"Dudu, except for the dense cannon barrels, I can't understand other equipment at all." Thunder Tiger got down from the new armored cruiser and couldn't help but sigh.

The latest two 5,900-ton armored cruisers incorporate essentially all of the Chinese Navy's sophisticated and cutting-edge technology, the only thing that isn't used is carburized case-hardened nickel-chromium steel armor. Theoretically, 160 mm of this armor is equivalent to 320 mm of steel-wrought iron composite armor, or 415 mm of wrought iron armor. At this stage, the technology is available, and the process control will take two or three years of a lot of experiments, and the latest armored cruisers can only temporarily hang homogeneous nickel-chromium alloy steel armor.

Materials science is already a microscopic field, and Lei Hu does not understand it at all. The hull adopts structural technologies such as dome armor and watertight cabins, which are also incomprehensible to Lei Hu. What Lei Hu can understand is probably the 4 42 x diameter twin 200 guns in the front and rear symmetrical layout, and the 6 120 guns with divisions on both sides of the ship.

Wei Ze ignored Lei Hu's sighs, he said: "In a few years, our 10,000 or even 20,000-ton warships will come out." At that time, the navy will be able to compete with the navy of any country in the world. The current navy is still only a coastal navy, and without a large number of port support, this navy will not be able to exert its combat effectiveness. ”

Lei Hu didn't want to say this, he asked: "Governor, although our navy is not good for the time being, the size and number of our cavalry have increased a lot. The railway will also be built to Xinjiang soon. Are we talking to the Russians about Central Asia? ”

Wei Ze shook his head, "Not for now." How many years has the Chinese army not been present in Central Asia? If you want to eat Central Asia, you can't just have a railway. If we want to win the approval of the locals, we have to be there for a few years. In addition, Shi Dakai has not been eliminated yet, so we don't need to rush to officially plant the flag in Central Asia, dealing with the British is the key at the moment. Against the Russians, we just have to wait, and they themselves will give us a chance. ”

At the mention of "wait", Lei Hu didn't want to say anything more for the time being. The waiting of the Liberation Army has never been a matter of waiting stupidly, and various preparations are being made in full swing in the country. Even so, when the opportunity fell from the sky, the Military Commission always found that it was not fully prepared, and many battles were hard. Had it not been for Weeser's "inexplicable" investment and preparation earlier, the war would have only been lost.

Before the war with the British, most of the military commissars could not have imagined that even if the Chinese naval guns smashed the superstructure of the British warship into a sea of fire, the British ironclad ship would still be as stable as Mount Tai, and the hull would be carried from beginning to end in the naval battle. The reason for the victory of the Chinese Navy is only a major breakthrough in the thinking of naval warfare and a major progress in armor technology. Apart from these two, the Chinese Navy did not crush the strength of the British Navy. If the war can be postponed for a few years, it is estimated that the British Navy will be sent to the bottom of the sea by the Chinese Navy.

Since Wei Ze asked everyone to wait, the Military Commission should be busy with its own affairs first. Without waiting long, the Russians did not have any new news, and the Ottoman ambassador received a telegram from the Ottoman country and came to contact the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

After listening to the news from the ambassador, Li Xin summed up the rather complicated rhetoric, "Do you mean to buy arms on credit?" ”

After a little hesitation, the Ottoman ambassador agreed with Li Xin's statement that because the country has always been in deficit, the Ottomans really can't use real money to buy arms.

Li Xin didn't get angry or ridiculed, he said frankly: "I'll go back and ask the central government." ”

Two days later, Li Xin sent a reply to the Ottoman ambassador, "China is willing to lease land in the Sultan Province, and the Ottoman Empire will use the rent to repay the cost of weapons." ”

"Rent the Sultan's land?" The Ottoman ambassador froze. Sudan is now still nominally an Ottoman province in North Africa. This province is vast and sparsely populated, and its strategic position is not as important as that of Egypt, let alone rich in products. China's lease of land in Sudan Province looks like a major conspiracy, "May I ask what piece of land China wants to lease, what is the area, and what is it doing with this land?" ”

Li Xin took out a map and circled around the Nile River in Sudan Province, "We are going to grow alfalfa here." ”

The Ottoman ambassador was confused by Li Xin's proposal, the land in this area is a little far from Khartoum, and when it comes to strategic position, it can probably be called neither good nor bad. When it comes to fertility, it's lower middle. Except for the wasteland, there is probably nothing else to do.

"What exactly is your country going to do when you lease this land?" The Ottoman ambassador asked.

Li Xin said very seriously: "I just said that I will rent these lands to grow alfalfa. ”

"Do you know how big this land is?" The Ottoman ambassador continued to ask.

Of course, Li Xin knew that if he drew casually, it was estimated that there would be more than 2 million mu of land along the river, "As long as the land is suitable, we will rent as much as it is." ”

China's recent misdeeds of "buying land" in Europe wary of the Ottoman ambassador said, "We have no intention of selling the land." ”

Of course, Li Xin knew that China's recent international image was not good, but the central government's request was to lease land, and he could only try his best to persuade the Ottoman Empire, "We have no intention of invading the Ottoman Empire, we really want to rent land in Sudan Province to grow alfalfa." We are really rent-giving. ”

Looking at Li Xin's sincere face, the Ottoman ambassador wanted to ask Li Xin if he also showed such a face when Li Xin represented China to negotiate land sales with Russia, France, and the Netherlands. But the question was too much to ask, and the Ottoman ambassador said: "Let's talk about the arms deal." ”

