In the first year of Guanghua, China's Shence Navy formulated its first five-year naval development plan, building the 99th Fleet and all-ironclad combat ships, as well as expelling the British and other powers' navies from the sphere of influence in China's surrounding coastal areas and seizing sea supremacy in East Asia.

In the fifth year of Guanghua, the Fourth Yapian War ended, and the Chinese Navy exceeded the tasks of the First Five-Year Plan, and its naval strength expanded to East Asia, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and the entire Western Pacific.

According to the secret provisions of the Additional Memorandum to the Sino-British Treaty of Manila, the British naval sphere of influence was retreated to the south of the 3rd parallel and west of the 180th parallel of Tokyo. That is, the middle sea between Singapore and Borneo is the dividing line between the north and the south, with the Chinese navy sphere of influence to the north and the British navy sphere of influence to the south. With the prime meridian as the dividing line between east and west, the Pacific waters to the east are the British navy's sphere of influence, and the Pacific waters to the west are the Chinese navy's sphere of influence.

Although China and Britain have divided their maritime spheres of influence, it is obvious that neither side will be satisfied with the existing maritime spheres of influence, and sooner or later the British Navy will make a comeback, and the Chinese Navy will naturally not sit idly by.

Therefore, at the imperial meeting held by Li Weiguo at the beginning of the sixth year of Guanghua, the next five-year development plan of the navy was planned, that is, the second five-year plan, and the timeline was delineated from the sixth year of Guanghua to the tenth year of Guanghua (1871-1876).

After the completion of the 99th Fleet case, the main combat ships will have a total of nine ironclad ships and nine dome cruisers, which will be sufficient to patrol and guard the coastal waters around China, but if they are used to patrol the entire western Pacific region, the number will be insufficient.

This is because naval warships now all use steam engine power and coal-burning systems, unlike traditional wooden sail warships that do not need frequent maintenance and coaling, and the steam engines and coal-burning system equipment of ironclad warships are facing daily failures such as aging and wear.

In this way, the maintenance and combat readiness of warships of the Chinese Navy are particularly important.

After the end of the Fourth Yapian War, almost all the capital ships of the Chinese Navy lay in the dock for repairs and maintenance, and there were only small frigates and gunboats patrolling the surrounding coasts, and there were no warships cruising in the deep sea area at all. Not enough to show the ability of the Chinese Navy to control the western Pacific.

After discovering this problem, the Admiralty immediately raised this issue at the Imperial Council, and it was highly valued by Li Weiguo.

In the end, Li Weiguo made a decision in accordance with the rules of naval maintenance and combat readiness commonly used in later generations.

The entire four oceanic fleets of the Chinese Navy are divided into three batches on average, one batch for daily combat readiness cruises, one batch for daily port berthing, and one batch for docking and maintenance, which are rotated in turn. Ensure that the warship is maintained in a timely manner without affecting combat readiness.

As a result, the main force of the Chinese Navy's 99th Fleet has only six warships for combat readiness cruising in peacetime, and it is even more insufficient in the face of the vast sea area of the entire western Pacific.

In view of this situation, the expansion of naval forces has become an urgent matter.

Of course, the most important reason is that the British Navy is expanding on a large scale. Since the total annihilation of the British Asian Fleet in the waters of the Seven Continents, the British Navy has begun to work hard. With Benjamin's support, a competition was held across the UK to design their own advanced warships, and the British Navy selected the best designs to build.

This in itself is a huge pressure on the Chinese Navy, so it is inevitable that the Chinese Navy will be expanded.

Ninety-nine fleet. In fact, at present, it is only a relationship between two times nine equals eighteen, and if you want to dominate the world's seas, you must multiply nine times nine, and eighty-one capital ships are reasonable.

Li Weiguo after listening to the financial report of the Ministry of Finance (Ministry of Finance). Predicting the maritime crises that will be encountered in the next five years, the Navy was finally approved to build nine more ironclad ships and nine dome cruisers as capital ships, as well as related supporting auxiliary ships.

