"You said the Portuguese agreed to provide supplies to France?" Yang Feng looked at Ye Zi with some astonishment.
"The French should have given them enough benefits. Our people in Lisbon said that French trains transported a large amount of diesel to Portimao in southern Portugal. There are very few diesel ships docking at that port. According to their transportation volume,
Even if it cannot be used up in ten years, there is no other explanation except to provide supplies to the French, and the French diesel shipments have also been confirmed by the Spanish, who said that if we need help, they will find excuses to stop it."
Ye Zi said with a smile.
Although Emperor Yang was a little surprised that such a third-rate small country would offend his own dragon power, if you think about it carefully, it is not surprising. The so-called barefoot people are not afraid of wearing shoes, just because they are too weak.
It has become so weak that it is not afraid of Emperor Yang at all. At this time, Portugal was not a red-haired country in the Age of Discovery. In fact, its finances were bankrupt. Both economically and politically, it basically relied on charity from the United Kingdom. If the French gave enough
The good thing is that Britain can help negotiate peace, and they will definitely not mind making a fortune.
First of all, they didn't ask for anything from Yang Feng. The main things Emperor Yang is holding Europe's necks now are military diesel engines and Yang's Medical Center. They can't afford the former. The best warship in the Portuguese Navy is now on the same level as the Zhiyuan, and it's still
Before the modification, they simply could not afford the expensive diesel battleship Zhiyuan. As for the latter, as Emperor Yang, for such a trivial matter, he would definitely not prohibit the treatment of Carlos I and his family.
Even Emperor Yang himself understood.
"Damn, that's why a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water!" Yang Feng was immediately amused.
"How about asking the Spaniards to stop the train for them?" Ye Zi asked.
"No, no, let them transport it, let our people be ready to dig it out when the time comes, and get more evidence. Then we will use this as an excuse to take Macau back." Yang Feng waved his hand and said, he was thinking about taking the concession.
When it comes to recycling, let’s start with Portugal. Other people’s concessions can also bring real benefits to China, such as foreign investment. How can these poor people have the money to invest?
Since he doesn't mind, there is no need for Spain to be troublesome. A large amount of oil has been shipped from France to Portimão. The Portuguese are indeed preparing to provide supplies to the French. First, the British have spoken, and second, the French government
They were promised financial assistance of 10 million francs and low-interest loans of 30 million. Compared with these, the risk of losing Macau is not worth mentioning. It does not contribute much tax revenue to the Portuguese government every year. As for the
Regarding the issue of Portuguese immigrants, the Chinese cannot kill them all or drive them away!
King Carlos I of Portugal also knew this very well. To put it bluntly, he just sold Macau in a different way, but the one who didn't get the payment was just that everyone was smart and everyone got what they needed.
Just when the French navy was mobilizing large-scale preparations to go south to encircle and suppress Lin Yongsheng, the Chinese army on the Vietnam battlefield had already arrived in Saigon. Of course, there is nothing to be fooled in this city. This will be a real siege.
However, Nie Shicheng was not in a hurry to attack. Negotiations in Singapore have started again. The French asked for a truce first before negotiating. Obviously they are waiting for good news in the Atlantic. If they can sink one or two Chinese warships before compromising, it will undoubtedly save their face.
Looks better.
In fact, the French government has understood that Vietnam cannot be saved. In the end, they have no choice but to accept the conditions offered by China, but even if they accept it, they cannot accept it without a victory even in a tactical sense. France will lose its face in that way.
.
Since they wanted another disastrous defeat before surrendering, Emperor Yang naturally didn't mind satisfying their little wish.
In the mutual expectation of both parties, the French Navy's thirty-two destroyers, led by the two armored cruisers Dupre and Dese, moved south along the coast in a mighty manner. Of the two, the Dupre was the one in the Swedish Yangtze River.
Built by the Young Shipyard, the Desai is supplied with most accessories by the Young Shipyard. Only the hull is built by France itself, including the main gun, which is also a product of the Swedish Bofors Company. Its combat effectiveness should be considered very powerful, otherwise the French would also
We will not keep these two ships at home and send all other battleships to Asia.
Portimão, a port in southern Portugal, is where the large French fleet first receives supplies. Although it is a secret supply, it is actually impossible to keep such a thing secret. Thirty-four warships are refueling, which is not the case at this small port.
It can be completed in a short time, but because of the backward infrastructure, it will take almost several days. Those warships are waiting at the port, and both local residents and passing merchant ships are very aware of it. People's Radio and Tomorrow Daily do not even need to take action. The French fleet has just arrived.
Upon arrival, newspapers in Germany, Spain, Italy and other countries immediately published the news.
