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Piaotian Literature of the Fourth Empire of China www.piaotia.com Chapter 324: Actively Prepare for War

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    August 15, 1898, London, Downing Street Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Marquess Salisbury is urgently summoning Admiralty Secretary Frederick?  William?  Sir Richards.

    "The latest information we have received is that the Chinese Chief of General Staff arrived in Germany yesterday. It can be foreseen that the Chinese and the Germans will definitely have in-depth exchanges on military technology. Perhaps it won't be long before the Germans' slipway  A new type of battleship will be built. This is a huge challenge for the empire!" said the Prime Minister, the Marquis of Salisbury seriously.

    Thanks to the widespread use of wireless telegraph machines, and due to the improvement of science and technology, the size is getting smaller and smaller. This allows British spies in Germany to quickly send relevant information back to the UK, allowing the UK to quickly  to react.

    "Your Excellency Prime Minister, the Ministry of the Navy has been stepping up the design work of the 'Dreadnought-class' battleship. The specific drawings are expected to be completed within half a year. With the shipbuilding capabilities of the British Empire, even if Germany starts construction before us, we can ensure that they  When the battleships are put into service, our new battleships will also be put into service. Moreover, in terms of the number of slipways and shipbuilders in the empire, we have an advantage over Germany. As long as there are sufficient funds, we can completely increase the speed of shipbuilding and the number of battleships.  Surpass Germany and maintain the superiority of the Imperial Navy!" Admiral Frederick?  William?  Sir Richards said confidently.  Britain has been the largest maritime power for hundreds of years, and has relied on this to achieve hundreds of years of British hegemony.  Britain has a profound naval heritage, which cannot be matched by other countries, nor can it be offset by one or two advanced warships.  Therefore, it will be very difficult for other countries to challenge Britain's maritime supremacy.

    "I'm relieved about this. How are the two battleships we built for Japan?" asked the Marquis of Salisbury.

    "Both battleships were completed last month and are undergoing sea trials. The Japanese side has sent sailors to receive the battleships. However, Japan is somewhat worried that their naval battleships, no matter which direction they are coming from, will  After passing through the Chinese navy's defense zone, if the Chinese navy chooses to attack the Japanese naval fleet when it returns home, it will be a huge disaster for the Japanese navy." Navy Minister Frederick?  William?  Sir Richards said with some concern.  With the Chinese Navy's "Zhonghua-class" battleships entering service one after another, the naval power in the Far East has once again undergone earth-shaking changes.  According to the intelligence obtained by the British, all four of the Chinese Navy's "Zhonghua-class" battleships will be commissioned in up to three months.  By then, the Chinese navy will become the undisputed number one in Asia.  The British Navy's "China Fleet" has even proposed to temporarily leave Hong Kong and anchor in the safer Singapore.  If China and Japan go to war, once the British Navy is involved, the four "Sovereign Class" battleships of the "Chinese Fleet" will not be a match for the four "Zhonghua Class" battleships of the Chinese Navy.

    "That's a question. But will the Chinese strike preemptively?" the Marquis of Salisbury said with a frown.

    "According to the intelligence we have received, the Chinese have been preparing for war since the beginning of this year. They have hoarded a large amount of various strategic materials, and the army in the north has also begun to change their equipment. It is estimated that they are preparing for war. And Japan  The return of the navy's warships is an excellent opportunity for them to launch a war first!" Frederick?  William?  said Sir Richards.

    "What do the Japanese plan to do?" asked the Marquess of Salisbury.

    "The Japanese want to wait for the two battleships they built in the United States to come to the UK, and then return to the country together with the two armored cruisers built in France. In this case, they will have four battleships and six armored cruisers. And,  The Japanese expressed the hope that the Imperial Navy could form a formation with the Japanese fleet and escort the Japanese fleet back to Japan!" Frederick?  William?  said Sir Richards.

    "Forming a formation with the Japanese fleet? This is absolutely not possible. The Imperial Navy cannot go to war with the Chinese immediately. Our plan has always been to let the Japanese, Russians and Americans fight the Chinese until they are exhausted.  , we will come out to clean up the mess and seize the final fruits of victory!" The Marquis of Salisbury shook his head.

    "However, after the Chinese new battleships enter service, the Japanese will have no chance of winning!" Frederick?  William?  Sir Richards said with great concern.  The two battleships built by Britain for Japan are just improved versions of the 'Sovereign Class' battleships.  The two built by the United States are the American "Indiana-class" battleships, and their performance is even worse.  Once they encounter China's most advanced 'Zhonghua-class' battleships, the Japanese will have no choice but to die.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this, let the Japanese warships hangOur flag.  In this way, the Chinese will not go too far.  The Chinese should exercise restraint when they are not ready for war with the empire.  In addition, before our new battleships are put into service, we need to try our best to avoid war with the Chinese.  How soon can our ¡®Dreadnought-class¡¯ battleship be put into service?  asked the Marquess of Salisbury.

