The boiler of the "Champion" began to pressurize, and the movement inside the two huge chimneys, located in the center of the warship, became noticeably larger.

The chimneys were arranged longitudinally, and the front bridge crossed through them, and Cixi, who was standing at the left end of the front bridge, felt the change in the breathing rhythm of the giant beast from the right side, and she couldn't help but tense slightly, and grasped the railing with both hands.

A hand reached under her forearm and gently held it up. Cixi turned her head slightly, and the early morning sun shone on the face of the man beside her, outlining clear and powerful lines, and her gentle and bright smile was so reassuring.

Cixi smiled.

Turning back, she inhaled softly, trying to suppress the adrenaline that was slowly rising.

The "Champion" began to pick up speed, and the huge hull began to jolt slightly.

At the outset, the Champion was mainly sail-powered, with a speed of about six to seven knots. In fact, if the wind speed and direction are suitable, the speed of the sail power of the "Champion" can reach up to 13 knots. If the boiler were to be pressed at full pressure and sail at full power, the speed of the Champion would have exceeded seventeen knots -- that is, sixty-five miles per hour. At this speed, not every ship in the formation can keep up.

Cixi's breathing quickened. The veil began to rise and fall under his feet, and the sea breeze became more and more violent, and the veil was pressed against his face. The adrenaline rushed, and sweat oozed from the palms of the hands clenching the railings.

Standing on the bridge in front of her, she could see the huge white spray on the bow of the ship. A flock of seabirds, she had never seen before, hovering high and low near the bow of the ship, flying with the ship, chirping and chirping.

Sails that shade the clouds. It's full of wind. It's like the giant "Champion". Inhale deeply, your chest bulging high, and hunt in the sky.

Cixi did not have the slightest feeling of "seasickness". Her heart was racing, her body was hot, and her mind was refreshed. In the sea breeze, it is very natural that the two poems that Guan Zhuofan told her jumped into her mind:

There will be times when you ride the waves. Straight to the clouds and sails into the sea.

When the formation arrived at the predetermined sea area, it immediately set up its formation and held a military parade at sea -- first in the "ship parade" and then in the "sea parade."

The "parade of ships" is similar to the "military parade" on land, in which the ships under review form a single column line that follows each other from end to end -- what Guan Zhuofan said to the royal sister is called a "long snake formation" -- and then stop and do not move, and the parade ship -- that is, the "Champion," the flagship of the formation on which the Queen Mother and Marshal Guan are riding, is about 200 meters away from the side of the squadron. Parallel pass guò.

The "sea column" is also like the "column" on land. It is just the opposite of the "parade ship": the review ship "Champion" stops and does not move, and the parade formation forms a single column, which is connected from end to end, and at a place of about 200 meters on the side of the "Champion", it is connected in parallel to guò and is subject to review.

The "long snake formation" of a single column is not the only standard formation for a military parade at sea, and multiple columns are not common - but only if you have enough ships on parade.

During the Victorian era, the British Empire loved to hold military parades at sea, especially naval parades. Before the expedition, after the triumph, the anniversary of the battle, the birthday and enthronement anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen, the visit of foreign heads of state and distinguished guests to the United Kingdom, in short, find any reason, hundreds or even hundreds of warships will come out at every turn. Looking down from the height of the anchorage or the airship, on the sea, the columns of warships are like countless giant whales floating in the water, almost with a sense of "boundless", which is really called a "magnificent".

In Guan Zhuofan's hands, plus the Americans', there are only 22 warships in total, which is only enough to play the "one-word long snake formation".

This is the gap, the gap in national strength, and the gap in the times. In between, it is almost impossible to calculate.

I know I have a long way to go. However, one day, I will catch up with it, be happy, and be able to place 100 or so warships in the Bohai Bay at any time, so as to show the world that China has risen and its might can be added to the four seas.

Now, it's enough to take these twenty-two warships and give them to the royal sister for enlightenment education.

The commander-in-chief of today's naval parade was Du Lide, commander of the Sino-US Joint Fleet, and the deputy commander-in-chief was Ding Ruchang, admiral of the Xuanjun Navy.

Doolittle was able to show his face in front of the "goddess" who had been thinking about it for a long time, and he was full of energy and high spirits. "The ships are ready for the parade, and I respectfully invite the Queen Mother to review them! Du Lide, the commander-in-chief of the parade, shouted a few words in Chinese, extremely fluent, and even the four tones were very accurate.

Guan Zhuofan thought: Which Chinese is the most difficult language in the world to learn? Lao Tzu has always believed that it is exactly the same difficulty for native English speakers to learn Chinese as for native Chinese speakers. Whether it's difficult or not, it depends on whether you think the language needs to be learned. If necessary, it is not difficult, and if there is nothing necessary, it will be difficult.

The 21 warships that were read were headed by the "Shooting Sound" and lined up in a long line that followed each other from end to end, and the distance between the two warships was two and a half chains, that is, about 450 meters. The officers and men on the ship were uniformed in distinct uniforms and stood in a neat formation next to the side of the ship.

When the "Champion" was a chain away from the "Shooting Horn" and the gangside angle was 45o, the "Shooting Horn" whistle sounded for a long time, and the pipe band little Edward shouted: "Attention! Right-dress！ ”

The officers and men standing on the side of the slope "brushed" it, put their heels together, and raised their hands to salute. The sailors in the rest of the posts raised their heads and looked at the "Champion" -- this is called the "Attention Ceremony".

At this time, the Queen Mother and Guan Jue Shuai stood side by side at the end of the bridge, the sea breeze was blowing, and the big air was fluttering. But see: the blue sky and blue sea, the huge ship and the sails, the man is heroic and upright, the woman is slender and sassy, standing side by side with the railing, there is really a fairy couple, and the head is outside the sky!

The bridge is long and narrow, and the rest of the "attendants" stand in turn behind the Queen Mother and Guan Jue Shuai; Under the bridge, the officers and men of the "Champion" lined up along the side and stood on the slope in unison. At this time, the stars were baking the moon, and the two leading comrades at the end of the bridge became more and more solemn and radiant.

The "parade" officially began, and Guan Zhuofan could no longer talk to the royal sister, but he had already explained to the royal sister before: the Xuanjun Navy and the Army are different, and the password is used in both Chinese and foreign. For example, "Attention" means "standing upright", and "Right-dress" means "aligning with the right". These chatters, the royal sister naturally can't remember clearly, but it doesn't matter, it's so far away, and the sea is windy, she can't hear what little Edward shouted.

The "Champion" gradually approached the formation under review, the gangside angle was close to zero, and the two ships were about to intersect, Guan Zhuofan saluted, Cixi raised his hand to salute, and the officers and men of the "Shooting Horn" shouted: "Ula-!" Ulla! Ulla! ”

The sea is vast, the wind is faint, and the slogans are not as clear as those on land, but they are just as passionate and moving.

These two words, blood fever in the ears, are the two words that the Queen Mother loves to hear.

When the "Champion" passed the "Shooting Horn" and the gangway became 135o, the "Shooting Horn" whistle sounded twice, and little Edward yelled again: "Eyes-front! ”

Look ahead, salute.

If so, twenty-one is also.

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