New Shun 1730

Although this is just an ambiguous plan, Chen Qinghai can also feel Hawke's attitude. At least Hawke doesn't want the war to continue. At least strategically, he thinks it's just a matter of a small or big loss.

This ambiguous plan itself represents the political attitude of the navy, or the main officers of the Channel Fleet.

Otherwise, with the strength of the Channel Fleet at this time and its arrogance, it is impossible to allow the Sino-French fleet to go to Dunkirk.

Agreeing to go is an attitude.

Disagreeing to go directly to London is a rule.

The reason why Edward Hawke has such a political tendency is mainly because the strength of the Dashun naval fleet has been recognized by him.

Otherwise, the British Navy has never lacked the courage to win with fewer people.

But in the naval battle where Bosken was killed, Edward Hawke carefully analyzed the naval tactics of Dashun from the descriptions of some British officers who withdrew, and came to a professional conclusion that a professional naval officer should have: the strategic thinking of the Dashun Navy is completely different from that of France; its tactical system is also completely different from that of France; its artillery firing rate pretending to be a flintlock is also much higher than that of France, and it is superior to that of the British army.

Strategic thinking and tactical system are actually the same thing.

There are tactics only when there is an existing strategy.

The strategy of the French Navy is a "mission-oriented navy". Its existence and ability to threaten the British Navy is its greatest value; being able to transport the army to the island is its greatest significance.

The reality that military expenditures are tilted towards the army makes the French Navy always cautious and cunning in naval battles and refuse to gamble.

The tactics derived from this strategy are to tend to find the leeward direction, hit the opponent's rigging sails, and run away if they hit, and run away if they can't beat them. Anyway, they stand in the leeward direction and hit your sails, so if they see that the situation is not good, they will just run away.

But in the naval battle that killed Bosken, the Dashun side showed a completely different tactical style.

Edward Hawke saw many problems from the relatively brief battle report from the navy.

At eight o'clock in the morning, the fleets of both sides had already deployed, and the ships in front began to exchange fire.

At about eight forty-five, the fleets of both sides were connected head to tail, and they lined up to bombard each other.

At nine fifteen, part of the fleet in front of the Dashun fleet, with the help of the change in wind direction, suddenly turned and inserted into the tail of the British fleet. Six warships followed closely behind and inserted from the dividing line.

From the perspective of line formation tactics, this approach is quite dangerous, because when inserting, it means facing the side string shooting on both sides of the insertion position.

But the Dashun side had a very good opportunity. The wind direction suddenly changed, and the captain of the squadron took a gamble and inserted it.

Then, in Edward Hawke's retrospect, Bosken made a very wrong decision at the time, which was to let the main fleet turn back to rescue.

At that time, the squadron near the head of the Dashun fleet inserted into the tail of the British fleet and separated several ships at the tail of the British.

This obviously should not be rescued.

Because the tail was inserted, the wind direction, ship speed, steering mechanism, and sail characteristics were there. It would take at least 45 minutes for the head fleet to turn to rescue the tail.

In 45 minutes, the ships at the tail that were separated would definitely be killed by more people... Because during the battle, the Dashun fleet continued to move forward, which means that the middle and tail ships of the Dashun fleet were also constantly joining the siege of the separated British tail warships.

When Bosken turned to rescue, the ships at the tail were basically finished, and the result was a situation of more than one against one.

In Edward Hawke's hindsight, even if Bosken was not killed by the Dashun mast shooter at the time, he would be shot afterwards. It was obviously a wrong order.

Of course, Edward Hawke did not fail to consider the reality: in those days, communication relied on flags, smoke filled the air, the flagship commanded, each ship had to rely on formation, the "Permanent Combat Regulations" were there, and the wisdom of each ship could not be controlled instantly through efficient communication...

These objective factors made Bosken face this emergency situation without a better way.

This does not mean that the tactics of line battle are outdated. Looking back on the situation at that time, there must be some contingency.

