In the first-class luxury private room of the special express train from Pukou to Lianyungang, there was a passenger sitting: one was Lieutenant Colonel Lucas, and opposite him was an old man with a bald head. He was Sir Fares, the British Consul General in Shanghai; and the other was Mei Lehe, the new General Tax Officer who was going to Beijing, who sat there modestly at this time...

As we all know, he was able to serve as the General Taxation Department because the Beijing government used a tough attitude to remove his predecessor, Anglian. Later, he appointed him as the General Taxation Department without knowing that the British side would be appointed. His appointment was first appointed by the Beijing State Council, and it was made in China that it would no longer consider others. In fact, although London was not very satisfied with the appointment of Merlehe, it could only accept it in the end that the Chinese still abide by the "tradition" of treaty binding.

Along the way, Lieutenant Colonel Lucath, the naval officer, still complained to Sir Faleth, always expressing his dissatisfaction with the sudden journey to Lianyungang at this time. You know, he had just had a hookup with Mrs. Alice, an extremely wealthy widow, and was fighting fiercely. He did not want Mrs. Alice to fall into the arms of others when she left.

"You said, why do we want to go to Lianyungang?"

Lieutenant Colonel Lucas complained to the Consul General,

"Is it because of the invitation of the Chinese? If he wants to see us, he should go to Shanghai to pay homage to us, rather than letting us leave Shanghai and come to Lianyungang! What do you think? Mr. General Taxation Department!"

Seeing Lucas mentioning himself, Merlehe just said humbly.

"I think you have your own insights, Lieutenant Colonel."

Obviously, Merlehe's meaning is very clear. He and Lucas's opinion are refuted. Because the Beijing government's toughness in dismissing Anglo-Unit made him realize that as an "employee of the Chinese government", the Chinese still have his future and destiny. If the Chinese government insists on a tough attitude, then even if London is unwilling, it will only accept it in the end.

In the confrontation with the Chinese government, Anglian failed in the end. The reason for his failure was very simple. He thought that the minister and London would stand on his side, but what he did not expect was that both the minister and London needed to consider "China". In the end, Anglian could not even protect his decent retirement, but was dismissed because of his humiliation "due to insufficient ability". There were even reports that if Minister Jurden had not pleaded for him many times, the Chinese government might have given him a more embarrassing reason to dismiss him.

On the day he was fired, under the "lobbying" of the embassy, ​​Anglian left the capital and left China directly from Tianjin. China could not tolerate "foreign employees who serve the interests of other countries". Anglian's experience undoubtedly sounded a wake-up call for Mei Lehe. Moreover, he had made up his mind to arrive in Beijing and lower his posture as much as possible, and then make a decision. When Lucas complained about the State Council, he naturally would not interrupt. Who knew whether there was a State Council eyeliner on the train.

"Lt. Col. Lucas!"

Sir Falesi, who was originally watching the expired Times brought by the cruise ship, suddenly put down the newspaper and stared at Lucas with both eyes. He sat opposite the lieutenant colonel. He seemed not interested in everything at all, and only looked at the Times, which had been lagging behind for at least one month after the cruise ship ship ship ship.

“Sometimes, we have to understand our position!”

"Location? Mr. Consul General"

Lieutenant Colonel Lucath obviously did not understand the consciousness in the Consul General's words, and he continued.

"In the past, weren't we all waiting for the Chinese to visit us? Why are we so obedient to their arrangements now? Even"

"Lieutenant Colonel, I don't know,"

As soon as he put the newspaper in his hand on the table, Sir Falesi replied gently.

"How did you graduate from the Royal Naval Academy, but I know one thing, with your performance at this time, means you cannot be a successful naval officer, and I think, in due course, I will convey my evaluation to the Admiralty!"

The Consul General's words only surprised the Lieutenant Colonel first, then gritted his teeth and sighed. He knew that this was definitely not Sir Falesi threatening him. If he decided to do this, then he would definitely do this...

Just when Lucas became extremely embarrassed, Melehe suddenly said to Sir Falesi:

"Your Excellency, I think Lieutenant Colonel Lucath is right?"

Fa Leisi looked at Mei Lehe and Mei Lehe curiously and said to him:

"At least, we don't know why Mr. Li Zicheng suddenly came to Lianyungang, and there was no news before this. At the same time, why did we invite us to Lianyungang?"

Of course, I just went along the way, but you two... Looking at Falesi, Mei Le and Yu, who rescued Lieutenant Colonel Lucas, thought so in their hearts. He went to Lianyun. He just held a meeting with the Prime Minister before arriving in the capital. However, Falesi and Lucas were different. They went to Lianyungang after receiving the invitation.

"And also appointed Lieutenant Colonel Lucas!"

But unexpectedly, Consul General Falesi not only did not say anything, but turned his head to look at Lieutenant Colonel Lucas and asked.

"Lieutenant Colonel, where did you attend the officers' school?"

Obviously this is another sentence, and there is no meaning to the question.

“At the Royal Naval Officer’s School.”

