On the afternoon of 9 December, after the Pacific Fleet won the Battle of the Great Navy, the whole fleet arrived at Wusongkou in Shanghai, and went up the river to berth at the Shanghai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Wharf in Gaochangmiao, preparing to overhaul the ships.

When the fleet arrived at the Gaochang Temple River, it saw that the wharf was crowded with people, with colorful lights and gongs and drums.

On the bridge of the Weiyuan, the personnel of the fleet headquarters looked at each other.

"Is this what greets us?"

"I guess so! We won the first battle, and we should be warmly greeted with a majestic style. ”

Everyone said a word, I said, won the battle, and all of them looked proud.

Lin Jianzhang was flat, and asked with a little majesty: "Since it is to greet us, then I have to ask, how do they know that we have won a big battle?" And who leaked the news? ”

Everyone was silenced and their smiles were restrained.

That's right! The news of the encirclement and sinking of the Rurik by the Pacific Fleet has not yet been released, and if the people on the dock knew in advance, then who leaked the news? This is no joke, and leaking military secrets during the war is a matter of gun.

Lin Jianzhang smiled and said: "It is certainly worth being happy to win the battle, but we must make persistent efforts, we must not be arrogant, and we must know the ancient adage that arrogant soldiers will be defeated." ”

Everyone hurriedly said in unison: "Follow the commander's teachings!" ”

Lin Jianzhang nodded, and when he looked at General Lyons, the latter smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

The Pacific Fleet suddenly entered the Huangpu River, which immediately alarmed the Liangjiang Naval Division Battalion and the defenders of the Wusongkou Fort. Peng Cong, the right-hand man of Liu Kunyi, the governor of Liangjiang, immediately led four gunboats to arrive, but Peng Cong immediately breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Qing navy flag flying over the high island of the Pacific Fleet's ships.

"I was startled, I thought it was Lao Maozi coming!"

Peng Cong scratched his head, looked up at the seven giant ships on the river, and couldn't help but smack his lips and exclaimed: "When did we have so many giant ships in the Qing Kingdom?" Each of these battleships looks no smaller than the Dingzhen II ship! ”

A pipe officer next to him stepped forward and replied: "Back to your lordship, I heard that Lord Wang Chenhao has hired a Western fleet at his own expense in Europe, and Bacheng is the one in front of him." I heard that this fleet costs tens of millions of taels of silver, and all the foreigners are employed. ”

Peng Cong suddenly realized that for the three words Wang Chenhao, in addition to the war in China for most of the past six months, he has attracted the most attention. Peng Cong, as Liu Kun's subordinate general, also heard a lot of news. I saw that his face was full of envy, and he couldn't help but sigh: "Damn, it's really rich."

However, it was said that on the Gaochang Temple wharf, Shanghai Provincial officials and officials of Shanghai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. set up sheds at the wharf to prepare for the ceremony. However, suddenly a fleet came, and everyone was startled by the guns of the ships.

"What's going on?"

Li Ming, a Shanghai Taoist waiting at the dock, looked at Wei Han next to him, who was also puzzled.

Soon, the ships of the Pacific Fleet anchored one after another, and Lin Jianzhang led the officers of the fleet to land, and soon someone led them straight towards Li Ming and Wei Han.

"I haven't seen you for many years, sir, don't come unharmed."

"Are you Zengrong?"

"It's the students!"

It turned out that Lin Jianzhang and Wei Han knew each other, and soon Du Xigui and others also stepped forward to greet each other. As the director of shipbuilding in the Qing Empire, most people in the naval department basically knew Wei Han or had heard of him.

Seeing his acquaintance, Wei Han was overjoyed and hurriedly introduced Li Ming to them.

"This is the fleet hired by the adults in Europe?"

"Exactly!"

Lin Jianzhang knew that Wei Han was also one of the people who did things for Wang Chenhao, so he did not hide it from him and gave a brief introduction to the affairs of the Pacific Fleet.

"You sank the Rurik? That's great! With this powerful fleet, I think we can stop being afraid of the Russians. Congratulations on becoming the commander of this fleet, which is something to celebrate. ”

Wei Han seemed a little excited, and hurriedly ordered someone to beat the gong and drum again to celebrate. On the other hand, Li Ming of Shanghai Dao announced to the people on the dock the news that the Pacific Fleet had destroyed the Russian ship Rurik, and the crowd was immediately excited, and the fear that had been in place for more than half a year could finally be relieved, followed by warm applause and cheers.

"That's right! Haven't asked sir yet, what are your preparations? ”

Wei Han smiled and replied, "We were originally notified that Lord Wang's fleet would return to China today and anchor at Gaochang Temple, so we made this preparation. ”

"Your Excellency is back, too!"

Lin Jianzhang and the others were happy for a while, and everyone was about to ask Wang Chenhao for a reward, and at the same time, they were also planning to ask Wang Chenhao for instructions on the next move.

