The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 142 The Fragile Anglo-Portuguese Alliance

August 8, Lisbon Port.

Admiral William Penn, Commander of the Task Force Attack Fleet of the Royal Navy of England, stood on the bridge, looking at the densely packed warships inside and outside the harbor. His face no longer had the high-spirited and confident look before departure, but instead was filled with a of dignity and prudence.

This fleet is almost the last asset of the Royal Navy. It carries the ardent hopes of the Cabinet and Parliament and is also the last support of the Kingdom of England. If it suffers a heavy loss, it will inevitably bring the most severe national crisis to the entire Great Britain - overseas. Trade would be blocked, Ireland would be isolated, the American territories would lose the protection they deserved, millions of subjects would be stranded on isolated islands, and they might face humiliating defeat and peace.

A month ago, the English government and the Royal Naval Commission learned from multiple sources that the Qi expedition fleet was gradually gathering near the Strait of Gibraltar, suspected of cooperating with the Spanish to seize the Gibraltar Fortress, block the strait, and block the Mediterranean fleet sent to Egypt. Task Force.

In addition, the Royal Navy had previously received a failure report from the fleet that went south to the Cape of Good Hope in an attempt to attack Qi's rear supply line. They were attacked by a Qi support fleet in the Gulf of Guinea and were almost wiped out. Obviously, the Qi people mobilized a large number of ships from the Indian Ocean to Europe to support the expeditionary fleet that was currently fighting.

In their report, they also mentioned an ironclad ship made of pure steel, fully steam-driven, without sail auxiliary power, and very powerful in combat. The Royal Navy's battleships were almost unable to cause any damage to it, and were instead massacred by it.

Yes, the officers and sailors who testified before the Royal Naval Commission were convinced that the ironclad could not be defeated. It is like a fully armed armored warrior facing unarmed ordinary civilians, without fear of any attack. It can even sink Royal Navy warships to the bottom of the sea just by virtue of its strong armor and huge hull.

Some naval generals and members of parliament are dubious about this report. How can a steel ship float on the sea? If a big lump of iron were put into the water, wouldn't it sink to the bottom of the sea with a splash?

To this end, several members of the Naval Committee and senior generals personally visited Sir Isaac Newton, President of the Royal Society and Chief Superintendent of the Royal Mint, and asked about the theoretical basis for the existence of ironclads.

Sir Newton thought for a long time, and then calculated with pen and paper, and finally gave a very definite answer. Ironclad ships can be built in theory, and they can also be built to be more elegant than all wooden sailing ships. wider, with greater drainage.

However, Sir Newton expressed deep doubts about the so-called invincibility mode of ironclads. He pointed out that no matter how thick the armor of the ironclad ship was, or how strong it was built, under the continuous bombardment of intensive artillery fire, the armored ship's outer shell was endowed with powerful external kinetic energy, which would inevitably damage it or even sink it. Because it is impossible for an ironclad ship to cover the entire ship with thick armor, there must be weak points. For example, in order to maintain the maneuverability of the ship and reduce the load, the location of armor protection will inevitably be focused on the ship's chimney, gun mount, command tower, as well as the deck and the buildings above.

After listening to Sir Newton's analysis, the naval commissioners and generals breathed a sigh of relief.

If this ironclad ship is really invincible, how can the Royal Navy officers and soldiers fight it?

On the vast sea, more than a dozen Royal Navy warships surrounded Qi's ironclad ship and bombarded it continuously. However, after a few hours, they acted as if nothing was wrong. They just lightly dusted themselves and then raised their cannons leisurely. mouth, sniping the surrounding warships one by one.

Thinking about this situation makes people feel horrified!

Of course, this episode was not the focus of the English government and the Naval Committee. The only question before us is whether to assemble the main fleet and head to the Strait of Gibraltar to prevent the Qi navy from blocking the strait, seize the Gibraltar Fortress, and at the same time bring back the Mediterranean task force sent to Egypt.

The staff of the Naval Committee made calculations based on intelligence from all parties. The Qi Navy and the fleet coming to the rescue this time may gather 35-40 warships near the strait. If the Spanish Navy also wants to join in, the enemy's strength will be greatly reduced. There may be more than 60 ships.

If the main fleet is sent to Gibraltar for a decisive battle, the Royal Navy must mobilize more than a hundred ships to ensure victory over the Qi Navy.

In this way, this is equivalent to gathering all the combat power of the English navy to engage in a life-and-death showdown with the enemy.

If they win, they will show their power in Europe, dampen the spirit of Qi State, and with the momentum of victory, force Qi State to cease war and sue for peace.

If it fails, the main force of the navy will be lost. Not only will the status of a major European country be lost, but it may also become the target of Qi's wanton slaughter.

However, if a conservative strategy is adopted and the main fleet is not sent to Gibraltar, the Royal Navy is likely to lose the entire Mediterranean task force, the Gibraltar Fortress and Minorca Island will also be recaptured by the Spanish, and England's influence and commercial power will be completely Expelled from the Mediterranean.

