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On March 3, a fleet arrived in Singapore and entered the military port of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy. Singapore is not only the capital of China's central and southern provinces, but also the main home port of the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet, and the western barrier of the empire's 10,000-mile sea frontier. This fleet was composed of the welcoming fleet sent by China and the repatriation fleet of the German Navy.

The fleet stayed in Singapore for a day, and after completing its supplies, it did not make any more stops, and the next day it set off to continue westward. However, even after only one day, German naval officers led by Vice Admiral Franz von Hipper, boarded the lead ship of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy to visit Wèn. Although the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy has only two 'Qin-class' battleships and two 'Zhonghua-class' battleships, as well as a search for 'Baiqi-class' battlecruisers, the officers and men of the German Navy still have a side-eyed view of their powerful combat power.

After the fleet left Singapore, Vice Admiral Franz von Hipper, on the battleship Hamburg, the flagship of the German fleet, was talking with his deputy, Rear Admiral Sicogeld.

"Major General Held, how did you feel yesterday? What is the impression on you of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy? Standing on the deck of the battleship, blowing the sea breeze, Vice Admiral Hipper asked.

"Your Excellency, Vice Admiral, I have to admit that the Chinese Navy is very strong, not only for warships, but also for the mental outlook of the soldiers. Their officers and sailors, gave me a very confident feeling. It seems that they are not afraid of any challenge! Major General Helde thought about it for a moment, and then said.

Lieutenant General Franz von Hipper nodded, and then said, "Yes, I feel the same way. But. The Chinese Navy does have this qualification, and although they have only been established for a short period of ten years from 1892 to the present, they have gone through a path that our German Navy has not taken for decades. In 1895 they defeated the Japanese navy with ease, and the main battleship they used was the 'Brandenburg-class' battleships built for them by Germany. After winning the First Sino-American Battle of the Pacific in 1897, a large part of their warships were already built by themselves. And in the Great War of 1899, they built their own capital ships. It is even more terrifying to the world. The speed of development of the Chinese Navy in this short period of time is really too fast! ”

"Your Excellency, the German Navy, although we have not experienced a major war, I believe. We train hard, and once a big war really breaks out, it will not be worse than the Chinese Navy! Major General Helde said confidently.

"Of course, not only is our German army the most powerful in the world, but so is our navy. It's just that what we lack now is mainly the experience of naval warfare. From the standpoint. Compared with the Chinese Navy and the British Navy, there is still a certain gap! But, I likewise believe that these gaps. It will soon be made up! Lieutenant General Hipper wisted. In order for Germany to develop, it must first break through the British blockade, so the German navy has entered a golden age of rapid development. And they, the admirals. The responsibility is also very heavy. They are going to challenge the British Navy, which is the best in the world. If, before that, they didn't have much confidence, but now, after they have acquired a large number of advanced battleships, their confidence has increased a lot.

"Your Excellency, I seem to feel that the Chinese' 'Zhonghua-class' battleships are more powerful than our 'Nassau-class' battleships, although the strength is limited, but if it is one-on-one, it will definitely be our 'Nassau-class' battleships that will be defeated!" Major General Halder raised his own questions.

"Of course, although the Chinese gave us the drawings of the 'Zhonghua-class' battleships, they still have reservations about key technologies. For example, the powertrain. According to the information I have received, the maximum speed of the 'Zhonghua-class' battleships is one or two knots faster than that of our 'Nassau-class' battleships. However, the 'Nassau-class' battleships have been modified to be more suitable for the harsh environment of the North Sea. Overall, the difference between the two battleships was very slight. Lieutenant General Franz von Hippert said.

"So, how does it compare to the British 'Dreadnought-class' battleships?" Major General Halder asked.

"Our 'Nassau-class' battleships are comparable in tonnage to the British 'Dreadnought-class' battleships, but our armor is thicker. Although the number of main guns is two fewer than that of the 'Dreadnought-class' battleships, and the caliber of the main guns is also a little lower, our firepower output speed and the power of the main guns are no worse than the British 'Dreadnought-class' battleships. In the event of a war, the Lord God is not on the side of the British, and victory will definitely be ours! Lieutenant General Franz von Hippert analyzed. The idea of the development of the British navy was completely different from that of the German navy. The British Navy focused on speed and firepower, while the German Navy developed firepower and speed while providing survivability. From these two points of view, there are advantages and disadvantages to each. The Chinese Navy, on the other hand, combined these two points to maintain superiority over the battleships of the British Navy and the German Navy.