After Wang Chenhao's fleet left San Francisco, it took a month to cross the Pacific Ocean. During this time, he was unable to make contact with the Pacific Fleet, so he was unaware of the Pacific Fleet's plans and outcome of the ambush on the Rurik.

After a while, a burst of whistles sounded, and several large steamers flying the Star-Spangled Banner appeared on the river.

"Your Excellency has arrived!"

Wei Han snorted softly and went straight to the dock. Li Ming, Lin Jianzhang and others hurriedly followed.

Several steamers docked one after another, and on a luxury steamer at the front, a group of heavily armed soldiers came down, setting up a cordon on the left and right along the way.

"It's finally back!"

When Wang Chenhao's feet stepped on the ground, there was an indescribable feeling of joy. Since leaving the country in January, nearly a year has passed, and now stepping on the land of the motherland, Wang Chenhao feels unprecedented steadfastness in his heart.

"This is the most prosperous city in your country?"

Rothchild took Wang Chenhao's arm, and from the moment she entered the Huangpu River, she kept observing the city of Shanghai. Obviously, there is a big gap between the prosperity in Wang Chenhao's mouth and the prosperity in her impression.

Wang Chenhao smiled faintly and said: "It's not as prosperous as New York, and it's not even as good as your third-rate cities in the United States, but it's disappointing you." However, I love this land immensely, and I affectionately call her motherland. ”

Wang Chenhao emphasized the word motherland, and his expression was extremely solemn.

Luo Shier quickly kissed Wang Chenhao's face, and said coquettishly: "Okay, I know that you are patriotic!" ”

Wang Chenhao was proud for a moment, then coughed and said, "Pay attention to the influence, our people here are very conservative!" If they see us making love, they won't welcome you! ”

Rothschild hurriedly looked around and said cautiously, "Got it!" ”

After speaking, Luo Xier quickly kissed Wang Chenhao again, revealing a naughty expression, Wang Chenhao suddenly rolled his eyes, and secretly begged that the women who fell in love all looked the same, and Li Youyi was also like this at the beginning.

While speaking, Li Ming, Wei Han, and Lin Jianzhang and others had already stepped forward to salute.

"See your lordship, your lord has worked hard all the way."

"Excuse me! Some of them are gone, but now they are still the same! ”

"Thank you, sir!"

Everyone was polite, and there was a joyful atmosphere.

At this time, the wind rose on the river, and it was cold. Li Bing, the chief of the guard, hurriedly took the cloak and put it on Wang Chenhao. But Wang Chenhao untied it again and put it on Luo Hill beside him. Rothier looked at Wang Chenhao with tenderness in his eyes, and obediently let him put the cloak on her body, and his heart suddenly felt warm.

Qiao Yuying, who was on the other side of Wang Chenhao, never left Wang Chenhao, and when she saw Wang Chenhao's considerate appearance towards Luo Hill, she suddenly snorted dissatisfied.

Wei Han, Li Ming, Lin Jianzhang and others were stunned at first when they saw this scene, and then they all showed expressions that only men can understand, and they all smiled at Rothschild.

It was windy outside, and at Wei Han's suggestion, everyone gathered around Wang Chenhao to enter the main building of Shipbuilding Heavy Industry.

In the conference room, after Wang Chenhao sent Li Ming, a Taoist in Shanghai, discussed business with Wei Han, Lin Jianzhang, Du Xigui and others.

"You've stolen my limelight today."

"Your Excellency is serious, how dare you be of a humble rank."

Wang Chenhao smiled slightly and said, "It's just a joke!" In fact, I am very happy that the elimination of the Rurik would be tantamount to depriving the Russian Far Eastern Fleet of its rapid maneuverable firepower, which would be extremely important for future naval battles. ”

Lin Jianzhang, Du Xigui and the others were immediately overjoyed, and the latter hurriedly asked, "My lord, I must have a clever plan, right?" ”

Wang Chenhao smiled, now his subordinates basically regarded him as an omnipotent god, which made him feel a lot of pressure, but he liked this feeling.

"At present, the Russian army's offensive on land has failed, and the Russian army in southern Liaoning will not last long, I have telegraphed the third and fourth towns of the Beiyang Army to carry out a counteroffensive against the Russian army in southern Liaoning as soon as possible, and I believe that the Russian army can be driven out by the end of the year. The main task of our fleet is to prepare for the lifting of the siege of Arthur and Weihaiwei, and if successful, the strength of our fleet and the Beiyang Naval Division will be enough to drive the Russian Far Eastern Fleet away. ”

Wang Chenhao's words made everyone very excited. In the eyes of Lin Jianzhang, Du Xigui and others, the Pacific Fleet undoubtedly belongs to Wang Chenhao, and Wang Chenhao is no longer the Minister of Army Training, but he can directly order the Beiyang Army to carry out military operations, which is enough to show that the Beiyang Army has become Wang Chenhao's private army. For them, since they decided to follow Wang Chenhao to do some business, they naturally hope that their leader will be ambitious, and obviously they have smelled this aspect.

