European Financial Emperor

Chapter 36

036 First Battle (1)

As the outbound fleet of Ben Heren Co., Ltd. was formed, the first mate Aaron and Jeff, etc., began to prepare for boarding.

A lot of money was inflowed from London for this trip, and the ship was to be launched to Northeast Asia.

The excursion fleet will be headed by Benheren’s business partner and former Dutch MP Kylon Beakel.

Kylon Beakel and Ben Heren led the expeditionary fleet until recently five years ago, but disappeared from commerce for a while when she voted for the House of Representatives.

When Hana Ben-Heren was unable to lead the fleet, he decided to step down from the House of Representatives and take command.

Kylon Beakel suggested discussing preparations before departure with First Mate Aaron.

The two met at the Amsterdam temporary fleet base, reconfirmed the route and purchased items, and discussed the composition of the crew.

Two people chatting over a glass of whiskey.

Aaron asked Kylon very carefully.

“Hey, Nari. I have one question.”

“Questions?”

“Does Prince Ben-Heren have any connection with the Far East of Asia?”

Kylan was deep in thought.

It was because Richard Ben-Heren was a man who had traveled around the world so much that there was nothing strange about having a different life.

However, he tilted his head.

“Well, Richard must have been such a wanderer.”

“Well, it’s a wanderlust, isn’t it that everyone on a boat is there?”

“It is. But Richard doesn’t like to settle in one place. The Ben Heren family’s hands are said to be precious, but there’s nothing strange about having a few illegitimate children somewhere.”

“Hmm… … .”

“But why are you asking that?”

Aaron decided to be honest about what happened before the pirates attacked the Ben Heren fleet a while ago.

Unlike Richard Ben-Herren, Kylon Beakel has a docile and thoughtful personality, and the sailors sometimes come to him for advice.

Aaron thought he could trust Kylon like that.

Hearing all the circumstances, such as receiving a commission from Chosun and their contact with merchants in the south, Kylon had a serious expression on his face.

“This is Buwon-gun. Isn’t that referring to the queen’s father?”

“I know it’s similar.”

“Buwongun, the most powerful man in Joseon, sent a man to India in search of a man named Lee Hwan… … . But Ben Heren seems to be strangely ignoring Lee Hwan, isn’t it?”

“Yes that’s right. Not sure, but my feelings were telling me that.”

“Richard isn’t the type of person to be so stingy.”

“That’s what I mean. It’s strange that Prince Ben-Heren was chasing someone, but it was also surprising that he came to the Netherlands with a man named Lee Hwan from Chosun.”

“Hmm… … . But what’s even more strange is that Lee Hwan’s identity will never be normal.”

“Yes that’s right.”

Kylon Beakel defined Richard Benheren’s personality in one word.

“Richard is never one to live at a loss. There’s no way you’ll ever embrace someone who won’t help you. In my opinion, I don’t think the person named Lee Hwan was accepted just for the purpose of distributing opium. Rather than that, he must have embraced the disease for a slightly greater benefit.”

“Because what kind of person Lee Hwan is… … .”

“What if you were a powerful royal family?”

“… … Are you royalty?”

“Even if it’s a person with a fairly high line of succession to the throne. What if the king’s closest servant or a powerful ruler?”

“So what you get… … .”

“Don’t you think that even if you don’t get anything right now, it will be useful someday? For example, building an outpost in Northeast Asia in the future, and things like that.”

“Are you thinking of breaking through the Qing Dynasty through Joseon?”

“Maybe.”

The trade between Europe and Qing was being built up in a picture absolutely against Europe.

The luxury goods and spices of blue were an irresistible temptation for European merchants, and as a self-sufficient society, blue did not need income, and was raking in European silver.

Unintentional unequal trade was making the entrance to Qing narrower.

However, it could have been a different story if they took over the trade network of Joseon.

“If you can advance through Qing to Russia or even Why? Besides, if we can procure opium from fruits and vegetables in Russia, wouldn’t it be a bonus?”

“So you mean that Prince Ben-Heren brought Lee Hwan to the business?”

“It is very likely.”

“Hmm… … Who the hell did you do that with?”

“I don’t know. Who the hell knows what’s inside of him? But one important thing is for sure that Richard is very interested in Northeast Asia.”

Hearing Aaron’s story, Kylan’s heart was not at ease either.

The two decided to get some information from this trip.

“They say that the country of Joseon is more closed than you think. But there must be a way to get information.”

“Does Nari also want to find an answer in Joseon?”

“Of course. I can’t stand my questions either.”

I was half anticipating and half worried about what kind of information would come out on this trip.

***

2 months of sailing.

After several supplies, the royal voyage was able to reach Cape Verde.

In the meantime, the soldiers’ shooting skills have improved considerably, and the number of soldiers who can accurately penetrate targets 100 meters away has begun to increase one by one.

As the result of practicing with only one Go stone on top was this, Hwan Lee was looking forward to what would happen if Springfield were to be spread in earnest.

As the fighting power of the Royal Sailors gradually increased, Ben-Heren decided to send intelligence to Cape Verde.

🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

On a rainy morning, two small speedboats on orders from Ben Heren split the water.

Although it was a small ship with 50 people on board, 100 spies were by no means a small number.

The agent returned three hours after leaving.

They succeeded in catching the enemy’s tail after asking questions at the port.