"I'm looking forward to the 'Helgoran-class' battleships even more. Last month, I came back from China's largest shipyard, Beihai Shipyard. Our four 'Helgoland-class' battleships are in the midst of intense construction. According to the information I have obtained, the 'Helgolan-class' battleships, which are still built by the 'Qin-class' battleships of the Chinese Navy, are much more powerful than the 'Nassau-class' battleships. It even greatly surpassed the battleships of the next class of the British, the 'Bellerophon-class'. Major General Halder said.

"Although the 'Helgolan-class' battleship is powerful, I am more interested in the new type of battleship secretly built by the Chinese, this battleship, I only know that the name is named 'Han-class' battleship, but the specific parameters are completely unknown. However, there is reason to believe that this 'Han-class' battleship must be more powerful than the 'Qin-class' battleship. Once completed and put into service, the Chinese Navy will once again surpass other navies in the world! Franz von Hippert was a little worried. Although, China and Germany are now in their honeymoon phase. But there are never real friends between countries. Once the common enemy of China and Germany is defeated, will China and Germany still be able to live in peace? In the event that the German Navy was to engage the Chinese Navy in the future, Franz von Hippert himself was really not sure.

"Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, aren't we going to build any more Caesar-class battleships? And five ships were built at once, and the number of main guns was also increased to 10. I believe that our 'Caesar-class' battleships, when completed, must be among the most powerful battleships in the world! Major General Halder said. However, he did not know that when the German Navy's 'Caesar-class' battleships were not yet completed, the 'Orion-class' battleships that the British secretly started to build had already begun to be built. The Orion-class battleships, on the other hand, used larger-caliber 343mm guns, which were far more powerful than the German Navy's 'Caesar-class' battleships. Of course, at that time, the Chinese Navy's 'Han-class' battleships had also entered service, with three triple 343-mm naval guns, strong firepower, thick armor, and extremely high speed, once again leaving the countries of the world behind. And in order to ensure naval superiority, the British Navy had to accelerate the construction of more and more powerful battleships. Germany also had to build 'King-class' battleships to counter China's 'Han-class' battleships and Britain's 'Orion-class' battleships, and other powers in the world followed suit, making this worldwide naval arms race even more intense.

On the morning of March 6, in London, England, in the Downing Street Prime Minister's Office, the British Admiralty Sir John Fisher hurriedly entered the office of Prime Minister Arthur Belfour. As you can see from his face, it's bad news again.

"Your Excellency Chancellor, one of our merchant ships has spotted the traces of the German Navy. At present, they have left the Andaman Sea and entered the Indian Ocean. It is expected that they will return to Germany at the end of the month! "said Sir John Fisher, Secretary of State for the Admiralty.

Prime Minister Arthur Belfour rubbed his brow with a headache, and then said, "So, what should we do?" Send battleships and sink those German battleships? ”

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, if you give such an order, I can immediately dispatch warships to the operation. If I concentrate on six 'Dreadnought-class' battleships, as well as six old-fashioned 'old man-star' battleships, I have a great deal of confidence that the returning fleet of the German Navy will be severely damaged or even completely annihilated at a small cost! "said Sir John Fisher, Secretary of State for the Admiralty. Now in the confrontation in the North Sea, Britain has finally gained the upper hand. But once these four 'Nassau-class' battleships arrived in Germany, the advantages that Britain had worked so hard to build would be lost.

"No, Your Excellency the Admiralty, we are not ready now, and we will not be able to win a war with the Germans. Perhaps, the Navy was capable of solving the German Navy. But will the Chinese Navy sit idly by? The 'Qin-class' battleships that the Chinese Navy is now equipped with, we have so far not had that battleship that can compete with them. Therefore, we need to calm down now. Even if we lose our advantage, we will be able to regain it when our next class of new battleships is built. Don't forget, our heritage is much stronger than Germany's, and our shipbuilding speed is much faster than theirs! Prime Minister Arthur Belfour said.

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister. However, we can't let them return to China so lightly. I'll send warships to intercept them and give them a little trouble! "said Sir John Fisher, Secretary of State for the Admiralty.