ps: Today's three watches are completed! Sorry, a little late! Thank you for the reward from the Eagle of the People's Liberation Army! Thank you for the monthly pass of the crazy chieftain of the book friend!

Much of Britain's strength was based on the brutal exploitation of its vast colonies. It is precisely with the support of the overseas colonies of the government that Britain has become the world's number one power. All the resources needed for British soil, including food, energy, and other raw materials for production, had to be imported from the colonies. The goods produced had to rely on the vast colonial market to be sold, otherwise British industry and commerce would have been crushed by the United States, Germany, and later China.

It can be said that the overseas colonies have become the lifeblood of Britain, and once Britain's connection with the overseas colonies is severed, Britain's war potential will be greatly reduced. Therefore, when the British Admiralty, Sir Fisher, pointed out the function of this new type of battleship of the Chinese Navy, Prime Minister Arthur Balfour immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"Do you know how many new battleships of this type the Chinese intend to build?" Prime Minister Arthur Belfour asked.

"Your Excellency, according to the information we have received, the Chinese will probably build four or more new battleships of this class. Of course, this is only this class, and it is difficult to determine whether the Chinese will have plans for the construction of such new battleships of the next class. However, the only thing that is certain is that such new battleships of the Chinese will pose a mortal threat to the British Empire! Sir Fisher said.

Prime Minister Arthur Belfour's face was gloomy, as if he could drip water. He never imagined that the Chinese would design such a vicious warship specifically against the British. Although, there is no actual evidence that the Chinese designed such battleships against the British. But from the contradictions of China and Britain, as well as China's ambitions. It is not difficult to see the intention of the Chinese to design such battleships.

"So, Sir Fisher, the Royal Navy, how are you going to deal with the challenge of the Chinese? I have only one request, and that is that the glory of the Royal Navy must be maintained. The security of the British Empire must be guaranteed! Prime Minister Arthur Belfour said.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, actually. This new type of battleship designed by the Chinese is not very difficult to kill. If the Royal Navy increases its investment, we will be able to come up with a new warship that can rival this type of battleship in the next three years. But. The navy needs to be well designed and built. In addition, in order to meet the challenge of the Chinese, the construction of the 'Dreadnought-class' battleships must be accelerated, and the 'Bellerophon-class' battleships must also be started as soon as possible. And, in view of the current critical situation, I request that the number of battleships of the 'Bellerophon-class' be built. From 3 to 6 ships. Thus, by 1905 we had 12 new battleships and several fast battleships, and we were able to safeguard the maritime interests of the British Empire. But. If we are to restore the Royal Navy to the world's largest navy, we need to invest more. At the very least, the design and construction of new battleships in the future must keep up! Sir Fisher said. The Chinese Navy is developing at a rapid pace. This put a lot of pressure on him. If the British Navy wants to regain its former glory, it must invest more. Sir Fisher believed. As long as the funds can be guaranteed, with the foundation of the British navy, it will regain the status of the world's number one naval power within ten years, and there will be no problems with the people. Of course, this undoubtedly requires the guarantee of huge funds, and he can only count on the support of Prime Minister Arthur Belfour.

Sure enough, after listening to Sir Fisher's words, Prime Minister Arthur Belfour frowned. The UK's annual fiscal revenue is only more than 100 million pounds. The Army has already spent hundreds of millions of pounds in South Africa, and it seems that it will take another year or two to finish, at least another 200 million pounds. The Navy also proposed a large-scale shipbuilding plan, six 'dreadnought-class' battleships, each costing £2.5 million. The subsequent 'Bellerophon-class' battleships cost as much as three million pounds. In addition, the Navy is going to invest in the construction of new battleships that can compete with the Chinese Navy, as well as other battleships in the future, this is completely a gold-swallowing beast! Otherwise, Britain would not have been able to afford such heavy expenses if Britain had been able to plunder a great deal of wealth from its colonies every year.

However, Prime Minister Arthur Belfour knew that some money had to be spent, and if it was stingy, it would bring great trouble to the British Empire in the future. Just like the navy, if the British navy cannot be restored, then the vast overseas colonies of Britain are threatened. India and Australia, in particular, are completely on the lips of the Chinese. As long as the Chinese are willing, the light ones will be able to swallow these two huge colonies. To curb China's ambitions, Britain must build the world's most powerful navy. In addition, Germany was pressing forward in Europe, and Germany and China joined forces to build a large number of new battleships, which posed a huge challenge to Britain's maritime supremacy. If it is not good, Britain's overseas colonies will be divided between China and Germany. Therefore, Britain has no choice but to do its best.

