Chapter 2024 How to Cut the Knife
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However, what Marin did not expect was that he had not waited for the envoy for help from England, but first waited for the procurement envoy from the Teutonic Knights.
Lev, the envoy of the Teutonic Kingdom, was still sweeping goods in places such as Nuremberg and Frankfurt to help the Grand Duchy of Moscow purchase weapons and armor. But suddenly I heard news from France in the west-the French defeated the powerful English navy with a galley with huge cannons. It is said that this giant cannon is so powerful that it can destroy a large ship once it is fired. Even, using it to smash the city gate, the effect is very good...
Lev didn't care about the smashing of the boat ahead, but the phrase "it's good to smash the city gate" described by the French drinker spreading the news in Nuremberg made Lev tempted.
Why did he drive towards the North Sea country instead of towards France? Because, when he arrived at the port of Emden before, when he was visiting the naval port of Emden in the North Sea country, he happened to catch a glimpse of a galley docked there. It seemed that there was a huge door on the bow of the galley. The bronze mortars of the French... perhaps, that is what the French call the "Boat de Calais"?
He has to figure this out, and if possible, he intends to buy this cannon, and even ships.
You know, Riga, the capital of the Livonian Knights, is just at the mouth of the sea. It would be very trouble-free to sail such a boat carrying a huge cannon into the Daugava River and directly bombard the city gate on the river side of Riga City.
Because, in addition to the great power of the artillery, the speed of the ships entering the Daugava River also prevented the Livonians from blocking the city gate hole in time, greatly increasing the chance of breaking through the city gate.
Therefore, Lev made a decisive decision-order 4 such ships, quickly sail into the mouth of the Daugava River, and then line up side by side to bombard the gate of Riga together. If you don’t believe it, you can’t bomb the oak gate of Riga!
Marin received Lev, and after listening to the request of the other party, he was stunned for a moment-this is too coincidental, I only prepared 4 low-end Dover ships, you have to pack all the Teutons? What about England?
However, suddenly a bright light flashed in Marin's mind - God helped me!
I just can't find an excuse why I prepared these four low-end Dover ships in advance! You know, it stands to reason that he would not know the movements of the French, how could these four ships be prepared by such a coincidence?
If the British knew about it, he could of course deal with it, but the British would suspect that he knew the secret of the French in advance, but he refused to inform the British in advance, and he had ulterior motives...
Although this is true, the British should not know it. After all, he will still be in charge of England in the future, so the relationship should not be too rigid.
But now, the Teutons made a purchase request, and they gave Marin a perfect excuse-this was originally what the Teutonic country wanted to purchase! As for why they purchased this kind of ship, how do I know?
Moreover, Marin can also falsely claim that the 4 ships originally prepared for the Teutonic people will be given priority to England, and he can also receive a wave of gratitude from the English...
Thinking of this, Marin smiled and said to the Teutonic envoy Lev:
"Your envoy, we do have this kind of ship, but they don't belong to us anymore. We have sold them to the English. However, if your envoy needs it, we can help your country produce four new ones as soon as possible!"
In fact, how can there be any new ships? Marin's plan is to refit several 250-level armed merchant ships that are about to be dismantled and eliminated, remove the gun ports on the side, and change them to paddle positions to become galleys. At the same time, the bow of the ship was also reinforced, and a Basilisk cannon was installed. In this way, a warship of the same level as the Calais ship can be obtained, and the displacement is not much different.
Although the modified paddle position may not be as easy to use as a special galley, which affects some maneuverability, but this is not a big problem. Because the Teutons did not have high requirements for ships, and did not require the maneuverability of the ships on the sea, but only wanted the ships to act as mobile forts to assist in blasting the gates of Riga.
In this way, the little mobility sacrificed due to modification is insignificant. Moreover, the estuary area of the Daugava River on the edge of Riga is wide enough to not affect the entry of 250-ton ships.
As for the Lizard Cannon, the Beihai National Cannon Factory has already mastered the relevant technology. It's just a bronze mortar. With the help of Mr. Gong's iron mold casting method, one can be cast in minutes...
Because of the relationship between allies and the face of selling his second uncle Yule, Marin even agreed to pay on credit first, and then pay slowly after getting the ship...
In this way, after getting an affirmative answer, the Teutonic envoy Lev turned around and went south with satisfaction, and continued to go to Nuremberg and other places to help the Grand Duchy of Moscow to buy weapons and armor.
In this regard, Marin has nothing to say. Moreover, he did not intend to inform his brother-in-law Siegmund I of the news. Because, although Poland and Lithuania are their own allies, Marin does not want to see them too strong.
Poland is next to Germany, lying on the side of the couch, how can it be threatened by others?
