The 'King Kong-class' battlecruiser is generally a very good battleship. Four twin 45-caliber 356 mm guns, the world's largest caliber guns. With a speed of up to 27.5 knots, it is faster than the light cruisers of most countries in the world. Whether it is an armored cruiser or a light cruiser, it is difficult to escape the pursuit of the 'King Kong-class' battlecruisers. Even against enemy battleships, the Kongo-class battlecruisers had the power to fight a battle, with 356 mm guns, and were extremely powerful enough to penetrate the armor of most battleships.

The Japanese side is very satisfied with the design of the Armstrong shipyard. This battleship is exactly what they need.

In a telegram sent to the Admiralty, Gentaro Yamashita, commander of the Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet, even claimed that if the Japanese Navy was equipped with four 'Kongo-class' battle cruisers, the Japanese Navy would no longer be afraid of the Chinese Navy. Whether it was a decisive battle with the Chinese navy or a battle to break diplomatic relations, the Japanese navy had the upper hand.

Of course, the 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers were not without weaknesses, and the most obvious weakness was undoubtedly that the armor of the Kongo-class battlecruisers was too weak. The side armor was only 203 mm, the deck armor was 70 mm, the main turret armor was 230 mm, the secondary turret armor was 152 mm, and the conning tower armor was only 254 mm. With such a defensive force, there is no problem against some armored cruisers or light cruisers. But if you encounter other battleships, this bit of armor is useless. The Imperial Navy's 'Longteng-class' battleships and 'Longyao-class' battlecruisers' were equipped with 50 times the caliber 305 mm main guns, which could easily tear through these armors. Of course, the 356 mm guns of the 'King Kong-class' battlecruisers can also pose a deadly threat to the 'Longteng-class' battlecruisers and the 'Longyao-class' battlecruisers. In particular, the defensive power of the 'Longyao-class' battlecruisers is not as terrifying as that of the 'Longteng-class' battleships.

It was not that the Japanese did not fail to see the weakness of the 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers. It's just that firepower, speed and defense are the three major elements of a battleship. These three points are mutually contained, highlighting firepower and speed, and defense will inevitably be affected. However, the Japanese side believes. With the skillful skills and combat qualities of the Japanese navy's sailors, they will definitely be able to hit the enemy's warship before they are hit.

Armstrong Shipyard had a high price for the 'King Kong-class' battlecruisers, up to £3 million each, and required all four to be built by Armstrong Shipyard. In this case, the Japanese would have to pay a total of 12 million pounds. You know, the price is definitely very high. Even the British Navy's Orion-class battleships cost less than £2 million. The British did it. The Japanese were slaughtered as fat pigs.

The Japanese obviously didn't want to be this fat pig, and Yamashita and Armstrong argued that they only wanted to build one 'Kongo-class' battlecruiser at the Armstrong shipyard, and the other three would be built by the Armstrong shipyard with design drawings and necessary accessories, and then the Japanese shipyard would build them. For example, the boilers and steam turbines of battleships could not be produced by Japan itself, so they needed to be imported from Britain. 356 mm gun. It also needs to be imported from the UK. In addition, the Japanese want to keep the price at around two million pounds.

Armstrong Shipyard. Naturally, I don't want that. They apparently already knew that the United States had provided a loan of 50 million dollars to Japan. Therefore, they wanted to earn all the 50 million dollars and leave not a cent for the Japanese.

This led to a huge disagreement between the Japanese side and the Armstrong shipyard, and the two sides began to quarrel. The Japanese wanted to build four 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers at minimal cost, while Armstrong Shipyard wanted to make a fortune.

Eventually, the British Navy stepped in. The British wanted Japan to rearm as soon as possible. If it is delayed any longer, then China will not be able to suppress it. The British Navy was a big customer of the Armstrong Shipyard, and the Royal Navy put pressure on the Armstrong Shipyard, and the Armstrong Shipyard had to compromise.

The Japanese side and the Armstrong shipyards agreed on a price of two and a half million pounds each. Construction of two 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers at the Armstrong shipyard. The next two ships were built by the British side with design drawings and accessories, and by the Japanese side. This is undoubtedly a happy result, and Armstrong Shipyard will make millions of pounds from this order. The Japanese were also able to use the $50 million provided by the United States to obtain four 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers, and even saved a little to invest in the construction of two 'Hanoi-class' battleships. Once the two 'Kawachi-class' battleships and the four 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers of the Japanese Navy are put into service, the Japanese Navy will always have six advanced warships. They will regain the strength to compete with the Chinese navy.

