Chapter 154 Blocking

October 3rd, in the morning.

Ma'anshan Shipyard is full of lights. Today, the battlecruiser Jingyuan, built by Ma'anshan Shipyard, was launched. Similarly, the opening ceremony of the "Taibai"-class new battleship No. 2 will be held in the No. 3 dock of Ma'anshan Shipyard today.

After the service of the Zhiyuan-class battlecruiser, the navy, which is very satisfied with the Zhiyuan-class battlecruiser, immediately began to shorten and widen the hull on the basis of the Zhiyuan-class, that is, to reduce the aspect ratio, extend the armor belt, increase the thickness of the armor, increase the artillery, and make the battleship, so as to quickly design a A new type of battleship.

Although these improvement measures actually sacrificed speed to increase firepower and protection, they were still selected by the navy that lacked capital ships, especially battleships. Almost as soon as the drawings of the "Taibai"-class battleships were completed, the navy announced the order of three ships, respectively from Jiangnan Naval Shipyard and Sandu Australian Navy. The factory and Ma'anshan Shipyard bear it, while Ma'anshan Shipyard undertakes the star battleship No. 2 "Chenxing".

On the No. 3 platform of Ma'anshan Shipyard, Chen Moran, dressed in a navy uniform and wearing a medal and a sword, looked a little solemn, while Ji Li, who stood beside her, was dressed in a snow-white dress and sat on the ceremonial stage with an elegant and beautiful posture.

According to the traditional Chinese custom, after burning incense and sprinkling wine, and offering sacrifices to the Empress of Nephen, Admiral Ye Zugui, the Minister of the Navy, dressed in a Chinese-style dress, as well as the chief designer of the "Taibai"-class warship, Shi Tiange, Director of the Naval Fleet, General Sa Zhenbing, the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Lieutenant General Liu Guanxiong, Commander of the Zhenyang Fleet, and all the craftsmen. The first keel of the battleship "Chenxing" that was hoisted up was put in the dock.

Then Chen Moran pulled the rope with his own hands and put down the cornerstone. The ceremonial officer of the palace hall slaughtered a cow as a sacrifice at the groundbreaking ceremony. Then Chen Moran went to the stone to drink wine and served the sky. Then Ye Zugui, the host of the opening ceremony, read the edict in person. All of them encouraged the shipyard craftsmen and naval generals to say the words. The hearrs were thunderous and dancing. In the dance, caps, hats and military hats danced all over the sky. The national anthem "return to the Han and Tang Dynasties" played by the Western band flowed melodiously, and the three-color national flag slowly rose.

After the flag-raising ceremony, he held a naval flag with both hands, and Chen Moran solemnly delivered the general flag to Sa Zhenbing, the chief of staff of the navy.

"I, I will award this military flag to the No. 2 battleship of the Chinese Imperial Guards Navy. In the name of the emperor of the Chinese Empire and the supreme commander of the Imperial Royal Guards Navy, the battleship B No. 2 is specially named the Imperial Guards Navy "Chenxing"."

Sa Zhenbing, dressed in a general's suit, suddenly bowed deeply and took the military flag with both hands over his head.

"Thank you for your grace, long live my emperor, long live, long live."

Respectfully took over the military flag, mechanically stood up, saluted, turned around, walked to the flagpole, and tied the general's flag rope with his own hands.

With the raising of the naval flag with the tricolor national flag in the left corner of the red background, the "Royal Guards Navy March" was also played, and the opening ceremony ended.

The weather in Ma'anshan in early autumn is far more pleasant than that in Nanjing, especially in the nearby mountainous areas. Facing the wide and empty lawn full of sunshine, there is a delicate small table in the middle of the lawn, and black tea and dessert are placed on the square tablecloth on the table. This is English afternoon tea, which may be brought to China by the British queen. A habit.

Especially for those upstarts who have been knighted, they always use this habit of afternoon tea to reflect a little gentlemanly atmosphere. Of course, it is different from those people. As the emperor, Chen Moran, on the one hand, drinking afternoon tea is to feast his tongue, and on the other hand, it is Habit, Ji Li brings her own habits.

