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Chapter 1005 The Collision of Two Continents
It must be said that he was very lucky, as Philip IV and Charles I were in the same boat, also worried about money. As soon as Count Oliverius revealed his intention, he immediately received positive feedback.

After several days of discussion, the two sides finalized the plan. First, they would organize a fleet that could carry at least 3000 soldiers to attack Enniao Port and try to capture it.

It doesn't matter if the expedition fails. We should not get entangled with the Ming army in Enniao Port. We should look for a suitable bay nearby to build a dock as a supply station.

With this foothold, British and Spanish privateers departing from Europe could obtain sufficient supplies and then dive into Asian waters in one go to find suitable targets.

Even if they couldn't win, it didn't matter. They could return to the supply station to rest their personnel, repair their ships, and then revive with full health, and continue to attack and bite. They no longer had to travel thousands of miles back to Europe, which greatly saved time and cost.

In addition, the waters near the supply points can also become the area of ​​privateering activities. No matter whether it is Portuguese or Dutch merchant ships, they have to go north back to Europe after bypassing southern Africa. The ships are full of very valuable spices, sugar, cotton, silk, and porcelain. Robbing any one of them can bring huge profits.

In order to win the first battle, Philip IV specially transferred a colonial fleet back from America. Commanded by the experienced Count Juan Supero, he led the fleet assembled from Britain and Spain and quietly rushed to the waters of the Cape of Good Hope.

"General, I still don't understand why they chose this place to build a port. Even if the Ming Empire's port defenses are strong and difficult to attack, there are several bays along the way that are also suitable for building docks."

It had been almost a month since the failure of the attack on Enniao Port, but Villiers was not too shocked. After all, the Ming Empire and the Dutch had been operating here for more than 20 years, with solid artillery batteries and a large number of soldiers using muskets for defense. The chances of taking it down with just a few hundred people in a single charge were too low.

However, there are still some complaints about the location chosen by the Spanish to build the port. The bay is large and deep, but it faces due west and can hardly block the westerly winds that blow year-round, so the natural conditions are not favorable.

“Your Excellency the Duke, the Ming Empire’s maritime power cannot be underestimated. If we build the port in the south, it will take a long time to complete the defense facilities, and it will be easy to be attacked by their fleet during this period.

It's different here. We have to cross the strong winds and huge waves of Cape Good Luck to get there. We have experienced captains and sailors who are familiar with this route, but they don't. Why not make full use of such a big advantage! "

Count Supero was nearly fifty years old and had been commanding a fleet in the colonies of the New World. He was somewhat reluctant to be transferred back to command a group of privateers. However, after learning that they were going to attack the Port of Enniao owned by the Ming Empire, he immediately accepted the king's appointment.

The fate of the Montanez and the fall of Manila Harbor were humiliations for every Spanish naval officer. Now that they had the opportunity to punish the Ming Empire's indigenous peoples, they would naturally not hesitate.

As an experienced naval commander, he decisively chose to retreat after the attack on Enniao Port was frustrated. Under the circumstances at the time, even if all 3000 land forces carried by the fleet were sent, it would probably not help.

No matter what they thought, the combat effectiveness displayed by the Ming Empire's army must be taken seriously. Fortunately, the number of ships they stationed here was too small to pose a threat to the British and Spanish fleets. The key was to take advantage of this opportunity to quickly build the port.

As for the Duke of Buckingham's opinion on the choice of location, Count Supero didn't want to hear a word. The reputation of this British naval minister was spread throughout the European aristocratic circles. He could respect his dukedom, but he would not regard him as a qualified soldier. "Yes, your Excellency's choice is very accurate! If the enemy fleet chooses to sail away from Cape Good Luck, it will encounter strong westerly winds and waves, and it will be difficult for their ships to pass with their tonnage.

If you choose to sail near the coast, that would be the beginning of tragedy. The thick fog at night and in the early morning would make the lookout useless, and the high killer waves would push anything to the reefs on the shore, where it would be smashed into pieces.

I personally would like to see their ships arrive here safely, mainly because the sails are very strange and effective, and they should be able to sail faster. "

Before Villiers could express his opinion, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blake, the commander of the British fleet, spoke first. He looked younger than Count Supero, and his chestnut hair was blown to one side by the sea breeze, which made him look a little funny.

"I saw the appearance of the three ships near Enniao Port. They were too thin to carry too many sailors and soldiers. It seemed that they only had one gun deck. This kind of ship would be good if it was placed in the calm Mediterranean, but it would be very troublesome in the turbulent Atlantic.

The low freeboard would make the gun ports unable to open completely due to the impact of the waves, thus losing the already insufficient firepower. Once the boarding battle started, the ship would be fired upon from a high position and unable to fight back.

I really don't understand why the Ming Empire Navy built such a ship. It's obviously too big to be used as a fast cruiser, too thin to be used as a main battleship, and can't carry too much cargo as an armed merchant ship. It seems that there is no advantage other than faster speed. "

Speaking of ships, Count Supero's interest in talking was finally aroused. He began to comment on the Ming Empire Navy ships that he had only seen from afar through the telescope from various aspects. His overall evaluation was quite fair.

Why do I say that? Because during the Age of Exploration, the overall shape of sailing warships was developing towards being larger and stronger. Only with this design could more guns be installed to make up for the lack of hit rate.

The warships designed by the Ming Empire completely went against the perceptions of European countries. In their eyes, they were pure waste that was neither useful nor good-looking, with no room for rescue.

"But the Dutch have a lot of looting ships. If they choose to help the Ming Empire, our two countries' merchant ships will still have a hard time in Asian waters. I just don't know if the Portuguese will stand by us sincerely. With their help, the situation will be greatly improved."

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Although Villiers was the Minister of Naval Warfare, he knew little about ships. What he was most concerned about was whether British privateers and merchant ships could penetrate deep into the heart of Asia and occupy a larger share of trade.

I really have no idea about this. Compared with Europe, the situation in Asia is very complicated. There are traditional maritime powers like Arabia, the newly rising Ming Empire in recent years, and the more powerful Dutch.

Spain's maritime focus was far away in the New World, so it was impossible to transfer too many warships to Asia for escort in a short period of time. It was difficult for Britain to do it alone. If the Portuguese could be won over, the situation would be greatly improved.

(End of this chapter)