The Rise of the European Emperor

Because of the rusting problem of the city gate, Marin was eager to get the Tara lead-zinc mine. With zinc, Marin can make tinplate, which resists rust and corrosion. In addition to solving the problem of rust prevention of city gates, it can also solve the problem of navigation.

The threat of ship maggots is really great. In the era of great sailing, because of the tireless bite of ship maggots, wooden ships needed a major overhaul after each voyage. The main content of the overhaul is to clean up the maggots, and repair the parts that were bitten by the maggots and the parts that were damaged by the waves.

Therefore, it does not mean that you can sit back and relax after getting the search ship. If it is not overhauled frequently, it is prone to major problems. For example, when the Spanish Armada attacked Britain in 1588, very few ships were shelled by British warships. However, because the maggots gnawed on the hull, the British shelled and slapped the wind and waves, the sinking of the ship accounted for more than half of the losses.

Ship maggots are so abhorrent that they cause huge losses to large seafaring countries every year, and also greatly affect the life of ships. Because, under the bite of ship maggots, no matter how you repair it, the ship will have to be reimbursed after a certain year. And if there is no gnawing by ship maggots, a ship can be used for dozens or hundreds of years without any problem. For example, the famous clipper ship Cutty Sark, also known as the Short Shirt, was built in 1869, and it was still there for people to visit before the fire broke out in 2007.

Another example is the USS Constitution, which was launched in 1797. Later, because of proper preservation, it is still in service in the 21st century. Of course, this is because the ship is regularly overhauled and can be preserved for more than two hundred years.

And because of the gnawing of ship maggots, ordinary sailing ships can be used for decades if they are well preserved, but if they are not well preserved, they will be reimbursed in ten or twenty years, and they will be devastated by ship maggots...

Therefore, in the 18th century, the British came up with a good way to wrap the part of the hull below the waterline with copper. In this way, the ship maggots have nothing to do. Although the cost of wrapping copper skin is high, after wrapping copper skin, the overhaul cost saved is more than wrapping copper skin.

In this way, after the copper skin is wrapped, the ship does not need an overhaul for a long time. Also, ships can stay in sea water for a long time...

Before that, most of the ports in the world were built at the mouth of the Danshui River. Because, boat maggots are not adapted to fresh water. When the wooden boat sails into freshwater waters, the maggots will automatically leave the hull and escape to the seawater area because they are not adapted to the freshwater atmosphere.

Therefore, the ports in the early years were all built at the mouth of the Danshui River, not directly by the sea. London, for example, has its port along the Thames; Hamburg, for example, is not by the sea, but by the river near the lower reaches of the Elbe; Lübeck, for example, is also at the mouth of the Trave; Bremen, for example, Not by the sea, but on the Weser River 60 kilometers from the sea...

Of course, there are also some ports, built directly by the sea. But that was a desperate choice, and this kind of port could not dock wooden boats for a long time. Otherwise, if the docking time is too long, the ship will be gnawed by ship maggots and sink in water... But after the age of cement and steel ships, naturally there is no need to care about ship maggots, and the port will be built directly by the sea...

After using the copper skin to wrap the lower part of the waterline, the boat can stay in the sea for a long time. No matter how good your ship's teeth are, can you chew on copper skin?

However, the cost of wrapping copper is too high. Generally, only warships and some wealthy ship owners choose to wrap copper skins on the hull.

And, that was later. Since the Dutch introduced Japanese copper in the 17th century, the price of copper in Europe has plummeted to the point where the exchange ratio of silver and copper is 1:80. Previously, due to the large-scale development of the Fayilun copper mine, the price of silver and copper in Europe dropped from 1 to 15 to about 1 to 30 to 40, not less than 1 to 50.

Even when the silver-copper exchange ratio is as low as 1:80, few people can afford copper, let alone the crazy age when the silver-copper ratio is 1:15.

So, even knowing the method, Marin never thought of wrapping the boat in copper. Unless the gods in the Middle East have exchanged all their wealth for gold and silver and crossed over, they have the confidence to wrap copper skins on all ships...

