The Rise of the European Emperor

"Hmph!" After reading the information, Marin threw the information heavily on the table and let out a cold snort of dissatisfaction.

"Portugal is really arrogant. Do you really think that you are invincible if you have too many ships?" Marin was quite dissatisfied with the Portuguese's self-confidence.

Of course, this cannot be blamed for Portugal's self-confidence. Marin has been hiding sea power. The outside world only knows that the North Sea State has 10 warships, but does not know that the number of North Sea State warships has reached 30.

This is because 10 of Marin's 30 warships were sent to Japan. Of the remaining 20 ships, 10 are hiding in Wilhelmshaven in the relatively remote Bay of Yard all the year round. Only 10 warships will be in and out of the emden naval port at the busy ems estuary.

In this way, it leaves people with the illusion that there are only 10 Beihai warships. As for those armed merchant ships, because Marin rarely recruits them to participate in naval battles, everyone forgets that those 250-level armed merchant ships are also warships...

Therefore, the Beihai State Navy gave the outside world an illusion-there are 10 warships that can fight!

Although the 10 warships looked large, the heavy artillery on board were usually covered. The gun ports on the lower artillery deck are also closed all year round. Only before the battle, the gun door will be opened. Therefore, these 10 warships seem to be big, not very powerful.

The Portuguese confidently believed that although the 10 warships of the North Sea State were all very tall, their combat effectiveness was probably not weak. However, compared with the dozens of warships that Portugal can easily mobilize, it is still not worth mentioning.

You know, in an emergency, Portugal can even recruit more than a hundred warships from the people to participate in the war. Even in the face of the equally powerful Spain, Portugal is full of confidence.

But they don't know that times have changed, and naval battles are no longer the era of small boat gang fights. They didn't even know that the warships of the North Sea State had much thicker sides than Portuguese warships and were more resistant to shelling. Not to mention thickened and encrypted warships, even ordinary 250-level armed merchant ships are more resistant to shelling than the popular Portuguese caravels...

However, the hull structure cannot be seen from the outside at all. Only after actual combat will you know the specific situation. Just like Rui Silva, although he captured a 250-level armed merchant ship from the North Sea State, he didn't study the structure of the ship carefully. He didn't know that this ship was better than the Portuguese caravel.

...

Speaking of which, this ship was also unlucky. In order to confuse the Portuguese, this 250-level armed merchant ship, which could be equipped with 20 cannons, was deliberately not covered with cannons, and only four 12-pound bronze cannons were arranged at the bow and stern. Therefore, the combat power is insufficient. Otherwise, facing the warships of the Portuguese Azores Fleet, not to mention winning,

It's okay to run away.

But the problem was that the ship didn't have enough artillery. In addition, during naval battles, the main mast was accidentally smashed by shells from enemy ships, making it impossible to even escape. Therefore, I can only drink hatred.

According to intelligence, it seems that of the 40 crew members on board, only the loyal captain and first mate were executed after the surrender. The other sailors were sent to serve as slaves on a newly opened sugar cane plantation near Port Heroes on Terceira Island. And this newly opened sugarcane plantation is naturally Rui Silva's own industry. The old sugarcane plantations of the Portuguese royal family and nobles did not dare to move, so he could only open up new plantations to grow sugarcane.

...

"In other words, most of the crew are still alive?" Marin confirmed.

"Yes, Your Majesty, according to the intelligence personnel, only the captain and the first mate were killed because they refused to surrender. The rest of the ordinary sailors were taken to be plantation slaves."

"Can you determine the location?" Marin asked.

"Yes, it's on the seaside 10 kilometers west of Hero Harbor!" Kohler replied.

"Beach... Can we directly send ships to shore to raid the plantation who rescued us?" Marin asked.

As the soul of modern people, Marin still prioritizes saving the crew.

Kohler shook his head and said:

"According to intelligence, the new plantation named Silva Village seems to have a steep coast nearby, which is not suitable for boats to dock. If you want to forcibly land on the shore, I'm afraid you can only land on a small boat. If necessary, you may have to go to water."

