In February 1897, just after the Chinese New Year, it was still freezing in northern Western Europe.

Yet on the edge of the Atlantic, the shipyards of the British Empire are still working day and night. At the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, on one of the largest slipways to date, a row of keels of unprecedented size and complexity is rapidly being assembled.

The British Imperial Navy's Director of Shipbuilding, William. White and Second Sea Secretary John. Fisher visited the site almost every day, paying attention to the entire construction process from every detail, grasping the various shortcomings and omissions at any time, and making timely adjustments.

For the Royal Navy of the British Empire, what they are doing is unprecedented, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the beginning of an era. But the big people who really know the inside story can't be happy, looking at the steel giant on the ever-changing slipway, there are all kinds of unspeakable regrets and helplessness in their hearts.

On this day, William. Director White received the news and immediately rushed to the shipyard, where he saw representatives from Armstrong and Whitworth in the project control room.

The middle-aged fat man in his forties has a slightly bald head, and there is not a trace of wrinkles on his oily forehead, but there is also no trace of the last traces of youth. A pair of eyes that look tired due to the irregular work and rest for a long time are slightly yellow, but when they see the director, they still inevitably show a brilliance of flattery and joy.

"Dear sir, I have to report to you in advance the good news that the main gun of the large-caliber battleship undertaken by our company has been successfully developed! I'm here today to ask you to take a look at our sample and hope to make you satisfied. ”

The middle-aged fat man's voice was full of unappetizing sweetness, which was obviously not the kind of vegetarian that a qualified salesman should have. If you understand the current atmosphere of the British Empire, you can think that this guy must be a related household of some big man in that private arms factory, otherwise how could he take on such an important task?

Selling the battleship's main guns, it's a big deal. In the manufacture of modern warships, it can account for up to a third of the cost. In the case of the Dreadnought-class test ship under construction on the slipway, the investment is as high as 2 million pounds, so the 10 main guns in the design account for a huge figure of nearly 600,000 pounds. When converted to the weight of steel, the price is almost equal to the same weight of silver.

It's a big deal, and no one can ignore the huge profits involved.

William. Sir White frowned, instinctively disliking the fat man. However, he is a strict person who always demands that he always focus on his work, and does not allow distractions from unnecessary things. Therefore, just a trace of unpleasantness passed in his heart, and he immediately put his mind on the new main gun mentioned by the other party.

"Let me look at the blueprint and the associated numbers."

Jazz said lightly, waving his hand to the engineers who came with him to take the bundles of design drawings and test reports from the other personnel.

A battleship's main gun is not just a simple accumulation of a bunch of seamless steel pipes.

Structurally speaking, the battleship main gun has to withstand the instantaneous pressure of thousands of times the conventional atmospheric pressure per unit area, and also has to withstand the instantaneous high temperature burning of thousands of degrees, and its strength requirements are very high, and it is particularly difficult to process. From metallurgical formulations to molten steel purity, to forging in machining, and post-forming drilling, heat treatment and surface strengthening processes, all represent the pinnacle of a country's metal technology.

This is still not enough insurance, so in addition to the processed inner barrel, it must be wound and reinforced with steel wire to ensure that it will not be cracked during radial instantaneous high-pressure expansion. A cannon barrel needs tens of kilometers of steel wire to be finely reinforced, which is not a high-tech that ordinary people can play.

In addition, it is also necessary to reinforce the casing in the outer layer to ensure that it is foolproof, and so on, so it will cause high costs.

However, this is only an industrial technical requirement, and before that, it is necessary to accurately calculate a series of numbers such as what kind of barrel to use, how much capacity of the gun chamber is needed, what kind of propellant to fill, what weight of warhead to push, and so on.

It can be said that without accumulating many years of experience, it is pure fantasy to want to design an advanced and excellent cannon out of thin air.

In this regard, the British Empire has unparalleled experience, whether it is a state-built shipyard, an arsenal, or a newly added private arsenal, everyone shares the data accumulated over hundreds of years, so there is no fear that it will not be able to make a good main gun with excellent performance.

The question is who will handle this.

In addition, a very critical issue is how to ensure that a good cannon can perform its performance. Specifically, it is the application in combat. In terms of design, it is the superiority of the turret and the rearing mechanism that carries the naval gun.

The previous British Navy battleships used the most advanced main gun for Armstrong's 40 times the diameter of the 305mm main gun, that guy can reach a rate of fire of two minutes per shot, much faster than all the previous large-caliber main guns, but to say that there is a qualitative change in performance, no. It is still a setback structure, and if you want to reset after each launch, you must not expect to be able to restore the original pitch angle, and you must move and aim again. Therefore, it is not fast at all.

This time, however, the newly designed "Dreadnought" needed a structure with superior performance, so that the twin turrets could quickly reset to the original pitch angle and balance after launch, ensuring that the second reload would not be affected.

Correspondingly, the design requires the rate of fire of the main gun, which is theoretically required to be 1-1.5 rounds per minute.

