The British fleet, under the command of Vice Admiral Jeram, commander of the battle fleet, continued to fight, while the German fleet, under the command of Rear Admiral Paul Bernke, commander of the avant-garde fleet, continued to fight to the death.

Due to the timely return of the four battleships of the "Elizabeth NV ..."-class, the firepower of the British fleet gradually gained the upper hand, and under the fierce attack of the British ships, the German battleship "Kai Retreat ...", finally could not hold out, the battleship was on fire, the deck was full of dead and dying people, and in the midst of violent explosions, the battleship finally capsized and sank into the sea.

At this time, the German fleet was left with only four battleships of the "King" class and four battleships of the "Byrne..."-class (two unsunken battlecruisers had completely lost their combat effectiveness and were forced to withdraw from the battlefield), which struggled under the rain of bullets from the British ships, were hit by large-caliber shells countless times, surrounded by flames and smoke, but simply refused to sink. Their powerful cannons dealt an even more lethal blow to the British fleet, which really made the faces of the German shipbuilders and workers shine.

Seeing that there were few German ships left, and the British fleet had a numerical advantage, Vice Admiral Jeram, who was eager to avenge the fleet commander, was eager to win and commanded the British battleships to surround the German ships, seize the "T" prefix of the German ships, and annihilate all the German ships, but he forgot that the only eight remaining German battleships were the jīng sharp of the German fleet, and the main losses of the British battleships were caused by the 350 mm guns of the "King..."-class battleships and the 380 mm guns of the "Byrne"-class battleships, As a result, the British paid a heavy price for this, when the British ship tried to complete the turning maneuver, the German ship gave the British ship a severe blow with Jīng accurate artillery fire, and the "British King George V", which was already injured and greatly reduced, was hit by the 350 mm main gun of the "King...", which resulted in a fatal explosion, and soon sank with Vice Admiral Jerram and all the crew. Immediately after that, the weakly protected foreign trade ship "Ireland ...", was also hit by a shot by the "Saxony...", and sank with a loud bang.

The British fleet, which had lost its command, was caught in the chaos for a while, and seeing that there was an opportunity, the German battleships, while dodging the attack of four "Elizabeth NV King" class battleships and four other British battleships, concentrated their fire on the "Ajax...", "Captain Centurion...", and "Orion." The three British battleships were also unable to withstand the blows of the 380-mm guns of the "Byrne..."-class battleships, and sank in explosions one after another.

The reason for this result is that the British shells with bitter acid are inferior to the armor-piercing xìng, in this close-range ròu fight, the British gunners also fought quite well, hitting the German ships accurately many times, but because the British shells exploded when they touched the armor, it took a lot of ammunition and time to really tear apart the thick armor of the German ships, and during this time, "the British battleships with poor protection were faced with the terrible heavy armor-piercing shells of the Germans" was undoubtedly extremely dangerous, However, the century-old military prestige and honor of the British Imperial Navy did not allow the British ** ship to flinch in the slightest in such a comparable battle, and tragedy arose.

After dealing another heavy blow to the British battlefleet, the situation of the German battleships also became bad, most of the main guns were destroyed, and only one or two main guns on each warship could still sustain the shè fire, and Rear Admiral Beinke realized the danger (the German caution and the British recklessness were in stark contrast at this moment) "decisively led the German fleet to begin the breakout operation." Seeing that the German battleships were about to escape, the British fleet under the leadership of Vice Admiral Sissel Bern pursued closely, but at this time there were only eight British ships left, and all of them were seriously damaged, especially the 4 ships led by Rear Admiral Evan Thomas, the "Elizabeth NV King..."-class fast battleships were damaged due to the long battle, and their speed was greatly reduced, "St. Vincent...", "Marlborough", "Revenge" and "Hercules". The ship was also badly damaged and could not maintain its original firepower and speed, but the British still refused to give up. As the sea was already completely covered in thick smoke, the figure of the German ship quickly became hazy, and the British ship soon lost its purpose.

