Somewhere outside the Zhoushan Islands, the fifteen-day sea traffic control has made it full of mystery.

Under the blue sea and blue sky, a large warship with a different style is quickly passing through a predetermined sea area.

The flying scissor bow, the slender hull, the square stern four-axis propulsion, the central axis layout of the unified caliber of four twin 203 mm main guns, no secondary guns, only close defense rapid-fire guns, compared with the warships of European and American powers, it is not an exaggeration to say that her style is very different.

She is Daji, an unusual warship in sea trials, which the Chinese Navy is testing. Construction of the Daji began in 1896 because it was the first 10,000-ton warship built by the Chinese Navy itself, and Wang Chenhao incorporated more than a dozen advanced design concepts into its design, so that the battleship was not basically completed until early January 1900.

Of course, in the subsequent sea trials, the test indicators of the Daji were very good, and Wang Chenhao was not disappointed.

In the speed test, the Daji lasted 17 hours and ran a maximum of 23.8 knots, which was only 0.3 knots higher than the designed 23.5 knots, but because the Daji also used a reciprocating steam engine, this result was already gratifying.

In the sea trials that followed, a series of items such as the stability of the hull structure, the seaworthiness, the wave resistance, the shooting, the communications, and the damage management were tested under bad sea conditions, and the test results were good and satisfactory. In particular, the main guns and close-in rapid-fire guns were able to fire stably in rough sea conditions, which was very satisfying to the Admiralty.

Today is the day when the Daji began to test its combat surname, and this is the only test that Wang Chenhao and the Admiralty officials attended to watch, which shows its important surname.

Accompanied by dozens of naval officers and naval officers, including Wei Han, minister of the Ship Administration, Deng Shichang, minister of the Admiralty, and Lin Jianzhang, commander of the Pacific Fleet, Wang Chenhao boarded the battleship Dengyun and watched the battle of the Daji with everyone in the observation room at the highest part of the bridge.

Of course, there were not so many people crowded into the observation room, except for Wang Chenhao, Deng Shichang, Wei Han and Lin Jianzhang, there was only one observation staff officer beside him to give directions.

At 10 a.m., the Daji was the first to enter the scheduled test area.

Wang Chenhao can clearly see the Daji a few kilometers away through the large magnification telescope. Wang Chenhao's gray hull paint and streamlined and graceful hull structure made Wang Chenhao feel very satisfied and have a sense of accomplishment, because many of the design concepts of the Daji were proposed by Wang Chenhao.

"The target target ship appeared, with a bearing of 240 and a distance of 5200 meters."

"Prime Minister, please look at the direction of eleven o'clock."

After observing the staff officer's briefing, Lin Jianzhang was afraid that Wang Chenhao would not understand, so he deliberately said it in layman's terms.

Wang Chenhao looked in the direction of eleven o'clock with the high-powered telescope, and sure enough, a ship appeared there.

"How do I feel I've seen this ship?"

Deng Shichang then replied: "Premier Qiqi, this ship is our old Beiyang retired Yangwei, which was originally used as a training ship, and now we have a new type of training ship, and the Yangwei ship is too old, so it has been changed to a target ship." ”

"It turned out to be a Yangwei, no wonder it feels familiar."

The Yangwei was originally planned to be dismantled, but in the end, the shipyard realized that the cost of dismantling the Yangwei exceeded the price of selling scrap iron, so it abandoned the dismantling and used the navy as a training target ship instead.

Wang Chenhao and the others continued to watch, and on the other side, after the Daji discovered the target ship, he immediately launched an operation.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ "Detection of enemy ships, combat alerts, notification from superiors. ”

"Combat speed, four cars into four."

The Daji entered the combat state, and the captain gave the order, and the Daji moved forward at full speed, and the bow of the ship split a huge wave several meters high, heading straight for the target ship.

The target ship was only about 10 knots, and the Daji quickly seized the advantageous "T" prefix to shoot at the horizontal position.

"The starboard main gun is ready, the target distance is 5400 meters, and the azimuth is 020."

