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As a neighbor of the Kingdom of Spain, France has seen the changes in the Kingdom of Spain over the years. With the rise of the Chinese Empire, the Kingdom of Spain, which was next to the Chinese Empire, has rebounded in strength. Although there is still a certain gap with the world-class powerhouses of the past, it is already a first-class power among the many European powers. Of course, this is only in terms of military strength. There is still a certain gap between the industrial strength and comprehensive national strength of the Kingdom of Spain and many European powers.

In addition, with the construction of the Suez Canal already underway, in a few years, the canal will be opened. At that time, the Kingdom of Spain, which guards the Strait of Gibraltar, will be even more important because of its unique geographical location.

As a result, France began to change its strategy and began to actively woo the Kingdom of Spain. However, the Kingdom of Spain understood its situation, and if it left the support of the Chinese Empire, they would soon be beaten back to their original shape. Therefore, in the face of the pull of the French, the Spaniards were unmoved. Of course, there are still some people who are more pro-French, such as Queen Isabella II's husband Francisco I and others. However, the power of the Kingdom of Spain was now in the hands of the pro-Chinese Empire, and their views could not influence the policy of the entire Kingdom of Spain.

This time, the French also knew that they would have to be prepared to pay a huge price if they were to seize the rich and industrially developed northeastern region of the United States. Though. The French believed that with the strength of France, the main forces of the American Army were already being held back by the Chinese Empire. They can easily defeat the United States and get what they want. However, with the assistance of the Spaniards, the losses they paid would have been much smaller. It's just that the Spaniards are not fooled, and they have no choice.

Just after the end of the secret meeting between France and the Kingdom of Spain, the French Navy and the Spanish Navy. They left their respective anchorages one after another and sailed into the vast ocean. This situation was quickly learned by the British. Then the Americans were informed. The British wished that the French and the Spaniards would lose in North America, and that they would not be able to threaten British hegemony in Europe.

The British Navy also moved quickly, and they shuttled across the Atlantic. Look for traces of the French Navy and the Spanish Navy. An attempt was made to inform the United States of this information so that the United States could take the initiative. However, the Atlantic Ocean is so vast that it is like looking for a needle in a haystack to find traces of the French and Spanish navies at sea. It is very difficult to find the other person without knowing their destination.

New York is the largest city on the East Coast of the United States in 1785. The Confederate Conference made New York the capital of the United States. New York was the last U.S. capital under the Articles of Confederation and the first U.S. capital under the U.S. Constitution. Year 1789. The first president of the United States, George W. Washington took the oath of office at the Federal Hall on Wall Street. The first U.S. Congress and the Supreme Court were convened at the same location to draft the U.S. Bill of Rights. In 1790, New York surpassed Philadelphia to become the largest city in the United States.

Although the capital of the United States has now moved to Washington, New York is still the economic center of the United States. After declaring war on France and the Kingdom of Spain, the United States also deployed heavy troops in the eastern region in order to prepare for the arrival of troops from across the Atlantic, and half of the army was deployed in this area. It's just that because of the successive defeats on the West Coast, the U.S. War Department had to send more troops to the West Coast. Otherwise, the United States will lose the entire West Coast.

On the morning of October 17, 1847, the fog had just lifted. Located at the mouth of the Hudson River, a fleet of billowing smoke appeared. The warship, flying the French flag, went directly to the mouth of the Hudson River.

It was a fleet of 4 'Paris-class' ships and 9 'Orleans-class' ships. It is one of the two major fleets of the French Navy.

The sudden appearance of the enemy fleet made the American troops guarding the mouth of the Hudson River nervous, reporting to Washington on one side and preparing for battle on the other. In order to protect New York, the US military built a lot of shore fortifications on both sides of the Hudson River estuary, and deployed hundreds of large-caliber shore defense guns. Almost all of these shore defense guns were imported from Britain. The Americans' own shore defense guns, both in terms of performance and power, cannot be compared with the British.

French Vice Admiral Barraje, on the flagship battleship 'Paris', gave the order to open fire. For a time, the entire Hudson River estuary was filled with cannon fire and gunsmoke.

The French Navy needed to destroy the U.S. shore fortifications at the mouth of the Hudson River before it could sail down the Hudson River to New York and launch an attack on the largest city in the United States.

