The Chinese artificially drew a line for the 'dreadnought' - a high-power steam turbine that can maintain a speed of more than 20 knots for a long time. This, along with heavy armor and uniform large-caliber artillery, became one of the three basic requirements of a dreadnought.

Because Liu Xian still clearly remembers the powerful vertical three-cylinder three-expansion/four-cylinder three-expansion reciprocating steam engine of the Germans and Americans. The Germans and the United States in the original time and space had the ability to get the same power kinetic energy of the duplex steam engine as the steam turbine, but China did not have this ability. Or maybe we have a long way to go to meet this standard. Liu Xian established the research and development project of the steam turbine early.

Therefore, China relied on itself to be the first to build a 'dreadnought' and artificially set a set of standards for the 'dreadnought'. Anyway, the British battleship Victory also used steam turbines, and the boiler used was still a B&W mixed combustion water boiler.

The three standards of dreadnoughts advocated by Liu Xian were not at all unsuitable for the British Empire. The unlucky ones are the Germans!

Because of the abundant domestic coal resources and the fuel resources are all overseas, the German Navy used coal-fired water-tube boilers for the sake of safety. And China has done it in one step, and it is an oil-fired boiler.

Even if you only have a slight advantage, you have to try to get it. This is Liu Xian's first requirement for dreadnoughts!

The Germans would certainly have been able to build their own steam turbines, but even the most powerful technology would take time to apply. In the early summer of 1905, after the British conducted sea trials of a new battleship named Victory, the Germans again purchased all the dreadnought manufacturing technology from China and placed an order for two dreadnought warships. China has taken the opportunity to cooperate with Germany to develop 'ammonia technology'.

The Germans synthesized ammonia for the military. China needs ammonia for civilian use. Nitrate ore is something that China has. Xinjiang's Turpan City's Wuyong Burak Xiaohengshan, Ruoqiang County's Dawadi, Shanshan County's Hongtai and other areas are full of potash and saltpeter mines. In addition to being used in the manufacture of nitric acid, explosives, pyrotechnics, and in the metallurgical and glass industries, sodium saltpeter can be used as a nitrogen fertilizer and to produce other nitrogen-containing compounds. Potassium saltpeter can also be used as a fertilizer (potassium nitrate) and as a nitrogenous compound. Because of the vast cultivated area and huge population, China is in urgent need of German ammonia technology.

Otherwise, it would be too far away to transport it from Xinjiang to North China, South China, and then to North America and South China. So much so that the technology of building dreadnoughts that China has been working on for many years has not been exchanged for a few big bucks at all. Ammonia synthesis is an advanced technology of fundamental interest to Germany. There is a shortage of saltpeter mines in Germany, and most of the world's saltpeter mines [except China] are in the hands of John Bull. In the past few years, the Germans have been wrestling with the British in Chile so hard, and they have been deflated again and again, but they are still unswerving, for what? That's a saltpeter mine in Chile!

Fortunately, Wilhelm II was not stupid in his head. The top bosses in Germany also understood the importance of China to them, and at the same time as the exchange of technology, they placed an order for two dreadnoughts to China, claiming that the price was the same as Argentina - 3.8 million pounds. The actual price is only £3.5 million!

As a result, China's shipbuilding industry fell into a bloody euphoria, and four of the most powerful dreadnoughts on the planet at this moment were started at the same time on China's shipyards. How exhilarating it is! And a new generation of Chinese battleships is also being planned, and the caliber and caliber of the main guns can remain the same. But three turrets need to move towards four! At the same time, the speed must be increased. Liu Xianam's request is to move towards the 23rd section as much as possible! And this battleship, which is still on the drawings, will have a tonnage of more than 22000 tons when it is completely completed!

Less than a week after the deal between China and Germany was reached, the British also won orders for two Brazilian dreadnoughts. Minas Gerais-class battleships! Directly based on the British battleship of the next class, Bellerophon, the contractor modified the design scheme according to the requirements of the Brazilian Navy. Each battleship costs £2,000,000!

Standard displacement of battleships: 19300 tons; Full load displacement: 21,500 tons; Maximum speed: 21 knots; Armament: 12 x 305 mm/45x guns. 12 120-mm guns, 14 47-mm anti-aircraft guns.

In terms of firepower, tonnage and speed, it is in no way weaker than the Rivadavia-class battleships built by China for Argentina.

Chile has remained silent. Two of the three South American powerhouses have Dreadnought-class battleships. Chile, which is known as the United Kingdom of South America, and Chile, which has historically been in the spotlight for its inferior navy, has repeatedly defeated Argentina. Always remain silent. Because Chile's comprehensive national strength is huge compared with Argentina and Brazil, when the competition between Brazil and Argentina is becoming more and more fierce. Chileans can only wait and see. Brazil and Argentina's naval policy of strengthening their forces has upset the balance of power among the three South American countries, but fortunately, Chile now has a big European brother and a second brother to follow suit. Chile has ordered two submarines and a high-speed light cruiser from the United Kingdom, Germany and China!