"This time, we must promote the "Tai Zhe"-class battleship in a high profile!"

Sitting in the chair, feeling the delicate sunshine in the early autumn evening, drinking a cup of tea, Chen Moran's words with a little smile.

Star rating, this is a new type of warship named according to the new naming rules of naval ships. Although I like the name of Beiyang, there is always something when ordering new ships. In order to avoid disputes with the navy, I will ask the navy to formulate various types of ship names, which means that the battleships take the name of celestial bodies and patrol. The foreign ships take the names of China's provinces and cities, the destroyers and the mineslayers take the names of the counties, and the three battleships of the Taibai class are "Taibai", "Taisui" and "Chenxing", which are also taken from the ancient names of the three planets in China: gold, wood and water.

"Let me and even the whole world know that our navy..."

At this point, Chen Moran closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Even if the whole world knows that we have built three more Taibai-class warships, what problem can be solved? It can't stop the outbreak of war!"

"Your Majesty, at least let me understand that in any case, he can't stop us from going to the ocean. Even if we are defeated this battle, we will rise again!"

Guan Mingtang, who also attended the opening ceremony of the Taisui, replied seriously.

"This year we will build three Taibai-class ships. Next year, if the navy is stronger and more advanced, the Ministry of Finance promises to support the navy with a budget to build at least three warships!"

When spitting out such words, Guan Mingtang seemed to put down the teacup in his hand sullenly.

"The most hateful thing is this kind of evil neighbor. If possible, it's better to beat them down completely at one time. Don't let them have room to turn over."

"In this way, Zu Gui, thank you for your kindness on behalf of the navy!"

As soon as he heard this, Ye Zugui, who was also sitting next to him, hurriedly thanked him. He knew that there was such a guarantee from Guan Mingtang that it was almost a certainty to build three warships next year.

Listening to Guan Mingtang's angry words, Chen Moran smiled. This time, the original "treachery" really annoyed the cabinet members, and the same hatred was achieved in an instant.

"I've decided."

Suddenly, Chen Moran said seriously.

"If we can win, we should ask for at least 2 billion yuan of compensation from Japan!"

"I'm serious."

When emphasizing this statement, Chen Moran looked extremely serious.

What if you lose?

This idea is just fleeting. Chen Moran knows that he can't fail. If he fails, he may really be doomed.

"57 million to expand the army, 13 to 39 million to expand the navy, 79 million to temporarily military funds, 30 million to be used as a military ship mine boat replenishment fund, 579,000 to invest in the steel industry, 10 million to invest 10 million to fund for education, 10 million to prepare for the wasteland, um, because the emperor took it from the inner treasury. The money came out, so 20 million yuan to pay tribute to the emperor. It was said that the compensation for the First Sino-Japanese War was spent like this.

He held a teacup and talked about the way he paid compensation. Chen Moran smiled.

"I also took out the money in my pocket, but I don't want it. At that time, I have to take at least 1 billion yuan to invest in education."

"Your Majesty, you are holy!"

Guan Mingtang quickly slapped a flattery and looked at the thoughtful Ye Zugui at the same time. What was he thinking?

"Ye Qing, the navy will definitely get the corresponding expansion of military spending, but not much. After all, we need to invest more money in industrial construction!"

As if he wanted to explain in advance, Chen Moran specifically explained to Ye Zugui.

It seems to be a joke, but in fact, it has a purpose to say this. It is nothing more than to make everyone up. Chen Moran knows that the most important thing now is confidence. He must show his confidence in victory. If he has no confidence as an emperor, what confidence does he have to be a minister?

"Your Majesty, I'm thinking about another question!"

Ye Zugui didn't think about the amount of compensation at all, and in his opinion, it is not realistic to consider this problem now. On the one hand, he said that he had not declared war, and on the other hand, he said... "The Second Fleet is coming back soon!"

