Two Hundred and Thirtieth Three Match What One Likes

The North American smuggling route starting from the Cayman Islands is actually no different from New Orleans except that the distance is longer.

Although, that is actually not the most wind-friendly choice.

From the perspective of navigation efficiency alone, the merchant ships of the Cayman Islands should go east along the island of Cuba, pass through the Bahamas through the Windward Strait, directly cut into the Atlantic wind circle, and then use Bermuda as a relay station to finally reach the west coast of North America.

However, this is obviously a dead end for the Jackdaw.

As a smuggling ship loaded with aid to the U.S. military, the Jackdaw had no choice but to stay away from Shaq's base camp, bypass Florida through the Yucatan Strait, and then stick to the North American coastline from the peninsula and the Bahamas.

And not too close to the coastline.

As General Clinton went south, the British army in the south of the thirteen states felt for the first time that the Royal Navy spared no effort to care. The land fronts are criss-crossed, the coastal ports are rock-solid, and the sea is completely dominated by the British.

The more he studied this route, the more Lorraine understood why there was gold flowing under the sea here, but no stable smuggling lineup could be formed anyway.

Because it is too sinister.

In order to protect his own interests, Count Galvez passed on a lot of secrets to Lorraine through Carmen.

From this, Lorraine knew that although in the vast seas of the New World, the French, friends of freedom, contained hundreds of ships of the powerful Royal Navy by themselves, but they had extremely hard to contain.

Along the Pan-Atlantic coast, the French Navy and the nascent American sampan fleet were jointly hammered by Shaq on the coast. They seemed to be able to protect some strategic locations, but in fact they were helpless in the vast space.

The Gulf of Mexico is barely dominated by France. Although the advantage is very limited, relying on the strong deterrence of its ally Spain, it can at least maintain its strategic initiative.

The strategic balance of power in the Caribbean was easily broken by the Battle of the Windward Islands. If Sir Parker hadn't cared about supporting the land, he really didn't have the intention of breaking the net. The Gulf of Mexico would most likely become an isolated island, and the French kept silent about it.

In the three sea areas, two losses and one surplus, the surplus is only slightly rippling, and the loss is extremely high.

Louis XVI is trying to persuade the First Parliament to send more warships to the New World, but the French government has already been burdened with a heavy financial burden due to the North American War of Independence, and it will not be achieved overnight if they want to continue to increase investment.

Obviously, as a messenger of French goodwill,

Once on the smuggling road, Lorraine has to fight alone.

"I really don't know if the Earl wants me to be firm in my convictions or retreat in spite of difficulties..."

Putting down the information, Lorraine rubbed his eyebrows in embarrassment.

"Carmen, who is our trader in Baltimore?"

"Mr. John Adams, member of the Continental Congress." Carmen held the document without bowing his head, "He is a close friend and supporter of Mr. Washington, the commander of the Continental Army, a leader of Federalism, a member of the drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence, and the first , Member of the Second Continental Congress."

"He was also a wealthy farmer, a good lawyer, a Deist, and a Monophysite Christian."

"He is very loyal to love. He has been married to his wife Abigail Smith for 15 years and has three sons and two daughters. The relationship is harmonious."

"Politically, he advocates reducing the autonomy of the states, implementing central leadership, abolishing the Confederacy, and establishing a federation. He is a close friend with Commander Washington, but he is not a political comrade. In politics, he has his own allies, the most authoritative of which is fellow Mr. Hamilton, Continental Congressman, and Mr. Washington's personal attaché. He had his enemies, too, such as the eminent Fellow Franklin and Mr. Jefferson, the new Governor of Virginia."

"His political opponents spoke highly of him, calling him a political tyrant, sharp, tough, simple, violent, full of practical spirit, and strict with himself."

"One more thing to note is that his wife, Ms. Smith, is also a politician, and she guesses that she has a certain idea of ​​women's liberation. She once wrote to her husband when Mr. Adams attended the Philadelphia Continental Congress, reminding him to pay attention to women's social status during the meeting and the protection of rights, or risk a second revolution in America. You may very well see her."

Carmen knows what Lorraine wants very well, and the information about the trader far exceeds the needs of a transaction.

