Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2500 Thomas

On March 1704, 3, when the navy on the east coast of Jinghai County was preparing for war, a large fleet was also crossing the Strait of Gibraltar.The fleet flew the flags of England and the Netherlands, with a total of more than 10 ships.Spreading out like this on the sea is really amazing and incomparable.

Of course, these two hundred ships are not all warships. In fact, professional naval warships only account for half of them. The remaining hundreds of ships are civilian transport ships with weak firepower, but they have a deep draft. It seems that they are fully loaded.

Today, the sky in the Strait of Gibraltar is cloudless and calm.After the two East Coast Navy "Star" class light cruisers cruising here discovered the situation, one rushed back to report immediately, and the other went up to meet them and asked where the fleet intended to go.

The intermediary was Thomas Temple, official British diplomat and envoy to Queen Anne.He clearly told the East Coast Navy that they were going to the Mediterranean to attack the Kingdom of Spain, and they would not harm the interests of the East Coast Republic in the slightest.The officer of the light cruiser on the east coast looked at the fully loaded merchant ships—there were even a large number of army soldiers with live ammunition watching on the deck—sighed, and finally let them go.

After all, this is an international sea area, and Britain and the Netherlands are not enemies on the east coast, so they have no reason to intercept each other.Even after the signing of the armistice agreement, the Spanish ships passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, and they let them go.From this point of view, the East Coast people are still reasonable, especially in peacetime.

Finally, the Anglo-Dutch fleet successfully passed through the Strait of Gibraltar.The navy on the east coast was not in trouble, and there was no other action except to send a steamer to follow them to see what was going on.Their main focus of work now is still on the fact that the Kingdom of Spain may declare war at any time, and they really don't have the energy to do other things.What's more, this huge Anglo-Dutch fleet is obviously not good for the Spaniards. It's too late for the people on the east coast to laugh, so how can they stop them?

Thomas Temple was soon back in his room on the first floor of the poop of the transport ship Northon Rock.This transport ship is very large, with a full load displacement of more than [-] tons, and is equipped with steam power. It is a typical steam engine sailing ship, produced by Portsmouth Dockyard, and is the crystallization of the pinnacle of technology in today's English shipbuilding industry.

As the Queen's envoy, Thomas Temple was given a separate bedroom and office, with a guardhouse and kitchen adjoining.The chef was brought from the mainland, but wine, vegetables, fruits, and meat were all replenished nearby—two days ago, a merchant ship from a neutral country set sail from the port of Spain and sent a large amount of food to the "North Rock" Fresh supplies.

At this time the chef is cooking lunch next door.His kitchen knife is very sharp—this kitchen knife was also purchased in Spain, and it is said to be of excellent quality, because it is mixed with a lot of shrapnel from the explosion of the East Coast shells—and it is very convenient for cutting steaks.

Thomas Temple sat in his chair, sipping Spanish wine and thinking.

This encounter with the East Coast Navy in Gibraltar, although it ended quickly and peacefully—the sailors on both sides even exchanged gifts, which was very friendly—had still caused a great shock to Temple: this key The international waterway in China is actually controlled by the East Coast Navy. How can this be tolerated?

Thomas Temple, the youngest son of William Temple, was only in his thirties.With a wealthy family, he received strict education since he was a child, and with his handsome appearance, he soon entered the upper class and served as the secretary of Mr. Morris, a congressman.

After serving Morris for several years, he was introduced into the foreign service, where he served as ambassador to Denmark and then Sweden, where he served England's interests with great success.After the death of William III, because of the appreciation of Queen Anne, Thomas Temple stepped into the sky and obtained the status of the Queen's special envoy. He followed this powerful combined fleet to expedition to Spain and was mainly responsible for handling some diplomatic affairs.

Before meeting the people from the East Coast, Thomas was still in a very good mood.This fleet gathered the essence of the navies of England and the United Provinces. There were hundreds of ships of all sizes. The officers and soldiers had rich combat experience and high morale.Moreover, in the fleet, there are more than [-] officers and soldiers of the English Army headed by Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough. They are well-equipped and well-trained. Once they land successfully, they will definitely sweep the Spanish Army.As a special envoy with the army, he can naturally share some of the credit and accumulate capital for his future career.

