"By the way, let Zhiyuan and Jingyuan return to China." As soon as Deng Shichang walked out of the conference room on his front foot, he remembered one more thing, and hurriedly turned to Liu Buyun and said, "Inform the country of our decision earlier, and the country will be able to dispatch reinforcements faster, even if it can only save a few days, it is of great significance." What's more, if we were to attack the fortress, the defenses of these two warships would be too weak and useless. ”

"Yes, there are also supply ships that can also go back, faster than transferring ships from the north to the south, and there is no ship in the country with a larger carrying capacity than these 10,000-ton ships, if they are used to transport troops, one can transport a brigade." , Liu Buyun immediately nodded in agreement, and thought of more, "Anyway, if you are not ready to fight a protracted war, these supply ships will not be needed." ”

Deng Shichang pondered for a moment after hearing this, and then said something that surprised Liu Buyun, "Zixiang, let's go back together, don't forget that I am also temporarily acting as the commander of the Lingnan Military Region, and I have the right to directly mobilize the troops of Guangzhou, Fujian and Taiwan, and then the reinforcements sent by the central government do not have to come over, just stay in Lingnan to fill the vacancy, which saves a lot of time than waiting for the central government to transfer troops over, and Singapore is a tropical region, and the soldiers in Lingnan are more adapted to the hot and rainy climate, and their resistance to various tropical diseases is also stronger." ”

"It's a good idea, not only will it be much faster to take Singapore, but it will also reduce the time it takes to occupy the whole of Malaya, and it will reduce a lot of unnecessary attrition. It's just", Liu Buyun knew that this was a good idea, but he frowned and looked at Deng Shichang, "It's just that in this way, Zhengqing, you may have to miss the attack on Singapore; And although you have that authority, but such a large-scale army transfer is cut first and then played, I am afraid that the party leader will be upset."

"'If a country lives and dies for profit, will it not be avoided because of good or evil?' , What's more, there is a telegram to transmit a message, at most, it will be two or three days away, and Dongyang will not take it to heart. Deng Shichang replied angrily, and his true colors of loyalty and courage were once again revealed. What surprised Liu Buyun was that although Deng Shichang was not used to calling Li Hui the leader of the party, he obviously trusted him more than himself.

"I wish I had been in officialdom for too long and was too cautious." , Liu Buyun looked at the fearless Deng Shichang, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "But the current Li Hui is really not magnanimous, he has killed more people than the Empress Dowager Xi, but fortunately, he is always fair."

Deng Shichang and Liu Buyun knew that the soldiers were fast, and the British also knew that it was only because of the different systems that the British government's decision-making was far less efficient than Li Hui's one-word decision, and until the Battle of Nansha began, the British government had not yet determined how large an expeditionary force to send to Asia

But then again, the British government is really in a dilemma, if there are fewer factions, I am afraid that it will not be able to fight, and if there are too many factions, how can the security of the homeland be guaranteed? You must know that the European continent is not a pair of powers that look unpleasant to Britain, and it is only the deterrence of the British Royal Navy that they dare not act rashly, if the Atlantic Fleet (home fleet) is sent out, what if the situation in Europe suddenly deteriorates and endangers the British Isles?

Since the fall of Napoleon's empire, the British Empire has never been so embarrassed in its history, and the Chinese rebels who came out of nowhere not only easily overthrew the Manchu government, but also dared to declare war on the British Empire.

What made Britain even more in an uproar was that the Royal Navy's Chinese Fleet (Far East Fleet), which had been considered the first fleet in Asia since the addition of the Centurion, was completely annihilated by the Chinese Navy, and the fact that the Chinese Navy already had six Haitian-class armored cruisers instead of one mentioned in the telegram also made the British unbelievable.

Compared with this, the fall of the Shanghai Concession and Hong Kong is not so important, for Britain, the maritime hegemon, as long as the British Royal Navy is still the first in the world, even if it suffers temporary losses, there is always a chance to recover, and if the British Royal Navy is finished, the consequences will be too terrible.

The declaration of war on China was soon agreed upon in the Parliament, and even though many people were already vaguely aware that China was no longer what it used to be, the British Empire had to respond strongly to the fact that the new Chinese regime had taken the initiative to declare war on Britain, otherwise the tiger skin of the world hegemon would be peeled off, and the consequences would be serious.

However, there is a fierce disagreement between the parliament and the military over how many troops to send to Asia

Both the Royal Navy and the British Army were shocked by the strength of the "Chinese rebels", and they were experts who easily deduced how many troops they needed to defeat such an enemy and ensure victory. However, just after the Navy's analysis report was presented in Parliament, the lay parliamentarians were already frying

"Mr. Third Sea Lord, they all say that you are an expert, but I think you are a bad seed! The Royal Navy, the world's No. 1 country, actually has to dispatch more than eighty percent of its large and medium-sized warships to defeat the Chinese Navy, which had to buy light cruisers from us a few years ago? Aren't you afraid that the French, Germans, and Americans will laugh off their big teeth when they hear this? A fat-headed, big-eared MP unceremoniously stood up and pointed at the Third Sea Minister, John Absnott Fisher.

Rear Admiral Fisher, who was a late bloomer, had an extremely tough personality and retorted without flinching, "Mr. Councillor, are you an insider, or am I an insider?" The Chinese Navy even has to buy light cruisers from us, that is a thing of the past, since the appearance of that mysterious 'venture capital company', if you look at the problem with old eyes, you will run into blood! ”

"The Chinese Navy now has six Haitian-class armored cruisers that have fully proved themselves in the Battle of Jianghua Bay and the Battle of the Yangtze River Estuary," Fisher heard questioning comments before he finished speaking, which made him very angry, and then slapped the podium vigorously and raised the volume, "Indeed, the news that the Chinese have six Haitian ships cannot be confirmed yet, but with the results of the battle at the mouth of the Yangtze River, you can understand that the credibility of this matter is very high." ”

However, the parliamentarians still don't believe much, six 10,000-ton ships can't be built casually, a secret organization has such capabilities? It's ridiculous to think about! (To be continued.) )