On January 31, 1917, Germany announced the start of "unrestricted submarine warfare" from February 1.

On March 14, 1917, China declared war on Germany.

On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany.

Port of San Diego, USA.

Zhang Qifan, who was standing on the pier, looked at the picturesque site of the Navigation School, and couldn't help but be in a trance for a while.

Because until now, he never imagined that one day he would come to the United States from a great distance to become a cadet of the "Chinese 'Ren' Navigation School" established by China in the United States.

The Port of San Diego is an important port on the west coast of the United States and an important base for the United States Navy.

With the cooperation agreement reached between the Chinese "relevant parties" and the United States at the end of last year, a large navigation school has been erected here.

In a submission to the Ministry of Education in Beijing, the Renhe Merchant Marine and Seamen's School was an educational institution specially financed by the Renhe Shipping Company to train merchant seafarers in order to solve the problem of the education of seafarers, especially captains, although the school established by the Renhe Shipping Company on American soil had given officials of the Ministry of Education in Beijing a strange and nondescript feeling. However, after the "Renhe" shipping company and the Navy Department bigwigs, the navigation school established in the United States was approved by the Ministry of Education, and then the construction of the school building began in San Diego. A few months later, at the same time as the school building and the simple pier of steel and wood structure were built, the school welcomed the first batch of 2,500 students recruited from Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Shandong, Fengtian and other provinces and overseas Chinese to enter the school to receive training as American instructors.

Although it is a school for the training of merchant seafarers. In fact, only a few people know that in the Chinese Admiralty, this navigation school has another name -- "Sino-American Naval School."

The cool sea breeze blew from the blue sea, making Zhang Qifan come back from his trance, and beside him, several companions also looked at the seemingly unfamiliar campus with surprised eyes.

At the seaside of the nautical school, a simple wharf made of steel frames and steel plates was built, and a smooth road was built not far away. Chen Shiying, who also came here, looked at a large training ship moored on the simple dock, and his eyes became a little solemn and gloomy.

Because this large training ship, named "China", was specially gifted by the US Navy, and did not come from China.

Since the establishment of the Beiyang Navy, China's naval power has always been controlled by the Fujian system. Because most of the officers of the navy fleet were born in the shipmaster school in Mawei, Fujian, most of the people who could serve on the warships were Fujianese. For example, many of them, such as naval officers who went to Japan to study in Japan, were not allowed to serve on warships according to the usual practice, but could only wait for appointment at the Admiralty in Beijing, and could only serve as staff officers and other civilian posts in the future, and there was no better way out.

In the Chinese Navy, factional struggles have always been fierce. And the jīng power of the Chinese is often exhausted in such internal attrition.

To this day, the Chinese Navy has to set up a school in the United States, and even the training ships are given by the Americans.

Chen Shiying knew that the reason why he and these trainees who were selected to be sent to the United States for "commissioned training" were able to stand here was not unrelated to the fact that the top officials of the Admiralty wanted to break the monopoly of the Fujian forces on the navy.

After everything was settled, Zhang Qifan unconsciously came to the pier again, looking at the blue sea in the distance, and an inexplicable nostalgia came to his heart.

At this time, the figure of the girl with long hair appeared in front of him again.

What is she doing at this time?

He still remembers the heartbeat that encounter brought him back to his hometown.

That day, she looked at him in a white dress and smiled shyly at him, and in that hasty moment, he already knew that he and she had melted into each other's hearts.

How much searching, how much hope, all found a home in that quiet moment.

However, the separation soon followed.

When he received the notice to go to the United States for training, he was a little overwhelmed for a while. ,

Born and raised in Jiangxi, he never thought that one day he would go to the other side of the sea.

But he finally decided to go, even though he knew that he and she would be separated for a long time.

Knowing that he was going to the other side of the ocean, she cried.

She knew that he and she would be separated for a long time.

He was clumsy in words, and he didn't know how to comfort her.

From that day on, the love between him and her was pulled into a lonely coastline, distant and long.

When he was leaving, he didn't let her come to see him off. Because her beautiful shadow is still in front of his eyes every day, hurrying by, like a breeze, easy to sense and difficult to capture.

She didn't say goodbye to him, but he knew deep down that from now on, in that distant hometown, in addition to the folks full of local accents, there was also a beautiful NV child who loved him.

"Where did the xiǎo brothers come from?" An unfamiliar voice rang out beside him.

Zhang Qifan turned his head and saw a kind face.

"Jiangxi." Zhang Qifan replied.

"My name is Wang Yonggang, and my brother Xiǎo has your surname?" Wang Yonggang smiled and stretched out his hand to him.

"Zhang Qifan." The two hands were shaken together.

"It's from Jiangxi, it's from the group of people who drove the submarine, right?" Wang Yonggang asked as if he remembered something.

"Hmm." Zhang Qifan remembered the order from above, and was reluctant to say more about the pocket submarine.

