Because of the rust of the city gates, Marin was desperate to get the Tara lead-zinc mine. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoWith zinc, Marlin can make white iron sheets, which are anti-rust and anti-corrosion. In addition to solving the problem of rust prevention at the city gate, it can also solve the problem of navigation.

The threat of ship maggots is really great. In the Age of Discovery, because of the tireless gnawing of ship maggots, wooden ships needed a major overhaul after each voyage. The main part of the overhaul is to remove the maggots from the ship, and repair the parts that have been gnawed by the maggots and damaged by the waves.

So, it's not that you can sit back and relax if you get a search boat. If you don't overhaul it often, it's easy to have big problems. For example, when the Spanish Armada attacked England in 1588, very few ships were lost due to the bombardment of English warships. However, because the maggots gnawed at the hull, and then the British shelling, coupled with the wind and waves, the sinking ship accounted for more than half of the losses.

Ship maggots are so hateful that they cost the great seafaring nations millions of dollars every year, and also greatly affect the life of the ship. Because, under the gnawing of the maggots on the ship, no matter how it is repaired, after a certain year, the ship will have to be reimbursed. And if there is no gnawing by the maggots of the ship, there is no problem with a boat for tens or hundreds of years. For example, the famous clipper Cutty Sark (also known as the Short Shirt) was built in 1869 and was still there for visitors until the fire broke out in 2007.

Another example is the USS Constitution, which was launched in 1797. Later, because it was properly preserved, it was still in service in the 21st century. Of course, this is because the ship is regularly overhauled, so that it can be preserved for more than two hundred years.

And because of the gnawing of ship maggots, the average seafaring ship, preserved, can be used for decades, and those that are not well preserved will be reimbursed in ten or twenty years, and will be devastated by ship maggots......

So, in the 18th century, the British came up with a good idea -- wrapping the part below the waterline of the hull with copper skin. In this way, there is nothing left for the ship maggots. Although the cost of wrapping copper is very high, after wrapping copper, the overhaul cost saved is more than that of wrapping copper.

In this way, after wrapping the copper skin, the ship will need to be overhauled for a long time. Moreover, the ship can stay in the sea for a long time......

Prior to this, most of the world's ports were built at the mouth of the Tamsui River. Because, ship maggots are not adapted to fresh water. When a wooden boat enters freshwater waters, the maggots will automatically break away from the hull and flee to the seawater area because they are not adapted to the freshwater atmosphere.

Therefore, in the early years, the port was built at the mouth of the freshwater river, not directly by the sea. London, for example, has a port along the River Thames; Hamburg, for example, is not on the seaside, but on the Elbe near the river downstream; Lübeck, for example, is also at the mouth of the Travo River; Bremen, for example, is not on the seaside, but on the Weser River, 60 kilometers from the mouth of the sea......

Of course, there are also some ports, built directly by the sea. But that was a choice out of desperation, and this kind of port could not dock wooden ships for a long time. Otherwise, after docking for a long time, the ship will be gnawed by the maggots and sink by the water...... And in the era of cement and steel ships, there is naturally no need to care about ship maggots, and the ports are built directly by the sea......

By wrapping the waterline with copper skin, the boat can be parked in the sea for a long time. No matter how good your maggot teeth are, can you gnaw the copper skin?

It's just that the cost of wrapping copper is too high. Generally, only warships and some wealthy ship owners will choose to wrap the hull with copper skin.

And, that was later. Since the Dutch introduced Japanese copper in the 17th century, the price of copper in Europe has plummeted to a ratio of 1:80 to silver-copper. Previously, due to the large-scale development of the Fayilun copper mine, the price of silver and copper in Europe only dropped from 1:15 to about 1:30, not less than 1:50.

Even in the case of a low price of more than 1:80 in the exchange ratio of silver and copper, few people can afford to wrap copper skin, let alone this crazy era when the silver-copper ratio is 1:15.

So, even if he knew the method, Marin never thought of wrapping the ship with copper. Unless it is the gods of the Middle East who have exchanged all their wealth for gold and silver, they have the confidence to wrap all ships with copper skin......

