"But this boat is too new!" The First Sea Lord said with some annoyance, "It's so new that it hasn't been received by the Royal Navy yet!" ”

"The ship is about the same size as the one that the Chinese sailors sailed, if not smaller. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 Lieutenant Commander Coles, who was named Coles, glanced at Lin Yizhe and Hong Jun again, and said, "The Chinese sailors are very skilled, and they can drive the 'Weiyuan' over and the 'Thetis' without any problem." ”

Lin Yizhe heard the hidden meaning of the British officer's words, and couldn't help but sneer secretly in his heart.

"Sir, can you tell me about this cruiser?" Lin Yizhe stepped forward quietly and asked Coles directly in English.

Coles glanced at Lin Yizhe, as if he was worried that the First Sea Secretary would regret it, and hurriedly said: "This cruiser that our country has given to your country is a new ship that has not been launched for a long time, named 'Thetis', with a displacement of 1,854 tons, a length of 67.05 meters, a width of 10.97 meters, and a draft of 5.43 meters. ”

Coles said, bringing some drawings and photos to Lin Yizhe.

Lin Yizhe narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze quickly swept over Coles's face, and fell on the drawing.

In this short moment, Lin Yizhe had already seen fine beads of sweat oozing from Coles's neck. Although he pretended to be calm on the surface, Lin Yizhe still sensed the panic in his heart.

Lin Yizhe was secretly vigilant in his heart, but there was not a trace of expression on his face, he took the relevant materials about the cruiser "Thetis" handed over by Coles, and looked at it carefully.

At this time, Coles looked at the Chinese envoy who was concentrating on the drawings, and the scene of Lin Yizhe and Lu Yingyan dancing together at the dinner party at the Chen Manor that day appeared in front of him, and the jealousy in his heart burned again.

He has been pursuing Lu Yingyan for almost two years, but he has never been favored by this "iceberg beauty" who has all the advantages and virtues of Eastern and Western women, and as soon as this young Chinese in front of him appeared, he took away the heart of his beloved!

That night, how he wished that her smile was for himself!

Coles closed his eyes in pain, and his fists clenched.

"Lieutenant Colonel Coles, what's wrong with you? Where is it uncomfortable? Sir Dekkers' voice pulled Coles back from his painful memory, and he immediately realized his gaffe and quickly opened his eyes.

"Maybe I had a cold, I had some insomnia last night......" Coles said with a cough in disguise.

The First Sea Minister gave him a strange look, and his gaze turned to Lin Yizhe, "Mr. Lin, are you still satisfied with this ship?" He asked tentatively.

"If Mr. Lin feels that the ship is too new to perform at its best, the Royal Navy has more cruisers for you to choose from." Lieutenant Colonel Coles's tone was a little smug.

"Dear Lin, this boat is too new, and the parts are not running in enough, and I am worried that it will have a negative impact on the handling." Sir Dekkers said with a sincere expression.

"I don't think there is a need to change it, I believe that the 'Thetis' will find her rightful position and value in the navy of the Qing Empire, and it will be her." Lin Yizhe closed the materials in his hand and handed them back to Lieutenant Colonel Coles with respectful hands.

Hearing that Lin Yizhe chose this "cursed ship" in his eyes, Coles's heart secretly applauded.

After completing the formalities for donating the ship and agreeing on the date of taking over the ship, Lin Yizhe and Hong Jun visited the British Admiralty by the way, and were warmly welcomed by all the staff of the Admiralty. At the time of their departure, the First Sea Lord also specially presented a model of the cruiser "Thetis", as well as a medal from the British Admiralty.

"That Lieutenant Colonel Coles seems to be hostile to us, and Kunyu must be guarded against." After getting into the carriage, Hong Jun reminded Lin Yizhe, "I'm afraid that there is something wrong with this new ship he picked for us?" It must be known that the English sailor yamen has not yet received it! ”

"There's something strange about this person, I felt it at first. However, the new ship should not be a big problem, this ship has been tested many times after it was launched, and I have read the sea trial report, and I have not seen any problems. Lin Yizhe said, "This person chose such a brand-new ship for us, because he wanted to make things difficult and embarrassed for me to wait." ”

"Troubled?" Hong Junqi said, "How can he embarrass me to wait?" ”

"Brother Tao Shi can know that this new ship is launched, the machine is neat and new, before it is opened, there must be a skilled and experienced sailor to control the wind and waves, go to sea to try many times, man-machine run-in and familiarity, before it can be used effectively. For example, the rider's tame horse must be tamed first, and the novice must ride it before he falls. Lin Yizhe explained to Hong Jun, "A new ship like this has only been launched for a long time, and it needs to be piloted by experienced sailors to make it safe, and they are not as skilled as English sailors, so they use this new ship to make things difficult." ”

"I see." Hong Jun listened to Lin Yizhe's explanation, and couldn't help but have a worried face.

