Most of the people in the Military Commission of the Liberation Army did not believe that growing alfalfa in Sudan Province was the real purpose of Weze, which made Weser feel very regretful. According to Wei Ze's mode of thinking, growing alfalfa is his goal, and in order to achieve this goal, Wei Ze will adopt various military and non-military means. It's just that this mode of thinking seems to be out of step with the mainstream thinking of this era. The Military Commission of the Liberation Army believes that diplomacy needs to be the primary consideration in the future war.

On the opposite side of China, the British have a similar mindset. When they learned of China's agreement to grow alfalfa in Sudan Province, their first thought was "the Turks have led the wolf into the house, and the Chinese are finally going to meddle in African affairs!" "But the British are British after all, and their first choice is not to immediately send a fleet in the Indian Ocean to block the Chinese fleet's access to the Red Sea. Such an approach could only immediately exacerbate the conflict, and the British fleet intercepted the Chinese fleet, so the Chinese fleet entered the Indian Ocean to confront the British fleet. Then there is the threat of mutual threats between the two sides, and in case of misfire, it will be a naval battle. Then there was the escalation of the war, with China and Britain fighting everywhere they could.

The outcome of the war is difficult to say, but once the war starts, the British Straits Settlements will definitely be taken away by China, which is completely predictable. The British Admiralty thinks it can wait a little longer and determine China's next move. The Red Sea is not Malacca, and China has taken advantage of its geographical advantages in Malacca. When facing the Chinese navy in the Red Sea, it was the British, not the Chinese who crossed the Indian Ocean, who had the advantage of being at home.

The discussion over the design of the Sovereign-class battleship was far more lengthy than expected, and based on the current level of debate, the design of the Sovereign-class battleship was probably finalized in 1877. The first warship was built and officially incorporated into the Royal Navy's battle sequence, estimated to be 1880. At this time, as long as China is not too excessive, many things are actually negotiable.

The British are holding back the new warships, and China is the same, Weizer has set the steps, what to complete is the manufacture of 10,000-ton hydraulic presses, to complete the breakthrough in materials science, and to continue to make progress in the research and development of steam turbines that have been used in generators. The structure of the steam turbine is much simpler than that of the three-rise steam engine, and only a breakthrough in the material of the load-bearing parts is required, and the other is to accumulate experience in practice. The steam turbines of this era did not need to reach the 30,000 or 40,000 horsepower of later generations, and more than 15,000 were enough to deal with warships, including the British.

Britain encountered a lack of breakthrough in design ideas, and China was too weak in technology accumulation, and both sides coincidentally agreed that their own new warships could officially enter the formal establishment of their own navy in 1880. Ahead of the next round of decisive battles, neither side is willing to let the situation get completely out of control.

In the face of China's alfalfa planting in Sudan province, Britain prayed that the Chinese fleet would suffer a mechanical failure at sea or extremely bad weather. China, for its part, has gone to great lengths to prevent its fleet from mechanical failures at sea and from extremely bad weather. In the end, the British were disappointed, and the Chinese fleet reached Sudan safely. And an anchorage was set up in one place.

This is what became Port Sudan, which was built in 1906-1909. Now it is just a wasteland with a tropical desert climate, and the average annual temperature here is about 29 degrees Celsius, with a maximum of 40~50 degrees Celsius. It's more of a hot sand hell than a port.

Surrounded by rocky mountains, Port Sudan is a commanding position that lends itself well to a fort. But the first building was not a battery or a fortified barracks, and the troops set up tents as shelters. The first to be built were more than two dozen watermakers. The black heat absorber is inserted through the interface under the large ceramic evaporator and filled with sea water through the water inlet. The sun's heat evaporates the seawater, and the steam enters the condenser that blocks the sunlight through the collection pipes that are fastened to it.

It was the end of August, and the sun was very hot. Just by using the heat absorber tube, the water in the evaporator begins to boil. It didn't take long for distilled water to start pouring out of the condenser. Seeing that the problem of fresh water had been solved, the troops who were sweating profusely in the sun thundered with joy. The Liberation Army was not worried about food in the desert, and the ship was loaded with a large amount of canned food, grain, and instant noodles. The only thing to worry about is fresh water. This time, more than 200 sets of desalination plants were shipped, as well as a large number of accessories. China is about to fight a tough battle here.

Under the agreement with the Ottoman Empire, China had the right to build a railway to the alfalfa-growing area at its own expense, which would be used to transport the alfalfa from the area to a seaside port. The Ottoman Empire would lease these ports and railways to China for 30 years. The Red Sea coast, especially on the African side, is a continuous stretch of reddish-yellow rock walls, on which there is almost no vegetation. The Chinese felt that the Ottoman Empire thought it was impossible for China to build a railway to the Nile here, so they agreed so happily.

China wants to use the desolate "Port Sudan" as a starting point to build a railway to the Nile alfalfa-growing area, and even more so to turn Port Sudan into China's fulcrum in the Red Sea. In this world, in the face of such a harsh environment, it may be only Chinese who dare to make such a decision and put it into practice.

