Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 947

947. Corsica Naval Battle (3)

The Venetian leaders who heard the story through the envoys of France and Spain were intrigued.

“Hmm? This might be worthwhile….”

Although overshadowed by the rise of the Empire, the Venetian navy was still renowned as the strongest force in the Mediterranean.

Similarly overshadowed by the Empire, they were among the first to experiment with mounting cannons on warships.

Historically, they had fought numerous naval battles, large and small, against Genoa, and had consistently gained practical experience fighting pirates in the Mediterranean.

“Those ‘Flower Country’ [a common, sometimes derogatory, term for a foreign power, here referring to the Empire] bastards have powerful ships, but if we use the terrain and our numbers well, we might have a chance.”

“Exactly. And, as we saw in the cases of Pavia and Alexandria, we must avoid land battles.”

“Especially launching an offensive; that would be absolutely out of the question.”

“We can’t lose our leverage in negotiations.”

These were the members of the independent faction of Venice, still clinging to the hope of ‘negotiations after a preemptive strike.’

“If we can satisfy a few preconditions, accepting the proposals of those French and Spanish bastards would be the best option.”

“What conditions would be good?”

The preconditions that the independent faction came up with after racking their brains were as follows:

-France and Spain must mobilize all available naval forces. We already know the naval power of both countries well, so don’t even think about deceiving us.

-Habsburg as well.

-The command of the allied fleet will be exercised by Venice.

France and Spain may know the Atlantic well, but we know the Mediterranean better.

The independent faction, having compiled these requirements, showed them to the integration faction.

“What do you think?”

Although they were politically opposed, the integration faction were also Venetian nobles. Without their cooperation, maintaining the Venetian navy would be very difficult.

The integration faction carefully examined the requirements drafted by the independent faction and soon nodded.

“Looks good. Let’s proceed as is.”

“Good.”

“Then let’s focus on defense only for ground battles for now. Do you agree?”

“Agreed.”

With both sides making slight concessions, things proceeded smoothly.

* * *

Venice conveyed their requirements to the envoys of France and Spain. At the same time, they sent an envoy to Vienna to convey their requirements.

“Insolent….”

The first reaction of the monarchs who received Venice’s requirements was ‘insolent.’

Although they were economic powerhouses along with Florence and Milan, they were still merely city-states.

It was as if a tiny country, too small to even be called a small country, was telling them what to do.

The problem was that it was difficult to simply dismiss Venice.

Having already suffered devastating defeats at Pavia and Alexandria, they needed to avenge themselves. If they didn’t announce a victory through a retaliatory battle, the monarchs’ power would be severely damaged.

However, waging another large-scale battle on land was not a good idea.

They had confirmed the powerful strength of the Empire-Florence alliance through the two battles.

“To win a naval battle, we need even more troops and weapons than we have now.”

More time and budget were needed until that preparation was completed. And to secure this, the labor and wealth of the people were needed.

The problem was that if they were unconditionally exploited, the number of dissatisfied people would increase more than expected, and faster than expected, which would soon weaken the monarch’s power.

In the end, after much deliberation, the monarchs ordered their vassals.

“Although they are insolent, there is some truth to what they say. Coordinate.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Although time is short, keep in mind that too many concessions should be avoided.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

* * *

Thus, the diplomats and naval admirals of the three allied nations and Venice engaged in fierce verbal battles.

However, since everyone involved knew that time was short, they did not resort to clichéd tactics such as deliberately dragging out the meeting.

Thanks to this, their coordination took only five days, a historically short time.

The result of the coordination was as follows:

-France, Spain, and Habsburg agree to mobilize all available naval forces.

-Command of the allied fleet will be exercised by ‘coordinating’ the opinions of each country’s naval commanders.

-However, since the battle is taking place in the Mediterranean, the opinion of the Venetian naval commander will be ‘respected’ and ‘greatly considered.’

And upon seeing this agreement, the naval commanders of each country, especially the captains, all wore grim expressions.

“Quick on-site decisions are out the window.”

Due to the peculiarities of naval battles and warships, the captains of warships were very independent. Nevertheless, drawing the big picture was the responsibility of the supreme commander. Intermediate commanders and captains moved within that framework.

However, looking at that agreement, there were four supreme commanders of the allied fleet.

It was a structure that could never produce good results.

“This is unsettling….”

* * *

It wasn’t just the captains who were uneasy. The supreme commanders of each fleet were just as uneasy.

In the end, a squabble broke out, and the final winner was Venice.

-You may know the Atlantic well, but I know the Mediterranean best!

-Firepower? Don’t you know about our Venetian galleasses [large, heavily armed sailing ships]?

The most powerful warships among the navies gathered were the galleasses possessed by Venice.

As many as eight of them.

In the end, the supreme commanders of the Triple Alliance navy had to ‘respect’ the Venetian commander and ‘listen carefully’ to his opinion.

The operation that came out of listening to his opinion was as follows:

-The French navy breaks through the Portuguese blockade, passes through Gibraltar, and joins.

-To help the French navy pass through Gibraltar, the Spanish navy draws the attention of the Portuguese navy.

