In many ways, the Age of Discovery formed the foundations of the colonial system in the Middle Ages.

This is also another way to think about it, if a country wants to develop this model of colonies, a strong fleet can be said to be indispensable.

But in this regard, Zhang Jiashi was confident that his Qin Empire fleet could already be said to be unique in East Asia and even in the entire Eastern world.

However, this foundation could not be used as an important guarantee for the Qin Empire to expand its overseas colonies.

At the very least, a more powerful fleet must be built up by Zhang Jiashi in order to have the capital to do this.

Unfortunately, it will take a long time and even a lot of resources to do this. And this is also what the Qin Empire and Zhang Jiashi are quite lacking at the moment.

And the current Qin Empire simply could not do it, and the Ottoman Turks were still able to exhibit on a large scale after heavy losses in naval battles, and the number of them existed in greater numbers. Because in terms of the basis of national strength, the two are not on the same level at all.

In contrast, it can even be said that the current Qin Empire wants to display the Invincible Armada, and what it needs is resources that neither time nor Zhang Jiashi himself can estimate.

But if Zhang Jiashi can really show the existence of the Invincible Armada level, then for the Qin Empire, at least for a hundred years, he will be able to maintain the first position of maritime supremacy.

Of course, there is another premise here, that is, the successors of the Qin Empire will not always be immortal, and they will like to die......

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The Armada is derived from the Spanish Armada and was a famous Spanish naval fleet in the late 16th century.

The Armada had about 15o or more large warships, a powerful naval fleet with more than 3ooo cannons and tens of thousands of soldiers, and at its peak the fleet had more than 1,000 ships. This fleet roams the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, proudly calling itself the "Invincible Armada".

In the summer of 1588, the English fleet defeated the Spanish Armada and conquered Almada, which, along with the Battle of Salamis in 48o BC, the Battle of Trafalgar in 18o5, and the Battle of Jutland in 1916, is considered by historians to be one of the four most famous naval battles in world history.

The winners of these naval battles gambled with their own country and stopped the aggression of a far more powerful enemy at sea, which played a great role in turning the tide of history.

However, unlike the other three major naval battles, England, which won the naval battle against the Armadada, did not deal a decisive blow to the enemy, and Spain remained the most powerful country in Europe, and then stubbornly sent the Armada to England four times in a row. Therefore, England, which was constantly threatened by the Invincible Armada, had to do everything possible to search for dry intestines and study its defense strategy. In other words, the invasion of the Armada of 1588 was a naval battle for England that had to be fought with all its might for the survival of the country, while for the mighty Spanish Empire, it was only a battle in the middle of a long war.

However, the five expeditions of the Armada ended in failure, and Spain had to abandon its ambitions to invade England.

The Anglo-Spanish War did not go as most people think, and England failed to secure naval superiority over Spain until the end of the war. Spain's maritime supremacy lasted until the Battle of the Downs in 1639.

The establishment of the Invincible Armada was the largest fleet established by Spain at that time in order to protect its sea lines of communication and its interests overseas, which was a powerful maritime fleet with more than 1oo warships, more than 3ooo cannons, and tens of thousands of soldiers, and the fleet had more than 1,000 ships at its peak. The total displacement exceeds the current single aircraft carrier group of the US military. This fleet roams the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, proudly calling itself the "Invincible Armada".

plundering gold and silver treasures, Spain soon became the richest maritime empire in Europe.

According to statistics, in 1545~156o AD, the Spanish Navy transported 55oo kilograms of gold and 246,000 kilograms of silver from overseas. By the end of the 16th century, Spain accounted for 83% of the world's precious metal mining.

However, at that time, the Spanish royal family used the plundered gold and silver treasures to consume extremely luxurious foreign luxury goods with the royal family, rather than for industrial development, resulting in Spain's comprehensive strength gradually being caught up and surpassed by the British.

At that time, British capitalism was in its infancy. The development of light industry forced it to rush to find overseas commercial markets, and innovations in shipbuilding and navigation technology further inflated Britain's ambition to seize the colonies.

For Spain, it was natural not to allow other countries to share in the interests it had from the colonies. The British raids at sea and the plundering of the Americas seriously threatened Spain's monopoly on the colonies and aroused the hatred of King Philip II of Spain. At first, Philip II did not want to resort to force, and he colluded with the Catholic forces in England in an attempt to put Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic, on the throne of England. To this end, he began to carry out subversive activities in England.

