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October 3, morning.

Today is the day when the "Jingyuan" battlecruiser built by the Ma'anshan Shipyard was launched, and similarly, the groundbreaking ceremony of the No. 2 battleship of the "Taibai" class will be held in the No. 3 dock of the Ma'anshan Shipyard today.

After the Zhiyuan-class battlecruiser was put into service, the navy, which was very satisfied with the Zhiyuan-class battlecruiser, immediately began to work on the basis of the Zhiyuan-class to shorten and widen the hull, that is, to reduce the length-width ratio, extend the armor belt, increase the armor thickness, and increase the artillery, so as to make the battleship into a battleship, so as to quickly design a new type of battleship.

Although these improvements actually sacrificed speed to increase firepower and protection, they were still chosen by the navy that lacked capital ships, especially battleships, and almost as soon as the drawings of the "Taibai" class battleships were completed, the navy announced that it would order three ships, which would be undertaken by the Jiangnan Naval Shipyard, the Sanduao Naval Shipyard, and the Ma'anshan Shipyard, while the Ma'anshan Shipyard undertook the construction of the second star battleship "Chenxing".

In the No. 3 slipway of Ma'anshan Shipyard, Chen Moran, who was dressed in a naval uniform and wearing medals and swords, looked a little dignified, while Ji Li, who was standing beside her, was wearing a snow-white dress and sat on the stage with an elegant and beautiful posture.

According to the traditional Chinese custom, after the shaman burns incense and sprinkles wine to pay homage to the god of the sea, Admiral Ye Zugui, Minister of the Navy, dressed in a Han-style dress, Shi Tiange, chief designer of the "Taibai" class battleship and director of the Naval Ship Administration Department, Admiral Sa Zhenbing, chief of staff of the Navy, Vice Admiral Liu Guanxiong, commander of the Zhenyang Fleet, and craftsmen symbolically installed the first keel of the battleship "Chenxing" on the dock.

Then Chen Moran pulled the rope with his own hands, put down the foundation stone, and the ceremonial officer of the Imperial Household Agency slaughtered a cow as a sacrifice at the groundbreaking ceremony, and then Chen Moran went to the stone to pour wine and worship heaven.

Subsequently, the presiding officer of the groundbreaking ceremony, Ye Zugui, personally read out the holy decree, all of which encouraged the shipyard craftsmen and naval officers, and the listeners thundered with joy, danced with their hands, caps, top hats, and military hats flew all over the sky, and the national anthem "Return to the Han and Tang Dynasties" played by the Western band flowed melodiously, and the tricolor national flag was slowly raised.

After the flag-raising ceremony, holding a naval flag in both hands, Chen Moran solemnly handed over the flag to Sa Zhenbing, chief of staff of the Navy.

"I hereby bestow this flag on the Imperial Guards Navy of China, the battleship B-2, in the name of the Emperor of the Chinese Empire and the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Imperial Guards Navy, and hereby name the battleship B-2 of the Imperial Guards Navy is the Imperial Royal Guards Navy "Chenxing". ”

Sa Zhenbing, who was dressed in a general's uniform, suddenly bowed deeply, and at the same time took the military flag with both hands above his head.

"Thank you for your grace, long live my emperor, long live, long live."

Respectfully took the military flag, stood up, saluted, turned around, walked to the flagpole, and tied the flag rope with his own hands.

With the raising of the naval flag with the tricolor flag in the left corner on a red background, the Royal Guards Navy March was played, and the groundbreaking ceremony ended.

The weather in Ma'anshan in early autumn is far more pleasant than in Nanjing, especially in the nearby mountains, facing the sun-drenched and empty lawn, in the middle of which is a delicate small table with black tea and desserts on a checkered tablecloth, which is an English afternoon tea, which may have been a habit brought to China by the British queen.

Especially for those nouveau riche who have obtained the title canonization, they are always accustomed to this habit of afternoon tea to reflect a little gentlemanly atmosphere, of course, unlike those people's learning, Chen Moran, as the emperor, drinks afternoon tea on the one hand to feast his tongue, on the other hand, it is a habit, Ji Li brings her own habits.

