"It is so, until the financial situation of our country does not improve significantly, it will be very difficult to build a navy consisting of several large ironclad ships." Lin Yiqing nodded and said, "Although there are all kinds of difficulties, no matter what, the safety of the country comes first, and it is impossible to waste food because of choking." ”

"Although I am an Englishman, as an official of Qianguo, I have special feelings for this country, and I am always concerned about her safety." Hurd said sincerely, "In my opinion, although the development of the Qianguo Navy is very fast, there are many shortcomings along with it, which make me very worried. ”

"Oh? What shortcomings did Mr. Hurd find? Lin Yiqing's face showed a look of concentration.

"First of all, the country does not have a unified navy, but is composed of local fleets in the coastal provinces, which are disorganized and unevenly equipped, and although joint exercises are carried out every year, the degree of coordination is very poor, which greatly affects the performance of combat effectiveness. Second, the command of these fleets is in the hands of local officials, and it is very dangerous that in the event of a war, it will not be possible to carry out unified command and coordinated operations. "Like the last time Japan invaded Mosswan, the local fleets were not concentrated, only the fleet of Fujian was the first to enter the battle, and the fleet stationed on the Yangtze River, when it came to support, was intercepted by the Japanese fleet on the way, and suffered heavy losses, and these defeats and losses could have been completely avoided if the fleet had been assembled in advance and commanded by a wise and brave officer who was well versed in naval operations." ”

"You have a lot of point." Lin Yiqing's face showed admiration, and then asked, "Do you have any suggestions to solve these drawbacks?" ”

When Hurd heard Lin Yiqing ask, he fell right into his heart, and immediately took out the plan that he had been thinking about for many days and nights.

"My proposal is to establish a functional agency called the 'General Administration of Coastal Defense'. Unified management and command of the navy can effectively solve these shortcomings. ”

"Establishment of the 'General Administration of Coastal Defense'?"

"Yes, just as the Imperial Customs under my management is specialized in the management of taxes at treaty ports, it is an agency in charge of naval and coastal defense affairs, which is directly responsible to the imperial court and manages the naval and coastal defense affairs of all localities in a unified manner. It can be very efficient, unify command in wartime, and give better play to the combat effectiveness of the navy. ”

"Your suggestion is very good." To Hurd's surprise, this plan, which was originally strongly opposed by Li Shaoquan, was actually heard in Lin Yiqing's voice, which made Hurd feel like a confidant.

"It's not just the navy, since the rebellion of the long-haired bandits, the place has become big, and the center has become a trend. This is a very bad phenomenon, and your suggestion to set up a 'General Administration of Coastal Defense' is a good deal," Lin Yiqing said, "In this way, the power of the navy and coastal defense can be brought back to the center and the emergence of local separatist forces can be prevented." ”

"Given the complexity and professionalism of this new institution, I consider it to be a leader. It is better to have a foreigner who has a deep affection for the cadres and the country to do so. Hearing Lin Yiqing's words, Hurd immediately made further suggestions.

Lin Yiqing certainly understood that Hurd's "foreigner who has deep feelings for the country" was referring to himself. He smiled secretly in his heart, but on the surface, he followed his words and said: "This is the case, the navy is a new thing for our country, which has a long historical baggage, and our country lacks talents who have a deep understanding of the navy, and if there is a person like Mr. Hurd who has deep feelings for our country to preside over naval affairs, it will play an immeasurable role in the development of our navy." I myself couldn't agree more with you. ”

Hearing Lin Yiqing on the road like this. Hurd was overjoyed.

"But, Mr. Hurd, you should also understand that within the Imperial Court, opposition to the construction of a new navy is unusually strong. They are opposed to anything new that emerges outside of the existing system and sector. Lin Yiqing continued, "Therefore, we must not rush this matter, and we must wait for the right time before we can implement it." ”

"You're absolutely right." Hurd nodded again and again, of course he understood that what Lin Yiqing said was very reasonable, the establishment of the customs back then was a series of twists and turns, and it was only in his hands that it could be stabilized, and he only facilitated such a small matter as the Qianguo sending Binchun to visit the mission, and he also experienced great obstacles, not to mention such an important new organization as the "General Administration of Coastal Defense".