"The difficulty is not small..." Marin touched his chin, thought for a while and said:

"Well, you call Kidd and the others, I have something to do with him!"

In the afternoon, Navy Commander Kidd came to Marin's office...

"Kidd, you go pick a group of elite marines, I need them to do one thing - save people!"

"Save people?" Kidd was a little confused.

Marin patted his head and told Kidd what happened in detail, and Kidd suddenly realized:

"Oh, it turned out to be the crew who rescued the 'Purcell'!" The 'Purcell' was the name of the hapless transport ship that was hijacked.

But then Kidd asked again:

"Your Majesty, the village of Silva is only 10 kilometers away from the Port of Heroes where the Portuguese fleet is located. Once our ships launch a landing, it will definitely alarm the Portuguese warships in the Port of Heroes. Although there are only six or seven ships there, our navy It can be defeated. But the question is, Your Majesty, are we ready to turn against the Portuguese?"

Hearing Kidd's question, Marin fell into deep thought...

What Kidd said made sense. The six or seven broken ships in the Hero Harbor did not need to dispatch warships, but just dispatched a few 250-level armed merchant ships full of artillery and ammunition to solve them. But the question is, what happens after that? Turn against Portugal completely?

Marin now needs to prepare for France, and is not yet suitable for confronting Portugal head-on. Although they are not afraid of Portugal, once the two countries tear their faces apart, they will definitely attack each other's shipping, which will affect the trade interests of the North Sea country. In particular, if Portugal can't be killed all at once, the other party may really send a ship to America to make trouble...

"How to make Portugal throw a mouse at the same time without turning against Portugal?" Marin was lost in thought...

This meditation lasted for an hour, and Kidd was a little restless after waiting. Finally, Marin raised his head and thought of something...

"By the way, the core interest of Portugal is the spice trade!" Marin grasped the point.

...

For Portugal, the Indian spice trade was their lifeblood. Whoever dares to move, they will fight desperately. But what if you warn the other party?

However, Marin certainly cannot send North Sea warships to intercept the Portuguese spice ship. However, he can send someone to pretend to be a British pirate...

"Hehe, British pirates...what a good excuse..." Marin laughed.

So, he continued to arrange:

"You send people to find a few ships that look like British ships, refit the ships, nail the iron sheets on the sides, and paint black paint to cover the iron sheets. Then, send our sailors, disguised as British pirates, to the Atlantic Ocean A lesson for the Portuguese! However, it only robs the ship and does not hurt anyone!"

To put it bluntly, Marin sent someone to rob a Portuguese spice ship, not really wanting to rob it, but to give the Portuguese a warning - if you don't restrain yourself, we can also send "pirates" to intercept your spice ship !

Compared with the ships full of spices, the ships transporting sugar and rice in the North Sea are nothing worth mentioning. Because, not to mention that spices in Europe can still be compared to gold, but it is still no problem to compare with silver. A ship full of spices is worth more than a ship loaded with sugar and rice.

Therefore, the loss of a spice ship is a completely different concept from the loss of a sugar and rice ship.

However, Marin does not want to tear himself apart with Portugal. Therefore, he would only order the execution of the captain and first mate of the plundered spice ship—exactly the same as Rui Silva did. In this way, it can also be regarded as a warning to Portugal-can you pretend to be pirates? I can do it too!

Moreover, the ships sent by Marin will be in the style of England. The people sent will also pretend to be English pirates. In this way, even if it is said on the bright side, Marin can push two, five, six, and just play tricks. However, the Portuguese will know what he means.

However, in order to prevent the Portuguese from arrogance and arrogance, Marin still made two preparations——

"Order the 20 warships of the North Sea Kingdom to prepare for war! At the same time, allocate 20 armed merchant ships to coordinate training and prepare for a naval battle!"

"Yes!" Kidd immediately stood up and saluted...