"This time, we must promote the "Taizhe" class battleship "...,

Sitting on the chair, feeling the delicate sunshine in the early autumn evening, and drinking tea, Chen Moran said with a little smile.

Planetary class, this is a new type of warship named according to the new naming rules of naval ships, although they like the name of the Beiyang ship, but when ordering the new ship, there is always a little hesitation, in order to avoid disputes with the navy, they will ask the navy to formulate various types of ship naming, take the meaning of the battle ship to take the name of the celestial body, the cruiser to take the name of China's province and city, the destroyer, the lightning ship to take the name of the county, and the three battleships of the Taibai class are respectively "Taibai", "Tai Sui", "Chenxing", and they are taken from gold, wood, The ancient name of the three planets of water in China.

"Let the Japanese, and even the whole world, know that our navy ......"

At this point, Chen Moran closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Even if the whole world knows that we have built three more Taibai-class warships, what problem can we solve? and could not prevent the outbreak of war"

"Your Majesty, at least let the Japanese understand that no matter what, it is impossible for him to stop us from going to the ocean, and even if we are defeated this time, we will rise again"

Guan Mingtang, who also attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the "Tai Sui", replied seriously.

"This year we will build three Taibai-class, and next year, if the Navy is stronger and more advanced, the Ministry of Finance guarantees to support the budget for the construction of at least three warships to the Navy"

When he spit out such words, Guan Mingtang seemed to put down the teacup in his hand sullenly.

"The most hateful thing is this kind of evil neighbor, if it is possible, it is best to completely beat them down at one time, completely, and never let them have room to turn over."

"In this way, the Zugyudai Navy thanks to your lordship"

As soon as he heard this, Ye Zugui, who was also sitting next to him, hurriedly thanked him, he knew that with Guan Mingtang's guarantee, it was almost a sure thing to build three warships next year.

Listening to Guan Mingtang's angry words, Chen Moran smiled slightly, this time Japan's "treachery" really made the cabinet members angry, and the same hatred of the enemy was instantaneous.

"I decided."

Suddenly, Chen Moran said with a serious face.

"If we can win, we will have to demand at least 2 billion gold yen in compensation from Japan."

"I'm serious."

When emphasizing these words, Chen Moran looked extremely serious.

But what if it is defeated?

This thought was only fleeting, Chen Moran knew that he couldn't fail, if he failed, maybe it would really be a catastrophe.

"57 million to expand the army, 139 million to expand the navy, 79 million for temporary military spending, 30 million for warships and mine boats to supplement the fund, 579,000 to invest in the steel industry, 10 million for the education fund, 10 million for the famine preparation fund, well, because the emperor took the money out of the inner treasury, so 20 million to pay tribute to the emperor, this is how Japan spent the reparations of the First Sino-Japanese War."

Holding the teacup and muttering about the way the Japanese spent the reparations, Chen Moran smiled slightly.

"I also have money out of my pocket, but I don't want it, and at least one billion gold yen will be invested in education."

"Your Majesty, you are a saint"

Guan Mingtang hurriedly patted a sycophant, and at the same time glanced at the thoughtful Ye Zugui, what was he thinking?

"Ye Qing, the navy will definitely get the corresponding expansion of military spending at that time, but it will not be much, after all, we need to invest more money in industrial construction"

As if he wanted to explain in advance, Chen Moran deliberately explained to Ye Zugui.

It seems to be a joke, but in fact, there is a purpose in saying this, it is nothing more than to cheer everyone up, Chen Moran knows that the most important thing now is confidence, he must show his confidence in victory, if he is not confident in being an emperor, then what confidence do you have when you are a courtier? …,

"Your Majesty, the minister is thinking about another issue"

Ye Zugui didn't think about the amount of reparations at all, and in his opinion, it is not realistic to consider this issue now, first, China and Japan have not yet declared war, and second, it is ......

"The Second Fleet is coming back"

Spit out these words, Ye Zugui noticed His Majesty's brows jump, His Majesty had attended the naval combat meeting a few weeks ago, and he also knew the combat plan formulated by the Navy.

