Zhao Hao and Wen Daosheng, who were anxious because of the guano crisis, did not realize that when the water heater (steam engine) and Huang's textile machine appeared, the war on the East Asian continent was already brewing.

The power provided by the water heater, combined with the high efficiency of the Huang textile machine, has revolutionized the industrial production model of the Great Zhou Republic and the Eastern Song Dynasty in the past two decades or so.

The era of factory handicrafts has come to an end, and with it comes the era of machine industry.

It was an industrial revolution, a leap in productivity, and at the same time a crisis.

Twenty years after the Great Zhou Republic and the Eastern Song Dynasty started the industrial revolution, all the fields affected by the industrial revolution saw a sharp increase in product production capacity, but the market demand was seriously insufficient.

Moreover, due to the substitution of machines for manual work, there was a relatively serious phenomenon of unemployment in many large cities in the Great Zhou Republic and the Eastern Song Dynasty.

Of course, because of the existence of large colonies, there is always one of these hungry and cold people who will come out, and they will not rise up.

But as the head of the Great Zhou Republic, Wu Yuanlong still felt great pressure.

He is a descendant of the "Righteous and Brave Faction", although he also belongs to the Wu family, but they have not had anything to do with the head of state for a long time, and they have little influence in the political arena of the Great Zhou Republic. It was not until Wu Yuanlong's generation that because the three provinces of Japan (East and West Japan and Bohai Province) benefited from the development of the Americas and the Industrial Revolution, they rose day by day and became a force to be reckoned with in the political arena of the Great Zhou, and Wu Yuanlong was also elected as the head of state.

By the way, the Japanese territory was not of much value before the great development of the Americas. Because it was at the very end of the chain of world trade and cultural transmission before the Age of Discovery.

It is a closed, conservative, backward, and barbaric existence, not worth mentioning!

In later generations, some people liked to boast about the maritime peoples, and when they saw that Japan was an island country, they thought they were very oceanic.

In fact, this is not the case, Japan is the first country in history to implement the closure of the country, since the end of the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the visit of the black ship in modern times, for almost 950 years, the closure of the country was basically a national policy. Only when the interior is made into a pot porridge and there is no national policy will the country be opened.

However, such a closed, conservative, backward, and barbaric country is in the way of China's shipping route to the Americas.

It is unthinkable to bypass Japan and travel to the Americas...... Sailboats had to carry an extra month's supplies, which took up a lot of cargo and passenger cabins. The cost of immigrating to the Americas has increased several times!

So as long as the Chinese in the Middle Ages decided to go to the Americas to become imperialists, Japan would inevitably follow.

This is due to the geography of Japan!

In fact, the great development of Japan in later generations also benefited to a considerable extent from the country's superior geographical location.

In this time and space, the three provinces of Japan became the fastest growing regions in the Great Zhou Republic from the middle of the 12th century. The Zhou people living in the three provinces of Japan have become the group of people who have benefited the most from the development of the Americas in the Great Zhou.

Of course, the Zhou people in the three provinces of Japan are all Han Chinese, and the He tribe does not exist now...... Before the Kamakura Shogun's righteous conquest of Japan, Japan was a barbaric country with a caste system. Only a small number of ministers and nobles have the surname Miao character, which can be regarded as a He clan.

Most of the serfs and country warriors didn't even have a surname, and they didn't know where their ancestors came from. What ethnicity did slaves have?

Later, General Kamakura gave them Han surnames, saying that they were Han people, and of course they were Han people.

While the peasants and country warriors in Japan became Han Chinese, the authentic Japanese princes were relocated to the Great Zhou Dynasty in large numbers, living with surnames such as Yuan, Ping, Fuji, and Tachibana, and also integrated into the Han people.

At the same time, a large number of Han Chinese from the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Eastern Song Dynasty moved to the three provinces of Japan and intermarried with the Han people in Japan.

By the time the republic was more than 200 years old, the history before the "righteous liberation" was almost forgotten. No one remembers that their ancestors were Japanese barbarians...... It seems that all the ancestors of the Zhou people in the three provinces of Japan came from the Great Zhou region with the volunteer generals.

With the development of industry and commerce in Japan's three provinces, more and more people from the three provinces have citizenship qualifications. And the citizens of the three provinces of Japan are very loyal to the "Kamakura shogun's family". As long as you are a candidate supported by the "Kamakura Shogun's family", you will definitely be elected.

By the time of the 230 general election of the Republic, Wu Yuanlong, the head of the Yiyong faction, was supported by the citizens of the three provinces and the head of the Yijiu faction, Wu Shijie, who controlled the public party, and successfully ascended to the top, regaining the position of head of state for the Wu family.

