1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 954 Visiting the European Fleet ([-])

Madrid, May 1679, 5.

The people of Qi confidently determined that the Spaniards would not directly break out a "pointless" war with them over the territorial dispute in the Americas because of their weak national strength, financial distress, and the fact that they had just ended a devastating war.The two parties will eventually resolve all current conflicts peacefully through negotiations
Because they believe that as long as the king of Spain and his ministers have a semblance of reason, they should carefully consider and consider carefully, and rashly provoking a world power that controls the Indian Ocean is likely to trigger a huge political crisis for Spain. disaster.

However, everyone's analysis is entirely based on the overall situation and current situation of the Kingdom of Spain, and hastily made the above judgments, but they ignore what the Spanish royal family will do in the face of the offense of the Chinese. A decision beyond everyone's expectations.

Because, King Carlos II of Spain is an "extraordinary" king.Due to the marriage of close relatives, Carlos II suffered from a variety of genetic diseases, mental retardation and epilepsy since he was a child (as well as suspected impotence and infertility, which triggered a heritage war that spread throughout Europe). Weak enough to die at any moment.This made him unable to afford the formal education expected of a monarch.At that time, it was generally believed that his disease was caused by "witchcraft", so he was called "the demon".

He was the most severe of the Habsburg familial lordosis, a jaw so large that he couldn't chew normally.His tongue was also so large that no one could understand what he said.Carlos II was weaned at the age of five and did not learn to walk until the age of ten due to his lameness.

In short, several generations of close relatives of the royal family have made Carlos II extremely abnormal both psychologically and physically, and even in terms of appearance, he cannot be called a human being at all.His only indication of his manliness was his interest in hunting, which he often indulged in in the menagerie of the El Escorial Monastery.

Carlos II succeeded to the throne at the age of four, and his mother, Queen Maria Anna of Austria, ruled Spain as regent.During this period, the Kingdom of Spain's economy was completely stagnant, its finances collapsed, its national strength declined rapidly, and its international prestige declined sharply, which was in stark contrast to the reign of Philip II 100 years ago.

Queen Maria Anna tried to implement several major reforms, but was forced to compromise and give up one by one under the influence of domestic political disputes.The "Austrian" faction headed by Maria Anna and the "French" faction headed by Don Juan José of Austria, Carlos' illegitimate half-brother, fought each other.Plus, Spain is divided into two kingdoms, Castile and Aragon, each with very different political views and cultures, making it difficult to implement reforms and collect taxes.The government's finances fell into a permanent crisis, and it declared bankruptcy nine times in the 1557 years from 1666 to 100.

Two years earlier (1677), Queen Maria Anna had been exiled by Carlos II's half-brother Don Juan José, and then became prime minister and de facto king of Spain to much cheer.

But the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain is extremely unqualified no matter whether he was a soldier or a politician now. It is still impossible to restore the financial and social order of the kingdom, which has almost collapsed, which has caused the growing dissatisfaction of King Carlos II and many court ministers.

"Where is the fleet of the Qi people?" The young and frail Spanish King Carlos II sat on the throne and looked at his prime minister coldly.Maybe it was anger, maybe it was excitement, or maybe it was a seizure, and the right hand shook uncontrollably and violently, making the king have to tightly grasp the armrest on the side of the seat.

"Your Majesty?" Don Juan Jose didn't hear Carlos II's question clearly, and looked at him suspiciously.

"Your Majesty is asking, where is Qi's fleet now?" A waiter beside Carlos II reminded softly.After finishing speaking, he looked at the king who was already full of anger with some fear, and bowed slightly.

"After the Qi Kingdom fleet passed Gibraltar, it headed eastward, probably heading for Ottoman." Jose looked at Carlos II sitting on the throne with some sympathy.

"The Qi people will eventually return from Ottoman, and they will also pass through Gibraltar.... How do you plan to deal with it?" Carlos II didn't like this half-brother at all. Although his attitude was respectful, his eyes were full of Contempt for himself, as if he were the king of Spain.

"How to deal with it?" Jose was a little puzzled by the king's question, "Well, when the Qi fleet returns from Ottomans, it is true that it will pass through Gibraltar. In this regard, I have ordered the naval fleet to assemble more than [-] warships and stationed in Almeria. At Yagang, pay attention to and monitor the movement of the Qi fleet at all times to ensure that it leaves the Mediterranean."

"No!" Carlos II said loudly: "We can't just let the Qi fleet pass through the waters of our Kingdom of Spain so swaggeringly, and finally leave safely. We want to destroy them and attack all the ships of Qi. sunk in the Mediterranean."