"Remarkable." Wang Yonggang gave him a thumbs up, "We are considered to be comrades in the trenches." ”

Hearing him say this, Zhang Qifan couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

"I am the torpedo man on the torpedo boat 'Lake Osprey,'" Wang Yonggang said, "and we sank a Japanese cruiser, but unfortunately the torpedo boat is gone." ”

"I've heard of it." Zhang Qifan's eyes flashed with admiration, "That time we fought the Japanese Navy, and our submarine team lost nothing." ”

"You're all big guys, we can't compare with you." Wang Yonggang's eyes fell on the "China" training ship, and he couldn't help but sigh, "When will we in China have a big ship like the Japanese Navy!" ”

Looking at this training ship donated by the Americans, Wang Yonggang let out a deep sigh.

China has not built new warships for many years, and he is no longer willing to mention it.

Wang Yonggang looked at the "China" training ship moored on the dock, and his eyes couldn't help but show eagerness.

Since he came to the navy, he was sent to a torpedo boat, where he worked for seven years, and since then, he has hardly been on a large ship again, and it was not until he came here that he had the opportunity to go on a large warship again and go to sea.

The "China" training ship is not a real warship, it is a 4,700-ton ferry converted training ship, after the signing of the commissioned training agreement, the Americans in the dockyard to make it suitable for the school's ocean-going training ship.

For Wang Yonggang, it is not easy to come to such a warship.

With a displacement of 4,850 tons and a speed of up to 25.2 knots, the renovated training ship was equipped with two single-mounted naval guns in the bow and stern, and several ménxiǎo caliber guns on both sides as secondary guns, as well as multiple machine guns and machine guns.

Although in the eyes of the Americans, this is just an inconspicuous training ship, but if it is placed in the Chinese Navy, it is undoubtedly a formidable behemoth.

The tonnage of the four "Hai" cruisers, which constitute the main force of the Chinese Navy today, is not as good as the training ship in front of them.

"We'll have a big ship." Zhang Qifan replied suddenly and firmly.

"How do you know?" Wang Yonggang looked at him with some surprise and asked.

"General Yang said it." Zhang Qifan looked at the blue sea in the distance and said firmly.

"General Yang?" Wang Yonggang was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "General Yang Shuoming Yang who recovered Qingdao?" ”

"Yes." Zhang Qifan nodded, "General Yang asked us to come here just so that we can drive a big ship in the future." ”

Wang Yonggang was stunned for a moment, then laughed and didn't ask any more.

In his opinion, this Xiǎo sailor, who has driven submarines, should not understand the current situation of the Chinese shipbuilding industry. But at this time, he would not have thought that in the near future, he would see one giant ship after another appear, and he would walk on the deck of the giant ship in a different mood with the Xiǎo brother in front of him.

Beijing, Xiyuan, martial arts field.

Under the scorching sun, a group of dignitaries stood on an earthen platform, holding binoculars, and gathered to watch the cào practice in the distance.

In the loess smoke and dust rolled up by the hot wind, accompanied by the sound of rolling tracks, several tanks quickly advanced to a position and stopped side by side, and then the twin guns on the tank turret spewed out white smoke and made a thunderous roar. ,

Looking at the wall of fire rising in the distance, Yuan Keding, the eldest son of Yuan Shikai, the commander of the Model Regiment of the 1st Division of the Army participating in the war, couldn't help but shout loudly.

"It's no wonder that Hanzhi can beat the Japanese army in Shandong, with such an ironclad chariot, why worry about it!" Yuan Keding put down the binoculars, turned around and said to Yang Shuoming in admiration.

At this time, the tank detachment of the exercise continued to advance forward, and the infantry followed closely in front of the tank and rushed forward.

"The distance between the infantry and the fighting vehicle is a bit far, it should be closer." Yang Shuoming also put down the binoculars and said to Yuan Keding and Yuan Shikai's second son, Yuan Kewen.

Listening to Yang Shuoming's words, Yuan Keding and Yuan Kewen both nodded, Yuan Keding turned his head and said a few words to an officer beside him, and the officer turned around and ran away.

Yang Shuoming inadvertently observed the expressions on the faces of Yuan Shikai's two sons, the "Prince" Yuan Keding was obviously very concerned about Yang Shuoming's opinion, but Yuan Kewen's eyes flashed with a trace of imperceptible tiredness and weariness.

At this time, Yang Shuoming already had a clear judgment on the two brothers who were Yuan Shikai's most important.

Since he settled in Beijing and was appointed as a counselor by Yuan Shikai to participate in the military affairs of the war army, his contact with the Yuan brothers has become more and more. The understanding of the two brothers is also deeper. In Yang Shuoming's view, Yuan Keding was obsessed with power, so happy, he traveled with Yuan Shikai in his childhood, and had a certain amount of insight and political experience, but unfortunately he was ambitious and talented, and he didn't have much real ability, plus he broke his horse riding in his early years, and left him disabled for life (nicknamed Yuan Da Cripple), Yuan Shikai was actually not very satisfied with him, the "prince".

For the versatile and handsome second son Yuan Kewen, Yuan Shikai actually prefers more.

