I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 360

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  ———

In the following history, this battle was hardly mentioned, because before and after this, there were countless battles in which hundreds of ships fought against each other. Think this can be regarded as a war - although some people claim that this is the first time that the French steam iron ships appeared on the battlefield, but the wonderful thing is that at that time, neither the British nor the French left behind related records.

As the Duke of Vendôme estimated, the British fleet commander was William Payne old. This was William Payne's second independent command operation, and it was also his last chance. For a long time, he even did not hesitate to let his son William serve as a French engineer in Dunkirk for more than ten years. Although Charles II has always shown a very affectionate relationship with King Louis XIV of France, many conservatives are very fond of him. He was dissatisfied, but old William felt that as long as Charles II was king for a day, he could not be without the ambition that a king should have.

   And to be honest, Louis XIV was only mild-mannered on the surface, and he didn’t hesitate when he should make a move. Otherwise, why would Britain lose Dunkirk? Not to mention that Charles II willingly sold England's last foothold in France at such a low price, Louis XIV also took advantage of it at that time - given that the relationship between Charles II and the Parliament was already shaky at that time, an uneasy one Well, the execution platform in front of the White House Ballroom is about to be erected again.

There is also the matter of the British and French allied forces blocking the fleeing fleet of the Dutch Parliament - it is no exaggeration to say that the British did not thank you enough for their efforts. Louis XIV first kept it secret according to the news that Charles II had obtained a son, but only at the last moment. Let the Duke of York, the commander of the British fleet, know about this. Although the Duke of York knew that this was a British conspiracy, he had to quickly turn back to London and seize the time to stabilize his position and appease his supporters.

  As a result, the rich assets accumulated in the Netherlands for nearly a hundred years all belonged to the French.

Louis XIV never despised Charles II, and anyone who could become a king would not be as useless as people imagined. "The Happy King" and "The Banquet King" are just a disguise of Charles II, and he disguises himself. It is no different to be a benevolent and tolerant monarch, and when necessary, they will be unexpectedly despicable and ruthless.

   Behind them are their families, tens of millions of people, and a vast country.

  I am the country, and on the other hand, the country is me.

When Louis XIV was on the crusade, Charles II did not stop his footsteps. After getting rid of the shackles of Parliament, he followed Cromwell and Louis XIV and established his own standing army on land. On the one hand, he inherited the ambition of his father, Charles I, and continued to enhance the power of the United Kingdom on the sea. Unlike the French, the British themselves can build ships and are good at galloping on the sea. In order to prepare for military expenses, the manufacture and maintenance of ships, Charles II not only vigorously developed commerce and allowed the existence of privateers, but also began to buy and sell titles despite the opposition from the court and the court.

  As far as Louis XIV knew, the British ships should have exceeded 200 or more.

The ships that Jean Barr saw in the telescope were not the kind of small fleet that ordinary people understood. Although the total number was only twelve, there were seven first- and second-tier battleships, four third-tier battleships, and one extra large. And the amazing flagship, the Sovereign of the Seas that brought the head of Charles I to the ground.

The ship was almost comparable to the fortified Calais, more than a hundred and twenty feet in length, forty-five feet in breadth, and fifteen hundred tons in tonnage, because, at the insistence of Charles I, the original nine The ten guns were also expanded to 104. Although the British complained about the increased taxes during the construction of the ship and even guillotined their king, once it was built, No one is not surprised by its grandeur.

Old William was one of them, his heart was beating like the waves on the side of the ship, and after being appointed commander of the fleet, he hardly ever left his The Sea King, he touched every part of it, including the sixty-pound cannonballs, he loved the ship like a young lad in love with a splendid celebrity, and he had already hit the ship. Make up his mind, he will fight to the end on this ship.

   First of all, of course, with this ship, he wants to make a brilliant start to the British fleet.

Unlike some old-minded generals, old William didn't care about hanging the Prince of Orange's flag on the mast, nor did he care about removing the coat of arms and decorations that belonged to Charles I, and he didn't care about destroying it in a way that wasn't fair enough. The alliance between England and France - it's a pity that things are not as he expected, and the French are not unprepared. The fleet originally said to be withdrawing to Calais suddenly turned back, but he was not afraid, look at those ships! It's ridiculous that they even took out the heavy Calais boat!

   "No!" Only a few minutes after seeing the French ships, old William suddenly shouted: "No! No, they are too fast!"

