I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 229 War on Sea and Land

This is the first day of Lent, and there will be a 40-day Lent period until Easter, but for the Dutch merchant fleet, it is not a big deal, because they have probably spent the last 40 days. It has to be consumed in the sea. In the sea, meat has always been a kind of decoration. Their staple food must be something picked up from the sea. Sea fish, sea beasts and seaweed, captains and first mates, doctors and other honorable people can enjoy it. When it comes to potatoes and cabbage, the rest of the crew can only endure endless heartburn and mouth bleeding, which are very common among crew members now that fresh fruits and vegetables have not been found to be resistant to scurvy.

Captain Hahn has no such troubles. As a captain, he can not only eat potatoes, but also tomatoes, coffee, chocolate, but every time he spit on the deck before eating, because these delicious The fruits and vegetables were still passed from France to the Netherlands, and the Dutch were sure that the crops they used to enjoy were edible, and when he thought of France, Captain Hahn's heart seemed to be grated. He was from Amsterdam, his brother Hahn only regrets dragging their prime minister out of town hall that night not too long ago, and then, with some thugs, to dismember and sell him, he was at sea and not at home, or he must have tried to stop his own brother.

But looking back and asking himself, Captain Hahn wasn't sure if he was there, would he really try to stop those people - those people are crazy, the French king has an army of 120,000 people, they all know, and they only have 20,000, With such a disproportionate ratio, unless General Reuter's crew can climb ashore, they can't expect to win, no, it's not a question of whether they can win, but whether there will be a Dutch Republic in the future.

Under such enormous pressure, like those who still see no light after hundreds of dark days, they are full of suspicion and anger towards the husbands in charge of the Dewitt brothers, coupled with the sudden disappearance of William III, the Orange Belt The party took the opportunity to use various methods to incite them in the streets and alleys, and these dissatisfied voices eventually converged into a rushing flood that completely destroyed their last barrier.

Yes, yes, Captain Hahn couldn't help but pass through a gloomy and bitter emotion, he knew that after his brother had vented, he also realized that he had done a stupid thing, but even if **** came, it would not be. The way to put the Dewitt brothers back together, the people of Amsterdam fell into a kind of chaos and confusion, they didn't know what to do, they could only linger outside the city hall, hoping that William III or whoever would dare at this moment. The people who carry the burden come out and tell them loudly what to do.

There are always people saying that those MPs are electing a new government, but as described earlier in this article, the motions of the General Assembly are communicated layer by layer, from the General Assembly to the Provincial Assembly, from the Provincial Assembly To the city council... This matter is not as simple as building one or two ships, or signing a contract. Everyone knows that whoever stands up at this time may become a hero of the Dutch, or it may be Being a prisoner of the French, there is even a voice saying that they are not unacceptable to a ruler like the Sun King, but some people retort that Paris also had the St. Bartholomew Massacre, and the Dutch are Protestant Christians, no one knows whether a Catholic king will take their property or even their lives.

Even if Hahn knows nothing about politics, he can see that the Dutch Republic is already crumbling. He inquired from the merchants he was familiar with, and they all brought him disappointment, whether it was Utrecht or Zeeland. , or Gelderland, whose MEPs seem to have never seen the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, debating and negotiating day and night, making overt and covert deals—they Even if he is timid and reluctant to be the one who raises the flag, he is also worried that others will seize the opportunity to seize power and gain the greatest benefit. There is no doubt that if there is someone to turn the tide at this time, the Dutch will not be reluctant to give it to him. A crown.

   In this way, they drag each other back, accuse each other constantly, and even in the case of mutual framing and murder, let alone a few months, even if they are given a few years, they will not be able to choose a person who can face the French king.

Hahn stood on the deck, looking back at the invisible Amsterdam, his heart was desolate, he and the businessmen behind him, every time he left Amsterdam, he didn't know if he could return to this beautiful city, or when he went back. , it no longer belongs to the Netherlands.

A seagull swept over Captain Hahn's Fleet Battleship, an 80-gun double-deck battleship. The lower deck was about 120 feet long, 30 feet wide, and had a displacement of 1,000. Even so, it is no longer the main ship in the Dutch Navy. The main ships in the Dutch Navy are now three-deck warships with a displacement of more than 1,500 tons, and a slightly lesser 1,200 ships. A ship with tons of displacement and a gun load of 90-98 guns - this "Freedom" ship was originally under General Reuter's command, but because it hit the rocks on a cruise not long ago, it was changed after repairs were completed. Do merchant ship escort.

Even so, it and its four friends (approximately warships) are the most dazzling in this huge team. There are seventy-two caravan ships. They are huge, like a flock of hairy sheep. Surrounded by four strong and active sheepdogs, they chase the waves and head towards their destination in the light of the morning light.

  Captain Hahn took a deep breath, not without hope! As far as he knew, there were also businessmen and parliamentarians who were trying to bribe, bribe and lobby bigwigs in power in other countries, as well as recruiting soldiers, as long as they could hold on to the French until other countries formed an alliance against France, even if they needed to. With some cost, the Netherlands can at least preserve its own territory and shipping routes—as long as... as he thought about it, he suddenly heard a sharp cry, "Enemy!"

When the Dutch saw the British warships, they were so close that they could be seen directly. Looking at the British warships that were preparing to seize the T-line, Captain Hahn was dizzy, but he still followed General Reuter after all. The man of the two Anglo-Dutch wars, almost at the next moment, he reacted, "Ready to fight!" The Liberty's guns were placed in the front, middle and rear of the upper deck, fore and aft on the weather deck, and twelve thirty-six pounder heavy guns on the lower deck, but Captain Hahn was worried that they had undoubtedly been shot. The British ambush, and I don't know if these artillery can get the opportunity to exert their power.