Meantime. Attention has been paid to the development planning of submarines and fish and radium boats. In this battle of Huangyan Island, submarines and fish and radium boats played a key role, so the navy's plan to add 18 submarines and 30 fish and ray boats within five years was directly approved by Li Weiguo.

Just when Li Weiguo convened the Imperial Council, an undercurrent from all over the world quietly entered China.

After entering China, these undercurrents quickly inquired from various parts of China about the materials and technology used in the manufacture of artillery barrels used by China's Shence Army, as well as various intelligence materials such as submarines, fish-ray boats, and various kinds of intelligence materials, including fish-ray weapons, from iron and steel factories, military artillery foundries, and naval shipyards in various parts of China.

That's right, these undercurrents are spy agencies, from the European and American powers, who were all shocked by the naval battle of Scarborough Shoal, and wanted to master the key technology of the Chinese Navy to defeat the British Navy and annihilate the British Asian Fleet.

No country really wants Britain to dominate the world, but before the navies of all countries did not dare to challenge Britain's maritime supremacy, but with the annihilation of Britain's Asian fleet, some countries' minds quickly became active, on the one hand, using the official government to communicate with the Chinese government, and on the other hand, secretly sending spies to collect intelligence.

Of course, British spies are indispensable for this, and the British spies are also the most stressed.

Among the intelligence agencies from the United Kingdom, MI5 has just been established, called MI5, which belongs to the British Royal Navy and is not in the British government agencies, which is more than 30 years earlier than the MI5 established in 1903, and the first goal is to steal military intelligence from the Chinese Navy.

The MI5's first mission was to steal the design drawings of the Chinese Navy's main warship, focusing on the manufacturing technology related to the 305mm gun, which caused the British Royal Navy a big loss. In addition, there are the relevant design drawings of submarines, which play a crucial role in the development plan of the British Royal Navy in the next five years.

In terms of shipborne artillery, the British were curious about how the Chinese made the barrel of the 305-mm main gun, which is not an ordinary artillery, as long as a third-rate country with a little strength can make it. The 305 mm main gun used by the Chinese Navy has a diameter of 35 times, otherwise it is impossible to have a large range of 10,000 meters.

In comparison, the British Navy's 120-pounder gun was only 26 times the diameter, and the effective firing range was only 3,000 meters, and the farthest was not more than 5,000 meters.

You must know that the current mainstream artillery manufacturing process in the world is still cast iron, which is a thick lump of cast iron. Compared with the naval guns of the Chinese Navy, although the British 120-pounder gun also uses steel, it is still a short and fat man, while the Chinese 305 mm naval gun is slender and tall, and the difference between the two is obvious.

The British knew very well that the Chinese 12-inch gun could be built so slim. The double diameter is as high as 35, which shows that the strength of the barrel wall is very strong, and there is no need to worry about the danger of explosion caused by high chamber pressure, which proves from the side that China has surpassed Britain in terms of artillery special steel, and has also surpassed Britain in terms of artillery lathe processing technology.

This makes the British very faceless, once the British led the world in strength and technology in this regard, but now they are overtaken by China, and they are forced to come to China to steal technology, if this is spread. It's a shame.

Shanghai, Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, which is the largest comprehensive military manufacturing unit in the Chinese military. It was here that the Navy's 305mm guns were produced, manufactured, and tested, and finally delivered to the Navy.

Just after noon. Behind the gate of the cannon factory of the manufacturing bureau, the workers went home from work and lined up to go out.

There are special officers and guards at the gate who are responsible for inspection, mainly to prevent workers from secretly carrying leaked documents or production materials out.

Yang Lin just hugged his bag. Looking at the officer who was checking in front of him and the guard next to him who was loaded with ammunition, his heart suddenly beat faster, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"What is this?"

"I guess I hung it up accidentally!"

The officer found a wire from the inside of the clothes of one of the employees in front. When I took it out for identification, I immediately found that it was the material that fell when the latest artillery was drilled and rifled, and it was never allowed to be taken out of the factory.

"Take it away!"

"I-I don't know, I'm wronged!"