Under this situation, England will also lose the initiative in this war and watch helplessly as the Qi Navy comes to attack again. It will either force the Royal Navy to fight decisively, or continue to cut its flesh with blunt knives and consume the Royal Navy bit by bit. Strength.

Parliament debated for a long time, and finally decided to take a risk and use all the available warships of the Royal Navy to attack Gibraltar.

Although Admiral William Penn lost more than ten main battleships in the Battle of the Faroe Islands last year, he suffered the most disastrous defeat for the Royal Navy in decades. However, given that he is the only commander among the many senior generals of the Royal Navy who has experience in fighting large-scale sailing battleships, and is familiar with the Qi Navy's combat mode, and most members of the Navy Committee also believe that after that naval battle, this veteran general must have learned a lot. He has summed up his rich combat experience. If he encounters the Qi fleet again, he will definitely have a countermeasure. Even if he cannot defeat the Qi Navy, he can definitely preserve the essence of the Royal Navy to the greatest extent.

Therefore, the Naval Committee assembled and mobilized more than 80 large and small warships and more than 30 armed merchant ships to form a large task force attack fleet, and assigned the important task of commander to General Payne.

Payne led the fleet to leave the Portsmouth naval port in a mighty manner, sailed into the rough Atlantic Ocean, and headed straight for the Strait of Gibraltar.

When the fleet was passing through Lisbon, Portugal, Payne and Sir Wesley, the special envoy appointed by the cabinet, visited King Joao V of Portugal and requested the Portuguese navy to join their task force attack fleet and jointly launch an attack on the Chinese navy.

Relying on the continuous flow of gold from Brazil into the mainland and the tax of one out of five, the Portuguese royal family and government are extremely financially comfortable and their lives are quite comfortable. Over the years, John V relied on these wealth to make the Kingdom of Portugal appear to be in a state of renaissance under his rule.

John V also reorganized and expanded the navy and land forces, steadily improving Portugal's military strength and basically returning it to the same level as Europe. Although the size of its navy cannot match that of Spain and France, it still has more than 40 large and medium-sized sailing warships, making it a maritime force that cannot be ignored in Europe.

In order to completely overwhelm Qi's navy in the upcoming decisive battle at sea, England must try its best to persuade the Portuguese government to allow their naval ships to join the task force attack fleet.

However, the Portuguese had doubts about attacking Qi's navy. Not to mention that many of its overseas territories in India, Africa, and the North Atlantic were easily captured by Qi and suffered heavy losses. In January of this year, the Portuguese Navy sent twelve warships to the Azores Islands to prepare to expel those wandering in the waters. Qi State Squadron. As a result, in the first battle, they were defeated by Qi's cutting-edge warships. Three warships were sunk, two were captured, and the remaining seven warships were also seriously damaged and fled back to Lisbon in embarrassment.

If they send all their remaining warships to follow the English fleet to Gibraltar to attack the Qi Navy, then if they suffer another defeat and suffer heavy losses, what will they do to defend Portugal and Brazil in the future?

Without the protection of the navy, how can Brazil's gold be safely transported back to Lisbon? Without the continuous import of gold, how can the domestic financial budget be supported, and how can the Portuguese's Versailles-Mafera Palace be built? England's special envoy Sir Wesley and Fleet Commander General Payne conducted several rounds of lobbying to John V. They discussed the pros and cons, repeatedly emphasized the friendly alliance between Britain and Portugal, and assured him that this decisive battle with the Chinese navy would have the advantage. To me, the probability of winning is extremely high. By then, it will defeat Qi and force it to cease war and negotiate. England will do its best to support Portugal in regaining all overseas territories lost to Qi, and can even help Portugal get back the island of Ceylon, which has been lost for decades.

Three days later, King John V reluctantly agreed to England's request and prepared to send twenty-five main battleships and more than ten armed merchant ships to accompany the task force attack fleet to Gibraltar.

With the addition of the Portuguese, Payne strengthened his belief in Gibraltar's attack plan. Although the Qi Expeditionary Fleet has received reinforcements and a powerful armored ship, its strength cannot be underestimated. But after all, they are far away from the mainland of Hanzhou and have been fighting in the North Atlantic for more than a year. Even if their crews can find a temporary anchorage to rest and restore some fighting morale and fighting will, their ships cannot rely on it. The craftsmen and technicians on board the ship can make simple repairs to maintain it in long-term combat status.

The cleaning of barnacles on the bottom of the ship, the replacement of the sails and masts, the repair of the sides and decks, the damage to the guns, and the steam power maintenance on their sail warships, etc., after so long, the ships will always be damaged. Various problems may arise.

So, under this situation, how many warships under the Qi Expeditionary Fleet are left to maintain their existing combat effectiveness?

Just as Payne was smug and confident of victory, he was about to lead the British-Portuguese combined fleet to leave the port of Lisbon and head for Gibraltar. However, a scarred armed transport ship fled into the harbor in panic and told him a shocking news.