-The French navy, having passed through Gibraltar, rests and refits in Barcelona.

-When France passes through Gibraltar, the main fleet of the Spanish navy moves to Naples, rests and refits in Naples, and waits for the joining of the Venetian and Habsburg navies.

-The Venetian and Habsburg fleets bypass Sicily and head to Naples.

-The combined Venetian, Spanish, and Habsburg fleet, having finished resting and refitting in Naples, heads north through the Tyrrhenian Sea.

-Afterwards, the fleet departing from Naples is designated as the 1st Fleet, and the fleet departing from Barcelona is designated as the 2nd Fleet.

-The target of the northward-bound 1st Fleet is Corsica.

-The 2nd Fleet also joins in Corsica.

-The 1st Fleet blocks the sea route between Corsica and Tuscany.

-The Imperial Fleet will sortie to break the blockade of the 1st Fleet.

-While the 1st Fleet clashes with the Imperial Fleet, the 2nd Fleet bypasses Corsica Island and ambushes the rear of the Imperial Fleet.

“Hmm… Is the 1st Fleet becoming the anvil, and the 2nd Fleet the hammer?”

“That’s right.”

The French naval admiral, who was examining the map, pointed to one spot on the map and pointed out.

“Wouldn’t it be a problem if the Imperial Navy bypasses through the small waterway between Tuscany and Fiorentina?”

“That waterway is less than 3 leagues (about 12.6km) wide. And there are reefs in the middle. It is impossible for large battleships to pass through quickly. And if necessary, we can deploy a few battleships to block it.”

At the Venetian naval admiral’s answer, the French naval admiral nodded and closed his mouth.

Following him, the Spanish naval admiral opened his mouth.

“The fact that Corsica belongs to Genoa is bothering me. How about fighting near Naples instead? The navy of the Kingdom of Naples is also useful.”

“Are you saying we should fight in the wide Tyrrhenian Sea? Have you forgotten how fast those Imperial bastards’ ships can move? You must not forget that the speed of the Imperial bastards’ ships is their most powerful weapon.”

“….”

The Venetian naval admiral, who silenced the Spanish naval admiral, explained in detail once again.

“Setting the strait between Corsica and Tuscany as the battlefield is to tie down the Imperial Navy. It is also to prevent the Imperial Navy from using cannons properly….”

-If many battleships are crowded into the narrow strait between Corsica and Tuscany, the Imperial battleships will not be able to make use of their unique mobility.

-Also, as many battleships gather, the problem of overlapping firing lines will occur. This means that the Imperial bastards cannot use their damn cannons properly.

-In the end, the firepower of both sides becomes similar.

-That’s where the 2nd Fleet plays the role of the hammer.

“But can we be sure that they will come that way just because we go that way? Can’t they bypass like our 2nd Fleet?”

At the Habsburg naval admiral’s question, the Venetian naval admiral replied with a confident expression.

“They have no choice but to come. Bypass? Then we go straight to Livorno. Considering the number of battleships they have, Livorno’s defense will be much weaker.”

“Ah!”

Many admirals exclaimed at the Venetian naval admiral’s words. Even in the midst of that, there were still admirals who had many worries.

“But I’m worried about the Imperial bastards’ cannons. It’s not just the firepower, but aren’t the Imperial bastards the ones who carry so many that it makes my teeth grind? Even if it becomes such a tangled mess and they can’t use them properly, they can still use a considerable number, right?”

“Our navy’s galleasses also have many cannons. Of course, the Imperial bastards’ cannons are powerful. But if a close-quarters battle breaks out where cannonballs are flying right in front of us, our cannons will also show considerable power.”

“But the Imperial battleships are famous for being sturdy, aren’t they?”

“Isn’t that the ships made in the Imperial mainland? The Imperial ships currently in Livorno are the ships made in that Shinji place and Prince Henry’s Port, right? I don’t know how strong the trees in Shinji are, but we know the defense power of the ships made in Prince Henry’s Port well, don’t we?”

“Hmm….”

At the Venetian naval admiral’s words, the other naval admirals calculated once again.

-The numerical mainstay of the Imperial Navy currently stationed in Livorno are the ships made in Prince Henry’s Port.

-Those ships can be defeated enough in a chaotic situation.

-If the battleships, which are the numerical mainstay, disappear, only the battleships from Shinji will remain, and the probability of being able to defeat them will increase as we use quantitative superiority.

As that conclusion came out, the naval admirals gathered in the room began to smile slyly.

If the Venetian admiral’s plan worked and they were trapped in that narrow strait and a chaotic battle broke out, the odds would be 50-50.

It was too famous that the Imperial Navy extremely hated chaotic battles.

To put it another way, the Imperial Navy was vulnerable to chaotic battles.

Conversely, chaotic battles and boarding battles were their strengths.

‘If we do this well….’

It was an opportunity to give the Imperial Navy, who had been showing off in front of them, a big blow. Of course, if they met the Imperial Navy’s real regular fleet in the ocean, they would have to run away, but the exhilaration of giving them a blow would remain forever.