Under the illumination of the incandescent lamp, Hu Chuyuan was calm on the surface, but he was extremely excited to look at the Spring Rain in front of him, which made people feel a strange sense of steel beauty.

Although from the front of the eyes, because the outer layer of the hull is baked with a black high-temperature oxide layer, there are also many rust spots near the water layer, like an ugly duckling, but the lines are quite beautiful.

But the ugly duckling will turn into a swan one day!

When Hu Chuyuan thought of that interesting fairy tale, he couldn't help laughing, with a touch of childlike interest.

After a while, he and Bai Laoyi beside him asked: "Is there any problem now, can the steam turbine be matched, is it reliable?" ”

Bai Laoyi said with a smile: "The application of new technology will be somewhat problematic, but I don't think the problem of steam turbines will be particularly big, and it will definitely not affect the safety and operation of the hull." At the moment, we are more worried about the new torpedo, according to the data given by the United States, the new torpedo has too fast firing rate and too high a falling speed into the water, and it is easy to expose itself. ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "Let the Americans consider this problem, what is your problem here?" ”

Bai Laoyi thought for a moment and said: "I can't say it for the time being, the real problem is that we have to go into the water first, we have done several different test ships, and we have also done a lot of model research, theoretically speaking...... There shouldn't be a problem, unless we have a problem with the theoretical design. ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly.

Before the actual launch, no one dared to pack a ticket, after all, it used too many new technologies, and the design was too alternative, which was different from the general trend of the whole world.

The Battle of Mawei in 1884 was the first large-scale naval battle of ironclad ships in the history of the world, and several different ideas were born at once, the first is the theory of the uselessness of large ships, the second is the theory of torpedoes, and finally the theory of the uselessness of heavy artillery.

In the entire Battle of Mawei, the main guns of the three Saint Zenard-class only hit a total of fourteen times, sinking only one cruiser, the Yawu, which was also hit by multiple small cannons beforehand, causing the ship's speed to drop, before being sunk by the main guns of the Saint Zenard.

The theory of the uselessness of large ships prevailed at one stage, and as Britain and France adopted a composite bottom design for the surname, adding a layer of wooden hull to the outside of the iron armor, and continuing to add a layer of wooden hull to the iron armor, the big ship regained the upper hand.

The function of the composite bottom is to be hit by a torpedo, and the outer wooden shell explodes first, which plays a good role in protecting the middle ironclad layer, even if the middle ironclad layer is cracked, the innermost wooden shell layer can also play a waterproof role.

This design quickly spread, and most large ships adopted the change.

Because of the long coastline and many ports, China is also able to manufacture small warships, and is currently mainly equipped with light ships of less than 2,000 tons.

Jiangwei-class defense ships, Tiger gunboats, and 100-ton Yong-style torpedo boats have been the main procurement directions of the Nanyang and Beiyang naval divisions in the past five years, and the Beiyang naval division is equipped with 12 Jiangwei-class defense ships, as many as 57 gunboats and torpedo boats, and 17 patrol boats.

The frigates, gunboats, and torpedo boats produced by the Fuzhou Shipbuilding Mawei Shipyard are also exported to South America, Turkey, South Africa and other countries, and the Beiyang Naval Division, the Nanyang Naval Division, the Yangtze River Naval Division, and the Borneo Autonomous State have purchased more of them.

With the development of these years, the total tonnage of the navy of the Qing Empire reached 174,000 tons, with a total of 280 ships, 19 ironclad ships, 37 cruisers, 44 defense ships, 158 gunboats, torpedo boats, and patrol boats, and 22 auxiliary ships including troop carriers.

The current total tonnage of the navy is 155,000 tons, and the total tonnage of cruisers accounts for 102,000 tons; if the many main ironclad ships ordered by Britain and France are formally put into service, and a number of cruisers manufactured in China join the navy, the total tonnage of the navy will exceed 200,000 tons within two years, becoming the world's top five navy.

