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At one o'clock in the morning on January 8, Beijing time, a car drove out of the Imperial Admiralty and headed for Xinhua Palace under the escort of a team of cavalry. There were no pedestrians in the streets, and there was silence. Although Beijing is now many times more prosperous than during the reign of the Manchu Dynasty, after dark, after ten o'clock in the evening, except for some special service places, there are no people in Duji!

There are still 20 days left before the Chinese New Year, and the smell of the New Year is getting heavier and heavier. As the empire's economy continued to grow, so did the people's standard of living. At the end of the year, everyone will be able to have a good year. It's just that this year is a little different from previous years, and when the Chinese people are preparing for the New Year, they are also paying attention to a big battle thousands of miles away. Hundreds of thousands of imperial soldiers are still fighting in the Middle East. It's been more than three months since the war broke out, but after the initial defensive position, the Empire is on the verge of winning the war.

Zhang Cheng, Minister of the Navy, sat in the car and was very happy. The good news of the Indian Ocean Fleet has just arrived. After he received the good news, he rushed to Xinhua Palace as soon as possible to report the good news to the emperor Wang Yuze. Although, in this naval battle, only two battleships of the British and American navies were sunk and one was captured. One of its own battlecruisers was sunk. However, the navy had succeeded in crushing the last struggles of Britain and France. Without the support of the navy, the land forces of Britain and France wanted to open the Suez Canal, which was already impossible. They could only watch as hundreds of thousands of troops were trapped in the kingdom, without supplies, either starved to death, or had to surrender to the squadron. This battle. China has already won! The next step is how to get the most out of the benefits and make those benefits clear in the form of a treaty.

The Admiralty was not far from the Xinhua Palace, and soon came outside the palace. By this time, the palace gate had been closed. But when Zhang Cheng stepped out of the car, the guards of Xinhua Palace immediately greeted him.

"Lord Zhang, are you still coming to the palace so late?" One of the guards asked.

"Please let me know, I have an urgent military situation to see Your Majesty!" Zhang Cheng replied.

"Okay. Lord Zhang, please wait a moment, I will report to the chief of the guard immediately! When the guards heard that it was an urgent military situation, they didn't dare to slack off. Right now, the Imperial Army is fighting the Anglo-French forces in the Middle East! If it's delayed, no one can afford to do that!

A few minutes later. Wu Hao, the chief of the guard, came to the palace gate and led the Minister of the Navy Zhang Cheng in.

"Lord Zhang, I have already sent someone to call His Majesty. What the hell is going on? So anxious to see His Majesty? Wu Hao, the chief of the guard, asked.

"General Wu, what a happy event! The Indian Ocean Fleet is in the Mediterranean, defeating the Anglo-American Navy! Navy Minister Zhang Cheng said with a smile.

"Huh? Are you sure? That's great! If the Navy wins, then the war will soon be over. Before the Chinese New Year, there may not be any more large-scale wars. You're finally going to be able to have a good year! Wu Hao, the head of the guard, also said very happily.

Wang Yuze met with Zhang Cheng, Minister of the Navy, in his study. By this time, he had already gone to bed. Tonight, it was Concubine Rong's turn to sleep, and Wang Yuze enjoyed some exotic customs. was sleeping heavily, but was woken up by a female officer. Therefore, it looks a little tired!

"Lord Zhang, what's going on? Is something wrong with the Navy? Wang Yuze asked. Although was woken up. He was a little displeased, but he knew it. If there is no emergency, they will not come to bother him.

"Your Majesty, I have just received a telegram from the Indian Ocean Fleet that in today's naval battle, the Indian Ocean Fleet has defeated the British and American navies. In the fierce battle, we sank a total of two enemy battleships, namely the British Navy's 'Discord' and the U.S. Navy's 'Louisiana' battleship, and captured one battleship, the British Navy's 'Dreadnought' battleship. In addition, two enemy battleships were heavily damaged, namely the battleship "Solemn" of the British Navy and the battleship "Vermont" of the US Navy. Only five battleships remained in the Anglo-American navy, and the wolf bèi escaped. In addition, several armored cruisers, light cruisers and destroyers were sunk and heavily damaged! Zhang Cheng, the Minister of the Navy, said with a happy face!

"Haha! Well, that's great! Wang Yuze said excitedly. If the navy has won a great victory, then Britain and France will no longer be arrogant. Next, I am afraid that we will have to honestly accept the conditions put forward by the Chinese side and stop the war.

"What about our losses? Is it big? Wang Yuze asked. Knocked out two opposing battleships and captured one. The losses of the Indian Ocean Fleet are probably not small. You know, even after strengthening two battle cruisers, the strength of the Indian Ocean Fleet is weaker than that of the British and American navies!

