Although Cornwallis' troops were defeated, there was still room for maneuver in the southern theater—specifically, the ten thousand elite Hessian mercenaries. This was the most elite fighting force in the South, and if used well, it was very likely to defeat the American forces. Therefore, the British army was still preparing to rescue this mercenary army.
At this moment, the British army also received news that the French reinforcement fleet had arrived in the West Indies and was combining with the original fleet to head north, preparing to cooperate with the American forces.
After a quick calculation of the French fleet's strength, the British army commander knew he was no match. So, he did not Godfreyer in Charlestown to support the Hessian mercenaries, who still had a chance to be rescued, but instead headed directly north, returning to the naval base in Canada to avoid the powerful French fleet that was about to sail north.
However, this fleet commander was still sensible. Knowing that his previous failures in providing support might draw criticism, he promptly relayed the news of Cornwallis' army's defeat back to the homeland. At the same time, he reported the arrival of the French fleet and the news of the Americans building large warships, exaggerating the enemy's strength appropriately, and once again requested increased naval fleet support.
The urgent report from the naval fleet about the enemy's strength resulted in a stock market crash in Britain, a shaky cabinet, the British king stomping his feet, and ordinary citizens losing confidence in defeating the Colonies.
Out of courtesy, the British government immediately dispatched a high-level diplomatic delegation to actively discuss the release of Cornwallis. However, those familiar with the unwritten rules of diplomacy understood that if it were merely to discuss Cornwallis' release, a low-level delegation would suffice. Sending a high-level diplomatic delegation clearly indicated an underlying attempt to initiate peace talks.
The Ambassadors of several nations immediately perked up, ready to negotiate with the "defeated" British.
However, the multilateral agreement within the anti-British alliance had just entered its most critical phase. It was originally estimated that the British negotiators would soon arrive, and everyone was preparing for a final showdown. But now, the early arrival of the British negotiators meant that this final showdown had not yet taken place. The allied interests of the United States and France had not been coordinated, and no consensus had been reached with other anti-British alliance countries. Moreover, the confirmed authorizations for negotiations with Britain, sent back to Europe by the various Ambassadors, had not yet arrived from Europe, making this negotiation impossible.
In such a situation, the only choice for these countries was to keep the British waiting and expedite the resolution of their own agreements. As for peace talks with Britain, they would wait until authorization from their home countries arrived. Previously, all countries had pledged not to conclude separate treaties with Britain, and any violator would be jointly condemned by the other nations.
The poor British negotiators, upon arriving in Philadelphia, were unceremoniously dropped off at the dock by soldiers of the combined French and American naval fleet, and then left unattended.
These representatives, still proudly waiting at the pier, believed the Americans would surely send someone to humbly greet them. Little did they know that after the warships had all docked and the sailors had mostly gone ashore to seek entertainment, not a single welcoming person had appeared. To make matters worse, the sentries guarding the warships stared at them like they were thieves, infuriating these usually proud British men.
The chief negotiator had no choice but to take off his hat and politely ask the sentry: "Where can I meet the American negotiators?"
The sentry's reply was blunt: "I don't know!"
The negotiating team had no choice. Seeing the sun about to set, they finally paid for their own accommodation at a hotel in Philadelphia. The next day, they immediately split up: some looked for royalists, others for the Continental Congress, and even the chief negotiator had to personally take action.
Unfortunately, most of the royalists had already been eliminated during Charles' great purge of Philadelphia last time. As for finding the Continental Congress, no one dared to receive them. Consequently, the negotiators spent several days working with no results.
Although the British envoys were kept waiting, their early arrival forced the various countries and the United States to quickly decide on negotiations. However, disagreements were not so easily resolved; even if all parties claimed to have made concessions, they still couldn't reach a consensus within a few days. While Jefferson and the Ambassadors of several countries argued heatedly over bilateral issues, the British negotiators were equally frantic trying to meet Jefferson.
After several days, neither side had achieved any results. The British negotiators grew anxious, thinking the Americans had given up on the possibility of peace talks and were prepared to fight the war to the end. The chief negotiator, who had received clear instructions from his home country and was aware of his own country's true situation, finally, in desperation, sought out Charles' castle.
"Sir! There is a British man, claiming to be a friend of earl Rogers, the former owner of this castle, requesting an audience with you!" Tom, the black servant, informed Charles.
"A friend of earl Rogers!" Charles was overjoyed.
"Go quickly and invite miss Diana! I want to meet this British man with her!"
A few minutes later, Charles and Diana met the British man in the living room.
Although the man was dressed as an ordinary British gentleman, Charles, who was already aware of the British negotiating team's situation, immediately recognized him as the chief British negotiator.
It was clear to him that this fellow, claiming to be a friend of earl Rogers, likely harbored ulterior motives.
Indeed, as soon as the representative saw Diana, he immediately exclaimed loudly:
"Ah! Is this the earl's daughter? God bless! You are truly safe and sound. Your father in Canada has been very worried about your situation. This time I came, I specifically brought his longing for you! It's wonderful to see you unharmed!"
This representative even abandoned the traditional handshake and attempted to give Diana a French-style hug.
Charles quickly stepped out, blocking him, preventing him from embracing Diana.
"Haha! Your Excellency! Could you first tell Diana and me about the earl's situation? We are very eager to know his recent condition?" Charles preemptively grasped the representative's hand and asked eagerly.
"Uh…" The representative awkwardly shook Charles' hand.
