Jiangning, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the Eastern Song Dynasty.

The full house of high-ranking officials of the Eastern Song Dynasty sat solemnly, and everyone looked at a briefing that had just been sent out in a daze. And the wartime Prime Minister Moon Dow-sang turned his back to them, looking at the huge map hanging high, and did not move.

Outside the window, is the first good Jiangning urban area in the Eastern Song Dynasty, and the high-rise buildings in the city center are lined up one after another. The shops in the commercial area are next to each other, and most of them are decent. The industrial area is lined with chimneys and roaring machines. On the wharf are river merchant ships laden with goods, and steamboats with smoke on the river drag strings of wooden cargo ships from east to west.

Everything is so beautiful and so vibrant...... No one would have thought that the catastrophe of destruction had arrived.

The main force of the Southern Ocean Fleet of the Eastern Song Dynasty suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Dragonstone Island!

Three battleships of the first rank, ten battleships of the second class, twenty battleships of the third rank were lost...... A total of thirty-three capital ships, all sunk!

This is half of the capital ships of the Eastern Song Dynasty Navy!

Along with these capital ships and more than 30 ships of the fourth, fifth, and sixth ranks, which were sunk in battle, more than 30,000 well-trained naval officers and men were lost...... There is also the determination and confidence of the Eastern Song States to maintain the war.

Because of the friendly relations between the Eastern Song Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty, the "China First" policy implemented by the Great Zhou Republic for more than 100 years, and the idea of ultimate unification embraced by the Chinese nation, the capitalists and people of the Eastern Song Dynasty had a favorable impression of the Great Zhou Republic.

In the eyes of most Eastern Song people, the decisive battle between the three heroes of China was not a national war, but a civil war.

A war of unification that ended more than 200 years and divided the world into three parts!

The system of the United States of the Eastern Song Dynasty put the Jiangning court in a very disadvantageous position in this unification war.

Because the Jiangning court and the United Assembly were not the superior supervisors of the United States. The directives given by the Imperial Court and the United Council to the United States were not mandatory. Moreover, the United States could also de jure secede from the United States......

In fact, from the date of the founding of the Eastern Song Dynasty, the factor that maintained the unity of this "confederation" country was the imperial navy belonging to the Eastern Song court.

The Eastern Song Dynasty was politically close to the "confederation system", and economically it was a typical export-oriented maritime state. The prosperity of the domestic economy depended on overseas markets and the wealth of the colonies...... In other words, the prosperity and wealth of the Eastern Song Dynasty must rely on a strong maritime power.

The national defense of the Eastern Song Dynasty depended on the Yangtze River Fleet of the Navy.

That is, without the navy, there would be nothing about the Eastern Song United States.

In order to maintain the strength of the navy, the United States of the Eastern Song Dynasty had to completely hand over the "naval power" to the central government, and use the financial resources of the fifty states to build a maritime power that could compete with the navy of the Great Zhou Republic.

Therefore, the Eastern Song Dynasty Navy was the foundation for the cohesion and unification of the Eastern United States.

Now the navy has suffered heavy losses, and the basis for the unification of the Eastern Song Dynasty no longer exists.

The sunset in the United States is naturally close at hand!

"Prime Minister," Shen Wansan, the head of the Eastern Song Dynasty, said in a trembling voice, "We, are we about to interrupt shipping?" What can I do? What can I do...... Otherwise, we still suggest that His Majesty take the royal family to avoid the New Song Dynasty for the time being.

Now the home fleet is still complete, and it can escort His Majesty and the royal family out of Jiangning to the New Song Dynasty. ”

Shen Wansan is the richest man in this cabinet, and his family property can rank among the top ten in the entire Eastern Song Dynasty, claiming to have several "small goals", which can be called a rich country. However, his Shangshu was not donated, but was recommended by the Jiangnan Industry and Commerce Alliance (party), which was extremely influential in the "Suzhou-Hangzhou-Xiuming-Yue" area, and naturally represented the interests of Jiangnan industry and commerce.

For Jiangnan industry and commerce, the loss of sea power is equivalent to facing the catastrophe of annihilation.

