In the afternoon, the sound of the salute at the West Gate Wharf in Anqing is earth-shattering, the earth-shaking sound of the eighteen drums, the sunset sprinkles a little bit of broken gold on the river, the sunset and the lonely birds fly together on the rolling Yangtze River, the autumn water is the same color as the sky, and the flowers and ribbons will decorate the wharf with special enchantment. The whistle of the pilot ship sounded, and a warship painted black and gray slowly sailed into the harbor.

Knock, knock, knock???

Seventeen gun salutes brought the excitement to a climax, with magnesium lights flashing incessantly and people at the pier cheering and throwing hats and flowers into the air. A schoolgirl in a blue bamboo skirt picks up a banner with four big characters on it: Mighty!

The "Haiqi", the first ship of the Chinese naval division, also sounded its whistle and responded to people's enthusiasm with a salute.

This armored cruiser, built by the German Volkeng shipyard 12 years ago, has a displacement of 4,300 tons, is equipped with two 203-millimeter main guns, and is known as "the world's first ship." After completing the mission of attending the coronation of King George V and visiting the Americas, it returned with 400 elites of the Chinese Navy.

When the "Haiqi" had just been handed over to the Qing Dynasty, it caught up with the Italians who forcibly leased Sanmen Bay, and the "Haiqi" and its sister ship "Haitian" forced back the Italian Far East Fleet and defended China's territory. During this visit to the Americas, Cuba and Mexico, which were anti-Chinese, were forced to punish the murderers, compensate the overseas Chinese for their losses, and apologize to China.

Chai Dongliang gave great courtesy to this warship, which created a precedent for the Chinese Navy's long-distance voyage. Captain Cheng Biguang, dressed in a blue-and-black British naval dress with ribbons and medals, led all the sailors to stand on the side of the ship and salute the welcoming crowd on the pier to express their gratitude.

The fluttering blue sky and white navy flag on the bow of the Haiqi ship, although it looks rough, it is obviously sewn by the sailors themselves, representing the navy's loyalty to the country and firm belief in the republic, which makes Chai Dongliang a little moved.

When Cheng Biguang stepped off the gangplank and boarded the dock, he was greeted like a hero, and the beautiful female students presented garlands and ribbons, which made the old captain who set off in April of the third year of Xuantong and returned after more than a year couldn't help but burst into tears. The Persian cat standing on his shoulder looked around, as if curious about this strange country.

Chai Dongliang walked forward quickly, held Cheng Biguang's big hand as rough as sandpaper tightly with both hands, and said enthusiastically: "Welcome the general back to China, you are thousands of miles away to show our country's prestige, all Chinese are proud of you!" ”

Cheng Biguang looked up and down at this young and somewhat excessive Jianghuai patrol envoy, so many things had happened since he left China for more than a year, and when he docked at Wusong Port in Shanghai after returning to China, the name Chai Dongliang had already filled his ears. In particular, after visiting the shipyard and steel company of Shanghai Guanghua Group Corporation, I was even more shocked. A huge dockyard has been completed, the construction of four 10,000-ton transport ships is about to begin here, several warships of the Yangtze River Fleet are being repaired and maintained here, and the boilers and high-quality armor they use are all made by Guanghua itself. The Guanghua Arsenal in Shanghai is casting a 203-mm main gun for the "Hairong" of the Yangtze River Naval Division, and the high-quality alloy steel used to make the cannon is all domestic!

China can also build 10,000-ton giant ships, and in the near future, China can also build its own battleships as majestic as hills, destroyers and torpedo boats as nimble as swordfish??? Thousands of warships and fighter ships will be mighty in the seven seas and defend China's 10,000-mile sea frontier, and this dream of the Chinese navy people for many years is about to become a reality, and how can this prospect not make 51-year-old Cheng Biguang burst into tears. The 400 officers and men on the Haiqi immediately made a decision, and all the officers and men of the ship rushed to Anqing together.

And the one who created this miracle was the little white face in front of him, who was only twenty-four or five years old.

Chai Dongliang affectionately took Cheng Biguang's hand and said: "The old general understands the righteousness and has a long face for the country, our Anhui Military Advisory Office will definitely not treat you badly, you and the officers and soldiers of the Yangtze River Fleet enjoy the same treatment, the officer's monthly salary is twenty yuan, the soldier's salary is ten yuan, and your public expense is three thousand yuan per month??? It's vulgar, it's vulgar, don't be surprised by the general! I couldn't be happier! ”

Cheng Biguang said with a smile: "We have traveled far and wide, and we have not participated in the anti-Qing righteous act, which is already ashamed!" How dare you accept such high courtesy from the governor of Chai Du and the people of Anhui??? The Governor is too much, too much! ”

Chai Dongliang waved his hand and said: "The anti-Qing revolution is to seek happiness for the descendants of Yan and Huang, and the general is fighting for the interests of overseas Chinese in the Americas with a lone army. ”

Cheng Biguang suddenly remembered something, and said to Chai Dongliang with a smile: "Chai Dudu, let me introduce you to someone." With that, he turned around and beckoned, and a foreigner with a high nose and blue eyes walked over with a smile.

