The results of the communication made Sa Daoyi breathe a sigh of relief, and the Chinese were willing to negotiate.

This is good, it means that the fleet on the sea is still mainly intimidating, rather than really attacking Malacca and completely turning the other cheek with the British.

However, the specific negotiator made people feel very headache, and it was actually Deng Shichang, the commander of the fleet in front of him. And his choice of a very delicate place for negotiations is precisely on the island of Bintan, opposite Singapore.

At this time, Bintan Island, which was under the jurisdiction of Indonesia under Dutch colonization, had bauxite mining sites on it, and there were not many inhabitants left. On the contrary, in some remote corners, there are many pirates lurking, but no one is willing to clean them up.

The Chinese very unceremoniously chose such a sensitive place to negotiate, and the Dutch actually did not express a fierce protest. Sa Daoyi guessed that it was most likely related to the departure of several warships from the fleet and sent to the waters of Java.

Although it is only a few 10,000-ton cruisers, it can be called an absolutely invincible behemoth for today's Royal Dutch Navy. The Chinese are inevitably in the name of patrolling and condolences to overseas Chinese, making it impossible for people to refuse.

Sadaoyi was more aware of the potential threat of the Pentan negotiations, and if the negotiations broke down, he would immediately be able to see the spectacular scene of Singapore being flattened by naval shelling across the sea.

With mixed feelings, Minister Sadaoyi crossed the strait in a speedboat and landed on Bintan Island. On the way, he saw the huge battleships cruising at the east entrance of the Malacca waterway, and he sighed with some regret: "If you can negotiate on those battleships, you may be able to take the opportunity to check their reality and truth, so that the empire can get the most real and clear information." ”

The state of the Chinese navy is too mysterious. Since Yang Hao came to power. A variety of new warships that are constantly being launched. The astonishing combat effectiveness that erupted made the navies of various countries look sideways, and they are eager to figure out the mystery.

Unfortunately, however, no personnel from any other country have boarded these ships so far. Even naval officers who surrendered and surrendered, or technicians hired by the Chinese, could only work on a few captured warships before they were transformed, and all of them were later dismissed to the naval school. Even civilian ships went above.

This thought was just a flash, and it was decisively pinched away by Sa Daoyi. It is simply delusional, and China's rise to such a tough position depends entirely on the mysterious strength of its military power. Once someone digs up the secret, it is tantamount to digging one's own grave, and no fool will do that.

The speedboat landed on the north side of Bintan Island, halfway up a lonely hill facing the strait, and Deng Shichang temporarily opened up a campsite. Marines were in charge of clearing the perimeter perimeter, and there were destroyers cruising on the sea, except for low flat ground on all sides. At a glance, you can see the ships passing through the narrow strait.

Greeting the negotiators of Sadaoyi's entourage, he was accompanied by a counselor and two secretaries, and several open-top jeeps drove a few curious people to the mountainside. After another short walk, we came to a flat meadow.

Sa Daoyi narrowed his eyes and saw that it was a colorful military tent forming a semi-encirclement, and in the middle of a basketball court-sized open space, a large parasol covered the square table below.

Deng Shichang wore a white short-sleeved summer military uniform, sat comfortably on a portable folding chair, and waited with a smile until the British were about to get closer, then stood up and greeted him in English: "Welcome Mr. Minister to the island." ”

Sa Daoyi's professional sensitivity was too high, and he immediately responded: "Listening to the meaning of the general's words, it seems that this island is regarded as Chinese territory?" ”

In diplomatic situations, the other side should not be caught casually at all, otherwise it is very likely to fall into a passive situation.

Deng Shichang said with a smile: "The Riau Islands, where Bintan Island is located, and the Anambas Islands and Natuna Islands in the east, have been considered Chinese territory since the Song Dynasty more than a thousand years ago. Although the old empire for many years after that did not attach much importance to sea power, it did not mean that we had given up our sovereignty. Now that we have made a clear statement, we believe that our neighbors will be understandable. ”

Is that really the case?

