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Chapter 660 The Tranquility Before the Rainstorm (2)

International relations have always been one ebb and flow, one advance and the other retreat.

Just like the Pacific overlord in the past ten years-Toho.Because fighting against heretical demons has become the main theme of life no matter in the official or private sector.Therefore, the places in Southeast Asia that were once regarded as forbidden by the Dongbao Chamber of Commerce inevitably gained some autonomy during the strategic contraction of the Dongbao Chamber of Commerce.

This is a good thing for all businessmen in Nanyang, at least they can get more profits from it than before.However, Dongbao's strategic contraction has also added more uncertainty to this sea area, such as the violent fights that merchants from the three countries in East Asia and Nanyang merchants will stage from time to time; Malacca, where the pirate problem has become more and more serious in recent years!
It can be said that the only place where there is order in the Zhongnan Sea is the Philippines that has been occupied by Dongbao until now.

And the so-called principle of ebb and flow, advance and retreat is not only applicable to the east, it is also applicable to the Western lands that Dameng regards as barbarians.Just two years ago, the Spanish fleet, which claimed to be invincible in the Atlantic Ocean, had just been crushed by the Anglo-Dutch forces in the English Channel.

Bao'er was very surprised when he got the news. According to Bao'er's knowledge, Spain had obtained Dongbao's original artillery from the Portuguese Navy, and it was more than ten years ago.Even Portugal has been imitating Dongbao artillery on a large scale for some years. Could it be that after so many years, Spain has always stayed where it is?
On the contrary, Britain and the Netherlands, the two rising stars in Europe, have developed in style, and at the beginning of their development, they imitated Toho's ships with great foresight.Although Europe has not mastered the steel keel technology to this day, it must not be forgotten that most of Toho's early large frigates were made of wooden spliced ​​keels.And these frigates that were eliminated by Dongbao also changed hands several times and ended up on the berths of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Then, the two countries went on the road of 1:1 imitation of Dongbao frigate and never returned!This also led to the Battle of Gravelines in this world no longer being the English-Dutch Galen VS Spanish Galen, but the Anglo-Dutch frigate VS Spanish Galen!
You must know that Spain came into contact with Toho frigates much earlier than Britain. During the naval battle on Luzon, Spain's Galen battleship was hammered by large and small Toho frigates!But even so, the Spaniards still think their Galen is the best sailing ship in the world.Their reason is also very simple - don't look at the frigate with a straight deck running fast, but she can't load (goods)!

Indeed, compared to Galen's huge cargo capacity, the cargo capacity of a frigate purely for escort and combat is indeed pitifully small.However, the British, who were doing business without capital, just liked the frigate's ability to fight when it could fight, and to run away if it couldn't. It was easy to use and not expensive. .

Let Galen with a speed of 7 knots chase after a frigate that runs at 10 knots, how to chase?
The Armada was beaten to lick its wounds in the port of Seville, and the British and Dutch merchant ships also took advantage of the time when Spain was recovering blood and ran to the New World and Asia.Therefore, on the routes of the Indian Ocean and the Southwest Pacific today, merchant ships flying the flags of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are often seen, as well as British privateers flying black flags at every turn.Of course, Asian shipowners prefer to call privateers "damned pirates."

"Without the threat of monsters, European bandits can really do whatever they want!"

"Your Excellency, you can't say that!" After hearing Bao'er's words, Raphael immediately retorted: "The piracy is all caused by the damn Anglo-Saxons in England! And England has never been a European country! In the past No, not now, and not in the future!"

"Tell me, if my mother goes to them and asks them to send troops to support us, will they agree?"

"My governor, I think you probably need to catch up on the history of Europe!" As he said, Raphael sent an electronic document to Bao'er through the system, and explained: "In Europe during this period, various Kingdoms and duchies combined, if not 100, there are 80. Many small duchies don’t have as many troops as a county town in Dameng, so do you really care about those three melons and two dates?”

"Eh?"

"No need to 'eh', my governor, because looking at the current Europe from the perspective of Dameng, no matter how you look at it, it can be called a barbaric land. Only the richer people along the Mediterranean coast are qualified in the eyes of Dameng Considered to have civilization...

Of course, as the high-yield crops from America, especially the high-yield crops that passed through Dongbao's hand, flowed into Europe, it has helped feed many more people in the past few decades.It's just that the time is still too short to achieve the accumulation of qualitative change.The governor must also not expect ordinary Europeans in this period to have any concept of family and country. After paying the rent to the lord, the remaining rations to feed the whole family is their entire life goal. "

Then, after Bao'er followed Raphael to several big cities in Europe, Bao'er completely dispelled the idea of ​​letting the Europeans send troops.The current situation in Europe is really similar to what Raphael said. Almost all the big cities with relatively good urban construction are on the Mediterranean coast.Even Paris, known as the romantic capital in the future, is stinky in this era.Genoa, Naples, and Seville, which are now known as prosperous places, will hardly have any sense of presence outside the green field in the future.

"Then clean up the pirates!" Bao'er, who returned from the tour, immediately suggested: "We are constrained by the war, and since they can't send troops, then we can't let them idle. By the way, we will pull all the sea powers Let's have a meeting together, and then sign an anti-private agreement or something."

Raphael also knows that the best way to reason with Europeans is to let them know the pain while seeing the benefits.So the Dongbao Fleet, which has been fighting monsters in the vast sea of ​​the Twelve Kingdoms for more than ten years, came out again, but this time the Dongbao Fleet has already changed its guns compared to the one ten years ago!

Have you ever seen a metal warship more than 100 meters long?With the radar antenna on, the speed is three times that of yours, and the kind that can run to 37 knots if you let go!

Before the British pirates arrived in Malacca, there had always been an unwritten rule in this waters, that is, it was forbidden to attack Dongbao merchant ships, and this rule was precisely the lesson learned at the cost of blood by countless predecessors.But the British pirates obviously didn't understand this rule, and Britain, which defeated the Spanish Armada, was also thriving like the rising sun.Therefore, in their hearts, it is inevitable to challenge the past (and now) Pacific hegemony.

It just so happened that on this day, three Dongbao clipper sailboats loaded with silk were going to pass through Malacca from east to west, heading for local governance in India. This was the original business agreement between Dongbao and Portugal. The Portuguese merchant ships did not pass Surabaya.As for the sea area between Cochin and Surabaya, it belongs to the free trade zone.

The four British convoys flying the British St. George's flag and the black privateer flag at the same time, just after ransacking a Portuguese merchant ship, set their sights on the Toho clipper ship that was heading towards her.The captain of this privateer ship is fairly knowledgeable, knowing that the clipper ship is extremely fast, if they do not cut off their way forward and connect with the board at the fastest speed, once these ships pass by, even the artillery will be very vulnerable. It is difficult to catch up with them.

As a result, the three frigates immediately turned their bows and intercepted in a line formation on the narrow waterway at the southern end of the strait, while another ship charged head-on at the three clipper ships.

It's just that the admirals and captains of this pirate fleet didn't notice that at an altitude of about 300 meters above their heads, a who knows what type of rotor drone was taking pictures of their every move. !

……

the second

(End of this chapter)