Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1182 Spanish Privateer ([-])

On the Thames, there is an empty ship from China ready to go to sea, and beside this ship is a merchant ship with the French flag.Compared with the ocean-going ships of Chinese merchants, this French merchant ship is very small.

"We, France, have declared war on Spain. This time we are going to Bordeaux in the Bay of Biscay. Fortunately, the Spanish ships are concentrated in the Mediterranean Sea. They only have a dozen Galese warships in the Bay of Biscay, and they don't have enough troops. Blockade the Bay of Biscay."

Before setting off, the French businessman Colber told the Chinese businessmen who followed him to France.

This Chinese businessman is one of the directors of the western trading company sent by the government. This time, he took the opportunity to go to France to buy a batch of wine and investigate the situation in France at the same time.

"However, Dunkirk is the port of the Spanish, and there are many privateers sponsored by the Spanish. They often plunder the warships of France, the Netherlands and other hostile countries on the English Channel. Even the ships of neutral countries They will be forced into Dunkirk, and they will be required to pay a 40% tariff. There are Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean, Pirates of the Caribbean in the West Indies, and the pirates in Dunkirk are like a cancer, locking the throat of the English Channel."

"Your ships can hang the flag of Britain, at least Britain is a neutral country, and the privateers will not attack easily after seeing it. I pray that God will let us not encounter Spanish privateers!" Kolber said after finishing his speech. Boarded his merchant ship.

The Chinese businessman who was about to go to France wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

At this time, the war in Europe was more intense than he had imagined, and hundreds of merchant ships were captured and plundered every year.

In addition to regular navies, countries also use privateers to attack each other's maritime trade to gain bargaining chips on the negotiating table.

This kind of war also caused headaches for the incoming Chinese merchants. Perhaps European countries have become accustomed to this way of survival of attacking each other's merchant ships, but it is undoubtedly a disadvantage for the Chinese merchant ships who have come to trade from far away.For example, the Netherlands can quickly produce merchant ships, even if it loses hundreds of merchant ships every year, it can quickly make up for it, because the shipbuilding industry in the Netherlands is extremely developed, and even Britain and France have a large number of ships entrusted to the shipyards of the Netherlands to build , and their ships do not seek quality, but only efficiency. Most of them are ships under 100 tons, and the wood used is not high-quality, and the cost is very low.

It is precisely because of its strong shipbuilding industry that the Netherlands has become a "sea coachman". Although their warships are not necessarily stronger than those of Britain, they have almost monopolized shipping with an astonishing number of ships.

However, for the 500-ton to 1000-ton ocean-going merchant ships specially sent by Chinese merchants from the mainland, the loss of a merchant ship would be serious.They have not yet established a shipyard in Europe. Once lost, they will go to the British shipyard for repairs. If they are sunk, they will have to wait for the mainland fleet to come to replenish.

"When will we also have a shipyard here in the West, which can not only produce ships for us, but also take away sailing orders from the Dutch. I feel that the shipbuilding technology of our Dalian shipyard is no worse than that of the Dutch, and even better than the Dutch. Ironclad ships can be produced. If Dalian’s shipyard can be moved here, then it will definitely be able to seize the shipbuilding orders from the West. The shipbuilding industry is also a big market, especially because there are so many countries here, almost all rely on sea transportation , and so many ships are damaged every year, if there is an order for hundreds of ships every year, wouldn't it be profitable?"

The director boarded his Huaxia merchant ship, thinking that privateers were rampant, and the corresponding business opportunity was the shipbuilding industry.The annual damage of wooden sailing ships, as well as the destruction of ships by privateers, creates a large demand for sailing ships every year.The huge profits of shipbuilding are almost occupied by the Netherlands, which makes the Chinese businessmen who have just arrived can't help being jealous.

Another point is that in addition to commercial ships for civilian use, warships for military use are even more large orders, and the profit margin is much higher than that of civilian commercial ships.

"Boss, our intelligence office wants to use this opportunity to infiltrate France. I hope you can provide us with some cooperation." A sailor on a merchant ship came to the director and whispered to him.

The most mysterious intelligence office of the Kyushu Army was mixed with the incoming merchant fleet, and spread to the European continent along with the trade.Because among the people Chu Yun summoned were people from various countries, the appearance and accent of these people became the best cover-up, and the people responsible for lurking into France were naturally the summoned Frenchmen.

They took this opportunity to allow spies to sneak into France, collect intelligence, and do other things such as secretly buying.

"When we arrive in Bordeaux, I will let your spies leave our fleet. How you live in France is up to you." said the director sent by the government.

He was originally a government official, but after he was appointed as a director of the government stationed in a Western trading company, he still had to obey the government's orders, especially the latent tasks assigned by secret departments like the Intelligence Department.

"The position of director is really difficult to handle. To assist the government in handling affairs, you have to face the danger of being attacked by pirates. Forgive me, even if you find a job in the West or the East, it is not dangerous in the West. Anyway, in the West There are only our fleets in the Western and Eastern Oceans, and the pirates have basically been wiped out." The director seemed to be talking to himself.

"Otherwise, the Ministry of Household Affairs would not have allocated funds for us to come here. They have been fighting here for years, saying that they are fighting for faith, but in fact they are fighting for gold, silver and hegemony. Whichever country is strong, other countries will unite to suppress each other. But Such frequent wars have also accelerated the development of their firearms and navigation technology. Didn’t we in the East also have thousands of artillery because of the ten-year war?” The person from the Intelligence Department said.

"You are right. War is like a drug that stimulates the empire to look for more advanced weapons... But it is a disaster for us ordinary people. I hope we will not encounter the privateers they said this time when we go to sea." The director said helplessly.

The merchant ship that Li Jinde and the others sent out this time is an armed merchant ship built in Dalian Shipyard. It is a good choice, at least it can have a certain ability to protect itself.

"Hang up the dragon flag representing our Huaxia, the Pixiu flag of the Western Trading Company, and the Mizi flag of Britain. If there are privateers who dare to attack our ships, they will be our enemies!" The danger stimulated his inherent bloodiness even more.

The Fourth Fleet is still stationed in Portsmouth Port, and privateers who dare to attack them will face the wrath of the Fourth Fleet.

(End of this chapter)