"Ready~Fire!"

"Knock knock!"

The Daji's four twin 203mm guns opened fire, and the shells whistled at the target.

"Boom!"

Eight shells landed less than 50 meters away from the target ship, and the impact points were distributed in an approximate straight line, and the explosion of the shells set off huge waves more than 10 meters high.

After the first round of shelling, the observer officer above the island of the Daji quickly reported the location of the impact points to the fire control commander, who quickly calculated the error with the target ship and quickly adjusted the firing elements.

Just as the Daji was preparing for a second salvo, the target ship suddenly turned around to evade, which stunned the people who were watching the test. Previously, when they watched a similar live-fire target ship, the target ship was only traveling in one direction because no one controlled it until it was sunk. But now that the target ship has turned, it is obvious that it is a strike action to evade the fire of the ship's guns, which indicates that someone above is controlling it.

Wang Chenhao, who was in the distance, saw it clearly and asked, "Is there someone on the boat?" How can I shoot live? ”

When they heard Wang Chenhao's words, everyone couldn't help but show a relieved expression. Wang Chenhao's first concern is the safety of personnel, which is more likely for them to arouse their gratitude than getting Wang Chenhao's commendation.

Wei Han hurriedly explained: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, there are no personnel on the target ship. ”

"No one?"

"How did the ship turn on its own?"

"Isn't it haunted?"

Deng Shichang and Lin Jianzhang were puzzled, and the former was even more superstitious.

Wang Chenhao said suddenly: "Is it remote control?" ”

Wang Chenhao quickly thought of this, because he knew that Tesla had already successfully developed remote control technology and registered a patent in China.

Wei Han couldn't help but look at Wang Chenhao in surprise and said, "The Prime Minister is really knowledgeable, that's right, it is the remote control system that is installed." ”

Deng Shichang and Lin Jianzhang were still kept in the dark, with surprised expressions on their faces, not knowing what Wang Chenhao and Wei Han meant.

Soon, Wei Han explained: "In the past, when we tested the power and hit rate of the ship's guns, because the target ship was unattended, it was either fixed or sailing in a straight line. In this way, our artillery test is equivalent to a fixed target, and in a real naval battle, the warships of both sides move at high speed, and this test effect is not enough to provide a basis for actual combat. The last time I went to Beiyang Science and Technology to visit, I accidentally found that Mr. Tesla had successfully developed a remote control device, so I contacted Mr. Xu of Beiyang Science and Technology and asked Tesla to design a remote control device for installation on the target ship, so that the personnel can control the target ship in the safe area like a normal simulation of naval combat action, and test the test as a real battle, so that the test data will be closer to the real battle. ”

Wang Chenhao quickly understood the reason, and Deng Shichang, Lin Jianzhang and others also understood the mystery after Wei Han finished speaking, and praised Wei Han for doing a good job.

"With such a remote control device, it will be possible to conduct more live-fire training during naval combat exercises in the future."

Lin Jianzhang quickly drew inferences from one case and suggested that the remote-controlled device should be used in the navy's military exercises, so that the exercises would be closer to the actual combat environment and would be conducive to enhancing the combat capability of the navy's officers and men.

Wang Chenhao smiled: "This suggestion is very good, is it completely okay?" ”

As he spoke, the thunderous sound of cannon rang out again in the distance, and the Daji maneuvered to once again seize a favorable firing position, and after the second round of fire salvo, the shells were closer to the target ship.

A few minutes later, when the Daji fired its fifth salvo at the target ship, six of the eight 203-mm shells hit the target ship at the same time.

"Boom!"

After the loud sound of the explosion of the shells, the entire target ship was in a sea of fire, and thick smoke billowed up into the sky.

Then, after the sixth salvo of fire, all eight shells hit the target ship, instantly blowing the target ship apart, and the target ship sank into the sea a few minutes later.

"It's really extraordinary!"

