Chapter 388 The number one thug
In Trieste, inside the Empire's Second Shipyard, spring is springing outside and the earth is getting warmer, and the largest ironclad ship in the world is being secretly built here, with its weight expected to exceed 7,000 tons. It is nearly 2,000 tons heavier than the largest sailing battleship today.
Historically, it was not until 1852 that the first ironclad ship that exceeded the 6,000-ton mark was ushered in. That was the "Wellington", the pride of the United Kingdom - the overlord of the oceans at that time.
And Friedrich's goal has always been to surpass Britain and France. In order to reverse the huge numerical disadvantage, he needs a group of capital ships that can pose a huge threat to his opponents.
Originally, the risk of building a 7,000-ton battleship was not small. It had both technical difficulties and other challenges.
However, due to Austria's rapid progress in steelmaking technology over the past few years, the construction of this very large warship has achieved a major breakthrough from drawing work to final launch.
In fact, the young naval marshal has not really realized that his warships can be made larger and heavier, and even exceeding 10,000 tons is no longer a distant dream.
But in fact, given that the current steel quality has not yet reached the standard, the 10,000-ton giant ship simply cannot tap and unleash its full potential and advantages. At this time, the rocket power was insufficient, and the strategy of using small boats to carry cannons also failed to work.
Since they are subject to the above restrictions, they can simply build a 7,000-ton ship to force the British to kick off the naval competition in advance and see how the other side will make a move.
In retrospect, it may take 6-7 years to complete the ship; after all, no one has ever set foot on an ironclad ship of such a tonnage. The price of this ship is expected to be more than 6 million florins, five times that of an ordinary battleship; the length of the ship is 85 meters, the width is 20 meters, and the height is 6 meters.
The internal structure is similar to that of the later "Dingyuan Ship", but a new steam turbine is used in the power system. The horsepower can reach more than 15,000 horses, which is twice that of the latter, and the speed is about 21 knots. In terms of speed alone, it can beat any warship in the world today. This record may be difficult to break in the next few decades.
However, there are also quite a few flaws. Its firepower and defense design are much worse than those of the Dingyuan ship. The main reason is that the current technology in artillery and armor is still very backward.
In addition, at Franz's strong request, the ship also reproduced the ramming horn, a piece of equipment used by ancient warships.
In addition, Friedrich also started exploratory research on mines and torpedoes under Franz's repeated suggestions. The technological threshold of these two weapons is not high, but their power is very huge.
Although Franz is aware of the development trends of these weapons, the specific applications must be studied by professionals.
A real sea battle with the Anglo-Saxons, who started out as pirates and robbers, only exists in the ideal. Even if you want to be Song Xianggong, it does not mean that the other party will follow your ideas.
War is to return all human moral bottom lines to zero. In the highest form of violence, kindness is just a means.
As the imperial industry continues to expand, the rubber crisis has changed from once a year to once every six months. Factories can only operate for a few months each year because raw materials are quickly used up.
The Brazilians' promises are as unreliable as their industrial development, and the rubber gaps are as difficult to plug the spilled blood as the broken wounds.
And they seemed to have nothing to do with the "number one thug". Instead of being defeated by the Brazilians, Garibaldi became more and more courageous.
"Italy has three fights of martial virtue, Garibaldi has five fights, and everyone in the world owes two fights." - A comment from a book friend.
Garibaldi was once a follower of Mazzini, joined the Carbonari Party, participated in the Savoy Expedition, and was even chased by the Austrian army.
But his experience in South America is legendary. In order to avoid pursuit by Austria, Garibaldi and some Italian expatriates fled to Brazil.
Soon they were moved by the spirit of the Farabos people and joined this vigorous uprising.
(The "Farapos" uprising was an uprising of republicans in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from 1835 to 1846. It was named after the republicans in southern Brazil who were called "Farapos", meaning "poor men".)
This legendary figure once led twelve soldiers and his Indo-European wife at the mouth of the river to repel a government fleet ten times their strength.
He also captured seven fortresses in five days and killed 11 enemies in one battle. The Brazilian government once offered a bounty of 10,000 Croceiro, but none of the bounty hunters who took over the business came back alive.
(Crosseiro - Brazilian currency at the time.)
Another time, Garibaldi's ship used up all its cannonballs during the battle. Facing the Brazilian warship, he chose to take the initiative to move closer. As soon as the two sides came into contact, the bullets in the guns were emptied.
While the two fighting parties were reloading, Garibaldi picked up an ax and swung it directly to the opposite side with the help of the rope.
Under his inspiration, his own crew members jumped to join the enemy ship one after another. In the ensuing battle, a heroic man wielding an ax killed everyone on the Brazilian warship, as awe-inspiring as a ghost.
The most dangerous one was in a tavern, where five gunmen surrounded Garibaldi and his wife, but in the end people only found a mess there.
Soon after, the couple reappeared on the battlefield. No one knows what happened, but he has been confirmed as the "number one thug".
But in fact, the activity of this "number one thug" has not fundamentally reversed the situation between the two parties. The Brazilian government's military power is still strong.
Coupled with Austria's loans, a large number of soldiers were recruited and sent to the front line continuously, along with boxes after boxes of weapons shipped from the former's homeland.
On the other hand, the areas occupied by the rebels have no access to the sea, lack of industry, complex terrain, and harsh environment. Even agriculture is difficult to be self-sufficient. Coupled with the destruction of the war, even if they win consecutive battles at this time, they are unable to provide food and clothing for everyone. needs.
Of course, if they defend according to danger, the rebels will not have a problem holding on for a few more years. But General Canabarro had been dazzled by the victory, and he wanted to have a decisive battle with the government troops on the plains.
But this is not the only factor. In the final analysis, it is insufficient supplies. As the rebels occupied more and more areas, more and more Fabians joined their ranks.
Rather than thinking that they are here to liberate Brazil, these poor people are more likely to think that they are here to make a living. In less than a year, the size of the rebel army increased from the initial 3,000 to 5,000, then to 10,000, and now reaches 50,000.
Combined, these Fabibos families meant hundreds of thousands of mouths. Similarly, the people in the occupied areas cannot be left alone, so food consumption has reached a terrible situation.
What makes matters worse is that almost all of the top rebels belong to the large estate owners and merchant classes. They demand strict compliance with the principles of free trade and the implementation of "fair sales."
The pricing power of food is in the hands of these upper-level officials. The soldiers' military salary used to be enough to feed their families for three months, but now it is only enough to feed their families for a week. On the one hand, there is the continuous issuance of free money, and on the other hand, the crazy rise in food prices.
In the end, the soldiers were surprised to find that they didn't have enough to eat before the uprising, and they still didn't have enough to eat after the uprising. But how can soldiers fight if they don't have enough to eat?
Those Fabibos who chose to join in order to have enough to eat, since they can join the rebels, can also join the government forces. It is even more common to kill comrades and defect with guns.
General Canabarro is just a soldier. He only knows that it is impossible not to let his soldiers eat, nor to be without weapons. As a result, Canabarro rejected Garibaldi's suggestion to continue fighting guerrillas in the Kasan jungle and decided to adopt a military adventure strategy.