Oh, and it's not going to be destroyed...... And a decent surrender!

Seceded from the Eastern Song Dynasty and joined the Great Zhou Republic.

Although after joining the Republic, Jiangnan Industry and Commerce could no longer have the right to speak in the Eastern Song Dynasty. However, it is still possible to maximize one's own interests under the protection of the laws of the Republic......

The republic can deprive the Jiangnan United States of their autonomy, but at the same time, it must also protect the autonomy of the Jiangnan states and the citizenship rights of the Jiangnan people.

While it is inevitable that local governance will be weakened (de jure the right to local autonomy under a republic derives from the decentralization of the Supreme Council), it is not unacceptable.

And Shen Wansan's plan now proposed to escort the emperor and the imperial family to flee to the New Song Dynasty by the local fleet is actually to implement the refuge plan of "the imperial family abandons the Eastern Song Dynasty".

As soon as the imperial family left, the United Government of the Eastern Song Dynasty and the ruling government of the Great Zhou Republic were able to carry out negotiations on peaceful reunification......

"We can still fight!" Zhao Liangzhong, the secretary of the Eastern Song Dynasty's military department, shouted loudly, "The Zhou State also suffered great losses in the naval battle of Longshi Island, and they lost at least 15 capital ships!"

What's more, the Battle of Dragonstone showed that sail battleships without armor protection were simply vulnerable. In the future, it belongs to new warships equipped with cast-iron cannons and armor protection that can fire large-caliber flowering shells, and perhaps some of the power should be provided by water wheels powered by 'water heaters' (steam engines). ”

Zhao Liangzhong was a son of the Eastern Song Dynasty royal family, a naval engineer by training, and was the director of the Naval Shipbuilding Bureau before joining the wartime cabinet.

As a shipbuilding expert, after studying the report of the Navy's Military Aircraft Division, he concluded that the era of wooden sail battleships was over.

The 60,000 stone-class battleships currently under construction, like those seemingly powerful battleships lost in the Battle of Dragonstone, are vulnerable to large-caliber flowering shells.

Therefore, the loss of 33 capital ships was not necessarily fatal for the Eastern Song Dynasty. As long as the Eastern Song Dynasty can start the construction plan of new armored warships as soon as possible, and create ironclad ships with steel armor that can withstand the bombardment of flowering shells, they can regain the lost sea power!

And in the race to build armored ships, the Eastern Song Dynasty and the Great Zhou should be on the same starting line.

"How much time will it take for the Naval Shipbuilding Bureau to complete the construction of the first armored ship?" Prime Minister Wen Daosheng asked.

"Two months!" Zhao Liangzhong replied, "The Navy is preparing to renovate three large steamships with a displacement of 15,000 stones, and it will definitely be completed within two months." ”

It will definitely take a long time to completely build a new armored ship, and in order to seize the time, naturally there is only the need to rebuild the old one.

And it is much more difficult to rebuild a large sail battleship than to rebuild a small and medium-sized steam tugboat.

Because the wooden masts and sails of the sail battleships were too large to be protected. And as soon as the mast and sail were destroyed by flowering shells, the battleship lost power.

Moreover, the sails and ropes on the sail battleship could easily cause a fire, which in turn would spread to the gun deck, causing a large explosion.

In addition, large sail battleships were excessively large. If all the armor is installed, the ship will be too heavy, and the speed will inevitably drop significantly.

So it is very difficult to retrofit a sail battleship, it is better to start with a steam tug.

There was another reason, which also made the naval engineers of the Eastern Song Dynasty abandon the sail battleship. That's the excess firepower of the sail battleships!

More than a hundred cannons of the 1st rank battleship were clearly surplus in real combat. Because a first-class battleship only needs to be hit with an 8-inch or 9-inch flowering shell and it will be finished. Where are more than a hundred cannons needed? More than 100 cannons have opened the shells, and they can't blow the opponent into slag?

And so many flowering bombs are dangerous for yourself!

