The "Polaris" light cruiser escorted several merchant ships of the South China Sea Transportation Company, slowly sailed into the Bay of Cadiz and moved slowly towards the port. The weather today was very good, with high visibility and fresh air. Silver gulls and seagulls were flying in the air, as if they were competing for the right to catch fish with Spanish fishermen.

Because it is a sailing ship, the captains are generally very careful when sailing into the Bay of Cadiz. For example, on the right side of the light cruiser "Polaris" on the right, there are two rocks called "big pigs" and "little pigs". This rock appears to be obvious during the day, and it is submerged in the water at high tide at night. I don't know how many ships have been pitted from ancient times to the present. According to Captain Ding Zhen, the captain of the "Polaris", the South China Sea Transportation Company once sank a merchant ship full of textiles here. It is very unfortunate.

There are some small islands outside the port of Cadiz (the sea has been reclaimed and connected to the land in later generations), and there are some solid brick and stone buildings on the island. For example, the famous San Sebastian Castle is located on one of the islands. Ding Zhen looked around and saw that the castles on the island were being renovated, and some sea defense artillery imported from the east coast were also being placed one by one to replace the old brass or bronze artillery.

The soldiers operating artillery were also re-trained, and their superiors sent officials to inspect and assess. Although they didn't know how effective their false-response behavior was. The reason why the Spanish spent money and manpower to repair these forts (in addition to the San Sebastian Fortress), mainly saw that the paper-like coastal defense fortress system in the last British-Spanish War, including the Canary Islands, Jamaica and even Cadiz, was actually captured by the British fleet. The soldiers guarding the fortress scattered. Is there anything worse than this in the world?

Therefore, now the Spaniards have been making a ruthless move and must reorganize the defense systems of several important commercial ports, including Cadiz, to deal with the French Navy that may attack after the outbreak of the Heritage War. You should know that after the two treasure fleets left the port, Spain basically had no decent big ships. It is the eldest brother of the French Navy, and no one can laugh at anyone. It may even be inferior to the French. The Battle of Towns many years ago is a proof, not to mention that Spain has been busy with other land affairs in the past few years and has basically no effective investment in the ocean.

So, although the naval officials of the East Coast Republic of China patted their chests to ensure that they would annihilate the main force of the French navy and block their coastline, wouldn’t they be afraid of anything? If the French navy suddenly drove off the coast of Spain and launched a harassment war against the Kingdom of Spain, this is not impossible! After all, in the Port of Toulon, there is also a French "big oar fleet" (i.e., the Eastern fleet, named for most of them, is named after the sailing warships). This kind of ship is particularly flexible near the coastline in the Mediterranean bathtub.

Ordinary sailing warships are really not as mobile as them, so it is necessary to be more careful about this fleet - the number of ships sent by the East Coast people to Europe is definitely limited. They must first assemble a powerful main fleet to find the French navy to fight the final battle. The remaining warships have to undertake a number of actions including blockade, attack, and harassment. They are unable to block the French coastline, let alone help Spain take care of the coastline. Therefore, it is better to consider more things. The Spanish are not brainless idiots!

A small sloop with paint fell slowly. This was the Spanish quarantine ship. Anyone who has been here knows that it is very small and rowed by 12 slave oarsmen. Since the United Provinces and England have had the Black Death, people from other countries are now facing the enemy when facing the ships of the two countries, and the Spanish are no exception. Of course, in name, the Spanish have to quarantine all foreign ships coming to the port in the near future, but in fact, it is mainly aimed at the British and the Dutch, and other countries have just dealt with it randomly.

A customs official took two students from Cadiz Medical College and quickly boarded the "Polaris". He first looked at the light cruiser he had never seen before - this kind of design to retract the forecastle and stern into the deck in Europe at this time - and he smashed his mouth and asked Captain Ding Zhen where the ship came from, what its name was, what its captain was, how many people were, etc. Finally, the two students from the medical college asked a few hurriedly if anyone was sick on the ship, and after a few casual glances, the few people got off the ship and rowed away again. The quarantine was indeed loose, but it might be related to their East Coast, and Spanish officials did not dare to make things too difficult. After all, the dangerous situation facing their motherland could be seen as long as they were not blind.

A goose was placed on the foremast of the Polaris, which indicated that the ship had been quarantined and could continue sailing forward. Captain Ding Zhen and several other merchant ships finally docked on the dock near the city of Cadiz (Cadis has four docks, Rota, Real, Santa Maria and Cadiz).

After sending an adjutant to complete the complicated entry procedures, it was already night. Captain Ding Zhen, with two confidants, changed into a large costume called "Casaguillas" on the ship, and then put on a hat with a wide brim. Then, when no one was paying attention, he went down to the dock in the shadows, and with the help of a Spanish official, he walked on a remote gravel path.

Perhaps there were few people walking on this road, or perhaps the Spanish had "treated". Ding Zhen and others walked for five minutes, but they didn't see a ghost. There was a door at the end of the road, and a suspension bridge in front of it. Several Spanish soldiers were guarding with guns. After a little negotiation with the guards, they put down the suspension bridge, let the group walk in, and then vigilantly closed the suspension bridge, making people feel as if they were facing a great enemy.

Behind the suspension bridge is a house built of stones called "selleria" by the locals. This stone is taken from the seaside and is a turquoise mixed with shells, clay and sand. People smash it at the seaside and then transport it to the city with a trolley when the tide is low. The stone is soft and easy to cut, and they will gradually become harder, so it is very suitable for use as the main material for buildings or fortresses. It is said that the San Sebastian Fortress was repaired with this "hard turquoise" and imported Dutch bricks. Once completed, it will be very strong. If more than three hundred artillery pieces around the port of Cadiz (including port fortresses), this most important port in Spain should be safe, provided that the soldiers guarding it should not disperse like the port of Santa Cruz in the Canary Islands.