Bern was still trying to salvage the defeat, knowing what it would mean for Britain to let the eight German capital ships return to Germany safely, and he planned to lead the LinkedIn fleet to intercept the German ships on their way back to the port of Kiel. The British sailors hurried to repair the ship's rest and damaged guns, ready to avenge the death of their comrades. ,

After boarding a destroyer, Scheer came to the battleship "King...", and regained command from Rear Admiral Beinck, who had been adrift at sea for a long time, and Rear Admiral Scheer and Rear Admiral Beinke agreed that "it is wise to withdraw from the battle now, in order to be able to return safely", and Scheer ordered a telegram to be sent to the Admiralty to try to verify whether there were any enemy ships in the waterway of Horn Reef. The wireless telegraph of the Germans was intercepted by the British intelligence department Mén, who was promptly notified to the British fleet. Bern deduced the retreat route of the German fleet and was able to catch up with the German fleet by a shortcut.

The first to catch up with the German fleet was the fast battleship detachment of Evan Thomas, and at the sight of the British fleet suddenly appeared, Scheer was really surprised, due to the four "kings." The class battleships were too injured and were unable to fight again, Scheer led the four battleships out of the battle and fled, and the four most powerful "Byrne" class battleships served as cover, and once again launched a fierce artillery battle with the British fleet, the desperate German fleet broke out with the strongest combat power, and the British fleet also exerted all its strength, and dispatched light ships to attack the German ships, at this moment the battle German ship's firepower prevailed, and soon, "Balham", was "Byrne." "The horn hit, the fire exploded, and the "Malaya" capsized in the Qi shè of the "Baden" "Brave. The last working turret was knocked out by the Saxony ...", the power system was damaged, and it was forced to withdraw from the battle" "War-weary ...", which was heavily damaged by the "Württemberg" and fled in confusion in flames and smoke (the two battleships then lost power completely and were ambushed and sunk by German submarines on the way back to Scapa Bay by the cruiser).

When Bern found that the rapid battleship detachment had been heavily damaged, he realized that the defeat of this battle was a foregone conclusion, and the only four battleships in his hands were difficult to deal with the four "Byrne" class battleships, and if they continued to fight, they would be in danger of being completely annihilated, so he reluctantly withdrew from the battle with the remaining British ** ships. The remaining eight battleships and battlecruisers of the German High Seas Fleet finally returned safely to the port of Kiel.

The Battle of Jutland ended, and in this unprecedented sea battle that shocked the world, the British Royal Navy lost a total of 23 battleships, 6 battle cruisers, 12 cruisers and a large number of auxiliary ships, and nearly 40,000 casualties among officers and men. The German High Seas Fleet lost 18 battleships, 3 battle cruisers, 4 cruisers, 7 destroyers and 15 torpedo boats, 13 other ships suffered heavy losses, and nearly 30,000 casualties among officers and men.

The Battle of Jutland completely changed the balance of naval power between Britain and Germany, and became a turning point in World War I. After the Battle of Jutland, Britain's maritime superiority ceased to exist, so Li Yuanhong, the prince of Wuyi of the Chinese Empire, who was also a naval officer, would say that the British lost the Battle of Jutland, and if in terms of losses, the Germans were indeed the victors.

But Yang Shuoming knew that "although the German Navy has now leveled the gap with the British Navy, it has not achieved absolute superiority, and because the power vacuum created by the huge losses of the British Navy can be filled by the American Navy and the Japanese Navy, Germany does not have such conditions at all (Germany's allies Austria-Hungary and Turkey are all Xiǎo partners who cannot pull the table, and it would be good not to hold back). Thus, although the German navy gained a temporary advantage by virtue of the Battle of Jutland, this advantage was not destined to last long. That's why Cai crocodile will say that Germany failed to achieve a decisive victory.

Although the German navy had swept the British coast and destroyed many of its shipyards, it did not destroy the foundations of the British shipbuilding industry. "The U.S. Navy has been stationed in the United Kingdom, and I heard that the Japanese Navy is also preparing to send large ships to Britain, so that Germany still can't break the naval blockade."

Yang Shuoming looked at Yuan Shikai, and Yuan Shikai's face was uncertain at this time, obviously worried that he might be on the wrong side.

