Holding Guan Zhuofan's arm, Cixi walked onto the upper deck.

The sky is in the sky, the morning glow is like fire, and everything is painted with gold.

The royal sister narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath of the cool air of the early winter morning, stopping the feeling of being slightly dizzy.

The feeling of dizziness came not only from the bright sun, but also because the huge sails were already half open, like clouds about the sun, dyed into the morning glow, and huge and friendless torches were erected on the mast.

Cixi sighed deeply in her heart.

The officers and men of the "Champion" were already lined up on the port side of the ship, both Chinese and foreign, all dressed in snow-white uniforms, with their legs slightly open, their chests high, standing with their backs on their backs, and sticking to the deck like nails.

Seeing the Queen Mother of the Virgin appearing accompanied by Marshal Guan, the officer on duty shouted: "Salute! ――”

There was a sound of "brushing", and the officers and men of the Navy lined up, raised their hands together, and then shouted: "Ula! - Ulla! ――”

Beside the stairs of the bridge in front of the "Champion," a number of senior Chinese, American, and British naval officers such as Ding Ruchang, Du Lide, Qiao Bailun, Ke Lifu, Hymanch, and Dickdo were already standing and waiting.

The "bridge" of warships in this era is still a "bridge" in the true sense, which is very different from the image of the towering "bridge tower" that we are familiar with.

The name "bridge" originated from the era of paddle steamers. The "paddle wheel" is installed on the outboard of the starboard and starboard sides of the ship, and is covered with a "wheel cover". The so-called "bridge" is a working channel in mid-air that connects the left and right "wheel covers", and at the same time serves the purpose of observation and command, and is really a "bridge".

In the era of propellers, the huge and bloated "wheel cover" disappeared along with the "paddle wheel", and the shape of the "bridge" also underwent some changes. Some lengths are shortened. The port and port sides are no longer connected. Some were crammed between the side guns and chimneys on the upper deck, forming a working, observing, and command channel around the chimney and erected in mid-air.

However, the bridge of the "Champion" is almost exactly the same as the bridge of the paddle steamer era, which is a long "viaduct" connecting the port and port sides. The forward bridge is between two huge chimneys, and the aft bridge is between the midmast and the aftermast.

When the "Champion" was purchased, it was still called the "King Umberto" at that time, Kwan Zhuofan asked the British tentatively. Can this "front bridge" be moved to a position between the chimney and the foremast?

Kwan Zhuofan had this discussion because he felt that the front bridge was located between two chimneys, and first, the chimneys blocked the view; Second, going back and forth between two huge chimneys, there is always a little bit of "heart barrier".

The chimney of the "Champion", between the foremast and the midmast.

The answer is no: doing so will affect the setting and operation of the sails and cables of the foremast.

Ahem, ashamed. I'm ashamed to be so unprofessional.

At this time. Around the bridge in front of the "Champion", sandbags have been stacked in accordance with the combat regulations, but on the bridge, it is the only place on the "Champion" that has not been prepared in strict accordance with the combat regulations, and the objects that have nothing to do with the battle have not only not decreased, but have also greatly increased: the red carpet has been paved; At the left end of the bridge, there are also wrought iron tables and chairs, all of which are firmly fastened to the bridge with screws.

This was naturally for the purpose of resting for the Queen Mother. It will take several hours to go back and forth on this trip to the sea today, and apart from holding the "parade" and the "sea parade", we can't ask the Queen Mother to stand and watch the scenery all the time.

This cannot be called a "violation of the rules of the battle", because when the real battle comes, it is impossible for the Queen Mother to stay on the "Champion".

In fact, on the "Champion", there is a more elaborate place to "see the scenery", that is, the "balcony deck" located in the stern of the ship, which is a special place for the captain and senior officers to rest, with beautiful wrought iron handrails and awnings, fixed tables and chairs.

However, today, the Queen Mother of Our Lady Luan drove out to sea, not a pleasure boat, but a parade and a military parade, and the royal driver could only stand on the bridge in front of the ship, staying on the balcony deck of the stern to "watch the scenery", which was not suitable.