Two soldiers came up, and without saying a word, they took the man away.

Yang Lin saw it really in the back, the cold sweat on his forehead broke out more, and his back was even more soaked, and he felt a burst of bone-chilling coldness.

The examination is too strict, so that a steel wire with a hair thickness and a length of less than a centimeter can be found hidden in the clothes.

Yang Lin's hands and feet trembled suddenly, and seeing that it was his turn, he suddenly turned around and wanted to leave.

The officer's eyes were so sharp, and Yang Lin's expression and every move instantly aroused the officer's suspicion.

"That man, stop!"

Yang Lin was a thief with a weak heart, and immediately ran away.

"Block the exit and chase me!"

As soon as the officer gave the order, the gate was closed, and a team of armed guards quickly dispatched and chased Yang Lin with police dogs.

Soon, Yang Lin was arrested, and a hidden steel wire was found in his bag, which was soon confirmed to be material from special steel, also from a new type of artillery.

A number of arrests of workers who tried to carry special steel materials out of the factory immediately aroused the great attention of the Military Committee of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, and the relevant criminals were quickly arraigned.

Soon, Yang Lin and other criminals confessed.

It turned out that Yang Lin's parents were arrested by British agents, and Yang Lin was forced to accept the threat of British agents and carry special steel materials out of the factory at the risk of killing his head.

Obviously, as long as there is a little bit of material handed over to the British agents, it will not be long before British experts will be able to analyze the composition of the special steel materials used in Chinese artillery, and with the industrial strength of Britain, it will soon be imitated.

In addition to the British, agents from other countries were also involved, and they used various means to coerce and lure the employees of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau to steal relevant technical materials.

The situation was quickly reported to the central court, which attracted great attention from both the imperial military and police.

After Li Weiguo learned of the incident, he summoned Chen Jingnan, the secretary of the Criminal Department, Wu Yong, the secretary of the Military Department, Li Ciming, the director of the Criminal Department (Police Department and the Department of Transportation), Wang Yirong, the director of the National Security Department (Homeland Security Bureau), and the chief officials of the Military Department (Ministry of National Defense), the Department of Driving (Military Orders Department), and the Staff Department (General Staff) to discuss coping strategies.

"Obviously, the spy agencies of various countries, including the United Kingdom, have infiltrated the country on a large scale, and their goal is very clear, that is, they want to steal military secrets related to artillery, submarines, etc."

"This matter is handed over to the Department of National Security, and the Criminal Department and the Ministry of War fully cooperate, and it is imperative to ensure that state military secrets are not leaked and there must be no mistakes."

"Your Ministers obey!" Wu Yong, Chen Jingnan and others hurriedly received the order and did not dare to slack off.

Li Weiguo also said: "Recently, there have been a lot of incidents in the Chinese S.H.I.E.L.D., and many overseas intelligence agencies have been sabotaged by European and American intelligence departments, and many people have been killed and injured, including many captured personnel. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. made every effort to rescue them, the intelligence structures of various countries were very vigilant, and the rescue operations had little effect. ”

S.H.I.E.L.D. is in charge of overseas intelligence gathering. It does not belong to the six ministries and 24 divisions, but is directly under the personal command of Li Weiguo, and belongs to the strategic analysis department of the imperial cabinet, providing intelligence to the emperor and helping the emperor make international strategic decisions.

As for domestic counterintelligence agencies, the responsibility of the Homeland Security Service is vested in them.

Chen Jingnan heard what Li Weiguo meant, and immediately said: "Your Majesty, the ministers and others suggested that they should search for spy members from European and American countries in China, and then exchange spies with them to rescue the captured agents of the China S.H.I.E.L.D. agency. ”

Li Weiguo smiled slightly. "I do think so," he said. However, from the analysis of the overseas situation, recently European and American countries have successively thrown out the theory of the eastern threat, and it is believed that there is a director behind the scenes. The international situation of the empire seems to be peaceful and tranquil, but in fact there is a turbulent undercurrent, and once the European and American countries reach a consensus against the empire, the empire will be isolated from the whole world. ”

This is not alarmist, in addition to the Western world's concern about China's rapid military build-up, there is also the problem of money violations. At present, the whole of Europe is already flooded with money violations. Not only did the British currency depreciate and the pound shrank by nearly half, but other European and American countries also depreciated their currencies to varying degrees.

