The Rise of the European Emperor

How did the plague in Europe come about? In fact, when Italian sailors went to West Asia to transport goods, they were brought on board by Asian mice mixed into the ship and introduced to Europe.

Europeans had never seen plague at that time, so naturally they couldn't talk about resistance. Then, tens of millions of people were killed. This is similar to the fact that American Indians have never seen smallpox, and the millions of Taino people in Haiti were directly wiped out by smallpox...

Why can rats survive on Italian merchant ships? It's not that the ancients didn't pay attention to hygiene. Especially the Europeans in the Middle Ages, that is called dirty. They don't bathe, and they like to defecate everywhere. The city is stinky, and the boat is not much better.

Because of not paying attention to hygiene, the boat was naturally very dirty and messy, and it was not surprising that rats got mixed in. Especially in the dimly lit bilge, where mice hide in corners, it is very difficult to find.

And Marin paid great attention to the sanitation on board from the beginning. The army and warships made repeated orders, requiring good internal sanitation, and also checked the evaluation.

In addition, Marin was the first person in Europe to advocate keeping cats in this era. In addition to the black cat, which is regarded as an ominous thing, Marin encouraged people in Beihai to keep cats and catch mice.

On the ship, Marin asked each ship to have cats to catch mice. After all, some mice are easy to mix into the ship with the cargo, and it cannot be avoided by improving internal hygiene. Therefore, keeping cats on board is an important means of dealing with mice.

In addition, every ship in the Beihai State will be equipped with a small "V"-shaped trawl net, the kind with a winch. This kind of trawling net can catch hundreds of pounds of fish at a time. Not only can it improve the food for sailors, but it can also raise cats, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

As a result, the ocean-going vessels of the North Sea State never lack food, only fresh water and vitamin C...

...

As for the firepower on the ship, Marin took a look. The lower artillery deck is mainly a 32-pound Karen naval gun. Although this kind of artillery has a large caliber, it has a short barrel and a small overall weight.

Although the range is not far, if the 32-pound iron ball hits it, it will be too much to go around with the level of warships of other European countries in this era.

Moreover, the short body and light weight have another great advantage, that is-fast loading speed!

The short barrel makes it relatively easy for the gunner to load. And light weight, easy to move, easy to reset. In this way, its shooting speed is much more convenient than those heavy long guns.

According to the test of the gunners, the average loading time of the 18-pound Hongyi cannon is about 2 minutes. The Karen naval gun, however, only takes half the time to reload...

only problem,

It is a large-caliber artillery, which consumes too much gunpowder. Beihai country can afford guns now, but can't afford gunpowder...

Fortunately, Marin is now buying more Egyptian slaves and camels, and sending them to Chile to expand the production and transportation of the saltpeter mine there. As long as the output of saltpeter increases over there, these Karen naval guns will be able to bombard enemy ships as much as they want...

...

After visiting the entire battleship, next, it was Marin's turn to determine the model of the battleship.

Marin inquired about the detailed data. The entire ship has a displacement of 1,000 tons, a double-layer artillery deck, and 50 guns, which are very in line with the standards of the fourth-class British sailing warships in the later 18th century.

The crew of the British fourth-tier ships is 350 people, but the Long Island Shipyard in New York has given a relatively compact staffing of 320 people. After thinking about it, Marin agreed to the New York Shipyard's suggestion. Because, he is short of sailors now...

A fourth-class ship needs 320 people, and 20 ships need 6,400 sailors! And now there are 5,400 sailors on the 30 500-ton warships in Beihai. In addition to the thousands of sailors on the hundreds of 250-level armed merchant ships... Marin suddenly felt that there were too few sailors in the North Sea...

At this time, his desire to annex England became more urgent. Because there are enough English sailors. Unlike the German side, which mainly relies on the Frisians, the only seafaring race in Germany (the Dutch are not counted).

Fortunately, Marin is now bewitching the nobles of the Netherlands to raise sheep in enclosures. Perhaps, it won't be long before a large number of Dutch people who have lost their land will have to accept their own recruitment and come to serve as sailors for themselves.

Today, the North Sea State mainly has two types of ships-the 500-ton "Hoffman" class warship, and the 250-ton "250" class armed merchant ship. Among them, the naming of Class 250 armed merchant ships is very hasty. Of course, it is also a transitional model and is not taken seriously.

And this thousand-ton battleship is obviously very important. In Marin's plan, it will build 20 ships in the first batch and become the main battleship of the North Sea Navy.

There are 20 thousand-ton main battleships and 30 500-ton "Hoffman"-class main battleships. The combination of these 50 super battleships can basically defeat any European country. The premise is that there is enough ammunition... But with the expansion of the production of Chilean saltpeter, the day when these warships can freely fire their guns should not be far away...

You know, this is a battleship covered with stainless steel sheets and steel plates! Even the British in the 18th century could not reach this level. At most, the British only copper-skinned the battleship below the waterline. Moreover, only main battleships have this treatment. Ordinary battleships are naked below the waterline...

Because the performance is too powerful, Marin feels that this kind of warship should be invincible. However, if it is named "Invincible" level, it is too hateful and does not conform to Marin's low-key character.

After much deliberation, Marin still decided to name the battleship the "Dreadnought-class" battleship, or "Dreadnought" for short...

This name can be regarded as the main artillery battleship of Shanzhai during World War I. In World War I, the dreadnought was actually an invincible main battleship. Other types of warships can only bow their heads and admit defeat in front of the dreadnought's giant guns and new armor.

It can be said that the dreadnought was synonymous with invincibility at sea at that time.

And what about the thousand-ton warships of the Beihai Kingdom? Although the technical level and combat effectiveness are far inferior to the dreadnoughts of World War I. However, in this era of backward technology, this kind of warship covered with stainless steel plates and large-caliber heavy artillery can indeed be regarded as an invincible opponent at sea. Using the title of "Dreadnought" is not a disgrace to this prestigious name.

After all, this type of battleship with its sides covered with stainless steel plates is as protective in this era as a dreadnought with a new type of armor, and it is so durable and resistant...

And the Karen naval gun on the battleship... Well, in this era, it is equivalent to the deterrent power of the main gun with a caliber of more than 300 mm on the dreadnought ship. After all, Karen naval guns are only used to hit wooden ships. And the giant main gun of more than 300 millimeters hit the opponent's composite steel armor...

Moreover, the title "dreadnought" is a little more modest than "invincible" and "victory". Don't be afraid, just be brave. And "invincible", "victory" and so on, the name is too arrogant, easy to be beaten by the crowd...

...

Therefore, this new thousand-ton warship covered with stainless steel sheets and steel plates was happily named the "Dreadnought" class warship by Marin. But in fact, the size of this warship is equivalent to the fourth-class British ship in the 18th century. The only thing stronger than a Tier 4 ship is probably the stainless steel armor...