In the two battles on land, the royal army and the parliamentary army both won one and lost one.
It seemed that there was a tie and the balance was maintained, but for the parliament, the situation was deteriorating rapidly.
The problem comes from the sea.
After the last naval battle, the main force of the British navy originally controlled by the parliamentary army had been lost, and it was no longer able to sail across the sea.
As an island nation, without a navy, no amount of victories on land will matter.
Cromwell knew this very well.
Therefore, he took strong measures and mobilized a large number of resources, hoping to revive the navy.
To this end, he did not hesitate to impose heavy taxes and force nobles and businessmen to spend more money.
The economy in parliament-controlled territory is deteriorating rapidly.
Although this was caused by the situation and Cromwell had no choice but to do so, the nobles and businessmen would not care so much.
Whoever affects their interests and prevents them from making money is their enemy.
Within Parliament, dissatisfaction with Cromwell continued to grow.
It's just that Cromwell's reputation is too high and he can control the situation for the time being, and those dissatisfied voices can only stay dormant for the time being.
In the past two battles, the parliamentary army and the royal army ended in a draw, effectively preventing the royal army from advancing, which gave Cromwell's voice to a higher level.
But danger also comes.
Cromwell knew that the navy was important, how could Kong Zhiguang not know it?
Although he had already learned that the main force of the ocean fleet had arrived in Europe, Kong Zhiguang decided not to wait.
After discussing with Marton Tropp, he decided to completely eliminate the British navy in one go.
The Combined Fleet sailed south along the northern coast of England, rushed into the Thames River, and bombed both sides of London indiscriminately, causing fires to spread all over London and leaving many people homeless.
Even London was attacked, which demoralized Parliament.
Under pressure, Cromwell had to mobilize a large number of artillery from the front line to strengthen the shore defense, hoping to prevent the United Fleet from landing.
However, Kong Zhiguang never thought about landing operations at all.
Taking advantage of the darkness, the combined fleet sailed silently into the ocean, then made a large circle and quickly headed south along the French coastline.
Robert Blake was startled when the combined fleet appeared outside Portsmouth.
After the death of George Monk, Robert Blake was the last great admiral in the British Navy.
Cromwell also placed the task of reviving the navy on him.
But Robert Blake was also a clever woman.
Britain itself is not rich in resources, and about half of its territory is still under the control of the royal family.
Especially in the southeastern region of the UK, after so many years of mining, there are no longer enough qualified trees.
How to build a ship without wood?
Robert Blake gave Cromwell advice and hoped to order the East India Company to provide support.
But no one expected that the East India Company verbally rejected the parliamentary order.
They declared strict neutrality and would not participate in domestic wars. Whoever wins will be loyal.
Just kidding, since the company changed its stance and formed an alliance with the empire, the East India Company has completely opened up its business in Zhu, and its business has boomed, making more than ten times or a hundred times more money than before.
Do you want to foolishly pledge allegiance to the Parliament and then be wiped out by the empire's armed forces in Zhu?
Although the East India Company had both administrative and military functions, it was still a company after all, and they needed to be responsible to their shareholders.
Without the support of the East India Company, Britain had no other overseas colonies at this time, which caused Robert Bligh's shipbuilding plan to be very slow.
The house leaked and it rained all night, so the United Fleet came.
Kong Zhiguang has already explored the topography of Portsmouth.
He asked Marton Tropp to lead the Dutch fleet to block the southern end of the Solent to prevent the British fleet from escaping.
He then landed three companies of infantry on the Isle of Wight.
After more than a day of fighting, the defenders on the Isle of Wight laid down their weapons and surrendered after being unable to resist.
He personally led the Imperial warships to block the northern end of the Solent and at the same time stormed Portsmouth Bay.
As the most important naval base in the United Kingdom, the terrain of Portsmouth Bay is very difficult, and only a narrow channel can enter it.
The Parliament deployed forts at the entrance to the bay and the defense was very tight.
But it didn't work.
The range of the Imperial Navy's naval guns far exceeds that of the British. Even if the naval guns fire coastal defense artillery, the British can only look at it with dismay.
Under five consecutive fire strikes, the British fort was completely lost.
The Wehrmacht infantry also completed the landing on the flank, defeated the blocking force of the Parliamentary Army, bypassed the front of the fort, and approached the city of Portsmouth.
"We are warriors of the sea, and our pride cannot be tarnished. Even if we die in battle, we should hold our heads high and not let the evil enemy look down upon us."
Knowing that the situation was over, Robert Blake issued a very tragic mobilization order, and then led the remaining eighteen warships of various types to rush out of Portsmouth Bay.
Kong Zhiguang admired his courage to show his sword, but had no sympathy.
"fire!"
The imperial fleet had long been positioned outside the bay, and all the broadsides on one side were aimed at the exit.
When the British navy rushed out, they were greeted by endless cannonballs of all kinds.
Explosive bombs destroyed everything, and rockets rained down on the plantains.
The battle ended quickly.
The British didn't even have time to set up their formation. On the way out of the bay, they were all buried by too fierce firepower.
Robert Blake stood proudly on the mast, holding the cross flag in his hand, letting the sea water submerge him bit by bit, and also submerged Britain's supposedly glorious future.
This military strategist who established British maritime hegemony defeated the famous Dutch general in one fell swoop, and eventually withered in the face of changing history.
The fall of Portsmouth completely panicked the Parliament.
With the navy completely eliminated, it meant that royal troops could land from any direction.
How should the parliamentary army defend itself?
"Mr. Speaker, we must come up with a solution. Your Majesty the Protector's demands are becoming more and more excessive. If this continues, we will all go bankrupt."
The businessmen turned to the Presbyterians, and complaints and dissatisfactions abounded.
Farewell to them, the anger within the Presbyterian faction reached its peak.
Everyone understood that defeat seemed inevitable.
On October 28, Cromwell returned to London.
There is concern that support for the frontline is dwindling.
"Gentlemen and ladies, do you still want to return to the king's abominable oppression? What are we fighting for? The future of Britain needs to be fought for by ourselves. No matter how powerful the enemy is, it is impossible to defeat our unity. .”
In the main square, Cromwell gave an exciting speech in front of the attention of all the citizens.
boom……
