The Rise of the European Emperor

Now that he has decided to give it a go, François I quickly summoned Bidous who came to Paris on a special trip. Bidusi is Italian, but not Venetian, but a sea mercenary leader, a very experienced galley commander, and once served as a squadron commander in the Venetian navy.

However, Venice has been digging the Suez Canal with all its strength in recent years, and it has tried to avoid conflicts with people at sea, which is relatively peaceful. Therefore, Bidusi couldn't find any good opportunities for the time being.

Moreover, Venice is a commercial republic. Although there are nobles in the country, they have been passed down a long time ago. The Governor of the Republic is not qualified to confer titles on people.

Therefore, for Bidusi, it is best to find a monarch to serve, and then rely on credit to obtain titles and fiefdoms. Then, maritime powers such as Spain, Portugal and England became his choice.

However, Spain itself is a naval power, and there are many naval talents, and Bidus is not lacking. Portugal and England devoted themselves to the development of sailing ships, and Biddus' experience in commanding galleys was of no use.

Then, only France is left to choose. France was being suppressed by England and Spain. The navy was extremely miserable, and there was a lack of naval warfare commanding talents. This was the opportunity for Bidus to play.

However, whether it is in the Mediterranean Sea, or in the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel, the enemies France faces at sea are too powerful. It is also hell-level difficult to mix the military exploits of the Shanghai War in France. If galley experience alone...

Bidusi thought for a long time, and felt that it was definitely unrealistic to compete with Spain in galleys in the Mediterranean. Moreover, Spain has money and can build many galleys, forming a quantitative advantage.

And England... Bidu thought for a long time, and felt that there was still a chance...

Although England has a large number of ships, most of them are merchant ships of non-governmental organizations such as the Five-Port Alliance. Only when the royal family needs it will it be recruited from the people. In other words, England actually does not have dedicated warships. This is inseparable from England's poor finances. Although it is also one of the powerful countries in Europe, England's agriculture is poor, and only sheep farming has an advantage. The wool textile industry is developing and has not yet formed a dominant industry. Therefore, England's finances, among the major European countries, can only be regarded as a little better than the poorest Habsburg family.

Therefore, it is impossible to manufacture a warship that costs at least a few thousand gold coins and maintain a large number of sailors for a long time.

In this way, Biddus was given the opportunity to study and decipher England's naval tactics. Then, he personally visited the English Channel and discovered a very interesting phenomenon—although the English Channel is very windy, sometimes the wind becomes weaker, and occasionally even the wind calms down.

Although the proportion of breeze and calm waves is very small, there are still some.

Unlike the Atlantic Ocean, there are strong winds all day long. Then, this gave Biddus the opportunity to think of tactics against England's Kirk sailboat...

"Your Majesty, I have studied the sea conditions of the Strait of La Manches (the French name for the English Channel), and found that the wind and waves here are strong in winter and relatively small in summer. Sometimes, there is still a breeze, and occasionally there is no wind."

"Your Majesty should know that there is little or no wind all year round in the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, galleys are usually used there. On the other hand, the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel are more windy, so sailboats are often used."

"And when there is little wind or even no wind, the galley has an absolute advantage. Because if there is no wind, the sailboat will lie on the sea surface and cannot move, or move very slowly."

"But the galley is different. Although there is little wind or no wind, the sails can't provide much power. However, we have oars! In the breeze or even no wind, the maneuverability of the sailboat is basically abolished, and the galley is because of The existence of the oars is even more advantageous..."

"So, I thought of a tactic against the English fleet—in the summer, when there is little wind or no wind, send galleys to deal with the British warships..."

"Wait——I want to ask, Mr. Bidusi, how to ensure the safety of the galleys in the garrison at ordinary times? How should the English fleet come to destroy the warships?" At this time, John Lafite interjected and asked .

Pregent Bidoo thought for a while, and replied:

"In fact, someone has already provided us with a role model - Marin, Grand Duke of Beihai..."

"What? You mean..." Francois I said in surprise.

"Build a fort to guard the mouth of the bay in Brest! I have been to the port of Brest and found it to be an excellent safe haven. Moreover, the Crozon peninsula on the south side of the bay stretches into the sea and just cuts off the bay of Brest. Wrap it up."

"If we learn from the practice of the Grand Duke Marin of the North Sea State and set up a fort on the northwest corner of the Crozon Peninsula. At the same time, if we also set up a fort on the seaside west of Brest on the opposite bank, we will be able to block the invasion of enemy warships. If there is The protection of the fort, even if England knows that there are warships in the port? They can't break in..."

"Okay!" Francois I slapped the table excitedly and shouted loudly.

"Based on this suggestion alone, I decided to use you! With the protection of the fort, Brest Bay will become a safe military port, and we will no longer be afraid of the English attacking the door again!"

"Mr. Bidous, I have decided to grant you the post of Commander of the Brest Fleet. I plan to overhaul the naval port in Brest. At the same time, prepare warships... By the way, do you have to galley?" Francois I asked .

Biddus replied:

"Strictly speaking, after the modification of increasing the mast and expanding the sail area, this kind of ship can no longer be called a galley, but should be called a galley..."

"Sailboat... doesn't sound very good..." François I frowned, and then continued:

"Well, the introduction of this kind of ship is to prepare for the recapture of Calais Fortress. Therefore, how about naming this kind of sailing ship 'Calais Ship'?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" What can others say? The king has given his name, and everyone can only agree. Then, this kind of sail boat was called "Calais boat". Compared with the authentic galley, it has strengthened the sails and enhanced the maneuverability in windy areas.

For a time, the monarchs and ministers were having fun, and they were all celebrating the birth of the "Boat of Calais". Only John Lafite, the spy, frowned quietly, feeling a little troublesome.

But everyone present here didn't know that this Calais ship was brilliant in its original history. Even, it has influenced the naval warfare thinking of the Kingdom of France for hundreds of years...

In the original history, Pregent Bidous was actually recruited by Louis XII in 1512 to fight against England at sea.

At that time, the monarch of England was Henry VIII. Hengba frequently ordered England to attack the coast of France, which caused huge losses to France. In desperation, Louis XII had no choice but to hire Pregent Bidous to bring a few Calais ships over to try to confront the English navy.

As a result, this trick worked wonders. Relying on 6 small Calais ships weighing about 200 tons, Pregent Bidous unexpectedly attacked England frequently. In the end, Edward Howard, commander of the English Navy, was also killed. Then, for decades, England lived in the shadow of the Calais ship, and it was difficult to find effective countermeasures.

Of course, this is not without benefits. For England, the resulting benefit is that England later eliminated the Kirk sailing ship, and gradually developed a Galen ship that is more suitable for large voyages and naval battles...

And England felt the horror of the Calais for decades before the Galen ship appeared...

(The above are all real history, and the next chapter will describe the reasons for the formation of the naval warfare ideas of Britain and France)