"Brother Tao Shi and relax, my skills are in no way inferior to those of English sailors." Lin Yizhe smiled confidently and said, "Brother Tao Shi came to Taixi on the 'Weiyuan' ship this time, and the skills of the sailors on the ship have also been seen, so why are you and I afraid?" ”

"Yes." Hong Jun remembered the scene on the road to Europe, and immediately put his mind at ease, "This time, as long as this new British military ship is safely driven back and their difficulties are broken, it is equivalent to destroying them." ”

"When I received the ship, I walked a few more laps on the British Sea, and let the English people see it, and I also have a capable person in the Shimizu Division." Lin Yizhe remembered Coles's appearance, his brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes turned to the window.

Outside the car window, the British Admiralty gradually disappeared into a vast white fog.

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"Lin Wenzheng's Righteous Philosophical Manuscript": "...... Since the arrival of the British capital, under the protection of the emperor, everything has gone smoothly, and it is now found that there are about 10,000 pieces of old treasures in the Yingzhi Garden, all of which are stored in its National Museum. The British heroine has agreed to return 6,000 pieces in advance, and the rest will be returned one after another after being counted. After the chief (that is, the Erjin who burned the Old Summer Palace) plundered the treasure and returned to Britain, all the British gentlemen and women were ashamed, and the voices of plundering were endless, and they continued to die until their death. The British heroine bowed down to the court, took her title, and returned the national treasure, in order to seek good intentions. …… The British heroine said that Aspen had a lot of regret and wanted to make amends for his previous losses, so she gave a new type of cruise clipper, a new ship built by Devonport Factory, with a displacement of 1,854 tons, which is roughly the same size as 'Weiyuan'. The minister and the deputy envoy Hong Jun and the members of the Sailor Academy went to the ship to inspect it, and ordered the sailors to pilot the sea trial, and the ship was intact and sturdy, not afraid of the wind and waves, and traveled very fast, and it was indeed a new type of firm ship. The minister has sent a powerful man to England to receive the ship back to China, and ask the Queen Mother to give it a name......"

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Lin Yizhe, who was sitting in a chair, looked at the clock in the living room of the Lu Mansion and sighed.

"Lord Lin, don't be surprised, little girl...... Alas! Lu Zhongheng sighed heavily, "It's all because I've spoiled her all these years!" ”

"I don't blame Gong Lu for this, I know what's going on." Lin Yizhe smiled bitterly and shook his head, "She knows the truth about my family, and she is not happy, which is normal, and she must be blamed." ”

Since Lin Yizhe met Lu Yingyan at a banquet at Chen Tingxuan's mansion that day, the two quickly fell in love. As long as Lin Yizhe has leisure, he is always with Lu Yingyan, and the two can be said to be inseparable. Until one day, Lu Yingyan learned that Lin Yizhe was married and had a wife and a concubine.

Lin Yizhe already had plans to marry her as a "flat wife", and Lu Zhongheng and his wife were also full of joy about it, no one thought that Lu Yingyan would react so much on the issue of "flat wife".

In fact, since Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, the legal and social status of a flat wife is equivalent to that of a regular wife, and the children born to a flat wife are regarded as children with the right to inherit the estate, and the flat wife also has the right to list the tombstone or ancestral tablet after her death, or to fill the legal wife status after the death of the main wife, and the Ming media formal marriage ceremony equivalent to that of the official spouse is also adopted in the process of marriage. Lin Yizhe made such a decision, in fact, he considered her to the greatest extent.

But for Lu Yingyan, who was born overseas and has always accepted Western ideology and culture, even if she is a "flat wife", it is unacceptable to her. These days, although Lin Yizhe often comes to her, she has never seen him again.

Although Lord Lin is married and has a concubine, he has nothing to think about, I just hope that the little girl will have a place to belong in the future, and she will have a lifelong dependence, who would have thought about it...... Alas! Lu Zhongheng said hurriedly, "Master Lin, wait a little longer, and wait for the old man to persuade her to come down." ”

"Duke Lu doesn't have to bother, I'm going to Portsmouth Harbor today to receive the ship donated by the British King, I need to go to sea with the ship for a trial, and it will take a few days to come back, and today I am here to say goodbye to Miss Lu." Lin Yizhe said, took off his warm hat and coat, and stood up, "She doesn't want to see me now, I'll wait until I'm done with business, and then come to visit, Lu Gong will tell her for me." It's not too early, so I'll take my leave. ”

Lu Zhongheng agreed again and again, personally sent Lin Yizhe out, and after Lin Yizhe got into the carriage and drove out of sight, he hurriedly returned to the building with his clothes, and went up to the second floor angrily and came to his daughter's room.

At this time, Lu Yingyan was lying on the bed, burying her head in the pillow and crying, and Mrs. Lu on the side was constantly comforting her.

"What the hell are you making a fuss about?!" Old Man Lu saw that his daughter still hadn't gotten up, and finally couldn't help but explode.