If you use galvanized white iron sheet instead of copper sheet, the effect is not bad, and the cost is much lower.

After all, there is really no technical difficulty in white iron sheeting. There is only zinc, throw the ordinary iron sheet into the zinc liquid at hundreds of degrees and roll it, and the fish out is a galvanized white iron sheet.

The white iron sheet is anti-rust and anti-corrosion, and the cost is much lower than that of copper skin. Moreover, even if it is a little bumpy, it will not rust as quickly as tinplate. Even if the white iron sheet is scrapped for some reason, it is a big deal to change it, and the cost is not high anyway......

As a man who wants to make a big voyage, Marin will definitely own a lot of wooden boats in the future. If you can't stop the maggots, the annual overhaul cost alone is a huge expense.

However, if there is a Tara lead-zinc mine with the largest reserves in Europe, a lot of zinc is produced. Then, it will be possible to mass-produce cheap white iron sheets and wrap them around all ships sailing in the oceans. In this way, the ship does not need to be overhauled. At most, see which piece of white iron is damaged, and replace it.

……

It's just that the Tara lead-zinc mine in Ireland is located within the scope of the English occupation zone, and it is still nominally directly under the territory of the English crown.

In this regard, Marin is also helpless, he can't directly send troops to occupy it, right? You know, Britain is not a pseudo-power like Denmark. At least, in terms of army strength, they are much stronger than Denmark.

In addition, Marin has now offended Denmark, Saxony and Brandenburg. If you offend Britain at the same time, you will be beaten up in groups. Don't be afraid to face one family alone, and when several families are together, the traverser must also kneel.

So, after thinking about it, Marin finally came up with a solution, that is, to instigate Earl Edward to seize Dublin. After Earl Edward occupied Dublin and the nearby territories of the British Crown, he spent money to buy the Tara Mine from Earl Edward.

Earl Edward was not a cunning and ruthless king like Henry VII, because he was imprisoned in the Tower of London by Henry VII when he was young, and was isolated from the world, which made Earl Edward untrained by society and not cunning enough.

Coupled with the previous life-saving kindness of the Beihai Chamber of Commerce, Ma Lin could completely repay the favor and buy the Tara lead-zinc mine.

Moreover, Marin had long planned not to refine lead and zinc near the Tara lead-zinc mine to avoid being discovered by others about the secrets of zinc. Marin's plan was to dig up the ore from the Tara Mine, select it, and then transport it directly by sea to a hidden place where lead and zinc could be refined. Zinc, in particular, can be directly used to make white iron sheets. It can also be used to mint counterfeit coins...... Marin suddenly felt that he was addicted to counterfeiting money......

……

After receiving information on the situation in Ireland from spies sent to Cork, Marin quickly devised an expansion plan for Earl Edward......

Marin's plan was to keep Count Edward low-key for the time being, and not to reveal his identity. Otherwise, it will definitely attract a full-scale attack by Henry VII.

It just so happened that Earl Edward also felt that his strength was insufficient, so he also chose to keep a low profile, and only cooperated with Desmond once to carve up the land of the McCarthy dynasty.

Therefore, in addition to the Count of Desmond, the British royal family and other powers on the island of Ireland did not know about the existence of Earl Edward.

In this case, plus the other party happened to capture the McCarthy dynasty. Marin suggested that Earl Edward proclaim himself monarch of the McCarthy dynasty, and then launch an attack on the Macmurrough dynasty, the native Irish power southeast of the island.

The MacMorows were the remnants of the Kingdom of Leinster, a powerful nation in the southeastern part of Ireland before the Norman invasion of England. Although it was greatly reduced by the English invasion, it was still a powerful force.

Moreover, the place where the MacMorow dynasty is located is very critical. Because, its territory, just south of Dublin, is not small.

Its territory is roughly equivalent to the northern half of Wicklow, Carlow and Wexford counties in Ireland (the current territory of Wexford County is only the southern half of Wexford County), with a total area of about 4,000 square kilometers, which can be regarded as a powerful force.

It's just that Count Edward has 5,000 mercenaries, and he is still a French mercenary and a Swiss mercenary with strong combat effectiveness, and his strength is stronger than that of the MacMorough dynasty.