Wang Chenhao and the crowd applauded warmly to celebrate the success of the live-fire test. The application of the unified live ammunition firing of the main gun caliber and the unified central fire control system proved that the hit rate of artillery shells in actual combat was greatly improved. By observing evenly distributed impact points, the fire control calculation is greatly simplified and the rate of fire is increased.

"It's all the visionary and wise leadership of adults, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to achieve this."

Wei Han was a highly respected person in the naval circles, and he was not known for flattering his superiors, and now saying this made Deng Shichang, Lin Jianzhang and other naval officials cast adoring eyes on Wang Chenhao.

Deng Shichang said: "The Daji is very good, it can be said that she is currently the most advanced large armored cruiser in the world. Prime Minister, I would like to suggest that the three Windcatcher-class warships under construction be converted into the layout of the Daji. ”

Wang Chenhao said with a smile: "The Wind Catcher class was originally designed and built on the basis of the Hunter and Daji, and the hull part of the Wind Catcher class has been launched, and the design has been finalized, which is not suitable for modification according to the layout of the Daji. ”

Wei Han said: "What the Prime Minister said is very true. Unbeknownst to Mr. Deng, Daji is still only in testing, and there are more testing items to be completed in the next year. While the Daji is doing very well so far, there are some hidden dangers that we haven't discovered yet. There is no international precedent for this new concept warship, and we are still groping forward, so unless the Daji completes all the test items and passes the test, I am not in favor of mass construction. ”

Deng Shichang nodded, he also understood this truth, but he still hoped to see this battleship built in batches as soon as possible. Similarly, Lin Jianzhang also had an expression of eagerness and anticipation.

Wang Chenhao can understand their feelings, only when more advanced warships join the Chinese navy's combat sequence, can China's sea power and overseas interests be better protected.

"Lord Wei, how is the big ship project on the steam turbine going?"

Wang Chenhao looked at the performance of the Daji and thought of the battleship Intrepid that Britain had built and launched a few years later. Wang Chenhao hopes that the Chinese Navy can also have its own national dreadnought when the British Dreadnought is launched. The biggest problem for dreadnoughts was how to fit the huge steam turbine system onto the battleship.

"We've been testing steam turbine systems, and the Beiyang Technology Power Laboratory has designed several of the latest Parsons steam turbine systems, including the Parsons K-type steam turbine system, which is expected to be installed on battleships," Wei said. The British Naval Engineering Department also sent us several sets of design schemes, one of which is more reasonable, four sets of Parsons steam turbine systems to form a combined turbine unit, improve the steam recycling rate, which can reduce the number of boilers, reduce bloat, and thus reduce displacement. However, Xia Guan calculated that if the battleship was built according to the design standards of the Daji, the displacement would be at least 20,000 tons. ”

Wang Chenhao thought about it, the displacement of the British battleship Dreadnought a few years later was also about 20,000 tons, and the British installed five twin 305mm guns on it, but Wang Chenhao was not optimistic about the gun arrangement of the Dreadnought, so he reduced the main gun turret, and the remaining weight was allocated to the steam turbine and boiler system, so that the overall effect was better than that of the Dreadnought.

Thinking of this, Wang Chenhao asked: "How is the progress of our large-caliber main artillery system?" ”

Wei Han replied: "Beiyang Ordnance Heavy Industry has improved the manufacturing process of the 40-fold extension 305 mm shipborne main gun, and currently has the ability of industrial production, according to their progress, the batch localization of the main gun of this caliber can be completed by this time next year." ”

Wang Chenhao nodded and said, "According to the construction process of the battleship, the main gun system will be installed only after the hull is completed and launched, so we can now start the construction plan of the new concept battleship." ”

Wei Han asked with a surprised expression, "My lord, do you mean to design and build a new concept battleship according to the construction style of the Daji?" ”

Wang Chenhao nodded, noncommittal. According to his plan, although the Chinese naval industry was not as developed as the British, it was not possible to build the Dreadnought battleship in a year, as the British shipyards did. According to the current capabilities of the Chinese naval industry, it is still possible to complete the construction of a new concept dreadnought in two to three years. In this way, by the time the British dreadnoughts are completed, the Chinese dreadnoughts will also be able to be completed and even enter service with the Navy ahead of schedule.