"Your Majesty..." Jose looked at His Majesty the King, and couldn't help raising his voice, "The rumors about the Qi State fleet attacking our Spanish mainland must be false news. Otherwise, why would the Qi State Fleet pass by?" After Gibraltar, straight east, to Ottoman?"

"Ottoman is an evil pagan country, the enemy of all our Catholic believers." Carlos II panted violently, his face flushed, "The Qi fleet must be shamefully trying to collude with them when they go to Ottoman, and then take The Ottomans came together to attack our Holy Kingdom of Spain. Therefore, the Qi people are also extremely evil, and the alliance between them and the Ottomans is the devil.... We must make all preparations and wipe out all the enemies who come! "

"Your Majesty, I don't think the Qi State will cross such a long distance and brazenly attack our Spanish mainland." Jose said patiently: "This is of no benefit to them. Besides, with only a dozen warships , nor can they threaten us, and they don't have the guts to launch a full-scale invasion war against us rashly across more than half of the earth."

"However, the Qi people have already launched a serious provocation against us in the American territory, not only occupying the Patagonia region, but also raided La Plata, and even blocked the strait (Magellan Strait), isolating us The waterway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean." Carlos II took a deep breath and stared at Jose, "So, between us and Qi, we have actually fallen into a war. Now, their fleet is proudly passing by Gibraltar, entering the Mediterranean Sea, is undoubtedly a further provocation against our great Spanish kingdom. For this reason, we should resolutely fight back, destroy their fleet, conduct religious trials on all Qi people, and then burn them all!"

"His Majesty……"

"My lord prime minister, have you lost the courage and confidence you used to be a soldier and dare not face the challenge from a pagan country? If necessary, I will personally lead the army as the guardian of the Kingdom of Spain. The brave and fearless Kingdom Fleet launched a ferocious attack on the enemy in order to maintain and demonstrate the glory of the Kingdom and our dignity!" Carlos II stood up slowly with both hands on the handle of the seat, his eyes staring , with a passionate expression, but the protruding and huge jaw made His Majesty the king's expression look a bit hideous.

"Your Majesty, as your loyal subject, please allow me to fight on your behalf and command our powerful kingdom fleet to wipe out those Qi people who offend our Kingdom of Spain."

"Your Majesty, as a veteran, I also have a sincere heart to dedicate myself to the country. Please allow me to follow Your Majesty to destroy the arrogant Qi people!"

"His Majesty……"

"His Majesty……"

Jose looked at the many court ministers in the hall who were asking for a fight, and his complexion became extremely ugly.This court meeting clearly meant that His Majesty the King wanted to demonstrate his own authority, and even more so to maintain his poor self-esteem. Regardless of the various practical problems existing in the kingdom, he insisted on confronting Naqi directly.

But the problem is, even if we wiped out the Qi fleet that entered the Mediterranean, so what?For the Kingdom of Spain, it has no meaning, except to win a nihilistic face, but this will greatly consume the already weak Kingdom Navy, and even drag Spain into a new war.

Although that country of Qi is very far away from the mainland of Spain, it is likely that none of them can threaten each other's core territories.But Jose believes that the fierce confrontation between Qi and Spain will definitely trigger drastic changes in the American territories, which in turn will affect the entire Kingdom of Spain.

However, His Majesty wanted it, and the ministers were furious. As the prime minister of the kingdom, what choice could Jose make? ——
June 6, morning, 8:[-], Balearic Sea.

After completing a series of visits to the Ottoman Empire, the Qi State Mission bid farewell to His Majesty the Sultan and the Grand Vizier of the Empire, left Istanbul, turned around and headed towards the western end of the Mediterranean Sea, preparing to continue the original visit plan and go to Spain and Portugal .

The fleet stopped in Tunisia ten days ago. After replenishing some fresh water and fresh food, they adjusted their course and sailed towards Valencia.

The size of the entire fleet has been reduced to a certain extent, because some accompanying merchant ships either continue to stay in Istanbul, or go to Greece, or go to the Italian peninsula, looking for potential trade opportunities.

"Ahead lies the Spanish island of Formentera."

The steam-sail frigate "Feng Gao" is located at the forefront of the entire fleet. At this time, it is approaching Formentera in the Balearic Islands of Spain. Through the telescope, the geographical environment of the island can even be clearly observed.

Navigator and Captain Yuwu (Captain) Ai Shaosong pointed to the left side of the ship, smiled and said to the captain and Captain Xuanjie (Major) Lu Jingming: "I don't know, when our fleet arrived at the port of Spain, How will you be treated?"