In any case, Sir Lin Yiqing has become a supporter of his plan, bringing him one step closer to the dream of commander-in-chief of the Qianguo Navy.

Mrs. Hurd saw that the two were talking very speculatively, so she invited Zhu Xueyan to go with her to the garden to see the scenery, so that the two men could talk freely.

Zhu Xueyan followed Mrs. Hurd to the garden behind the villa, which has become extremely quiet and elegant after her continuous repair, showing this lady's high artistic taste, which makes Zhu Xueyan have a better impression of her.

"We don't have to listen to them talk about the war here." Mrs. Hurd smiled and said to Zhu Xueyan, "War always means killing, and we women should be far away, shouldn't we?" His Royal Highness? ”

"Yes, madam, as women, how good should we be to live like this......" Zhu Xueyan looked around, she noticed that several children in Western clothes were hiding in the grass or behind flower beds, looking at herself secretly, a burst of warmth rose in her heart, and she nodded with a smile, "It's a pity that Middle-earth women are always unable to control their own destiny. ”

"Why do you say that? His Royal Highness? Mrs. Hurd asked curiously.

Hearing Hedev repeatedly call himself "His Royal Highness the County Lord", Zhu Xueyan couldn't help but sigh secretly in her heart.

It is not thanks to Lin Yiqing who fulfilled the promise of one million taels of silver to the Empress Dowager Renxi, and her grandfather Xu Rui was the benefactor of the Empress Dowager Renxi, if it were not for the help of these two most important men in her life, she might have died in the shadow of the sword.

"You don't know, ma'am, that before I received the Emperor's edict, I had been living a life of wandering, and I had seen many hardships, killings, and flights, which was a normal day for me." Zhu Xueyan said to Mrs. Hurd.

Hearing Zhu Xueyan's answer, Mrs. Hurd's eyes widened in surprise, she couldn't imagine that this beautiful Qianguo woman in front of her would have such an experience.

"Dear Highness the County Lord. You...... Did you kill anyone at that time? Mrs. Hurd didn't know why she had asked such a question, and as soon as she said it, she regretted it a little.

"Of course, if I don't want to be killed, I have to kill them." Zhu Xueyan didn't care, but said lightly. "There are more than two dozen people who died at my hands."

Mrs. Hurd couldn't help but gasp when she heard this.

"Well, though...... Now, with him to protect me, I don't have to live like before," Zhu Xueyan's face suddenly glowed with a strange look of happiness, "My life was saved by him, and he was for me." It can really be said that I am desperate to meet him, I don't know if it is a blessing that I have cultivated in several lifetimes......"

"Yes! The merciful God does not want to see such a beautiful and lovely woman as you suffer, so he has arranged for him to protect you. Mrs. Hurd understood what Zhu Xueyan was feeling, stepped forward and shook her hand again, and comforted her softly, "Honey, everything in the past. Just let it pass! You should look to the future. ”

Mrs. Hurd knew that she had learned a very important information about Lin Yiqing from Zhu Xueyan. When the guests leave, she must tell her husband about the discovery.

It was almost dusk, and after a very smooth and pleasant visit, Lin Yiqing and Zhu Xueyan left Hurd's villa and returned to the capital in a carriage.

"Looks like you're getting along fairly well with that lady, what did you talk about?" Lin Yiqing noticed that Zhu Xueyan's gaze looking out of the window still had a hint of sadness. Knowing that she was still immersed in the grief of Xu Rui's death, he wanted to distract her with conversation.

"She asked me about the past, and I said I had more than a dozen lives on my hands." Zhu Xueyan felt Lin Yiqing's concerned gaze, and her heart warmed, and she joked with him through his questioning.

"My God......" Lin Yiqing heard a black line. You...... Didn't scare her, did you? ”

"Of course not, she's very bold and not afraid." Zhu Xueyan looked at Lin Yiqing's embarrassment and laughed happily, "She has been comforting me and making me forget the past and think more about the future." ”

"That's fine." Lin Yiqing relieved himself at this time, "What else did you say?" ”

"She was amazed when I said you had saved my life." Zhu Xueyan said.

"That's fine, this lady is very clever, and he will definitely take it

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