"His Majesty the King, according to the covenant signed by you and our Lord Lord, our navies on both sides should advance and retreat together when facing a common enemy."

King Charles I of Britain sat in front of Sun Xu, the commander of the Fourth Fleet.

"But Mr. Sun, your country's merchants are careful in our London city, and the fleet has been in Portsmouth Harbor and has not gone out for a tour. How can the enemy come?" Charles I asked in confusion.

"Does Your Majesty the King know about Li Jinde?"

"Li Jinde? Didn't he say his whereabouts are unknown? Could it be that you found him?"

"Yes, he was kidnapped by pirates in Algiers, and now he is treated as a slave in the city of Algiers."

"Barbary Pirates!"

Charles I heard the amazing news and couldn't help but exclaim.

The Barbary Pirates are well-known to European countries, even Britain is no exception!

"In the past ten years, the Barbary pirates even went to the southwest counties of Britain, Ireland and other places to plunder population and property, all because of the decline of our Royal Navy... To be careful, the Barbary pirates are also our enemy. But no country can have the ability to destroy them. The Mediterranean situation is complex, the coastline is twisty, there are reefs and shallows in many places, and large ships cannot dock, and the pirates' small and medium-sized galleys come and go freely. Therefore, although the countries are unbearable, they have not retaliated against them effectively, and at most they are shelling them when they encounter them on the sea." Charles I said.

"Li Jinde is our man. I am here under the order of our Admiralty to ensure the safety of all our citizens here. Even if the other party is a rampant pirate, as long as they capture our men, we will rescue them!" Sun Xu said.

"What are you going to do?"

"Chain the Algiers in the Mediterranean, negotiate with local Barbary pirates, and demand that they release our people immediately."

"It is impossible. The Ottoman Empire is supported by the Barbarian pirates. Your fleet entering the Mediterranean will anger Constantinople. Constantinople is not as terrifying as before, but the new Turkish army of the Ottoman Empire is still one of the most elite officers. Their production capacity allows them to re-produce within half a year even if they lose hundreds of galleys in naval battles."

"But His Majesty the King, we declared war this time the Barbary Pirates instead of the Ottoman Empire. Although the Ottoman Empire was the master of the Barbary Pirates, we stand in the righteousness. We only blockade Algiers and will never go deep into the eastern Mediterranean easily and will not take the initiative to confront the Ottoman Empire." Sun Xu said.

Charles I was still a little hesitant.

The Ottoman Empire frightened European countries, possessing a centralized empire system in the East, and also learned artillery and musket technology from the West. The combination of the two gave the Ottoman Empire an astonishing military advantage.

The current European army has been tempered during the Thirty Years' War and the advantages of the Ottoman Empire have gradually been lost. Charles I still dare not touch the red star-moon flag of the Ottoman Empire.

The reason is very simple. Even if the European countries have become stronger, no country has tried to challenge the former strong men, for fear of being beaten up by accident. Similarly, Britain does not want to be the first to be the first.

"If we can make the Barbary pirates surrender, our merchants and merchant ships will not need to pay protection fees to the pirates and can freely enter and exit the Mediterranean..." Sun Xu said.

When it comes to not having to pay protection fees to Barbary Pirates, Charles I was intentional.

If the Barbary pirates across the Mediterranean surrender to the British quartz flag, the Barbary pirates' threat to the southeastern counties and Ireland will be lifted, and the British merchant ships will be more competitive in the Mediterranean.

"Of course, if your Majesty the King, you are unwilling to send the Royal Navy to fight together with us, we will also enter the Mediterranean to fight independently." Sun Xu said.

“…”

"It's not impossible to send the Royal Navy to help you ask for people from the Barbary Pirates..." Charles I, who advocated reconciliation, promised Sun Xu the practice of being willing to let the Royal Navy act with the Fourth Fleet for the first time.

Sun Xu's pupils shrank slightly, and he did not have much confidence in bringing Britain represented by Charles I into the camp of dealing with Barbary pirates.

First of all, Britain was still afraid of the Ottoman enemy countries and the Barbary pirates. Secondly, Britain was instability internally. Charles I should leave the Royal Navy at home and prepare to fight the Scots at any time. Furthermore, Spain, France and the Netherlands frequently fought in the English Channel, and the Royal Navy needed to be deployed in Britain to protect the security of the City of London.

Lending the Royal Fleet to the Fourth Fleet to enter the Mediterranean to fight was undoubtedly a very dangerous decision.

The Fourth Fleet was sent from the far east. If you can't beat it in the Mediterranean, you can't run back to Portsmouth, and if you can't beat it, you can run back to China. If Britain participates in the war, you can't run away from the monks and temples.

As if I could see Sun Xu's surprise, Charles I stood up, took a few steps in the study, and said: "In order to re-create the glory of the declining Royal Navy in Queen Elizabeth, I gave all my money and also imposed many medieval taxes on the charge of a tyrant, especially ship taxes. I have invested 800,000 pounds in the navy, and now the Royal Navy has more than 20 warships. Unfortunately, the bureaucrats are corrupt and the squire is dissatisfied with taxes, and the Royal Navy has never been able to meet my expectations."

"I think if they could see the achievements of the Royal Navy through my efforts, they would definitely support me in building the Royal Navy and the Royal Army. The purpose of my establishment of the Royal Navy is to protect our merchant ships and merchants in Britain, and hope that they can understand our difficulties and support my tax arrangements."

"Working with you against the Barbary Pirates instead of challenging the Ottoman Empire head-on may help me gain supreme prestige, especially the southwestern counties and Ireland. The Scots will be afraid of the Royal Navy and me because of this, and their elders will compromise with me."

Sun Xu understood at this time. Charles I also had his own ideas in his heart. He wanted to use the opportunity to deal with the Barbary pirates to enhance his prestige in Britain and gain more support from the group.

Launching a war with great confidence to win when the domestic situation is tense can effectively divert domestic contradictions.
Chapter completed!