After several naval battles in a row - the Mediterranean, the first Anglo-Dutch battle, the Battle of Kentisnock, the Battle of Portland, the Battle of Gabbard Sands and the Battle of Scheveningen, the West Indian Expedition, Lostov After the special naval battle, the experienced veteran immediately estimated the speed of the Calais ships. The reason why the Calais ships were eliminated was that they were too slow to seize the first position, but now, those who followed behind A Calais boat with long white waves, at least 8 knots, or 8 knots!

He immediately asked the fleet to change direction, because their ships, except the Sea King, other ships, even the first-class battleships with three decks, were still unable to compete with the Calais ships carrying this speed - he vaguely I remember that it was mentioned before that the scholars recruited by Charles II were working on a steam-driven machine. Although it was black steel, its power could be comparable to that of dozens or even hundreds of strong mules and horses. Than, and tirelessly, as long as there is fuel, it can run day and night.

   Those waves that are like a knife, splitting the dark blue sea, are not the traces left by the paddle wheel?

Holding the telescope, he carefully looked for the position of the paddle wheels on the French ship, but to his disappointment, from the hull, the paddle wheels of the ship were not paddle wheels, but dark wheels, and they had been properly protected. Now, he is also counting the gun ports on the ship. The more he looks at it, the more frightened he becomes. The first and second class battleships generally carry more than 80 guns, and the number of XXL guns such as the King of the Sea exceeds 100 guns. , has almost reached its limit.

But such a huge Calais ship can be said to be the last struggle of the Venetians, and because of the generosity of Charles I, they used the best keel and the best craftsmen, to put it simply, each of them is like a sea king Of course, the size of the number and the gun doors will not be less than that of the Sea King.

What Old William didn't know was that their tonnage had already exceeded people's cognition at this time - the iron armor covering the whole body had already exceeded 30 tons, which was the minimum bottom line calculated by craftsmen, scholars, and officers again and again. , they are heavy knights in battleships.

However, the first appearance of these heavy knights was not as splendid as people thought. Instead, it was quite low-key. After the five Calais ships were covered with iron armor, they were painted with yellow-brown paint, which looked like an ordinary ship. The ships were the same, just a little bigger, and because the commander of the British fleet was Old William, it was possible to immediately judge that the speed of these Calais ships was much higher than that of ordinary ships.

"It seems that we have encountered a cautious enemy." Marshal Estres said, his deputy nodded in agreement, this is the first time that a steam ironclad ship has appeared on the battlefield, and a less cautious enemy has been replaced. , even if he saw the speed of the Calais ship and the number of artillery pieces, he would take a fluke and think he could give it a try—after all, even the Venetians stopped using the Calais battleship more than ten years ago.

Marshal Estres, like old William, is also a veteran from the Louis XIII period. This may be his last battle. When he heard that the king had chosen him to be the commander of the fleet, he burst into tears. , even if the command is to be assigned to another admiral, Abraham Decena.

At this time, their flagship, the first completed ironclad ship, the King Power, which was "launched" by the king himself, had already crossed the original route of the British fleet, that is to say, if the British fleet still followed the original plan Going forward, the French fleet has seized the first position and has a great advantage, but the problem is that the British fleet begins to fold upwards in a third of the way, and instead distances itself from them.

The two fleets walked side by side wonderfully for about ten minutes, until both sides faced each other. Their position was not the narrowest part of the English Channel, and it was almost the same. If you want to describe it, it was like being forced to stay in a three- The thugs fighting face-to-face in the alleyway have almost no room for turning and turning around - when there is no skill, only violence can be used to solve the problem.

Maybe fate did it on purpose. The French Royal Majesty and the British Majesty of the Sea were each other's opponents. After a tentative artillery attack, they invariably switched to heavy artillery shells. On such a small battlefield, heavy The power of the cannonballs was greater and more terrifying than before. At this time, the tonnage of the ships was doomed to their success or failure - the huge Calais was like a cannon floating on the sea, and their muzzles were all open, constantly spewing With golden red flames and black smoke, the stable hull and the muzzle at least six feet above the waterline do not need to worry about being hit, or shaking and moving caused by recoil, affecting the aiming and wetting gunpowder.

  The French on-board artillery also has a larger caliber and a longer barrel than the British artillery, which can hit the shells farther and harder.

  Under such bombardment, a British Tier 3 battleship first had to withdraw from the battlefield because of a fire. Old William put down his telescope and said, "Change to white phosphorus bombs."

