Wild North America 1846

Chapter 577 Arriving at Donggang City

Author: Portuguese toothless

Chapter 577 Arriving at Donggang City

More than ten days later, the expedition fleet successfully arrived in Panama and rested for a while. After replenishing fresh fruits and vegetables, clean water, and coal fuel, it set sail again and headed for Paradise Island along the Pacific Rim currents.

During this period

The latest news about the reactions of various countries from the European continent gave the expedition fleet a little peace of mind. Thanks to the efforts of the empire, mainly the diplomatic department, public opinion in European countries reacted relatively calmly, and the United Kingdom even downplayed the response.

The famous "The Times" only published a tofu-sized piece of news about the expedition to Egypt on the third page. Those who were interested would notice that it was unusual, but the general public basically glanced at it and could not arouse too much interest.

The topic of the expedition to Egypt has always been a hot topic in European public opinion.

at the end of the eighteenth century

The French Emperor Napoleon, who was invincible throughout Europe, once led an expedition to Egypt and fought against tens of thousands of Egyptian Mamluk cavalry in a hollow battle, creating the glorious glory of a classic victory in the Battle of the Pyramids.

At that time, the media in France and almost all of Europe were crazily touting and reading endless reports about Emperor Napoleon's genius military ability, which truly put Emperor Napoleon on the altar of god...

Nowadays, the French "Paris Tribune" expressed the news of the Tang Dynasty's expedition to Egypt in a mocking tone;

"The hot and desolate Egypt attracted the British and the Tang Dynasty, and they constantly launched new adventures in this ancient country filled with long stretches of yellow sand.

Following the British, the greedy Tang Dynasty launched a new round of invasion of Egypt, which was bound to severely undermine the peace situation in the Near East and aroused deep concern in Paris..."

Public opinion in British and French newspapers downplayed the situation. Surprisingly, it was the Kingdom of the Netherlands that reacted most violently.

King William III of the Netherlands fiercely accused the Tang Empire of being "the source of trouble in the Pacific," "its dangerous colonial tendencies will endanger the stability and peace of the Western Pacific for more than 300 years," "undermining the regional situation," and so on.

He stated that he would "pay close attention to the movements of this unprecedentedly powerful colonial army" and called on the makers of the international order, led by the British and French powers, to "pay close attention to this invasion that undermines the international situation" and "take responsibility for maintaining the stability of the world situation"...

Dutch Prime Minister Marquis Vin Diesel also made a loud appeal; he hoped that European countries would pay attention to "the irresistible impulse of invasion by the Orientals" and "unite to oppose the Tang Dynasty's subversion of the existing white world order, and maintain the traditional pattern of the Western Pacific region" and so on

.

The reason

It turned out that when the diplomatic department of the Tang Empire was doing its work, it ignored the humble Kingdom of the Netherlands and instead focused on appeasing the great powers such as Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Austria, and sent a heavyweight delegation.

Visit Istanbul.

The mission of this diplomatic delegation to visit the Ottoman Empire was to elaborate on the Tang Dynasty's unintentional ambitions for Egypt, to punish Governor Ismail for his arrogant behavior, and to maintain the dignity of the empire. This was probably a euphemistic meaning.

The purpose is not to trigger a full-scale war between the Ottoman Empire and the Tang Dynasty. Both sides maintain a certain tacit understanding and do not make it impossible for them to get down.

Today, corruption is rampant from top to bottom in the Ottoman Empire, and its finances are in dire straits. The rule of Istanbul is unprecedentedly weak. The huge empire can only maintain its superficial splendor and is almost unable to take care of Egyptian affairs.

The European powers all stared at it greedily, taking various measures to continuously penetrate and invade, trying to carve off a large piece of fat.

The biggest pressure on the Ottoman Empire came from its fateful enemy, the Russian Empire. Since the disastrous defeat in the Crimean War from 1853 to 1856, the Russian Empire, which had lost both face and benefits, was holding back a breath of evil in its heart, and its bloodshot eyes were always staring at the Ottoman Empire.

Looking for opportunities to attack the Ottoman Empire.

With such a good neighbor always keeping an eye on it, even if the Ottoman Empire continues to decay and decline, it will not dare to be careless in the slightest. Preparing for war with Tsarist Russia is the primary goal.

If there is a war with the Tang Empire here, and Tsarist Russia stabs you in the back, the fun will be great...

in panama

Thanks to the completion of the Atlantic Transoceanic Cable, the transoceanic cable telegraph industry has developed greatly. Cross-strait communications can reach tens of thousands every day, worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, and the development prospects are extremely bright.

Information from Europe and North America can be sent smoothly and smoothly, and the latest information from Europe can be delivered to Panama on the second day, allowing the expedition fleet to clearly assess the current international situation and make appropriate responses.

The Imperial Foreign Service does a very good job and the overall performance is excellent.

Only the Kingdom of the Netherlands jumped so hard that emergency diplomatic remedial measures could only be taken. It would be advisable to immediately arrange for the diplomatic attaché in Germany to go to the Kingdom of the Netherlands to appease the people to avoid causing too much trouble.

From the perspective of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, its concerns are not unfounded.

Although there is no idiom in Europe about "destroying Guo by false means", the Kingdom of the Netherlands has every reason to worry that the powerful expeditionary fleet of the Tang Empire will take the opportunity to destroy the Governor-General's Palace of the Dutch East Indies. Where will it be justified?