Yuan Kewen is a hún blood child, born in North Korea, his mother Kim is the king of North Korea to Yuan Shikai's royal family of beauty nv, a relative of the Korean royal family, may have inherited his mother's appearance and talent, when he grew up, Yuan Kewen yù tree in the wind, Tianzi intelligent, deeply favored by his parents. Because of his outstanding talent, Yuan Shikai really wanted him to inherit his career, like Yuan Shikai's more important letters to the outside world, all of which were ghostwritten by Yuan Kewen. Like this time, Yuan Kewen, who knew nothing about military affairs, was also arranged by Yuan Shikai to "praise military affairs" with him. Yuan Shikai's purpose is very clear, that is, to let the two brothers learn military affairs with him.

But through contact with Yuan Kewen, Yang Shuoming knew that Yuan Kewen was an authentic traditional Chinese literati in his bones, and unlike his father and brother, he had no interest in power arts, and he did not care about career economics. He spends his days in opera poetry and ink, and is with Beijing's literary celebrities and widows, just like Jia Bao in "Dream of Red Mansions".

Like the writers and artists in Beijing, Yuan Kewen also often haunts Fengyue places, and Yang Shuoming once saw his ink treasures from Xi Xue. Because Yuan Ke's writing was really good, Yang Shuoming was ashamed that he didn't practice calligraphy well when he was xiǎo.

"This ironclad chariot made by Hanzhi is fast, the armor is thick and strong, and the artillery power is extremely strong, and our participating army will appear in Europe, which will surprise the British and French." Yuan Keding said with great ambition,

"I heard in the newspaper that the British also made similar things, but they were big and stupid, and they didn't work well." Wang Shizhen said, "Our ironclad chariot is dexterous and convenient, it can be attacked and retreated, and it can be defended by defending the Beijing Division. ”

"What Elder Wang said is right." Yuan Keding said, "On the side of the ironclad convoy of the Great Presidential Palace, I have to bother Lao Han to help. ”

In order to make the "participating army" become a model for the whole team, Yuan Shikai can be said to have made great efforts, and at the beginning of the training of the "participating army", he set up the training group for officers of the participating army and the teaching group for non-commissioned officers of the participating army, and the officers among the trainees are all outstanding graduates of the Beijing Lecture Hall and the Baoding Army Military Academy, as well as outstanding junior officers from various provinces. The sergeants come from the army divisions of the Beiyang Army and the outstanding soldiers with a certain education in the armies close to the Beiyang. On the basis of the teaching regiment, Yuan Shikai sent personnel to Anzheng, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Henan, Shandong and other places to recruit soldiers, and soon recruited 100,000 people, organized into five divisions, the establishment still adopts the establishment of the Beiyang Army, and the weapons and equipment used are all the latest type, and the original Beiyang Army army divisions are different in that the participating army is also equipped with special aviation reconnaissance units and tank units, as well as special heavy artillery units. And these new weapons and equipment, of course, all come from Yang Shuoming's contributions. ,

"No problem, Brother Yuntai can rest assured." Yang Shuoming said, "I also designed a 'Land Cruiser' for the president, which will be completed and shipped to the capital in a few days." Soon Brother Yuntai will be able to see him. ”

Yuan Keding couldn't help but be slightly stunned when he heard the word "Land Cruiser", he didn't know much about military affairs, he didn't know what Yang Shuoming was talking about this "Land Cruiser", but out of his admiration for Yang Shuoming, he roughly guessed that it should also be an advanced new weapon, thinking that there was one more thing that could please his father at his father's military parade, his face was full of happy smiles.

Yuan Kewen saw the smugness on his half-brother's face, and couldn't help frowning.

Yang Shuoming saw all the expressions of the Yuan brothers, and he laughed secretly in his heart.

After the exercise, Yang Shuoming politely declined Yuan Keding's hospitality and took the lead in saying goodbye, and after a while, Yuan Kewen also left.

"Are you going to Miss Xixue now?" In the car, Liu Dongbin, Yang Shuoming's driver and guard, asked with a smile.

"Do I have this arrangement for today?" Yang Shuoming thought back to his schedule today and asked a little strangely.

"No, no, I'm just asking." Liu Dongbin shook his head with a smile, pointed to a car not far from the window and said, "If you don't go over, I'm afraid that Yuan Ergongzi will have to take the lead, I heard that before I met you, Miss Xixue was always held by him." ”

"I know." Yang Shuoming looked at Yuan Kewen's car that was gradually disappearing outside the car window, and smiled slightly, "This second son of Yuan is a smart person, and he won't rob me of NV people." ”

"Madame said, if you really like Miss Xixue, she will redeem Miss Xixue and take her to the house." Liu Dongbin said seriously, "As long as you give me a word, this is what Madame said to me in the morning, she said that if she let others comb their hair, it will be too late." ”

"It's true that the emperor is not in a hurry, the eunuch is in a hurry, she is still concerned about this matter." Yang Shuoming remembered his beloved wife's delicate face, smiled, he thought about it for a while, and nodded, "Okay, take it back." For them, I'd better arrange it as soon as possible, so as to save time for the luàn. ”

Hearing Yang Shuoming's last sentence, Liu Dongbin couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, but he didn't say anything, but turned his head and asked, "Where are you going to go now?" ”

"When I go to Jinghua Iron and Steel Company, I want to see the staff school there." Yang Shuoming said.