The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 100 Privateer

December 1724, 12, St. Helena Island, South Atlantic.

St. Helena is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, covering an area of ​​just over [-] square kilometers. It is an island formed by a volcanic eruption. The main natural landscapes on the island are mountains and meadows, as well as the sunset on the coast and the dolphins that live around the island.The landscape of the entire island looks simple and plain, just like its size.

On May 1502, 5, the Portuguese John da Nova discovered the island of Saint Helena on his way to India.Because May 21st is the feast day of St. Helena Augusta in the Catholic saint calendar, he named the island St. Helena. Before 5, no one except the Portuguese knew of this island.

In 1588, Captain Thomas Gavindish, an Englishman, sailed around the world and arrived at the island when he returned to England.The island soon became a port of call on the European sea route to the East Indies.

From about 1645 to 1651, the Dutch East India Company briefly occupied St. Helena, but did not colonize it and left soon, choosing Cape Town, which has a more advantageous geographical location. In 1659, the British East India Company picked it up, claimed to occupy the island and began to colonize there, building forts and deploying armed guards.

In 1673, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch captured the island.However, after the war, the island was returned to the British East India Company and became a very important ship docking and supply base on the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to Asia.

Nearly half of the island's residents are slaves sold to the island, and there are also some Irish immigrants who grow potatoes, corn and vegetables, and provide supplies for the ships that occasionally pass by.Decades ago, the English built an observatory on this small island to observe the stars in the southern hemisphere and drew a star map of the southern hemisphere, which confirmed the accuracy of the star map drawn by the people of Qi.

At this time, two armed merchant ships were moored quietly at the Jamestown Port pier at the northwest end of the island: the "Royal Rose" and the "Centoria".A group of black slaves, driven by the overseer's whip, were struggling to carry some livestock, poultry, vegetables, and fresh water onto the ship.As for the goods loaded on the ship, they were naturally black slaves from Angola. More than 400 people were crammed into the ship. They were about to be transported to Portuguese Brazil and sold to sugar plantation owners there.

"Had, have you heard? The Qi people suffered a defeat in Afghanistan and lost more than 1000 people." Captain Sass Levi of the Royal Rose said with schadenfreude: "The Qi people, who claim to be the overlord of the Indian Ocean, actually It is so surprising to be defeated by a group of primitive and backward Afghan tribal armed forces!"

"Levi, don't you underestimate the fighting power of the people of Qi just because of Qi's small defeat?" Galil Hard, the captain of the Centoria, shook his head slightly and said: "It is said that the attack The Qi army that entered Afghanistan was not their own army, but a servant army composed of local indigenous people in India. Their fighting will and combat skills were far from the real Qi army. When they went deep into the changing terrain, In the mountains of Afghanistan, after being raided by tribal armed forces, it is inevitable that they will be defeated and defeated."

"Hard, you seem to be full of deep fear of the people of Qi." Sass Levi said: "In my opinion, the people of Qi just have a little more money in their pockets than us in England, and they have more ships on the sea than us. The English ships are more advanced, and of course, their population is several times larger than ours in England. However, the final outcome of the war still depends on the courage and perseverance of the warriors on both sides, as well as the combat experience and skills. of."

"Levi, do you think that the soldiers of Qi State lack the courage and perseverance to fight, and their army does not have the corresponding combat experience and skills?" Galil Hard looked at the other party steadily, "As far as I know, In the more than 80 years since the founding of Qi State, there have been only a handful of years without war. Their navy and army were either engaged in fierce battles or on their way to one battlefield after another. Their national strength, their advanced warships, and Their huge population size is a key factor in determining the outcome of the war."

"So, are you afraid of facing the challenge from the Qi people?" There was a hint of sarcasm in the corner of Sass Levi's mouth.