Although the British navy had the help of the United States and Japan, the losses were too great to recover for a while, and now the French capital has lost "Russia has lost successive wars, domestic violence is everywhere, and it is impossible for the Entente to defeat Germany." Li Yuanhong continued, "China should not continue to participate in the war and fall too deep, otherwise the Entente will be defeated and our country will inevitably suffer greatly." ”

Listening to Li Yuanhong's words, Yuan Shikai's face became even more ugly, and his gaze swept back and forth at the ministers, as if he was not very willing. ,

"If ......China withdraws from the Entente now, it will lose its trust with its friends and be despised by the world, and second, it will give Japan an opportunity to take advantage of, and if Japan invades China again after the war, no country will be willing to help." …”

What President Liu said is extremely true. Prime Minister Yang Du said, "With the strength of the six powers, it is impossible to defeat Germany." ”，

"The Art of War: "With 100,000 armor, dry food, then the internal and external expenses, the use of guests, the material of Jiaotao, the dedication of the car armor, the daily cost of a thousand gold, and then the division of 100,000 yuan." At present, our army has no less than 200,000 soldiers fighting on the European continent, and although Britain, France, the United States, and other countries have received help from Britain, France, and the United States, the cost is still incalculable, and if the war is protracted, our economy will be unable to afford it! Li Yuanhong's voice became high, "Even if we can win in the end, what good will it do to our country if we fight the people out of poverty?" ”，

"In any case, we have to grit our teeth now and persevere, and finish this battle! Yuan Shikai said with some annoyance, "As long as I get through this most difficult time, it will be the time for me to take off in China!" …”

Seeing that Yuan Shikai was really angry, Li Yuanhong's face was flushed, he held back his anger and didn't say anything more.

The imperial meeting ended in such a depressing atmosphere, and when Yang Shuoming got up and was about to leave with everyone, an inner palace official stopped him.

"Governor Yang, please stay, the emperor summons ......"

Yang Shuoming nodded, sat down again, and waited until the ministers withdrew in turn, and the NV official took him to Yuan Shikai's study in the harem.

Yuan Shikai, who took off the generalissimo's military uniform, changed into a golden sè Hanfu with a dragon pattern, looking very simple, and when he saw Yang Shuoming coming in, he smiled and swept the air, and a tall and thin young man with glasses standing next to Yuan Shikai took a rosewood chair and asked Yang Shuoming to sit down.

Yang Shuoming immediately recognized that the young man in front of him was Yuan Shikai's fifth son, Yuan Kequan.

Yuan Kequan, like Yuan Keding and Yuan Kewen's brothers, are Yuan Shikai's very important sons, and when Yuan Shikai held the emperor's enthronement ceremony, he once asked the three brothers to wear the same prince's dress, and the intention couldn't be clearer.

Yang Shuoming and Yuan Shikai sat down on the chair after the father and son saw the ceremony. Unlike the courtiers of all Chinese dynasties who had to kneel and kowtow when they saw the emperor, Yuan Shikai's Hongxian Dynasty completely abolished these daily rituals, and Yuan Shikai did not kneel and bow when presiding over the ceremony of worshiping Confucius, so that the monarch and the ministers were more equal and close" This is undoubtedly a great progress for China, which has implemented the feudal daily ritual system for thousands of years (Kang Youwei, who was once the pioneer of the "Shu Xu Reform...", was extremely dissatisfied with this, and openly shouted "All the masters of the Rites of All Nations do not kneel, and the Chinese people do not worship God, do not worship Jesus, and do not worship Confucius, What is the purpose of this knee? ”）。

Unlike the previous emperors of Chinese dynasties, Yuan Shikai did not wear a dragon robe at any time after ascending the throne (Yuan Shikai's dragon robe has two sets, which are designed by Tao Mo in the Han Dynasty, and the dragon crown is also the Han crown of the flat-topped twelve tribes, but he usually does not wear it "only when presiding over the traditional ceremony"), which seems to be high and dare not look up. When he met with his courtiers, he was also like an ordinary person, and he sat face to face at the table and talked about it.