Sa Daoyi deliberately dismissed it as nonsense, but he didn't dare to draw conclusions lightly. Although he is well versed in the situation of Asian countries, it is difficult for him to clearly understand the history of China for thousands of years. China has a long history and too much cultural influence, at least in the Sui and Tang dynasties, which he knows about 1,500 years ago, it has already radiated its civilization to neighboring countries and regions. Perhaps at that time, the ships that patrolled on behalf of the Eastern Empire had already declared their sovereignty everywhere.

At least during the Ming Dynasty in China, the Ming Empire in the 14th century had already sailed to Africa with a powerful navy, and it is said that traces of them were found on the west coast of the Americas. It is quite possible that the Chinese were really the first to sail around the world.

According to the consistent style of Westerners, all the routes they explored, regardless of whether there were people, countries, or civilizations on the island continents they discovered, they all unceremoniously planted flags and declared "conquest". If they can do that, can't the Chinese?

Comparing hearts to hearts, the European powers were accustomed to being robbers, and subconsciously imagined others as the same kind.

Noticing the change in the expression of the British, Deng Shichang thought to himself: "Mr. Yang is really worthy of a generation of grandmasters, and he is so proficient in diplomatic rhetoric. When it comes to the issue of territorial sovereignty, we only need to come up with the words 'since ancient times', and it is really invincible! ”

The confrontation between the two countries does not have to be easy to fight with real knives and guns. Since Yang Hao's statement, the British have been passively coping step by step. When the two sides officially met, Sa Daoyi really didn't have much confidence to win.

Deng Shichang was not in a hurry to chase and fight, and raised his hand to invite the other party to sit down: "It's rare to have a good weather, we must not let it down." Mr. Minister, try the tea I brought first, it should suit your taste. ”

On the table, there is a set of exquisite tea sets, the oolong tea in the pot has just been poured out, and immediately a refreshing aroma invades the nasal cavity, making people immediately have a trace of moist liquid in the throat, as if the heat of the weather has also been reduced a lot.

Sa Daoyi has been in Asia all the year round, and as a guest of the three imperial courts of China, Japan and Korea, he is of course familiar with the tea art and tea ceremony of the East.

He also knew that he couldn't solve any problems in a hurry, so he simply let go of his heart. He took the bull's-eye cup and drank three bowls of strong tea with transparent color in a row. After a bitter breath. The base of the tongue has a hint of sweetness.

"Thank you General Deng for your hospitality, it is really a rare good tea. However, with so many warships and thousands of kilometers sailing to such a small island to taste tea, isn't His Excellency the General a little too excited? ”

Sa Daoyi held the table with one hand, staring at each other with eyes as sharp as an eagle's falcon.

Deng Shichang leaned comfortably on the back of his chair and said leisurely: "If every voyage of the navies of various countries is to be able to drink tea comfortably with each other on the island. Then I think the world must be very peaceful, and it is a good thing for everyone. Unfortunately, that kind of thing is always difficult to achieve, and often turns into a war to the death. Mr. Minister, do you want to have a leisurely cup of tea next time, or do you finally meet in arms? ”

To put it mildly, throw the problem back.

Sa Daoyi's deep-set eye sockets couldn't help shrinking inward, and he was secretly surprised in his heart: "This Chinese general's words are sharp enough, not at all like those ordinary old-style officers who are clumsy in words. It is said that this is one of the few Chinese naval officers who has no overseas background at all. It is the elite cultivated by the old Harbour Master's School. It seems that it is really more difficult to deal with than the others! ”

He finally understood. Why Yang Hao was so relieved to let Deng Shichang come out to negotiate, it is obvious that he has great trust in this person, not only his loyalty, but also enough confidence in his mind and wisdom.

Sa Daoyi decided not to dwell on this, and immediately changed the subject: "Your Excellency, General, I know that some colonial officials in our country have done something out of the ordinary in a moment's heat, and we are very sorry for this, and we are willing to give appropriate compensation. However, I think that the responsibility for the conflict should be borne by both parties. In your country's slang, 'a slap doesn't make a sound'. Do you think that's the truth? ”

Deng Shichang's eyes narrowed slightly, and he did not immediately cross-examine.

