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"Whoever controls the sea, that is, controls trade; Whoever controls the world trade controls the wealth of the world. Thus the world is controlled. This sentence is the famous politician and navigator Walter. Rayleigh Walter. What Reilly said, Geng Jingzhong has always been deeply convinced of this.

Historically, the expansion of the British Empire was based on the military defeat of its rivals, Spain, the Netherlands, and France. From the destruction of Spain's "Invincible Armada" at the end of the last century, until the 18th century, Britain fought wars against France on the European continent, India and North America for more than half a century, and finally established the dominant position of the "sun never sets" empire. By this time the Third Anglo-Dutch War had ended, and Britain had become a commercial and naval power in the world - thanks to its military victory in seizing sea supremacy.

I remember that Mahan, the author of "On the Power of the Sea", once mentioned in his book: "If England is attracted by the sea, Holland is driven to the sea." Without the existence of the sea, Britain might have collapsed and the Netherlands would have been defeated. This statement clearly shows the active and passive sides of these three wars.

The Netherlands was still a Spanish dependency in the early 16th century, a hundred years after the bourgeois revolution broke out, and it took thirty years to establish an independent Dutch state in the northern Netherlands seventy years ago. Its area is only more than 40,000 square kilometers, which is only a little larger than Taiwan. It can be said that it is poor in natural resources, and it is said that it is "unlikely to feed one-eighth of its inhabitants". "The barren nature of the land and the unsafe nature of the coast drove the Dutch to take up fishing in the first place. Subsequently, the discovery of ways to process and preserve fish gave them the substance that could be used for export in addition to domestic consumption. And thus laid the foundation of their wealth. ”

Perhaps it was "God who made the sea." The spirit of the Dutch embankment". In the last 100 years, Dutch capitalism has developed rapidly, mainly in commerce and maritime transport, especially in its shipbuilding industry, which made it the largest maritime transport nation at that time: about forty years ago, the Netherlands had the capacity to build the three-deck battleship "Sea Monarch" with a displacement of 1,600 tons and 100 cannons. By 1644, the year the Qing army entered the customs thirty years ago, the Netherlands had more than 1,000 ships of various types as warships to protect the smooth flow of commerce, more than 1,000 large merchant ships for maritime trade, and more than 6,000 small merchant ships for fishing and inland transportation. It has nearly 90,000 sailors who can be called the best sailors in the world.

It was only in the first half of the seventeenth century that it had grown to more than 16,000 merchant ships. A few years ago, a British economist, Betty, made statistics on the ships of various countries, and at the level of three years ago, the total tonnage of ships of various countries was: 900,000 tons in the Netherlands, 500,000 tons in Britain, 250,000 tons in Spain and Portugal, and 150,000 tons in France. Commercial hegemony was backed by gunboats, and the Dutch monopolized world trade, acting as intermediaries in local trade and undertaking the transshipment of goods. It can be said that in the previous decades. Trade between the countries of the South and the North of Europe, and between Europe and the East, was almost entirely in the hands of the Dutch. They are found in all corners of the five continents. No wonder they are called "coachmen of the sea".

Like the "standard capitalist countries of the seventeenth century", the Dutch have been vigorously developing the overseas colony enterprise, seizing vast overseas colonies, mainly in the East. In 1595, Dutch merchants organized merchant ships to Goa in India, Java and the Moluccas, Indonesia, and other places. In 1602, Dutch merchants and aristocrats established the United East India Company, which owned the merchant fleet, armies, and ruling power.

After the establishment of the Dutch East India Company, it continued to expand throughout India: defeating the Spanish and Portuguese navies in Java in 1603 and Malacca in 1606; In 1605, the spice-rich island of Timor was seized; In 1619, the Dutch built the city of Batavia as a stronghold, and later went to Sumatra, Ceylon, and Sulawesi; In 1621, the Dutch established the West India Company and expanded its influence to the Americas; Three years later, in 1624, the Dutch colonists invaded Taiwan, but after they colonized Taiwan for forty years, a national hero Zheng Chenggong defeated him and recovered Taiwan.

However, it is Taiwan, the enemy, and other Dutch colonies do not have such skills. In 1642, Tasmania was discovered by Dutch navigators; In 1640, the Dutch seized Malacca from the Portuguese; In 1652, the Dutch established the Cape of Good Hope colony in South Africa; In North America, based on the Hudson River Basin, the New Netherlands colony was established, and the island of Manhattan was seized at the mouth of the river to establish New Amsterdam; In South America, Dutch colonists occupied a number of islands in the Andrés. The Dutch's large-scale maritime colonial expansion inevitably contradicted Spain, but it also came into sharp conflict with Britain, which was expanding aggressively and was on the rise.