Of course, if the McMurrow dynasty chooses to defend and use Wicklow City to defend, Earl Edward has no choice.

It was thanks to the tallness and sturdiness of Wicklow that the MacMorows thwarted the many sieges of the English and stubbornly stocked up.

However, the tallness and sturdiness of Wicklow City were of no use to Marin. Because, Wicklow City still uses an all-oak city gate. As long as the tactics of artillery bombardment + powder keg blasting that Marin made during the attack on Denmark are used, the city will be broken in a matter of days.

Therefore, Marlin specially instructed the cannon foundry to cast 20 12-pounder bronze cannons in the French style, intending to quietly give them to Count Edward, and send professional demomen to guide Count Edward's army to break down the gates of Wicklow. As long as Wicklow City is broken, then the McMurrow dynasty is finished......

And that's not all, Marin's real goal is Dublin......

After the capture of the MacMorough dynasty, Earl Edward could have moved north and continued his assault on Dublin. Because, Dublin was very close to the northern border of the Macmarrow dynasty.

As long as the tactics of shelling + powder keg blasting are used, or Dublin using oak gates, the city is only a matter of a few days.

Even, after fighting Dublin, Edward's army can also defeat Ness, the capital of Kildalbe, in one go, and destroy Kildalbe, the lackey of the Tudor dynasty. After all, as long as the city gate is not an iron gate, it will only take a few days to attack a city......

At that time, the Earl of Edward would have possessed Cork City and a large coastal territory nearby, a large part of the MacMorough dynasty, and the territories of Dublin County and the Kingdom of Kildareb, making him the most powerful power on the island of Ireland. Then, Count Edward really had the strength to compete with Henry VII......

Of course, this is not the most important thing. The most important thing for Marlin is that when the time comes, he will be able to buy the Tara mine from Count Edward......

……

Moreover, in order to ensure that the military operations of Count Edward were not known to Henry VII. In a letter of advice to Earl Edward in the name of "the boss behind the North Sea Chamber of Commerce", Marin also suggested that Edward contact two strong supporters, France and Scotland, and ask them to send a fleet to patrol the east coast of the island of Ireland while Earl Edward was out of the army, so as to prevent any ships from going to England to ask Henry VII for help. Once discovered, it was directly sunk, and all the crew members were killed and thrown into the sea to ensure that the news was not known to the English side.

In this way, by the time Henry VII reacted a few months later, it was too late. Because, Count Edward must have already digested the fruits of victory by that time. Even if Henry VII wanted to use all his strength to destroy the Earl of Edward on the island of Ireland, he would have to ask France and Scotland if they agreed.

Marin was sure that as long as Henry VII dared to attack Ireland in a big way, France and Scotland would definitely be held back. Perhaps, there will be a direct threat of troops to force the British to retreat. At that time, Henry VII, who had lost his foothold on the island of Ireland, could only watch Earl Edward stare dryly. Because, France and Scotland, the two mortal enemies of England, will certainly not allow Henry VII to recover Ireland with peace of mind. Moreover, the current King of France, Louis XII, and King James IV of Scotland, are old fritters of political struggles. For this kind of professional thing to pull the opponent's hind legs, it is quite good......

Similarly, Marin is not a good thing, and he is also an expert in pulling people's backs. For example, he supported Count Edward's 20 guns, and he wanted to create the style of French artillery (no gun carriages, no aiming lookouts, only cannon ears) in order to frame the French. At the same time, the man who instructed Count Edward's army to blow up the city gates, Marin also asked him to disguise himself as a Dane. As a former "victim", tell Earl Edward's men how the Danish city gates were "knocked down by Marin" in the first place...... In this way, the unlucky Denmark is already so miserable, and it has to bear a pot for it...... In short, Ma Lin's "planting and blaming" skills have been practiced to the full level......

Just to obtain the Tara lead-zinc mine near Dublin, Marin went so far as to instigate Earl Edward to send troops to attack Dublin. If Henry VII knew the truth, he would definitely be so angry that he vomited blood......