My British Empire

  Chapter 566 Naval Assembly

   "What? Cadiz was attacked?" Philip II opened his mouth in disbelief. It was hard for him to believe that someone dared to bully the mighty Kingdom of Spain.

   "Yes, Your Majesty, according to the information, it was done by the English, and there is nothing wrong with it!"

  The palace minister said with a sullen face, his face was full of anger.

  How many years, Spain has never suffered such a major humiliation.

  Although the losses in the Netherlands were heavy, Spain's huge military power still shrouded Europa, and its dominance was unshakable.

   "Your Majesty, a letter has been sent from the south of the Netherlands. The British army in Normandy has suddenly sent troops north. The County of Artois has been occupied. According to visual estimates, there must be about 5,000 people!"

  The foreign minister rushed in quickly, panicked, and the words in his mouth shocked everyone.

   "The Englishman, what a shameless person, he went to war without declaring it. Send someone to question him!" Your Excellency the Prime Minister blew his beard and stared, extremely annoyed, even more angry than before.

  The Englishmen went to war without declaring it. What kind of behavior is this?

  At this moment, such a thought flashed through the hearts of all the ministers. Although they were annoyed, they felt more contempt in their hearts.

   "This, Your Majesty!" The Minister of Internal Affairs stood up in embarrassment, with evasive eyes, and said softly:

   "Yesterday, a group of Englishmen got involved in a lawsuit outside Madrid, and it is still closed in the court! They are still clamoring about what special messengers are!"

  When the Minister of Internal Affairs spoke, His Excellency the Chief Justice looked extremely embarrassed. He lowered his head and said nothing, maintaining his aristocratic face.

   "Okay, the most important thing now is to send someone to the Netherlands. The southern part of the Netherlands can no longer fall into the hands of the English. I would rather destroy it!"

  Philip II interrupted this embarrassing discussion. For the sake of the nobleman's face, it's better to make a big deal smaller!

  Philip II didn't care about the destruction of the port of Cadiz by the Dutch, but what he cared most about was being provoked by England, who had always regarded himself as a younger brother, on Spanish soil, which was no less than a blow to the head.

  If you can’t even fight the English, how can you stay in Europa, and how can you lead the Catholic countries to fight against the invasion of the Ottoman Empire?

   "The power of the kingdom in the Netherlands is difficult to take into account. After all, it is too far away. You can ask Austria to help!"

  Philip II thought about it, and finally decided to unite with his uncle for the time being. With a little face, how could he be against the rich Netherlands.

   "As for the navy, what are the losses?"

  Philip II turned his head and asked the prime minister.

   "Your Majesty, eighty-six ships were sunk, including 60 warships, and nearly a hundred ships were damaged and lost combat effectiveness. Nearly one-third of the naval strength has been weakened!"

  "More importantly, most of the sailors not only did not resist the English, but joined the ranks of looting after they left. The damage to Cadiz was greater than that of the English!"

   Speaking of which, the prime minister and ministers' contempt for sailors comes from the heart.

   "Assemble all your forces as fast as you can and make your way into England!"

  Philip II exhausted all the strength in his chest and said loudly, as if taking an oath.

  …

  In Portsmouth, the most important port of the United Navy, it is not only the residence of the Minister of the Navy, but also the residence of the English Sea Fleet. A large number of navies and their families live here.

Portsmouth has changed from a small city of thousands of people to a city of thousands of people, and the consumption is astonishing. It is one of the few high-consumption cities in England. Brothels, casinos, and pubs are the three pillars of Portsmouth Industry contributes most of the tax revenue.

  At this moment, the originally relatively crowded seaport now has a lot of fleets, and the flags on the ships are not the flag of the United Kingdom.

  If a well-informed person sees it, he will know that this is the flag of Portugal, the world's second, no, third largest naval empire.

  Since Edward ascended the throne more than ten years ago, the navy of the United Kingdom has grown rapidly like an inflated balloon.

  In 1556, the United Navy only had a few hundred ships, and only three ships were over 1,000 tons, and the rest were mostly three to four hundred tons, and very few were six to eight hundred tons.

  At present, the total tonnage of ships has exceeded 50,000 tons, eight ships of more than 1,000 tons, and as many as 100 medium-sized warships of 600 to 700 tons, and there are countless other small ships.

   What is especially terrifying is that every month, England will launch a new 600-ton ship for sea trials, and its terrifying manufacturing capabilities make people shudder.

  Compared with Spain, the number of ships will be equal in a few years. The only big difference is the quality of sailors.

  General Flores, the general of the Portuguese navy, led dozens of warships with powerful combat capabilities, and slowly sailed into the port under the command of the guiding ship.

   "Boom—" With a loud bang, a huge fleet began to show a hideous face.

   "Is this the largest military port in England?"

  Looking at the rows of uniform, large-scale naval ships, and the dense and active crowd on them, the scale is conservatively estimated to be as many as a thousand.

  The stretching plank roads are like tentacles and regular lines, which make the entire port planning orderly and pleasing to the eye.

  From this point of view, England is already one of the few naval powers in Europe.

   "Your Excellency, sure enough, the reason why the English dared to provoke the Spaniards is that they have some capital, and together with us, it is possible to defeat Spain!"

  The deputy on the side heard the words, looked at the bustling port, then took a breath, and said in a deep voice.

   "No, having too many ships doesn't mean you have great strength, the key depends on the people!"

  General Flores shook his head, not agreeing with the deputy's words.

  No matter how powerful a ship is, it is still controlled by people. A good army commander is a crucial condition for success.

  Slowly entering the port, the English style and the initial formation of Tudor-style buildings are also refreshing.

   Soon, all the Portuguese ships were in place. General Flores, accompanied by Secretary of the Navy James, boarded a high tower together, overlooking the bustling and lively port scenery.

   After observing for a long time, the enthusiasm at the beginning has been exhausted, and Flores is a little impatient.

   "Boom—" Suddenly, a loud sound of artillery fire appeared in the port, just like the sound of shelling when the Portuguese navy first entered, which was called a salute by the English.

   "This is—" Flores was inexplicably surprised, looking at the flag on the ship, "The Dutch, they are coming too!"

  (end of this chapter)