No matter how many battleships the Dutch had, they could not withstand such losses. In one battle, more than 50 warships were lost, and no Western power could afford it. The Western powers are all emerging countries, and they have all developed in the last 100 years or so. More than 100 years ago, it was impossible to get on the world stage. To be honest, their foundation is actually not thick. Competing with a behemoth like the Ming Empire, they are definitely not opponents.

The Dutch know this best. As coachmen at sea, the Dutch amassed a great deal of wealth. When it comes to the affluence of the people, the Dutch are definitely second to none. In addition to the well-developed shipping industry, there is another industry that is very well developed in the Netherlands, and that is the financial industry. The Netherlands has the largest number of banks in Europe. Due to the plundering of a large amount of wealth from overseas, the Netherlands, with a population of only 2 million, was quite wealthy among the people.

Ordinary people have their own houses and gardens. More than 30 percent of families have their own servants. Most of these servants were slaves from other underdeveloped countries. Among them, quite a few are black. Because they had too much money in their hands and no other way to spend it, the Dutch once fried daffodil balls to sky-high prices, which was jaw-dropping.

However, since the war with the White Coats and Navy, the living standards of the people in the Netherlands have plummeted. In order to increase military spending and build more warships, the Dutch top brass decided to impose a large amount of taxes. As a result, the income of ordinary people has shrunk significantly. However, those who have connections and backstage can be exempted from taxes, and the gap between the rich and the poor has widened sharply.

At the same time, due to the appearance of the warships of the White Army Navy on the American continent to attack the merchant ships of the Western powers, the import of materials from overseas was greatly reduced. Now in the Netherlands, there is already a depression. Prices have skyrocketed, and people's lives have also been greatly affected. The price of grain sales in the Netherlands has more than doubled in a short period of time.

The Netherlands itself is a small country with little land, a small population, and few supplies, and it is simply not self-sufficient in food. They had to buy a lot of food from overseas. Among them, grain from the Americas occupies a very important part. Once the import of supplies from overseas is cut off, they are stretched thin. Other countries are also hoarding strategic grain reserves, so naturally it is impossible to have too much grain that can circulate freely in the market.

Fortunately, aid from countries such as Sweden in the north could temporarily help the Dutch tide over their immediate needs. At that time, the Swedish king Gustav was deeply aware that if the Dutch fleet was completely wiped out by the white navy, the white navy would penetrate deep into the Mediterranean, so as to cooperate with the army and take down the Ottoman Turkish Empire in one fell swoop. According to intelligence, the White Army has approached the area of Baghdad, not far from Istanbul.

Although, in the past, Europeans were very hostile to the Ottoman Turkish Empire for religious reasons. When the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Turkish Empire went to war, all of Europe was once backed by the Byzantine Empire. But now, this "evil" Middle Eastern country is pinned on deep hopes by Europeans. A large number of weapons were sold cheaply to the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Among them, a large number of artillery and firearms were included.

The Western powers were very worried that once the Ottoman Turkish Empire fell, the iron cavalry of the white army would sweep across the entire European continent. This was an even more terrible thing than the Mongols and the Huns. Because, in the past, the Mongols and Huns, they did not have cannons and muskets, nor did they have any warships. However, the White Army has everything.

The White Coats have both a powerful navy and an army, and both services are exceptionally powerful. This is what any Western power shuddered. At the beginning, when the Huns and Mongols attacked, the British could hide and watch the excitement. Now, no. Britain, as an island nation, is more vulnerable to the siege of the White Coats Navy.

As the mainstay of the Dutch Navy, Derek was in a bad mood. He didn't expect that in his later years, he would encounter such a tough opponent. He had repeatedly studied all kinds of materials of the White Army countless times, but in the end he did not come to any conclusions. Because, he really can't accept the rise of the White Army and Navy. In every respect, it is too rebellious and illogical.

In the dark, Derek vaguely felt that behind the rise of the White Army and Navy, there should be a mysterious figure. It is this mysterious figure who guides the growth of the white-clothed army and navy step by step. He seemed to know everything, he knew everything. He knew more than all Europeans. He was not a man at all, he was a god.

"What is the origin of this Xu Xingxia?" Derek was puzzled.

He'd asked himself this question countless times. All the detailed information about Xu Xingxia has been placed on his desk, and he has read it countless times. For everything about Xu Xingxia, he can recite it backwards. However, none of the information explains the most critical issues. That is, why does Xu Xingxia know so much!