After spitting out these words, Ye Zugui noticed His Majesty's frown. His Majesty had attended the naval combat meeting a few weeks ago and also knew the combat plan formulated by the navy.

"Oh!"

He answered softly, as if he felt a chill, holding the teacup in his hands. Chen Moran looked at the lawn without saying a word, and his whole body was in meditation.

Zhenyang Fleet, which is its own name for the Chinese navy, and among the Zhenyang Fleet, there is the first fleet, that is now "Zhiyuan", "Jingyuan", "Zhenhai", "Dinghai", as well as the salvage of the sunken ships "Zhenyuan" and "Kuiyuan", the five-seas cruisers and six light cruisers purchased from the United States. The ship is the main, while the second fleet is the "Seven Great Fares" purchased from Germany and four light cruisers purchased from the United Kingdom, which is the whole composition of the Zhenyang Fleet.

The so-called Zhenyang Fleet is now distributed at both ends of the world. The First Fleet gathers in Sandu Australia to prepare for war at night. The Second Fleet is conducting airworthiness tests on the German high seas and is about to embark on a journey back to China. In the Zhenyang Fleet, the ships of the Second Fleet are the oldest and backward, and the officers and soldiers are the youngest and the least experienced. They can be said to be new to the old ships. However, on the other hand, they need... "Your Majesty, after the morning ceremony, the Admiralty sent a telegram. Because the German navy did not have enough anthracite, it refused to The Second Fleet provided anthracite, and the British side has clearly refused!"

Reporting this news to Your Majesty, perhaps out of concern that Your Majesty does not understand the important surname of anthracite, Ye Zugui specifically emphasized.

"Your Majesty, we have reason to believe that this is the result of the work of the Japanese Embassy in Germany!"

"Anthracite! It's very important!"

Chen Moran, who did not know the important surname of anthracite for naval warfare, first affirmed it, and then was silent for a moment.

"My relationship with Fisher is not bad, uh-huh! I think coal is not a warship, and we should think of a way! I immediately sent him a telegram, um... In addition, I can ask the intelligence department to find a way to buy anthracite.

London is far away. It is the small restaurant of the Embassy. Now it is lunch time. The long table with a white tablecloth is at one end. Two officers in navy dresses just bow their heads to enjoy lunch. It seems to be a normal lunch.

"...So far, with the help of the United Kingdom, we have successfully blocked the Chinese people's way to buy coal!"

Lieutenant Colonel Yuki Matsumoto respectfully reported to Vice Admiral Shisaito, the Deputy Secretary of the Admiralty of the Admiralty.

Michi Saito, who came to the United Kingdom before the outbreak of the war against Lu last year, in the most important task in the United Kingdom is to ensure the supply of the joint fleet "Yingtan", that is, the supply of Welsh anthracite.

At this time, only the British Royal Navy, the hegemon of the Seven Oceans, had coal reserves all over the world. The first problem encountered when the navies of other countries wanted to go on an expedition was how to solve the problem of coal supply.

During the Russian War, with the help of the British, Saito successfully blocked the coal supply of the Russian fleet. Even if the Russian fleet could enter the port, the local British merchants tried their best to hoard all the coal. When they could not hoard "all", they first hoard the best quality Welsh coal. Absolutely do not give enough resources to the Russians.

Now, according to the instructions from China, Saito has once again received the same task, doing everything possible to block the channels for China's Second Fleet to obtain high-quality anthracite, and Matsumoto Yuki, a military officer stationed in the UK, is responsible for assisting him in his work.

Matsumoto's report made Saito nod with satisfaction.

"With the appearance of the British political axe, the German navy has clearly rejected the Chinese people's request!"

When mentioning this, Matsumoto looked at General Saito with admiration. It was he who cleverly reminded the British that "There is no smoke-free smoke in Germany!", which finally promoted Germany's refusal to provide anthracite to China's Second Fleet.

There is no high-quality anthracite in Germany. Its high-quality smokeless coal is also Welsh coal from the United Kingdom. Under the threat that the British political axe will restrict the sale of Welsh coal to Germany, the Germans gave in.