In the same way, it will also have the real first navy in Asia.

In general, the general coastal defense strategy of the Qing Dynasty was a defensive type of "coastal sea first, and ocean-going secondary", and the number of defense ships, gunboats, and torpedo boats was particularly large, and it was said that it was an ocean-going attack type, but because of financial problems, it could only concentrate on choosing ironclad cruisers and dome cruisers to replace ironclad ships to undertake the main warships.

According to the information obtained by Hu Chuyuan, the strategy formulated by the Admiralty was to use large-scale cruisers to match the new artillery shells and a large number of rapid-fire guns they were developing, and to use mobile capabilities and intensive artillery fire to defeat a main force of the Beiyang and East China Sea divisions in a key naval battle.

If...... The Sino-Chinese naval battle broke out in the first year of the Sino-Japanese War, so it would be the largest modern naval battle in the world to date.

The speed of scientific and technological progress is also very fast, especially relying on France, which has made good progress in its smokeless gunpowder and new shells of picric acid, and its own country can also produce French nickel steel and rapid-fire guns.

In the Army, Ben continued to be German-oriented, and at the same time absorbed the equipment of the French Army on a large scale, especially the French M1886 Lebel rifle, a new smokeless powder step equipped with a Manlicia-style magazine that could hold five rounds at a time.

The Qing army mainly continued to use the Mauser 1884 rifle and the Winchester M1881 rifle, which was much behind the latter, and the advantage was that it was self-produced and self-used, and the inventory of ammunition was relatively large.

In a word...... This was a great battle that even Hu Chuyuan could not predict, and the scale was far greater than that of the First Sino-Japanese War.

Especially on the scale of naval battles.

At this moment, Hu Chuyuan did not dare to take the risk and put all his bets on the Spring Rain level.

He thought about it for a while, and could only say to Bai Laoyi and Wei Han: "Let's talk about it after going into the water first, the news continues to be blocked, and it turns out that the sudden appearance of new weapons can always decide many things, and even save the fate of a country." ”

Wei Han nodded silently.

Bai Laoyi didn't say anything, now, he just wants to use this stage to prove his worth to the world ship field, and at the same time, it is also a reward for Hu Chuyuan and Fuzhou Shipmaster.

If the Spring Rain class leads the way in future naval battles, he thinks, he will forever engrave his name in people's hearts.

What is it called...... Whoever gets the world for nothing?

Hu Chuyuan quietly thought of a very interesting question in his heart, and after confirming the progress of the Spring Rain, he went to other docks to visit the two Fuzhou-class first-class ironclad ships under construction, as well as the Weikang-class ironclad ships under overhaul.

Eggs can't be put in one basket, Hu Chuyuan doesn't dare to rely entirely on the Chunyu class, which is still unclear about the future, the old battleships have to be repaired, and foreign ships have to be bought.

After the end of the Sino-French War, most of the captured ships of the French expeditionary fleet were towed back to the Mawei shipyard for overhaul, and the three Saint-Zenard-class ships were renamed Jingyuan, Fengyuan, and Huiyuan, and remained in the East China Sea Division.

After the refurbishment, two Baya-class first-class ironclads and two Lata California-class second-class ironclads were transferred to serve in the Nanyang Naval Division, while the Truan-class second-class ironclads and two repaired Peruz-class cruisers were "scrapped", and three gunboats were secretly resold to the Autonomous State of Borneo.

Until now, the flagships of the Nanyang Naval Division are still the two old Baya-class first-class ironclad ships, renamed Zhenguang and Weiguang, and the two Galazonia-class second-class ironclads have been renamed Wuguang and Jingguang, and since then they have successively ordered from the East China Sea Division, or bought some old cruisers, gunboats, and defense ships abandoned by the East China Sea Division.