"Captain Ding, I've been waiting for you here for a long time." Minamijiro, wearing a lieutenant uniform, smiled enthusiastically at Ding Zhen. Behind him were seven or eight men in yellow East Coast Reserve uniforms, probably all officers, and they were standing there a little restrainedly, listening to Shangguan and the navy's chat and laughter.

"I encountered some storms on the road and had to hide on Huaiyuan Island for some time, so I came a little late. Of course, fortunately, it was still too late. The French had not been crazy yet and started the war until now." Captain Ding Zhen shook hands with Minamijiro and said, "All the equipment, military supplies and supplies have been shipped. Let the Spaniards carry them when there are fewer people, be careful."

"Don't worry, I will save it." Nanjiro gave a few instructions behind him when he heard this, and then a translator came out and went to negotiate with Spain.

Speaking of this upcoming war with the French, the East Coast people not only sent naval forces to attack the French's maritime forces, but also sent some army troops to attack the French's overseas colonies, among which French Santo Domingo was the top priority. Of course, if there was a chance, it was not impossible to send some army to grab a fight on the French coast and then quickly leave for Quebec. At least, the Joint General Staff had formulated this plan before and sent 500 Fengguo* soldiers to the Port of Cadiz, Spain, to wait for the next order at any time. Lieutenant Minamijiro's army is currently their commander.

I believe that with these 500 miscellaneous soldiers, once they appear in the French Quebec colony, they will probably be scared to death. Well, if they can make such a fuss on the coast of France, it will be an temptation for any commander to refuse. Of course, this requires the strong cooperation of the navy and the accurate intelligence support of the Spanish.

"Let's do it here." Captain Ding Zhen patted Nanjiro on the shoulder, said he took care of it, and then left the secret camp of the army and went to the residence arranged by the Spanish, a cold and remote castle.

The castle is located in a higher terrain in the city, surrounded by olive trees, which makes the castle look like a fenced garden. If you stand in the attic on the top floor of the castle, Captain Ding Zhen found that he could easily overlook the entire Port of Cadiz, where his ships were anchored, merchant ships coming and going in and out of the port, and several silver ships parked on the other side.

There are wooden crosses in the fortress and even in every corner of the city, and beggars begging in the name of God or saints everywhere on the streets. All of this reminds Captain Ding Zhen that this is a land full of rich Catholic style and is known as the rule of the Catholic king.

It was too late at this time, and the tide was shaking the coast. Many Spanish soldiers guarding the fortress gave up their accusations and turned to fishing, which made him shake his head. His lazy personality and distracted discipline, such an army, even if you give them any advanced weapons and strong fortress, would probably be in vain. Now Ding Zhen can understand why the soldiers at the Port of Santa Cruz in the Canary Islands dispersed when the British fleet attacked.

Then, the Port of Cadiz is so dispersed, not to mention the overseas strongholds far away from the local area. Of course, this may also be related to the financial situation of the Spanish royal family being too bad, and the large amount of military pay owed to these soldiers (this is very common in Spain, and the most can be owed more than a year). After all, the soldiers also have to eat and live. Perhaps among the people who were selling salted fish in the alley just now, there are the families of these Spanish soldiers guarding forts and fortresses.

"Fortunately, the finances of our East Coast are very healthy, and the annual military expenditure allocation is also timely. The quantity and quality of military supplies can be guaranteed, which allows soldiers to polish their combat skills in a relatively dignified state of life." Captain Ding Zhen lit a pipe for himself with a crocodile match and thought while smoking.

The place where the "Polaris" was parked is not far from the castle where Ding Zhen lived. He could even clearly see the dim lights on the boat and the figures of sailors walking back and forth on the deck. Their mooring distance was very close to the dock, and several large braziers shone the nearby night sky very well. Several small oar boats were circling around the "Polaris", perhaps some vendors selling fruits, vegetables, fresh water and fresh meat, or Ding Zhen, who was directly playing "Boat Shi" with people, thought.

Of course, some small boats are equipped with rigs such as canvas, skins, cables, wooden tar, small masts, etc., which must be purchased before their ships go to Bilbao. Because when they get there, there may not be such a complete supply to buy, and the price may be relatively expensive and the quality may not be good.

For example, the cables produced in Port Cadiz are very famous. Unlike the common methods of using hemp and linen ropes in general countries, the Spanish use a grass called "sparto" to make cables. This grass is an African tung grass that grows on sandy hills in Andalusia and Granada. The ropes made of it are very strong and durable, and do not need to be applied to tar. The cost is also cheaper than cables in other countries - unfortunately, this is Spain, where handicrafts are extremely declining, otherwise it can be exported to a large number of ropes, cables, straw mats and other things in other countries every year.

After unloading the goods at the port and purchasing the supplies, the "Polaris" will separate from the merchant fleet, and then go to the port of Bilbao along the coast of the Bay of Biscay to "retreat" and wait for the order to attack. It is not the first east coast warship to go to Bilbao. In fact, two "Solar"-class sail guard gunboats have arrived there before this. In the next few months, a large number of main east coast warships will still be sandwiched in the merchant fleet in the name of escort to Spain, and then drive to Bilbao port to assemble, until the war broke out quickly, looking for the main force of the French Navy and defeating it.
Chapter completed!