Peace and Business (4)

It's really great that the France government pays for everything; the money comes quickly, and they're exceptionally efficient at negotiating prices. Do you know what's characteristic of France government procurement? They only choose the most expensive items, not necessarily the most suitable ones. Even for a coffee cup, they'll buy the most expensive one. If you dare to price it, even 1500 francs, they'll buy it. On the contrary, they're unhappy if the price is too low because it makes accounting difficult.

In contrast, the Poland were much more frugal. When buying a revolver, they would buy a simplified version without rifling; when buying a "Little Melon" (a type of small, un-grooved, civilian version); and when buying landmines, they would only buy the fuse, not even the explosives, preferring to go back and carve the stones themselves.

Thus, ship after ship of weapons was continuously sent to Ireland, while members of the Ireland Resistance also continuously came to France to receive special operations training.

The France government was certainly quick to provide the funds, but they were also eager to see the results of their investment. Moreover, they hoped to see truly remarkable results. Only then would they have sufficient justification to increase investment.

On the morning of May 7, 1797, as the sun rose, Dublin gradually awoke in the sunlight, just as it always had. The streets gradually filled with people. In the square in front of the Governor's House, the British Army were changing shifts as usual, while inside the Governor's House, Governor Anderson Russell, Duke of Bedford, was receiving a report from Sheriff Darcy.

"You mean there are some rebels actively operating, and they may be receiving help from France?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, some time ago, our patrols discovered traces of fires beneath some cliffs on the west coast. We also sometimes found numerous footprints on the nearby beaches. Your Excellency, we believe these fires were used for communication between ships at night and at sea, while the footprints indicate that either many people or a large amount of cargo landed here. As you know, Your Excellency, Ireland doesn't possess any strategically vital materials that France needs to smuggle, so I suspect the France are secretly providing assistance to those rebels."

"Darcy," said the Duke of Bedford, "I just noticed you said you found traces of fires and sometimes footprints under 'some cliffs.' That is to say, someone was secretly doing something illegal at night, and you suspect it's related to those rebels. So, what action did you take?"

"Governor, the soldiers are very reluctant to operate at night. It is very unsafe to go to these areas at night, and all sorts of accidents can easily happen," Darcy replied.

"What accident? Was it an attack?" The Duke of Bedford's eyebrows twitched.

"Yes, Your Excellency, you know that the security situation in those areas has never been very good."

"Those damn Ireland. Well, I know this hasn't been going on for a day or two, and it's not entirely your fault. Hmm, Darcy, what kind of help are you hoping to get from me by reporting all this to me?"

"I think we must rely on the navy to stop this situation," Darcy said. "I know that if the France are up to something, they're using clipper boats. Normally, our warships can't intercept these ships. But I think they always have to stop when they're loading and unloading cargo. If our navy can show up at that time, we might be able to catch them."

"Darcy, you're right." The Duke of Bedell was always very kind to Darcy, who was also a Britain nobleman, and often treated the young man like his own nephew. "Actually, the coastal defense side is already doing something similar. It's just that the coastline is too long and their manpower is limited, so they haven't made any progress."

"Then, Your Excellency, could you perhaps increase the number of ships? Perhaps allow the navy to..."

"Darcy, I've told you before that you have to consider things from a holistic and comprehensive perspective, not just focus on what's right under your nose. Do you really want to stay in your current position forever?"

"Your Excellency the Governor..."

"Darcy, you know the Spain have now sided with the France. Our navy's advantage over the enemy's navy is no longer significant, and to restrict France trade, our frigates are required to patrol the France coast. Although they cannot intercept France clipper ships, the France have a limited number of clipper ships, thus effectively suppressing France maritime capabilities. If we mobilize the frigate force, we must consider the impact on the recovery of France maritime power. If we deploy the main fleet, we must consider what the France and Spain fleets might do. In short, this matter..."

The two were talking when a loud bang suddenly came from outside.

