Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 238 The Spaniards in Dongfang Port ([-])

On December 1639, 12, when Hassan of the Ottoman Empire and others were staying in the hotel quietly waiting for the opportunity to return to the Port of Suez, an old friend and neighbor of the people on the east coast——a man from Buenos Aires Alvarez went to the military headquarters together with Captain Leo.And the news they brought was astonishing: the Spaniards wanted to order some naval guns from the East Coast Republic, and perhaps they also planned to order some warships.

The military department quickly fed back the news to the Executive Committee, and the members of the Executive Committee lost their voices for a while after hearing the news, which was really unbelievable.You must know that the Kingdom of Spain is one of the largest naval powers in Europe and even in the world, and its shipbuilding technology is also first-class. It is far from being comparable to Britain and France. Perhaps only the Dutch in Europe can compare with it.But now they are down to the point where they urgently want to buy ships from the people on the east coast. Is this the world crazy, or are they crazy?

After carefully understanding the briefing on the European situation sent back from the Bordeaux station, everyone in the executive committee finally understood the current predicament of the Spaniards.Yes, the Spaniard's recent situation is not good.On land, their army from Roussillon finally started substantive contact after playing a "sit-down war" with the French for a period of time, but the result was not too good.The continuous fortresses in southern France effectively delayed the Spaniards' offensive, and the rapid attacks of the French cavalry also made the Spaniards lose sight of one another.The French's combat strength in the south is not very strong, and they are not able to pursue the victory, so the two sides still maintain their status quo, and seem to be waiting for changes in the battle situation in the north-there is the battlefield where the main forces of the two sides will confront each other.

In the north, Spain's elite Flemish Legion has penetrated deep into northeastern France. After the initial good years of successive victories, the Spaniards are also in trouble.The last few small-scale confrontations have suffered defeats, and the French's combat effectiveness is gradually increasing.At present, the Spaniards are waiting for supplies and an opportunity to fight, preparing for a decisive battle with the French to completely resolve this protracted war.

There was a stalemate on land, and the situation of the Spaniards at sea was not optimistic.Perhaps it was the battle with the British that knocked out the spirit of the Spanish navy. Today's Spanish navy always looks old and slow to respond.Before the war with the French broke out, the Spanish navy had never taken advantage of the long sea battle with the Dutch, on the contrary, it suffered a lot.Today, they have suffered repeated defeats in battles with the little-known French navy and lost many warships.Seeing the decline of the Spaniards, their old enemy, the Dutch, couldn't wait to pounce on them, showing their fangs, trying to completely destroy the Spaniards' fleet, but the Spaniards could only bite the bullet.

At such a critical moment, the Spaniards, who were almost pushed into the corner, finally remembered the people from the east coast who had given them a disarm a few years ago.It is said that people from the east coast have been vigorously cultivating shipbuilding talents in recent years. There are 2000 shipbuilders in China who have studied under the Flemish people, and their strength can be described as strong.Moreover, they don't lack qualified shipbuilding timber like Spain. They can easily import a large amount of sumac from Brazil for shipbuilding, and they don't have to worry about ships from hostile countries blocking them.

Furthermore, their naval guns have proven themselves perfectly over the years.The naval officers and soldiers of the Peruvian Fleet of the Kingdom of Spain must still remember the sharp long-barreled cannons on the fort of Dongfang Port. It was these heavy artillery that made them run away and could only avoid landing at Dongfang Port.Now the Spanish navy is at a clear disadvantage in the battle with the French and the Dutch. If it can be equipped with the naval guns of the people on the east coast, it may be able to reverse the situation.

Moreover, it is said that the high-speed cruiser with a high aspect ratio invented by the people on the east coast is very fast, and it has shown strong practical value whether it is chasing pirates in the offshore or fighting in the ocean.It is said that the British East India Company has now begun trial production of this kind of warship for the East Coasters in its home country, and has expressed a very high evaluation of the excellent performance of this warship.So, now that the berths of major shipyards in Spain are full of warships, it may be a good choice to urgently order a few high-speed cruisers from the people on the east coast.

After understanding the current situation of the Spaniards in Europe, everyone can finally understand why the Spaniards came to the door in such a hurry at this moment. The co-authors are fighting everywhere and now they have reached a critical moment.At this moment, the members of the executive committee all felt the urge to kill the Spaniard.

However, Spain is one of the largest countries in Western Europe after all, and it is not like Ottoman, a country that has nothing to do with the people on the east coast. The Spaniards are close to the east coast.Selling naval guns and warships to the Spaniards will shoot yourself in the foot with a stone, which requires careful consideration and consideration by the committee members.