Almost all of the battleships that were blown up in the Battle of Dragonstone were killed by their own ammunition...... It's a complete suicide bomber!

Therefore, the naval engineers of the Eastern Song Dynasty believed that the number of naval guns should be reduced, and at the same time, more of the ship's own weight should be allocated to the power system, that is, the steam engine and coal bunker.

An armored battleship with a displacement of about 40,000 stone is enough to have about 20 9-inch or 10-inch guns.

And in the case of a decrease in the number of guns, it became possible to protect the cannon with a strong bulletproof gun compartment. As long as the gun compartments, organ compartments, and coal bunkers are not destroyed, the battleship will generally not be sunk.

"Our steamboats are all tugboats," Shen Wansan immediately shook his head, his brows furrowed, "These tugboats are not seaworthy, and they can only operate in inland rivers and offshore waters." Shipping in the open sea will still be blocked...... It's a blockade, not a harassment! How can the country afford it? Without food and guano from overseas, there is no food to eat! ”

At the mention of eating, the cabinet officials present sighed and echoed.

"Yes, the sky and the earth are big, and the food is the biggest!"

"In the past few years, the recession has been difficult, and the people's lives have been difficult (everyone has books to read, everyone has meat to eat, and everyone has silk and satin to wear, which is really difficult), if eating becomes a problem again, will the people still support us?"

"Yes, the United Government should be people-oriented...... Now that the army and navy have both failed, and the domestic economy is difficult to maintain, it is still necessary to make peace as soon as possible. ”

The ills of the politics of the United States are evident at today's meeting!

The ministers of the United War Cabinet were actually representatives of the United States, and they were first responsible to the United States, and then to the Emperor and the Imperial Court.

If the Eastern Song Dynasty is now opposed by the Western Song Dynasty, a country of military households and gun doctors, then the 50 United States will definitely support the imperial court to fight to the end.

Let a bunch of feudal military households and gun doctors be the masters of the house, and the capitalists in the 50 states are still so mixed? Don't you have to hand over all that net worth? So we have to fight to the end!

However, the Republic of the Great Zhou Dynasty was different from the Western Song Dynasty, and the Great Zhou Dynasty was also a country of capitalists...... There is not much difference between a union and a republic, except that the supreme power is vested in the state legislature or the national legislature.

In addition, although the Eastern Song Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty were two countries, the relationship between them has always been very close, and it can be said that it is difficult to distinguish each other.

Moreover, due to the "China First" and "Opening up of the Americas" implemented by the Great Zhou Republic for more than 100 years, there were many transnational capitalists in the Jiangnan region of the Eastern Song Dynasty - it is said that capital has no motherland!

Therefore, in the Jiangnan area, there are many influential capital tycoons, and it doesn't matter whether the Great Zhou Dynasty or the Eastern Song Dynasty ...... Even, a unified China is more beneficial to them!

Because after the reunification of China, the market will be larger, there will be fewer barriers, the flow of capital, products, and talents will be faster and easier, and the internal friction in foreign competition can also be completely avoided.

No matter from which point of view, peaceful reunification was beneficial to the great capitalists of the Eastern Song Dynasty who did not love the imperial court.

And for the ordinary people of the Eastern Song Dynasty, is it important to defend the emperor, or is it important to eat meat? Reunification is nothing more than the change of the people into the republic, the emperor to change the head of state, and the Jiangning dialect to the Tianjin dialect...... If you keep fighting, you won't have to eat or drink!

Is the big guy really willing?

"Prime Minister, say something!" Zhao Liangzhong turned his head to look at Wen Daosheng's back, "The rise and fall of the country is just between your old words!" ”

As soon as these words came out, I only saw Wen Daosheng's back collapse, and then there was a sigh.

The old prime minister turned around, and his old face was full of tears. He looked at Zhao Liangzhong and smiled bitterly: "The old man will make a decision? How can the old man make a decision?

Zhao Shangshu, don't forget that our country is a country of unity, not a country of the Son of Heaven...... Now the stock of grain can still be supplied, and the people's morale is stable. Once the grain is exhausted, there will be United States to carry Song to Zhou. What then? Bullet pressure? ”

It is impossible to fire bullets...... It's not that there are no soldiers, but that doing so will destroy the United States.