Before he came, he had read the relevant materials repeatedly, and knew that it was impossible for the British in this era to apologize to others casually. The strength of the world's largest power gives them enough confidence to be arrogant and unreasonable. In order to forcibly sell opium, they openly launched a war against another country, and one can imagine what kind of national ethos it was. This way of thinking, which can commit any heinous crime for the sake of money, but does not feel guilty about it at all, has no reason to say anything other than to defeat them by more ferocious means.

Deng Shichang didn't know that in the time and space of Yang Haolai, even if it was another hundred years, the British would not apologize for launching the Opium War in the first place. Their domestic history has even completely forgotten what it was like back then. Of course, there is another possibility, the British have committed too many crimes, and there are more than 200 countries in the world that have been invaded by them, and China is only one of them, so it is nothing.

The so-called determination of a great power means that "if there are too many lice, you will not be bitten, if you have too many debts, if you do too many evils, and if you are retaliated, you will not take it seriously."

Britain in the 21st century has been reduced to the situation of European-stirring sticks, and the situation of the United States' big followers is still so stubborn, not to mention the current Victorian era, the British Empire, which is so powerful that it is the only one in the world.

With such an opinion, Deng Shichang will not be idle and have nothing to do with the British. Since he is a general, it is good to do what he is most proficient in.

Deng Shichang turned his head to look at the strait, pointed to the shadowy battleship in the distance and said, "Mr. Minister should have heard of our latest capital ship, presumably he didn't see her true strength at close range, don't you mind if I show it?" ”

Sa Daoyi barely showed a stiff smile, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Just about to see the demeanor of China's strongest warship, thank you for the generosity of the general." ”

In fact, his heart was in a mess, he never expected that the other party would be so tough, and he didn't plan to fight verbally at all, making it clear that the carriage and horse were here to scare people!

Deng Shichang's hand turned lightly in the air, and the orderly waiting on the side immediately turned around and ran to the tent and sent the order by telegram. After a short time, I saw that the battleships in the distance suddenly changed their positions and opened a horizontal formation at the exit of the strait, plus the destroyers and cruisers that were hugging each other in front and back, and blocked the entire channel when they boarded!

Sa Daoyi was assigned a large magnification binoculars, and he didn't bother to study how this thing was made, so he hurriedly adjusted the focus according to the explanation of the person next to him, and took the distant scene into his eyes.

I saw that above the sea, the ships that were approaching were in chaos! Whether they came from the south or from the north, they were all frightened by the combat posture of the Chinese Navy! None of them wanted to get involved in a naval battle. There's nowhere to reason if you get a shell!

The sea on the eastern side was almost cleared for a long time. A few ships flying the Chinese flag also turned around and left. On the sea on the west side. The ships bound for Singapore turned around in the channel regardless of the danger, but the ships anchored in the port of Singapore set sail one after another and fled in panic!

In fact, since the Chinese navy forced into Malacca, many ships did not dare to sail into the South China Sea, and docked in port one after another, but did not dare to turn off the fire. At this time, the wind and clouds on the sea suddenly changed, and they immediately burned the boiler. It doesn't take a few minutes to pull the anchor and leave.

As for the ships of the British Navy, they had already run to the north of the Channel to prepare for battle.

Just putting on a show will make a mess of Malacca, and it is foreseeable that for a long time to come, the shipping here will be in a state of semi-paralysis. Sa Daoyi can imagine that Sir Mitchell, who is now in the Governor's House in Singapore, must be scolding his mother with jumping feet.

The four "Hebei-class" battleships slowly formed a long snake formation, which was just right embedded in the channel, but none of the ships touched the underwater reefs on both sides. Sa Daoyi was very surprised by Cheng Dù, who was known to the Chinese about the sea conditions. This means that they have been plotting against the British colonies for more than a day or two. I've been well prepared!

Slowly, the four battleships drove into the center line one after another, not caring that they had been targeted and locked by the Singapore shore defense guns on the opposite side, and went straight to the west side of Bintan Island, and lined up the thick guns horizontally, aiming at a lonely island in the narrow road.