"Well, Sir Fisher, you go ahead and do it! I'll find a way to convince the council to give the Navy enough money. After all, the future of the British Empire is at stake, and I hope that the final victory will still belong to the British Empire! Prime Minister Arthur Belfour said.

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister, rest assured that the British Empire will not fail!" Sir Fisher assured.

Prime Minister Arthur Belfour nodded, but his eyes were full of worry.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, when the time comes to welcome the Emperor of China, I hope to be able to participate!" Sir Fisher said.

"Why?" Arthur Belfour asked. Although Sir Fisher was the Lord of the Admiralty and qualified to attend, Arthur Belfort felt that there was no need for it.

"Your Excellency, I want to observe the Chinese's new battleship up close, and if possible, I would like to be able to go on the ship and take a look!" Sir Fisher said.

"This, I'm afraid, is a bit difficult. The Chinese will certainly not agree! Prime Minister Arthur Belfour said.

"It's okay, let's figure it out when the time comes! However, the principle of this new type of battleship, I have probably guessed, and the Admiralty will soon be able to come up with the corresponding design scheme! Sir Fisher said firmly. The design concept of the British Navy has always been to attach importance to firepower and speed, and the Chinese's new battleships obviously follow this plan. Therefore, it was not a big problem for the British Navy to design a battleship of the same type.

On February 15, at the Portsmouth Military Port in southern England, the battleships of the British Navy's Turkish Fleet lined up and began firing a gun salute to welcome the Chinese Emperor to Britain. On the docks, the future King Edward VII, British Prime Minister Arthur Balfour, and Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Fisher, were already waiting. The Chinese Navy's battle cruiser "Bai Qi", under the guidance of the pilot ship, slowly entered the waterway of the military port and docked on the shore. The tall body of the battlecruiser "White Rise" brought a great shock to the British. Most British people have heard of China's strength, but when they see such powerful warships built by the Chinese, they can really feel this power.

"Sir Fisher, does the Royal Navy of the British Empire have such powerful warships?" Edward VII couldn't help but ask.

"Not yet, Your Highness, but soon we will have. The Royal Navy of the British Empire, always the first in the world! Sir Fisher assured.

Edward VII nodded, although he was already sixty years old, he had been the crown prince for decades before he was eligible to become the king of England. However, he is also very aware of the predicament that Britain is facing. In Europe, Germany, ruled by his nephew, was pressing on Britain step by step, and the great empire that rose in the Far East drove the Western powers out of the Far East at once and posed a serious threat to British interests.

After the 'Baiqi' docked, Wang Yuze took the hand of Queen Xiong Menghan and got off the boat under the escort of the guards. Edward VII and others immediately greeted him.

"Welcome, His Majesty the Great Emperor of China!" Edward VII said with a menacing face. Looking at this young emperor, who was not yet thirty years old, Edward VII had a complete feeling that he was already old.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, the future King Xià. The death of Queen Victoria is a loss for all Britons. Wang Yuze held Edward VII's hand and said.

"Thank you! However, I think Her Majesty will be very happy in heaven, she has been working for this country for more than sixty years, and it is time to rest! Edward VII said with a smile.

"Welcome, Emperor Xià!" British Prime Minister Arthur Balfour said with a smile on his face. Although, in fact, he hated China to death, especially after learning that China had built such vicious warships.

"Thank you, Your Excellency Prime Minister." Wang Yuze said with a smile.

"Welcome to England, Your Majesty the Emperor!" Sir Fisher, the British Admiralty-Secretary, also said.

"I've admired my name for a long time, Your Excellency the Lord of the Navy!" Wang Yuze also admires the British Admiral Fisher, the bull man who led the LinkedIn Navy to suppress the German Navy in history.

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor! Your Majesty, is this the latest warship to be built in your country? Sir Fisher asked, pointing to the battleship 'White Rise'.

"Of course! This is the newest warship of our Navy, which we call the 'battle cruiser'. Wang Yuze replied proudly.

"Battlecruisers? That's the right name! However, soon we will have such battlecruisers as well! Sir Fisher said secretly in his heart.