The "Flying Fortress" does not seem to be that fortress, in fact it is not strong, and it is not resistant to fighting. However, in the era when there were no anti-aircraft guns, it could move across the sky and was also the best weapon to break the opponent's dense infantry square formation.
Whether it is the ancient phalanx from Sweden or the Saus phalanx from the Netherlands, they can only be beaten passively when encountering an army of airships, without the ability to fight back. Even if they shoot in the air, the musket range is out of reach.
After the Mud Empire obtains the "mysterious formula" from the East, how many airships it can build depends on how many animal skins Ferdinand IV can collect. I wonder if it will trigger a new round of rush to buy animal products.
If they only fight pure ground wars, Spain cannot defeat France, and the Mud Empire cannot defeat Sweden. Even if it wins one or two tactical victories, it will suffer strategic defeat, because the HRE Empire's already low national power is constantly declining. Consumed by opponents.
With the help of airships, the imperial troops should generally not be defeated by the enemy, at least when facing the front. The probability of victory will increase sharply, at least to more than 50%, and the remaining 50% will be failure and a tie.
Whether they are French, Swedish or Dutch, it is inevitable to feel confused and frightened when they see such a mountain-like monster flying overhead. If the mud pilots drop bombs accurately, they will inevitably cause chaos in the enemy's formation. .
This gives the mud ground troops a great opportunity to take advantage of. If they are grasped properly, it is not impossible to achieve a wild victory with a high battle loss ratio. It depends on the on-the-spot performance of both sides.
If he could inflict three heavy losses of about 10,000 people to the "Anti-Mud Alliance" on local battlefields, and his own losses were not too great, Ferdinand IV really had hope of reversing the situation and gaining strategic initiative.
As an ally, if the Mud Emperor obtains it, then his most reliable ally, King Philip IV of Spain, will naturally obtain this secret weapon.
During his reign, the Spanish Empire declined. With the "Invincible Fleet" almost completely wiped out by the British navy in 1588, the sea control that had enabled Spain to quickly achieve the goal of becoming a rich country and strengthening its military was quickly lost to other countries.
The navies of the Netherlands, Britain, and France have all accelerated the pace of construction, and the gap with the Spanish navy is rapidly narrowing. Spanish warships and treasure ships are often attacked in the Caribbean, causing heavy losses.
The area that can save some face is the Mediterranean, where the Spanish fleet can still firmly suppress the Ottoman Navy and bearded pirates.
However, because Philip IV will increase taxes on Catalonia next year, a large-scale rebellion occurred in the region. At the end of the year, Portugal broke away from Spanish control, and João IV established the Braganza Dynasty.
Internal and external troubles broke out at about the same time, and the Spanish army was faced with a three-front battle. Even if Philip IV had more than 200,000 troops in his hands, he would be overwhelmed and embarrassed.
In the Far East, although Spain occupied the northern part of the island, the Dutch, not to be outdone, occupied the southern part of the island and relied on their powerful navy to frequently attack Spanish warships.
Although the closest Spanish possession to Treasure Island is the Philippines, the Philippine Governor is no longer able to maintain this extremely fragile sea transportation line, and will hand over the control area of Treasure Island to their old European enemies in three years.
With successive victories in the European battlefield, the Dutch also planned to use the East Indies as a springboard to attack the Spanish Philippine Islands, thereby completely driving the Spanish out of Southeast Asia and crowning themselves the overlord of the region.
For Yaoji, this kind of strategic-level game is not barbaric and cruel, and it is very inconsistent with the nature of the two gangsters. The Dutch and Spanish sides must fight unprecedentedly fiercely in Southeast Asia, with tens of thousands of people dying before they can be called powerful.
If Philip IV really wanted to obtain the secret of the airship, it would not be impossible. Like his cousin Ferdinand IV, he could send 10,000 troops to help in the battle.
Ten thousand Shinra mercenaries, ten thousand Spanish troops, and tens of thousands of Japanese troops. Even if only fifty thousand people land on the Liaodong Peninsula, they can still scare the emperor.
This group of bandits are not from the Ming army, so they will be upfront. If the "Qing Dynasty King Master" doesn't follow them, they will be very unhappy if they can't find their "little friends" when they come so far away.
Since Braid can ask for help from the Menggu cavalry, in the same way, Yaoji can also hire foreign aid, inviting foreign aid from Asia and Europe. Not only the cavalry, but also infantry and artillery, there are more arms and people, Yaoji I haven't been afraid of anyone yet.