In order to protect New York, American* troops fought stubbornly. However, the difference in strength between the two sides is too great. As many as hundreds of shore defense guns, it still cannot be compared with the French fleet. The twin 210-millimeter guns on the 'Paris-class' battleships are full of power, and they can accurately destroy the US coastal fortifications at a distance of 6 thousand meters. On the other hand, the U.S. military could not hit the French fleet sailing at the mouth of the river at all, and was completely passively attacked.

The news that the French fleet broke into the mouth of the Hudson River attracted the attention of the US government. The upper reaches of the Hudson River are New York, and it is self-evident that the French are the target of their attacks. If New York were to be attacked, it would have far-reaching consequences for the United States. Although the war had begun, the desolate and barren West Coast was too far away for most Americans. However, if New York, the largest city in the United States, were destroyed, it would be a devastating blow to the confidence of Americans.

Thus, the President of the United States, James. Knox. Polk ordered that the American forces guarding the mouth of the Hudson River must find a way to stop the French naval attack. At the same time, His Excellency the President asked the Secretary of the Navy, John Brown. Y. Mason, immediately launched a counterattack on the French fleet, finding a way to defeat the French fleet and protect the eastern part of the United States.

For the order of His Excellency the President, John. Secretary Y. Mason was very embarrassed. After learning that the French and Spanish navies had left the anchorage, the US Navy also withdrew its naval base in Norfolk. They thought it would be the primary target of the French and Spanish navies. Although the U.S. Navy has dozens of warships, those old sail warships are no match for the French Navy and the Spanish Navy. Therefore, John. Minister Y. Mason's opinion was to find a way to preserve strength and then wait for an opportunity to attack the French and Spanish sea lines to assist in the battle on land. This strategy was correct, but because of the imminent attack on New York, all previous plans of the US Navy would be nullified. The first thing they have to do is protect New York!

John. Minister Y. Mason, had to order the US Navy, rush to the mouth of the Hudson River, to block the French Navy. However, it takes at least a day to get to the mouth of the Hudson River from the south. Will the U.S. Coastal Defense Force be able to buy the U.S. Navy a day?

This is obviously impossible! In just three hours, the French fleet destroyed the shore defense positions of the American troops at the mouth of the Hudson River. The U.S. troops guarding these coastal positions suffered more than 2,000 casualties. And only a few warships of the French Navy were slightly damaged. From this, we can see the difference in strength between the two sides. Although the performance of the coastal defense guns purchased from the British was good, the Americans simply could not bring the performance of these coastal defense guns into play. Most Americans are newly recruited recruits, and neither their combat skills nor their psychological qualities can be compared with veterans. This allowed the French fleet to break through all the way to New York at a small cost.

After solving the shore fortifications at the mouth of the Hudson River, Vice Admiral Balaj led the fleet and went upstream. At this time, in New York City, Americans had already begun an emergency evacuation. A large number of Americans living here have fled their homes with betrayal. Although many people are reluctant to leave their homes, there is no way around it.

At noon on October 17, the French fleet arrived in New York and began to rain cannonballs on the city.

The flames shone through the city, and a thunderous roar echoed through the city, destroying buildings one by one in the explosion. The whole city, under the shelling of the French fleet, was reduced to ruins.

Countless people wept and groaned under the fire, and according to the Americans' statistics afterwards, at least more than 20,000 Americans died in the shelling of the French fleet in this shelling.

The shelling of New York by the French fleet continued until the afternoon. The entire city of New York was reduced to rubble.

After that, the French fleet retreated along the Hudson River. The tragic situation in New York made the U.S. government very angry. Knox. Polk ordered the U.S. Navy to destroy the French fleet and avenge the innocent people who died in New York.

After the French fleet shelled New York, it entered the Atlantic Ocean from the Hudson River. However, instead of leaving, they chose to follow the coast north, threatening to sweep away all the cities on the east coast of the United States.

At 9 a.m. on October 18, the main force of the US Navy arrived, and as many as 72 capital ships participated in this naval battle. Among these American warships, there are 6 first-class battleships, 8 second-class battleships, and 20 third-class battleships, and the rest of the warships are fourth- and fifth-class warships. This is already the workhorse of the US Navy!

Vice Admiral Baraj led the French fleet to turn around and send telegrams to the other French fleet, as well as to the Spanish navy. (To be continued......)