The British, as they are all known, plundered the colonies at much the same time as the Netherlands. As early as 1584, the British established the first colony in North America, Virginia. In 1588, Britain defeated Spain's "Armada", opening the way for overseas expansion. In 1600, the British established the East India Company, two years before the Dutch merchants and aristocrats established the United East India Company. Although they were founded two years earlier, it was not until 1607 that they occupied the first colony in India. Later, in 1609, 1610, and 1619, the British established their own trading posts in Surat, Gambia, and Madras. In 1620, the famous Mayflower arrived in present-day Massachusetts, northeastern United States, and a group of Puritans fleeing persecution by the Stuarts established their colonial organization in a democratic manner. By thirty years earlier, Britain's trade had more than doubled compared to the beginning of the seventeenth century.

The Mawei Army was fighting the Qing army in the Jiangnan area, and the ocean-going fleet sent by Geng Jingzhong and two Western caravans, totaling 60 ships of all sizes, had arrived in Europe, and they were the first to dock in Portugal. Due to the large number of the fleet. On the way to Europe, supplies were made at anchors at the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company. After each replenishment, you can continue your voyage to Europe. So the speed inevitably slows down. It took three months longer than the average small caravan.

The Spanish-occupied island of Luzon had already been under the territory of the Mawei Army more than two years ago, and Spain had been trying to raise troops to retaliate and recover Luzon, but it was not able to make the trip because it was dragged by the European battlefield. After the Mawei convoy entered the European waters, a Spanish fleet met the Mawei convoy, but due to the lack of timely information, the Spanish fleet did not recognize this as a warship from the far east, and thought that it was a British fleet. Plus the sheer number of ships in this fleet. Although there were only twenty warships on guard, they seemed to be extremely difficult to provoke, so they took the initiative to retreat.

When Fujian's fleet was close to Europe, it heard the news of the defeat of the Netherlands. Even Amsterdam was flooded. The Dutch also ceded their colony of New Amsterdam, later known as New York, to the British. This news made the merchant sailors of the Dutch fleet mountain who accompanied them feel sad and heavy. But the accompanying Dutchman Stuart, the most powerful assistant to the Dutch governor of Batavia, immediately thought of a deal with the Matails, which might help the Dutch to make a comeback, so he was in a better mood.

These days, the escorting Fifth Squadron is also constantly asking for details of the great battle between Britain and the Netherlands. When they arrived in Lisbon, Portugal's largest port, they had all the information.

Back the year before last. The British launched an attack on the Dutch merchant fleet without declaring war. The British navy had twelve battleships and six small warships, while the Dutch had only five warships to escort seventy-two merchant ships. The commander of the Dutch fleet, Hahn, resolutely fought with the superior British fleet and finally withstood the attack of the British fleet. Despite the sinking of one merchant ship and the capture of three merchant ships, most of the Dutch merchant ships reached their destinations safely. It was only a small battle, but it was the beginning of a major battle between the two sides.

At the beginning of June of the previous year, the commander of the Dutch fleet, De. Knight commanded the Dutch fleet, which consisted of 135 warships, 63 of which were large, 4,500 guns and more than 20,000 fine sailors to attack the combined Anglo-French fleet anchored in Sol Bay in southeastern England. At that time, there were about 1560 ships of all kinds of the Combined Fleet moored in the harbor, including 45 British warships and 30 French warships, and the rest were mostly small ships, transport ships or logistical supply ships, etc., with an estimated 5,100 guns and 35,000 men.

The Dutch fleet seized the opportunity and not only laid a blockade outside the harbor in advance, but also took advantage of the high tide to release arsonist ships at the beginning of the war, causing chaos in the Combined Fleet. Under the bombardment of the Dutch fleet, the Duke of York, the commander of the British fleet, with his excellent military skills, quickly took control of the form. After a moment of confusion, the British ships quickly formed a formation and left the port to meet them. The French fleet, on the other hand, was unwilling to consume its own strength, and only lived in a corner and fired from a distance, watching the British and Dutch artillery battles at close range. The strategy was intense, from noon to dusk. The British lost four warships and more than 3,000 men; The Dutch lost two ships and more than 2,000 men. Sandwich, commander of the British Guards, and Vice Admiral Van Gent, commander of the Dutch guard, are said to have been killed at the beginning of the battle, but on the whole, the battle was tactically level.

However, the strategic significance of this naval battle cannot be ignored. The Dutch preemptive attack not only crushed the British plan for an invasion of the Netherlands proper, but also frustrated Prussia's attempt to invade the Netherlands by land. After this battle, the Dutch fleet continued to implement its previous strategic thinking and tactical policy. In July of the same year, the British and French forces planned to use the combined fleet to transport a powerful landing force in an attempt to forcibly land on the strategically important island of Texel in the northwest of the Netherlands, in order to establish a forward base and attack the Dutch mainland. But because of virtue. The flanks of Knight's fleet were pinned down, and the plan was declared bankrupt.

In August, Willem III became the head of state of the Netherlands. He was active in diplomacy and finally won the support of Austria and Spain last spring. But at about the same time, Prussia signed an alliance with France. The scale of the war was expanded.