"If people succeed, then the Chinese will really lose."

After saying that, Saito bowed his head and sighed again.

"I have to admit that this is not good news for the Chinese people."

After a slight sigh, Saito frowned again and said in a serious tone.

"Maybe it will be another victory against the horse! But... there are still some variables!"

General Saito's words stunned Matsumoto. Just as he was about to ask, Minoru Saito took the initiative to say.

"We must consider one person!"

"Your Excellency, do you mean Fisher?"

Saito nodded.

"As we all know, Fisher is a famous pro-China faction in London, or a pro-China tendency because of his personal friendship with the Chinese royal family. In the past few months, he has been trying to persuade Britain to mediate the tense relationship between the two countries, thus ending the hostilities between the two countries. Moreover, Matsumoto, do you remember that we were refused to purchase new 12-inch armor-piercing shells from Armstrong three months ago?

After listening to Satoshi's words, Matsumoto looked at the general and almost made his debut.

"Sir, you mean that Fisher prevented us from purchasing new armor-piercing shells!"

Saidō nodded, "Because of the British alliance treaty, it is difficult for Fisher to persuade Zheng Axe to export warships to China, but he can prevent us from purchasing some key equipment in the United Kingdom within his ability, such as armor-piercing bullets. We can't produce qualified armor-piercing bullets now, and the old armor-piercing bullets are against the horse. In naval warfare, even 7.5-inch Harvey steel can't be penetrated. Only new armor-piercing bullets can penetrate heavy armor. This new type of armor-piercing bullets are produced only Britain, France and Russia!"

Saito's tone seems a little helpless. The hat-piercing bullet was invented by the Russians, while the best surname is produced in France. Britain has only begun to study a new type of hat-piercing bullet in recent years.

"It is impossible for the Russians to sell us this kind of shell, and their own production quality is also problematic. The French are subject to the contract between Russia and the Chinese and refuse us, so we can only buy it from the United Kingdom, but Fisher showed the results of the naval battle against Malaysia, indicating that the old armor-piercing shells have fallen behind. The Royal Navy is in urgent need of armor-piercing shells, otherwise it will be reduced to a second-rate country on the sea, preventing the export of shells. At least we can't get new shells until the needs of the British are met!"

When Saito, with thick temples, couldn't help sighing, he could even think that if the Chinese emperor knew that his fleet could not get the news of anthracite, he would definitely ask Fisher for help.

"This may be good news for Chinese people!"

Matsumoto's words made Satoshi Saito smile.

"This may be good news for China, but for China, they may have new shells, but the main gun caliber of their warships is too small. We can use high-explosive bombs to sink the warships of the country. Naturally, we can sink the Chinese warships. The shells are just a tool. What we need to consider now is Will Fisher provide coal to the Chinese fleet?

Saito has his own concerns. If he could not fully understand the necessary surname of "British Carbon Blocking" before the battle against the horse, but now, after the horse, he has understood that for the naval battle, the British charcoal is even related to the survival of the fleet.

"Within without high-quality British charcoal, the Chinese Second Fleet needs to invest more sailors to shovel coal. Even so, it will also lead to a decline in speed. China has high-quality white coal, but now it is not realistic to send coal ships to Europe. If the Chinese want to solve the problem of fuel, it can be said that they All hope is in the United Kingdom and in Fisher. If Fisher is willing, with his position as the First Secretary of the Navy, he can completely bypass [***] and provide a few ships of charcoal to the Chinese, so..."

"But, sir!"

Matsumoto quickly said with some disapproval.

"Fisher is indeed the First Secretary of the Navy, but Sir, how can he risk being scolded by the government to provide coal to the Chinese? Perhaps he has a deep personal relationship with the Chinese royal family, but for this reason alone, it is too unrealistic to provide coal to the Chinese people at the risk that may even lead to his retirement!"

Put down the tableware in his hand. Satoshi looked at Matsumoto in front of him and shook his head.

"What if Fisher wants us to be defeated at the same time?"

(to be continued)