The two British warships had been following the Chinese fleet, and when they saw that the Chinese fleet had unloaded thousands of men and a large amount of supplies in this desolate place, the thousands of men did not set off for Africa, but began to use explosives to blow up mountains and rocks, and build slopes, as if they wanted to put down roots in this area. The captain of the British warship held the binoculars and looked at it for a long time, and both captains could not believe their eyes. The Chinese have stayed in such a place, are they ready to live by drinking seawater?

At this time, the Chinese and British sides were in a truce after all, and the British fleet only received orders to follow the Chinese fleet, and looking at the four Chinese cruisers, the British captain finally decided to retreat first. They had seen enough shocking news that in order to be able to pass the information to Britain as soon as possible, they did not withdraw to India, but went straight to the Suez Canal. There, information can be transmitted to the British mainland as quickly as possible.

The Ottoman Empire, which was in the midst of fierce infighting, unexpectedly received weapons from China. The weapons included artillery, Gatling guns, and a large number of bullets, cartridge casings, and warheads. The Ottoman Empire's ability to produce black pills and mercury rhinoate fire caps, and the mass production of stamped brass shells and lead-core copper bullets was beyond the industrial capacity of the Ottoman Empire. Just by signing a treaty, the Chinese sent these weapons and ammunition, and the Ottoman Empire was really happy.

Within a few days, the Ottoman Empire received news that the Chinese had established their own stronghold on the Red Sea coast. The Chinese ambassador also took the initiative to negotiate with the Ottoman Empire with the location determined by China. The Ottoman Empire thought that China would have to find a way to enter the Mediterranean Sea and take the Nile. Any railway, it's just an excuse. When it comes to building railways, the British have no more opportunities than China, but the British have no intention of building railways until now. Why let the Chinese thousands of miles away be hard?

Although the railway was not a threat to the Ottoman Empire, and even if there was, it was the British who felt threatened. Just recalling the plans of the Chinese to build from Basra to the Bosphorus, the upper echelons of the Ottoman Empire had to shake up. If China really has the ability to build a railway from the Red Sea to the Nile, it means that China has the ability to complete the railway network connecting the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Persian Gulf.

A big country with a long history is reluctant to say it when it really cares. The foreign minister of the Ottoman Empire just said calmly: "We know that the Ottoman Empire will abide by the treaty signed with China regarding the construction of railways in China." ”

As the days passed, the Ottoman Empire continued to engage in their own internal fighting, and within a year two successive sultans were forced to abdicate, and the Ottoman Empire promulgated a constitution as a constitutional monarchy. Far from resolving the internal contradictions of the Ottoman Empire, the constitution led to uprisings in Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Bulgaria, and soon spread to Serbia and Negro, two Turkish vassal states.

Trusted Prime Minister Ahmet 61 Midhat Pasha immediately carried out a merciless crackdown on these rebel areas. With weapons from China, the repression was extremely effective, and in a very short period of time, the local rebels were bloodied.

After Russia received 100 tons of gold, its financial difficulties were greatly eased. After the Crimean War, Russia began military reform, and the Russian army was reorganized and trained. The Russian upper echelons believed that this was an opportunity to launch a military strike against Turkey in an attempt to restore what had been lost after the Crimean War.

Under the banner of "saving the Christians under the oppression of the Ottoman Empire" and "protecting the Slavic brothers", the tsarist government first exerted diplomatic pressure on the Ottoman government, but the effect was not significant. Its proposal for the collective protection of the Slavs was opposed by Great Britain, which was supported by Austria-Hungary. This was followed by an initiative to establish autonomy in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Bulgaria, which was also rejected by the Ottoman Empire.

It was not only Russia that carried out military reforms, but also the Ottoman Empire, which sought to defeat the rebels on the battlefield. When the Ottoman army adopted tactics such as flanking and began to strafe the rebel array with Gatling guns, the insurgents with a stubborn will to fight were also crushed. When the situation on the battlefield was clearly in favor of the Ottoman Empire, the Tsar officially declared war on Turkey on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1877. The 10th Russian-Turkish War broke out.

On February 15, 1877, the day after the outbreak of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, the Chinese-built railway from Port Sudan to the alfalfa plantations was finally completed. The top of this 70-kilometer railway is about the level of a temporary railway. On both sides of the Blue Nile, however, vast expanses of alfalfa fields have become green. Local Arabs and a small number of blacks were farming here with the Chinese army, while others were building strongholds with the Chinese army. Small towns were formed around the base.

Herders tend their cattle and sheep, while Chinese vegetable farmers try to grow vegetables locally. Black smoke rose from the chimneys of several towns near the river, a sign that the boiler was powering the steam engine.

At this time, the total number of Chinese troops in Sudan reached 20,000. More than 15,000 of the 20,000 people arrived in the Sudan in the last three months. Four months earlier, in October 1876, China's leading prospecting team had discovered gold, silver, and chrome. The reserves are not low. The prospecting team continued to spread the news of Sudan's minerals to the country, and the military commission finally made a plan to increase the troops, which was really a last resort.