The oily fat man representative very confidently helped to spread out the design drawings with his own hands, presenting the blueprint more than one meter wide in front of the jazz reality, and at the same time showing off proudly: "Dear sir, you see the most powerful naval artillery system in the history of the British Empire." We have successfully designed a long-barreled main gun with a diameter of up to 45 times, which weighs only 57.7 tons, has a muzzle velocity of up to 831m/s, and a rate of fire of up to 1.5 rounds per minute. ”

"Oh? If it's true, it should be a satisfying number. ”

Jazz showed a little satisfaction with his reservedness, and his sharp eyes quickly swept over the overall design composition, and all kinds of numbers were quickly calculated in his heart, and he nodded heartily and praised: "Very good, it is indeed much more ideal than we imagined." However, is it just to such a journey? I remember that at the joint meeting of the Navy last year, we asked for a 50 times the diameter of the long-barreled main gun. So, why didn't I see it? ”

"Picky old fellow!" The fat salesman complained silently, and replied without changing his face, "Dear sir, with your wisdom and professionalism, you should understand that it is too difficult to increase the diameter of the artillery, and that even exceeds the expansion of the caliber. Given the urgency of the needs on the part of the Navy, we have done our best, and we have done our best to do so. You see, it has a range of over twenty thousand yards, and the rate of fire and accuracy are unprecedentedly high. At the level of naval tactics today, it is far beyond what is needed. ”

The range of 20,000 yards, or more, translates to a range of almost 20 kilometers, which was indeed far worthless in naval battles at the end of the nineteenth century, when warships of both sides often had to fight each other at a distance of less than five kilometers.

In the days when there were no optical rangefinders, if you just observed and aimed at enemy ships with the naked eye, you could not expect to be accurate if you were more than 10,000 meters. Even if they were able to shoot across the fire, they would be meaningless due to the rapid change of direction between each other and the slow rate of fire of the main gun.

But that's always going to change, isn't it? Especially now, with the Chinese Navy ships in front of the jade, the 10,000-yard engagement range will become the mainstream, so the longer range, higher accuracy, and faster rate of fire are needed to ensure the effectiveness of the attack.

Sir White was not lightly impressed by the other party, and after quickly flipping through all the drawings, he slowly frowned, stared at the other party with sharp eyes and asked, "Is there only the main gun?" I think this is a blueprint that includes an advanced gun mount. ”

The fat salesman's expression froze, and the corners of his eyes twitched and he smiled: "Actually...... I was about to explain this to you. The company focused on the design of the main gun, and given the tight schedule, all the manpower was spent on completing the most critical parts....... ”

Sir White interrupted his quibble with a wave of his hand, and said displeasedly, "That is to say, your company has not completed its scheduled work. Just a main cannon will not solve the problem at all. Do you think this will fulfill the commission of the Naval Shipbuilding Committee? ”

The bald fat man subconsciously rubbed his hands, sweating on his forehead. He really couldn't do anything about this, and muttered dissatisfiedly in his heart: "Damn old fellow, isn't it enough for us to achieve such excellent results in such a short time?" You are so naïve to think that you are stingy with only a little money, and you want to get everything, it is simply impossible! ”

But he didn't dare to say it after all, after all, the authority of His Excellency the Director can determine the success or failure of any company's products, and he can't help but maintain his superficial respect.

Sir White sighed slightly in disappointment, and turned to the engineers who were busy counting the guns, and ordered: "Suspend the evaluation of the Armstrong gun mount, and first merge the twin gun mounts of the Vickers Company into this main gun, and assemble and test the whole turret." We're racing against the clock now, and it's too late to wait for the rest of us to progress. ”

"Yes, Sir."

In the Naval Shipbuilding Committee, Sir has an indisputable professional appeal, and his unique views are representative of all people's views, so that they can be carried out without question.

The bald fat man carefully wiped his forehead, secretly glad in his heart that this level had finally passed. As long as Mr. Jazz is able to accept their products, a single qiē is not a problem. Gun carriage and turret or something, there is no way to lose it for the time being, the key order is in your own hands!

William. Sir White was anxious, but had no choice but to assemble what he had.

Fortunately, the design that took half a year before was excellent enough, and it was not difficult to assemble Armstrong's 305mm gun and Vickers' gun mount system. Installing on top of the original swivel base does not bring much work.

Within a few days, an installed twin turret was put together. Under the personal witness of many bigwigs of the Navy, an epoch-making twin majestic battleship main gun was successfully launched. At the naval artillery test site, they personally saw the combined complete cannon blast armor-piercing shells weighing 389 kg for more than twenty kilometers at a rate of 1.5 rounds per minute!

Applaud! Applause!

The members of the Admiralty Commission who came to visit responded with warm applause and unfeigned their unfeigned appreciation for Mr. Sir and his great achievements under his personal supervision.

