Chapter 733: The Terrifying Fleet
William Pitt Junior merely frowned slightly, motioned for a court official to close the large white windows, then turned back to continue discussing with George III how to prevent the opposition party from obstructing matters in Parliament.
He had already made appropriate arrangements for potential protests or even riots among the populace, so there was no need to worry.
In fact, the Committee of Public Safety had already mobilized 5,000 militia two months prior, stationed around London and waiting for orders.
British militia were not a motley crew; in wealthy areas like London, their equipment level was even better than that of the British Army.
In its early days, the United States had learned from its former colonial master, disbanding the Continental Army and relying solely on militia to secure the nation.
Sure enough, after just over ten minutes, rhythmic military drumbeats echoed from the north side of Downing Street.
Large detachments of militia, marching in neat formations, appeared before St James's Palace. Dense rows of flintlock muskets stood tall behind them, like a forest of steel.
The troops halted, and an officer rode forward, loudly ordering the demonstrators to disperse immediately.
However, the struggling workers began burning effigies bearing the names of politicians or factory owners, shouting even louder:
"No unauthorized wage cuts!"
"We have a right to live!"
"Prime Minister, come out and see us!"
The officer waited for a moment, then had his commands repeated several times. Seeing that the demonstrators not only refused to leave but began surging forward, he decisively gestured behind him:
"Disperse them!"
"Yes, sir!"
The first hundred or so militia immediately moved forward to the drumbeat, forming ranks, and under the officer's command, used their long wooden clubs to strike the crowd in front of them.
The demonstrators instantly retaliated with sticks, shovels, and similar objects, while workers in the distance continuously hurled stones at the militia.
The street in front of St James's Palace instantly descended into a state of chaos and panic.
George III glanced towards the window and said to William Pitt Junior:
"You must defeat our enemies as quickly as possible, otherwise this situation will eventually become uncontrollable."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Please rest assured."
The King nodded, then picked up "An Essay on the Principle of Population" and began reading:
"Remember, you will likely only have one chance."
The clashes on Downing Street grew increasingly fierce. When a goose-egg-sized stone struck the shield in front of the militia officer, his face immediately darkened, and he drew the pistol from his waist.
As he fired a shot into the air, the soldiers behind him immediately raised their bayonet-fixed flintlock muskets.
The militia holding wooden clubs in the front rank spread out to both sides, exposing the demonstrators to the muzzles of the guns.
Several leading demonstrators gritted their teeth and continued forward, waving their hands and shouting:
"Don't be afraid! We just want to see the Prime Minister, they won't shoot!"
"Everyone, follow us, for affordable sugar..."
However, they had only advanced about ten paces when the opposing flintlock muskets spat fire.
Three of the leaders and over a dozen workers behind them fell into pools of blood. The only uninjured leader stared in terror at the corpses beside him, then frantically turned and fled back.
The demonstrators had not expected the government to actually open fire and scattered in a tumultuous panic.
Numerous police officers then emerged from all directions, blowing whistles and arresting the demonstrators.
Screams, whistles, and curses became the main melody heard inside St James's Palace at that moment.
The next day.
The front pages of London's major newspapers were almost all dedicated to news like, "Illegal Riots Break Out on Downing Street, But Instigators Quickly Dispersed, Dozens Arrested by Police."
At the same time, the papers also published news that Parliament had decided to suspend the Habeas Corpus Act and would pass the Unlawful Combinations of Workmen Act, urging citizens not to participate in any assemblies or demonstrations.
Not a single newspaper carried reports sympathizing with the demonstrators.
This was because news censorship had begun across the entirety of Britain.
...
North shore of the English Channel.
Port of Plymouth.
Stirring music filled every corner of the port. A band of over 80 musicians sat formally on a platform on the south side of the port, performing with the best efforts of their lives.
Tall soldiers of the British Second Guards Grenadier Regiment, dressed in bright red uniforms, held their flintlock muskets, forming several human walls of red from the port entrance all the way to the fleet's moorings.
Under the solemn and stern gaze of the soldiers, Lord Grenville, the British Foreign Secretary, conversed with a smile with the accompanying diplomats from Prussia, Austria, the Netherlands, and Hanover. Accompanied by the music, they walked towards the outer harbor.
Behind him were a host of senior British Navy and Army officers, as well as several executives from the Plymouth shipyard.
"Thank you all for coming to this naval review. Oh, look, here you can already see the greatest fleet in British history."
Grenville gestured southeast: "It will defend the interests of Great Britain and our allies at all times and to the fullest extent!"
The diplomats from Prussia, Austria, and the Netherlands looked out, all displaying expressions of shock.
In the spacious military harbor in the distance, over 40 colossal battleships floated silently on the sea.
Their massive forms, like giant beasts capable of tearing everything apart, exuded immense pressure.
Yet, at this moment, these "beasts" were arranged in neat formations, as if commanded by a deity, ready to devour any enemy pointed out by divine will.
It was important to remember that these were all fourth-rate battleships or higher! In the distance, there were also numerous cruisers and frigates, totaling around a hundred vessels.
And these were only the warships of the Mediterranean Fleet and the Bay of Biscay Fleet.
This clearly demonstrated the terrifying strength of Britain, the maritime hegemon.
As the group drew closer to the military harbor, the appearance of these behemoths became even clearer.
A dense array of masts resembled a vast forest emerging from the sea, obscuring more than half of the military harbor. An adult was not even as tall as a single plank on the side of a ship's hull.
Any two of these ships lashed together would be almost as large as their respective countries' royal palaces!
After more than ten minutes, Grenville and his entourage crossed a very wide gangplank and boarded the HMS Victory, the flagship of the British Mediterranean Fleet, which was moored at the dock.
Once everyone was aboard, Admiral Jervis, First Lord of the Admiralty, stepped to the front of the group and, with great pride, introduced the world's most powerful first-rate battleship beneath their feet.
"She is 227 feet long, with a mainmast 205 feet high...
"In the Atlantic, with a favorable wind, she can reach a high speed of 8 knots...
"She has three gun decks, capable of carrying over 100 cannons! Her firepower is sufficient to destroy any enemy vessel, or even a small fleet.
"Her hull is made of oak, two feet thick, capable of withstanding direct hits from a 24-pounder cannon within 100 yards. Even a 32-pounder cannon, at a range of 300 yards, cannot pierce her!"
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