"The losses of the Indian Ocean Fleet were not significant, only a few battleships received minor damage. However, the battlecruiser 'Meng Tian' was sunk! Two more light cruisers and three destroyers were sunk! Zhang Cheng said.

"The 'Mengtian' was sunk? Alas, it seems that the battle cruisers really shouldn't participate in the duel of capital ships! Although the firepower of the battlecruiser is strong, the armor is too weak, and when it comes to bombardment with the battleship, it is very bad! Wang Yuze sighed. If it weren't for the insufficient number of battleships, he would not have sent battlecruisers to the Middle East for reinforcements. Although the battleship will inevitably be sunk in a naval battle, he still feels very uncomfortable when a cutting-edge warship is sunk.

"Your Majesty, when our 'Han-class' battleships are commissioned, this situation will be changed!" Zhang Cheng said. A total of six 'Han-class' battleships were built, and in addition to most of the supplementary Turkish fleet, the Pacific Fleet and the Indian Ocean Fleet could also be assigned one each. The 'Han-class' battleships used triple 343-mm naval guns, which were much more powerful than the 'Qin-class' battleships. After the 'Han-class' battleships are put into service, the strength of the Chinese Navy will definitely be able to reach a higher level.

"When will the 'Han-class' battleships be able to enter service?" Wang Yuze asked. The 'Han-class' battleship is the most powerful battleship designed by the Chinese Navy, and the construction period is much longer than that of the previous battleships.

"The progress of the construction of the 'Han-class' battleship is not slow. However, it is expected that it will not be able to enter the water until the end of this year or the beginning of next year. It is expected that sea trials will be able to begin before the end of next year. I will be able to enter service at the beginning of the next year! Zhang Cheng said. Because of the construction of six ships at once, the progress will inevitably be slower.

Wang Yuze nodded: "This time, we captured a total of three battleships. Pull these three battleships back to the shipyard for repair and refit. After that, it was assigned to the Indian Ocean Fleet and the Pacific Fleet. Two ships for the Indian Ocean Fleet and one for the Pacific Fleet. The Turkish fleet is not used for the time being! ”

"Pacific Fleet? Your Majesty, the pressure on the Indian Ocean Fleet is even greater now, is it better for these three battleships to be assigned to the Indian Ocean Fleet? Zhang Cheng asked. If China occupies the Suez Canal, the navy will have to enter the Mediterranean. At this time, it is necessary to increase the size of the Indian Ocean Fleet.

"The Pacific Fleet has been silent for three years, and after the New Year, it is time for us to make a move in the Americas!" Wang Yuze said.

"Yes, Majesty, I see!" Zhang Cheng is no longer dwelling on this issue. Since we are going to do something against the Americas, it is only natural to increase the strength of the Pacific Fleet! China defeated the United States in the Great War three years ago and took Alaska, the Chinese province of the ice fields. But for the rest of the Americas, China's power is still blank. It is inevitable that China needs to continue to expand and start intervening in the Americas.

After Zhang Cheng left, Wang Yuze returned to the dormitory, but the news of the navy's victory made him a little excited and had difficulty sleeping. At this time, Concubine Rong Helmchude was also woken up, and Wang Yuze simply pulled Concubine Rong Helmchud and got up again. The beautiful Bavarian princess, with fair skin, blond hair, and a slightly immature body, made Wang Yuze very fascinated!

During the great battle between the Chinese Navy and the British and American navies in the Mediterranean, the British and French forces also easily broke through the squadron's defense line. Under the bombardment of the British and American navies, the defense line of the 32nd Division of the Chinese Army was very badly damaged, and the troops also suffered heavy losses and had to retreat to Port Said. The Anglo-French forces were able to drive straight outside Port Said.

However, the squadron's defensive line in Port Said was impregnable. Outside the city, there were three lines of defense, which the Seventh Army had sent heavily defended, and it was almost impossible for the Anglo-French forces to break through these three lines. Unless, once again, they can get the support of the Navy. It's just that now that the British and American navies have been dragged down by the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy, it is impossible for the British and French forces to get the support of the navy again and break through the squadron's defense line lightly.

In order to defeat the squadron and re-establish contact with the expeditionary force, British Field Marshal Frederick Roberts gave the order to attack that afternoon. On the four-kilometer-long defensive line, the Anglo-French army committed two corps and 100,000 men to attack. And the Seventh Army, relying on strong fortifications, also invested two divisions.

Although the attack of the British and French forces was very fierce, in front of the strong fortifications of the squadron, it was still bumpered by the head. In less than half a day's attack, they left at least 20,000 corpses in front of the squadron's defensive line. It was not until after dark that the troops had to be withdrawn. And by this time, the news of the victory of the Chinese Navy in the naval battle had already reached Port Said. The Anglo-French alliance is no longer likely to win!