In order to develop China's industrial construction and national defense construction, as well as to rapidly improve the living standards, medical care, and education standards of Chinese citizens, Li Weiguo can be said to have spared no effort to print illegal banknotes. Then cash out gold and silver in Europe and the United States and return to China. It has virtually caused financial turmoil in the entire European and American worlds, and economic crises have become more and more frequent. Although the British did not have conclusive evidence, they would secretly stumble and reveal it to other European and American governments. As a result, the governments of Europe and the United States have strengthened their supervision and control over China's illegal export of banknotes, and at the same time, the dark politicians of various countries inevitably blame China for all the responsibility for the economic regression and economic crisis, causing the people of Europe and the United States to have a worse and worse attitude towards China.

Even the United States, which is highly economically developed in the future, will have to trade with all countries in the world in order to maintain continuous economic development and progress, and China in later generations will only get rid of poverty and backwardness through reform and opening up.

Therefore, if it is isolated by Europe and the United States, it will not be good news by any means and will have a great impact on China's economic development.

For example, China's special effect drug profiteering, once the export restrictions are fully relaxed, the consumption of this special drug by the entire European and American countries will win China a mountain of wealth. But once it is isolated by European and American countries, then the overseas windfall profits of special drugs will not exist, and even European and American countries will directly copy and produce, and China's losses in this regard will be even greater.

Special drugs are just a typical example, China still has a lot of private goods that can earn a lot of foreign wealth, military products, and even China needs to import some necessary resources, such as oil, and nickel resources necessary for the manufacture of naval gun barrels, if it is isolated, it will definitely be greatly affected.

However, most of China's officials do not have this kind of concern about Li Weiguo, they are deeply influenced by the traditional thinking of the **** kingdom, believing that China is vast and rich, even if it is isolated, it does not matter.

Even wise men such as Wu Yong and Chen Jingnan, as China has become stronger and stronger over the years, and many technologies are ahead of Europe and the United States, they have become more and more confident and arrogant, and they are not willing to cooperate with Europe and the United States.

Only Li Weiguo knows that China's cultivation of talents has just begun, but Europe and the United States have been ahead for hundreds of years, and the ability to innovate talents is strong, although China has a large population base and a rapid increase in talent, it is only imitating the existing science and technology in Europe and the United States, and if the wheel of innovation ability is still a big difference, even after the reform and opening up of China in later generations, only occasionally appeared a few innovative talents after 30 years, which shows that this educational gap is huge, and it takes a long time to accumulate before it can break out.

Therefore, for these reasons, Li Weiguo does not want China to become the enemy of the whole world, and China still needs the help of the whole world before China becomes fully strong.

"I am going to suspend some operations in Europe and the United States, and temporarily ease relations with Europe and the United States. In the meantime, you must capture more spies and exchange our captured agents as soon as possible, otherwise the whole world will be in chaos if the European and American countries get their hands on us. ”

Seeing that Li Weiguo attached so much importance to it, Wu Yong, Chen Jingnan and other ministers did not dare to disobey.

"The ministers don't dare to slack off!"

After this meeting, the Chinese police and the Bureau of Homeland Security launched a large-scale counter-espionage operation across the country, destroying a large number of spy agencies in Europe and the United States, arresting hundreds of European and American spies and thousands of Chinese citizens working for Europe and the United States, which immediately shocked the whole world.

Of course, European and American countries are also cracking down on Chinese spies, and the two sides suddenly launched a fierce secret war.

Fortunately, Li Weiguo ordered the evacuation of a large number of agents of the China S.H.I.E.L.D. to return to China, and the loss was not large, but a large number of spies from Europe and the United States were captured, which will create conditions for the exchange of spies between the two sides in the future. (To be continued.) )