The imperial court allocates 3 million Qing Yuan to the Nanyang Navy Division every year, and 1.8 million Qing Yuan is transferred from the dividends and customs duties of the Liangguang Commercial Bank, adding up to only 4.8 million Qing Yuan per year.

The key to being able to build an army is to rely on the secret dispatch and transfer of the Fuzhou Shipyard.

Relying on the military expenses of the imperial court and the dispatch of the Fuzhou shipmaster, plus the dividends of the Nanyang Commercial Bank, the Fuzhou Shipyard, and the Fuzhou Iron and Steel General Factory, as well as the appropriation of Mei Qizhao, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, the total annual expenditure is about 7.5 million yuan, and Hu Chuyuan will secretly increase the allocation by 5 million yuan.

The Beiyang Navy Division is not good, the imperial court appropriation plus the dividends of the Beiyang Commercial Bank, Li Hongzhang's transfer around, about 5.5 million yuan of military expenditure every year.

This amount is really small compared to himself.

Not counting other aspects, the military spending granted to the navy every year has continued to increase, and this year it is because of the purchase of a number of first-class ironclad ships with Britain and France, which has skyrocketed by 40% to 37 million yuan, which is about 50.69 million yuan at the current exchange price of 0.685 taels of silver.

Of course, the two countries are nothing compared to Britain and France.

In 1890, Britain allocated about 140 million yen for the navy, France about 77 million yuan, Germany 30.33 million yuan, Russia 29.33 million yuan, and the United States 40 million yuan.

Combined with Hu Chuyuan's private borrowing and donations, the total naval expenditure of the Great Qing Kingdom was about 22.8 million yuan, and if the Yangtze River naval division and other naval divisions were calculated, the total expenditure could reach about 25 million clear yuan.

That night, Hu Chuyuan stayed in the water master's office.

He called Ye Zuqi, Deng Shichang, Lan Jianshu, Wu Zhengbing, and Wei Han over, plus his staff Yan Shizhang, Niu Yugeng, and Miao Quansun, and held a regular meeting.

Everyone was given a detailed general information book, summarizing the current general international situation, comparing the military strength of Russia and Russia, especially the naval strength, and the naval strength of the Qing Dynasty itself, and finally the "Qing State Conquest Strategy" and the information on the possible alliance between the two countries.

At this moment, Hu Chuyuan's expression was solemn and indifferent.

He sat coldly on the chairman's seat, staring at everyone, and the others continued to look at the information in a cold sweat.

The more everyone looked, the more surprised they became.

Suddenly, Deng Shichang slapped the table angrily and said: "These little old devils are simply too ...... to deceive people!" ”

Hu Chuyuan glanced at him coldly, and asked him to continue to look at it with peace of mind, and think clearly before speaking.

Lan Jianshu silently put down the general intelligence book, and asked Hu Chuyuan: "My lord, have you already informed the imperial court of this news?" ”

Hu Chuyuan shook his head slightly and said, "As soon as I get this information, I will go south to Fuzhou to discuss with you." Can you fight, you give me a voice first, give me a bottom, I have a countermeasure, and then I can report to the court. ”

Lan Jianshu sighed and was silent.

Ye Zuqi said: "It is possible to fight, but the problem is that we can't fight a head-on battle, a decisive battle at sea, and we have a chance...... Not too. If we start fighting with Russia at the same time, and the French will contribute money and efforts in the back, and then send troops from Vietnam, we will definitely lose. ”

This is true.

Hu Chuyuan bowed slightly, and also sighed: "Hit a ...... The longer it is delayed, the better it will be for us, and neither I nor the Russians can afford to delay it. Fight two at the same time, and we will have a big problem. ”

Yan Shizhang had been thinking deeply about these things for a few days, and he had been thinking about them before, and he said: "My lord, we still have to find a way to divide Russia now, and we can't let them join forces, at least not sincerely." The French, they probably don't really do it, they just wait to get dirty. It really can't be done, the imperial court has to make plans to move the capital temporarily, otherwise once the Russian coalition forces approach the northeast, the imperial court will be in danger. ”

These words went to Hu Chuyuan's heart.