The Mediterranean task force led by General Haddock was severely damaged by the Qi fleet in the Alboran Sea!

This naval battle lasted only more than six hours. More than half of the more than fifty warships and transport merchant ships belonging to the Mediterranean Task Force were sunk or captured by the Qi people. The rest used the cover of night to disperse and flee to various places. at.

In addition, during this battle, the Spanish Navy also sent a large number of ships to participate in the hunt for the Mediterranean Task Force, forming a de facto military alliance with the Qi Navy.

After learning the news, Payne suddenly fell into a dilemma.

The combination of the Chinese and Western navies means that if their Royal Navy goes straight to Gibraltar, it will be an away game and will hardly receive any support. But the other party can rely on the ports in Spain and Morocco to wait for work and wait for the Royal Navy to fall into its trap.

According to the description of the crew members who escaped, in the Battle of Alboran, the Qi fleet completely acted as the main force in frontal combat. With its super maneuverability and powerful artillery, it severely damaged many main warships within a few hours and disrupted the battle. The battle formation of the entire fleet.

The ironclad ship was particularly powerful. On the battlefield, it was like an uninhabited land. Relying on its rough and thick armor, it directly approached within a hundred meters of the Royal Navy warship and violently bombarded it, killing and damaging many ships.

It can be said that the combat effectiveness of the Qi fleet is still as strong as last year, maintaining their usual level of combat effectiveness, and the number of warships put into the battlefield is also more than forty.

Faced with this sudden change, Payne felt an inexplicable panic.

The Qi people gathered their main fleet in the waters of Gibraltar with great fanfare, clearly hoping to have a life-or-death battle with the Royal Navy here. If you are so confident, you must have something to hold on to!

They must be fully confident that they can defeat the Royal Navy coming from afar, so they squat there and wait for the upcoming decisive battle at sea.

"Order each squadron to leave the harbor one by one, heading northwest, and the destination... is Portsmouth." Payne finally made up his mind.

"General, are we going back?"

After everyone heard the order, they were all shocked.

"Yes, we will return and retreat to England." Payne said solemnly: "We need to retain the last hope of the Kingdom of England. The battle in the future will become extremely difficult."

To assemble such a large fleet with great effort, but to choose to withdraw to England due to the defeat of a naval battle in the middle of the journey, it will undoubtedly cause a serious blow to the morale of the entire fleet, and it will also affect the commander's prestige. and reputation was fatally damaged, thus bearing a shameful reputation as a coward who avoided war.

But Payne still made this decision. He could not bury all the Royal Navy's family assets in Gibraltar. After a year of fighting at sea, it has been fully proved that the Royal Navy's warships are far inferior to the Qi people's warships in terms of performance and firepower. The only things they can rely on are numerical advantages and local combat advantages.

Payne hoped to launch a long-term maritime war of attrition with the Qi Navy on his doorstep, relying on the many excellent ports and sufficient supply convenience on the mainland. Even if the combat power is not as good as the opponent's, they can still rely on the nearby port to quickly repair the damaged ships, and then return to the battle to bring down the people of Qi.

"The English just abandoned us!"

King Joao V of Portugal stood on a lighthouse and watched countless English warships unload their anchors and sail away from the harbor one after another. His face showed a bit of helplessness, a bit of anger, and a bit of unwillingness.

"Your Majesty, we need to immediately announce the invasion of foreign enemies in coastal towns and ports." Prince Francisco, the younger brother of John V, suggested loudly: "The English are gone, and soon the Qi warships will come over. They will definitely attack the coastal towns and ports of our kingdom, and they will even invade Lisbon. We need to make all defensive preparations to crush any enemy attack."

"If the Spaniards attack from the land and the Qi people attack from the sea, can our kingdom stop them with its own strength?" Joao V looked at Prince Francisco, who was appointed as the fleet commander just a few days ago. He asked solemnly: "If we cannot stop their attack on our homeland, can our Brazilian territory still be preserved?"

"No. But, Your Majesty, in order to defend the kingdom, I will not hesitate to sacrifice my life." Prince Francisco, dressed in military uniform, said firmly: "If the enemy wants to invade our Portuguese mainland, they can only step over my body. I believe that millions of subjects share my determination and will to defend the kingdom’s territorial security to the death.”

"Having the determination and will to defend the security of the Kingdom to the death is certainly worthy of promotion and admiration. However, making difficult concessions and compromises in order to protect the independence and integrity of the Kingdom of Portugal also requires greater courage and perseverance."

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Duke Antonio de Conceicao, who was standing nearby, heard this and looked at John V thoughtfully.

"We need to get in touch with the people of Qi to see if we can end this war with dignity." John V showed a wry smile, "A year ago, we made a wrong decision and got involved in this war with Portugal. In a war that has nothing to do with the kingdom. At this time, it’s time to make the right choice again.”

(End of this chapter)