And if you use galvanized white iron instead of copper, the effect is not bad, and the cost is much lower.

After all, there is really no technical difficulty in tinplate. There is only zinc. Throw the ordinary iron sheet into the zinc solution of several hundred degrees and roll it, and it is a galvanized white iron sheet when you fish it out.

White iron is anti-rust and anti-corrosion, and the cost is much lower than that of copper. Moreover, even if it is a little bumpy, it will not rust as quickly as tinplate. Even if the tin plate is scrapped for some reason, it's a big deal to replace it, the cost is not high anyway...

As a man who wants to go on a big voyage, Marin will definitely own a lot of wooden boats in the future. If the ship maggots cannot be stopped, the annual overhaul cost alone is a huge expense.

However, if there is the Tara lead-zinc mine, which has the largest reserves in Europe, a lot of zinc will be produced. Then, cheap tin can be mass-produced to wrap all ocean-going ships. This way, the boat doesn't need any major repairs. At most, to see which piece of tin is damaged, just replace it.

...

It's just that the Tara lead-zinc mine in Ireland is located within the scope of the English occupation area, and it is nominally directly under the territory of the English royal family.

In this regard, Marin is also helpless, can't directly send troops to occupy it? You know, the UK is not a pseudo-power like Denmark. At least, in terms of army strength, they are much stronger than Denmark.

Also, Marin has now offended Denmark, Saxony and Brandenburg. If they offend the UK at the same time, they will be beaten in groups. Don't be afraid to face a family alone, if a few families are together, the traveler will also kneel.

So, after thinking about it, Marin finally came up with a solution-that is, instigating Earl Edward to seize Dublin. After Earl Edward has occupied Dublin and the nearby territories directly under the British King, he will spend money to buy the Tara Mine from Earl Edward.

Earl Edward is not the cunning and ruthless king of Henry VII. Because he was locked in the Tower of London by Henry VII when he was young and isolated from the world, Earl Edward was not trained in society and was not cunning enough.

With the help of the Beihai Chamber of Commerce in the past, Marin can completely repay the favor and buy the Tara lead-zinc mine.

Moreover, Marin has long planned, not to extract lead and zinc near the Tara lead-zinc mine, so as to avoid the secret of zinc being discovered by others. Marin's plan was to extract the ore from the Tara mine, select it, and then ship it directly by sea to a hidden place to extract the lead and zinc. Especially zinc, which can be directly used to make tinplate. Moreover, it can also be used to mint counterfeit coins... Marin suddenly felt that he was addicted to counterfeiting...

...

After receiving intelligence on the situation in Ireland from spies sent to Cork, Marin quickly devised an expansion plan for Earl Edward...

Marin's plan was to let Earl Edward keep a low profile for a while and not reveal his identity. Otherwise, it will definitely lead to a full-scale attack from Henry VII.

It just so happened that Earl Edward also felt that his strength was insufficient before, and he also chose to keep a low profile. He only cooperated with the Counties of Desmond once and divided up the land of the McCarthy Dynasty.

Therefore, in addition to the Earl of Desmond, the British royal family and other forces on the island of Ireland do not know the existence of Earl Edward.

That being the case, plus the opponent just captured the McCarthy dynasty. So Marin suggested - let Earl Edward call himself the monarch of the McCarthy dynasty, and then attack the Macmurrough dynasty, an Irish home force to the southeast of the island of Ireland.

The McMurrow dynasty was a regime established by the remnants of the Kingdom of Leinster, a powerful country in the southeastern part of Ireland before the Norman invasion of England. Although the power was greatly reduced after being invaded by England, it was still a powerful force.

Moreover, the place where the McMurrow dynasty is located is very crucial. Because its site, just south of Dublin, is not small in size.

Its territory is roughly equivalent to the northern half of County Wicklow, County Carlow and County Wexford in later Ireland. The current site is only the southern half of County Wexford. The region, with a total area of ​​about 4,000 square kilometers, can be regarded as a powerful force.