Therefore, Marin intends to turn a blind eye to the Teutonic state's support for Maozi's weapons and armor. Anyway, even if Mao Zi defeated Lithuania and Poland in the early stage, Marin could come out to help out. Therefore, the final result is that Maozi first hit the Remnant Boli Alliance, then Voldemort Marin took action, and then beat Remnant Maozi. In the end, both the Maozi and Boli alliances were destroyed, and no one could become the overlord...
With this in mind, Marin didn't take care of the purchase of Teutonic weapons. He even asked Kohler to send someone to help cover it up in secret, so as not to arouse the vigilance of Poland. After all, King Vladislas II of Bohemia was the elder brother of Sigismund I. Bohemia is the secular elector of the Seven Great Electors of Shinra, and has a great influence in Germany. Marin does not help to cover it up, and it is easy to be noticed by him. But Marin also ordered - must not reveal his origin, so as not to be hostile among relatives...
...
After sending off the Teutonic envoys, the English envoys arrived late...
After listening to Edward's envoy's request for help, Marin pretended to think for a long time before saying:
"Your envoy, I have heard of this kind of ship. This kind of ship was actually made by the Venetians. That Bidus was also an admiral of the Republic of Venice in the past."
"Your Majesty wants to use the large gunboats of the North Sea country to deal with the French Calais ships. It is a good idea, but with all due respect, I am afraid that it will not work..."
"Why?" asked the English envoy Howard Jr. (the son of the Foreign Secretary) puzzled.
"First..." Marin raised a finger and continued:
"I dare not offend France. England is alone overseas. I am not afraid of revenge from the French, but I am afraid that... if I sell the ship to His Majesty, my North Sea country may be retaliated by France..."
A trace of disdain flashed in Little Howard's eyes, but he nodded in agreement. These days, the nobles are not fools, and it is reasonable to be afraid of the number one power in Europe. It's just that it's rare for someone like Marin to say that he's afraid. Ordinary nobles talk about being afraid of France, at least find a reason, saying that they are worried about being attacked by the French army in the country, and their lives will be ruined, and they will never say that they are afraid...
"Second..." Marin raised his second finger and continued:
"This kind of gunboat consumes too much gunpowder. Even if Beihai has some money, it can't afford it. The point is, there is not so much gunpowder to fight. In order to raise enough saltpeter, you know, I sent people to collect the excrement of the whole country, just In order to collect nitrate..."
"Even if His Majesty takes 20 gunboats from me, can England afford it? Does it have so much gunpowder? Right now the French only have 6 Calais ships, what if they build 60, or even 100? You know, Calais Lai’s ships are not big, and the cost is not high, so the French can produce a large amount. What will England do then? Get another 100 gunboats and fire them vigorously? Where does the gunpowder come from?”
Hearing what Marin said, Howard Jr. fell silent. Because he knew that what Marin said was all the truth, and they were all problems that needed to be solved...
After bowing his head in silence for a long time, Little Howard raised his face with difficulty, and asked with a begging face:
"Grand Duke, what do you think England should do? Don't you just sit back and watch the French annex England? You know, you also have many fiefdoms in England!"
Marin touched his beard, pretended to think about it, and said:
"You're right, Mr. Howard, I have a solution that can solve England's plight. Not to mention defeating the French, at least I can draw with the French..."
"You mean..." Little Howard's eyes flashed with hope.
"England also makes Calais ships! Oh no, it can't be called Calais ships, that's the French name, it should be called Dover ships."
"Coincidentally, before that, the Teutons ordered four galleys from the Beihai State Shipyard. We pretended to have that kind of giant mortar on the bow, which was exactly the same as the Calais ship. Moreover, with the North Sea State Shipyard's technology , our ship has a stronger hull and is better able to withstand shelling..."
"Really? Grand Duke, can these four ships be supplied to England first? As you know, the war in England is very tight now. The French come to harass the coast of Britain every now and then, and many merchant ships have been sunk..." Little Howard said excitedly. Their Howard family was sunk by the French and suffered a lot of losses. The most important thing is that England is now full of panic, fearing that the French will fight across the Channel...
Marin pretended to hesitate and struggle for a long time, and finally said:
"Well, I am also the Earl of England, and it is my duty to help England tide over the difficulties! In this way, I will provide those four ships with heavy artillery and provide them to England first. At the same time, my shipyard is working at full capacity to build more ships for England. Dover ship!"
"Thank you so much!" Little Howard saluted Marin excitedly.
"Hey, what's the responsibility. However, the liquidated damages...and the shipbuilding cost..." Marin rubbed his hands embarrassedly.
"No problem! Your Majesty has ordered you before you come, and you will definitely give it. As long as you can tide over the difficulties, Your Majesty will never be stingy with money!"
"Your Majesty is so generous!" Marin grinned, but he was thinking about how to kill this knife...
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