"This is Mr. Jia Leheng, the American minister, who came here on our ship in Shanghai, saying that he had made a special trip to visit you!"

Chai Dongliang's pupils contracted, and he began to think in his heart, what is this Yankee's intention to find himself?

??? Dividing line ???

In the signing room of the Anhui Military Advisory Office, the American Minister Jia Leheng and Chai Dongliang had a very happy conversation, and the guests and hosts frequently raised their glasses. The purpose of Jia Leheng's visit was originally very simple. There was an ironclad cruiser ordered by the Qing court that was about to be completed, but only a small deposit was paid, and Jia Leheng came to force the debt. When the Shanghai Consul General heard that he was going to Anqing, he suggested that he first visit the Shanghai Guanghua Company. When he saw it, his mind to collect debts was shaken, and a huge idea gradually took shape in Jia Leheng's heart.

In the 10 years of the new policy at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the tax revenue of the political axe surged from 80 million taels of silver to 300 million taels, the central government was unprecedentedly rich, and the provincial treasury also had an unprecedented surplus, and the silver deposits in the provinces were as small as millions of taels, and the rich provinces could even reach 20 million or 30 million taels. With money in the purse of the imperial court, the Qing Dynasty wanted to rebuild the sailors. In the first year of Xuantong, that is, in 1909 of the Western calendar, Qing Zhengaxe, with the help of foreign advisers, formulated a seven-year naval development plan, requiring the order of eight first-class ironclad battleships, 20 heavy ironclad cruisers, and 10 other auxiliary ships, with the intention of rebuilding the two major naval divisions of Nanyang and Beiyang, and also to establish a completely Western-style naval university.

Eight battleships and 20 armored cruisers, which is almost twice the size of the 88th Fleet, which was launched in 1907 with eight battleships and eight cruisers, and they are all the latest warships in the West. In order to fight against the Beiyang Naval Division, Saigo Norimichi, the Minister of the Navy, was almost forced to cut his stomach by the angry Diet because of his unauthorized embezzlement of national defense funds.

The grandeur of the Qing Dynasty's plan to rebuild the navy made the combined fleet exclaim, and the catastrophe was imminent.

It is not yet known whether the 88th Fleet in my plan will pass the budget of the National Assembly in the Year of the Monkey, let alone the completion of construction, whether it will be launched in 10 years or 15 years? I don't know the bottom of my heart! And seven years later, the Qing court would have eight battleships and twenty armored cruisers. At that time, the old Combined Fleet will be small and insignificant in the face of this latest powerful fleet.

The initial funding of the preparation plan for the Great Water Purifier is only 20 million taels of silver, and the follow-up investment will reach an appalling 80 million taels. This huge order is a temptation that all the major shipyards around the world cannot refuse.

He said that he desperately opposed and frequently threatened war, but the Western powers, whose eyes were red-eyed by the silver of the Qing court, contemptuously warned that they should not act rashly, otherwise they would face the tragic end of single-handedly facing the whole world. In 1909, in the Western calendar, the Qing court tried in vain to occupy Dongsha Island in the South China Sea, and the Qing court did not show weakness in sending the old gunboat "Flying Eagle" to confront the combined fleet, and also sent an army to quickly occupy Dongsha Island and demolish the buildings on the island.

The final result was that he withdrew from Dongsha Island in a gloomy manner, and also paid more than 30,000 silver dollars in taxes for mining on the island in the early stage, which was a rare face of the Qing Dynasty that had always been embarrassed and thrown to his grandmother's house. Two years later, in the Xinhai year, encouraged by the Dongsha Incident, the 4,000-ton armored cruiser "Haiqi" that visited the Americas also took a stand and adopted a tough warship diplomacy against Cuba and Mexico, which were large-scale anti-Chinese countries. Mexico even apologized to the Qing Dynasty before the arrival of the "Haiqi", and arrested the murderers of the persecution of the Chinese and compensated the losses of the overseas Chinese, and the Chinese in the Americas rejoiced at the feat of the mother country.