While stammering with the European bigwigs, they are also absolutely unwilling to offend China. This is the national policy of most countries in Latin America. Even if they are already on the side of the Western world, they will have a grudge against China unless they have to, or if they have no grudge against China at all - such as Colombia, no one in Latin America wants to tear up their faces with China.

China is in the limelight now, and the appearance of the Taishan and dreadnoughts has made countries all over the world realize that China's navy is much more influential than submarines. Even if China's surface capital ships have not yet experienced the test of a real war, China's submarines have already made a name for themselves.

China's domination in North America is becoming more and more entrenched. The arrival of tens of millions of Chinese led to the rapid sinicization of Chinese North America, and the successive establishment of the four feudal states of Lu, Wei, Chen, and Chu made China's dominance in North America even higher.

China, like Europe, cannot afford to be offended by any country in Latin America. What they want most now is to stand in the middle of the station, but the tightrope line is the most difficult to walk. At the same time, the influence of the Western world in Latin America is unquestionable. Even if the people of these Latin American countries do not have a good impression of Europe and the United States, they subconsciously choose Europe and the United States for the yellow-skinned China!

So far, China's influence in South America has not made much progress, and except for Mexico and Panama, no Latin American country really wants to be tied to China's warship.

The Argentines shouted 'South America is the South America of South Americans', and Liu Xian could only say Julio. Argentino. Roca - The president of Argentina has a certain insight and long-term vision, but he is a little too confident.

The Argentines clearly want to be neutral and want to withdraw from the ranks of the British, but will this really work out? Even if the South American alliance that the Argentines have brought to fruition, will they really be able to work together against external pressure?

Julio forgot that there were still insurrectionary forces within his country. If you really want to make the British feel threatened, the British can flip the table. With money and weapons, Julio couldn't stand up to the British Empire.

For China, South America is not very important. Just like before World War II and in the early stage of the war, the local forces in Nanyang were important to the little devils, can you say that they are important? Or is it not important?

It's just chicken ribs!

South America, which lacks heavy industry capacity, no matter how rich the raw material resources are, it is just a piece of chicken ribs to overestimate them! And these countries are all in trouble. Even in Chile, on the surface, the regime is quite stable, but when you look at it again, it looks like an earthworm and a rat woman (watermelon worm), which cannot be seen on the surface, and when you turn over the stones, there is a pile hidden underneath.

Therefore, Liu Xian did not expect that South America would help China in any future war. China has never interfered in the internal affairs of Mexico and Panama, and has not even sought one-sided most-favored-nation treatment, consular jurisdiction, concessions, or so on. If South America is to be neutral, if it can really be achieved, it will only be the West that will lose.

China is about to go to the limelight. The limelight of dreadnoughts, the limelight of battlecruisers in the near future, and even the limelight of superdreadnoughts in the future, will quickly fade with the Chinese Navy's 'high-quality' strategy. What's the use of being technologically advanced? The number of battleships comes first! At China's current pace of construction, China will never be able to threaten the maritime hegemony of the British Empire. Even the Chinese themselves define themselves as a regional naval power - the hegemony of the North Pacific!

But the British certainly won't rest on their laurels. Germany is the one who poses the greatest threat to them in recent years. The crisis that broke out in 1904 opened their eyes to the power and threat of the Germans.

In that storm, the war between Italy and the Ottomans was never the protagonist, and the contest between Britain and France and Germany and Austria was the core of the storm!

All of Europe is going round and round about the battle between the two blocs, even at the top of Italy. On the other hand, the Italians lost face again in that war. It took three mobilizations of 200,000 troops, hundreds of light tanks and armored vehicles, and two airship units to finally make the Libyan Ottomans bow their heads. As soon as the war ended, the Italians, in order to prevent the Ottomans from stumbling on their backs, immediately released the 7,000 captured Ottoman soldiers.

It can be said that in this war, the Italians were defeated undefeated, and the Ottomans were victorious!

In addition to air and sea power, the current Ottoman Army is already considered 'powerful' in the eyes of Europeans!

China opened up all the technology in the Dreadnought manufacturing process to Germany, which allowed Germany to quickly close the gap between itself and the British Navy, and the Italians also got most of the technology of the Dreadnought-class battleships, which could save them a lot of valuable development and design time.

And if the British could not dominate the navy, the consequences would be extremely serious. The battle of the original time and space is the best portrayal of this consequence!

The British must be very keen to stop China's practices, but what can they do to stop them? Liu Xian was even curious about what the British would do next, and if they were really trying to contain China, where would the Johns Bulls start? Liu Xian is still preparing battle cruisers! (To be continued.) )