"Levi, we have known each other for 15 years, do you think I am a weak and timid person?" Galil Hader asked seriously. "Oh, please forgive me for the offense." Sass Levi sincerely apologized, "However, I always believe that we in England cannot be afraid of the coming of war because of our lack of strength. The once powerful Kingdom of Spain has the ocean The Dutch, as well as the warlike Louis XIV, eventually fell at our feet. At that time, we were weak, not rich in finances, and far inferior to our national strength, but we were fearless and faced the challenge head on. Now, we face the aggressive provocation of the Qi people. Only by resolute counterattack can we have a chance. It is true that we may be defeated and suffer heavy losses, but we will make the arrogant Qi people pay a high price. We must Let them know that the brave and resolute Anglo-Saxon nation cannot be despised, and the Lord's people cannot be blasphemed. Only in this way can we gain the respect of our enemies and make them deeply fearful!"

"Levi, your words make me feel the blood boiling all over my body, and the desire to fight is rising." Galil Hard said with a smile: "Based on this impassioned speech, I think you are better than Wo Lord Pole (Robert Walpole, the first British Prime Minister) was more suitable to serve as prime minister in the cabinet."

"Haha..." Sass Levi laughed after hearing this, "Dear Hader, inspired by you, I decided that when I make money in the future, I will run for Congress and challenge for the position of Prime Minister of the Cabinet. But the premise is that we can all live well."

"God will bless us. Besides, when we go to the coast of Brazil this time, it should be a place where Qi's maritime forces have not yet fully covered. If we rob their merchant ships, we may not encounter dangerous battles."

"I hope so. I heard that in the past two months, the High Court of the Admiralty has issued more than 60 privateering licenses for merchant ships of the Qi people. It seems that they are all ships operating in the Atlantic waters. This move, in addition to teaching lessons The arrogant Qi people put some pressure on them, and also wanted to test their reaction. Do you think the Qi people will also carry out privateering against our English merchant ships in the Indian Ocean?"

"They will definitely retaliate."

"In this case, we will use a more violent attack to teach the people of Qi a lesson. After all, the Atlantic Ocean belongs to us Europeans."

Since the end of the War of Spanish Succession, the English government has canceled all wartime privateering licenses and even begun to dismantle the Royal Navy, causing the number of naval personnel to drop sharply from more than 5 at its peak to 1.35.As many as 4000 privateer captains were unemployed, and the ports of England and its colonies were crowded with privateers.Many crew members became pirates and were forced to continue their plundering activities, trying to use their original privateering licenses to cover up their illegal activities, but their targets were limited to England's old enemies, France and Spain.

Others, such as Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch and Bartholomew Roberts, the "Black Baronet", attacked merchant ships on all routes with impunity.The end of the war therefore meant an increase in piracy and potential victims.Although the most severely affected areas are the Caribbean and the Atlantic coast of British North America, the scope of pirate robberies continues to expand. In addition to the Indian Ocean area controlled by the Qi Navy, which is slightly calmer, the coasts of West Africa and South America have also become pirate robberies. areas of grazing activity.

Although this type of pirates did not have as large ships as the pirates of the previous century (17th century), their attacks were not limited to the Caribbean or a certain type of enemy, so they were more destructive to overseas trade.In addition, due to the lack of strong government control in the American colonies, the Atlantic coast became the main area where pirates wreaked havoc.

For this reason, the English government promulgated the Piracy Act in 1715 to combat rampant piracy.The bill defined piracy as a crime against property and advocated sending pirates to the Americas to be punished with hard labor.

Now, in the face of the intensifying conflict between Qi and Britain, the English government has begun to re-activate many privateers, intending to crack down on the Qi people's trade activities in the Atlantic waters, and intentionally direct the outbreak of the war to their "home field" .

You must know that England is not the only one with many commercial interests in the Atlantic Ocean. The French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and even Danish and Swedish merchant ships sail on the Atlantic Ocean.Once the Qi people's maritime power intervenes, as long as they conflict with any of the above-mentioned European countries, they can push the other party to England's side and become Qi's enemy.
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(End of this chapter)