The Qing court, which understood the great power of "silver dollar diplomacy", quickly sent Zaixun and Sa Zhenbing to Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary and other European powers to inspect and place orders. Everywhere they went, they were warmly welcomed by Western arms dealers. The political axes of the great powers are more respectful than the bitches in the courtyard, and they are afraid that they are not attentive enough, and everywhere they go are flowers, banquets and welcoming crowds, which makes the bones of Zaixun and others flutter. In order not to excessively stimulate his sensitive nerves, Zaixun and others ordered cruisers and gunboats in advance, but did not directly purchase battleships, and on the way back to China, they also ordered two 600-ton gunboats, "Yongfeng" and "Yongxiang."

The attitude of the foreigners is so deferential that they never thought before their visit, and they want to buy warships? Guaranteed to be up-to-date! Want to start a naval university? Whether to send people to study abroad or directly dig talents, although your old man speaks, you are satisfied!

Ten years of new government decrees looted huge amounts of wealth in the Qing Dynasty, and the Qing court found itself finally having a say in the world. Ten years after the Gengzi State Change, Qing Zhengaxe finally understood a truth, this year there is money is the uncle, and it is better to wave the check lightly than to play a fist against the foreign devil. When the foreigners use their fists, they often give a stinky beating, and they sprinkle silver on the foreign devils, and their kneecaps immediately learn to bend, and they are more obedient than the pugs raised at home.

Seeing that European arms dealers were about to make a fortune, the US [***] fire giants led by the Bethlehem Steel Company could not sit still and put pressure on the political axe. In order to confront the British alliance and Tsarist Russia in the north, the U.S. political axe originally planned to win over the Qing court to form a Pacific alliance, so the U.S. political axe invited the Qing government axe to visit the United States in a high-profile manner.

The American political axe learned that Zaixun and others did not hold a tender at all when they placed orders in Europe, but threw out huge orders one after another according to the specifications of courtesy, so the Americans also drew a scoop like a gourd, and sent the governor of Hawaii and the commander of the navy to accompany the Qing Dynasty delegation throughout the whole process, and President Taft personally hosted a banquet to entertain Zai Xun, and the standard was so high that it caught up with Li Hongzhang's visit to the United States.

However, to the disappointment of the Americans, Zaixun and others had already thrown all the big orders to European countries, and in the end only handed over a 2,600-ton "Feihong" cruiser to the Americans for construction.

The European powers laughed off their big teeth, and the Americans spent their blood and money to finally pick up only a little scraps. But it didn't take long for the Europeans to stop laughing, as the guns of the Xinhai Revolution destroyed the vast Qing Dynasty and dashed the grand plan to rebuild the navy.

In just over half a year after the Xinhai Revolution, the achievements of the 10-year New Deal of the Qing Dynasty were wiped out, the finances of the provinces that had varying degrees of surplus collapsed instantly, and China's economy regressed for more than 20 years.

This made the panicked Zheng axe breathe a sigh of relief, and at the same time made up his mind to dismember China, a complete China is so terrible, even if the helm is the Manchu court, should not be taken lightly??? A unified China is absolutely unacceptable, whether it is an imperial system or a republican system. Therefore, while supporting Sun Wen's revolutionary party, Ben and Yuan Shikai had only one purpose, to provoke a civil war and completely destroy China's economic foundation.

Zaixun never had a clear mind when he ordered warships, and the price of silver dollar diplomacy was that the price of each warship was almost sky-high, and it was impossible for any country on the earth to be willing to pay such a high price. He paid half of the orders to Germany and Britain, and only paid a small deposit to the United States, and the European continental powers did not need to be in a hurry, and they could make a lot of money by selling them at a reduced price, and the New York shipyards could not stand this, and they put pressure on the political axe and asked the envoy to China to force China to take over the "Feihong" armored cruiser.

Yuan Shikai's central political axe is almost like pants, and he is anxious about the aftermath of the big loan, he is obviously not a suitable negotiation partner, Chai Dongliang, who owns the Yangtze River fleet, has become the only buyer. Jia Leheng personally rushed to Anqing to try to get him to buy the boat.

However, after visiting the envoy of Shanghai Guanghua Group, his heart was half cold, and Shanghai Guanghua Shipyard received an order from the United States for four 10,000-ton transport ships??? According to the common sense of the navy, a factory capable of building 10,000-ton merchant ships is capable of building 8,000-ton warships. What made him even more stunned was that Guanghua Iron and Steel Company had been able to smelt high-quality nickel alloy steel for warships, and Guanghua Machinery Factory actually had excess manganese steel to produce bicycles!

Being able to smelt high-quality alloy steel means that he has the ability to make his own cannons and warship armor, and Chai Dongliang already has such a family background, so what reason does he have to swallow the expensive "Feihong"?

Unless, he can offer a price that he can't refuse!

(To be continued)