CHAPTER XXV. Greenwich

Trafalgar Square, London.

In the early morning light, a yellow-skinned young man in a navy uniform was standing here quietly.

Yingzhe, who had just returned from his internship on the battleship "Montrose", was dressed in a naval second lieutenant uniform, holding a military cap, and quietly looked at the sculpture standing in the center of the square in front of him.

The middle-aged General Nelson was dressed in a military uniform, his left hand was slightly bent, and his right hand was holding a sword.

The mutilated right arm did not affect his majestic body. The four walls of the stone pedestal are inlaid with bronze sculptures of the four famous battles commanded by the general, and it is said that they were cast from captured French cannons. At the four corners of the lowest staircase are four large bronze lions, which are rare in size and design.

The war between Great Britain and the Bourbons in 1778 was a naval battle in the pure sense of the word.

The rivalry between them never involved any other than those with a stake, and the aim of France and Spain was always to take Britain and seize its maritime position. The battle took place off the coast of Gibraltar, the southernmost part of the Iberian Peninsula, where France and Spain completely separated themselves from neutral powers.

The British had never faced such a treacherous situation, unfavorable terrain, inferior forces.

For the first time in the European seas of this period, the French navy began to surpass the British in numbers and equipment.

It was under such circumstances that the Admiral Nelson, relying on his keen eye at sea, outstanding command skills and amazing courage, at a time when the fleet was in trouble (the French Navy had more warships than the British, and the range of the battleships and guns was farther than the British), he led by his own flagship and broke through the enemy fleet group in a T-shaped frontal formation, and after closing the distance between them, he took advantage of the advantage that the gunners of his fleet warships could fire on both sides at the same time to break the enemy's will in one fell swoop, and crushed all the enemy's warships with a Trafalgar naval battle. The British Empire also continued to maintain its position as the undisputed supremacy of the seas.

In the past four years, Yingzhe and his colleagues have successively studied a series of professional courses in shipbuilding, navigation, weapons and longitudinal, communication equipment, engineering, three defenses, and oceanography at the naval academy in this country. After the first two years of study, they each spent a year and a half training at sea on a ship of the Royal Navy with the rank of Cadet Ensign.

In the past few years, Young-cheol has come here whenever he has time.

For here is his most admired idol, Sir Nelson, the admiral who once saved Britain in a naval battle. As Mr. Braun said in class, every naval battle in the world will determine the fate of two countries.

With the passage of time, these former children have gradually transformed from ordinary people into qualified soldiers.

Goodbye, Dear General Nelson!

It won't be long before I join my country's navy and fight for her dignity and status.

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November 12, 1892, Royal Naval College, Greenwich, outside London

On this day, the school was on the field, and another batch of students graduated.

Unlike in the past, today's graduates in a neat formation have a few yellow-skinned Asian students.

"All cadets of the Royal Naval Academy of the British Empire! Lined up! ――”

Looking at the vigorous figures of these naval cadets walking in front of him, Sultan, the principal of the Royal Naval Academy, nodded with satisfaction and announced loudly, "The one who won the top grades in this issue is—"

"Ding Chongji!"

In the crisp sound of footsteps, a yellow-skinned young man walked out of the queue, "yessir!-"

"George. Steven! ”

“yessir!――”

"Zhang Zixuan!"

“yessir!――”

"Chen Jinhua!"

“yessir!――”

……

"Yingzhe!"

“yessir!――”

……

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The Imperial Palace, Tokyo

In the palace restaurant, Emperor Muhito was cutting tender beef with a knife and fork in his hand, and while looking at his nephew Fushiminomiya Asahhiko, who was gradually becoming mature in front of him, he said, "You must remember that the rise of the Shomoto lies in the reform of the law. The development of this book lies in the study of science. Learn everything western."

"Yes, Your Majesty. As long as we keep learning, we will catch up with them one day. The young captain replied.

At the dining table, Cabinet Minister Nakanishigo, who accompanied the two to dine together, said loudly, "That's a good point! ”

The ministers nodded approvingly.

The new Imperial Household Minister, Yuki Ando, walked in, "Your Majesty, the telephone line from Tokyo to Yokohama has been laid. ”

"Got it! What's going on with the Navy? ”

Hirobumi Ito, who had just become prime minister and was accompanying the emperor to dinner, responded, "The three ironclad cruisers purchased from the British, including the Yoshino, have returned to Saimoto, and the officers and men are getting acquainted with their combat names as soon as possible." I believe that with these three ships, plus the three Sanjing ships loaded with 320 mm caliber guns that have already entered service, the strength of our navy will be able to surpass that of the Qing Navy, but..."

"But what?"

"The Navy has just submitted to Congress a proposal to purchase Britain's latest 'Sovereign'-class battleships, but last year's Navy budget has already compressed the original industrial construction budget. Although the British have provided us with loans, according to the political budget for this year and next, it will be difficult for us to repay the principal and interest of HSBC on time. In any case, this year's naval budget must be limited..."Hirobumi Ito's face showed a look of helplessness.

The young Fushiminomiya frowned when he heard this.

At this time, Shiki Kayama, the Minister of the Admiralty who was still eating leisurely on the side, couldn't help but stand up with one hand on the table when he heard this, "Absolutely not! ――”

Kayama Shiki walked a few steps to the large East Asian map hanging horizontally behind the dining table, and said eagerly, "If you want to survive, you must expand your territory. Capture Korea and Liaodong to the north, and Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to the south. And all this must be done by expanding the Navy, which is the first national policy of our country at this stage. ”

Ito Hirobumi stopped to eat, and at the same time stood up and responded, "Then how are you going to get the empire to pay off the money that the British lent us?!" Are you taking the country's credibility as child's play? ”

Shiki Kayama turned around and glared at Hirobumi Ito, "You don't need to scare the navy with that, as long as our campaign against the Qing Kingdom is successful, there will be enough money to fill your budget!" Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito! ――”

"Lord of the Admirals, do you know what you're talking about? You're gambling! Ito staggered to his feet.

At this time, Shikiki Kayama secretly glanced at Saigo Congdao, who was still sitting quietly eating on the side, the latter nodded, wiped his lips with a white napkin, and stood up calmly.

Pulling out his seat, Saigo stepped forward and walked up to Muhito, "Your Majesty, this is a specific plan formulated by the War Department to conquer the Qing Kingdom......"

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