"Since I listened to Hanzhi's words, I no longer eat deer as Lingzhi or something, and my body is indeed much stronger than before." Yuan Shikai smiled and personally took a cup of tea and put it in front of Yang Shuoming, "Everything is too much, what the ancients said still makes sense!" ”。

"What Your Majesty said is extremely ......," Yang Shuoming smiled and nodded.

"Since you Yang Hanzhi presided over the national industry, the results have been remarkable, not to mention, this "people and hospital" alone is not known to be many times stronger than the previous Tai Hospital. Yuan Shikai said, "I heard that Cai Songpo has been recuperating there, and he also went for a comprehensive examination a while ago, and used some Western medicine yào, and many carbuncles were removed. The palace now only knows "people and hospitals, but not hospitals." …”

"The prescription of the Tai Hospital is actually very precious, but there are too many impurities with yào" and now it has also cooperated with "Renhe, using Western methods to purify, called "Chinese Han yào" Some tonic recipes, if Your Majesty is interested, it is better to try. Yang Shuoming said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll take a look. Yuan Shikai said, "The words suddenly changed and asked, "How did you investigate the corruption of private fund-raising in Chuanlu Company?" ”,

Listening to Yuan Shikai's question, a trace of resentment flashed in Yang Shuoming's eyes, and he nodded.

"The truth has basically been cleared, and the behavior of those ink-greedy people is simply outrageous." ，

"So, the Sichuan Road Company embezzled the people's funds to transfer them to the stock market and make profits, not to strengthen the capital of road construction, but to enrich their own pockets?" Yuan Shikai heard Yang Shuoming's answer, and his eyes became focused.

"Yes. Chuanlu Company invested a total of 5 million yuan in the Shanghai stock market, which was half of the remaining available funds of the Chuanlu Company at that time, you know, the total funds of the Shanghai Stock Exchange at that time were only tens of millions of yuan, and the funds that were successively transferred into the Shanghai Stock Exchange were equivalent to one-tenth of the total funds of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. ”

Thinking that his father-in-law Huang Zhiyao almost lost his life in order to find out the truth, Yang Shuoming's fists couldn't help but clench.

"How unreasonable is such audacity!" Yuan Shikai couldn't help but be furious.

Moreover, Chuanlu Company used this money to speculate in stocks, which is by no means a public decision of the company, but a secret market of a small number of its executives. The public decision at the corporate level was to authorize executives to deposit the money to earn interest, so the limit of deposits in each bank was set at a limit of 200,000 yuan, in order to prevent financial risks, but all the money was used for stock speculation.

Yang Shuoming said, "After the matter was revealed, the person in charge of it also quibbled in many ways, saying that it was necessary to revitalize the funds and make money with money, but in fact, judging from the behavior of the total revenue and expenditure of the Sichuan Road Company, which was responsible for the specific cào plate, it can be said that it is a real "rat barn" and there are serious corruption behaviors in it. During the clean-up and inventory, many problems in the accounts were also discovered. ”

They wanted the government to take over in the name of "the railways are state-owned, and the purpose was to want the government to be the big boss." Yuan Kequan suddenly said on the side, "That's what they did in the former Qing Dynasty, and now they're taking out the old tricks." …”

"I'm not going to give them this shit hole!" Yuan Shikai said angrily, "They are simply robberies!" It's a robber! …”

"Collecting countless taxes in the name of the government, to this day, not a single inch of the railway has been repaired, and they still want the government to pay off their debts for them, and the matter is exposed and they do not hesitate to buy murder and kill people, which can be described as vicious. Yang Shuoming said in a deep voice, "I have always believed that embezzlers and those rogue patriots are the real traitors......"

Yuan Shikai and his son may have heard the word "rogue patriot" for the first time, and they couldn't help but be stunned, but they immediately understood the meaning of Yang Shuoming's words.

"A corrupt criminal is a traitor, Hanzhi said it well! Yuan Shikai sighed, "It's a pity that now, few people can realize this. ”

(To be continued!)