Mary fled to England as a result of the Scottish coup d'état as early as 1568 and was imprisoned by Elizabeth. When the Catholics in England, instigated by Spain, plotted to assassinate Elizabeth and set up another Mary, Elizabeth took the opportunity to execute her. When Philip II failed to succeed in his murder, he was determined to conquer England by force.

At that time, Britain's maritime strength was not strong, and it was difficult to match the Spanish naval fleet, so it could only rely on pirate groups organized by pirate leaders Drake, Hawkins, and Reilly to attack and rob Spanish ships carrying gold and silver at sea to carry out piracy. Philip II, on the other hand, had a large fleet - the "Armadada".

The first major naval battle between Britain and Spain was the Battle of Gravoline.

The Battle of Gravoline (English: batt1eofgrave1ines) was an integral part of the Anglo-Spanish War. In retaliation for Elizabeth's execution of Mary, Philip II vowed to invade England and replace him with a Catholic monarch. He assembled a fleet of about 13o ships, including 8,ooo soldiers and 18,ooo sailors. The name "Armadada", which literally means "the luckiest fleet or the unbeatable fleet", was used to finance the plan. Pope Sextus V allowed Philip II to levy expeditionary taxes. The Pope promised to further subsidize the Spanish army if they could reach the British mainland. They sailed for the Netherlands on 28 May 1588 in the Armadama. There additional troops were sent for the invasion of Britain. However, the British Navy made the Armada lose the Battle of Gravolinne and forced the Armada to sail north, and in the waters off Scotland, it was subjected to stormy weather that caused serious damage to the fleet and personnel. The defeat of the Armada provided the British sailors with valuable seafaring experience. The British, however, were able to persist in privateering against Spain and continued to send troops to the aid of Philip II's enemies, the Netherlands and France. These efforts have paid off with some tangible returns. One of the most important effects of the event was that the defeat of the Armada was seen as a sign of God's support for the English Protestant Reformation.

In the end, only 65 ships of the Armada returned to Spain. Most of the survivors suffered from severe scurvy and malnutrition, and many fell ill shortly after setting foot in Spain6.

However, the Spanish learned from their defeat and equipped the Spanish Treasure fleet with long and heavy guns to effectively resist the raids of the British pirate ships.

The following year, the British organized a similar large-scale expedition, the Corunna-Lisbon Expedition, but it was unsuccessful, causing severe losses to the British economy and heavy losses of men and ships

In the middle of the 16th century, Spain was at its peak, and by the time Philip II succeeded to the throne in 1556, it had not only Western Europe, but also many islands in the Caribbean. The Spanish flag also flies in Mexico, Peru and in the intellectual vastness. The Pacific Ocean became an inland sea for the Spaniards, and their treasure ships could sail safely in the waters between Valparaiso and Panama.

When the Portuguese royal family became extinct in 158o, Philip II was crowned King of Portugal as the sole legitimate heir in theory.

The Iberian Peninsula became a state, and a series of Portuguese colonial trading posts in the mid-Atlantic, along the coast of Africa, in the Persian Gulf, in India, and in Southeast Asia became Spain's possession. Spain at that time could almost be seen as the "empire on which the sun never sets" in the 16th century.

However, other European countries were also eyeing the enormous benefits that the Spaniards had gained from the "New World". Beginning with the sacking of Cuban Havana by the French Huguenots in 1555 and the establishment of a colonial base on the coast of Florida, more and more European adventurers appeared in the original Spanish sphere of influence. As a rising nation-state, England's attention is also beginning to look more and more overseas. Beginning with the arrival of the Cabot brothers in Newfoundland in 1497, English maritime expeditions also began. When John Hawkins and Francis Drake infiltrated Spanish America through triangular trade, the Spanish colonial government began to see the British as an intolerable threat to their monopoly in the Americas.