The Chinese Embassy in Portugal immediately lodged a protest with the Portuguese government against their violation of the Neutrality Law. However, the Portuguese government excused itself on the grounds that the French navy was on a friendly visit. Later, the Chinese Minister requested that these French warships be prohibited from leaving Portimão.
But the Portuguese government still refused. In this case, there was nothing to say. Just when the French fleet completed its supplies and left the port, the Chinese government officially announced that it would terminate the Sino-Portuguese Lisbon War in 1887 on the grounds that the Portuguese government violated the neutrality law.
The Macau lease rights granted to the Portuguese in the treaty and the Sino-Portuguese Friendship and Trade Treaty officially took back the rule of Macau. Immediately afterwards, a regiment of troops entered Macau and drove the local Portuguese officials and garrison onto a merchant ship and deported them. As for the Portuguese expatriates,
It's up to them to stay or leave, but even those who stay will no longer have any political rights.
This move did not cause any disturbance. Even the Portuguese only raised some insignificant protests and settled the matter. Since they dared to provide supplies to the French, they were naturally well prepared for this. As for other countries, no one paid attention at all.
On the contrary, a wave of concession recovery has set off in China. The Chinese people, who have learned to express their voices to the government, once again put forward their demands to the government. Because they declared war on France, they had officially recovered the French concession before, and the United States
The concession in Tianjin was given up by itself, but the Qing government did not dare to accept it at first. After Emperor Yang came to power, he was naturally not polite. In fact, at this time, the only people with concessions in China were the British.
In the distant Atlantic Ocean, the mighty French fleet soon encountered their enemy. Lin Yongsheng had already received the news and quickly recalled the six cruisers that were performing interception missions. At the same time, he sent the two supply ships to the Spanish territories.
Then he led ten battleships to face the French.
In fact, he didn't even plan to use the four battleships, battleships and large armored cruisers to attack the destroyers. He was so stupid that he did that! Just dispatching the six Soryu-class cruisers was enough.
This domestically built improved model is not only faster, but also more powerful. The range of the 55-caliber 152 main gun even exceeds 20 kilometers, and the rate of fire reaches a terrifying ten rounds per minute, with eight main guns.
The salvo fire was a violent storm, coupled with the four 105 single-mounted guns with a faster rate of fire, the firepower was projected to exceed a hundred rounds per minute, and any destroyer was reduced to rubbish in front of them. Although there was no fire control system,
However, with the use of more advanced rangefinders, the combat distance can also be extended to more than ten kilometers.
After the seaplane discovered the French fleet more than 400 kilometers away, the six cruisers broke away from the main ship and went directly to meet it. After the two sides discovered each other, they immediately formed a column and cut to the outside of the French fleet. The two French cruisers Joan of Arc
The destroyers also came forward immediately, with thirty-two destroyers following behind like a pack of wolves, ready to rush forward and launch torpedoes under the cover of fire from the two cruisers.
It's a pity that these six cruisers were not prepared to fight them at all. They opened fire with the Joan of Arc class ten kilometers away at almost the same time. The difference was that they did not attack the two Joan of Arc class ships at all, but instead aimed at one ship in pairs.
Destroyer, the terrifying salvo firepower crippled a destroyer in the first round of shelling. A 500-ton small boat without armor protection was a scumbag in front of a 152mm piercing bomb. Two shells penetrated the ship at the same time.
The unlucky destroyer was under the waterline. As the flames of the explosion rose, the destroyer immediately slowed down.
On the high-speed cruiser, the forty-eight main guns fired wildly at the opposite side at a speed of more than 300 rounds per minute for a minute. In the end, none of the three destroyers escaped. One was sunk and two were seriously injured, and all lost their combat capabilities.
, but these six cruisers did not hesitate to draw an elegant arc on the sea to break away from contact before the French fleet completed the encirclement, leaving the French with the difficult choice of pursuing or not pursuing.
Chase, those destroyers will definitely not be able to catch up with them. Although the speed is the same, and the destroyers may even be slightly faster, the meaning of the fastest speed between the two sides is fundamentally different. These cruisers can maintain a speed of more than 30 knots for two days.
The French destroyer can last for two hours. If it lasts longer, the drive shaft will easily break. Moreover, the combat radius of the two sides is also incomparable. The combat radius of the French destroyer has been almost half reached here, even if it is in
Portugal came to refuel. Their original plan was not to sail back, but to continue to the Funchal Islands, a Portuguese territory. If they follow these cruisers for a circle, they may not reach their destination in the end.
In the end, the French chose to return to the normal route and continue moving forward. (To be continued...)