Lorraine frowned and thought for a long time, then said softly: "The big farmer can get a simple and self-disciplined evaluation, which shows that the material desire shown by this gentleman is lower than ordinary people. It is not easy for a businessman to make friends with this kind of person. The best thing to do with this kind of person is..."

"An idealist who has the temperament of a dictator and embraces justice and glory." Carmen reminded.

"But such characters tend to belittle women's rights, at least not to give too much importance to their assistants and companions, male or female."

"You can focus on expressing your conceited personality regardless of gender, so that as your assistant, I will have characteristics that can make Madam sympathize."

"What if the lady's position is different from yours, is she a pragmatist? The letter she wrote to her husband can also be understood as using public opinion and personality design to attract female supporters. After all, as a politician, she should know those boudoirs The power of the noble lady in China should know that under the environment in Philadelphia at that time, such forward-looking issues could not really attract attention and discussion.”

Carmen smiled sweetly: "That's even better. A smart, useful, and underappreciated female assistant is the focus of her social interaction. She knows my value and will take the initiative to approach me."

Lorraine stretched her arms comfortably: "Since you have already thought about it, prepare a gift for Madam. There should be some ancient times on this ship..."

"My captain, precious ancient gold is not a panacea, at least not suitable for a politician who flaunts simplicity." Carmen blinked playfully, "I remember I still have a theological treatise written by Isaac Newton in my hand , since they are believers in deism, I think it would be a good gift."

"It's not only good..." Lorraine spread his hands, "I want to write to Ramos as soon as possible to urge the dividends in the first half of the year, at least not to let my beautiful consultant who loves shopping empty his wallet."

"That's really the best news, my lord."

...

The Jackdaw traveled far away for several days.

She rounded Cape Sable, crossed the Straits of Florida, passed the gap between West Palm Beach and Grand Bahama Island, and then left the coast and followed the edge of the continental shelf cautiously north.

Because of the geographical relationship, the Hamilton Naval Base has a very wide range of radiation, from the Bahamas, Georgia, the two Carolinas and the vast coastline of Virginia, the center of American independence, all within its control range.

Shaq has a strong army. Even if the Second Fleet on Newfoundland, which also belongs to the Continental Squadron, is aside, there are more than 30 warships of all levels, including the flagship Lion, and the Conqueror, which is also a third-class ship. Inspiration and nine Tier 4 frigates.

Judging from the hard power alone, his fleet is not inferior to the powerful army gathered by Sir Parker for the naval battle of the Windward Islands, and it is even more victorious.

There is no need for any doubts about the intelligence that he taught the French and American navies to be human by himself. What's more, Lorraine also knows that what Shaq is best at is the large-scale mobile defense of multiple small teams.

With a Tier 3 or Tier 4 ship as the core, two to three warships form a small formation, and use complex circular motions to draw a defense circle in a large area. They support each other without interfering with each other, taking into account rotation, early warning, and short-range support. In this kind of regional defense affairs, he is an excellent talent who does not give up.

Lorraine's late father Elijah Drake once said of his eldest son.

Shaq is good at bullying the few with more and forcing the weak with force.

Holding a sub-scale fleet in his hands, he will not perform better than a mediocre captain.

But as the size and strength of the fleet increase, his toughness will increase exponentially. Although his talents are more defensive, he feels like a python to the enemy, and his performance on the offensive end will not be weaker than others.

Lorraine agrees with Alia's comments.

In the last two years of the sea school, after completing most of the strategy and tactics courses, Lorraine and Shaq had more than one confrontation on the map.

Under the same conditions, Lorraine has an absolute winning rate within three ships, but once the number of warships exceeds six, it will be more difficult for Lorraine to win with each additional three-ship unit, and even if he wins, he will have to pay a huge price.

And now...

In this realistic confrontation, the Jackdaw was incapable of confronting any of Shaq's formations, and was confronted head-on.

All Lorraine can rely on is prudence and luck...

"However, in a different way of thinking, although the conditions are not the same, the warships at sea are no longer Shaq's pawns. How much can the members of the Continental Squadron who replaced the admiral be able to play with such a complicated circular defensive formation? "

"And among them... will there be any opportunities to take advantage of?"

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