If ten thousand is not enough, then twenty thousand; if twenty thousand is not enough, then fifty thousand; if fifty thousand is not enough, then one hundred thousand. With the addition of two hundred thousand Ming troops, the military strength is already comparable to that of Big Braid Hard Steel.
Yaoji's combat principle is to either not fight, or to fight hard, or not to fight. As long as the fight begins, victory must be guaranteed, and Yaoji will not stop until the chicken on the opposite side is crippled...
It is unknown how many troops the Tokugawa generals agreed to send, but under Yaoji's continued seduction, Emperor Mud and the King of Spain should be able to activate instinctive reactions.
The first move of fishing is to use advanced weapons, and the second move of fishing is to use a huge amount of gold!
In this world, no one will be tempted by gold!
In the three hundred years from 1500 to 1800, Spain obtained this windfall from more than 2,500 tons of gold and 100,000 tons of silver. Only then did Spain become the richest man in Europe, and the nobles were able to spend huge sums of money on luxury goods.
The wealth accumulated by the Latin American indigenous people for thousands of years was shipped to Spain, but this money was quickly spent by the Spanish royal family. By now, several generations of kings have gone bankrupt many times.
Because it still had to support more than 200,000 troops, after the demise of the "Invincible Fleet", Spain no longer had the financial resources to rebuild a fleet equally powerful in size and combat effectiveness, and could only let the Dutch warships dangle in front of them.
Stimulated by the protracted fierce wars in Europe, Philip IV must have been hungry for precious metals like a zombie asking for the smell of fresh meat. Any news related to this would automatically activate his nerve center.
The big jade thrown by Yaoji is, no, no, a big bait. The fair-skinned and beautiful big jade is the private property of a certain chicken and must be strictly protected.
The big bait is the world-famous "Grasberg" gold mine, located in the west of Papua Island in the Dutch East Indies. Later proven reserves are staggeringly high, with more than 3,400 tons of gold and nearly 19,000 tons of silver.
According to the one-to-five ratio of gold and silver, the reserves of such a gold mine are equivalent to one-third of Spain's plunder in three centuries!
I believe that as long as the location of this gold mine is told to the Netherlands and Spain, the battle for the "Grasberg" gold mine will directly escalate to a fierce level.
If 200,000 taels of silver can be used to build a battleship equipped with a hundred cannons, then only 800 tons of silver can be used to build an "Invincible Fleet" with hundreds of battleships.
Not to mention Philip IV, kings and emperors all over the world will be eager to see the "Grasberg" gold mine. Mastering this gold mine is equivalent to having multiple armadas and hundreds of thousands of elite armies.
Yaoji also hopes to put this gold mine into his pocket, but since the Ming Dynasty navy is far inferior to the Zheng family's fleet, he just thinks about it. Instead of burying it for a hundred years and then developing it, it is better to take it. Come out to "fish".
Philip IV was in his prime. Although he was aggressive in military affairs, he was not as easily influenced by others as he wanted to scapegoat his father. He would not be at the mercy of the Ming Empire's prince, but taking the bait was a 90% chance.
Although the Spanish Empire's national power is currently declining, thanks to the great geographical discoveries at the end of the fifteenth century, its territory is still extremely terrifying.
Including Spain, all of Latin America except Brazil, half of Italy, the Philippines, the Southern Netherlands, and the northern part of the island.
If North America hadn't been too cold and Africa too poor, nearly half of the world's land would have been controlled by the Spanish Empire.
So when it comes to the "Empire on which the sun never sets", Britain is actually just a "successor", and Spain should be the first to win this honor.
Both countries rely on their navies to dominate the world and use maritime trade to develop their own economies. Britain's "sucking effect" is also more obvious.
Britain did not learn the most valuable lessons from the decline of the Spanish Empire, and thus gave up its hegemony three hundred years later.
This lesson is that the sovereign army cannot forever control a colony whose population and area are much larger than the mainland. The only way to control it is to move there!
When the colonial resistance is not strong, the "relocation strategy" is applicable to any country.
If Portugal moved to Brazil, it would still be a world-class power three hundred years later due to its geographical location.
Britain does not have to go to North America. Even if it moves to Australia, which is vast and sparsely populated, it will not end up like it did later.
The Spanish Empire was different from the Mud Empire. It almost wasted its huge colonial territory in the best of times.