However, three years after Wu Yuanlong became the head of state, the Great Zhou Republic encountered a crisis caused by overproduction.

In the final year of Mr. Wu's first term, the economic crisis showed no signs of abating, but intensified.

The Great Development of the Americas and the Great Mongol War, which could have brought a little impetus to the economic growth of the Great Zhou region, had already begun to die out there. The Black Death of Rausch broke out again in Europe and the Western Regions! The demand for Da Zhou goods has dropped significantly......

If this development continues, Wu Yuanlong is afraid that there will be no second term to do.

Moreover, he will also become the worst head of state in the more than 200-year history of the Great Zhou Republic.

Just when Wu Yuanlong was helpless about economic issues, his two political allies, Wu Shijie, the boss of the Yijiu faction, and Su Junwan (a descendant of Su Mai), the secretary of state (and of course prime minister), gave him a dangerous move that scared him out of a cold sweat - to launch a war to annex the Eastern Song Dynasty!

Although Wu Yuanlong was born in the military, he became a major general in the army. But he was a peaceful soldier, he had never fought in his life, and he never thought that he would lead a war to unify China.

However, as the crisis of overproduction intensified, the public opinion foundation of "China first" and "friendship with the Eastern Song Dynasty," which had been widely present, was also seriously shaken.

After all, the Eastern Song Dynasty also had an industrial revolution in the same way as the Great Zhou!

The Industrial Revolution also strengthened the competitiveness and output of Eastern Song products. So the Eastern Song Dynasty has now become a competitor of the Great Zhou, and what is more hated by the capitalists of the Great Zhou than a competitor?

The industrial products of Da Zhou should have exclusive access to the American market!

No, not only the Americas, but also the markets in Europe, the Western Regions and Tianzhu should also belong to the Great Zhou...... Huaxia priority or something, it seems to be a mistake!

In fact, the "China First" policy proposed by Wu Guocheng more than 100 years ago was a very shrewd calculation. On the one hand, this policy helped to cultivate the pro-Zhou faction in the Eastern Song and Western Song Dynasty; On the other hand, this policy could compete with the Eastern Song Dynasty for population resources.

In the Middle Ages, population was a very valuable resource!

Because the Great Zhou Republic unilaterally opened the American colonies to the two Song Dynasty, the Han people of the Two Song Dynasty were welcome to settle in the Americas, and they were given the same treatment as the Zhou people.

So in the past 200 years, a large number of Eastern Song Dynasty people have migrated to the Americas and the three provinces of Japan - because the three provinces of Japan are the throat to the Americas, so the Eastern Song Dynasty immigrants and merchants also went to the Americas through Japan, and some of them settled in Japan.

In other words, through the "China First" policy, the Great Zhou Republic succeeded in attracting a large number of Eastern Song Dynasty populations and accelerated the development of the Americas.

At present, the population of the Great Zhou can be equal to the sum of the two Song Dynasty, which is inseparable from the long-term adherence to the "China First" policy.

Although the "Huaxia first" did not make many unification factions appear in the two Song Dynasty, it made the national strength of the Great Zhou Republic overwhelm the two Song Dynasty. And it also made the Eastern Song Dynasty replace it with "guano dependence".

Once the supply of guano from the Americas was lost, the domestic crisis in the Eastern Song Dynasty was only afraid that it would be greatly exacerbated, and thus lose the strength to resist the attack of the Great Zhou.

In addition, due to the existence of vast and rich American colonies, the Great Zhou Republic had to spare no effort to develop its maritime power for the past 200 years.

Up to now, the superiority of the Great Zhou Navy is still very obvious. Whether it is the number, tonnage, and firepower of the warships, it has obvious advantages over the Eastern Song Dynasty.

Therefore, after cutting off the supply of guano to the Eastern Song Dynasty, the Great Zhou Republic could also use the navy to block the trade routes of the Eastern Song Dynasty. forced the industrial products of the Eastern Song Dynasty to withdraw from the international market because they could not be exported.

Under the persuasion of Admiral Huang Daoan, Wu Shijie, Su Junwan, and the Minister of the Great Zhou Navy (the Great Zhou Navy was so powerful that it had a naval department at the same level as the Ministry of War), Wu Yuanlong finally moved his heart and accepted the war plan they proposed. And with their support, he was re-elected.

In fact, this plan has actually been prepared for many years, as early as when Su Junwan and Wu Shijie served as the capital of the Great Zhou Army and Navy, they began to plan secretly.

And the marriage contract between Wu Yuankai and Princess Anna of Egypt is part of this war plan.

