My British Empire

London in winter becomes warm and fascinating because of a little coal.

The Netherlands, which is short of food and clothing, lives like a year throughout the winter, whether it is a Spaniard or a Dutchman.

Just as the Duke of Avar said to Philip II when he left Spain, let the Netherlands become a new world.

Alfa immediately set up the "Anti-Rebellion Committee" to suppress the revolution with bloody means. More than 8,000 rebels were executed, including the noble Earl Egmont and General Horn. The mayor of Antwerp, the head of the bourgeoisie, was also hanged. Alpha also formulated a new tax system, all movable and immovable properties were subject to property taxes, and all commodities were subject to transaction taxes in an attempt to strangle the Dutch revolution economically.

He said viciously, "Better leave a poor Netherlands to God than a rich Netherlands to the devil."

The establishment of the Reconnaissance Committee almost brought chaos to the entire Netherlands. The proper order of the Netherlands was disrupted. Nobles and civilians were in danger and could be arrested at any time due to rumors.

Subsequently, an astonishing uprising broke out throughout the Netherlands, and millions of Dutch people supported and sympathized throughout the entire Netherlands.

The Spaniards, who firmly occupied the city, could only barely defend, and completely gave up their right to rule the rural areas.

Subsequently, strands of insurgents, under the guidance of merchants, nobles, and the English, began an era of comprehensive counter-offensives.

By early 1567, the entire northern provinces of the Netherlands had largely become independent from Spanish rule.

In the southern provinces, although not yet free from Spanish control, the Duke of Avar's life is not easy.

The Dutch formed a "forest beggar" guerrilla in the dense forest, constantly attacking the small Spanish army, punishing the Spanish minions, and beating the Duke of Avar dizzy.

At first, he dealt with the uprising forces in the provinces with all his strength, and carried out violent attacks on the major cities.

His savage sacking of many cities attempted to arrest this trend by violence, but it could not save Spain from defeat in the northern provinces.

However, in this environment, the Dutch became more and more courageous as they fought, and they were not afraid of death.

At the time, the Venetian ambassador to the Netherlands wrote: "Although the cold climate makes the inhabitants timid, it is a remarkable thing that, when the sentence of death was imposed, they defied fate with rare courage."

In desperation, Philip II had to call the Duke of Avar back to Spain, and reassigned a man named Li Kuisheng as the governor of the Netherlands.

In January 1567, with the exception of Amsterdam, Holland, Zealand, and the entire northern Netherlands were liberated from Spanish rule.

At this time, the northern provinces eager to get rid of Spanish rule jointly recommended the new Prince Louis of Orange, brother of the late Prince William of Orange, as the governor.

However, in view of the lack of prestige of the new Governor Louis, the nobles of the Netherlands established independent committees of the northern provinces to exercise great power.

In this way, in order to better free the entire Netherlands from Spanish rule, the provinces of the Netherlands decided to hold a three-level parliament to discuss the future direction of the Netherlands.

When Philip II learned of this, he was furious. He ordered the new governor to exhaust all means and organize the convening of the three-level council.

In March, the newly appointed Governor spared no effort to surround the coastal city of Leiden in an attempt to go straight up and prevent the convening of the three-level parliament.

In this regard, the little city of Layden persisted for more than three months, and it was almost at the point where people were running out of food.

"These Spaniards are really powerful!" A young nobleman on the city wall wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the blood and limbs all over the place, and then looked at the crowded Spanish soldiers. He couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"Don't worry, we will win!"

At this time, a sudden sound came from the ear of the young nobleman. He turned his head and saw that it was Mr. John from England.

This gentleman distributed gold coins widely, and as the spokesperson of England in the Netherlands, he supported many uprising teams, and even most of the weapons and equipment were transferred from England by him.

Even, in the past few years, due to the tyranny of the Duke of Avar, the collective food shortage in the Netherlands made this lowland country almost unable to survive.

After all, starving heathens isn't just talk.

For this reason, it is heard that the English adjust grain directly from Ireland and transfer it directly to the Netherlands.

Although the price is much higher, other countries dare not offend Spain and dare to transport grain.

Therefore, the Dutch are deeply grateful to the English and to His Majesty Edward who has never heard of it.

"I have overcome such a difficult moment, so what is so terrible about this difficulty!"

John looked at the endless Spanish soldiers under the city wall, and then whispered softly to the young nobleman.

"I'm afraid, we will all jump into the sea in the end!" The young noble sighed helplessly.

"Sea, sea—" John cried out suddenly at the word.

Leiden City is only six nautical miles away from the sea, and its terrain is low to the sea, protected entirely by sluices, and this is how this city came into existence.

But what if the floodgates are opened?

On this day, the defenders of the city suddenly opened the sluice while the Spaniards were bewildered, and the city of Leiden suddenly became a swamp. The Spanish army besieging the city fell into the sea and suffered heavy losses.

The victory of the Leiden Defense War greatly consolidated the victory of the uprising in the northern provinces, and also promoted the uprising activities in the southern provinces.

In this regard, His Majesty Edward of London drank a glass of wine directly.

But King Philip II of Spain became more and more irritable, and there was an endless stream of trash, garbage, and such swearing.

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, John of England gathered the spokesmen of the northern and southern provinces and started a new round of meetings.

"Everyone, the yoke that the Spaniards have imposed on the Netherlands for a long time is about to be destroyed, but at this moment of celebration, we have to face a question: Where is the future of the Netherlands?"

The aristocrat bought in the year came to the stage and raised such a thought-provoking question in the city of Ghent.

"I propose to let Governor Louis serve as the Plenipotentiary Governor of the Netherlands and continue to lead the Netherlands against the Spanish uprising!"

Some people even proposed that Charles II, the younger brother of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, be the Grand Duke.

Of course, some people also suggested that King Edward VI of England should be ushered in to counter Spain.

In this way, in the city of Ghent, the three-level parliament, which had been arguing and discussing for nearly a month, finally introduced a proposal: announcing the abolition of all decrees issued by Alpha, reaffirming the original rights of the cities, and uniting the north and the south against Spain.

Therefore, it is also known as the "Ghent Agreement".