For example, the wind direction.

For example, the smoke cover.

For example, there was no bad luck when interspersing and thus survived, etc., etc.

This made it difficult to make choices at that time. Either you fight yours and I fight mine, and you cut the tail and I cut the tail; or choose not to rescue and go around the wind direction to chase the tail.

But in short, it is definitely wrong to turn back to rescue, which is equivalent to letting the Dashun Navy play a time difference, taking advantage of the defects of the battle line decisive battle, and fighting with more people.

However, from the review of that battle, Edward Hawke can also see some tactical styles of the Dashun Navy.

Bold, daring to gamble, choosing to attack the waterline at close range instead of the mast rigging, the squadron has a certain command power instead of all the flagships, young, energetic, daring to fight and gamble on fate and future... and, it is estimated that their "Operation Regulations" also encourage this kind of local advantage tactics.

Edward Hawke certainly has not read the Dashun Navy's combat regulations.

But through this battle, he has a certain guess about the Dashun Navy's combat regulations: encouraging the navy to seize the opportunity when the column is firing, interspersed and split the enemy's tail, forcing the enemy's center and the main force of the vanguard to return to support, and use the turning time difference in the sail era to achieve local advantages.

Of course, this requires conditions to allow, and the captain of the squadron must have a strong subjective initiative.

And, perhaps because the navy was established not long ago, it is more vigorous and does not have so many rules and regulations.

This thing cannot be an accident, for example, the captain of the squadron at that time was confused and inserted into the tail of the fleet.

Obviously, in training, they must have trained similar tactics, so that the captain of the squadron commanded the opportunity immediately after the wind direction changed.

And, from the follow-up, the rest of the warships of the Dashun Fleet also clearly knew what to do in this situation. This is not to say that the fleet commander can do it decisively on the spot - if there is no targeted tactical system, then even if the fleet commander is a genius, with the communication means at that time and the reality of the battlefield filled with gunpowder, it is impossible for the fleet to execute tactics so perfectly.

Of course, after the war, the Dashun Fleet also exposed some problems, such as incomplete pursuit, not very familiar with the terrain, too much vigor, so that some ships were too reckless and intercepted, etc.

There was also a small episode in that battle.

Sailors from both sides who had personally experienced the naval battle were impressed by the huge shark swarm at the most intense part of the battlefield around 11:30.

The sailors on both sides were basically crazy, mentally ill, and "scum" who lacked human touch due to the harsh training and painful life at sea.

The combat regulations also forced that seriously injured soldiers could not be treated during the battle unless they were officers.

The gun room was originally small, and once someone was seriously injured and occupied the space, it would seriously affect the loading speed.

So... both sides, of course, including the mainstream naval powers at that time such as France, had such a rule in their naval combat regulations: throw useless sailors into the sea, don't take up space.

The dead, seriously injured, and alive were all thrown directly into the sea. Except for the officers on the ship - the trainee officers were officers; the gunners, gunners, etc. were not officers.

Therefore, when the battle was the most intense, the sharks attracted by the sound of the guns and the smell of blood became an indelible memory for the sailors on both sides.

A large number of wounded were thrown directly into the sea and eaten by sharks.

This is how naval battles were fought at that time. They were thrown at ordinary times, but it just happened that there were a lot of sharks that day, so it was hard not to be impressed.

After all, in naval battles at that time, there were only two situations: "death and immortality".

The eyes were pierced by the wood chips smashed by the shells, which was considered immortality, because the eyes could be pulled out and they could still move. Whether they would be infected in the future was up to fate, but they were the ones who "could not be thrown into the sea". That is, "immortals".

A broken arm was also considered an "immortal".

With the eyes and wrists as the boundary, all injuries below this level were considered minor injuries and "immortals".

And the rest, even if they were still crying in pain or looking for their legs, were considered dead and thrown directly into the sea.