"Brother Fifteen, this is a portrait of Anna...... The ultra-realistic painting style is Ni Zhan's own handwriting. ”

In the large study on the fourth floor of the newly completed Fuhrer Palace in Tianjin, Wu Yuanlong, who is in his fifties this year, is smiling and pointing to a portrait of a beautiful Western girl, introducing Wu Yuankai, who has just returned to Tianjin.

Princess Anna is indeed a rare beauty, at least under the pen of Ni Zhan, the number one painter of the Great Zhou Dynasty, she has an angelic face.

"The battleship Shenzhou is ready to go at any time." Wu Yuanlong said again, "It's just a good wind now, at most three months, you can arrive in Egypt and become the Prince of Suez." ”

The Shenzhou is a first-class sail battleship with 110 guns and an unladen displacement of up to 55,000 stones.

One of the most powerful sail battleships in the world right now!

The navy of the Great Zhou Republic currently has 10 "Shenzhou" class battleships, in addition to 90 second- and third-class battleships with weak tonnage and firepower, and a larger number of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-class ships.

"Führer, are you going to be the Prince of Suez?" Wu Yuankai asked.

Prince Suez is the exclusive title of the Empress of Egypt.

Wu Yuanlong nodded, "Yes, the king of Egypt has died!" So you're not going to marry a princess, you're going to marry a queen. Congratulations! ”

"She's the empress...... Wu Yuankai asked again, "that's why you sent the battleship Shenzhou to send me to Egypt?" ”

The Shenzhou is the most powerful battleship in the world, and it seems a bit overkill to send relatives.

Wu Yuanlong said: "Not only the 'Shenzhou', but also the 'Republic' and the 'Covenant'. ”

"Three first-class battleships?" Wu Yuankai took a breath, "Führer, is this going to war?" ”

Wu Yuanlong shook his head, "I don't know yet...... But you have to prepare for the worst!

The Song navy in the South Seas was very strong, and there was a South Sea fleet deployed that could intercept it. In addition, we need to strengthen the South Sea Fleet. After completing the escort mission, the three ships of Shenzhou, Republic, and Yofa will join the Nanyang Fleet. ”

The navy of the Eastern Song Dynasty has always been able to compete with the Great Zhou Republic, and at present, the Eastern Song Dynasty Navy has 6 first-class battleships and 60 second- and third-class battleships. It is the second maritime power in the world after the Great Zhou Navy!

Although the strength of the Eastern Song Dynasty Navy was only 66% of that of the Great Zhou Navy. However, the forces of the Eastern Song Dynasty Navy were relatively concentrated, with only two large fleets, the Home Fleet and the Nanyang Fleet, and a Western detachment attached to the Nanyang Fleet.

The Great Zhou Navy, on the other hand, has four major fleets: the Home Fleet, the Great Eastern Fleet, the Atlantic Fleet, and the South Ocean Fleet. In addition, it also has a small Western detachment that is part of the South Sea Fleet, so its strength is relatively scattered.

Among them, the Great Zhou Nanyang Fleet was even more surrounded by the powerful Eastern Song Dynasty Nanyang Fleet, and the situation was more dangerous - although they were all Nanyang Fleet, the importance was not the same thing at all. The Nanyang Fleet of the Eastern Song Dynasty was tasked with defending the imperial territories of the New Song Dynasty, and was therefore the main force of the Eastern Song Navy. The Nanyang Fleet of the Great Zhou Navy was the weakest of the four fleets, and there was not a single first-class battleship in peacetime.

In addition to the transfer of three 1st rank battleships from the mainland to the South Seas. The Great Zhou Admiralty also issued an order to several first-class battleships deployed in the Great Eastern Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean -- all seven first-class battleships will be concentrated at the naval base of the home fleet in Sasebo, Kyushu Province within this year, and will be ready to participate in the blockade of the coastline of the Eastern Song Dynasty at any time!

In the 14th century, these displacements were already very huge first-class sail battleships, and they were also very concerned by the Eastern Song Dynasty.

Therefore, the information that the three Shenzhou-class battleships, escorted by more than 20 second-class, third-class, fourth-class, fifth-class, and sixth-class ships, left Tianjin Port and headed south was reported to the Song and Song Dynasty courts at the first time.

The southward movement of the three Shenzhou-class ships was undoubtedly an extremely obvious war preparation action in the eyes of the Eastern Song Dynasty Military Department and the Navy Capital Jiyi Division.

If they were allowed to reach the South Seas, the Eastern Song Dynasty's naval superiority in the South Seas would be negated - the Eastern Song Dynasty's Nanyang Fleet consisted of only three first-class battleships.

Moreover, it was impossible for the Eastern Song Dynasty to transfer any of the three first-class battleships stationed on the mainland to the South Seas...... So a very difficult role has been placed in front of the Eastern Song Dynasty.

.。 m.