"I think I can sell them a few high-speed cruisers. The price for the Turks is 40. It is estimated that the Spaniards can't sell this price, but [-] to [-] is always needed. Let's say [-], one earns [-], and four ships will be [-]." Tang Yuan, the financial committee member, said in a deep voice, "Comrades, the government has already been in debt of more than [-]. There is no reason to give up such a profitable arms business, right?"

"Why do you sell [-] to [-] ones? According to me, I will sell them at the price given to the Turks, [-] ones, whether the Spaniards want to buy it or not!" Wang Qinian, a naval commissioner, sat aside and shouted, "Now We only have four berths, and since we want to build six warships for Turkey, we have to build one for ourselves, and now the Spaniards are coming to our door, if we can’t sell them at the price of the Turks, let’s forget it as soon as possible.”

"According to the news from Xu Xin, since the beginning of this year, the Spanish navy has fought against France and the Netherlands many times and suffered a lot of losses. Now they not only need to maintain the safety of the sea route from the mainland to Flanders, but also maintain the relationship between the New World and the mainland. No amount of warships is enough. Moreover, with the superb shipbuilding skills of the Spaniards, I think we sold clipper ships to them as a one-shot deal. They quickly We can copy it by ourselves. Therefore, we are the ones who suffer from the low price.” Foreign Affairs Commissioner Gao Mo also rarely supported the military’s opinion.

"It can be sold for 2000, of course I agree with both hands, but the question is, are the Spaniards willing to pay the money?" Tang Yuan said helplessly: "The Spanish government's finances have always been tight, and now it is in the middle of a war, and a lot of money is being spent. Go out, can she still have money to buy warships from us? Here I have to remind you to pay attention, considering the current weak financial resources of the government, it is not good for you to promise the Spaniards to default on the purchase of ships. You know, next year Portugal People have to transport more than [-] immigrants from the Ming Dynasty, and if they don’t have the money to pay the bill, they will be stuck in wax.”

"If it's just a few warships, I don't think it's a big problem." Jiao Tang, the internal affairs commissioner who listened for a long time, said, "According to what we know, the Spaniards' financial situation is a bit difficult, but at least their military expenditure is currently It was still paid on time. In other words, they still have a certain amount of fundraising ability. A few cruisers, as long as our asking price is not too dark, Spain will raise some cash, and the colonies of the New World will find a way to search for some, and they will come together soon. Yes. You know, they spend tens of thousands of dollars a day in war, and they can afford it."

"So, what about the naval guns they want to buy?" Tangyuan continued to ask, "They asked us if we were going to sell 32-pound and 24-pound naval guns, and they were willing to pay a huge amount of money for it."

"Impossible!" Wang Qinian immediately said categorically, "Earning money is very important, but you have to spend your life. Army guns don't matter, and large-caliber naval guns are definitely not for sale. I think 18-pound naval guns are the limit. Even I don’t think the 18-pound naval gun should be sold, let them cast it themselves!”

Hearing that the military personnel rejected her proposal so resolutely, Tang Yuan also felt a little uncomfortable.Shao Shude glanced at him, came out to smooth things over and said, "I see if this is possible. The naval guns we currently use for our own use have a relatively high multiple-to-diameter ratio, and their range and power are good. Then, can we cast some specially for export? For naval guns, the barrels don’t need to be cast as long as those for personal use. Just make sure that they can hit a little farther and charge a little more powder than those European copper cannons. That can not only fool the Spaniards, but also Ensure that our superiority in naval firepower will not be shaken."

"I think this is the way to go!" Wang Qinian finally nodded, "I don't have any objections to the rest, you go and discuss with the Spaniards in detail. Also, we have built so many warships for others, and we can't let our own go. Now The navy's two major fleets only have three battleships, three cruisers, two frigates, and two armed transport ships. They are pitifully weak. I have made so much money building ships for others, and I don't want more. A cruiser will do, and it will be completed by the end of next year, how about it?"

"Let's do it this way." Seeing that other people didn't have any opinions, Ma Ganzu, the chairman of the executive committee, made the final decision: "Old Gao, you will go to discuss with the Spaniards in the afternoon. I don't need to go into details, you have also talked about it several times. This time, it’s just one point, we need to squeeze more money from the Spaniards.”

Gao Mo nodded, saying that he would handle it properly.

(End of this chapter)