Li Xin continued with a serious expression: "The issue of arms sales is very simple, China does not agree to sell on credit. The Ottomans either took cash or chrome ore in exchange. On the matter of land lease, we in China must negotiate with your country. ”

The ambassador was annoyed by Li Xin, and said: "Is there really such a shortage of alfalfa in China? ”

Li Xin nodded a little exaggeratedly, "Yes, we have too many livestock to raise, and we lack a lot of alfalfa. China's climate is not particularly suitable for growing alfalfa, and our land also needs to grow food, and the contradiction of more people and less land is the biggest contradiction in China now. ”

The matter was discussed for two days, and on July 10, the ambassador sent a telegram to the Ottoman Empire, and on August 1, the Ottoman reply arrived in Nanjing. To the surprise of the Ottoman ambassador to China, the Ottoman government actually agreed to China's request for land lease. With a stroke of the pen, the imperial prime minister gave 400 square kilometers of wasteland along the Nile to China. Chinese warships immediately escorted the convoy to the depart, and the merchant ships in the flotilla carried goods for the Ottoman Empire, as well as the personnel of the Chinese reclamation team, as well as the first batch of equipment and supplies. The supply ships were coal and other nautical supplies, and the Chinese navy did not expect to resupply in British-controlled ports.

"Governor, isn't this too risky?" The Military Commission really didn't expect Wei Ze to be in such a hurry, and he actually found such an outrageous reason. Is there a more proposal to go to Sudan to grow alfalfa?

"When it comes to the hydrology of the Indian Ocean, we do not have comprehensive data, so the fleet can drive slower." Wei Ze said as if he was pretending to be stupid.

This time, even Lei Hu couldn't stand Wei Ze's play, and he said very unhappily: "Dudu, who do you think will believe what you say about growing alfalfa?" ”

After listening to this, Wei Ze asked the comrades of the Military Commission, "Which of you believes in the purpose of growing alfalfa?" ”

A group of people, you look at me, I look at you, no one wants to say that they believe it. Only one person raised his hand early, and that was Wang Mingshan, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission in charge of military affairs. Wang Mingshan ended his work in the four northern provinces and returned to the Central Military Commission only this year.

"Mingshan...... Why do you believe, comrade? Lei Hu doesn't think that Wang Mingshan is a sycophant, Wang Mingshan is not a person who jokes without discipline, and Lei Hu is also very serious when he asks questions.

Wang Mingshan calmly replied: "There is really a need for a lot of alfalfa in China. I read the report that alfalfa is harvested at least 10 times a year in Sudan. I grow alfalfa in the north and harvest it up to 3 times a year. If the weather is slightly bad, you can only collect it twice. 400 square kilometers in Sudan is equal to our production of 2,000 square kilometers, why don't I believe it? ”

After listening to this righteous and stern answer, everyone looked at Wang Mingshan with an unhappy expression, and Wang Mingshan also looked at everyone with an unhappy expression, and then continued: "I have also promoted the breeding industry in the local area in the past few years in the north. I also treated some comrades because of this mistake, although I later apologized and admitted my mistake and restored the reputation of my comrades, but there is no good alfalfa, that is, there is no good livestock. The governor now wants to solve the problem fundamentally, you say I don't believe the governor, who do I believe? ”

The Military Commission knew that Wang Mingshan's work attitude was serious and upright, and what Wang Mingshan said was an understatement, but in fact, he had a big quarrel with the Animal Husbandry Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the lawsuit went all the way to Wei Ze. At that time, almost everyone, including the Animal Husbandry Bureau on the bar with Wang Mingshan, thought that Wang Mingshan would not lose. As a result, the research team assigned by Wei Ze finally concluded that Wang Mingshan's policy at that time and the handling of the animal husbandry personnel in the four northern provinces were wrong. In the end, Wang Mingshan had to admit his mistake and apologize. The lawsuit also caused quite a stir internally.

Now that Wang Mingshan has said this, the members of the Central Military Commission have no choice but to believe that Wang Mingshan is telling the truth. So everyone's eyes turned back to Weezer's side. Chief of the General Staff Nguyen Hi Ho said: "Governor, this matter is only afraid that it will lead to a full-scale conflict, right?" ”

Things always become clearer and clearer the more they talk, and since the significance of alfalfa cannot be ignored, the members of the Military Commission have once again identified what everyone is really worried about. China stretched its hand directly into the distant Red Sea, separated by India, and it would be strange if the British did not react.

Weeser clearly agrees with the attitude, saying: "There were people who didn't let us China mine oil in Southeast Asia, and didn't let us grow palm in Southeast Asia. What happened to them now? ”

As soon as he said this, the Military Commission already roughly knew Wei Ze's attitude.

And Wei Ze continued: "Whoever doesn't let us get alfalfa through normal commercial means, and who doesn't let our Chinese people eat more meat, we won't let anyone go!" If you forget to fight, you will be in danger, and if you are warlike, you will die. War is harmful if it is only to show that we are strong, if it is only to make people fear us. The country will only get weaker and weaker. Only when war earnestly safeguards China's interests and protects the clothing, food, shelter and transportation of the Chinese people can such a war be supported by the people and make China more powerful. I will never back down from this kind of war. ”

Some comrades of the Central Military Commission supported Wei Ze's attitude, and some comrades were still a little unacceptable to Wei Ze's reasons. And Wei Ze stood up and looked condescendingly at the comrades of the Military Commission, and he used a kind of foodie to talk about high-quality meat with a special focused look, and said word by word: "Whoever does not let the Chinese people eat meat, we will fight them to the end!" ”