Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2015 Maritime Parade

"After a long delay, the 'Milestone' and 'Scavenger' have finally entered service, and the naval construction has achieved remarkable results." Near the mouth of Duck Lake, two "Star" class light cruisers cruised one south and one north, All ships that might approach this narrow entrance are blocked.Today is the big day for Ma Wenqiang, Chairman of the Executive Committee, to inspect the First Fleet of the Navy. For this reason, the relevant sea areas have been cleared three days in advance to avoid being disturbed by uninvited guests.

Li Zemin, Chief of the General Staff of the National Armed Forces and Minister of the Navy, accompanied Ma Wenqiang on board a brisk and steady liaison ship as the inspection ship.Li Zemin, who is only in his early 50s this year, is the age of the most experienced and most determined man in the sea. Therefore, after taking over the post of Rear Admiral Sang Kai, the former Minister of the Navy who died suddenly, he will continue to promote sea power. In terms of the importance of peace and the navy, after Liao Xiaoyao, the head of the army, resigned, he was added to the post of chief of staff of the military department, regaining the dominance of the military department that had been lost for more than ten years for the navy.

And it is foreseeable that under the current situation, the navy may control the military headquarters for a longer period of time in the future. Li Zemin went down with Mo Lie, and Mo Lie went down with Zhou Yu and others, all for a while. select.In comparison, Guo Handong, Yang Liang, Mao Jun and others in the army are also very good, but who makes the overseas interests of the East Bank very important today?Moreover, the country is in such a key strategic position with transportation all over the world, so it is difficult for the navy to become stronger.In the next few decades, it may be difficult for the Army to stand up, and many people know this.

The liaison ship serving as the review ship was not slow, so it quickly entered the review sea area.Rear Admiral Jiang Yaohui, Commander of the First Fleet of the Navy, stood behind Ma Wenqiang and acted as an explanation: "Chairman Ma, please look, the first ship is the three-deck battleship 'East Coaster', which is also the only three-deck battleship built with donations from the people in our country. The 'Executive Committee' level was originally designed for us to have a maritime armed force that can surpass the 'August [-]th' level that has been in service for many years, and it is also to better deter the navies of other countries and protect our east coast. Benefits. Now the 'Executive Committee' class is still one of the most powerful warships on this planet, and there are only a few ships such as the French 'Sun King' that can compare with it."

"If we confront the 'Sun King', can we win it?" Breathing the slightly salty sea breeze, Ma Wenqiang asked with concern.

"Of course!" Jiang Yaohui replied without hesitation: "The navy is about tradition. Although the French have occasionally made outstanding achievements in recent decades, such as defeating the Dutch fleet in the Mediterranean, it is still difficult to give People have a feeling of convincing. The "Sun King" seems to be powerful and has fierce firepower, but what about the quality of its personnel? I can say without exaggeration that it is far inferior to our East Coast Navy. And not only the French, including The quality of personnel in the navies of England and the Netherlands is not as good as ours now. A major drawback of the navies of these countries is that most of their personnel will be demobilized in peacetime, and only officers and grassroots backbone elements will be retained to serve in the army, that is to say, their personnel The proportion of professional soldiers is very low, far inferior to ours. Six years ago, our country abolished a considerable number of naval officers and soldiers, and sealed up a lot of warships to reduce military expenditure in peacetime. But now it has been nearly six years Yes, the continuous large-scale investment has not only greatly increased the number of ships, but also replenished personnel, and the combat effectiveness has quickly recovered. We have maintained a full-time professional navy for almost six years, and the ships go to sea for training every month. One month's maintenance costs, the cost of destroyed shells and gunpowder, and the cost of sea allowances for officers and soldiers, add up to more than the annual cost of a warship in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Once the two armies are at war, don't say that we are in the maneuverability of the ship The superiority in the accuracy of the artillery and artillery can be defeated by the personnel quality of the naval officers and soldiers who train hard every day. Ships and artillery are dead objects, and in the end it depends on people to control and drive them. Chairman, I Proud of the professionalism of our naval officers and soldiers, please allow us to go north to Europe and conquer thousands of miles of waves!"

"The spirit is commendable and the courage is commendable. However, we have to wait for the matter of going north to the European continent. The 'Executive Committee' is already in the Cape Verde Squadron, and the 'Liberator' is also in the Caribbean Squadron." Umbrella The "Milestone" and the "Scavenger" are still undergoing major repairs at the shipyard, and the "Milestone" and "Scavenger" have not been in service for a long time, and the personnel are still in the process of adjustment. Would it be a little risky to send the "East Coaster" rashly? "Ma Wenqiang is still relatively conservative, and the first consideration is the issue of local security.

"Chairman, in fact, our country is located in the southern New World. Where can we encounter any real threats at sea? The only ones in the vicinity that can repair and maintain large fleets and provide enough water, ammunition, and personnel are the only ones left. A San Salvador in Portuguese Brazil. And the Portuguese dare not challenge us even if they lend them ten guts. Therefore, our homeland is actually very safe, with the left-behind warships of the South China Sea Squadron of the First Fleet, basically It can’t turn the sky.” Jiang Yaohui replied: “Besides, we still have a large number of coastal fort systems, and the local area can be said to be impenetrable.”

