My British Empire

  Chapter 559 Ghent Agreement

  London in winter becomes warm and fascinating because of some 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.

   Alpha immediately set up the "Anti-Rebellion Committee" to suppress the revolution with **** 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: "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 in the Netherlands was disrupted. Nobles and civilians were in danger and could be arrested at any time because of rumors.

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

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

  Subsequently, under the guidance of merchants, nobles, and the English, the insurgents started an era of comprehensive counter-offensive.

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

  In the southern provinces, although they have not yet gotten rid of Spanish control, the Duke of Avar's life is not easy.

  The Dutch formed a "forest beggar" guerrilla group in the dense forest, constantly attacking small groups of Spanish troops, 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 major cities.

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

  In this environment, the Netherlanders 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 is imposed, they defy fate with rare courage."

   In desperation, Philip II had to call the Duke of Avar back to Spain, and reassigned a man named Le 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, eager to get rid of the northern provinces ruled by Spain, they 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 an independent committee 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 how to determine the future direction of the Netherlands.

  Philip II was furious when he learned of this. 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 Raiden City has persisted for more than three months, and it is almost at the point where people are 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 everywhere, and looked at the crowded Spanish soldiers. He couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

   "Don't worry, we will win!"

  At this time, the young nobleman suddenly heard a sound. He turned his head and saw that it was Mr. John from England.

  This gentleman scattered gold coins widely. 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, a few years ago, due to the tyranny of the Duke of Avar, there was a collective food shortage in the Netherlands, which made this low-lying country almost unable to survive.

   After all, starving the heretics isn't just talk.

  For this reason, I heard that the English directly transferred grain from Ireland to the Netherlands.

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

  So, for the English, for His Majesty Edward who has never heard of it, the Dutch are deeply grateful.

   "I have overcome such a difficult moment, 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—" Speaking of the word, John suddenly screamed out.

  Leyden City is only six nautical miles away from the sea, and its terrain is low to the sea, protected entirely by sluice gates. This is how this city came to be.

   But what if the floodgates open?

  On this day, the defenders of the city suddenly opened the floodgates while the Spaniards were bewildered, and the city outside Leiden suddenly became a swamp.

  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 response, His Majesty Edward of London drank a glass of wine directly.

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

  John of England took this rare opportunity to gather the spokespersons of the northern and southern provinces and started a new round of meetings.

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

  The aristocrat who bought it in 2011 came to the stage and asked such a thought-provoking question in the city of Ghent.

   "I propose that Governor Louis be the plenipotentiary governor of the Netherlands and continue to lead the Netherlands against the Spanish uprising!"

   Even, some people 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 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 called the "Ghent Agreement".

  (end of this chapter)