The United States is equivalent to 50 brothers working together to do business, and some people don't want to do it and want to quit, and at this time there are 49 people left to slaughter him?

Therefore, the system of the United States is not suitable for war at all - the system of the world hegemon of later generations, the United States of So-and-so, is actually not the United States of the Thirteen States at the beginning of the founding of the country, but the political system reshaped by the Civil War, and the cohesion is quite high.

The Eastern Song Dynasty has never experienced the baptism of the Civil War, and has always been based on jointly building a navy and defending the Yangtze River.

Now that the navy has collapsed, the founding of the country has been shaken at all.

As for the rebuilding of the Navy, the creation of steam battleship forces, which will not succeed at all in a few years. Who can live hungry for a few years?

And the Republic of the Great Zhou will also build steam battleships! The steam engine was invented......

Wen Daochang sighed: "Let's respectfully ask the Son of Heaven to move to Xinkaifeng." ”

"But can it be preserved if it is moved to a new opening?" Zhao Liangzhong's tone also softened.

Shen Wansan interjected in a low voice: "The people of the New Song Dynasty are all subjects of the Son of Heaven, and they are different from the United States...... Tens of millions of people are united, are they afraid of the expedition of the republic?

Moreover, there are millions of military households and gun doctors in the Western Song Dynasty. ”

Wen Daosheng also said: "After the Son of Heaven leaves, the United Kingdom will also continue to resist, how can it be possible to reach a peace agreement without a year and a half?" The affairs of the 50 states are not so easy to negotiate.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, we can also transfer more talents and materials to the New Song Dynasty and soldiers loyal to the Zhao family......"

Zhao Liangzhong gritted his teeth, "Give another three months, and in three months, the navy will dispatch ironclad ships to fight them, if they don't win, the Son of Heaven will leave Jiangning!" ”

This is Zhao Dashangshu's last effort!

Wen Daosheng and the cabinet officials present exchanged glances with each other, and finally nodded: "It's okay, three months is three months...... Peace talks can start first, and let's fight while talking. ”

The three-month "probation" did not save the Eastern Song Dynasty. Because the Republic of the Great Zhou also urgently launched the construction and renovation program of armored ships after the Battle of Dragonstone.

Unlike the Eastern Song Dynasty, the Great Zhou Republic did not use inland river tugs to transform ironclad ships, but used cross-sea ferries as the basis, and transformed 10 steam armored ships at the same time!

The reason for this is that the mainland of the Great Zhou includes many peninsulas and islands. Among them, the personnel and economic exchanges between Liaodong and Shandong, between Goryeo and Japan, and between the Japanese islands are very intensive, and a large number of ferries are required.

And the sea ferries powered by steam engines are obviously more valuable than sailing ships and paddle boats, so steam sailing ferries have long appeared, and there is a tendency to build more and more.

Therefore, after the Battle of Longshi Island, Da Zhou immediately used steam ferries with a displacement of about 20,000 stone to transform ironclad ships in shipyards in Tianjin, Haizhou, Liaodong and Japan, and built 10 ships in one go!

Different from the steam ironclad ships transformed from inland river tugboats in the Eastern Song Dynasty, the ironclad ships transformed by these 10 ferries are all seagoing ships, with good seaworthiness and can sail on the sea.

The three ironclad ships of the Eastern Song Dynasty, which could only operate in inland rivers and offshore waters, could not be compared with them at all - they didn't have to fight with the ships of the Eastern Song Dynasty at all, and cut off the trade routes of the Eastern Song Dynasty in the open sea!

Therefore, their appearance also announced the sunset of the Eastern Song Dynasty......

In July 215, when the autumn breeze was rising, Zhao Hao, the emperor of the Eastern Song Dynasty, finally accepted the advice of the wartime cabinet after refusing to leave Jiangning twice, and led the members of the royal family to leave Jiangning Mansion and go to the distant New Song Dynasty continent under the escort of the native fleet.