Ma Wenqiang was a little silent after hearing this, and didn't say anything more.The inspection ship continued to drive forward, followed by several "Jiqi" class escort gunboats.This ship can now be said to be the main backbone of the East Coast Navy, and the number of as many as thirty ships is enough to make anyone tremble.It can be said that even a powerful warship like the "Executive Committee" class will not end well when it is besieged by several "Jiqi" class ships, because this is a large tonnage (over 700 tons), a powerful warship that can go to the battle line to bombard, and the price/performance ratio far exceeds the expensive "Executive Committee" class, it is the real main force of the navy.

Now, half of the [-] "Jiqi" class escort gunboats either went to Huaiyuan Island in the Caribbean Sea, or to the Eastern Cape Verde Islands, or to Portugal, and only a dozen remained in the mainland.According to the plan of the Ministry of the Navy, ten "Jiqi"-class escort gunboats will be dispatched to the Cape Verde Islands in case of emergency.

In addition, a considerable number of the "Star" class light cruisers, which now number as high as sixty, will also go north, and it is estimated that at least half of them will go north.No matter how "thin-skinned" these ships are, they are still warships, not better than your armed merchant ships?You must know that if the current European countries are engaged in decisive battles at sea, the temporarily recruited armed merchant ships are still an important part of the fleet's strength. No matter how unbearable the "Star" class light cruiser is, it is more reliable than these guys, and it is also more capable of fighting than them?Although this battleship was originally designed to be used for anti-smuggling.

Calculated in this way, if the people on the east coast finally send four "Executive Committee"-class battleships, 25 "Jieqi"-class escort gunboats, and [-] "Star"-class light cruisers to the northern hemisphere, then this strength will be very impressive.Once a war breaks out, removing those left behind in the Caribbean Sea and the Cape Verde Islands, the people on the east coast will be able to take at least two-thirds of these warships, reach the conflict waters, and safeguard the interests of the East Coast Republic of China. There is no doubt about it matter.

And such a force, no matter if it is any party, is enough to change the outcome of a naval battle.Of course, this does not mean that the people on the east coast are going to start a war against someone. In fact, the Joint Chiefs of Staff has no such plan.What the people on the east coast are planning is actually the safety of the Iberian Peninsula and northern Italy, which are related areas of interest.The coming of the fleet of people from the east coast is actually more of an armed deterrent. After all, no matter how strong you are, who knows if you don't show up!Seeing is believing is believing. Europeans also believe in this truth.And once the appearance is successful, for example, if the French have some scruples and choose not to attack the rich land of the Iberian Peninsula or northern Italy, then the trip for the people on the east coast will be worthwhile, and it will be worth the fare. Having lost the right to speak and influence for the next many years, at least those states in Spain, Portugal and northern Italy really understand who can guarantee their security.

Of course, if the French go crazy and insist on going their own way and must attack the above-mentioned areas, then the people on the east coast have nothing to do.After all, warships cannot go ashore. All they can do, apart from continuing to blockade the coast of France, is to knock down their maritime colonies one by one.Which one is more important depends entirely on how the French understand it. On this point, the people on the east coast do not have much initiative.Land power countries, sometimes they are so annoying!

"The last time our country fought a naval battle with the Portuguese in Europe, it completely wiped out the country's remaining naval capital. This battle has brought unexpected benefits to our country that lasted for many years. Now the situation in Europe is getting worse. It is a critical moment, and our navy has not shown its muscles in front of Europeans for decades. I hope you will continue to work hard, hold high the banner of your fathers, and let the bumpkins in Europe see the strength of our east coast navy. Our ancestors often When it comes to subduing the enemy without fighting, I hope that your navy can also deeply understand the essence of it. In many cases, you can get a lot of benefits without fighting, and I believe you can do it." Ma Wenqiang turned around , looked at Jiang Yaohui and Li Zemin, and said: "There is also the matter of the Dutch. Remember, it is acceptable for William III to become the king of England, but he must not concurrently serve as the governor of the United Provinces. Absolutely no merger, this is our bottom line. If William III crosses this bottom line, then I authorize your navy to take all necessary measures to bring things back on the right track."

Ma Wenqiang's words made Li Zemin and others a little happy, because it was like telling them tactfully that he had basically agreed to send the navy to the north.And it also gave them a great deal of freedom in the matter of the merger of the UK and the Netherlands. These two countries are competitors of the people on the east coast. OK.Moreover, only by dismantling them, so that the UK will not receive a large amount of capital, talent, technology and market transfer from the Netherlands, will it be easier for the East Coast to cooperate with England, and eventually cultivate it into a thug like Japan in the Anglo-Japanese alliance in the future , Acting as a pawn on the east coast to control the situation in Europe, this is the most perfect state and final destination of the Kingdom of England.

Therefore, after all, now that the strength of the five-year shipbuilding plan has been greatly increased, it is time for the East Coast Navy to go out and move around.Otherwise, it’s not a good idea to stay at home and spend military expenses without moving. The cost of a soldier on the east coast is higher than that of the most expensive Netherlands in Europe. 3300 million guilders (more than [-] million silver dollars on the east coast), far surpassing France, England, Austria and other countries - can it be done without taking a walk?Can it be done without pulling it out to create benefits for the East Coast Republic?So many countries in Europe and such a vast market are watching. If you perform properly, you won't spend too much money, and maybe you will get a lot of real economic benefits in return. This is a lucrative business!

(End of this chapter)