They are not as good as their superiors but more than their inferiors. Fortunately, they have their enemy the Dutch to back them up...
The Netherlands will always be a small country in Europe, and its victory will only be temporary. As long as a neighboring country has a strong rise, the Netherlands will only be destroyed.
The East Indies, which span two oceans, are actually the best place for the Netherlands to stay, which can maximize the country's navigation advantages.
It is rich in products, with food being harvested three times a year, and the indigenous people are not yet civilized. It can also completely escape the long-term melee in Europe. The shipping trade between Asia and Europe is a financial golden rice bowl.
However, the Netherlands only used this place as a bridgehead from the beginning to the end. There were millions of people without an entry-level strategist, and they were repeatedly bulldozed by the enemy. There was really no need for sympathy.
Philip IV would not take such a long-term view, as all Spanish kings had done.
In 1586, led by the Spanish Governor in the Philippines, local military and political officials drafted a battle plan to conquer the Ming Empire, covering political, military, belief, economic and other aspects.
Prepare to use 25,000 troops, including the Spanish Army and the Portuguese Servant Army, and even want to recruit 5,000 Japanese helpers.
Although the deployment of troops is a bit fanciful, if it is combined with the "Invincible Fleet", it may really be possible to successfully occupy the vast area south of the Yangtze River and "rescue" the tens of millions of poor people squeezed by Lao Zhu's family.
It was just that the plan was in trouble. In less than two years, the invincible "Armada" was packed and sunk by the British Navy, and the plan could not be implemented.
There was a second chance. In 1644, when the scapegoat was hanged and the courier Brother Li was fighting with Dorgon, Spain dispatched 50,000 troops. It was still possible to occupy half of the Ming Empire, especially to plunder the most powerful areas. Jiangnan region.
Both unwilling to move and missing a God-given opportunity, if Philip IV did not make a fortune, the Spanish Empire under his control would continue to fight in Europe for ten years, and its decline would only be a matter of time.
The "Grasberg" gold mine was nothing less than a life-saving straw for the king. It was the basis for the empire's survival. Digging out fifty tons of gold every year was enough to solve the current financial problems that were imminent.
What is most important to a time traveler?
Technology Products?
historical figure?
Customs?
neither!
As long as you remember the top ten gold mines in the world and the top ten gold mines in China, any dynasty before the 20th century will live a luxurious life, because mining will never become obsolete at any time, and open multiple bases for random mining. Flow is the unique secret to defeating the enemy.
There will be no large-scale displacement of gold mines. As long as you remember the specific location, you can dig it in the Qin Dynasty, you can dig it in the Han Dynasty, you can dig it in the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty, and you can dig it in the Qing Dynasty. It's fun, just take care of it.
The mines that you can't dig for the time being and the mines that you can't reach can be used for "fishing", allowing two potential competitors to fight each other. When they are both hurt and about to die, you can send your younger brothers up to harvest crops...
As far as mining local gold mines is concerned, fifty tons of gold are dug out a year, which is equivalent to 500 tons of silver, or 12.5 million taels of silver, which is almost as much as the revenue of the Ministry of Revenue last year. If a hundred tons of gold were dug out, the dumper would laugh out loud in his dreams.
As the current prince, Yao Ji did not dare to rely on the aura of fighting to make his fortune. When his character was at a low point, it was easy for his entire army to be wiped out, and even his life could not be saved. The strategy of mining coders was the most appropriate.
A foreign aid needs five taels of silver as military pay per month, and a coalition of 50,000 will cost three million taels a year. Including the consumption of food, grass and ammunition, six million taels will be enough. This money can be mined.
There is no need to worry about the money, otherwise the men from Guan Ningjun will help you spend it, and they will only spend the money and not do anything serious. When the pigtails come, it will be like a son seeing his father, huddled in the city and shivering, or... Kill good people and pretend to be rewarded.
Squeezing two million taels from Guan Ningjun's mouth and adding another four million taels himself would be enough to hire 50,000 foreign aid to land in Liaodong. Six million taels a year can open a second battlefield. The balance should be Very good deal.
If you still have some spare money, open a third battlefield, and the third battlefield should be easier to open than the second battlefield.
When it started to open up, it was too late for Huangtaiji to provide support. This third battlefield was not something that could be done just by saying that support would be enough.
He never dreamed that the Ming army would land there...