Can we say that the Kingdom of the Netherlands is unfounded?

these years

The reputation of the Tang Empire, which was annexing territory everywhere and expanding its colonies wantonly, was not very good. It had always been known for being domineering and bullying the weak.

What they like to do most is to intervene in regional wars and then cut off large areas of territory from participating countries.

The North American War and the South American War are typical examples. Almost all countries in the world have experienced the style of the Tang Dynasty. It is definitely on the same level as the old British and French colonists, and they are not good birds.

Former President of the United States of America Andrew Johnson once lamented feebly: "The greatest sorrow is that the United States has lost the favor of God. It is too far away from God and too close to the Tang Dynasty."

With such an extremely aggressive empire, how could people not be worried when they set up a fleet to expedition to Egypt with great fanfare?

The Royal Fleet of the Dutch East Indies accounts for almost more than half of the maritime power of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with more than twenty sailing warships of various sizes.

It's okay to be the local overlord in the East Indies, but when you encounter the powerful armored fleet of the Tang Empire, you are dumbfounded and have no chance of fighting.

November 21, 1871

The mighty expedition fleet has arrived at Donggang City on Paradise Island, which means that the long voyage has been completed more than half, writing a colorful chapter in the history of imperial colonization.

it's here

The Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Fleet, His Royal Highness Don Lixin, met Lord Speights, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies, who had been waiting here for a long time, as well as Vice Admiral Kahn-Jo-Wood, Commander of the Royal Dutch East Indies Fleet, and key officials from the Governor's Office.

We both talked happily.

The Governor of the Netherlands, Lord Speight, brought heavy gifts during his trip, including more than 60 tons of various spices, 120 tons of tin ingots, 100 tons of aluminum ingots, 200 tons of natural rubber and ten beautiful white Dutch girls.

I got a crown that has been passed down by the Dutch court for more than 200 years.

Accompanying the Dutch Governor were the four main ketch cruisers of the Royal East Indies Fleet, with a displacement of between 1,760 tons and 2,150 tons, almost all of which were at their full capacity.

To put it nicely, it is to demonstrate the strength and bravery of the Royal Netherlands Navy and to seek closer exchanges with the Royal Navy of the Tang Empire. The two sides plan to conduct joint maritime military training.

To put it harshly, it is like taking out all the swords, guns and sticks from the house and displaying them in plain sight to show that I am not someone to be bullied.

If you go on an expedition, go on an expedition, but don't take a turn and kill me...

His Highness Tang Li Xin was well aware of the Dutch's soft-and-hard tactics, and accepted the heavy gift without ceremony. He also comforted the Dutch Governor Lord Speight with gentle words, and readily agreed to the joint naval exercises between the two armies.

ask.

two days later

On the sea outside Donggang City, a captured single-masted wooden sail cargo ship was used as a target. The crew manning the sail cargo ship raised the sail and evacuated in a small wooden boat.

Then the Royal Navy of the Tang Dynasty and the Netherlands attacked respectively. The Royal Netherlands East Indies Fleet took the lead in attacking. The sailing cruiser "Princess Margaret" and the sailing cruiser "Princess Anne" took turns attacking for more than two hours, with continuous artillery fire.

It was very lively, but it only tore the target's sails to pieces and made holes in the wooden hull.

The solid iron balls fired by old-fashioned naval guns have limited power, and most of the shells miss the target, making it difficult to cause substantial damage to the target ship.

The main sail of the unmanned sailing target ship was unfolded, and the sail was filled with sea wind and traveling at a high speed of 13.5 knots. The "Princess Margaret" and "Princess Anne" had to do their best to catch up. The ship was in

When firing in a violent pitching state, the hit rate is impressive even if the gun is within 300 yards.

When it was the turn of the Tang Empire's armored ship to enter the arena, thick smoke billowed out from the chimney of the "Shanfeng" armored ship, and it came at high speed through the waves. Looking at this ferocious posture, even if it ran over the target ship, it could be crushed.

It was smashed into pieces.

When the two ships approached within 500 yards, the five 7-inch secondary guns (178 mm) on the port side of the "Yamakaze" ironclad opened fire violently. Only three salvoes were fired, and several shells that hit the target ship exploded violently.

Afterwards, the dhow, which had a displacement of only 385 tons, was torn into pieces. The power was truly astonishing.

In just a few minutes, the target ship had disappeared on the sea.

The four 8-inch main naval guns (203 mm) equipped on the ship did not fire from the beginning to the end, and the battle was over. This really proves the saying... How can you kill a chicken with a sledgehammer?

After the joint military exercises between the two sides, the Dutch fell into collective silence.

Facing the powerful power of ironclads that represent the world's first-class level, these main sailing cruisers of the Royal Netherlands Navy are undoubtedly old and faltering, and the gap is so big that it is desperate.

I originally wanted to show off my strength, but this blow left an indelible psychological shadow.

After a few more days

The expedition fleet, which had completed its supply and rest, set sail again, targeting the third stop of the trip, New Xi'an, the westernmost city on Paradise Island.

over there

The Royal Marines' 3rd Marine Division and 4th Marine Division, which have been training for more than four months, are fully staffed and are waiting for orders to embark on a journey of thousands of miles to conquer the exotic Egypt...

(End of chapter)