His first mate paused and did not speak. Old William's order was immediately passed on, as if in an instant, the shells that fell on the French ship blew up a white light that was brighter than the sun, and the thick smoke filled the smoke. There was a disgusting smell on the whole deck. When one of the crew members pulled over their coat to cover their eyes and nose, and wanted to rush out, another white phosphorus shell fell on the mast above him, igniting the ropes and the ship. When he was sailing, there were also bits and pieces of white phosphorous fire that fell on him. They immediately burned and burrowed into the flesh. He immediately screamed and rolled desperately on the ground.

   When he was pulled up, half of his body was black.

In addition to white phosphorus, the British's white phosphorus bombs also added a special material that allows the white phosphorus to adhere to anything and burn - old William saw the sails, decks and hulls of the King's Power being burning, slightly loose Tone, these flames almost covered the **** and forecastle, and those black muzzles that looked like the eyes of death, but before he had time to laugh, he saw the sudden bursts from all corners of the King Power. The white dust - they are as white as white phosphorus, but like its deadliest nemesis, as soon as they fall on the yellow-green flame, the flame is instantly extinguished as if it had encountered water.

He pinned his hopes on the flames attached to the ship, but for some unknown reason, they gradually went out. Old William stared at the places burned by the flames, and suddenly put the telescope to the first mate beside him. : "Tell me, what did you see?"

   The first officer didn't say that he also had a telescope. He held it up and looked at it. He was silent for a few seconds - if not during the war, he would have been silent for a long time: "I see black iron," he said.

Although they can hardly believe it, the texture of metal and wood can be seen no matter what, and after burning off the paint on the surface, the connection between rivets and iron armor can also be seen, if there is enough white phosphorus - The temperature of white phosphorus burning can indeed melt black iron, but it is only a thin layer of white phosphorus. If it is wood, it can continue to burn, and it is powerless to face the thick iron plate.

Marshal Estres watched the ship doctors busy for a while. Generally speaking, there are only one or two doctors on board, but Louis XIV, whether in the army or the navy, the ship doctors are equipped with a number of one to fifty , although there are women and even wizards among these ship doctors, as long as someone has been saved by them, the crew will not talk too much or want to do anything to them - first of all, thanks to the king's education in the army. The system, and secondly, even the most stupid people are not stupid enough to joke about their own lives.

Of course, there is another reason, that is, these ship doctors, even women, have great strength and agility. When the phosphorus fire burns a small number of people, they cut off the clothes and flesh of the injured person, otherwise the phosphorus fire will burn all the way to the bones; if the phosphorus fire is too much, they will either pull him to the place where the dust is sprayed, or open the special purpose The water storage tank directly pushes people into the water. Once in the water, the phosphorus fire will not burn again, and it can also reduce the pain and damage caused by burns.

   These wounded will still need further treatment, but now with the help of the wizard's medicine, they can at least survive without worry.

   Marshal Estres looked at the chaotic scene outside the window, "It's alright," he said, "Order all artillery pieces to be replaced with white phosphorus shells."

He didn't quite understand at first why the king didn't allow him to use the white phosphorus shells in the first place, and after seeing the wounded people, he understood that such a vicious reputation must not fall on the French, at least, they can't be the first in A person who uses white phosphorus bombs on the battlefield.

The revenge of the French fell on the British immediately, Louis XIV used the white phosphorous bomb much earlier than Charles II, and even the wizards would cringe in front of this kind of flame that seemed to be drawn directly from hell, Not to mention a group of mortals. Of course, the British have some precautions, but they are more to prevent the white phosphorus bomb from shattering and spontaneously igniting during transportation and storage, so there are only sand and buckets. Charles II can't blame it, and it doesn't have to be difficult to understand. - Three hundred years later, soldiers were treated harshly, and soldiers were treated as tools and livestock, not to mention the seventeenth century when nobles and commoners were considered two kinds of creatures?

When the French's white phosphorus bombs poured overwhelmingly on the British ships, the flames they caused shot straight into the sky, as if the sun had dimmed a lot. The officers who knew it were okay. They jumped directly into the water. Some ignorant soldiers only knew how to roll on the ground. The flames of white phosphorus could not be extinguished by rolling. Mouths with sharp teeth, gnawing until the internal organs and bones, until the oxygen is cut off by the flesh and blood, will be extinguished, the damage they cause is like the fastest flame, black and brittle wherever they pass, and dry like charcoal .