"Oh"

With a light response, as if feeling a chill, holding the teacup with both hands, Chen Moran looked at the lawn without saying a word, and the whole person fell into deep thought.

The Zhenyang Fleet is the name given to the Chinese Navy, and among the Zhenyang Fleet, there is the First Fleet, which is now composed of the six capital ships "Zhiyuan", "Jingyuan", "Zhenhai", "Dinghai", and the salvage of the Japanese sunken ships "Zhenyuan" and "Kuiyuan", the cruisers of the Five Seas, and the six light cruisers purchased from the United States, while the Second Fleet is the "Seven Great Distances" purchased from Germany and four light cruisers purchased from Britain, which is the entire composition of the Zhenyang Fleet.

The so-called Zhenyang Fleet is now distributed at both ends of the world, with the First Fleet gathering in Sanduao to practice day and night to prepare for war, and the Second Fleet is conducting seaworthiness tests on the German high seas and is about to embark on a journey back home. In the Zhenyang fleet, the ships of the Second Fleet are the oldest and most backward, and the officers and men are the youngest and least experienced......

"Your Majesty, after the morning ceremony, the Admiralty transmitted a telegram that the German Navy, because it did not have enough anthracite, refused to supply anthracite to the Second Fleet, and the British side had already shown a clear refusal"

After reporting this news to His Majesty, perhaps out of concern that His Majesty did not understand the importance of anthracite, Ye Zugui specially emphasized.

"Your Majesty, we have reason to believe that this is the result of the work of the Japanese Embassy in Germany"

"Anthracite is important"

Chen Moran, who did not know the importance of anthracite to naval warfare, first affirmed it, and then was silent for a moment.

"I'm on good terms with Fisher, well, I think, coal is not a warship, I should be able to think of a way I'll send him a telegram right away, um...... In addition, the intelligence services can be asked to think of a way, there is always a way to buy anthracite. ”

In the small dining room of the Japanese Embassy in London, it was lunchtime, and the long table covered with white tablecloths was sitting at one end, and two officers in naval uniforms were just enjoying lunch with their heads bowed, as if it was a normal lunch.

“…… So far, with the help of the UK, we have successfully blocked the way for the Chinese to buy coal."

Lieutenant Commander Yuki Matsumoto, who was seated, respectfully reported to Vice Admiral Minoru Saito, Vice Admiral of the Japanese Admiralty.

Minoru Saito, who had been in England since before the outbreak of the war with Rushi last year, in addition to colluding with the British military, had the most important task in Britain to ensure the supply of the Combined Fleet "British Charcoal", that is, Welsh anthracite.

At this time, only the Royal Navy of Great Britain, the hegemon of the seven seas, had coal reserves all over the world, and the first problem encountered by the navies of other countries on expeditions was how to solve the problem of coal supply.

During the Russo-Japanese War, with the help of the British, Minoru Saito successfully cut off the supply of coal to the Russian fleet, and even if the Russian fleet could enter the port, the local British merchants did their best to hoard all the coal, and when they could not hoard "all", they first hoarded the best quality Welsh coal, and absolutely did not give the Russians sufficient resources.

Now, according to instructions from China, Minoru Saito has been given the same task again, doing everything possible to block the Chinese Second Fleet's access to high-quality anthracite, and Yuki Matsumoto, as the military attache in Britain, is in charge of assisting him. …,

Matsumoto's report made Minoru Saito nod in satisfaction.

"Under the intervention of the British government, the German Navy has categorically rejected the demands of the Chinese"

At the mention of this, Matsumoto looked at Admiral Saito with admiration, and it was in his clever reminder to the British that "there is no smokeless smoke in Germany", which ultimately contributed to Germany's refusal to supply anthracite to the Chinese Second Fleet.

There was no good anthracite in Germany, and his good anthracite was Welsh coal from England, and the Germans capitulated to the British government's threat to restrict the sale of Welsh coal to Germany.

"If people succeed, then the Chinese really lose."

With that, Minoru Saito bowed his head and sighed again.

