What the expedition fleets that went abroad were most annoying was the constraints from the domestic market. In contrast, they prefer the delegation of power by King Yu Li Junwei. Unlike the bureaucrats in the Navy, the expedition fleet, from the chief general to ordinary sailors, did not care about the impact of new technologies on organizational and military interests. They wanted to win and had to be safe. No matter how they looked at the ironclad ships, they were all warships with strong combat power and high protection for the navy. The bureaucrats gritted their teeth. In the eyes of the soldiers of the expedition fleet, they were just careless about human lives.

For example, during the Caribbean war, a Nassau naval battle broke out. It was a small-scale naval battle. The enemy of the expeditionary fleet was the pirates in the Nassau area. At that time, it was an American-class heavy cruiser, the Daxianbei and the Junma-class heavy patrol. The two Red Tu ships set off from Havana and escorted a batch of supplies to Lisbon and Ceuta. This batch of supplies was actually the military pay for the Expeditionary Force participating in the Ceuta siege, plus some diplomatic funds for Dan Tai Yunfeng, worth more than 2.5 million taels of silver.

Among the Pirates of Caribbean stationed in Havana with the fleet, Swan and William, were planning this wealth. They sent their confidants back to Nassau, and used the usual methods of local pirates to actively provide water diversion services to the fleet among the archipelago, and used the fake lighthouse to introduce the fleet into the reef area. However, the ship was accompanied by Horayshaun's subordinates, who discovered the conspiracy at critical moments. The fleet broke out in a naval battle with the two pirate leaders.

It was originally very smooth, and the pirate ship was far from an opponent of the Expeditionary Fleet. It sank three opponents in just one hour of fire exchange. The squadron was unscathed, but there were unexpected situations in the sky. When the battle was at its peak, the wind stopped, which meant that the ship had lost its power.

The pirate ships in Nassau counterattacked, and the imperial officers and soldiers of the squadron tried their best to splash water on the sails, hoping to use even a slight wind to throw the anchor into the sea. The crew pulled the anchor chain and moved and turned, released all kinds of small boats, and used the small boats to drag more than a thousand tons of ships to sail. The pirates launched a platoon battle with the small boats. In the windless weather, the Imperial Navy and the Marines fought fiercely until night. During this period, the Red Rabbit was seized by pirates twice and then retaliated twice.

Finally, as night fell, the two sides broke off contact. Although they saved their treasures and warships, the expeditionary fleet killed 165 people and more than 70 others were disabled.

In fact, similar battles have been faced with the Imperial Navy many times in the past few decades, but the bureaucrats of the Navy Department will not make any changes to this. They just suggest that the crew train more shooting and fighting skills. Zhao Longcheng believes that this time is no exception. However, when the combat report was submitted to Li Junwei, it was not so hasty. Li Junwei authorized the expeditionary fleet to solve this problem within its ability.

Zhao Longcheng's first requirement was to be equipped with more iron-clad ships, at least with steam engines as power, but it was obviously not possible to solve it overnight. However, Li Junwei still agreed, and he immediately ordered Cape Town and West Jin to equip steam-powered ships for the expeditionary fleet, and directly issued military orders for this. As a result, Cape Town and West Jin each forced four and three large-tonnage civilian sailboats to join the expeditionary fleet.

The officers and soldiers of the Expeditionary Fleet cooperated with the Spanish shipyard in Havana and worked together to find another way, which was to install a "human paddle wheel" on the combat ships of the Expeditionary Fleet. This device, like a waterwheel, was driven by a winch, and could reach a speed of three knots in windless weather. This was the invention of a gunman, full of the wisdom and creation of the navy.

(During the British and American War in 1812, the US Constitutional Constitutional was encountered in windless weather and was besieged by five British Navy ships. They used three methods: sprinkling water, small boats and towing anchors. They took 57 hours to get out. Then they added a winch-driven "water truck", which proved very effective. However, the successor captain felt that this device made the Constitutional Constitution ugly and damaged the military's power, so they secretly dismantled it after leaving the shipyard.