According to various intelligence, Xu Xingxia seems to be very familiar with the Western powers. He seems to be familiar with many parts of the world. He almost knew where there were precious resources, where there were scarce materials, where there were excellent deep-water ports, where there were cherished specialties, and where there were indigenous armed forces.

The various units of the White Army are going for these resources. They often get in front of others and keep these resources firmly in control. After plundering these resources, the speed of development of the white army is naturally faster. With sufficient financial revenue and sufficient resources, it is no wonder that the White Navy can build so many warships.

However, the question is back to the original point, why does Xu Xingxia know so much?

In the whole of Europe, there is not a single person who can explain such a problem. The only thing that is certain is that Xu Xingxia has definitely never been to Europe. Even, he never left Ningxia Town, which is only the size of a sesame seed on the world map. Even the legendary demon doesn't seem to have the skills of an uncertain prophet like him.

"Damn, we must have met a demon."

Derek thought to himself. That was the only explanation he could accept.

Even Derek thinks so, and what the Dutch naval officers and sailors below will think, then it can be imagined. They don't have any intention of fighting at all. It's not that their will to fight is not strong enough, it's not that they're greedy for life and afraid of death. The most critical thing is that the Dutch have no hope of victory at all. In front of the navy of the white-coated army, the Dutch were completely desperate.

The howitzers of the White Army, ten years ago, appeared. Since that time, the Dutch have been trying to crack the technical secrets of howitzers. However, until now, the Dutch have not mastered the key technology. The protection of gun technology is very good for the white army. Even if the Dutch had obtained the actual guns from some means, there would be no way to reverse them in the short term.

"Withdraw!"

Derek had no choice but to give the order.

No matter how unwilling he was to lose, he had to retreat.

With the arrival of the Fourth Fleet of the White Navy, the Dutch Navy was completely at a disadvantage. The combat effectiveness of the Fourth Fleet is not comparable to that of the Ninth Fleet. Their joining will make the Dutch even more miserable. If they did not retreat decisively, the Dutch would most likely be wiped out.

"Chase!"

"Dog! Catch up! ”

Cao Zhenggang, who was holding his breath, immediately ordered the pursuit.

In the battle just now, the Ninth Fleet did not perform well, and Cao Zhenggang has always been obsessed. People love face, and Cao Zhenggang is no exception. The poor performance of the Ninth Fleet shows that he is not a good captain of the fleet. Compared with Chen Zhan, the level has dropped a lot. It's just that the Dutch have an advantage in the number of warships, and he doesn't dare to let go of his hands and feet to fight. Now, with the Fourth Fleet coming to his aid, he has nothing to worry about.

Sure enough, the officers and men of the Ninth Fleet performed very well in the pursuit battle. The ability to beat the water dogs is definitely something that everyone has. Coupled with the Fourth Fleet's sweep, the Ninth Fleet's pursuit was even more fierce. As a result, the retreat of the Dutch soon turned into a rout. It turned out that the Dutch warships, which had been able to retreat in an organized manner, rushed to flee for their lives.

Even if Derek had twelve points of skill, he could not prevent the collapse of the fleet.

Any Dutch warship, if unfortunately targeted by the white-coat navy, will definitely end sadly.

Due to the headwind heading for Madeira, the speed of the battleship was not fast, and it was impossible to quickly open the escape distance, and some of the Dutch battleships decided to flee to the southwest to get rid of the pursuit of the white-coat battleships as much as possible. However, the Dutch accidentally forgot a little, the battleships of the white-coated army, with more square sails. In other words, when the wind was downwind, the White Navy's naval ships were faster than the Dutch.

As a result, the Dutch ships fled in front, and the white-clad ships pursued in the rear, and the distance between the two sides continued to shorten. The battleships of the White Army Navy took the opportunity to catch up with the Dutch battleships from the flanks and then opened fire. Dutch warships were constantly destroyed. From Madeira to the middle of the Atlantic, there were floating fragments of battleships and human corpses everywhere.

From the west coast of Africa to the middle of the Atlantic, it was a tailwind, and the warships of both sides sailed fast. Due to the high speed, the hit rate of the shells was naturally not high, and the losses of the Dutch battleships were not very large. However, after reaching the middle of the Atlantic, the tailwind turned into a headwind, and the warships of both sides slowed down. And so, the fierce battle began again. The losses of the Dutch battleships suddenly expanded.

(To be continued)