The melodious whistle spread in the strait, and after that, I saw a flash of fire on the "Hebei" led by the leader, and the cannon was fired!

It was the first time that he had witnessed the spectacular scene of a battleship's turret firing in person! The clearly magnified scene in the telescope made the well-informed him can't help but widen his eyes, his body trembled violently with the flash of the explosion, and his heart seemed to stop in an instant!

Three horizontal triple 305mm guns fired three times in a row in a three-barreled staggered manner, in a fraction of a second. The orange fireworks that erupted from the muzzle of the cannon rushed out hundreds of meters away! The ripples formed by pushing the sea surface spread violently, showing obvious depressions on the sea level, and the heavy hull was also slightly shaken, and there seemed to be signs of parallel transverse movement!

The wall of fireworks fired by the nine guns was higher than the mainmast, and in the blink of an eye, it was scattered and even covered up the entire huge ship! Viewed diagonally from the opposite side, it looks like a sea of fire suddenly bursting out from the water, forming a huge wave of fireworks like a mountain emptying up!

In the midst of the billowing orange fireworks, the stout warhead tore through the smoke and soared at more than twice the speed of sound, pulling out visible traces against the sea! Sa Daoyi's ears even gave birth to a loud rumbling sound that broke through the air, and the illusion made him feel a chill in his bones!

In the blink of an eye, the shells flew into the air and arrived on the target island! On the steep hill with an altitude of only more than 100 meters, suddenly a cloud of thick smoke rose rapidly, and nine explosions in a row squeezed into a narrow space and erupted intensively, and a thick mushroom cloud swept up, looking from a distance, it was magnificent!

In a short time, the sound of artillery on the sea and explosions on the island followed! From so far away, Sa Daoyi felt as if the earth had been shaken, and the fierceness made people's hearts beat the wrong beat!

Sa Daoyi now has a considerable study of the navy, and he immediately came to a terrible conclusion! Such a dense burst of heavy artillery, such an accurate hit at such a distance, means that in a naval battle, it will be very dangerous to deal with the ships of such a battleship! They didn't even have a chance to get closer, and they were going to be destroyed by powerful shells more than a dozen kilometers away!

No wonder the British Navy has suffered repeated crushing defeats, and there is no chance to escape. In the face of such amazing battleship firepower, there is no way to fight back!

And that's not all! The first battleship quickly moved out of the way after nine shots, and the next three drove there one after another, firing nine rapid fires. Thirty-six shells exploded on the isolated island one after another, and the boiling fireworks completely surrounded and swallowed the entire island, and a thick mushroom cloud rose hundreds of meters high. Countless pieces of rubble flew from the cloud of smoke, like projectile fragments thrown haphazardly into the sea.

The earth-shattering explosion shook the ground, as if it had set off a huge wave on the surface of the sea. After more than ten minutes, the fireworks on the isolated island slowly dissipated, and the telescope looked over, only to see that the top of the hill was actually smashed and blown beyond recognition!

Sadao was terrified! If such firepower is aimed at Singapore on the opposite side, I am afraid that it will take only a few salvos to completely reduce the city and port to ruins!

What can you do with shore defense artillery? I'm afraid that if I can't drive it a few times, and I don't even have time to aim, I may be killed by someone first. The whole city was bombed into ruins, what could a battery alone do?

Four battleships, attacking the same target, did not miss a single shell, that amazing accuracy, indicating that the Chinese Navy has completely mastered these behemoths! As long as someone dares to provoke, even if they don't have the superb ship handling skills of the British Navy, they can be invincible with this archery skill alone!

One of the British diplomats who accompanied him was dressed as a naval officer, and when he saw such an astonishing scene, his heart was cold. He was still unconvinced, thinking that he would command the latest British battleship to take revenge in the future. Now it seems that it is mysterious!

Deng Shichang took all their gaffes in his eyes, and sneered in his heart: "To negotiate with world-class gangsters, you really have to show your muscles first to make them honest, and then, see if they can still be so tough!" (To be continued......)