Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 908

Episode 908: Alliance (2)

As time passed, more detailed information came in from spies hiding in Florence and Livorno.

However, the pitfall was that although it was detailed, it was not certain.

To summarize the information sent by the spies, it was roughly as follows.

-The size of the newly arrived imperial fleet in Livorno is approximately 20 ships.

-About half of these are scheduled to return to the transport fleet soon.

-One of the large ships stationed in Livorno is a specialized transport ship. However, it is said to be the fastest ship in terms of speed alone.

-The two steamships are known as ironclads.

-The imperial army’s security was tight so they could not get close, but it is estimated that the number of side blood vessels would be the same as the Challenger level.

-As a result of selecting reliable ones among the collected rumors, the number of imperial troops stationed in Florence is estimated to be approximately 4,000 for the army and approximately 4,000 for the navy.

“Hmm…”

After receiving the spies’ report, the naval commands of the great powers once again put their heads together and began analysis.

“The fact that the transport ship is the fastest makes sense when you look at the number of sails… but the problem is the steam ship.”

“sympathy. “It would be most reasonable to think of it as an ironclad ship, right?”

“That would be the most reasonable. “Even if they are from the ‘Land of Flowers,’ they can’t reach the iron line.”

Most naval officials of the great powers agreed that the assault return ship was an ironclad ship, not an iron ship.

-No matter how high the technology level of the empire is, it is impossible to reach an iron ship! It’s impossible!

It was a conclusion they thought was as reasonable as possible based on their perspective.

However, a heated war of words broke out among Navy officials in the next item.

-Is the armament of those steamships the same as the Challenger-class ships?

Navy officials were divided into two groups on this issue.

“What kind of people are these ‘Land of Flowers’ people? At least twice as big as the Challenger level wire! Putting the same number of cannons as a Challenger class on something so large? Unless they lose their minds as a group, that will never happen!”

“Think of it as a steamship! Think of an iron horse! The iron horse needs to be filled with water and coal whenever possible! It’s a much bigger ship than that! “The space created like that is sure to be filled with water and coal!”

“Their iron horses are more efficient than the iron horses we made! You have to think about that! Of course, we will fill the expanded space with water and coal, but not everything! I would have definitely added more cannons! “At least 10 questions!”

“You should think about steam engines! If you add more cannons, you have to load more gunpowder and shells, but you can’t store them next to a blazing steam engine! When considering the safety of the ship, there are limits!”

While the officials divided into two groups were engaged in a bloody war of words, others came up with another idea.

“I thought about steam engines. “They come from the west, right?”

“But why?”

“The Atlantic Ocean is not a small sea, is it? But you came across that sea? What about water and food to drink? And what about the coal and water to run the steam engine?”

“You mean…”

At that moment, everyone who was arguing had a look on their faces as if they had been punched.

Although they had not been able to obtain information about Shinji due to persistent interference by the empire, they were European powers who had secured considerable information about the eastern part of the Atlantic.

And according to that information, there was an open sea to the west of the Azores Islands secured by Portugal.

“Hmm….”

“I guess I’ll have to rethink this from the beginning.”

Not only did they just say that, but the naval officials of the great powers re-analyzed it from the beginning.

“Out of the 4,000 Imperial Navy personnel stationed in Livorno, the size of the Navy that arrived with that fleet ranges from a maximum of 3,000 to a minimum of 2,500. Even at the minimum, the amount of food and supplies they will consume…” “

If the circumference of the Earth calculated by scholars is accurate, then they The sailing period is from a minimum of 2 months to a maximum of 6 months. Taking this into account…”

Those who started calculating based on their own standards and data saw the numbers filling up before their eyes and immediately called their subordinates.

“Bring the sewing machine! Or even a shemp tong!”

“yes!”

Those who were casually handed the tray and container paused for a moment. Those who were looking closely at the tray and container in their hands burst into laughter.

“To make calculations for fighting the empire using items made in the empire… It’s a contradiction.”

In any case, the naval admirals looked serious as they looked at the conclusion that emerged after starting the analysis from scratch.

“Maybe an empty boat. Otherwise, you can fight at most once.”

“No matter how much you think about it, there is no possibility that it is an empty ship, so it is most likely to be considered a one-time battle…”

“One battle… hmm… if you do this…”

Admirals with warlike tendencies are planning their own strategies. While planning, the cautious admirals looked cynical.

“You don’t think we can win that one battle, do you?”

“Hopefully, it’s possible, right?”

“You don’t know the firepower of our battleships, do you? “Doing well doesn’t mean praying in a cathedral and asking for a miracle, right?”

“….”

“The entire strength of our navy will be destroyed in that one battle.”

The warlike admirals shouted at the criticisms of the new admirals.

