Chapter 563 Steam Engine Ship Plan
Although Spain is in the sunset, relying on the nourishment of a huge number of colonies, it can barely become one of the European powers.
The Spanish fleet was also valued by Joseph.
After all, it is a country that once had an invincible fleet. Even if its "family fortunes are in decline", its fleet size is still ranked third in Europe.
If France wants to maintain its minimum trade needs, that is, the security of the Mediterranean routes, it must unite with the Spanish fleet.
Joseph knew very well that the navy was the most expensive of all the military services, bar none.
With France's current financial resources, there is no chance of winning in a naval battle with Britain through the traditional model.
Historically, during the Napoleonic Wars, British military expenditures ranged from 1 billion to 1.2 billion francs per year. The naval military expenditure alone is as high as 380 million francs, which is not much different from France’s total military expenditure of 400 million francs. 【Note 1】
Therefore, when comparing the number of warships, France will always launch one while Britain will launch more than two.
At the same time, Britain, which relies on maritime trade for a living, has cultivated a large number of elite sailors. Even if France has the same warships as Britain, the probability of winning a naval battle is very small.
The only way out for the French Navy is to use new technology to overtake in corners, and new technology requires a lot of capital investment and takes a long time.
Before the navy had new warships, France had to unite with the Spanish fleet to buy itself the time it needed.
But when it came to new warships, Joseph suddenly thought of the new high-pressure steam engine that Murdoch was developing.
Although the power of this thing is far from enough to be used on heavy battleships, in fighting in the Mediterranean, light galleys will always be a combat force that cannot be ignored - the Mediterranean Sea is calm all year round, resulting in a serious decrease in the speed of heavy sailing ships, while galleys can use A large number of human oars make up for the power, resulting in very high maneuverability in this sea area.
Although Murdoch's high-pressure steam engine only has an output of 50 horsepower, it is not comparable to dozens of rowers.
If two units are installed, that is, with 100 horsepower, the speed that can be achieved will definitely exceed that of human rowing.
Moreover, the continuous output capability of the steam engine overwhelmed manpower.
No matter how good a paddler you are, you will definitely be exhausted from paddling for two hours straight. Even if you bring a large number of reserve rowers, you can travel at high speed for five or six hours at most. A steam engine, on the other hand, can keep running for several days without stopping.
In other words, if the steam engine can be successfully moved onto the galley and the "kite flying" tactic is properly used, the French navy will have the ability to deal with the British in the Mediterranean.
At the same time, this process can also promote the technological iteration of naval steam engines, paving the way for using more powerful steam engines to drive heavy battleships of level three or above in the future.
Joseph originally planned to wait until France's economic situation was better before starting the research and development of new warships, but now it seems that time is running out.
If the Mediterranean route cannot be maintained, the vast North African provinces will not be able to provide support to the French mainland and may even become a liability.
Entering Egypt and launching a Suez Canal strategy are out of the question. It is very likely that the North African route that Nahuang failed at that time will be followed again.
Joseph immediately made a note of arrangements for Murdoch to take the technicians to Brittany as soon as possible - it was the base of France's shipbuilding industry and one of the main sources of sailors.
Of course, since it involves a completely new shipbuilding concept, he may have to go there himself.
Joseph shifted his thoughts from battleships back to diplomacy.
Outside Spain, the most important one is Russia.
He was not sure that he could reach an alliance with Russia. After all, Russia's trade was too deeply tied to Britain. If Britain really wants to impose severe sanctions, Russia's trade gap cannot be filled by France alone. This is also the reason why the emperor's mainland blockade policy could be implemented everywhere in Europe, but there was a gap in Russia.
And using the Queen to attack Russia in a desperate attempt is not an "overwhelming ambition" to unify Europe. The core is to plug the loopholes in the trade fence.
But if Russia wants to strictly implement the continental blockade policy, its own finances must first collapse. Therefore, the war between Russia and France is destined to be inevitable.
Therefore, Joseph's bottom line is to ensure that Russia will not join the British camp.
On the one hand, the trade volume between France and Russia must be increased as soon as possible so that Russia cannot leave France behind. On the other hand, it is to increase the development of Donbass and deepen the entanglement of interests between the two countries.
Of course, the conflicts between Russia and Austria in the Balkans can also be exploited when necessary, but that will depend on the specific situation in the future to determine the strategy.
Next up is Austria.
For now, the relationship between France and Austria is relatively stable.
And according to Joseph's memory, Leopold II was relatively principled and had a good view of the overall situation. He should be unwilling to get involved in the maelstrom of the conflict between Britain and France.
However, Joseph also knew that Leopold II was a short-lived emperor and it seemed that he would die early next year.
Francis II, who succeeded to the throne, was a conservative, hot-headed, and mediocre emperor.
Whether he will be bewitched by Britain, no one can guarantee.
If Austria really wants to stand on the opposite side of France, in a sense it would not be a bad thing.
The first is that France can take over Austria's interests in Italy without any worries.
You know, currently the rich northern Italy is basically Austria’s sphere of influence. There is also Tuscany in the central and southern part of the peninsula. The Grand Duke is directly from the Habsburg family.
At present, due to the marriage relationship between France and Austria, it is really difficult for France to attack Italy.
Once the two sides turned against each other, the Austrian Army's capabilities alone would not be able to stop France from penetrating deep into Italy.
Under extreme circumstances, Joseph could even copy the historical process and make a deal with Sardinia, abandoning central and southern Italy on the condition of helping them unify Italy, and work with Sardinia to completely drive Austria out of the Apennine Peninsula.
After that, whether France attacks Austria from Italy or supports Sardinia to harass Austria's rear, it is a good choice.
As for Prussia and the Netherlands, they were basically Britain's designated allies, and Joseph did not consider working on them.
Of course, in history, Napoleon's model of directly attacking the Netherlands was never advisable.
You have penetrated deep into northwest Germany, which will inevitably arouse the fear of the German countries, and thus firmly accept Prussia's order to fight against France.
If the Netherlands is really too eager, they can use a small number of elite troops to quickly raid Amsterdam and evacuate immediately after the Netherlands surrenders.
The Dutch warships must be destroyed or taken back to France as trophies.
[Note 1] The total British military expenditures counted here include a large amount of military aid to allies, but naval military expenditures were all spent by the British themselves, which later even reached 500 million francs a year.
(End of chapter)