The Japanese Navy is trying to restore its strength, and the Chinese Navy is also trying to improve its own strength as much as possible. Construction of the 'Blue Dragon-class' light cruisers and the 'C-class' destroyers has already begun. A 10,000-ton heavy cruiser is also being designed. Although, this is undoubtedly a huge challenge for China's shipbuilding industry. However, in order to be able to build capital ships on its own as soon as possible, China's shipbuilding industry had to rise to the occasion. Only in this way can the Chinese Navy no longer be controlled by others.

To increase the strength of the Imperial Navy, in addition to building more warships, it is necessary to improve other aspects at the same time. As the Imperial Navy continued to grow in strength, the Imperial Navy needed more good sailors and officers. The Naval Academy in Ben Thanh has now been expanded to enroll more than 5,000 cadets each year. However, this is not enough. Sa Zhenbing, Minister of the Imperial Navy, proposed the establishment of the Imperial Naval University to train high-quality personnel for the Imperial Navy, including middle- and low-ranking officers and professional and technical officers on warships.

Wu Haoxuan approved the plan, which allowed the Imperial Naval University to be established. Of course, preparations for the establishment of the Imperial Army University also began at the same time. These two universities will become the highest institutions of the Imperial Army and Navy.

In addition to talent, the Imperial Navy also needed to have a dedicated naval base. At present, in addition to the Arthur Naval Base, the Imperial Navy has only the Port City Naval Base under construction by the Nanyang Fleet. In the future, it will be the home port of the Imperial Navy's Nanyang Fleet. In addition, the Admiralty also plans to build naval bases on Blue Island and Dinghai. After the Japanese returned the treasure island, the Imperial Navy will also establish naval bases in Keelung and Kaohsiung ports.

The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty stipulates that the two countries of Korea and the Ryukyus, which have been vassal states of China since ancient times, will regain their independence. As the suzerain, the Chinese Empire is naturally qualified to station troops and build bases in these two countries. In addition, Korea and the Ryukyus are very close to Japan. In the event of a war, the empire could rely on Korea and the Ryukyus to strike directly at Japan without worrying about the flames of war burning to China itself.

Therefore, the Admiralty proposed that the Reich should find a way to acquire the ports of Busan and Jeju in Korea, as well as the port of Naha in the Ryukyus, as a follow-up military base for the Imperial Navy. Among them, the port of Busan can be used to moor submarines and destroyers, and Jeju Island can also be used to deploy submarines to achieve a blockade of the Tsushima Strait and the Sea of Japan. In the port of Naha, the main fleet of the Imperial Navy can be deployed. The port of Naha faces the Pacific Ocean, from which the Imperial Navy can directly enter the western Pacific Ocean and fight the Japanese Navy.

Korea and the Ryukyus were originally annexed by the Japanese. Now, the empire has helped them gain independence. Then, it was obvious that the empire should acquire one or two plots of land from these two vassal states to build military bases. The king of Joseon and the king of the Ryukyus, apparently, will not refuse. Otherwise, they don't know each other.

On July 18, 4608 (10) of the Yellow Emperor Era, King Yi Tuo of Korea and King Shonori of the Ryukyus, who had been held captive by Japan, were released and taken to China. Li Tuo was originally the second emperor of the Korean Empire, but after the signing of the "Japan-Korea Merger" treaty, he was naturally deposed. Now, North Korea is finally about to gain independence, and in front of the former suzerain, Li Tuo naturally does not dare to call himself the emperor, and can only be called the king of Korea.

As for the Ryukyus, because the last king of the Ryukyus, Shotai, died in Tokyo as early as 1901. The Ryukyus had long been abolished by Japan and became a prefecture under Japanese rule. Therefore, the position of the king of the Ryukyus will naturally not fall to the head of the son of Shangdian. Now that the Ryukyus are about to gain independence, Shangdian naturally hopes that the Chinese Empire will canonize him as the king of the Ryukyus.

Wu Haoxuan, the crown prince of the empire, held a banquet in the palace to entertain Li Tuo, who was out of the tiger's mouth. When China was strong, the surrounding countries were all vassal states of China. Now, the only vassal states left are Korea and the Ryukyus. In the future war against Japan, these two vassal states will also be used. Therefore, Wu Haoxuan naturally wanted to win them over.

Li Tuo and Shang Dian, who have been in solitary confinement in Japan for many years, make them very eager to return to their country. Although the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty stipulates that Korea and the Ryukyus will regain independence, whether they can ascend to the throne as they wish depends on the face of the Chinese Empire. Therefore, in front of Wu Haoxuan, the two behaved very deferentially and humblely. (To be continued.) )

PS: The third update is here, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets!