"Humph!" After reading the information, Marin threw the information heavily on the table and let out a cold snort of dissatisfaction.

"Portugal is really arrogant, do you really think that if you have more ships, you will be invincible?" Marin was quite dissatisfied with the Portuguese honey confidence.

Of course, Portugal can't be blamed for self-confidence. Marin has been hiding his sea power, and the outside world only knows that there are 10 warships in the North Sea, but they do not know that the number of warships in the North Sea has reached 30.

This is because 10 of Marin's 30 warships were sent to Japan. Of the remaining 20 ships, 10 are hidden in the relatively remote Williamshaven in the more remote Yade Bay. There are only 10 warships, and they will enter and exit the military port of Emden at the mouth of the busy Emes River.

In this way, the illusion is left - there are only 10 warships of the North Sea State. As for the armed merchant ships, because Marin rarely recruited them to participate in naval battles, everyone forgot that those 250-level armed merchant ships were also warships......

As a result, the Beihai Navy gave the outside world an illusion - there are 10 warships that can fight!

Although the 10 ships looked large, the heavy guns on board were usually covered. The gun doors of the lower artillery deck are also closed all year round. Only before the start of the battle will the gun doors be opened. Therefore, these 10 battleships look big, and they don't look very powerful.

The Portuguese confidently believed that although the 10 warships of the North Sea Kingdom were all tall, their combat effectiveness was not weak. However, compared to the dozens of warships that Portugal can mobilize at every turn, it is still not worth mentioning.

You know, in an emergency, Portugal can even requisition more than 100 warships from the civilian sector to participate in the war. Even against an equally powerful Spain, Portugal is confident.

But they don't know that times have changed, and naval warfare is no longer the era of small boats. They didn't even know that the ships of the North Sea Kingdom had much thicker sides than the Portuguese ships and were more resistant to shelling. Not to mention the thickened encrypting warships, even ordinary Class 250 armed merchant ships are more resistant to shelling than the popular Caravel galleons in Portugal......

However, the hull structure is not visible from the outside. Only after fighting in actual combat will you know the specific situation. Just like Rui. Silva, although he captured a 250-class armed merchant ship of the North Sea State, did not carefully study the structure of this ship, and did not know that this kind of ship was superior to the Portuguese Caravel galleon.

……

Speaking of which, it was also the ship that was unlucky. Because of the desire to confuse the Portuguese, this 250-class armed merchant ship, which could be equipped with 20 guns, deliberately did not have artillery, and only arranged four 12-pounder copper cannons in the bow and stern. So, the combat effectiveness is insufficient. Otherwise, in the face of the warships of the Portuguese Azorean fleet, not to mention that they can win, it is still no problem to escape.

The problem was that the ship didn't have enough artillery. In addition, during naval battles, the mainmast was accidentally broken by the shells of enemy ships, and it was impossible to escape. So, I can only drink and hate.

And according to intelligence, it seems that of the 40 crew members on board, after the surrender, only the die-hard captain and first mate were executed. The other sailors were taken as slaves to a newly opened sugar cane plantation near Porto Sangra de Heromas, on the island of Terceira. And this newly opened sugar cane plantation is, of course, Rui. Silva has his own industry. The old sugarcane plantations of the Portuguese royal family and the great nobles did not dare to move, so he had to open a new plantation to grow sugarcane by himself.

……

"That is, most of the crew is still alive?" Marin confirmed.

"Yes, Your Majesty, according to the intelligence officers, only the captain and the first mate of them were killed for refusing to surrender. The rest of the ordinary sailors were taken as plantation slaves. ”

"Can you determine the location?" Marin asked.

"Yes, 10 kilometers west of Angra de Grasmo, by the sea!" Kohler replied.

"By the sea...... Can we just send a ship to the shore and raid the man who rescued us from the plantation? Marlin asked.

As the soul of modern man, Marin still prioritizes rescuing the crew.

