Daming Military Empire

Chapter 641 Protracted, the wear and tear is astonishing

Looking at the retreating anti-Habsburg alliance fleet, Zheng Chenggong's face did not show the joy of victory. Although they lost more than two hundred super battleships this time, it was not enough to reverse the strength of the two sides.

They still have thousands of super battleships remaining. If the three fleets under their command are not damaged, they may barely be able to draw with them. However, the losses of the three fleets this time are not low, and there are at least a hundred battleships by visual inspection. He has already lost his fighting power, and the strength gap is still there. With his current strength, he is still not their opponent.

Zheng Chenggong stood quietly on the command platform of the flagship, waiting for the three major fleets to report the battle damage, while thinking about the next strategy.

This time, the tactics of scaring the enemy and waiting for work were quite successful. The strength of the anti-Habsburg alliance should be almost completely exposed. He judged that the total number of super battleships of the opponent should be between [-] and [-]. .

In other words, excluding the two hundred or so ships sunk this time, there should be 1000 or two hundred super battleships of the anti-Habsburg alliance. It's a little bit worse, because their naval guns are all front-mounted, and their rate of fire is a bit lower than that of Ming's naval guns.

If Da Ming can mobilize five fleets, it should not be a problem to defeat the combined fleet of the Anti-Habsburg Alliance. However, the problem is that Da Ming only has six fleets in total, and one fleet must not move if it defends the Eurasian Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. All of them fall over, and all the sea areas of Ming Dynasty are playing empty city tricks?

This is obviously unrealistic. If the enemy sends a fleet to go around the old way, which is the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa, the coastal ports of Daming will be in bad luck.

Moreover, even if all five fleets fall, it is impossible to end the battle in a short time, because it is impossible for the enemy to gather all the warships to fight you desperately when it is obviously impossible to fight. The port with forts and bastions will grind with you slowly.

After thinking about it, Zheng Chenggong couldn't think of a way to quickly end the war. At this time, the three major fleets reported the battle damage one after another.

Don't look at the fact that the Ming army didn't suffer much, in fact, the loss was not small. When the enemy started to lure the enemy into the depths, a dozen warships were riddled with holes and basically crippled. The last wave of hard work was also crippled. There are more than a hundred warships, but you must know that the opponent has thousands of warships. Even a broadside salvo would cost [-] to [-] shells. It is not bad to destroy only a hundred ships.

These so-called abandoned warships are basically severely damaged in the hull and steam pipelines, and they cannot be repaired at all. It is better to build a new one if they want to repair them.

After Zheng Chenggong thought for a while, he ordered the fleets to dismantle all the severely damaged warships, including guns, boilers, propellers and other useful things, and transport them back to Dongda Construction Shipyard. As for the others, they can only be dismantled. When the firewood burns.

After this battle, the remaining warships of the three major fleets of the Ming Dynasty were less than [-] ships, but the strength of the anti-Habsburg alliance navy was finally exposed, and their losses were even greater, and Ming did not suffer much.

Zheng Chenggong directly wrote a detailed memorial of the battle damage of the two sides and his own strategic plan, and sent the Clippers to the Ming army base on the Eurasian Canal, and then sent them directly to the capital to report to the emperor.

In his telegram, he also reminded the emperor that the enemy's more than 1000 super battleships are all ships, and most of them are new!
In other words, the shipbuilding capabilities of the anti-Habsburg alliance powers are quite terrifying. They can produce five or six hundred super battleships a year. Can't beat the enemy.

Being a commander not only requires proficiency in the art of war and command, but also has an overall vision. If you only know how to focus on the battle itself and ignore other aspects, you will probably lose everything.

Zheng Chenggong is undoubtedly a very good commander. Not only is he very good at commanding operations, but he also has a very comprehensive vision. If he only knows how to urge Zhu Cijiong to mobilize warships, mobilize troops, and compete with others, then within two years, the Ming Empire will be destroyed. It will be consumed by the anti-Habsburg alliance.

Because, at this time, Ming Dynasty can only produce [-] super battleships a year, while the five countries of the Anti-Habsburg Alliance can produce at least [-] super battleships a year!

After Zhu Cijiong received the telegram from the front line, he was also not happy. Although Zheng Chenggong led the Ming Navy to win the anti-Habsburg alliance, but this victory was not enough to change the situation of the battle. The two sides will inevitably enter a stalemate. It is the comprehensive national strength.

It’s not that he thinks that Ming’s national strength is inferior to the anti-Habsburg alliance powers. Now Ming has an advantage in both manpower and material resources. The main problem is that Europe is too far away from Ming. Although there are railways and ships to transfer materials, the loss is also quite large.

Not to mention anything else, the loss of transportation capacity occupied by transshipment materials is quite astonishing. He did not build the Eurasian Railway to transfer food, grass, supplies, weapons and ammunition, and the establishment of the Daming Royal Shipping Company was not to provide logistics for the army. The two cash cows, now not only can't shake the money, but they have to pay upside down, the loss is simply incalculable!
Also, there are now 60 Ming troops stationed in Europe. According to Zheng Chenggong's intention, at least two fleets must be sent there. Big and equally astonishing.

There are also the cost of shipbuilding, the cost of making weapons and ammunition, the compensation for casualties of soldiers, etc. In this way, although the Ming Dynasty will not be dragged down in the short term, economic regression is inevitable. Was consumed!
This is definitely not possible. Zhu Cijiong’s vision is wider than that of Zheng Chenggong. This time, Da Ming is helping Spain and Portugal regain their colonies. It is obviously wrong for Da Ming to bear all the war expenses. They must also bear most of the war losses. .

Zhu Cijiong carefully calculated the war losses, mainly food, weapons and ammunition, and pensions for casualties. For these, he listed the apportionment plans one by one.

First of all, food and grass. This is the best way to say it. The Ming Empire is going to help you fight the war. It shouldn’t be too much to share most of the food and grass. He believes that as long as it does not exceed the tolerance limit of Spain and Portugal, they will not object.

Then there are weapons and ammunition. At this point, ask them whether they want to come or not. Because their output is limited, Zhu Cijiong decided to help them build an ammunition manufacturing workshop. The scale is determined according to the loss of the front line. The equipment can be provided by Ming Dynasty. As for materials and labor, trust them I'm also ashamed to ask Daming.

Finally, there is the issue of soldiers' casualties. Zhu Cijiong is going to give them [-] super battleships on credit, let Spain and Portugal each form a fleet to join Zheng Chenggong's command, and help them build an assembly line with an annual output of [-] battleships, boilers, propellers The main components such as guns and cannons are provided by the Ming Empire, and the hulls are made by themselves, which not only saves the cost of shipbuilding, but also reduces the casualties of soldiers. Spain and Portugal can also enhance the strength of their navy. Everyone is happy. Zhu Cijiong believes that they should not would object.

PS: I recommend the new book "Zhen Nanming" written by the great history god. It is also written at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)