There were only one or two ship doctors on the British ships. Charles II did not trust wizards enough to allow them to enter the army. The ship doctors here only knew about bloodletting and amputation. They were very good in the slaughterhouse. When it comes to white phosphorus, it is no more trustworthy than a three-year-old child.

There is no doubt that the Sea King was focused on the fire, not only the Royal Majesty, but also the Calais ships on both sides of it were divided into a part of the firepower on her. Unlike the Calais covered with iron armor, it was worth more than 40,000 pounds. The Sovereign at Sea is just a wooden ship, even if the deck and topsides are thick enough, it can't withstand the burning of white phosphorus, and in addition to white phosphorus shells, the French also have charge shells and sub-shells - these are Louis XIV A new weapon developed by scholars and craftsmen.

   Unlike Charles II, who made a big bet, Louis XIV clearly saw the battle as a live-fire exercise.

Even the new weapons that have not yet been completed have caused the British to suffer a big loss. The French ships also had to abandon ships because of white phosphorus bombs, but these ships are not the main force of the French fleet, not to mention more After discovering that the British had used white phosphorus bombs, the ships began to avoid the Calais ship - just like ordinary soldiers hiding behind heavy armored infantry, although they suffered certain losses, compared to the British... A Sovereign of the Seas is enough to balance the French.

The Sea King was still burning, but a second-class battleship beside it also sank, and the surviving soldiers wept and floated on the sea, trying their best to avoid the vortex and burning planks formed after the ship sank. The sails - all stained with white phosphorous. The officers and captains were sitting on several small boats. They seemed to take a look at the Sea Sovereign on the boat. They did not go to other boats, but rowed towards the white coast of England. Along the way, they tried to pull up some soldiers, the French Nor did they continue to attack them.

   Breathless smoke had penetrated into the forecastle.

   "We're going to change our flagship, Admiral!" an officer rushed in and shouted.

  Old William recognized him as his communications officer: "Where's the first officer?"

   "He's dead," the communications officer said, and then coughed desperately. Old William looked out the window, surrounded by a gray veil.

"Which one to change?" asked old William. Although Charles II had already decided to renege on the covenant with the French, he was not timid, cautious, or despicably unwilling to take on the responsibility of provocation. Inciting the dissatisfaction and anger of the people in the Dunkirk area against the French, while instigating riots and sabotage by the stranded soldiers of the New Model Army, but without declaring war, they did not dare to hang their own flag, only dared to Concealed with the Prince of Orange's banner - like that bell won't ring.

Because of the last reason, he was not even willing to send more ships. In his words, when Dunkirk was in chaos, and the French occupation and mainland were also full of riots, King Louis XIV of France would definitely not be able to Controlling Dunkirk as tightly as ever, their fleet may not need to fight at all, as long as they cross the Channel and reach the port of Dunkirk, they will be greeted by soldiers from the New Model Army.

  When the time comes, let alone Dunkirk, maybe Calais will be able to capture it.

Actually no, the French are not that stupid, the reason why Louis XIV dared to put the Duke of Vendôme in Dunkirk, a veteran who was considered too old to do anything, was because he did not need to be in Dunkirk at all. What a brave and astute general Erke left behind - as people say, no amount of sophisticated conspiracy can be worth a sledgehammer, no amount of outstanding generals can turn the tide in front of a sharp weapon such as a steam ironclad ship, The French needed only a little more fuel to achieve Louis XIV's plan—a great, unquestioned deterrent.

Old William could imagine that this battle may not be remembered by many people, but until Britain has developed white phosphorus bombs and steam ironclads, or has developed something to deal with both, Britain will not go to war with France again. .

   That will be in a few years? He probably can't see it anyway, his son... Now old William can only pray to God that his son is not caught, or is caught, they are willing to look at all his surnames and origins , treat him like a nobleman.

"We don't have a flagship anymore." Old William said, "The French will not leave any ships." Since it is to deter the enemy, although the battle is small, the results must be exceptionally brilliant. With white phosphorus rounds, it means they won't capture the ship, just destroy it.

   "Mr. Admiral..."

Old William touched the red and swollen eyes of the communications officer, they were trembling and weeping from the constant stimulation: "You are very young," he said: "You have infinite hope, like my son, and now I give you Two orders."

   "I'm listening, sir, please speak, and I'll pass it on right away."

"First: you take all the crew members who are not over forty years old and evacuate the Sea King," said old William. "When you return to London, you will have all that you have seen, heard, and felt. Yes, tell the king and the council truthfully. Second..." He made a gesture for the other party not to speak: "Second: you tell all people over forty years old, tell them that I am going to launch a final attack with the King of the Seas, I am with the King of the Seas, and I hope they are with me, and we are with God."

