Having decided to give it a go, François I quickly summoned Bidus, who had made a special trip to Paris. Bidus was Italian, but not Venetian, but a mercenary chieftain at sea, a seasoned galley commander who had served as a fleet commander in the Venetian navy.

However, in recent years, Venice has been digging the Suez Canal with all its might, and the sea has tried to avoid conflict with people and is relatively peaceful. Therefore, Bi Dusi can't find any good opportunities for the time being.

Moreover, Venice is a commercial republic, and although there are nobles in the country, it has also been passed down from a long time ago, and the governor of the republic is not qualified to confer knighthoods.

Therefore, for Bidus, it is better to find a monarch to serve him, and then obtain a title and fief by merit. Then, maritime powers such as Spain, Portugal and England became his choice.

However, Spain itself is a naval power, and there is no shortage of naval talents. Portugal and England were so focused on the development of sailing ships that Bidus's experience in conducting galleons was useless.

Then, only France is left to choose from. France was pressed by England and Spain, the navy was miserable, and there was a lack of naval commanders, which was the opportunity for Bidus to play.

It's just that, whether in the Mediterranean, or in the Atlantic and English Channels, France faces too many enemies at sea. If you want to mix naval military exploits in France, the difficulty is also hellish. If you rely on galley experience alone......

Bidus thought for a long time and felt that it was certainly unrealistic to compete with Spain on the Mediterranean. Moreover, Spain had the money to build a lot of galleys, creating a numerical advantage.

And England ...... Bi Du thought about it for a long time and felt that there was still a chance......

Although England has many ships, most of them are merchant ships of non-governmental organizations such as the Five Ports Alliance. Only when the royal family needs it, will it be recruited from the people. That is, England actually did not have specialized warships. This is inseparable from England's poor finances, although it is also one of the European powers, England's agriculture is sparse, and only sheep raising has the advantage. The wool textile industry is developing and has not yet formed an advantageous industry. Therefore, England's finances were only slightly better than those of the poorest Habsburgs, among the great European powers.

Therefore, it is impossible to build a warship that costs at least a few thousand gold coins and keep a large number of sailors for a long time.

In this way, Bidus was given the opportunity to study and crack the tactics of the English navy. Then, he also went to the English Channel to inspect and found a very interesting phenomenon - although the English Channel is windy, it sometimes becomes less windy, and even occasionally the wind is calm.

Although the proportion of breezes and calm waves is small, there are some. Unlike in the Atlantic, where there are strong winds all day long. This then gave Bidus the opportunity to think of tactics against the Kirk sailing ship in England......

"Your Majesty, I have studied the sea conditions of the Strait of Lamanche (as the French call the English Channel) and found that the winds and waves here are strong in winter and light in summer, and sometimes there is a light breeze, and occasionally no wind."

"And Your Majesty should know that in the Mediterranean, there is a perennial breeze or even no wind. That's why galleys are often used there. However, when the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel are more windy, sailboats are more often used. ”

"And when there is a light breeze or even no wind, the galleys have an absolute advantage. Because, if there is no wind, the sailboat will lie on the surface of the sea and cannot move, or move very slowly. ”

"But galleys are different, and when there is a light breeze or no wind, the sails don't provide much power. But we have oars! In the state of light breeze or even no wind, the mobility of the sailboat is basically abolished, while the galleys have more advantages because of the presence of oars......"

"So, the contemptible thought of a tactic against the English fleet - to send galleys against the English warships on a light or windless day in the summer......"

"Wait—I would like to ask, Mr. Bidus, how do you keep your galleys safe when they are stationed at the station? What should the English fleet do if they want to destroy their ships? At this time, John. . . Raffi interjected.

Pregent. Beydoux thought for a moment and replied:

"In fact, someone has already provided us with an example - the Grand Duke of Beihai ...... Marin"

"What? What do you mean......" François I was taken aback.

"Build a fort in the Bay of Brest to guard the mouth of the bay! I have been to the port of Brest once and found it to be an excellent haven. Moreover, the Krozhon Peninsula to the south of the harbor juts out into the sea and just envelops the Bay of Brest. ”

"If we follow the example of Grand Duke Marin of the North Sea Country, set up a fort in the northwest corner of the Crozon Peninsula. At the same time, if you also set up a battery on the beach west of Brest on the opposite shore, you can block the invasion of enemy ships. If there was the protection of the battery, what if England knew that there were ships in the harbor? They can't get in......"

"Good!" François I excitedly slapped the table and applauded.

"With this suggestion alone, I've decided to use you! With the protection of the battery, Brest Bay will become a safe military port, and there will be no more fear of the English hitting the door again! ”

"Mr. Bidus, I have decided to confer on you the post of commander of the Brest fleet, intending to overhaul the military port in Brest. At the same time, prepare the warship...... By the way, do you have to galleys? François I asked.

Bidus replied:

"Strictly speaking, after the modification of the mast and the expansion of the sail area, this kind of ship can no longer be called a galley, but should be called a galleys......"

"Galleys...... Not very good......" François I frowned, and continued:

"Well, the introduction of such ships was in preparation for the recapture of the fortress of Calais. Therefore, why don't you name this kind of sailing boat 'Calais'? ”

"Your Majesty is wise!" What can others say? The king has all given his name, and everyone can only agree. Then, this kind of sailing boat became known as the "Calais boat". Compared to the authentic galleys, the sails are strengthened and the ability to maneuver in areas with strong winds is enhanced.

For a time, the monarchs and ministers were happy, and they were all celebrating the birth of the "Calais ship". Only John. Rafi, the spy, frowned quietly, feeling a little troublesome.

And everyone here does not know that this Calais ship has been brilliant in its original history. Even, influenced the thinking of the Kingdom of France for hundreds of years of naval warfare......

Originally historically, Pregent. Bidus was actually conscripted by Louis XII in 1512 for a naval confrontation with England.

At that time, the monarch of England was Henry VIII. Hengba frequently ordered England to attack the French coast, inflicting huge losses on France. In desperation, Louis XII had no choice but to hire Pregent. Bidus brought several Calais ships over to try to confront the English navy.

As a result, this enrollment worked wonders. Pregent. With six small Calais ships of about 200 tons, Bidus made frequent sneak attacks on England. In the end, the commander of the English navy, Edward, was also killed. Howard. Then, for decades, England lived in the shadow of the Calais ship, struggling to find effective means of countering.

Of course, this is not without its benefits. The good news for England was that England later eliminated the Kirk and gradually developed the Galen ship, which was more suitable for great voyages and naval battles......

And before the appearance of the Galen ship, England felt the fear of the Calais ship for decades......

(All of the above is true history, and the next chapter will tell the reasons for the formation of the idea of naval warfare between Britain and France.)