1850 American Gold Tycoon

Liang Yao joined forces with the pirates in Southeast Asia in the South China Sea, and then headed south in a mighty way to the waters near Pontianak.

With such a large-scale fleet sailing, it was natural that it could not escape the eyes and ears of the Dutch and Indian authorities.

After learning of Liang Yao's intentions, Tevez ordered General Cruson to immediately organize a fleet and head to the waters near Pontianak to intercept Liang Yao's fleet and prevent Liang Yao from landing in West Borneo.

Even the Dutch armed merchant ships anchored in Batavia Port were directly requisitioned by the Dutch and Indian authorities.

"Madman, simply madman. Is the U.S. government endorsing him behind his back, or is he acting daringly?"

Tevez felt puzzled and angry at Liang Yao's series of incredible actions.

After reading the information sent back, Krusheng's expression gradually became serious.

Four modern steamships of over 1,000 tons, one of which is the most advanced hidden-wheel warship.

This is a maritime force that cannot be underestimated.

After the Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch national power declined, and the independence of Belgium in 1830 severely damaged the Dutch vitality.

At this time, the national strength of the Netherlands was no longer what it used to be. It was just trying to maintain the dignity of the last great powers and was the weakest link among the great powers.

Tevez's intensive mobilization finally gathered 9 sailing warships, one of which was the three-decker Rotterdam with a displacement of up to 2,300 tons and 95 guns. This was the only second-class ship left by the Dutch and Indian authorities. The Dutch-Indian authorities’ last card.

It's just that the Rotterdam is a ship built in the late 20th century, and the hull is a bit old.

The remaining eight sail warships are fourth-, fifth- and sixth-level ships with displacements ranging from 400 tons to 1,500 tons and armed guns ranging from 20 to 60 guns.

Like the Rotterdam, these sailing warships are relatively old and the condition of the ships is worrying.

Does the Dutch and Indian authorities have any new ships?

Yes, after all, the Netherlands was once a coachman on the sea. The emergence of steam battleships also gave insightful people in the Netherlands a premonition that steam battleships that were not bound by wind would be the future of the navy.

Starting in 1848, the Dutch began to concentrate financial and material resources to develop their own new generation of steam warships.

The result of the Dutch is the name (the name of a volcano on the island of Java. I don’t know how to translate it. If someone knows, please add it and I will change it into a Chinese translation).

\u003c is a three-masted steam paddle steamer that uses both steam power and sail power. It has a displacement of 781 tons, a power of 110kw, and a length of 8 meters. It is equipped with a single-cylinder coal-fired steam engine and 6 front cannons. It is the most advanced steamship in the world. one.

Historically, in order to promote Japan's opening to the Netherlands, after the Black Ship Incident and the founding of Japan, under the lobbying of Hendrik, the president of the Dutch Trade Association with Japan, William III of the Netherlands agreed to send a steamship to Germany as a gift. Sichuan shogunate.

Of course, the Dutch are not doing charity. The real purpose of the Dutch is to allow Japan to further open its market to earn more business benefits.

Hendrick also thoughtfully considered that if ordered from the Netherlands, the construction period would be very long, and the ship currently in service in the Dutch East Indies was a new ship that had just been commissioned in 1853.

Therefore, in the end, with Hendrick's help, the Dutch authorities directly gave the number to the Japanese shogunate.

The Japanese shogunate named it Kanko Maru. Kanko Maru was the first steam battleship of the Japanese Navy. It was later used as a training ship and trained the first generation of naval talents for the Japanese Navy.

"Your Excellency, with all due respect, the maritime power we can mobilize is currently limited. I request a postponement of handing over the ship to the shogunate authorities!"

Crusen requested the call to strengthen the fleet.

The Japanese shogunate didn't pay for the ship anyway.

Like another time and space, after the founding of Japan, Japan began to seek cooperation with Western countries, hoping to obtain advanced steam warships from Western countries.

The Netherlands and Japan have a long history of trade cooperation, and the Japanese have a good impression of the Dutch, so Japan is more inclined to cooperate with the Dutch.

In modern times, the Japanese navy was based on the British. This is a stereotype among people.

In fact, the Japanese Navy first used the Netherlands as its division. Not only did the Kanko Maru arrive in Nagasaki, Japan, but also instructors from the Royal Netherlands Navy.

It wasn't until the Iwakura mission visited Europe and carefully inspected the European countries that they learned that the Netherlands was just a second-rate small country and that Britain was the number one naval power.

Japan soon gave up learning from the Dutch navy, and turned to the navy to fully learn from the British, with Britain as its division.

"The number is a gift given to the Japanese shogunate by His Majesty's personal order. Requisitioning it rashly may affect the friendship between the Netherlands and Japan."

The \u003c number was a gift personally ordered by King William III of the Netherlands to the Japanese shogunate. Tevez was undecided for a while.

"Your Excellency! Is the friendship between the Netherlands and Japan more important or our interests in the East Indies?!" Cruson sent a soul torture to Tevez.

This is not a very difficult question to answer. The friendship between the Netherlands and Japan is illusory, but the Netherlands' interests in the East Indies are real.

