Sendai Port, Kingdom of Japan. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

A motorboat with the "Guangfu" mark, under the control of the Ming Navy soldiers wearing white sailor uniforms, rode the wind and waves and headed straight for the cruiser "Hong Kong." After a long and heart-to-heart conversation with Emperor Zhu Jishi of the Ming Dynasty, the King and Queen of Hawaii finally boarded the cruiser "Hong Kong" with a few of their few courtiers.

It was a fast cruiser with an unladen displacement of 2,500 tons, and two reciprocating three-expansion steam engines and six coal-fired boilers could provide a speed of up to 18 knots for this cruiser, which was completed at the end of 1874, the fastest of all the Ming naval types. Therefore, Zhu Guojie and Helena can take this clipper ship to Sendai Port and join the main force of the Daming Pacific Fleet.

Sendai Port is a port on the Pacific coast of the northeastern part of Japan's main island of Honshu, and it is not a large port, but only a medium port. Since the New Year's Day of the 29th year of the liberation, martial law has been imposed in the name of the king to patrol Sendai, and no ships are allowed to enter or leave, until today ushered in the Ming Pacific Fleet. This will be the last port for the Pacific Fleet to refuel and water before occupying Hawaii, and then it will be a slow voyage of more than 3,000 nautical miles.

As the motorboat approached the "Hong Kong," Admiral Tong Haifeng, commander of the Pacific Fleet, stood up, and without the support of Colonel Lin Taizeng, the fleet's navigating staff officer beside him, he quickly jumped onto the gangway that had been lowered from the "Hong Kong." He is not yet 50 years old, but he has not yet reached the point where his hands and feet are stiff and unable to move.

He was greeted on deck by the captain of the "Hong Kong", Lieutenant Commander Heihachiro Togo. The Japanese naval god in history was the most typical elite officer of the Ming Navy in this time and space -- his father, Togo Yoshisaemon, who had participated in the war against Russia more than 20 years ago. After making military achievements, he served in the Ming Army and participated in the North American War. He retired with the rank of colonel and was also given the title of baron. Heihachiro Togo, on the other hand, grew up in Yingtian since he was a child, first studying at Nanjing Public School, and then being admitted to the Royal Navy Military Academy with excellent grades. After graduating, he first served on the ironclad ship "Zhonghua", and then served as the captain of a torpedo boat and the second officer of a transport ship; he was admitted to the Naval University four years ago, and after graduating from the university, he served as a senior staff officer at the Pacific Fleet Command for one year. Two months ago, he was transferred to the captain of the cruiser "Hong Kong" and was appointed lieutenant commander at the age of 28. If nothing else. In the future, you will definitely become a general, and if you are lucky, you may even become a fleet commander!

Seeing the majestic admiral on the deck, Heihachiro Togo hurriedly stood up and saluted. The admiral just nodded slightly, stretched out his white-gloved hand and shook it lightly with Heihachiro Togo. In fact, Tong Haifeng and Dongxiang are very familiar. He was the principal of the Royal Navy Military Academy when he was studying at Togo, and he admired this young non-commissioned officer with excellent grades and a Japanese surname. After Dongxiang graduated from the University of the Sea, Tong Haifeng took the initiative to ask him to join the Pacific Fleet, first as a senior staff member, and now he was released as a cruiser captain. According to the practice of promotion in the Ming Navy, Togo's next position was the first officer of the armored cruiser, and then the first officer of the capital ship, and the staff officer in charge of the fleet. Captain of the capital ship, commander of the detachment...... It is estimated that it will be the commander of the detachment. After all, there were many talented people among the graduates of the Royal Maritime Academy at the same time as him, and many of them rose faster than him.

For example, Colonel Deng Shichang, the first mate of the "Guangfu". Colonel Liu Buyun, the first mate of the "Hongwu," Colonel Ye Zugui, the first mate of the "Yongle," and Colonel Lin Taizeng, who served as the fleet's navigation staff, were all more hopeful of becoming commanders than him. It's not that these people are better than Dongxiang, it's their bloodline...... After all, Togo is the second generation of Japanese to enter China! Older than Togo's qualifications, Kozo Tsuboi and Yuhiro Ito, who are also very good, are now the chief staff officers of the fleet and the staff officers of the fleet gunnery. And it was three years, and several opportunities for promotion were missed. I really don't know how long it will take.

