress all sides and march north from Dover to London with just warships.

At this critical moment, the thousand elite troops around him played a vital role. Coupled with the musketeers provided by the Kingdom of Portugal, he at least had a certain military self-defense capability. The existence of this military strength also made various parties in England see the possibility that Charles II could regain the throne. This is why various forces came to his aid after his landing, and even took the initiative to send knights and soldiers to join the king's army.

If this weren't the case, even if Charles II were to return to London, expel Richard, and seize Hampton Court, he still wouldn't gain true power. This is evident from everything that has happened so far: those who have pledged allegiance to the king, including those who have actively expressed support, all have their own agendas. These people are sending their troops to the king's side and proposing that these troops form a new royal guard to protect him. In the future, Charles II will be controlled by them, becoming their puppet.

Charles II understood the nobles' thoughts all too well, and he knew exactly what they needed. To these nobles, Charles II and the so-called Protector Richard were essentially no different; their reason for abandoning the latter to restore the monarchy and welcome them back to London was due to a struggle for power.

During Cromwell's reign, the nobility were so severely suppressed by Cromwell that all power was concentrated in his hands. As a result, after sending Charles I to the guillotine, the power of England did not fall into the hands of the nobility, but was instead seized by Cromwell.

This outcome was intolerable to the nobles, who envisioned a parliament composed of nobles controlling Britain and dividing the spoils among themselves. However, Cromwell's meteoric rise shattered their plans, leaving them deeply dissatisfied.

However, during Cromwell's reign, when he held supreme military and political power, the nobles had no courage to challenge the Lord Protector and could only remain silent and bide their time. When Cromwell died, their opportunity finally arrived. Richard, who succeeded him as Lord Protector, was incapable of controlling England's military and political power like his father had. Therefore, they united to launch a political and military campaign against Richard, demanding that he relinquish power.

The reason they did this was that after the Cromwell era, these nobles realized that simply removing Richard from power would not allow them to perfectly divide power and maximize their own interests.

This was similar to what happened after Charles I was sent to the guillotine. The nobles originally intended to divide the spoils through Parliament, but the problem was that there were various factions within the nobles. These factions, along with their differing political views and varying strengths, led to endless infighting. Cromwell took advantage of this and ultimately seized the greatest gains, thus becoming Lord Protector.

If the new Protector Richard were to fall from power, and no suitable replacement were found, England might produce another Cromwell—a result no one wanted to see. Under these circumstances, the nobles clearly recognized that restoring the monarchy in England was absolutely necessary. Once the monarchy was restored, a king would serve as a buffer, balancing the various factions within the British aristocratic system. Supporting the previous king on the throne would benefit all parties, and as long as Parliament, government, and the military remained in the hands of the nobles, the king would be nothing more than a figurehead. This was the best option.

Under these circumstances, the nobles would choose to restore the monarchy and expel Richard. Not only the nobles, but the clergy also thought the same way, which led to the possibility of Charles II's restoration. Charles II was well aware of this; his restoration was merely the result of an exchange of interests among various factions within England, and even after he truly ascended the throne, most of the power would not be in his own hands, but rather in the hands of these nobles.

The purpose of these nobles' intention to place their own people around the king, and even to form a guard to control the king's palace, is obvious.

Without the thousand elite soldiers by his side, plus the help of Prince Hui, Charles II would have had very few options.

In the original historical account, Charles II initially had no choice but to rely on the help of Spain and France, using their armies as a military foundation for his ascension to the throne, while simultaneously leveraging the influence of English nobles to counterbalance their power and achieve a balance. This approach seemed sound, but it had an inherent weakness: Charles II lacked any real, trustworthy military force. Even with the best attempts at balancing power, he was merely oscillating between several factions. This very reason led to Charles II, after regaining the throne, constantly falling under the influence and control of Spain and France, while also being suppressed by the domestic nobles. Despite his later efforts, even risking war, he could not escape this predicament until his death. Ultimately, before his passing, he reluctantly relinquished the throne to his son, instead passing it to his brother as a final act of resistance.

But things are different now. With Prince Hui and his thousand elite troops by his side, Charles II no longer needs to rely on the power of Spain or France as he had in the past. At the same time, he no longer needs to maintain a balance with the nobles who have sided with the country, allowing them to use these methods to place their own people around him or even control the security of his palace.

With these measures, Charles II's security and personal safety at Hampton Court Palace were basically guaranteed, which relieved him.

"Thank you very much, my friend," Charles II said sincerely to Prince Hui.

“It is my duty, Your Majesty,” Prince Hui replied with a slight bow.

Charles II trusted Prince Hui and his thousand elite troops far more than others. After all, they did not belong to any faction but were Charles II's men. Moreover, they all came from the Ming Dynasty and were truly foreigners in England. Their only chance of establishing themselves in England was with Charles II himself. In this respect, their fates were intertwined with Charles II's.

“However, I’m sorry, my friend, I have some bad news.” Charles II said apologetically to Prince Hui, “Originally, I intended to immediately bestow upon you a title and official position, but as you know, the formal coronation has not yet been completed, so in that respect I am not yet the true king.”

After a pause, Charles II said, "Therefore, your investiture can only take place after my formal coronation. Moreover, considering the parliament and the nobles, I'm afraid I can't give you a corresponding title. Although I've argued my case, I can only secure you the title of baron..."

At this point, Charles II showed a look of shame, feeling somewhat sorry for Prince Hui. Prince Hui had followed him all the way from the Ming Dynasty to England, helping him with strategies and plans along the way. The reason he was able to return to England and become the true King of England after his coronation was that he, as the king, could not give Prince Hui the rewards he deserved. This was a source of great regret and apology in Charles II's heart.

Charles II originally intended to grant Prince Hui the title of Earl. According to the European, especially British, peerage system, formal peerages are divided into five ranks, equivalent to those in the Ming Dynasty: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. Earls and above are considered high-ranking titles, and nobles holding such titles can be considered high-ranking nobles. Viscounts and Barons are lower-ranking titles, generally granted or inherited by collateral relatives or second sons of high-ranking nobles. While they belong to the nobility, they are significantly lower in rank than the former.

In addition to these five titles, Britain has two other noble titles: knight and knight. The former is equivalent to the lowest baronial rank, but it is not hereditary and is merely an honorary title. As for knights, they are vassals of nobles, similar to the status between nobles and commoners, and have a quasi-noble status.

Besides these, there is an even more special title: Baron. This title is similar to Knight and Knight, but unlike Knight, it is hereditary. It is a secondary step into the ranks of nobility. However, Charles II can only give Prince Hui the title of Baron now, which is quite different from his previous promise.

Hearing Charles II's words, Prince Hui's disappointment was palpable. After all, he knew all too well the vast difference between an earl and a baron. However, he didn't show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he nodded slightly, indicating that it was nothing to worry about. He had clearly observed Charles II's situation over the past few days. Although he was about to become the true king, Charles II's actual power in the country was not great. Even after being crowned, he was still greatly suppressed as king. Even the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, whose word was law, needed the approval of the cabinet and court officials to bestow titles upon nobles. Without a plausible reason, he couldn't act arbitrarily, let alone Charles II.

(End of this chapter)