The East Indies is the most important overseas colony of the Netherlands and the last fig leaf, so there is no room for error.

"I'll leave the number to you." Tevez made up his mind.

After getting Tevez's permission, Cruson transferred the sightseeing pill.

The East Indies Fleet, composed of 9 warships and 18 armed merchant ships, sailed to Pontianak in a mighty manner to assist the Pontianak defenders in defending Pontianak and the fruits of interest obtained by the Dutch and Indian authorities on Borneo Island.

The East Indies Fleet, under the leadership of Cruson, cruised at a speed of 8 knots and headed for Pontianak.

In the waters near Pontianak, Krusheng met a huge fleet. This fleet was Liang Yao's fleet, and it could also be said to be Liang Yao's entire family fortune.

Liang Yao has four steam battleships with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons, and 11 Loach-class ships. Among these 11 Loach-class ships, Liang Yao's 8 Loach-class ships have been equipped with Sacramento guns, and 3 Loach-class ships of the Guangdong Navy have been equipped with the Sacramento gun. It's still an old-fashioned muzzleloader cannon.

In terms of sailing ships, Liang Yao owns 16 clipper ships with displacements ranging from 700 tons to 1,200 tons, equipped with 22 to 30 6-pound Sacramento guns.

What remains is the atmosphere group consisting of the Cantonese Navy and the small sampans of Southeast Asian pirates.

The two fleets met in a narrow road at sea and faced each other.

But in terms of numbers and momentum, Liang Yao, who came out in full force, was obviously superior.

"This sea area belongs to us, the Netherlands! You have entered the Dutch sea area. I will give you ten minutes to consider whether to evacuate our sea area or go to war!"

Krusheng also issued an ultimatum to Liang Yao, requiring Liang Yao's fleet to evacuate the waters near Pontianak.

While issuing the ultimatum, Cruson had already issued a semaphore, ordering each ship to seize the windward direction in order to obtain a powerful maneuvering position after the war began.

Cruson's East Indies fleet had a low steam rate, with only one steamship and two steam-powered old-fashioned sailing warships that could fight without the help of wind.

The rest of the ships are still sail battleships, and he must follow the combat rules of the sail era in order to maximize the advantages of his own warships.

The so-called upwind and downwind are not the same as tailwind and headwind.

But in the wind direction perpendicular to the direction of the sail battleship, the direction above the vertical wind direction is the upwind direction, and the direction below it is the downwind direction.

Upwind and downwind directions each have their own merits. In short, the advantage of the party in the upwind direction is that it is easier to gain maneuverability advantages, but the disadvantage is also obvious, that is, it may lose its firepower advantage.

The waterline of the lower deck of the battleships in the sailing era was very low, and the layout pattern of the deck guns on each deck of the sailing battleship was that the gun firepower of the lower deck was stronger than that of the upper deck.

Taking the second-class battleship USS Christian as an example, the bottom deck has 28 42-pound guns, the upper deck has 28 24-pound guns, and the top has 26 12-pound guns.

The artillery on the lower level is the main firepower output of the sail battleship.

If it is in the upwind direction, the tilt of the ship's hull can easily allow seawater to flood the lower or even upper decks facing the enemy, causing only the top deck with the weakest firepower to fire.

On the contrary, the enemy's ship will tilt under the influence of wind, but the muzzle pointing upward in the wind direction, that is, the muzzle pointed in the direction of the own ship, is basically not affected by wind and waves. Therefore, the enemy can ensure maximum firepower output.

In the age of sail, the navies of various countries had different regulations on whether to gain the upper hand or the lower wind during a battle.

A general rule is that naval powers tend to seize the upper hand in order to gain the greatest mobility advantage and gain the initiative on the battlefield.

Countries with relatively weak naval power tend to seize the disadvantage and wait for work.

The British Navy and the Dutch Navy are representatives who like to seize the upper wind direction.

The French navy, which has relatively weak sea power, likes to wait for its work in the leeward position when fighting the British navy.

Because of the gap in quality of sailors between the British and French navies, after the French navy's gunners fired one salvo, the British navy's gunners could often fire three or more rounds of salvos.

The gap in the quality of sailors makes up for the loss of firepower output of the British Navy in the upwind position. Therefore, in sea battles, the British Navy is often more inclined to seize the upper hand, gain maneuverability advantages, and strive for the initiative on the battlefield.

The French Navy, on the contrary, generally does not like to seize the upper wind direction and exchange fire with the British Navy while losing its main firepower output.

Of course, strength is also relative. The French Navy likes to fight at a disadvantage when facing the British Navy, but when facing opponents with weaker maritime capabilities than itself, the French Navy will also take the initiative to gain the upper hand.

When fighting the Spanish Navy, the French Navy often went against the norm and seized the upper hand during the battle, gaining a rare maneuverability advantage to engage in battle.

Wind direction is only one factor that can influence the outcome in naval battles in the age of sail, but it is not the decisive factor.

The commander's decision, strength comparison, equipment level, sailor's morale, combat experience and tactical literacy, and even accidents, can all become factors that determine the outcome of a naval battle.