"Did you go to an officer's school, but you don't know how to invite a naval officer from other countries to the paddle area under what circumstances? Lieutenant Colonel, an excellent naval officer is not limited to an officer. If he is also an excellent diplomat, unfortunately, I really can't see anything in you, you have!"

After a sigh, Fales turned his head to look at Melehe and said, regardless of Lieutenant Colonel Lucas's extremely embarrassing chest color.

"Mr. General Taxation Department, can't you see how Mr. Li Zicheng made a calculation?"

Fales had a playful smile on his face, as if he was smiling at Merle and was not "honest".

"What your Excellency means is, he wants to put pressure on us?"

"At least, this possibility is very high!"

Holding up the teacup on the small table, Falesi said in an uncertain tone.

"After the devastating attack of the Japanese naval fleet, the Chinese salvaged the sunken warships. They used the main guns of the warships to build a new fortress in Lianyungang, and at the same time strengthened the Qingdao Fortress. It can be said that the most solid fortress in China now is Lianyungang and Qingdao controlled by Li Zicheng. Calculate the time. If as expected, they want to show us their fortress to remind us that they have certain strength."

"Your Excellency, the Chinese have also salvaged Japanese warships and have been transported into the dock for repair-"

Lieutenant Colonel Lucas said with great disagreement.

"Oh, they were salvaged, of course, but, how long does it take for them to repair those warships? Obviously, you look at the Chinese too high, warships are different from cargo ships. They can make those simple cargo ships like they can produce cans, but it is impossible to repair those two warships in the short term, Lieutenant Colonel Lucas."

He looked at Lieutenant Colonel Lucas contemptuously and had no good feelings for this Navy Lieutenant Colonel Falesi. In his eyes, Lucas was simply a stupid pig who only knew to get under a woman's skirt.

"Although building warships is dozens of times more complex than building cargo ships, in fact, if they can build merchant ships quickly, then they can also repair any damaged warships very quickly! Mr."

Next, Lieutenant Colonel Lucas initiated a grand theory, talking about some common sense that a naval officer needs to have and some common sense of restoring warships, perhaps because he realized Sir Fales' contempt for him, so he used his professional knowledge to defend his dignity and the dignity of an officer.

Finally, Lieutenant Colonel Lucas made a gesture.

"Now, since they can build those merchant ships quickly, they can completely repair those warships in Side S. That's all I want to say."

While Lieutenant Colonel Lucas was speaking, Sir Fares had already picked up the newspaper and looked at it with concentration, ignoring his explanation. Seeing the Consul General with such a plain attitude, Lieutenant Colonel Lucas's face was as white as a piece of paper. He snorted in his heart, and suddenly there was a strong expression of dissatisfaction on his face.

Mei Lehe could only smile at this. Falesi was just like in the past. He was too lazy to treat people he didn't like.

Lieutenant Colonel Lucas looked at Sir Fares, who was looking at the newspaper, and then he left the carriage, and he came to the aisle, where he smoked. After a while, a very kind face appeared before him.

"Hello, Mr. Lieutenant Colonel--"

"Um……"

With a angrily snorted, Lucas saw that this Chinese actually speaks English, so he complained to him:

"Do you believe it? There are always some idiots in this world!"

"Yes, idiots are available at any time, so we have to learn to get used to it."

When Lucas saw how this person actually agreed with him, he immediately started talking to the English-speaking Chinese. After talking, the two seemed to have reached a common point soon, and Lucas's originally bad mood also relieved a lot.

"Friend, I have a question to ask you."

Nodded, the man just smiled.

"From this matter, who do you think is more correct?"

Before this, Lucas had already expressed the argument between him and Falesi, and he looked at the other party with some expectations.

"I think that in this case, that gentleman should listen to the advice of professionals because they understand the nature of things better, what do you think? Mr. Lucas!"

Half an hour later, Lucas was in a good mood once again lit his cigarette. After saying goodbye to the Chinese named Song Mingchuan, he walked into the luxurious private room. At this time, he was looking forward to arriving at Lianyungang as soon as possible, looking forward to proving his guess there.

The No. 1 Dock at Yingyoumen Shipyard is an open-air dock. At this time, a newly painted warship was parked in the dock. The warship was painted in German-style iron gray. In the dock, hundreds of workers were using cranes to remove wood such as roof wood. On this brand-new warship, hundreds of sailors were carrying out final preparations for launching.

Standing on the edge of the dock, Chen Honglie, wearing a blue-gray "Army Navy" uniform, was full of pride at this time. He was originally excluded from the Navy, and there was no possibility of boarding the ship, otherwise he would not have served in the Army. Now, he has not only boarded the ship, but has also become the captain of China's first combat ship, "Dinghai".

Although this combat ship is a salvaged old ship, this is enough. After Beiyang, China will have no navy anymore. The current naval gross tonnage is not even as high as the "Pinghai", let alone the "Dinghai" in the same polar region.

"·I see that their naval guns seem to be unified!"

Looking at the warship, Chen Honglie asked Xiao Baoheng beside him that he always felt grateful for this junior. The reason was very simple. He gave up the position of commander of the "Jiangsu Army Navy Team" to him, the "nominal leader of the naval student in Japan", and he willingly served as the captain of the Pinghai.