Sir Hoskins, First Sea Lord, asked with great interest: "Mr. Director, can we be optimistic that the Royal Navy has the most powerful firepower of the Chinese Navy?" ”

Sir White replied unusually professionally: "From my personal judgment, I can only assume that we have a good enough main gun to threaten the other side. But this is only a part of the overall combat effectiveness of the battleship, and we must ensure that we can keep up with the other parts in order to have a certain certainty. ”

"Oh? So, in your experience, where are we left? ”

His Excellency the Sea Secretary is clearly not a fan of bad news, and he particularly hopes that he will be able to achieve a good result at the beginning of his tenure. There is no doubt that building a capital ship with unprecedented power and performance will greatly enhance the influence of the navy and ensure that its position will not be shaken.

William White pointed out very pragmatically: "Our biggest problem at the moment is that there are not enough slipways to build ships. Gentlemen, at present, we have done our best to build this test ship, with a length of only 160 meters and a standard displacement of only 18,110 tons, which is already the limit that the major shipyards can bear. And the Chinese warship, with a visual length of nearly 200 meters, means that it has a larger displacement, may carry more main guns or a larger caliber, and must have surprising configurations such as range and armor. So, we can't be too optimistic. ”

"Damn the Chinese guys, I can't believe where they got those advanced equipment!"

His Excellency the Minister was very unhappy and scolded the dirty words. As a high-ranking official of the British Empire, who prides himself on being the number one in the world, he cannot accept that in terms of industrial science and technology, Britain has been surpassed by a backward Eastern country that is expected to be in a barbaric era.

Sir White was merciless: "But that's the reality. Dear Excellency, there is no doubt that the shipbuilding equipment and steel fittings we have obtained from China, as well as the power systems such as steam turbines, have undoubtedly excellent performance quality. We were able to quickly start building the Intrepid, and we owe thanks to the generosity and trustworthiness of the other side." ”

But it's an unpleasant gap after all, isn't it?

Sir Hoskins is like grabbing Sir Wright's collar to remind him that the other side is an enemy, a rival in the Far East, a threat to the British Empire, and a powerful villain to challenge the Royal Navy!

But just thinking about it, he was very deflated to recognize the reality.

Based on the data of the British intelligence services, it is believed that the three suspicious warships that appeared in China are representatives of two advanced maritime weapons that are greatly related, one with a smaller caliber, and the other with a main gun caliber that undoubtedly reaches the highest 305mm long-barreled main gun in modern times.

This is not a problem, what is terrible is the shooting of the triple turret, after the precise calculations of naval experts, it is believed that the guy has at least seven or eight hundred tons! This meant that almost doubling the total weight of the most powerful twin turrets available today would require a larger crane and gantry crane to complete the installation job.

Correspondingly, the salvo of the triple main gun requires a series of innovations such as stronger battleship keels, better observation and aiming methods, and more advanced tactics. The British Empire leads the world, but there is no guarantee that it will be able to overwhelm each other in these aspects!

There is no doubt that China's daring to sell incredibly advanced machinery and equipment to other countries shows that they have a more advanced and perfect self to use. It's quite unrealistic to expect to outwhelm your opponent technically.

"This is a warning, a signal that the Chinese are announcing their rise, and asking countries to pay attention to it and not continue their usual misconceptions." After all, China has a long history of being advanced, and their temporary backwardness does not mean permanent destruction. Anyone who defends an ancient empire with tens of millions of square kilometers of land and a population of more than 400 million people will pay a huge price for it! Even if the British Empire is on the other side of the world, it should not be taken lightly! ”

Sir Hoskins resounded in his heart with the meaningful comments of Lord Hamilton Sr., and the joy in his heart vanished.

"But fortunately, the industrial capacity of the British Empire has always been advanced, and even if it is temporarily backward, we will definitely catch up quickly. A two-hundred-meter slipway is nothing, a twelve-inch gun is nothing, we can do better, build faster, and have a larger caliber! ”

A frenzied thought came through the mind of the Chancellor, and he decided to immediately propose a completely new construction, and the British immediately began to design the guns with longer barrels and larger calibers, as well as the design of larger-tonnage battleships. Britain must and must ensure its superiority at sea, which is a prerequisite for the Empire's long-term domination of the planet.

There is no doubt that this mention was quickly put on the agenda by companies such as Armstrong and Armstrong to put the design of the 50-fold diameter twelve-inch gun and the 365mm gun on the agenda.

At the same time, after working overtime to complete the transformation of the slipway, the construction of a new class of three improved battleships equivalent to the battleship "Dreadnought" was put into operation.

The British Navy could no longer wait for the first test ship to complete all the tests before starting work, and the threat from the Far East and the competition from Germany and France to build ships reminded them that they had to take risks. And the steel plates and power systems purchased from China inevitably exposed the number of battleships.

This is also a helpless choice, if you still follow the first "dreadnought" approach, get back some unsuitable size steel plates to reprocess and drill by yourself, the efficiency is too slow, and the UK cannot afford to delay.

The consequence of this was that Yang Hao effortlessly judged the displacement of the battleship under construction from the steel plates and equipment purchased by the British, and couldn't help but smile easily. This kind of competition is really pleasing to the eye! R1152