“The ship we are looking for left only six hours ago. If I had come three hours earlier, I might have met them.”

“It’s a real difference.”

Unless it is a modern speedboat, it would not have been possible to go that far just by going for 3 hours on the current sailing boat.

It must have been a bit difficult to navigate because it was already pouring rain.

It is said that if I had slept an hour less, I could have caught them.

Hana Lee Hwan believed in the power of the steamship.

“They must have loaded a lot of luggage and people. If we chase at full speed now, we should be able to catch up in at least three hours.”

“I pursue them at full speed.”

In everything in this world, the beast hanger is important.

Depending on how the first button is put on, even a person’s life can change, isn’t it worldly?

The royal voyage, which had purchased a lot of coal from Cape Verde, broke the current without a break.

First of all, nine speedboats went ahead to search.

When they spot an enemy, 5 small line ships with 100 crew members will attempt a siege in an instant, and 2 medium line ships will follow closely behind them and block their escape route.

In the end, the Black Hammer, which boasts overwhelming firepower and number of people, was going to take the climax.

Two hours after the search squad left.

The voices of the soldiers could be heard from the watchtower.

“Commander! Reconnaissance party firecrackers floated in front of me!”

“What color?”

“It is red.”

Red indicates that an enemy has been found.

Ben-Heren hit the knee.

percussion!

“Right! I got it!”

“What should I do? Shall we attack?”

If the fleet surrounded it, it would be difficult for even a large fleet to find a way to escape.

In response to the lieutenant’s question, Ben Heren looked at Lee Hwan.

“staff.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Should I bombard you?”

There were reports that the enemy had no guns.

Lee Hwan shook his head at Ben Heren’s question.

“I think it’s right to save as much as possible.”

“great. Michael Easterfield, you served as a staff officer, but you have formidable marksmanship. Can you command the soldiers?”

“Yes, I understand. It’s my first time conducting, but I’ll give it a try.”

“From now on, I will entrust you with the duties of commander of the Marine Corps.”

Although he had done fire control in a sniper squad, it was the first time he had commanded a unit.

Hana Lee Hwan was a person who could use the best tactics in this era.

He confidently stepped forward.

“If the enemy is within line of sight, aim and fire at the enemy!”

“Yes!”

According to intelligence, the slave traders did not have cannons, and about 200 militants were stationed there.

If that was the case, it was clear that the enemy would be destroyed immediately even if there was only one company of troops commanded by Yi Hwan.

However, casualties of allies could occur at any time.

Lee Hwan placed a cover on the side railing and instructed him to shoot the enemy.

“Install an iron plate!”

“Yes, I understand!”

At the same time, Lee Hwan shouted to Benlechen, the captain and commander of the flagship.

“You have to change the camp of the ship! It seems like we need to change the faction as if to cover the enemy!”

“Did you hear it? As the staff said, it changes the camp of the ship.”

Boo woo woo!

With the sound of a miracle, the fleet split in both sides and began to form in an eight (八) shape.

In the engine room, they burned more coal when they heard that the formation was changing.

soggy… … !

The sound of the steam engine running was heard, and the Dutch fleet began to surround the enemy as the formation changed in an instant.

The distance to the enemy was reduced to less than 300 meters in an instant.

Lee Hwan ordered to stand by to fire.

“Waiting to shoot! Stay focused on the target until I give you my orders!”

Pooh, poo, poo!

When the trumpets sounded, commanding them to wait for the fire, the fleet went down and fired in unison.

The soldiers who had been training so much for this moment looked forward with a tense face.

The distance decreased in an instant.

300 meters, 200 meters, 100 meters… … .

Silence that seems to be out of breath.

Whew!

The wind direction has changed.

Lee Hwan decided to wait a little longer.

Optimal wind, distance and even humidity were waiting for everything to be perfect.

After 10 seconds, Lee Hwan’s eyes twinkled as if breathing fire.

‘We’re almost there!’

Given that the enemy did not have cannons, this distance could now establish an optimal firing line.

“Ready to fire!”

The gunners moved their guns towards the designated area.

In the manual that Lee Hwan distributed, each squad determined the shooting position each squad was in charge of.

Without the cannon, Lee Hwan would never get tired of it.

One variable is always going to happen.

Enemies poured out in an instant and began to fill the deck with a hustle and bustle.

Even estimating only the troops that formed a dense formation, each ship seemed to lightly exceed 500 men.

“… … what?! Why are there so many troops?!”

“Black people got guns! It seems that even all the slaves are dragged out and mobilized in battle!”

“Shit!”

Due to the characteristics of merchant ships, size was more important than speed and durability, so the number of crew members was overwhelmingly large.

Besides, once you know how to put gunpowder and load bullets, it wasn’t that difficult to configure the fire net.

In an instant, the enemy increased to 2,000, so Lee Hwan’s troops were at an absolute disadvantage.

While everyone, including Ben Heren, was bewildered, Lee Hwan shouted.

“Ready to shoot! The shooters keep their positions on the spot and get ready to fire!”

“I must prepare for the bombardment.”

“no! You can win!”

“… … can win?”

“Trust me!”

Annihilating the blacks will tarnish the meaning of building a pelagic fleet.

Lee Hwan thought that the ocean fleet had to be a ray of light for the slaves.

“Keep your distance 100 meters! Then we will win!”

“100 meters.”