Don't affect the loading, don't affect the gunpowder monkeys behind to transport gunpowder, and don't even affect the speed of firing.

After all, even if they were not thrown into the sea, they would not survive.

At this time, naval battles were all solid bullets.

A 24-5kg iron ball flies over at a speed of several hundred meters and hits you, but there is no possibility of "serious injury".

Even if the Dashun side uses oak and cypress; the Spanish side uses Cuban cedar; the British use century-old oak... it is useless. It is just that the wood is not easy to break into pieces and will not cause "fragmentation injury", but if the big pieces of wood are smashed on the body, it is basically impossible to survive.

Unless it comes to hooking each other's ships and boarding battles, there will be a difference between light and serious injuries.

In the artillery battle stage, there are only two types of people: "dead" and "undead". People whose eyes are blown out are alive, and people who are hit hard and are still screaming are dead.

The shark feast that started at 11:30 was just a small episode of the battle.

For senior officers, they still remember the Dashun Navy squadron's interpenetration, encirclement, fighting with more people and playing with time difference.

However, for the sailors, including the sailors on both sides, this will be the most memorable scene in this battle. A large number of sharks bit the bodies of their comrades thrown into the sea, and the blood dyed the sea red...

Edward Hawke, like the officers on the Dashun side, just regarded the shark episode as a small part of the battle.

But afterwards, the defeated British naval sailors continued to serve and fight; and the Dashun side immediately launched a blockade of the Mediterranean and Gibraltar.

This made Edward Hawke understand that the Dashun navy, which has a short history and tradition, also has a group of perverted and mentally ill sailors.

Perverted, mentally ill, and "scum" sailors can be regarded as the symbol of the maritime power at this time.

Because of the strict discipline, the desperate sea, the narrow cabin, the extremely high mortality rate, and the strict training and sea cruises on weekdays, maintaining this crazy despair can produce such perverted mentally ill sailors.

And this kind of mentally ill-tempered sailor who did not have a mental breakdown when sharing his companions with sharks and was able to continue to perform his mission, in turn, can prove that he stayed at sea for a long time on weekdays, which means a certain... naval tradition.

In fact, the tactics of the Dashun Navy are similar to those of the Army.

If Edward Hawke knew the column breakthrough tactics favored by the Dashun Army, he would understand that the Dashun Navy's practice of biting the tail, dividing, and concentrating superior forces in a local area is in line with the Army's tactics.

It is nothing more than that naval battles are more risky, and the army can avoid the direction of the concentrated artillery group and conduct column assaults because it does not need to look at the wind direction of the sky, so it can tear open the line array with superior forces at the weak point of the enemy's firepower.

Naval battles depend on the wind direction of the sky, and it is necessary to consider the basic skills of "fleet formation to hit the tail is to split, and to hit the head is a pit in the brain", because if you don't understand this principle and foolishly hit the head, you will be beaten by the main force behind the fleet and the fat meat will be delivered to your mouth for free.

Of course, Edward Hawke didn't know that the reason why the Dashun Navy encouraged this tactic was not only because of the strategic positioning of the Dashun Navy, but also for another important reason.

There is a joke about Fulton and Napoleon when steam engines are used on ships.

Regardless of whether this joke is true or not, Dashun faces a very practical situation, that is, once the First World War is over, Dashun will gain commercial hegemony from the Cape of Good Hope to Persia, and then to India and Southeast Asia.

Then, Dashun's naval construction will definitely turn to conservative in an all-round way.

How to pave the way for the use of steam engines before this inevitable conservative turn requires a very clever layout.

The navy's "column division tactics" need to look at the face of God, such as wind direction, etc.

So, if the "column division tactics" is adopted, the "conservatives" who will be in charge of the Dashun Navy in the future - tactical conservatives, referring to the old men in the future war department, are only accustomed to the tactics they are familiar with when they were young - tactical conservatives, not necessarily technical conservatives; similarly, the political conservatives of Dashun are not necessarily technical conservatives.

