My British Empire

In Madrid, in the new royal palace, the King of Spain is discussing the expedition with his Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance and the Duke of Avar.

After half a year of preparation, the 20,000 Spanish army has been prepared and ready to move out, and what is currently being discussed is the aftermath of the Netherlands.

No one, including His Majesty the King, doubted the army's suppression of the Netherlands, and the discussion was only about the aftermath.

"Your Majesty, the prosperous Netherlands is Spain's dairy cows, not the usual beef cattle!"

Finance Minister Roy Gomez De Heer opened his eyes wide, looked at Philip II sincerely, and said sincerely.

"Hmph—" Duke Avar sneered, and said dismissively:

"My lord, you have to be clear that the Netherlands is only the Netherlands in the hands of the kingdom, and the Netherlands that does not exist in the hands of the kingdom, no matter how prosperous it is, it is just a landscape!"

Philip II watched the two trusted ministers argue again, and couldn't help feeling a headache again.

"Okay, the Duke of Avar who is going on this expedition, then the governor of the Netherlands is also him, and the affairs of the Netherlands should be handed over to him!"

Hearing this, the Minister of Finance glared at Duke Avar reluctantly, and then reluctantly agreed.

On the other hand, His Majesty the Palace Prime Minister looked at ease, as if all this had nothing to do with him.

"Your Majesty—" the young guard knocked on the door.

"Come in~" the king said.

"See you, the Ambassador of the Government of the United Kingdom in Madrid!"

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Madrid has become the political center of the entire Kingdom of Spain, so most of the ambassadors have also been transferred here for convenience.

"Why do the English see me?" Philip II was a little puzzled.

"Your Majesty, since the Ambassador of England is asking to see you, there must be something important, so it's better to meet him!" The Minister of Finance suddenly spoke out, persuading him.

"Then let's meet!" Philip II glanced at the Minister of Finance and said with a smile.

Soon, a gentleman with a short beard and light yellow wavy hair came in. He first saluted Philip II, and after a few greetings, he explained his intention.

"Your Majesty, Europe has been exploited by Portugal for a long time! My king wants to work with your country to break Portugal's monopoly on Eastern trade and create a fair business environment to benefit the people of the two countries!"

Facing Philip II, Mr. Ambassador said solemnly, claiming that it was for the benefit of both countries.

As soon as this remark came out, Philip II and the ministers were directly surprised.

It is astonishing how daring the English have been in joining forces to challenge Portugal's trade authority in the East.

Philip II's mind immediately began to think about the benefits of breaking through the Portuguese blockade, and large sums of gold coins entered the treasury.

Especially since I am about to send troops to the Netherlands, it is so important to have a source of cash on the basis of not being able to get the tax from the Netherlands for the time being.

However, Eastern trade is far from quenching thirst, and the Portuguese have monopolized Eastern trade for many years, and it is very difficult to break it, especially when he has to invest in the navy to fight the Ottoman Empire, let alone push Portugal over.

"Sorry, Your Excellency the Ambassador!" Philip II shook his head and said with a little apology.

While gold is tempting, it's not worth it compared to fighting Ottoman pagans.

"At present, for our country, it is more beneficial to continue to maintain the Zaragoza Treaty. We have no possibility of changing it at present!"

"In this case, then I will resign, and hope to have the possibility of cooperation with your country in the future!"

Your Excellency the Ambassador felt a little dejected at once. It is indeed a pity that a good opportunity to make merit has passed away from his hands.

But he still kept a faint smile on his face, and retreated politely.

The chancellor of the exchequer looked at the retreat of the English ambassador, as if he saw a large sum of gold coins leaving his pocket, feeling inexplicably heartbroken.

As an important minister of the kingdom, he understands the mind of His Majesty the king, upholds Catholicism, and becomes a defender of the faith, which is the highest thought in the king's heart, and interests are irrelevant.

Therefore, he could only watch the fortune leave without being able to speak.

The same is true for the Duke of Avar on the side. Although he is against the Minister of Finance, he still understands what the huge Eastern trade will bring to the kingdom.

…………

Hampshire, a county in southeastern England, borders the Solent to the south, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, and the Solent to the Isle of Wight.

The largest city, Southampton, is the capital of Hampshire and a famous port in England. The tax on ships docked every day brings a lot of income to the city hall, making other cities in the county extremely eye-catching.

Before entering the city gate, according to the usual practice, there was a long queue, and slowly entered Southampton. Everyone felt that they were maintaining order, and everything was so harmonious.

"Boom, boom, boom!" Suddenly, a sound of horseshoes disturbed the harmony. A group of people with short swords and blood-red cloaks rippling behind them rode straight past, ignoring the gatekeeper.

The people in front of the city gate were not at all annoyed by being cut in line, but instead started discussing with great interest.

"Depending on the situation, someone else is unlucky again. I don't know which high-ranking official it is!"

"Yes! There is a good show to watch, which is much more interesting than watching that play!"

People looked at the back of the knight galloping away with great interest.

Sure enough, the group of knights lived up to expectations, rode their horses, and rushed directly to the Sheriff's Mansion.

"The Star Chamber Court handles the case, please cooperate!"

Just when the guards in front of the government were about to intercept, the leader of this group of blood-red cloaked knights directly showed an iron plate with the English word "Star Chamber Court" written on it.

The Palace Intelligence Department is under the banner of the Star Chamber Court, so all will have the power to enforce the law.

"Yes, please come in—" the guard looked at the sign, his thighs trembled, and he said tremblingly, and made a gesture of please.

Under the shocking eyes of the guards, these members of the palace intelligence department walked directly into the county chief's office.

In less than a minute, the majestic and majestic Sheriff was now like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, with his head downcast, like a mourning concubine, and his face was gray.

Then, the chairman of the traffic management committee was also arrested and escorted out together with the county chief.

At this time, the entire Sheriff's Mansion was like an earthquake, flustered and full of discussions.

But at this moment, news came that His Excellency the supervisor, one of the three giants in Hampshire, was directly handed over to the county court by Blood Blade.

In other words, the county chief, the supervisor, and the county lieutenant, except for the county lieutenant who controls the military power, were all arrested.

And what followed were batches of accountants who carried out rigorous calculations and audits of every expenditure in the entire county government.