Deng Shichang and Lin Jianzhang next to him were even more surprised, and the latter immediately asked: "Prime Minister, do you mean that we can start building a battleship like Daji now?" ”

Wang Chenhao nodded, and when he saw that Deng Shichang and Lin Jianzhang were excited, he immediately poured cold water on them and said: "However, only one new concept battleship will be built, and it will be used as a test ship like the Daji." ”

Deng Shichang and Lin Jianzhang were suddenly full of disappointment, and the former said: "If we build a new concept battleship on a large scale, it will be a very big improvement for the country's naval strength, and our naval ranking can even catch up with the United Kingdom." ”

Wang Chenhao knew that Deng Shichang and the others were bent on strengthening the navy, and their starting point was good, but Wang Chenhao had to consider the international chain effect brought about by the expansion of the navy. Wang Chenhao did not want to challenge Britain's maritime supremacy too early, and he hoped that the British Navy would concentrate on dealing with the German Navy, rather than shifting its focus to Asia.

However, Wang Chenhao did not want to attack Deng Shichang and their positive surname, so he said: "One day our navy will dominate the world, but at present, our national strength cannot fall into the whirlpool of naval arms race, and we still focus on economic development." When we have strong economic strength, it will be no problem to build dozens of battleships in one go at that time. ”

Deng Shichang, Lin Jianzhang and others also knew that Wang Chenhao was appeasing them, although they were a little unwilling, but there was always a hope.

Then, Wang Chenhao turned to Wei Han and said, "I will return to Yanjing in the afternoon, and the new concept battleship project will be handed over to you." ”

Wei Han patted his chest and reassured: "Don't worry, my lord, our ship department has already had relevant designers following up, and I think your lord will see our design blueprint soon." ”

At this point, Wang Chenhao believes that Wei Han and his ship administration department have been constantly designing and demonstrating the new warship, and the Daji has been completed, and it is estimated that the various relevant design drawings for upgrading the Daji in the past few years can be piled up in a room.

Subsequently, Wang Chenhao boarded the Daji battleship, received the relevant test personnel, and returned to Shanghai Shipbuilding Industry after a round of condolences.

In the afternoon, Wang Chenhao inspected various docks and listened to Wei Han's report on the progress of the Jianwei-class battleships, the large armored cruisers of the Catcher-class and the Haiqi-class warships under construction under the supplementary bill of the 33rd Fleet, as well as a large number of Mistral-class hunting ships and supporting supply ships.

Since stability has been restored in Yanjing, and the National Security Bureau and the CIA have purged the Manchu rebel forces, Wang Chenhao's personal safety is no longer in question. At the same time, the escalating tensions on the Mongolian side also required Wang Chenhao to return to Yanjing to make further arrangements. Therefore, after staying in Shanghai for more than half a month, Wang Chenhao set off for Beijing.

However, on the cruise back to Beijing, Wang Chenhao was accompanied by a beautiful woman, and she was Qiao Yuying.

It turned out that during Wang Chenhao's time in Shanghai, his old friend Qiao Zhiyuan had been secretly matching the relationship between Wang Chenhao and Qiao Yuying. Qiao Zhiyuan ran an auction house, cooperated with Wang Chenhao's marine biological expedition team, and in the past few years, he has successively salvaged hundreds of shipwrecks off the coast of China, obtained more than 10 million antique treasures, and earned a net profit of 230 million dragon coins for Wang Chenhao through auctions, and Qiao Zhiyuan himself has also earned more than 20 million yuan. In order to obtain greater profits, after Qiao Zhiyuan learned that Wang Chenhao was interested in Qiao Yuying, he planned to marry her to Wang Chenhao.

But Qiao Yuying has a very stubborn temper, although she likes Wang Chenhao in her heart, she just refuses to be a concubine for Wang Chenhao, and she is even more disgusted because she knows his father's plan to use her. For this reason, Qiao Zhiyuan persuaded many times, but in the end he failed to do so.