Diana, however, could not wait, and gently tugged at Charles from behind, asking beside him:
"Yes! sir, do you know my father's situation? Can you tell me how he is now? Why haven't I received his reply, is he well…"
Charles patted Diana'ss arm, signaling her not to rush.
—
Diana, her eyes already slightly red, turned to see her lover's concerned gaze and immediately nestled gently into Charles' embrace, tears already welling up in her eyes.
The negotiator was very observant. Noticing the great anger in Charles' eyes as he looked at him, he quickly stopped pretending and said candidly:
"Uh, Mr. Godfrey, miss Diana! earl and I are actually just ordinary friends who have met a few times in Canada. This time, when I was coming for negotiations, I stopped in Canada midway and happened to meet the earl. When the earl retreated from Boston more than two years ago, he was separated from miss Diana and was very worried about her situation, so he temporarily remained in Canada and did not return home. He entrusted people to inquire several times, but due to the inconvenience of traveling to and from Philadelphia, it was unsuccessful. This time, hearing that I was coming to Philadelphia with a peace mission, he proactively sought me out and entrusted me to inquire about miss Diana'ss whereabouts after arriving in Philadelphia. To my great delight, as soon as I arrived in Philadelphia and asked, I heard about miss Diana'ss situation. I was originally entrusted by the earl to handle some of his property, but since miss Diana is here, there's no need to handle it!"
"Kind sir, thank you! You have brought this lonely child the hope of a happy life in the future! If my father had any accident because of my willfulness, my future life would never be happy. Thank you for bringing me the news of his safety!" Diana said, her face full of emotion, thanking the representative. "Respected sir, we have not yet asked your name. Could you tell me in detail about my father's situation?"
"Of course! That is my honor, miss Diana! As for my name, you can just call me John!" The representative stood up and bowed in respect.
Charles nodded in return.
He thought to himself, it seems this John is not a liar, and the news he brought about earl Rogers should be true. However, his intention to curry favor with him through this news was also fully exposed.
The subsequent conversation was about earl Rogers's recent situation. In fact, this John probably didn't know much about the earl's recent situation, but he was clearly a very articulate person. Through his descriptions of the earl's attire, appearance, and demeanor in his eyes, he made it sound to ordinary people as if he was very familiar with the earl. Whenever he spoke of the earl, he would gush endlessly, as if the two had known each other for many lifetimes. Only Charles, who paid close attention to his words, noticed that he talked on and on without any concrete details, just his personal exclamations.
Diana didn't notice any of this; instead, she was deeply engrossed in John's description. When he said the earl was in good spirits, she smiled. When he mentioned the earl's gaunt face, she silently shed tears.
Charles, though aware of John's trick, couldn't expose it. He simply held Diana tightly, offering the deepest comfort.
The conversation lasted until evening, concluding after Charles and Diana hosted a dinner for this representative John. During this time, Representative John did not once mention the American-British negotiations, and after the dinner, he politely bid farewell and left.
Charles did not know why this John would do this, but he was very clear that this John would absolutely not just be genuinely informing him of the earl's situation.
The next day, he went out to the Continental Congress to liaise with Jefferson, exchanging views on the ongoing negotiations with France and Spain. Upon returning to the castle, he saw Diana approaching him, looking a little tense.
"Charles! I have something I want to talk to you about?" Diana hesitated, a little afraid to speak.
"What is it? Just say it!" Charles kissed Diana's forehead, helping her relax.
With this encouraging kiss, the earl's daughter indeed relaxed quite a bit, but still said with a nervous expression:
"It's like this: today, when you went out to work, that Mr. John from yesterday came to visit again. This time, he didn't say anything about my father's situation; he just said that he is actually a representative from Britain for the negotiations in Philadelphia. But after arriving in Philadelphia, he hasn't been able to secure a meeting with the representatives of the Continental Congress. He asked me, as a British person, to consider those compatriots who, like me, are concerned about their loved ones, and to help those brothers and relatives suffering in prisoner-of-war camps. Charles, what do you think…"
Although there was no prohibition in the Comber family against women participating in politics, Diana, being young, usually didn't offer opinions on Charles' work. Her rare intervention this time, advocating for Charles' "enemy nation," naturally made her a little nervous.
However, her worries were completely unnecessary. Charles kissed Diana again, smiled with relief, and said gently:
"It's alright. I knew this John wasn't that kind-hearted; he wouldn't just tell us about the earl for nothing. How did he ask you to help? Was it just to convey my willingness for peace talks to the Continental Congress?"
Indeed, he was taking the 'madame route,' knowing Diana was young, still a pro-British girl, easily moved, and easy to talk to. So, he took advantage of Charles' absence to unilaterally lobby Diana, hoping to persuade Charles through her, and thereby achieve the goal of contacting the Continental Congress. Although this method was despicable, it was indeed very effective; at least now Diana had spoken to him, and he genuinely didn't want to refuse.
"En! He said it would be best if he could formally negotiate the release of prisoners of war with the representatives of the Continental Congress. If that's not possible, then it would be good if they could at least visit the captured British army officers and soldiers!" Diana nodded.
She didn't refute Charles' insinuation that John had ulterior motives. Although she was still young, her education had always been overseen by Charles, and she had heard about the art of manipulation. Moreover, Diana was very intelligent; as soon as John stated his request for help, she understood that he had deliberately tried to curry favor the day before. However, she genuinely sympathized with the British army prisoners of war, so in the end, she was persuaded and agreed to try to influence Charles on this matter.