"I have to admit that this is not good news for the Chinese."

After a slight sigh, Minoru Saito frowned again and said in a serious tone.

"Maybe it will be another victory over the horse, but ...... There are still some variables."

General Saito's words made Matsumoto stunned, and just as he was about to ask, Minoru Saito took the initiative to say.

"We have to take into account one person"

"Your Excellency, do you mean Fisher?"

Minoru Saito nodded.

"Fisher is known to be a well-known pro-Chinese faction in London, or rather a pro-Chinese tendencies developed by his personal friendship with the Chinese royal family. Over the past few months, he has been trying to persuade Britain to intervene in the increasingly tense relations between China and Japan in order to bring about an end to hostilities between the two countries, and, Matsumoto, do you remember the rejection of our new 12-inch armor-piercing bullets from Armstrong three months ago. ”

After listening to Minoru Saito's words, Matsumoto looked at the general and almost came out to make his debut.

"Your Excellency, you mean that Fisher prevented us from purchasing new armor-piercing shells"

Minoru Saito nodded,

"Because of the Anglo-Japanese alliance treaty, it is difficult for Fisher to persuade the government to export warships to China, but he can prevent us from purchasing some key equipment in Britain within the scope of his ability, such as armor-piercing shells, we can't produce qualified armor-piercing shells now, and the old armor-piercing shells in the Battle of Tsushima, even 7.5-inch Harvey steel can not penetrate, only the new armor-piercing bullets can penetrate heavy armor, this new type of armor-piercing bullets, but the only countries producing this new type of armor-piercing bullets are Britain, France, and Russia."

Minoru Saito's tone was a little helpless, the cap-piercing bullet was invented by the Russians, but the best performance was produced in France, and the United Kingdom has only begun to research a new type of cap-piercing bullet in recent years.

"It is impossible for the Russians to sell us such shells, and they have problems with the quality of their own production, but the French are subject to the contract between Russia and the Chinese and refuse us, so we can only buy from the British, but Fisher came up with the results of the Battle of Tsushima, saying that the old armor-piercing shells are backward, and the Royal Navy urgently needs armor-piercing shells, otherwise they will be reduced to a second-rate country on the sea, preventing the export of shells, at least until the needs of the British are met, we cannot get new shells"

When Saito, who had thick sideburns, couldn't help but let out this sigh when he finished speaking, he could even think that if the emperor of China knew that his fleet could not get anthracite, he would definitely ask Fisher for help.

"This may be good news for the Chinese"

Matsumoto's words made Minoru Saito smile slightly.

"This may be good news for China, but for China, they may have new shells, but the caliber of their warships' main guns is too small, we can use high-explosive shells to blow up the warships of the sunken country, naturally we can sink the Chinese warships, shells are just a tool, what we need to consider now is whether Fisher will supply coal to the Chinese fleet"

Saito had his own concerns, if before the Battle of Tsushima, he could not fully understand the necessity of "Eitan blocking", but now, after Tsushima, he has understood that for naval warfare, Eitan is even related to the survival of the fleet.

"Without high-quality British charcoal, the Chinese Second Fleet needs to invest more sailors to shovel coal, even so, it will also lead to a decrease in speed, China has high-quality white coal, but now it is not realistic to send coal ships to Europe to transport coal, if Chinese want to solve the problem of fuel, it can be said that all their hopes are in the United Kingdom, in Fisher's body, if Fisher is willing, with his position as the first naval minister, he can completely bypass the government ban and provide Chinese with a few ships of British charcoal, so ...... ”

"But, Your Excellency"

Matsumoto hurriedly said with some disapproval.

"Fischer is indeed the First Admiralty, but how could he, Your Excellency, risk being reprimanded by the government and provide coal to the Chinese? Perhaps he has a deep personal relationship with the Chinese royal family, but for this reason alone, it is too unrealistic to risk even leading to his retirement and provide coal to the Chinese in the future."

Putting down the cutlery in his hand, Minoru Saito looked at Matsumoto in front of him and shook his head.

"What if Fisher also wants us to lose?" ……，