In 1568, in San Juan de Ulua, the Hawkins fleet was suddenly attacked by the Spanish fleet, and only a few escaped by boat. At this point, the conflict between Britain and Spain officially began to become public, and they tested each other's bottom line. In 1585, when the Dutch army was defeated by the Spanish Flemish Legion, Elizabeth I signed the Treaty of Nonsage with the Dutch, promising them military and financial support. This marked the entry of the British and Spanish sides into an "official" state of hostilities. Because the former Queen of Scots, Mary, objected to Elizabeth's conspiracy "with conclusive evidence", Elizabeth ordered her to be beheaded in February 1587. This event gave Philip II an excellent excuse. While the Spanish diplomatic mission was in London and the preparations for the Armada under the command of the Spanish veteran Marquis de Santa Cruz were also in full swing in Lisbon, a major war was inevitable.

Santa Cruz died suddenly in Lisbon on February 9, 1588, at the age of 62. Santa Cruz was the hero of the Battle of Lepanto, the victor of the Battle of Terceira, the Atlantic stronghold of the Yar Islands, from the Portuguese, and the famous commander-in-chief of the Armada. The Spanish people were shocked to learn of his sad news, and all expressed their deep condolences and lamentations.

Immediately after the death of Santa Cruz, Philip II appointed the governor of Andalusia, and Sidonia, who was 24 years younger than Santa Cruz and only 38 years younger, took over the important post of commander-in-chief of the Armada. Sidonia was a noble family and a well-respected administrator, who had repeatedly and brilliantly fulfilled the task of replenishing supplies and recruiting troops for the Armada.

Sidonia made the long trek to Lisbon. The reality of Russia he faces is an unbelievable, astonishing mess. Since the fall of Santa Cruz, the management of the fleet in the port of Lisbon has been completely anarchic, lacking an authoritative and confident leader who can resolve this state of chaos.

Reversing this confusion and putting preparations back on track is therefore an urgent issue that Sidonia must address. Then he activated several personal aides. One of them was Diego Flores de Valdés, commander of the Castilian Gallion fleet escorting the East India route, who was also an expert in tides and currents, and was a talented man who had been involved in the design of the Galion's ship.

Experienced and respected Diego Maldonado and Marorin de Juan were also appointed as staff officers. Italian artillery experts were also borrowed from heavy artillery commanders to serve as artillery staff officers. Sidonia, together with three reliable and capable assistants, overcame many difficulties in a down-to-earth manner, and made the preparations for the departure of the fleet proceed smoothly.

In the past, the warships of the Spanish fleet with the Mediterranean Sea as the stage were mainly hand-to-hand combat between the Gary ships, so the armament of the shipboard cannons of the Spanish fleet was much more backward than that of the English fleet. To this end, Santa Cruz wrote to the king emphasizing the need to prepare large artillery, and the military council also asked the king to provide funds for the cannons, which was finally approved by Philip II.

Casting cannons was a very difficult and complex technique at the time, and most of the best artisans were in England. At the same time, the price of cannons was very high, especially bronze, which was more expensive as a body material than cast iron, and there was very little equipment for making kabalin guns with long barrels.

Therefore, although the Armada shipboard artillery has been greatly strengthened and improved in both quality and quantity as a result of Sidonia's efforts, the lack of long-range cannons is still the greatest weakness of the Armadada. In order to strengthen the spare guns of the capital ship Galion, it was only necessary to take expedient measures and sacrifice the spare guns of other ships.

On the other hand, there has also been a significant increase in the number of ships of all kinds joining the fleet. By the end of April 1588, there were 13o ships of all sizes in the armada.

6. The ships assembled in Lisbon were busy with repairs and maintenance. Almost all of the crews of the Armada were armed with armor, spears, and muskets. The replenishment of shells was also relatively smooth, with 5o shells per cannon, which was not a lot, of course, but much more than the 3o that Santa Cruz had originally requested. At the same time, according to the advice of Italian gunpowder experts, it was increased by one and a half times as much as before.

Sidonia succeeded in convincing Philip II to postpone the date for the strengthening and maintenance of the fleet, thus gaining growing trust within the fleet. However, no matter how hard he tried, he still could not solve the very serious problem of insufficient food and crew. The problem is not improving and is getting worse. Despite all the shortcomings and difficulties, it was no longer possible to ignore Philip II's repeated orders to set sail.

On 25 April 1588, Sidonia accompanied Philip II's acting governor to the Lisbon Cathedral. The archbishop read a prayer for the success of the expedition of the Armada.

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