After such an interruption from the people on the east coast, although it will not affect the overall situation of attacking Spain, it makes Thomas feel a lot worse.After all, he is an Englishman, born and raised here, and his interests are also related to England. Naturally, he does not want such a behemoth of the East Coast Republic of China to enter Europe and plunder the interests that should belong to the queen and the kingdom.Especially seeing the defeat of France this time, England can gain a greater voice and influence on the European stage, but if it is inserted into the tank by the people from the east coast, it will not be beaten, but the loss of interests will be Sure, it's annoying.

The war of independence that broke out in the Italian peninsula a while ago shocked the monarchs of all countries.Not only did the people on the east coast give their full support behind them, they even went out of the field at one point to help the Northern Italian Federation fight. In the end, they obtained a large area of ​​land, and most of the great cause of reunification was completed.

People from the east coast have different cultures from us, and most importantly, their values ​​are also different from ours.Such a country is what Thomas Temple, an Anglo-Saxon elite, hates the most, and it is also the most intolerable.To a certain extent, he can tolerate the Nordic countries, Germany, and even France, which has been heavily eroded by Latin culture, and he is unwilling to make excuses for the East Coast, because these are already two completely different civilizations.The continued strength of the East Coast will seriously shake the values ​​and pride of the Anglo-Saxons—although this pride has been shattered in the face of the endless technology on the East Coast—and eventually make them lose their own. Civilization elements, this is more terrifying than subjugation.

"Conquering the Kingdom of Spain is the first step, and then uniting with allies to defeat France. In this way, there will be no challengers in Europe to disrupt. Well, Brandenburg-Prussia seems to be worth supporting. Their existence can greatly curb the ambitions of the Austrians , so that Leopold will not quickly annex Germany, and at the same time, they can turn their eyes to the east, fight against the pagan Turks, and guard the gate for the Christian world." Thomas Temple thought silently: "And the Kingdom of England, Then you can obtain the huge market withdrawn by the Dutch and the French, rapidly develop industry and commerce, and increase national power. Without strong industrial production capacity, everything is empty, and the iron-clad warships galloping across the east coast are the best examples. In addition, North America The colonies on the mainland should also increase investment. At present, it seems difficult to achieve rapid expansion by private investors alone. Should we follow the example of the people on the east coast, increase government investment, create a good colonial environment, and then stimulate the development of the colonies? It is an extremely huge expense, and members of Congress may not agree to it! Especially those members of Congress who do not have much interest in North America, they will question whether it is reasonable for the huge tax money they pay to be diverted to remote areas. Sigh , What a headache! The Kingdom of England needs a strong government, but this is even more difficult than increasing investment in the North American continent, what should we do?"

Time passed slowly under Thomas Temple's thinking.More than ten days later, the Anglo-Dutch combined fleet, which went around in a circle to avoid detection by the Spanish Navy, finally arrived at its final destination off the coast of Catalonia.And their offensive target has also been selected, and that is Barcelona, ​​the capital city of the region.

The reason why I chose this city was actually after careful consideration.Cadiz, Spain's largest port, is heavily defended, and it is very difficult to attack. If it is not done well, it will fail and lose troops.Gibraltar was preemptively occupied by the people on the east coast again, and it was impossible for them to take the risk of being brutally tortured by iron-clad warships.And what about Barcelona?An excellent target indeed, for three reasons.

First, the region has a long history of fighting against the central government of Madrid, and the nobles and people have rebelled many times, demanding independence.They even have records of using foreign forces many times, such as inviting French troops to station and so on.This time, the British and Dutch governments have secretly contacted the local nobles. Once the army successfully lands, they will get help from some local forces, which will be of great benefit to the long-term battle with the Spanish army in the future.

Second, the troops originally deployed by the Kingdom of Spain in the Catalonia region were withdrawn in large numbers, resulting in weak local defense forces.In particular, the army of more than 3 people who had been completely wiped out in the Northern Italian Federation was once stationed in Barcelona. In addition, this created an excellent opportunity for the British Army's landing operations.Thomas Temple sincerely did not think that the notorious Spanish army could stand against the brave English army led by the Duke of Marlborough. As long as their support was not cut off, the English army had no reason to fail.

The third point is also very important, that is, compared to other parts of Spain, Catalonia has been relatively rich since ancient times, and can provide a considerable amount of money and supplies.Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, talked with Thomas in private. Once the landing is successful, they will try their best to support the war with supplies from the Catalonia region to supply the landing troops and reduce the pressure on the rear as much as possible.After all, everyone knows that expeditions are very expensive, and it is impossible for Congress to allocate funds to their troops without limit, so it is very important to raise supplies on the spot.

Combining the above three points, the United Fleet's first goal has been locked: Barcelona!

(End of this chapter)