Restraining his mind, Admiral Tong Haifeng asked in a low voice, "How are the King and Queen of Hawaii?" Still used to life on board? The wind and waves in the Pacific Ocean these days are not small! ”

"The King and Queen of Hawaii are fine, haven't been seasick much, and are now in the officers' lounge." Heihachiro Togo paused for a moment and asked again, "Do you want them to move to the Kofu?" ”

Zhu Guojie and Helena have a noble status, of course, it is impossible to be on the front line. The fact that the two of them were on the "Hong Kong" meant that Heihachiro Togo had no chance to attack at all in this combat mission, so there was no meritorious service.

"Of course they can't keep flying the Hong Kong." Tong Haifeng said with a smile as he walked towards the officer's room, "But we can't let them go on the Guangfu, we have already prepared a 'Zhonghua' class...... In the event of a war, the Liberation must take the lead, and it is not appropriate to let people know that the Hawaiian King is in the fleet. ”

Until now, only a handful of people up and down the Pacific Fleet knew that the destination of this sortie was Hawaii. If the King and Queen of Hawaii appear on the flagship, it will be easy to leak the news. Moreover, the sortie to Hawaii is preparing for a decisive battle with the British Pacific Fleet! At that time, the Guangfu will definitely charge, how can the battle be fought with Zhu Guojie and Helena?

……

"How?" Zhu Jishi said as he took two glasses of wine from his new favorite Kusumoto Takako and gave one of them to his son Juan. "Juan, your mother said you were a very good soldier. So I want to hear from you. ”

"The main battlefield will be North America, so my father wants to control Hawaii now." Zhu Juan's tone was quite affirmative, and he guessed that Emperor Zhu was going to take Hawaii, and the following things were obvious. Although the Ming Dynasty did not capture Hawaii, it was able to carry out transoceanic transportation and transport large troops to the Americas. However, the British Pacific Fleet could still attack from Hawaii to break the diplomatic battle. So if you want to fight in North America, you must first control Hawaii!

Emperor Zhu nodded. This is the unanimous opinion of the General Staff of the Army and the General Staff of the Navy. The Ming Empire's advantage in the Nanyang battlefield was very great. A single attack from Siam along the Malay Peninsula and a storming of the Singapore fortress would close the Straits of Malacca. At that time, the entire South Seas will be in the bag, and if the South Sea Islands are taken, will Australia still be able to run? It is not at all a question of how many troops and fleets the British deployed in the Dutch East Indies or the Spanish Philippines. There is half a world away from the British mainland and the American Empire, and there is no way to solve the logistics if there is too much army and fleet, and if there is less to deliver, it is to deliver food. Therefore, contrary to the British assumption, Zhu Jishi actually doesn't care much about the Philippines, and taking Hawaii is the key to achieving an overall advantage.

However, in order to confuse the British, he still pointed the finger at the Philippines in a very high-profile manner, and for this reason, he also asked Mathilde for the Duchess of Manila, who was in exile in France...... In fact, Zhu Jishi didn't need any duchess to fight the Philippines, just with the force of the Spaniards there, where would he have the courage to resist?

"But...... We don't have much advantage in North America. Jujuan's brows furrowed, "Both the American Empire and the Confederate States of America are military powers!" And the Mexican Empire has nothing to show for itself. I don't see a chance of winning in North America unless France and Germany enter the war on our side. Of course, the Donghua Kingdom can still be defended. ”

"Will France go to war?" Zhu Jishi asked.

"Not now, my mother and Empress Eugénie don't have the courage to do that." "But it was possible for Napoleon IV to go to war, and he was eager to establish merit." ”

"Tempt him with what?" Zhu Jishi asked.

"A New French Empire...... Quebec, Ontario plus east of the Mississippi River. Jujuan said, "West of the Mississippi River, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba are mine." In addition, I will marry the princess of the House of Bonaparte. ”

Zhu Jishi frowned slightly, "Juan, don't you think the conditions are too generous?" ”

Jujuan smiled, "It's just a cake, what's not to be willing to do?" (To be continued)

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