The    communications officer was stunned for a while, but he soon understood. He might want to say something else, but old William just pointed outside.

  The smoke is getting thicker, and the surrounding temperature is constantly rising.

The    communications officer did not hesitate any longer. He bowed deeply to Old William and ran out of the command room in the forecastle.

  Old William continued to look outside, he was almost unable to see clearly, only the deafening shelling continued, but the vibrations from the hull below him told him that these loud noises were more from the French.

   A few minutes later, a crew member with rough reddish-brown skin and gray temples ran in. "The lad is evacuating," he said. "What do you want us to do?"

   "Go sail," said old William.

  ———

   "What do you think they are doing?"

General    asked the people around him, but he didn't need to answer, because he just habitually said to himself, "Did those Englishmen want their ships?"

He was on another steam iron ship, the name of the ship was the Sun King, and the crew would proudly say that he served on the King's ship, and he was also deeply honored to be captain of this ship, he was a Huguenot He was supposed to command the naval battle against Holland, but at that time the king was migrating the Huguenots. He was worried that it would be another St. Bartholomew massacre, so he did not dare to leave France. He learned that the Dutch admiral Reuter had died in the battle, and regretted that he almost committed suicide—what an honor!

So he went to Paris and offered himself to the king, but the king was not able to use his place for a while, and he spent some time in the military academy, then the shipyard in Nantes, and waited until the war began - although the king repeatedly affirmed this battle He didn't need two commanders, he still achieved his wish through Marshal Estres - he is 67 years old this year, and he is not young, but his body is still very strong, this battle is Ace The last battle of Marshal Tres was not his!

"Oh, let me think about it," he said. "It's not unusual. Pirates do it all the time." He took a last glance at his sinking opponent. "Come on," he shouted. "We move too. stand up!"

"Ah?"

   "Fool!" said General Duquener contemptuously. "Can't you see it?" He said, "The British are preparing for the last fight!"

Sea Sovereign began to turn in the raging flames and smoke. When it turned around, Sovereign of course also discovered that it was not uncommon to ram the enemy with an irreversible ship. If it was on the vast sea, they might There is still room for a loop back, but now, in the narrow strait, there are ships to the left and right, and the possibility of evasion is too small - Marshal Estres issued an order for the Kingship to immediately stop firing and back - in the sailing ship , something that is difficult to do on a galley, but not so difficult on a steam paddle steamer, with a normal-length paddle wheel rotating in the opposite direction under the hidden armor, plucking the sea, the Kingship starts slowly but firmly back down.

   In front of it is the burning Sea King, which has become an expensive and huge torch after giving up completely to put out the fire.

"what is that?!"

   After being pushed into the cabin by the officers and looking outside, Marshal Estres seemed to see something...

A young officer climbed up like a monkey, jumped down again, and shouted with an incredible look: "That's the Sun King!" He took a breath: "That's the Sun King! Your Excellency Marshal! It's... It's hitting!"

   As if to prove it for him, this sentence landed, and a huge impact and shock came from outside. Everyone, including the marshal, fell to the ground together, and the bold officer actually climbed up again.

   This kind of sight is absolutely unimaginable without seeing it with your own eyes.

The two giants were twisted together, one was fiery red, the other was black, and the flames and smoke were torn apart. The ram of the Sun King directly pierced the waist of the Sea King, because its weight far exceeded the Sea King. , the Sea King is being pressed into the sea by it.

Then another advantage of using steam as power emerged. The Sun King retreated with a faster speed and a brisk attitude than the Sea King, and then rammed into it again, pulling the previous wound even more. , the sea water poured into the cabin like a tyrant, and the Sea King slowly bowed its arrogant head-perhaps thinking that this humiliation was not enough, the Sun King rammed for the third time.

The last impact completely destroyed the Sea King, it was burning, and a man came out of the forecastle suddenly, his knees sunk in the water, he raised his head, looked up at the Sun King, and looked at the distance from him But the kingship of a few hundred feet.

   "Who is that?" asked the officer beside Decena.

   "It doesn't matter," said Decena. "He's going to die anyway."

   I'm going out for dinner today, so I'll update in advance, I wish my readers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day! Thank you for your rewards, monthly tickets, recommendations and support! The fish bows!

   (end of this chapter)