In the past two years, Wang Chenhao has been promoted to the prime minister of the empire, and it is already very difficult for Qiao Zhiyuan to meet Wang Chenhao. Originally, Qiao Zhiyuan had given up and planned to marry Qiao Yuying to a wealthy young master in Shanghai, but the Civil Rights Act of the Beiyang Political Axe clearly stipulated that parents could not force their children to marry, and Qiao Yuying was worried about Wang Chenhao's opposition to marrying others, so Qiao Yuying did not marry until she was 20 years old, but Qiao Zhiyuan was in a hurry.

During the Yanjing coup, Wang Chenhao appeared in front of the Shanghai public and reporters, and when he learned that Wang Chenhao had come to Shanghai, Qiao Zhiyuan immediately invited Wang Chenhao to a banquet in the name of Qiao Yuying. Qiao Zhiyuan had the attitude of trying, but Wang Chenhao really agreed.

At the dinner in Qiao's Mansion, Wang Chenhao met Qiao Yuying again. I haven't seen her for two years, and when I see her again, she is already more delicate and moving. After a conversation between the two, they reminded them of the past. Qiao Zhiyuan seized the opportunity to get Wang Chenhao and Qiao Yuying drunk, and then sent them into the room, so he achieved a good deed for the two.

When he woke up the next day, the wood was already in the boat, so Wang Chenhao proposed to the Qiao family. Qiao Zhiyuan was naturally very happy, although Qiao Yuying was not very happy to be a concubine, but she did not object.

So during Wang Chenhao's stay in Shanghai, Qiao Yuying has been serving left and right.

Back in Yanjing, Wang Chenhao did not dare to bring Qiao Yuying back to the Prime Minister's Mansion directly, but first settled her in his former villa, and sent maids to serve and protect her.

The first thing Wang Chenhao did after returning to Beijing was to think about starting a war against Outer Mongolia, but the preparations for the Mongolian desert operation could not be completed in a short time, and there was still the support of Tsarist Russia behind Outer Mongolia, and once the 300,000 Russian troops in Central Asia were involved, the Sino-Russian war would break out again. Although Wang Chenhao had been mentally prepared, he knew that the economy would definitely be affected when the war was fought, and for Wang Chenhao, who had been seizing all the time to develop the economy, war was not something he wanted to see.

However, there is still a war of words between China and Russia, and the international powers in The Hague are still mixing with the mud. Russia also does not seem to be ready for war with China, so both sides have exercised relative restraint.

The issue of Outer Mongolia has reached a stalemate for the time being, but the major dignitaries of the Beiyang political axe are actively preparing for another matter. The officials of the Beiyang political axe paid more attention to the question of the emperor of the new empire than the problem of Outer Mongolia.

There was hardly any suspense, and the officials of the Beiyang political axe unanimously demanded that Wang Chenhao completely end the rule of the Manchu Empire and re-establish a large empire with the Han as the orthodox.

The Homeland Security Bureau has moved all the bannermen in Yanjing City, the Ministry of the Interior has assigned all the royal property to Wang Chenhao's name, and local governments and parliaments across the country have passed a series of decrees to erase all traces of the Manchu Dynasty. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs even gave a precautionary shot to the political axes of various countries in advance, suggesting that their Beiyang political axes would completely end the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The secretary general of the Prime Minister's Office, Nguyen Trung Shu, even encouraged the media to publish editorials praising Wang Chenhao's exploits and supporting Wang Chenhao to replace the Qing Dynasty as emperor. Workers, peasants, intellectuals, and foreigners working in China were encouraged to petition the Prime Minister's Office to petition Wang Chenhao for the title of emperor. All of this has caused a de facto change of dynasty, and by the time Wang Chenhao returned to Beijing, tens of millions of people from the Beiyang Group were ready to give Wang Chenhao a yellow robe.

Faced with this situation, Wang Chenhao's original decision to become president had to be shelved.

(To be continued)