My British Empire

ps: Chapter 1, ask for tickets, ask for subscription

The mighty army marched towards Edinburgh step by step, but the speed could not satisfy Edward, so he simply led 3,000 horse-riding guards to abandon the civilian husbands and militiamen, and headed directly towards Edinburgh.

At this time, the Royal Navy of England had already set off from Portsmouth, and was on a journey to Edinburgh under the leadership of Lieutenant Commander James Leo Shesley.

At this time, England's navy was basically composed of single-deck flat-bottomed ships, which were long and shallow and mainly propelled by oars. As the main warships, they had served in European waters for centuries.

However, for hundreds of years, the introduction of heavy artillery has brought about great changes in the design of ships, and the English were the first to make major designs.

The larger of these was the prow, where the metal rams previously installed gave way to special cannon platforms, with a heavy cannon placed in the center of the prow, flanked by light cannon guards.

And as early as 1506, as the world's largest naval overlord, the largest warship built by Spain imitated the model of the English. An iron gun weighing 4 tons was installed on the middle side, and two wings were installed. A light cannon weighing about 2 tons, and a small cannon just over 1 ton. These guns fired stone balls, but by the 1530s they were replaced by bronze cannons firing metal projectiles.

The most important feature of all current single-deck flat-bottomed boats is that they have a medium-side main gun, two to four other heavy guns and some lethal light guns as wings on both sides. became a norm.

As the largest warship in England, the Sovereign has always been the center warship of the English Navy, so this time Major James personally sits in charge.

The English navy began with Henry VII, the founding monarch of the Tudor dynasty, and then expanded after Henry VIII. At this time, England had more than 60 warships of various types. Except for Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, it belonged to the English navy. strongest.

Moreover, in the war with France, the navy has been escorting Henry VIII, so that he has no worries. As a result, the development of the English navy is even more vigorous.

At this time, the fleet was traveling at a speed of five knots per hour, or about nine kilometers per hour. Portsmouth was about 800 kilometers away from Edinburgh. In less than seven days, nearly fifty naval warships were ahead of Edward. Came to Edinburgh.

Standing on the bow of the Sovereign, stroking the cold body of the heavy gun with his hand, Major James stared at the crowded Edinburgh port ahead.

In order to prevent leaks, the Earl of Wellington directly blocked the port of Edinburgh, so in front of James was a row of neatly arranged merchant ships of various colors, some idle and some loaded.

However, without exception, their masters were all crowded in the port, trying to persuade the officials in charge of the port, and some even threatened them based on their aristocratic background.

But none of these tricks worked, and the officials in charge of the dock still shook their heads in embarrassment, as if they were helpless.

Just when everyone was crying and sighing, they suddenly saw the arrival of the English navy, and all of them turned pale with fright, and some even turned pale.

As businessmen, they certainly knew what the arrival of the navy meant—war.

And war is plunder. Aren't those merchant ships docked at the port just like fat sheep on the table?

Soon, sharp-eyed businessmen saw the flags flying on the ship, and immediately understood that it was the navy of England. Even smart businessmen immediately knew what happened when they thought of the closed Edinburgh and the port where travel was prohibited.

This result was too significant, making them too shocked to speak.

James didn't care so much. Under his command, the fleet quickly docked at the port, leaving the necessary watchmen, and James took most of the soldiers ashore.

The lighthouse at the port had spotted the navy a long time ago. Not long after Major James arrived at the port, the Earl of Wellington, who was sitting in Edinburgh, came to greet him immediately.

"Good day, Your Excellency the Earl!" Major James bowed and took off his hat in salute.

"Good day, Major James!" Wellington also nodded happily.

In the past week, the French army with six or seven hundred people who surrendered, and the more than one thousand Huntington troops who came later, plus the remaining six or seven hundred English troops who rushed over, totaled only three thousand. .

In addition, in order to clear the 2,000 defenders in Edinburgh, they lost more than 500 people. At this time, the army guarding Edinburgh in his hands was only 2,000 healthy soldiers, and there were more than 500 French troops among them.

Two thousand people not only want to suppress the riots in Edinburgh, but also defend the city walls, which is a bit embarrassing.

The arrival of the navy alleviated the danger of shortage of manpower, and the earl was a little happy.

"Go, Mr. Major, I have specially prepared a banquet for you!"

After the earl relieved the pressure, he invited Major James to the banquet.

After the delicious dishes were served one by one, the Earl asked the question in his heart.

"Mr. Major, how many navies are here to help?"

Looking at the somewhat puzzled Earl of Wellington, Major James immediately stopped what he was doing, sat up straight and said, "Your Excellency, we are supporting you this time at the request of His Majesty the King, so we will leave behind the necessary warships In addition, fifty warships were dispatched!"

"Together, there are about 3,936 people, 35 heavy artillery pieces, and 70 cannon pieces!"

The Earl looked at the eloquent Major James and nodded with satisfaction. These are completely enough to defend Edinburgh.

After talking about this, the Earl wanted to get to know the young admiral, and Major James also wanted to get close to the important minister of the kingdom, so the following time was always so pleasant and relaxed.

Three days later, on May 15th, 1949, which was the tenth day when the Earl of Wellington occupied Edinburgh, the great King of England, Edward VI, who was only thirteen years old, visited Edinburgh.

Decades later, the old man who came here sighed to the curious children around him: I remember that it was still raining lightly that day, but when His Majesty the King arrived, the rain suddenly stopped.

At that time, I was pushed out by the general at that time, and I knelt outside the city of Edinburgh with my neighbors. I saw with my own eyes that His Majesty Edward VI came with thousands of armored cavalry from under the rainbow. The momentum was extraordinary. I felt that the ground was shaking constantly, my heart was filled with fear, and my whole body began to tremble.

Until now, I still remember His Majesty's handsome yet majestic face, and the white horse under him.

I thought at the time that it was okay to be a subject of such a king.