Listening to what Shi Shibiao said so decisively, Yinzhen and Wu Sidao couldn't help but be surprised and returned in vain, what does that mean? The two quickly reacted, it must be the time to go on the expedition, Zhenwu had another explanation, to ensure the safety of the Nanyang Fleet, not to mention the fruitless return to the Nanyang Fleet, the impact on the Qing Dynasty, and for Yinzhen, there is no benefit.

Yin Zhen knew very well in his heart that with his relationship with Lao Fourteen, if he couldn't make a contribution to the trip to Europe, he was afraid that it would be difficult to have a good end after he went back.

Fu An was also very anxious when he heard this, the Nanyang Fleet did not hesitate to go on an expedition of tens of thousands of miles, if it returned in vain, wouldn't it be discredited, how could it hold its head up in front of the Beiyang Fleet in the future?

After a slight groan, Wu Sidao said: "How can the Nanyang Fleet return in vain? Fame and fortune aside, this opportunity cannot be delayed, the reason why the emperor is in a hurry to send troops to Europe is because the situation in Europe is now chaotic, which is conducive to fishing in troubled waters, and it is convenient to disturb the situation in Europe. ”

Fu Anding also followed closely: "Marshal, Europe has been at war for ten years, and all countries are exhausted now, so why be afraid?" If you return without a fight, morale will inevitably decline, the morale of the army will be unstable, and you will think twice about the commander. ”

Shi Shibiao glanced at him, but he didn't say anything, the opportunity is rare now, how he doesn't know, but the Nanyang Fleet is not able to afford to lose, the Nanyang Fleet can be said to have transferred more than half of the elite of the navy, if the loss is huge, the development of the navy will inevitably be greatly affected, and the overseas expansion of the Qing Dynasty will inevitably be affected, if it causes Britain and the Netherlands to counterattack, Nanyang and Australia are in danger.

Seeing that Shi Shibiao was silent, Yin Zhen muttered: "Spain was also a maritime power in Europe, but when the Qing Navy was first created, it was still able to win more with less. If the ship has many soldiers and a huge scale, why is it timid, and the confidence in victory is lost?

As General Fu said. Britain and the Netherlands have been fighting with France and Spain for more than ten years, and they are all exhausted and have suffered a great loss of vitality. ”

"Go back to the prince." Shi Shibi said dryly: "It's not that the last general has no confidence. We are not facing Britain and the Netherlands, but also Portugal, which has signed an offensive and defensive alliance with the United Kingdom, and if Britain and the Netherlands attack us, Portugal will not stand idly by.

Portugal's navy is now the first-class navy in Europe, and even if the three countries have been fighting for many years, the losses are not small. However, the Nanyang Fleet alone resisted the Triple Alliance, and the chances of victory were also slim. ”

"Report ——。" A herald hurried to the door and reported in a deep voice: "Report to the general, the Portuguese battleship has closed its gun doors and lowered its sails to anchor. And the flag said that there was no malice, and asked to meet the general. ”

Shi Shibiao glanced at a few people, and ordered in a deep voice: "Got it, pay close attention to the movements of the Portuguese warships." After the herald retreated, he answered: "Now the situation is unclear, talk about war." It is too early to find out what is going on in Europe. ”

Saying this, he paused slightly. looked at Yinzhen and said: "Portugal is also nominally a tributary state of the Qing Dynasty, and the prime minister of the prince is on an envoy to Europe, and he asks the prince not to refuse." ”

Yin Zhen couldn't help but secretly slander in his heart, these trivial matters, you remember Prime Minister Wang's mission to Europe. Slander is slander, but Shi Shibiao is right. This is really his business, and he immediately got up and said, "This is a matter for this king, how can he shirk it." ”

Shi Shibiao couldn't help but laugh secretly in his heart, Yinzhen was beating him, and when he saw Wu Sidao also getting up, he smiled and said: "Mr. Wu is talented, does Mr. Wu have a good plan for how to spy on the military situation of European countries?" ”

Hearing this, Yin Zhen couldn't help but smile slightly, it seems that Shi Shibi is also duplicitous, and he is not willing to return in vain, he glanced at Wu Sidao, and then he smiled and said: "Expedition to Europe, we should be in the same boat, Mr. can't hide his secrets." With that, he walked out the door quickly.

Seeing this situation, Wu Sidao sat down with a smile, Yinzhen has no intention of getting involved in the Nanyang Fleet, he knows this, even if he has this thought, it is in vain, the Nanyang Fleet is a loyal and martial person from top to bottom, he has no ability to buy it at all, but it is extremely necessary to build a good relationship, after all, the Nanyang Fleet is the backing of the European mission, and there are many places to rely on them.

However, it is an extremely tricky thing to spy on the military situation of European countries, because the appearance of Europeans is very different from theirs, and the languages of various countries are also different, and the interpreters who accompanied the army only know Spanish and Portuguese. ”

Mr. Wu laughed. Shi Shibi said in a deep voice: "The alliance is just to use each other, if we can't spy on the military intelligence of various countries, we will be led by the nose by the allies, how can we mess up Europe?" ”

Hearing this, Wu Sidao's expression was solemn, and after a little thought, he saw through Shi Shibiu's thoughts, Shi Shibiu wanted their envoys to take on the task of collecting and spying on military information, and after a little silence, he said: "Sending people to collect military information obviously won't work, but the Europeans are profitable, so the only way to let the envoys take the opportunity to visit and buy the military information of various countries. ”

Seeing that he saw through his thoughts, Shi Shibiao also smiled slightly, and said: "The Nanyang Fleet is the elite of the Qing Navy, and the imperial court cannot afford to lose, please tell the prince that the navy is willing to help without violating this principle." ”

Wu Sidao sighed lightly and said: "General Shi, with all due respect, the navy will inevitably have to fight a vicious war, and only by fighting a big war, and it must win the beauty, in order to gain a foothold in Europe, in order to win the respect of France, in order to have enough supplies, and the envoys can also make a difference." ”

Shi Shibiao nodded and said, "This is inevitable, but this battle must be for us to find fighters, take the initiative, and have enough confidence to win." ”

Wu Sidao shook his head slightly and said: "I'm afraid it will be difficult to fulfill the general's wishes, at this time, Britain and the Netherlands should know the news of the arrival of the Nanyang Fleet, even if they don't know our intentions, but on the side of the couch, how can they allow others to snore?" Without waiting for France's reply, Britain and the Netherlands may attack on a large scale, and how should the general respond? ”

Shi Shibiao smiled slightly and said, "Sir, how do you think the Portuguese knew that we were stationed here?" ”

"Deliberately leaked news from Spain." Wu Sidao said firmly: "Spain's move can not only cut us off from the Anglo-Dutch alliance, but also test our strength. ”

"Otherwise, we still have thousands of Spanish prisoners in our hands, and there are still more than a thousand in the fleet, how can Spain care about their lives and deaths?" Shi Shibiao said in a deep voice: "The news was unintentionally leaked. ”

After a slight pause, he continued: "As long as Portugal does not know our true strength, Britain and the Netherlands will send dozens of warships at most, and we can eat them in one bite." ”