He once asked Liu Jintang about the possible surnames of the Hunan army going to the northeast, and Liu Jintang said at that time that the Hunan people were not good at fighting in the north and might not be able to adapt to the local climate, unless they were stationed there a few years in advance to eliminate those who were not suitable for the cold of the northeast.

Therefore, the main force of the First Sino-Japanese War had to be the Huai Army after all.

Huai Jun ...... Never mind.

Hu Chuyuan basically didn't have much hope.

From the very beginning, he considered that once the Russian coalition army entered the northeast, he would immediately transfer the capital to Luoyang and Xi'an, and use the Jinghan Railway to continuously transfer materials into Yanjing, and fight a decisive battle in Hebei around Yanjing.

At that time, the Hunan army entered Hebei from Shanxi, and the Jiangxi army entered Hebei from Shandong, and the three armies joined forces, coupled with the regimental training in Hebei, they did not hesitate to expand their military strength to 300,000 people, and beat him for three or five years to drag Russia to death.

Hu Chuyuan didn't rush to make a statement, but asked Lan Jianshu, "What do you think should be done?" ”

There are many talents in history who may lack room to play, such as Ye Fu and Lan Jianshu.

Hu Chuyuan had always thought that Sa Zhenbing was a good person, but if he looked closely, he felt that he was still a little worse than Ye Fu, Lan Jianshu was a good person, he didn't say anything, and he had a lot of things in his heart.

Lan Jianshu said: "My lord, the general trend of the world, what is the situation, these things are your heart, and you are also in charge, and the subordinates and I have no strengths, and we know even less." If this matter is concerned, it is still necessary to concentrate on the two divisions first, select their elite, and kill them with one blow when their forces are scattered, their supply is difficult, and their strength is weak and exhausted. ”

Hu Chuyuan praised it, Lan Jianshu's strategy is basically to use the Sino-French war as an example, first let the opponent expand the scope of the operation, and wait until the opponent's troops are deployed, the supply is more difficult, and when the carriage and horses are tired, he suddenly uses elite troops to fight to the death.

If this is the case, Hu Chuyuan felt that it would be a more reasonable way to take advantage of the situation and fight a three-year war with Russia in Northeast China and North China.

The problem is that it is better to delay this war until the 20th year of Guangxu, that is, around 1895, to ensure the completion of the Jinghan Railway.

He said that he was shrewd, and they only needed to wait three years to complete the military deployment, and it was impossible to wait for the completion of the Jinghan Railway, unless the railway was completed within three years.

Thinking about this clearly, Hu Chuyuan roughly made a preliminary decision.

Subsequently, he turned to the issue of the Sino-Chinese naval war and the Sino-Russian naval war.

Everyone has the same meaning, and in the case of a naval battle, you can only fight alone, and even then it is only a half-open win rate.

The current gross tonnage of the Russian Navy is 270,000 tons, but it is also a defensive navy, with too many small boats, many old ships, and a longer coastline than China, so it is especially necessary to pay attention to the defense of Northern Europe, and its navy stationed in the Far East is not strong.

Even if Tsarist Russia moved all its navy to China for a decisive battle and fought him alone, China would have a better chance of winning.

The most urgent task at the moment is to intensify efforts to rectify the East China Sea Division, provide support to the South and North Sea Naval Divisions, carry out the rectification of rapid-fire guns, and send old ships to various countries one after another, or overhaul them at the Fuzhou Ship Administration.

The overhaul of the battleship is very important, taking the earliest ironclad ship of the East China Sea Division, the Weikang as an example, the original design maximum speed was 16 knots, with the aging of the boiler and steam engine, the top speed has been reduced to 13 knots, after this year's overhaul, it is expected to be restored to about 15 knots.

(To be continued)