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Chapter 1023 His Poison is My Honey
Imprisoned inside was a very special prisoner of war, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, Secretary of State for Naval War of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the first favorite of Charles I.

This man did not follow the British fleet, but stayed on the Spanish flagship. According to his own account, there was no other reason, just because the cabin of the Spanish galleon was relatively spacious and dry, and the interior decoration was high-grade, which was in line with his status.

The British flagship had a lowered poop, so the cabins on the deck were relatively small, and even the captain's cabin was about the size of a country gentleman's office. How could a top-level nobleman from the Kingdom of Great Britain commit himself to such a place?

Perhaps he did not expect that the Anglo-Spanish fleet would be defeated so thoroughly, and the flagship became the target of attack. At this time, Count Superro stepped forward and chose to cover the retreat personally for the sake of honor, but he was trapped by accident.

But sometimes when luck comes, even death has to give way. The duke hid in the luxurious suite under the stern deck and experienced more than two hours of artillery battle. The wall was penetrated by shells three times, but there was no injury on his body, and even his clothes and hat were neatly kept.

When he was brought out of the cabin by Yan Bushi's sailors, the Imperial Navy and the Spanish soldiers were all stunned. The deck was in a mess, everyone was either stained with blood or soaked in sea water, and their faces were either exhausted or haggard, but this Duke was the only one who was different.

She was dressed in bright and beautiful clothes, her face was powdered pale, and there was more fear than curiosity in her eyes. She kept staring at the Imperial Navy uniforms. She didn't look like she had just experienced a brutal naval battle, but more like she was at an aristocratic ball in London.

As the ancients said, respect the clothes first and then the person. Yan Bushi was also stunned by the man's style and dress, and when he heard that he was a duke, he did not dare to lock him up with the prisoners, but vacated the cabins of the navigator and the second mate.

After learning about this, Hong Tao did not say whether it was right or wrong, but asked Governor Cohen to personally go and identify it. If it is true, then take it to the flagship and give it special treatment. If it is like the Spanish duke, it is an honorary title and has nothing to do with nobility, just throw it into the bottom cabin and endure it.

Why should the Duke of Buckingham be given special treatment? Are the prisoners also divided into different levels? Yes, of course the prisoners must be classified, and the treatment must be different in terms of skills, age, position, and ransom.

To put it bluntly, those who are more useful are treated well, and those who are less useful are treated normally. Since the establishment of human society, everyone has never been equal. It has never been, it is not now, and it will never be in the future. This is human nature.

Hong Tao was so caring towards the Duke of Buckingham not because he was attracted by his so-called beauty but because he was trying to compete with James I and Charles I, father and son, for his lover.

Moreover, this duke, who was known as the most handsome man in Europe, did not seem to be very handsome. He had black eyes, black hair, a slightly white complexion, and a medium height. His figure was well maintained, but he could not be called Pan An. It may be that Europeans and Asians have different aesthetics, and the European court aesthetics in the 17th century was even more unique.

Judging from Hong Tao's usual style, if there is no deep connection, he would suddenly be very nice to someone, and the other person is a man. The only explanation is that he is setting a trap.

This time is no exception. Hong Tao wants to use the Duke of Buckingham as a medium to influence Charles I's governing line, causing Britain to deviate from the historical trajectory it should have followed and embark on a path of no return.

Hong Tao found information about Charles I in his memory. The reason why this king was famous was very similar to that of Louis XVI. Both were kings who were publicly beheaded in European history.

Charles I was born in Dunfermline Castle, Scotland in 1600. He was the second son of King James I of Scotland. He suffered from rickets when he was a child, was thin and bow-legged, and had a stutter. It was probably because of these reasons that he was not valued by his father. He only had the title of Duke of York but did not get the power he deserved. From childhood to adolescence, he was always overshadowed by his brother Prince Henry, which formed a shy, inferior, and inarticulate character.

If he continued like this, after Prince Henry succeeded to the throne, as the king's younger brother and with the title of Duke of York, Charles might have achieved something in the art he was good at and spent the rest of his life there.

As fate would have it, when he was 12 years old, his 18-year-old brother Henry contracted typhoid fever and died, forcing Charles, who was not valued and had little relevant training, to hastily take over as the crown prince.

When James I died at the age of 25, Charles ascended the throne of Scotland, England and Ireland. But he did not like this job very much, rarely attended the Privy Council, and was even more reluctant to communicate with members of parliament.

In addition to his stutter and heavy Scottish accent, Charles also had different political ideas from many members of Congress. He believed more in divine right and was disgusted with constitutionalism. Because he was not good at expressing himself, he often lost his temper and said harsh words, lacking compromise and communication.

Eventually, he fell out with Parliament, which led to the English Civil War, which also cost another famous historical figure his life. This figure was Oliver Cromwell, the first Lord Protector of the Realm in British history.

Faced with such a king with flawed character, not very dedicated, autocratic and willful, and a favorite minister like the Duke of Buckingham, it would be abnormal if Hong Tao did not have some ideas of cheating him.

You are against constitutionalism and want to restore the supremacy of the monarchy, right? Great, we will not only support you spiritually, but also provide you with material assistance. Don't be a coward, just go all out to fight with the congressmen, it's just that you are short of money, it's not a big deal.

As long as he could cause the British Isles to fall into internal strife, Hong Tao was willing to pay Charles I 100,000 pounds or even more every year as funding. If that didn't work, he could send someone to England to kill the young congressman named Cromwell and let Charles I live a few more years.

A king like this who has no concept of the country and the nation and only cares about his own comfort must be protected like his own eyes, and it would be best if he could live a long life. With him in power, the United Kingdom of Great Britain is like having diabetes, unable to die but also uncomfortable, and having to rely on medicine every day to prolong life.

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Is there any benefit to the Ming Empire from doing this? Definitely not in the short term. Given the current economic strength of Britain, it does not have such strong purchasing power even if it wants to dump goods, so it is useless.

In the long run, it is very useful. The fundamental interests of this island country are different from those of the European continent, and even contradictory. Its existence has always been a thorn in the side, making Europeans uneasy.

However, a powerful Britain was not in line with the interests of the Ming Empire, so funding Charles I was the most effective poison with the least investment, which could cause Britain to suffer from chronic poisoning and was much cheaper than starting a war.

(End of this chapter)