  ——

   "Seriously," said Captain Wilson, who was in charge of the operation and one of the Duke of York's henchmen.

"I don't think you need to care so much," his first mate said in his heart - the alchemists are still in disguise, these guys... maybe the devil's servants, but he didn't show it at all, "as long as they live up to their promises things will do.”

   "I think..." Captain Wilson sighed deeply, but he didn't continue. The first officer could think of things he could think of, but he didn't expect that the gossip in London was not all nonsense.

  ——

   "Captain Hahn?"

Captain Hahn was taken aback, because the man in front of him came out of the flames, and he immediately drew his saber—the captain who had spent almost half his life at sea knew better than the average civilian, after all The sea is ruthless and unpredictable, and some businessmen with capital occasionally hire wizards, but these wizards are dangerous people at any time.

Seeing Captain Hahn like this, the wizard wasn't angry - he was dressed like a rich businessman. "Don't be nervous, I'm just a normal wizard," he said, thinking so, he wasn't even a dark wizard , that's why he escaped the French king's payment, but he didn't expect that he was doing business with merchants, and by the way, he went to the safer New World, and he would encounter this kind of thing: "I'm just here to tell you, Captain." He said, "It seems that war is inevitable, and the gentleman who hired me has decided to give you some help if you need it."

"Help?" Captain Hahn recalled that among the seventy-two merchant ships, there were indeed twenty-four armed merchant ships. Although they were merchant ships, they also had 60-80 artillery pieces, which could be put into battle. He was about to thank him when he saw The wizard waved it casually, and a few flames fell on the deck, burning a few black spots. "In front of the fleet is our master's clipper." Clipper is a small three-masted ship with a long ramming angle. The barges that carry the most cargo and the armed merchant ships that carry artillery are smaller, and of course they also carry cargo in the merchant fleet, but obviously not to the point where they cannot be lost, because the wizard then said: "These The clippers are full of wool," he said lightly. "My employer said the wind was in the right direction, and he purposely set them all on fire and sprinted toward our enemies...though maybe that won't stop them from taking the T-head. location, but the smoke and fire afterward will also interfere with their vision, so we may be able to buy a little time."

Captain Hahn hesitated for only two seconds, then nodded immediately: "Thank you very much," he said quickly: "Tell your employer that I will report his losses to General Reut and include additional sums as battle damages. ."

   "I'll tell him," said the wizard, throwing a handful of brimstone on the ground and leaving in the rising flame.

  ———

First a little, then a piece, then a whole ship, it was on fire, and even at noon, it was so bright that it was too bright to look straight, the black smoke rose straight from the sea to the sky, as if unskilled The painter carried a crude charcoal pen and made a few random strokes between heaven and earth.

   "They're mad!" Captain Wilson exclaimed angrily.

The crew jumped off immediately after setting the ship on fire, and they were rescued by the ship behind, although it was very dangerous, but the captain and merchant promised them enough to spend comfortably on them for years. The ships that were set on fire, After losing control, only one dashed straight to the British convoy, the others slanted away, but even so, the huge smoke they raised was as Captain Hahn had hoped. In that way, interfering with the sight of the British fleet, Captain Wilson ordered the firing, which sank the Clipper which was heading for the center of the fleet.

They did not buy much time for the Dutch fleet, and it was during this time that Captain Hahn's warships and armed merchant ships were already on either side of the British fleet, although the British had already Occupying a favorable position, Hahn's warships were also within range, but the Dutch merchants also showed a rare courage - they dared to use their merchant ships as sea fortifications, let the shells hit the precious cargo, and also Let the warships cross the British blockade.

The British dispatched twelve windships and six clippers armed with artillery, but the decisive action of the Dutch caught them by surprise, before they had decided whether to actually destroy the merchant ships - which was them At the time of the trophy, Captain Hahn had led his warships and armed merchant ships to the right of the British fleet, so that they were the ones occupying the T-position.

For a time, the waves were rolling, the flames were roaring, and the cannons were roaring. The old enemies were fighting each other on the blue waters. Whoever wins at this time depends on the courage of the two captains and whether the battle situation is sharp enough - Captain Wilson originally He has the upper hand, but he is also a greedy person. In other words, his master, the Duke of York, is often stretched thin. This is Britain's declaration of war on the Netherlands, but at the same time, the Duke of York also hopes to enrich his own pockets... On the battlefield, no matter how small The hesitation will also change the result - Captain Hahn did not waste the opportunity that the merchants bought for him. His "Liberty" has not completely crossed the hull, and the guns are already in full force. His choice is not wrong, he Although his artillery couldn't hit the British warships, it slowed down their ships for a while. After all, not everyone had the courage to rush into the artillery fire. He defeated those cowards.

Although Captain Wilson was trying his best to recover after realizing his mistake, and even ordered his warship to compete with the Dutch again for a favorable position, in the end, he still had to watch with remorse, as the smoke and the Surrounded by broken wooden boards, the "Liberty" swept across their field of vision proudly and lightly, and flew over the net with most of the merchant ships, and threw itself into the embrace of the sea and the blue sky again.

What was left to the British was a sunk fast ship and three merchant ships that had completely lost power because they acted as marine fortifications. When the crew left the ship, they set fire to it, so they can only say is nothing.

  ——

   "I really don't know what to say," said Louis, sending the letter to the candles to light.

This letter was written by a member of the Gelderland Provincial Council to the mayor of the free city of Nijmegen. There is no need to say more about the content of the letter, but the member probably would not have thought that his messenger was not French. Army fast.

   (end of this chapter)