"Adults are strategizing, and everything is in the hands of adults. This time, the adults returned to China to control the overall situation, and I believe that the matter of the war against Russia will soon be properly resolved. ”

Wang Chenhao smiled slightly, neither admitting nor denying it. Just asked: "The fleet will rest as soon as possible, I believe that it will not be a few days before the Russian Far Eastern Fleet will learn the news of the sinking of the Rurik." It's best if they leave wisely, otherwise a big war awaits you! ”

Lin Jianzhang, Du Xigui and others hurriedly stood up, stood up and said with a straight face: "Your Excellency, rest assured, all the officers and men of the Pacific Fleet will definitely obey your orders and attack the enemy!" ”

Wang Chenhao smiled and nodded, waving for them to sit down.

Everyone sat down again, and Wei Han said on the side: "Your Excellency, rest assured, the lowly duty has arranged for workers to overhaul the ships of the fleet, and it can be completed within three days." ”

Wang Chenhao nodded and asked, "How is the shipyard doing recently?" ”

Wei Han replied: "The shipyard projects are progressing smoothly and will be completed according to the schedule. At present, the Haiqi-class armored cruisers under construction in the No. 1 and No. 2 docks are progressing smoothly, and the British are very trustworthy, and the Haiqi-class has taught our engineers and technicians from the drawing design to the relevant construction technology, and I believe that after the completion of these two Haiqi-class warships, we already have the ability to design and build 5,000-ton armored warships on our own. Docks 3, 4, 5 and 6 have been completed, and the Dengyun-class battleships can provide their own repairs and maintenance upon their return. ”

The shipyard projects are progressing smoothly, which makes Wang Chenhao very happy.

"We must hurry up and thoroughly understand the shipbuilding technology of the British, because the honeymoon period between us and the British will not be long, so the burden on Mr. Wei's shoulders is not light."

Wei Han hurriedly said: "My lord's words are serious, this is the responsibility and obligation of the humble duty. Just listen to the meaning of the adults, like the British? ”

Wang Chenhao sighed and said, "Remember, we are not meat eaters now, but fish and meat. The British are now helping us, asking for people for people, technology for technology, equipment for equipment, and this is only because the biggest enemy of the British now is Russia. As soon as we make a decisive decision with the Russians, and the Russians stop their expansion into the Far East, the British will come back to bullying us and will no longer give us such completely open help. Even the British, in order to maintain their hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region, did not allow us to become strong. In order to prevent us from becoming strong, it may even break out a war with us. Therefore, we must take advantage of the honeymoon period in the next few years to strengthen ourselves as much as possible. ”

Everyone felt that what Wang Chenhao said made sense, and nodded in agreement.

Lin Jianzhang asked: "My lord, if we defeat Russia this time, won't we become Britain's biggest enemy, and won't our cooperation with the British end soon?" ”

Lin Jianzhang's views represent the views of Du Xigui, Zhao Sheng, Gao Erqian and other officers of the Pacific Fleet, of course, there is no Lyons in the conference room, otherwise Wang Chenhao would not say so.

Wang Chenhao smiled mysteriously, and seeing that everyone wanted to know, he said: "Therefore, our purpose this time is only to force the Russians back, and it is not good for us to weaken the Russians excessively." ”

Zhao Sheng asked, "Does the lord mean to agree with the decision of the imperial court?" ”

Since the Battle of Shahe, the Russian army has been unable to launch a large-scale offensive, so the Qing political axe has a greater bargaining chip for peace talks, regardless of the opposition of the people, and is willing to pay 10 million taels of silver as a sincerity to end the war. The voice within the Tsarist political axe also made the Russian representatives hurry down the stairs and basically agree to the demands put forward by the Qing political axe, and the two sides are currently negotiating on the specific implementation rules. If nothing else, it is believed that the contract will be issued within a week.

Wang Chenhao snorted coldly and said: "Although I support not weakening Russia for the time being, it does not mean that I agree with the imperial court to pay money to the Russians, absolutely not!" No concessions! ”

After Zhao Sheng received Wang Chenhao's affirmative attitude, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Now it is obvious that we have the advantage, if it is really unreasonable to lose money to the Russians, I believe that this move of the imperial court will definitely arouse the strong dissatisfaction of many people in the government and the opposition." If you can make good use of it, this is a good opportunity to get to the top. ”

Zhao Sheng has something to say, and everyone present knows it in their hearts, and it is obvious that Zhao Sheng's words are testing Wang Chenhao's ambitions. So, everyone turned to Wang Chenhao, waiting to see his attitude.

(To be continued)