"Sir, don't you know that although the Hanoi class is Japan's first extreme fearless class war, although the Hanoi class is equipped with a 12-inch naval gun, it is actually 45 times the length of the two body tubes of MKX and 50-diameter mkxi. At that time, Japan thought that it was just to save some money. The price of each mkxi main gun was 2.37 million yen, which was 50,000 yen more than the mkx. A double turret costs 850,000 yen more, which is equivalent to the price of an mkx. Therefore, the Hanoi class used the arrangement method of using the left and right sides of the naval gun and the front and rear center line is 50 times. When repairing the shipyard, the Vix 50 times and the daily 45 times 12-inch naval gun were directly removed and replaced with a unified 50-diameter 4-year 30-centimeter naval gun!"

As soon as Xiao Baoheng finished speaking, a hint of mocking appeared on Chen Honglie's face. The Japanese were too petty and spent most of their money, and they were just smart at that one or two points. ° °

"The Japanese are petty enough! The main gun of the side ship is equipped with a 50-caliber main gun, so there is no problem!"

Listening to the mockery of the chief who had just returned from the UK and hearing his worries again, Xiao Baoheng laughed.

"Sir, the British 45 times the 12-inch naval gun weighs 57 tons, while the Krupp 30 cm sk50 main gun weighs only 51 tons. However, in addition to the light gun, its firing rate is also twice that of the British naval gun. For this reason, the warship ammunition supply system needs to be modified to adapt to the high-fire rate of 23 rounds per minute, as well as heavier and longer shells, and the fire door modification, so it has been delayed until now and the transformation has been completed."

Chen Honglie had no problem with the technical information or drawings of the Krupp 30 cm sk/50 main gun from where the company obtained the technical information or drawings of the Krupp 30 cm sk/50 main gun. In fact, he didn't care about these things. He was concerned about only warships and fleets. Otherwise, after joining the war last year, he would not have been sent by the President to the British combat field observer. After receiving a telegram from Xiao Baoheng, he immediately handed the resignation letter to the embassy, ​​and then came to Lianyungang several times.

After experiencing the destruction of the Beiyang Navy, the Chinese naval soldiers always had a naval dream in their hearts. Even if they were excluded by the Fujian navy in the navy, they could not make Chen Honglie give up this dream. At this time, in Shen Honglie's view, the warship in front of them was the first step for the Chinese navy to move back to the sea. Although it was just an old ship that was seized, salvaged and repaired, this was the first step after all.

"………………………The main gun saves weight, in addition to thickening the armor on the top of the turret, it also transforms the turret. Through the transformation of the turret, its elevation angle increases from 18 degrees to 492 degrees. The four-year naval gun imitated by the sk50 type fires 415 kilograms of cap-piercing shells at 49.2 degrees, with an effective range of up to ph meters. It is currently the farthest naval gun in the world!"

When talking about the range of artillery, Xiao Baoheng's tone was full of pride. Two weeks ago, after the "Dinghai" was launched, when the main gun was tested on the eastern sea of ​​Julian Island, he was completely stunned by the range shown by the four-year 30-centimeter naval gun, with a range of nearly 42 kilometers. Now the main gun range of the naval forces in various countries is generally below 22 kilometers. This means that in naval battles, it can completely use the cross-fire formed by long-range artillery battles to destroy the enemy ships. Of course, there is a prerequisite for this, that is, it can be accurately shot.

"When building the warship of the Hanoi, the proportion of domestic production of the Japanese Navy's main ships has been greatly increased. The proportion of domestic production of the Hanoi has reached 80%. The key components such as boilers and main machines are made by Japan. They use Miyahara mixed-fired boilers of 16 seats and 2 Curtis-Brown turbine main engines. The Hanoi is horsepower, while the Shejin is horsepower. Therefore, the speed of the former is 21 knots and the latter is 20 knots. In terms of its speed, it is difficult to meet our needs. In addition, its boilers and main machines are water inflows. So when it is repaired, the shipyard technical department proposed that instead of repairing the boilers and main machines, you know that you will directly replace the new boilers and main workers if you are not enough..."

After looking at Chen Honglie, Xiao Baoheng said with a smile.

"For maritime power, it would be difficult to make a lot of money. In the end, six Wagner-style high-pressure boilers produced by China General Dynamics were replaced to drive two steam turbines with a total horsepower of 70,000 horsepower. The speed of the two ships increased to 315 knots, which was the speed............"

It is the speed of destroyers and torpedo boats!

Looking at the warship that had been completely renewed after nearly ten months of transformation, Chen Honglie's lips raised lightly, and he pointed to the bow and said.

"When they come out, I'm afraid even the Japanese will not recognize them!"

"I wouldn't recognize them if it weren't for the Japanese!"

Suddenly a sound came from behind them. Listening to the sound, the two of them looked back and saw that it was Mr. Li. "What I want is that if the fight starts, they can beat the Japanese Navy to the point where even their mothers can't recognize them. Can you do it?"


Chapter completed!