    "Your Excellency Prime Minister, the design work of the 'Dreadnought' class battleship will be completed at the beginning of next year. It is expected to be completed in mid-1901 and will be in service by the end of the year!" Frederick?  William?  said Sir Richards.

    "No! Try to speed up the time. It is best to be able to serve in 1900. In this case, you may be able to catch up with the war against the Chinese by then!" said the Marquis of Salisbury.  Now it seems that the Japanese navy cannot defeat the Chinese navy.  If China intends to initiate a war in advance, it will be the same even if the US Navy is added to it.  In this case, in order to defeat China, the British Navy is likely to take action personally.  By then, if the British Navy's Dreadnought-class battleships can enter service, it will be very beneficial to the United Kingdom.

    "Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister, I will ask the shipyard to work overtime to speed up the construction progress!" Frederick?  William?  said Sir Richards.

    Beijing China.  Beijing in August is very hot.  Fortunately, two thermal power plants on the outskirts of Beijing have been built to generate electricity.  Coupled with the formation of the northern railway network, high-quality thermal coal mined from Shanxi can ensure the normal operation of the two thermal power plants.  Electric fans and other low-tech small household appliances have already become a hot commodity in big cities such as Beijing, bringing a touch of coolness to the hot summer.

    In the Xinhua Palace, Wang Yuze was facing a fan blowing the cool breeze comfortably.  At the same time, listen to the report of the imperial ministers.

    "Your Majesty! The mission of the Chief of General Staff in Germany has been completed. According to the agreement reached, we received from Germany the design drawings of the 'China Class' battleship and the free construction of a battleship worth 30 million pounds for Germany.  The required advanced machine tools, steelmaking, armor, naval guns, weapons, optical instruments, internal combustion engines, etc. are urgent!" Foreign Minister Wu Tingfang reported to Wang Yuze.

    "Thirty million pounds! Even the 'Qin-class' battleships can be built ten, which is painful to think about! However, it is still very worthwhile. With the support of these advanced technologies, our industrial level will be further improved  The benefits generated by a single take-off are not as small as 30 million pounds, but at least ten times more!" Wang Yuze said.

    "Your Majesty! Our own cost of building the 'Qin-class' battleship is two and a half million pounds. If it is for the Germans, we can increase it to three and a half million pounds. In this case, the losses we will pay will not be so great.  . However, the Germans and the British will first ask us to build a 'Zhonghua-class' battleship for them! The cost of the 'Zhonghua-class' battleship is two million pounds, and our quotation to the Germans can be three million pounds!" Navy  Minister Zhang Cheng said.

    "No matter what, Germany is still our close partner, so we can't cheat them too much. Just give them a quote of 2.5 million pounds for the 'China-class' battleship." Wang Yuze said with a smile.  There is absolutely no need to offend Germany at this critical moment just for these petty gains.  If Germany does not help China contain the main force of the British navy, then China will lose more than the gain.

    Zhang Cheng smiled and said nothing more.

    "By the way, the Chief of General Staff has already left for home, right?" Wang Yuze asked.  It is already August 1898. According to China's plan, the time for war against Japan will be at the end of this year or the beginning of next year, depending on when the battleships built by Japan in Britain and the United States can return home.  There isn't much time left.  Now, China's preparations for war are still in full swing.

    "Your Majesty, the Chief of General Staff left yesterday morning and is expected to return to the country late next month!" Army Minister Cai Yun said.

    "This trip is a big thank you to the Chief of Staff. How are our war preparations going?" Wang Yuze asked.  He is particularly concerned about this issue.

    "Your Majesty. The Army's Capital Military Region, Northeastern Military Region, Northern Military Region and Northwest Military Region have completed the replacement work. Before the end of the year, the Central Plains Military Region will also complete the replacement, which will not affect the operation against Russia. In addition, twenty new  The expanded division has completed the recruitment of soldiers and is now undergoing recruit training. It will be able to go to the battlefield next year!" Cai Yun replied.

    "Very good!" Wang Yuze nodded. When fighting Russia, the main ones that need to be used are the troops from the northern military regions.

    "Your Majesty, the Navy is also about to complete preparations. The fourth ship of the 'China-class' battleship 'Shenzhou' will be able to conduct sea trials next month. In JapanThe fleet will definitely be able to enter service before it returns home!  "Navy Minister Zhang Cheng also said.

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