"Based on our current tense relationship with the Spaniards, as long as we are not facing each other, or shutting us out, it will be the best outcome." Lu Jingming took the telescope from Ai Shaosong and looked towards the Spanish building. Kojima looked over, "But what I'm worried about is whether the Spaniards will lose their minds and dispatch warships to fight us in this sea area."

"No way!" Ai Shaosong was stunned for a moment, "We are guests after all, and this is a visit from thousands of miles away in person...Even if we don't get their courtesy, we won't fight, right?"

"That's not sure." Lu Jingming smiled, and put down the binoculars, "I don't know why, my right eye keeps jumping, maybe something bad is going to happen?"

"My captain, don't say such bad things at sea! Otherwise..."

"Toot! Toot! Toot!..."

Before Ai Shaosong finished speaking, the watchman above the mast suddenly blew a warning horn, and a signal flag was also shot out, waving continuously, pointing to the right front of the battleship.

"A fleet is found about ten kilometers in front of the right side of the battleship!" The lookout shouted loudly: "Repeat, a fleet is found about ten kilometers in front of the right side of the battleship! The opponent is heading towards our fleet at a high speed. The number... at least twenty ships!"

"Level [-] combat readiness!" Lu Jingming ordered loudly, "Signalers, send warning flares to the rear main fleet!"

"Yes, sir!"

"All artillery positions are ready for battle!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Another steam engine starts immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Lower both mainsails!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Damn, this disaster has really come!" Lu Jingming muttered to himself, pulled down his military cap, and walked quickly towards the podium.

After receiving the warning signal, the main fleet in the rear immediately entered a state of alert and set up a column attack formation. The five accompanying merchant ships drew a large arc to avoid the left rear of the fleet.

At 22:[-] in the morning, as several Spanish warships fired first, a naval battle in the Balearic Sea immediately broke out.

The battle lasted all day, with the sound of guns and the smoke of gunpowder, until it was too dark to see, and the two sides broke away from the battle.

In this naval battle, the Spaniards dispatched 23 warships, including the huge ship "Our Lady of Concepcion" launched in 1662. The ship has a light load displacement of 1515 tons and has as many as 84 artillery pieces on three decks. , In addition, there are eight warships with a light load displacement of more than 600 tons.Both the number of warships and the density of artillery are twice that of the Qi fleet.

However, the result of the battle surprised everyone.Four Spanish warships were sunk, five were severely damaged, and the rest were also damaged to varying degrees.They are proud of the "Notre Dame Concepcion", which was regarded as a deterrent to the European maritime powers. It was attacked by the Qi fleet. The sideboard of the ship was also torn through several terrifying large holes, and Admiral Marcos Alonso, the fleet commander on the ship, was seriously injured.

On the other hand, the fleet of Qi State, although it suffered countless shells from the Spaniards, causing many casualties, none of the warships suffered great damage, and it is not known what kind of wood their hulls are made of. sturdy.

What frightened the Spanish fleet even more was that the artillery of the Qi fleet could not only fire a large number of explosive shells, but also had four warships that did not need to be driven by sails.They are extremely flexible across the battlefield, and their maneuverability far exceeds that of all Spanish ships.

After completing the line bombardment, unlike ordinary sailing warships, they need to rely on wind power to circle a large circle before entering the next round of bombardment.Instead, it drew a beautiful arc very easily, quickly rushed to the side and rear of the Spanish warship, and then occupied the position of the "T" head, bombarding the stern of the Spanish warship with dense artillery on the side of the ship.

The huge and clumsy "Our Lady of Concepcion" was injured by this extremely maneuverable warship of the State of Qi. If it hadn't been blocked by many frigates, maybe the pride of the Spaniards would be very strong. Probably sunk at sea.

In general, in this naval battle, the Royal Spanish Navy suffered a shameful defeat, and it was still at the door of the house, and was severely humiliated by the Qi fleet, which was far smaller than its own.

On June 6, a small-scale naval battle broke out with the Spanish Navy again in the waters near Almeria, Spain, when the Qi State visiting fleet to Europe broke out.On that day, the Qi fleet seemed to be completely enraged by the unprovoked provocation of the Spaniards. After driving back the eight Spanish warships they encountered, they chased them all the way to the port of Almeria mercilessly, and then bombarded the port. Sank three Spanish ships hiding in the harbor, wounded five, and then drove away.

On June 6, the Qi fleet arrived in Malaga, bombarded the port for several hours, sank and injured several merchant ships and fishing boats in the port.

On June 6, the Qi fleet approached the coast of Ceuta, shelling ports and coastal towns.In the afternoon of the same day, the fleet passed the strait, then turned around and headed northwest.

On June 6, the Qi fleet rushed to the port of Cadiz and bombarded the town of Port of Spain again.

(End of this chapter)