“Then what are we going to do? “Let’s give the Mediterranean Sea to them like this!”

The new admirals responded with a calm expression to the criticism of the warlike admirals.

“I think diplomacy is the beginning of the strategy to win against the ‘Land of Flowers’.”

“diplomacy?”

“ah!”

The warlike admirals, who were pondering the words of the new admirals, all exclaimed in exclamation.

What is interesting is that regardless of country, the navies of all powers made the same decision.

-We are sure to lose on our own.

-Then how about joining hands with other countries?

-With our strength alone, we will inevitably lose, but if we unite, the outcome can change.

* * *

The monarchs of the great powers who accepted the naval command’s suggestion looked perplexed.

“It’s a union… it’s an alliance, right?”

“That’s right.”

“This is what I want… I can’t believe I have to join hands with those guys…” The

relations between the powers competing for Italy were not good.

This is because a vicious cycle of biting each other has continued for a long time.

First of all, France and the Habsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire were not on good terms due to the issue of Swiss interests in Italy. And when Louis XI annexed the Duchy of Burgundy by force, relations took a turn for the worst.

And France and Spain also did not get along well. Frequent border disputes between France and Spain. It was due to a conflict taking place between the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily.

Although there was no particular conflict between the Habsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, the relationship was not close.

That is why the monarchs who heard the Navy’s proposal looked perplexed.

Among the monarchs, the one who showed the most resistance was the new King of France, Charles VIII.

* * *

Although he lived a long time compared to the history before the intervention of perfume, Louis XI died shortly after Charles VIII’s coming of age ceremony.

However, because Louis

And the subsequent marriage of Charles VIII further worsened the relationship between France and Habsburg.

This was because Duchess Anne de Bretagne, who married Charles VIII, was originally engaged to Maximilian I of Habsburg.

However, the marriage took place because France and Charles VIII were unable to hand over important strategic locations in southern France to the Habsburgs.

Even from the perspective of the Duchy of Brittany, the marriage to King VIII was unavoidable.

France’s national power became stronger relatively quickly, perhaps as a reaction to the distorted history caused by the intervention of the French.

In particular, the annexation of the Duchy of Burgundy, which occurred at a much earlier point in history than before the intervention, was a decisive event that led to the rapid growth of French national power and the entire Habsburg family.

In history before the intervention of the County, the owner of Burgundy was the Habsburgs.

With the support of Spain, which became an ally through the marriage policy, and the national power gained through Burgundy, the Habsburgs existed as France’s strongest opponent.

However, due to the distortion caused by the intervention of the French, the Habsburgs were reduced to a ‘competitor requiring attention’ rather than a ‘strong competitor’ of France.

Because France quickly returned to being the loser of Europe through the reaction of history, the Duchy of Brittany had no choice but to consummate the marriage between Charles VIII and the Duchess.

After hearing this story later, Hyang muttered to herself:

“Sometimes they say reality is better than drama… NTR…”

* * *

Charles VIII felt strong resistance when he heard the Navy’s proposal, but he could not reject it right away.

It was because he understood why the Navy made such a proposal.

Therefore, Charles VIII summoned the generals of the army, the navy, and the ministers.

“…So the Navy made this proposal. “I want to hear your opinions.”

As Charles VIII spoke, the attendees quietly whispered and shared their opinions.

After whispering and exchanging opinions for a while, the first to speak were the generals of the royal army.

“From the Army’s perspective, the Navy’s proposal is not a bad one. Honestly, it’s a very good plan if you consider the ultimate goal, the Kingdom of Naples.”

France’s final target in Italy was the Kingdom of Naples.

If Milan was captured and the Kingdom of Naples was annexed, France would be able to secure its own independent transportation route from Suez to France.

And if that transportation route was secured, France would be able to further strengthen its influence in Northern Europe.

No, if it were not just a simple expansion of influence, but annexation one by one, it would be possible to revive the old Frankish kingdom of Charlemagne.

‘Of course, Savoy is caught in the middle…’

The Duchy of Savoy was located on the road to Milan and Italy, but it was not a major obstacle for France and Charles VIII.

“If you think about it, the Habsburgs and Spain are not a big obstacle either…”

By producing its own silver, France was able to arm itself by independently producing Japanese style rifles and Japanese style freight cars.

In the eyes of France, whose military power had grown dramatically as it was able to independently produce and supply long guns and freight car ammunition, the Habsburgs and Spain were not particularly worried.

France’s real worry was the imperial army stationed in Florence and the 100,000 Swiss mercenaries.

To be precise, it was the imperial army and navy, whose number may not be known, and the Swiss mercenaries, which were increasing in number from 50,000. Lastly, the Florentine standing army numbered 20,000.