Last June, the British and French fleets again assembled a fleet to transport land forces. Intended to land on the Dutch mainland. Morality. Knight led by ninety warships. Among them, the Dutch fleet of more than fifty battleships met the battle. The Anglo-French forces had roughly one hundred and thirty ships of all types. Among them were more than fifty British battleships and thirty French battleships. The Anglo-French forces were superior in numbers, but the landing plan was not immediately realized. Both sides withdrew from the battlefield after losing a number of small ships each.

After the First Battle of Coneville, only seven days later, the fleets of the two sides once again clashed. But this time the attack was initiated by the Dutch side: De. Taking advantage of the sudden change in the direction of the wind, Knight gave the Dutch fleet the upper hand and entered the coalition formation, forcing the British and French fleets to retreat in a hurry. The British and French plans for this landing came to fruition.

In August, the British and French fleets again rallied their forces in an attempt to land on the island of Texel. About 20,000 troops were assembled in Britain, and the first echelon of 10,000 men boarded ships and sailed to the Netherlands under the leadership of Prince Rupert. This time, the Combined Fleet was well prepared, not only with 120 ships (including 90 capital ships and 30 arsonist ships) (92 battleships, 28 arsonists, and 23 auxiliary ships) (92 battleships, 28 arsonists, and 23 auxiliary ships), but also divided the Combined Fleet into three detachments: the Central Detachment under the command of Prince Rupert; the French vanguard under the command of d'Estére; The rearguard detachment under the command of Sprague studied more closely the detachment of the rearguards. Knight's tactics and developed countermeasures accordingly.

The Dutch fleet had been reported in advance, and the German fleet had been reported in advance. Knight also divided his fleet into three detachments: the Central Squadron under his own command; the Pioneer Fleet under the command of Bankett; The rearguard detachment under the command of Tropp Jr. However, the Dutch side had only 75 capital ships and 30 arsonist ships (75 battleships, 15 cruisers, 18 reconnaissance and communications ships, and 22 arsonist ships). In terms of strength, it was significantly weaker than the combined Anglo-French fleet.

One night at the end of the month, De. Knight commanded the fleet, taking advantage of the wind direction, to successfully penetrate the gap between the enemy fleet and the coast. At dawn. Take the initiative to launch an offensive against the Anglo-French forces. So the three detachments of the two sides fought very interestingly, all moving south while exchanging artillery fire with each other. Despite the superiority of the Anglo-French forces, the morale of the Dutch sailors was high, and the fighting between the two sides was fierce. Morality. Knight and the British general Lapal changed flagships three times, but they still fought valiantly. But it was the avant-garde detachments of both sides that broke the deadlock first: the sailors of the French detachment were poorly trained, passive in combat, and had a bad habit of repairing some of their warships once they were damaged and no longer participating in the battle.

Commander d'Estere intended to surround the Bankst detachment with numerical superiority, but as a result, Banks broke through the fleet's battle line, leaving the French detachment in total disarray. Perhaps in order to preserve its strength, the French detachment withdrew from the battle. So Banksett, while leaving some of the ships to spy on the French, led the rest of his forces to aid Germany. Central detachment under Knight. Originally, Prince Rupert of Great Britain intended to direct the Dutch fleet, suitable for shallow sea operations, westward to the deep sea, but the intensity of the rearguard fleet's engagement attracted the attention of both central fleets: the commander of the British fleet, Sprager, was killed after two flagships. Prince Rupert and De. Knight led his detachments to support his rearguard fleet, while Bankett's Dutch avant-garde fleet joined the battle. The naval battle lasted until 7 p.m., and after nightfall, the British decided that the landing was hopeless and withdrew from the battle. Neither ship was sunk in this battle, but countless ships were damaged. (One says that the British lost 9 warships.) The Anglo-French forces lost more than 2,000 men, and the Dutch side suffered more than 1,000 casualties. After this battle, the Dutch temporarily eliminated the maritime threat, gained sea supremacy, and a large number of East India Company escort ships returned safely.

After the war, Prince Rupert claimed: "The French fleet is solely responsible for this defeat." And the British historian Can. Bell once spoke highly of the Dutch success in this naval battle: "The Dutch, because of the shrewdness and skill of the commander of their fleet, enabled them to achieve great success in this battle. They reopened the completely blockaded port and defeated a possible invasion, while the enemy abandoned all ideas of invasion. ”

In any case, the Battle of Texel ended a series of protracted wars between the Dutch and Great Britain for control of the seas, but it also led to a split between Britain and France. The defeat of the navy and the growing strength of France made the British bourgeoisie dissatisfied with the government's participation in the Franco-Dutch war. After the Parliament's cuts, the British Navy could no longer blockade or invade the Netherlands, so the British Parliament passed a separate peace with the Netherlands. In February of this year, the British and Dutch signed the Peace of Westminster, which restored the pre-war status. The peace treaty stipulated that the Treaty of Breda signed in 1667 would remain in force, with the Netherlands agreeing to give Britain 800,000 Clen and recognizing the ownership of the former Dutch possessions seized by the British outside Europe, and the British guaranteed neutrality in the Dutch-French war. After that, the Dutch-French war continued. (To be continued......)