The entire governor's mansion shook with the loud bang, and the glass in the huge French windows of the office shattered instantly. Even with the Duke of Bedford sitting on his chair, the large, heavy man was thrown high into the air. Darcy, who was standing there, collapsed to the floor. Dust billowed down from the ceiling, covering the Duke's desk and hair in a cloud of dust.

"What's going on? What's going on?" Duke of Bedford stood up, gripping the armrests of his chair.

"I'll go take a look..." Darcy also got up from the ground.

At that moment, a series of gunshots rang out from the direction of the main gate.

"A traitor!" Darcy immediately made this judgment, drew his pistol, and headed towards the front door. The Duke of Bedford then removed his wig, dusted it off, and tidied his appearance.

The gunfire outside intensified, and after a while, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Darcy burst through the door, shouting, "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, you must leave immediately! The rebels have broken in, we can't hold them off!"

"What?" The Duke of Bedford's hand trembled, and the wig he had just put back on fell to the ground again...

Let's rewind a little. Just as the Duke of Bedford was instructing Darcy to see things from a higher perspective, a beautifully decorated four-wheeled carriage was slowly appearing in the square outside the Governor's Palace.

Such large carriages, pulled by four large Marat, were not uncommon in Dublin, and their owners were usually important figures from England. The carriage gradually approached the Governor's House and slowly slowed down, seemingly preparing to stop and be questioned by the guards.

The carriage gradually approached the governor's mansion and stopped. Several guards came forward to inquire. But at that moment, the carriage suddenly exploded.

The stolen wagon was loaded with 150 kilograms of Nitrated Starch. It was driven and controlled by an Ireland warrior determined to sacrifice himself for his country. The wagon of explosives blew the surrounding soldiers, the entire gate of the governor's mansion, and the barracks of the guards near the gate to smithereens.

Following the explosion, some people who had been loitering in the distance suddenly pulled out revolvers and Bonaparte's Little Melon hidden in their clothes and rushed towards the Governor's Palace.

The governor's mansion's guard camp was right next to the gate, which resulted in many guards being killed or seriously injured in the initial explosion. Almost half of the governor's mansion's defenses were wiped out. Even worse, the frontal defenses of the governor's mansion were almost completely wiped out by the explosion.

Sean, holding a revolver in each hand, was the first to rush into the Governor's House. He immediately saw a Britain soldier, dazed and confused by the explosion, struggling to get up. Without a word, Sean shot the unfortunate man down and continued rushing inside.

A group of Ireland revolutionaries followed him and rushed inside, firing at anyone else who could still move, whether they were soldiers, waiters, men, or women.

Occasionally, a few soldiers would rush in from further away and fire at them, but they were quickly taken down by dozens of revolvers or blown up by Little Melon that seemed to fly in from nowhere. These men were utterly incapable of stopping the Ireland advance.

Darcy led the Duke of Bedford toward the back door, but just as they reached the back door, they heard the sound of a revolver firing and the explosion of Bonaparte's Little Melon.

Darcy led the Duke to a drainage ditch that ran through the wall and outwards. The water in the ditch was now shallow enough that one could swim out from there.

"Your Excellency, the situation is urgent; we must get out of here," Darcy said.

"I'll go first!" The Duke of Bedford disregarded his aristocratic manners at this point. He knew how much those Ireland bandits hated him and what would happen if he fell into the hands of these thugs.

The Duke of Bedford was the first to jump into the drain, crouch down, and try to climb out. But he was far too fat, and got stuck halfway through.

"Darcy, Darcy, come and give me a push!" the Duke of Bedford called out.

Then he heard someone jump into the ditch behind him, and immediately felt a push on his buttocks, and then... he was squeezed even tighter.

"Push harder, a little harder! Ah... like that, Darcy, push harder, push harder!" the Duke of Bedford shouted as he endured the excruciating pain.

However, at that moment, several gunshots rang out, and the Duke of Bedford felt the pushing force on his buttocks disappear. He knew something was wrong and quickly doubled his struggle. With this effort, he seemed to have moved forward a little more, and his widest belly seemed to have finally passed through the narrow opening... But just then, several hands grabbed his feet...