Kohler shook his head and said:

"According to the intelligence, the new plantation, named Silva, seems to have a steep coast near it, which is not suitable for boats. If you want to force your way ashore, you can only land by small boat. If necessary, you may also have to wade into the water. ”

"It's not easy...... Marin touched his chin and thought for a while:

"Well, you call Kidd and them, I'll have something to do with him!"

In the afternoon, Captain Kidd of the Navy came to Marin's office......

"Kidd, you go and pick a group of elite Marines, I need them to do one thing - save people!"

"Saving people?" Kidd was a little confused.

Marin patted his head and told Kidd in detail what had happened, and Kidd suddenly realized:

"Oh, it turned out to be the crew who rescued the 'Cell'!" The 'Cell' was the name of the hapless transport ship that was robbed.

But Kidd then asked:

"Your Majesty, that Silva village is only 10 kilometers from Port Heroci, where the Portuguese fleet is located. Once the ships we sent launched a landing, it was bound to alarm the Portuguese warships in Anglo Port. Although there are only six or seven ships over there, our navy can defeat them. But the question is, Your Majesty, are we ready for a complete turnaround with the Portuguese? ”

Hearing Kidd's question, Marin fell into deep thought......

What Kidd said is very reasonable, the six or seven broken ships in Port Sanshero can be solved by dispatching a few armed merchant ships of class 250 loaded with artillery and ammunition without dispatching battleships. But the question is, what about after it is solved? And Portugal completely turned face?

Marin now needs to prepare for France, and it is not suitable to face Portugal head-on. Although they are not afraid of Portugal, once the two countries tear their faces, they will definitely attack each other's maritime transportation and affect the trade interests of the North Sea countries. In particular, if Portugal cannot be crushed at once, the other side may really send a ship to the Americas to make trouble......

"How can you make Portugal a bogeyer without turning the other cheek with Portugal?" Marin fell into deep thought......

This contemplation was an hour, and Kidd was a little restless. Finally, Marin raised his head and thought of something......

"By the way, Portugal's core interest is the spice trade!" Marin got to the point.

……

For Portugal, the Indian spice trade is their lifeblood. Whoever dares to move, they will fight with whomever they want. But what if you warn the other party?

However, Marin certainly could not send the warships of the North Sea State to intercept the Portuguese spice ships. However, he could have sent someone disguised as a British pirate......

"Hehe, English pirates...... What a good excuse......" Marin laughed.

So, he went on to arrange:

"You send for a few ships that look like English ships, and they are refitted, and the sides are nailed with iron sheets, and black paint is painted to cover them. Then, send our sailors, disguised as English pirates, to the Atlantic to teach the Portuguese a lesson! However, only hijack the ship, not hurt people! ”

To put it bluntly, Marin sent someone to rob a Portuguese spice ship, not really wanting to rob it, but to give the Portuguese a warning - if you don't relent, we can also send "pirates" to intercept your spice ship!

Compared to ships laden with spices, the ships of the North Sea States that transport sugar and rice are nothing to mention. Because, in Europe, spices can be compared to gold, but the price is still better than silver. A ship laden with spices is worth more than a ship loaded with sugar and rice, and I don't know how expensive it is.

So, the loss of a spice ship and the loss of a ship loaded with sugar and rice are two completely different concepts.

However, Marin does not want to tear his face with Portugal yet. Therefore, he would only order the execution of the captain and first mate of the plundered spice ship - and Rui. Silva did exactly the same. In this way, it can be regarded as a warning to Portugal - can you pretend to be pirates? Me too!

Moreover, the ships sent by Marin will be in the style of England. The people who sent it will also disguise themselves as English pirates. In this way, even if it is said on the surface, Marin can push two five or six and play tricks directly. However, the Portuguese will know what he means.

However, in order to prevent the Portuguese from being arrogant and provoking a war, Marin still made two preparations -

"Order 20 warships of the North Sea Kingdom to prepare for war! At the same time, allocate 20 armed merchant ships to train together and prepare for a naval battle! ”

"Yes!" Kidd immediately stood up and saluted......