"Hmph!" After reading the information, Marin threw the information heavily on the table and snorted dissatisfiedly.
"Portuguese is really arrogant. I really think that if I have too many ships, I will be invincible?" Marin was very dissatisfied with the Portuguese confidence.
Of course, this cannot be blamed on Portugal's confidence. Marin has been hiding maritime power. The outside world only knows that the Beihai State has 10 warships, but does not know that the number of warships in the Beihai State has reached 30.
This is because 10 of Marin's 30 warships were sent to Japan. The remaining 20 ships were hiding in Wilhelmshaven in the relatively remote Yad Bay for many years. Only 10 warships would enter and exit the Emden Military Port at the busy estuary of the Ames River.
This leaves people with an illusion that there are only 10 warships in the North Sea Kingdom. As for those armed merchant ships, because Marin rarely recruits them to participate in naval warfare, everyone forgets that the level 250 armed merchant ships are also warships...
So, the Beihai Navy gave the outside world an illusion that there were only 10 warships that could be fought!
Although the 10 warships looked large, the heavy artillery on the ship was generally covered. The gun doors on the lower artillery deck were closed all year round. The gun doors were only opened before the war began. Therefore, these 10 warships looked large and did not look very powerful.
The Portuguese confidently believed that although the 10 warships of the North Sea Kingdom were all tall and their combat effectiveness were probably not weak. However, compared with the dozens of warships that Portugal could mobilize at every turn, it was still not worth mentioning.
You should know that in an emergency, Portugal can even recruit more than 100 warships from the people to participate in the war. Even when facing the same powerful Spain, Portugal is full of confidence.
But they didn't know that times have changed and naval warfare is no longer the kind of era of small boats fighting. They didn't know that the warships of the North Sea Kingdom were much thicker on the side than those of Portuguese warships and were more resistant to artillery. Not to mention thickened and encrypted warships, even ordinary level 250 armed merchant ships were more resistant to artillery than the popular Calavere sailing ships in Portugal...
However, the hull structure is impossible to see at all. Only by fighting in actual combat can you know the specific situation. Just like Rui Silva, although he captured a 250-class armed merchant ship in the North Sea Kingdom, he had not carefully studied the structure of the ship. He did not know that this ship was better than the Calavere sailing ship in Portugal.
...
Speaking of which, this ship was also unlucky. Because it was going to confuse the Portuguese, this level 250 armed merchant ship, which could be equipped with 20 artillery, deliberately did not have the cannons, and only arranged four 12-pound copper cannons at the bow and stern of the ship. Therefore, the combat power was insufficient. Otherwise, facing the warships of the Portuguese Azore fleet, it would be fine to escape, not to mention that they could win.
But the problem is that the ship did not carry enough artillery. In addition, during naval warfare, the main mast was accidentally broken by the enemy ship's shells and could not even escape. Therefore, I could only regret it.
According to the information, it seems that after the 40 crew members on the ship surrender, only the die-hard captain and first mate were executed. The other sailors were taken to a newly opened sugarcane plantation near the Hero Port on Tsera Island and became slaves. The newly opened sugarcane plantation was naturally Rui Silva's own industry. The old sugarcane plantation of the Portuguese royal family and the great nobles did not dare to move, so he had to open a new plantation to grow sugarcane himself.
...
"That is, most of the crew are still alive?" Marin confirmed.
"Yes, your Majesty, according to the intelligence officers, only the captain and the first mate were killed because they refused to surrender. The other ordinary sailors were taken to be plantation slaves."
"Can you determine the location?" asked Marin.
"Yes, just be by the sea 10 kilometers west of Heroes Port!" Kohler replied.
"Bay by the sea... can we send ships directly to the dock to raid the plantation to rescue our people?" asked Marin.
As the soul of modern humans, Marin still prioritizes rescuing the crew.
Kohler shook his head and said:
"According to information, the new plantation named Silva Village seems to have a steep coast nearby and is not suitable for boats to dock. If you want to land for forcibly, you may have to land on a small boat. If you need to, you may have to wade."
"It's not difficult..." Marin touched his chin, thought for a while and said:
"So, call Kidd and the others, I have something to do with him!"
In the afternoon, Navy Commander-in-Chief Kid came to Marin's office...
"Kidd, you go and select a group of elite Marines. I need them to do one thing--save people!"
"Save people?" Kidd was a little confused when he heard this.
Marin patted his head and told Kid in detail about the incident. Kid suddenly realized:
"Oh, it turns out to be the crew member who rescued the 'Sel'!" The 'Sel' is the name of the unlucky transport ship that was robbed.
But Kidd then asked:
"Your Majesty, the village of Silva is only 10 kilometers away from the Portuguese Port of Heroes, where the Portuguese fleet is located. Once the ships we sent initiate landing, it will inevitably alarm the Portuguese warships in Heroes Port. Although there are only six or seven ships there, our navy can defeat them. But the question is, Your Majesty, are we ready to completely turn against the Portuguese?"
Hearing Kidd's question, Marin fell into deep thought...
Kidd’s words make sense. The six or seven broken ships in Hero Port do not need to dispatch warships, and just dispatch a few 250-level armed merchant ships full of artillery and ammunition. But the problem is, what if it is solved? It completely turns against Portugal?
Marin now needs to prepare for France, and is not suitable to fight against Portugal. Although he is not afraid of Portugal, once the two countries break up, they will definitely fight each other's shipping, which will affect the trade interests of the North Sea. In particular, if Portugal cannot be killed at once, the other party may really send a ship to the Americas to make trouble...
"How can you make Portugal afraid of being afraid without turning against Portugal?" Marin fell into deep thought...
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! This meditation was just an hour, and Kidd was a little restless. Finally, Marin raised his head and thought of something...
"By the way, the most core interest of Portugal is the spice trade!" Marin grasped the point.
...
For Portugal, the Indian spice trade is their lifeblood. Whoever dares to move will fight with whom. But what if you warn each other?
However, Marin must not be able to send the North Sea warship to intercept the Portuguese spice ship. However, he can send someone to disguise himself as a British pirate...
"Haha, British pirates... What a good excuse..." Marin laughed.
So he continued to arrange:
"You send someone to find a few British ships, modify the ship, nail the side of the ship, and apply black paint to cover the iron sheet. Then, send our sailors to disguise themselves as British pirates and teach the Portuguese a lesson on the Atlantic! But only rob the ship, and do not hurt people!"
To put it bluntly, Marin sent someone to rob a Portuguese spice ship, not really trying to rob, but to give the Portuguese a warning - if you don't restrain yourself, we can also send "pirates" to intercept your spice ship!
Compared with the ships full of spices, the ships that transport sucrose and rice in Beihai are simply not worth mentioning. Because in Europe, spices can be more expensive than gold, but the price is still fine than silver. A ship full of spices is more expensive than a ship loaded with sucrose and rice.
So, losing a spice ship and losing a ship loading sugar and rice are two completely different concepts.
However, Marin didn't want to break up with Portugal. So he would only order the execution of the captain and first mate of the robbed spice ship - exactly the same as Rui Silva. This would also be a warning to Portugal - can you pretend to be pirates? I will!
Moreover, the ships sent by Marin would be in the English style. The people sent by Marin would also pretend to be English pirates. In this way, even if it was said on the surface, Marin could just push and play tricks. However, the Portuguese would know what he meant.
However, in order to prevent the Portuguese arrogance and provoke a war, Marin made two preparations-
"Order the 20 warships of the Beihai Kingdom to prepare for war! At the same time, allocate 20 armed merchant ships to train together, and prepare for a naval battle!"
Chapter completed!