Chen Zheng, the "Champion" whistle sounded for a long time. Immediately after, a huge chimney spewed out billowing smoke. Cixi clearly felt that the hull of the ship shook slightly.

She was excited: the big ship was about to sail!

More than 20 ships moored at the anchorage, one after another, sounded their whistles and spewed thick smoke.

As the flagship of the formation, on the signal mast of the "Champion", the signal flag of "sailing on time" was raised.

The ships lifted anchor in turn.

The anchor of the giant ship is a very spectacular sight, but unfortunately the Queen Mother on the bridge is not visible: the thick anchor chain rises from the water, stirring up white waves and washing the silt on the anchor chain; When the anchor chain passes through the guò chain hole, it continues to make a rumbling sound. Soon, the surface of the water surged violently, as if a water monster was stirring at the bottom of the water, and finally, a huge iron anchor towered out of the water, and the torrent rushed down from the anchor claws on all sides, like a waterfall.

The huge body of the "Champion" began to move slowly.

This was a real "dream moment" for Cixi: the "9,100-ton" steel giant, without any bulls, horses and manpower to pull, with the "power of water and fire" that she still cannot truly understand, she "took a step" and broke the waves on the boundless sea!

Although this thing is actually happening, Cixi still has a sense that it is not very real.

After leaving the port, the Champion was hoisted with full sails.

Right in front of the eyes of the Queen Mother, the huge sails that cover the sky slowly rise.

Before, Cixi had imagined the sails of a ship going up—but she couldn't figure out how she could pull up such a huge sail. How many sailors have to climb up and down the mast? Are there many people lining up, shouting trumpets and pulling ropes at the same time?

Sister Yu is really a very smart woman, her imagination about sailing, if put in the era of sail warships, is actually eight or nine. However, although the "Champion" retains its sails, history has long entered the era of steam engines.

A sailor standing under the mast pulled the lever, and the cable winch on the side turned with a clatter, and the huge sail slowly rose. In just a cup of tea, the sails rose to the top of the mast, and the huge body was completely stretched.

No one climbed up or down, and no one lined up to shout.

There is no need for Guan Zhuofan to explain, the royal sister can also think that the power of lifting Mount Tai Ruo's feathers comes from the "engine room" like the lair of the giant beast, and from the "power of water and fire".

The Queen Mother sighed softly in her heart again.

The sun rose higher, the mist on the sea lifted away, and the blue sea spread out in front of you, boundless.

The crisp sea breeze of early winter swept across the deck, but Cixi felt that her heart was hot, and there was no chill at all.

The boiler of the "Champion" maintains the lowest pressure, and the current speed is six to seven knots, which is just "sail speed", which is not too fast, but the royal sister feels that riding the wind and waves is like Lingyun resisting the wind!

The feelings in her heart became more and more intense.

At this time, if you can look down from the air, the sea is indeed a very magnificent scene: the "Champion" is the head, and 22 warships are lined up in a column, and the two ships in front and behind are about half a nautical mile apart -- about 900 meters, breaking through the waves. Each warship ploughed white waves on the blue sea, and behind the stern, there was a long snow-white tail dragging it.

Under the clear sky, dozens of black smoke billowed up.

Guan Zhuofan, who was standing beside the Queen Mother and "served", was also fluctuating, but the content of his emotions was very different from that of the royal sister.

Twenty-two warships, in terms of firepower and tonnage -- whether it is total firepower or total tonnage, or the average firepower and tonnage of ships, this is almost the most powerful maritime squadron in the world.

Of course, the "Champion" and the "Shooting Sound" were the most advanced and powerful sea predators of this era, and the US Navy, which had just finished the civil war, was also one of the most powerful navies in the world at that time -- of course, not long after, the Americans, who were bent on "building and seeking development," cut their own navy to the level of the world's second-rate or even third-rate.

Guan Zhuofan sighed: It's a pity that only two warships in this powerful fleet belong to me -- and even these two have not yet formed a real independent combat capability.

Guan Zhuofan silently thought in his heart: What I want to do in this time and space is just the beginning.

He raised his head, looked at the junction of the sea and the sky, and said in his heart: "However, I will succeed in the end - this is destined by God."

China will succeed -- this is all the more predestined by God.

*(To be continued......)