In the Opium War, the British army discovered that after the Qing Dynasty saw the power of paddle steamers, they tried to build a human paddle steamer confrontation. The British were used to the shoddy manufacturing of Qing Dynasty ship artillery and believed that the human paddle steamer was the most complex handicraft ever seen.

Zhao Longcheng summoned all officers with captain or above to issue his own orders. His arrangements for the fleet were quite relaxed. He only arranged two cruise ships and two merchant ships as warning ships outside Bantry Bay. The armored mobile team was in combat readiness. The other main forces went ashore to rest and waited for Li Su to contact Fitz James, and the Irish Legion gathered. Then, five days later, the entire army entered the third-level combat readiness and was fully alert.

This was agreed by everyone, but anyone with discerning eyes could see that Zhao Longcheng's arrangement was a bit slack. In the eyes of Zhao Longcheng and his staff, the British would get news after the fleet arrived in Bantry Bay and then respond. Around Ireland, the British naval fleet had only temporary stationed in the Strait fleet in Dublin. The fleet was filled with old battleships and cruise ships, and was more of an armed merchant ship to travel between Wales and Dublin, replenishing supplies for the British army fighting on the Irish island.

It is precisely because the British fleet is weak in the combat area that Zhao Longcheng did not modify the heavy patrol as a battleship in Havana. If you calculate the distance, you will know that the Straits fleet will take as soon as seven days to get the news. If you consider its combat readiness, it will take more than ten days. Zhao Longcheng has to wait for his leisure and succeed in his battle.

However, Zhao Longcheng has been in the Caribbean region and only went to Cape Verde after receiving the order. After joining the Iron-Armored Mobile Detachment and Xijin reinforcements, he hurried northward and did not meet Li Junwei. He did not know the declaration of war and the rules of war formulated, nor did he know that in it. King Yu mentioned the date of November 20, which was actually the combat window for the Expeditionary Fleet to meet the Irish Legion. But what Zhao Longcheng didn't know was that on the third day after he arrived in Bantry Bay, an English-Dutch fleet came up.

On November 3, 27th, the Empire, Bantry Bay.

The Irish waters, which have been prevalent for a long time, have entered winter. The raging waves in the North Atlantic waters in winter are the natural enemy of the navy. Twenty years ago, neither the British nor the Dutch fleet would have chosen to go out to sea in such weather. However, as ships built imitating the technology of the East become larger and larger, and the sailing system becomes more and more scientific, the British-Dutch fleet also has the ability to fight in bad weather.

The heraldic flag on the battleship shows that the commander of the squadron, which has eight battleships and four cruise constructions, was the British Rear Admiral General George Ruke. The fleet consisted of four British battleships and four Dutch battleships. During this period, it was the Britannia, which had just been launched and named after the country. This was originally a ship that was the commander-in-chief of the Navy, General Russell, who was handed over to General Ruke, which shows Russell's trust in it.

Ruke was in his forty years old and strong. He was trusted by Russell in addition to his loyalty quality, but also because of his resume and ability. Two years ago, Ruke participated in the Battle of Bantry. Of course, the enemy was the French Navy. Ruke performed well in obstructing the French transport troops to Ireland. In terms of ability, Ruke participated in the Battle of Beech Point. In that naval battle, he was the captain of the second-class battleship "Duchess", commanding the back of the back of the back fleet, and showing extraordinary courage and command ability.

At this time, Ruke's fleet appeared in Bantry Bay, which was a trick Russell played. Eight days ago, after "Immortal Seven" accepted Churchill's suggestion, he immediately used the identity of Russell's Navy Secretary and the commander-in-chief of the Navy to form a fleet of fifteen battleships, and this fleet had an impeccable reason - to escort the Spanish queen to Spain to get married.

The new queen and her mother-in-law have a common name - Maria Anna. Her father was the Elector of Paladin, and was personally selected by the Spanish Empress Dowager. Last year, Spain sent an envoy, one of the agents married him on behalf of King Carlos. Britain and the Netherlands were going to send the new queen to Spain by sea to get married. The marriages participated by several important countries in the Grand League can demonstrate the unity of the Grand League, and the escort of the British and Dutch fleet can also express that even if the Battle of Beichiko was failed, Britain and the Netherlands still had the right to control the sea.