How can these conservatives, the current middle-aged men and future old men, promote technological innovation with conservative tactical thinking?

All we need to do is make the "column division tactics" the conservative thinking of Dashun's future naval construction thinking.

And under this tactical conservative thinking, technology cannot be conservative, because steam engines can make ships no longer look at the face of God.

It is very likely that the conservatives of Dashun will choose this tactic: the main battleship will be equipped with a squadron equipped with a steam engine. After the battle begins, the sailing ships driven by the steam engine will break into the enemy's battle line with a conservative tactic that does not need to look at the face of the sky, cut and encircle the enemy navy.

In other words, the conservative old men in the Dashun army will be the most supportive of steam engines on board. Because they are tactically "conservative" in column assault tactics, and they have to innovate in technology to ensure that the tactics can be implemented.

In other words, this will ensure the transition of Dashun's steam engine on board during the "transitional period".

Because, as we all know, the transition period is weird.

For example, during the transition period:

The matchlock gun may not be better than the bow and arrow.

The steam train cannot run faster than the carriage.

The mother of the woven cloth can be beaten by the handmade cloth.

The ignition rate of the flintlock gun is far lower than that of the matchlock gun.

These are all transitional issues, and the same is true for steam engines on ships. In Dashun, there must be a strong department with a great demand for steam engines to promote the popularization of steam engines. Trains are the Grand Canal of imperial power that does not require water, and steamships are conservative technologies and choices for fleet tactics.

Therefore, for the Dashun Navy, the naval battle that killed Boskone did not cause much loss of tonnage, and the enemy did not lose control of the strait, but its strategic significance is immeasurable.

Excluding the many influences of the First World War, in terms of tactics, it is also easy for the "radicals" of Dashun at this time and the "conservatives" in the future to form a tactical tendency like path dependence.

This tactical tendency and path-dependent conservatism may make Dashun go the wrong way in the future. For example, in the competition between heavy multi-turret dreadnought battleships and fast ironclad cruisers, if the wrong direction is chosen, the idea of ​​fast ironclad ships may be chosen. But if it has come to that point, it will be the industrial age, the era of competing for population and steel production, so it doesn't matter.

With Edward Hawke's knowledge at this time, he could see that the strategic positioning of the Dashun Navy was different from that of the French Navy. This showed that Hawke was quite capable.

Even though he didn't know the many games behind this, Hawke knew that it was best not to gamble with the Dashun Navy.

Because if Dashun lost the bet, it would just retreat to the Cape of Good Hope and play by itself. And if he lost the bet, something big would happen in Britain. The Jacobites who were ready to move still existed. Although they had just slaughtered "potential rebels" close to 0.3% of the total population of Britain in Scotland and Ireland not long ago, they were not killed.

An army that can play column assault in land warfare must be good at playing line formation. But on the other hand, those who can play line formation or even line formation oblique side tactics well may not be able to play column assault tactics well.

Similarly, a navy that can play interlacing and encircling must be above the passing line when playing line formation bombardment. A navy that can play line-to-line bombardment well may not be good at the tactics of interspersing and tail-to-tail flanking.

In Hawke's view, a navy with sailors of similar quality to France, a strategic positioning of gambling-style decisive battles, tactical options of interspersing lines and columns, a flintlock firing rate higher than the British Navy, and the ability to maneuver dozens of battleships across the ocean is very strong.

In the end, it all depends on the luck of both sides, God's weather favor, and which commander makes fewer mistakes.

Others are not much different, fifty-fifty.

And at the moment of the last card, if Dashun loses, it will just withdraw from the Atlantic; if Britain loses, it will be the explosion of the three islands, the landing of the French army, and the separation of Ireland and Scotland.

Only fools would take this kind of gamble.

This is why he, a "very simple, pure soldier born to be loyal to the motherland", played a political edge ball and allowed the Dashun fleet to escort the prisoners to Dunkirk.