However, Earl Edward has 5,000 mercenaries, and he is still a French mercenary and a Swiss mercenary with stronger combat power, and his strength is stronger than that of the McMurrow dynasty.

Of course, if the McMurrow Dynasty chose to stick to the defense and use Wicklow City for defense, Earl Edward would have no choice.

It was by virtue of the tall and strong city of Wicklow that the McMurrow dynasty defeated the English's many sieges and stubbornly stocked it.

However, the tallness and solidity of Wicklow City were of no use to Marin. Because the city of Wicklow still uses all oak gates. As long as you use the tactic of shelling powder keg blasting that Marin developed when he attacked Denmark, it will take a few days to break the city.

Therefore, Malin specially instructed the gunsmith to cast 20 12-pound bronze guns with a very French style, intending to quietly give them to Earl Edward, and send professional blasters to guide the army of Earl Edward to break open the The gate of Wicklow City. As long as the city of Wicklow is broken, then the McMurrow dynasty is over...

That's not all, Marin's real goal is Dublin...

After capturing the McMurrow dynasty, Earl Edward could march north and continue to attack Dublin. Because, Dublin is very close to the northern border of the McMurrow dynasty.

As long as the tactic of blasting powder barrels is used, or Dublin using the oak gate, the city will only be destroyed in a few days.

Even, after fighting Dublin, Edward's army can also take down Ness, the capital of the Earl of Kildare, and destroy the lackey of the Tudor Dynasty. After all, as long as the city gate is not an iron gate, attacking a city will only take a few days...

At that time, the Earl of Edward will have Cork City and the surrounding large coastal territories, large areas of the McMurrow Dynasty, and the territory of Dublin County and the Earl of Kildare, becoming the most powerful force on the island of Ireland. Then, Earl Edward really had the strength to compete with Henry VII...

Of course, this is not the most important thing. For Marin, the most important thing is that when the time comes, he can buy the Tara Mine from Earl Edward...

...

Moreover, in order to ensure that the military actions of Earl Edward are not known to Henry VII. In Marin's letter of advice to Earl Edward in the name of "the behind-the-scenes boss of the North Sea Chamber of Commerce", Marin also suggested that Edward contact two powerful supporters in France and Scotland, asking them to send a fleet to the east of the island of Ireland during the period of Earl Edward's troops. coast, preventing any ships from going to England to seek help from Henry VII. Once found, it will be sunk directly, and all the crew will be killed and thrown into the sea to ensure that the news will not be known to England.

In this way, it was too late for Henry VII to react after a few months. Because, Earl Edward must have digested the fruits of victory at that time. Even if Henry VII wanted to use all his power at that time to destroy Earl Edward in Ireland, he had to ask France and Scotland whether they would agree.

Marin can be sure that as long as Henry VII dares to send troops to attack Ireland, France and Scotland will definitely be hindered. Perhaps, they will directly send troops to threaten to force the British army to retreat. At that time, Henry VII, who had lost his foothold on the island of Ireland, could only stare at Earl Edward. Because the deadly feud between France and Scotland, the two England, will certainly not allow Henry VII to regain Ireland with peace of mind. Moreover, the current King Louis XII of France and King James IV of Scotland are both old fritters of political struggle. For this kind of professionally pulling the opponent's legs, it is quite good...

In the same way, Marin is not a good thing, and he is also an expert in pulling people's backs. For example, he supported the 20 artillery pieces of Earl Edward, stunned to cause the French artillery to have no gun mounts, no aiming hills, only cannon lugs, so as to frame France. At the same time, the man who directed Earl Edward's army to bomb the city gate, Marin also asked him to disguise himself as a Dane. As a former "victim", he told Earl Edward's men how "the city gate of Denmark was lost by Marin"... In this way, the unfortunate Denmark has been so miserable, and he has to bear it on his back. One pot... In short, Marin's "framed and blamed" skill has been practiced to full level...

Just to obtain the Tara lead-zinc mine near Dublin, Marin went so far as to instigate Earl Edward to attack Dublin. If Henry VII knew the truth, he would definitely be so angry that he vomited blood...

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