General Russell personally directed the operation and took away a part of the Dutch fleet stationed in Britain at a very fast speed. These Dutch people did not know that the Empire declared war on Britain but did not declare war on the Netherlands. On the way, Russell pretended to receive information from fishermen that a French fleet had increased troops in Ireland, and handed over the Dutch ships to George Ruk, and took them to the Irish waters. In this way, even if the Netherlands wanted to convey the order not to fight against China to their fleet, they thought the fleet had gone to Spain, thus creating enough time, which was enough for November 20th.

George Ruk only knew that the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet might intervene in the war in Ireland. Russell gave him the order to hide, launch a fatal blow, and drag the Netherlands into the water during the naval battle. So George Ruk ordered the fleet to sail in the distant sea. His plan was not to go to the familiar Irish Sea (the water between Ireland and the British Isle) to standby, because he thought it was easy to be exposed, so he ordered the fleet to circle around the Atlantic Ocean to the west of Ireland, where there were several small islands that could be replenished by these islands, and then headed south after getting accurate information.

This not only hides the movements, but also occupies the upper hand and initiative from the beginning.

"General, Major General Giles Gail is here." George Ruk was drinking black tea when he heard his servant say.

Ruke knew very well that the Dutch would definitely have some doubts about the operation, but he had already thought about the reasons, but Major General Sigel was also a difficult person. He also participated in the Battle of Beck and commanded the most powerful 92-artile battleship in the Dutch fleet at that time (not a flagship). He was a brave and smart guy. He could rush out from the siege of the French battleship, which was enough to prove.

"General Ruke, you are not chasing the French fleet at all..." Major General Segel came prepared, and he had figured out everything.

Ruke was caught off guard. Just as he was about to change his words, a sound of cannons suddenly sounded, which made the two stop arguing and come to the stern building of the Britannia. However, he found that it was not the fleet that was firing fires, but a schooner in the distance was firing fires at Britannia. Half an hour ago, the fleet discovered the schooner. Because it was a typical British sailing ship, the fleet ignored it and could not have expected it to attack.

"This ship is crazy!" Ruke glanced at it and found that the ship had only four small cannons on the open-air deck. Not only was he a little surprised, but he did not delay for too long and immediately asked the cruise ship to capture the 'pirate ship'.

Under the noses of the two major generals, the 'pirate ship' did not escape by speed or resist at all. Instead, it surrendered directly. The captain was brought up. He was a middle-aged man about forty-five years old. He was very strong, but he only had four fingers on both hands, which looked a little weird.

"General, my name is Matthew Gilmore, Matthew of Plymouth. I was once the chief sailor on the Royal James. I participated in the Battle of Sal Bay. We killed a Dutch general, and our chief general, Earl of Sandwich, was killed. I was once a glorious navy. Out of my loyalty to England, I must tell you a big thing..." Gilmore was pressed to the ground, but he said loudly.

George Ruke heard this and let people let go of him, but Sgael's face was interesting, because the so-called Royal James was the flagship of the British navy eighteen years ago. A battleship with a 100-cannon battleship was killed by the Dutch Navy with a 60-cannon battleship and several arson ships. The Royal James only served for four months. Later, the British built an identical ship and renamed the Royal James. Now it follows the Britannia. Unfortunately, James in the Royal James at that time had lost his family and the king of the country. His replacement, King William, changed the Royal James to the Victory, and became the second battleship called Victory, and it was also the first Victory with a hundred guns.

Matthew Gilmore was one of several British captains released by Zhao Longcheng in Bantri Bay, and he told the entire story of the Empire Expeditionary Fleet, the location, strength and arrival time of the Expeditionary Fleet, and even the situation of the Bandry Bay.

After listening to Matthew Gilmore's information, George Ruk was half happy and half worried. He was happy that the enemy had already appeared, and the enemy was open and secret, so he could launch a raid. But Major General Sigay also got the news. What if he could deceive him into joining the battlefield?
Chapter completed!