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On February 12, 1845, Emperor Long Yufei convened the first imperial meeting of the new year. At the meeting, Long Yufei appraised the work of the cabinet and the military last year and affirmed their achievements last year. The social reform and industrialization led by the cabinet have achieved remarkable results. A large number of people emigrated to Nanyang and Australia, which alleviated the land contradictions in the country, and the government redeemed the land in the hands of the landlords and distributed it to the landless and landless peasants, which made the lives of the vast number of peasants much better. When the peasants' lives were better and they had money in their hands, they naturally promoted the development of industry and commerce in turn.

After the landlords sold their land, they accumulated some wealth. Most of the landlords are not willing to sit and eat empty. Even though they weren't very good at business and industry, they were still involved in it. Some people lost, but some also earned, so that the industry and commerce of the Chinese Empire developed rapidly. However, most of the private capital invested in light industry. Heavy industry and infrastructure construction still have to be invested by the government. Under the planning of the cabinet, the construction of railways and highways, coupled with the construction of various industrial bases, made the industrialization level of the Chinese Empire steadily increase. By the end of the First Five-Year Plan, the Chinese Empire might be able to compete with the West's old industrial powers.

In the last year, the military has mainly carried out military expansion and conquest of Japan and Korea. On both fronts, the military has been successful. The Army's 18 infantry corps and 5 heavy artillery brigades have been formed. The training of recruits is also basically over. The construction of the Navy, mainly the 1st and 5th Fleets, has also been completed. Next, just wait to add more ships to these two fleets. It will be enough to strengthen these two fleets. In the wars against Japan and Korea, the military easily won and plundered a great deal of wealth for the empire. This year, the main opinion of the military is still to prepare for war. Once the war with the Manchus broke out, the army had to defeat the Manchus in the shortest possible time and unify the country. Only in this way will we be able to minimize the losses of the entire Chinese nation. This is also Long Yufei's request to the military.

The senior officials of the cabinet and the military all assured Long Yufei. These tasks will definitely be accomplished this year.

"His Majesty, King Louis of France. Philip I and Queen Isabella II of Spain asked Her Majesty to visit France and the Kingdom of Spain at an appropriate time. The envoys of the two countries to China have made a formal request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "At the end of the Imperial Council. Foreign Minister Lin Zihao raised the issue. He knows. The cabinet and military officials basically opposed Long Yufei's visit to Europe.

"Visiting Europe? Going that far? 陛xià, the minister opposed. Europe is too far away, and if there is an accident along the way, how can it be done? Prime Minister Li Decheng was the first to jump out and object. Although the Chinese Empire is now powerful, everyone knows that this qiē was established under the leadership of Long Yufei. If Long Yu flies out of the way, the country's development will be hit hard. Although Long Yufei already has a son. But the crown prince Longhua is still young, and he can't afford to lead the country to a strong and prosperous country.

"yes. 陛xià. Europe is too far away. Moreover, we are again at odds with the British. If the British had any evil intentions, it would be difficult to do. Chancellor of the Exchequer Liu Mingde also said.

"Your Majesty, the minister also agrees with the opinion of the Prime Minister and Lord Liu. Europe is too far away to risk your life. General Niu Meng, Chief of the General Staff, also said. Although the Chinese Empire is one of the world's great powers, its influence is mainly in the Far East, that is, the area east of the Strait of Malacca. Here, the Chinese Empire is a well-deserved king. However, the area west of the Strait of Malacca is no longer under China's control.

"Your Majesty, it's too early to visit Europe. Let's wait until the Empire defeats the Manchus, or even the British. General Zhao Yi, deputy chief of the general staff and minister of logistics and equipment, also advised.

Seeing this situation, Long Yufei couldn't help frowning. The cabinet and important ministers of the military were unequivocal in their opposition to his visit to Europe. Of course, everyone is also well-intentioned and for his safety. However, Long Yufei thinks that this is too much of a fuss. Although the Chinese Empire was now at odds with the British, the British would not be so despicable and shameless as to send men to attack the visiting Emperor. In this case, Britain's reputation will be completely stinky, and the entire Western world will probably despise them. What's more, the Chinese navy is not muddy, how could it be so easy for the British to succeed? Don't forget, the Chinese Navy has defeated the British Navy before. Judging from the strength of the Chinese warships, the new warships of the Chinese Navy are much more powerful than those of the British Navy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, when you visit Europe, you probably won't have so many problems. I think it would be of great benefit for us to go to Europe and get in touch with the developed industrialized world of Europe at a close distance. Long Yufei said with a smile.

"If we want to get in touch with the industrialization of Europe, we can send someone else there without risking our lives. If a gentleman does not stand under the dangerous wall, how can his majesty go to Europe? Prime Minister Li Decheng is still very opposed.

"Prime Minister, don't worry, even if I go to Europe, there will be no problem. A meeting with the King of France and the Queen of Spain will help to foster close relations between our two countries and will give Europe a clearer picture of the Empire. Long Yufei said.

"But how to solve the security problem?" Li Decheng asked.

"Security issues, that's for the chief of staff. Will the Chief of Staff, the Empire's Navy, be able to keep me safe? Long Yufei looked at Niu Meng and asked. He believed that as long as there were no natural disasters during this visit, there should be no problem.

Admiral Niu Meng hesitated slightly, and then said, "The Imperial Navy has the ability to guarantee the safety of His Majesty!" "Niu Meng, as the commander of the military, of course will not drop the chain at such a time, in this case, where will the face of the Chinese * army go?

"In that case, I don't think there's a problem. Lord Hayashi, you reply to the Kingdom of France and Spain, and I will visit both countries at the right time. Long Yufei said. He didn't want to discuss it any longer.

It's just that after Long Yufei made this decision, the ministers were still a little reluctant. Obviously, I can't understand Long Yufei's arbitrary decision.

"Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, I'm just agreeing to the other party's invitation for the time being, and I won't be visiting Europe right now." Long Yufei said.

The important ministers of the empire looked a little better at this time.

Long Yufei continued: "General Zhao, when will our 'Western Zhou-class' battleship be able to enter service at the earliest? ”

"The construction of the 'Western Zhou-class' battleship is very smooth, and it is expected that the first four battleships will be able to enter service by the end of this year. The next four ships are estimated to wait until the middle of next year. "Admiral Zhao Yi said. The Imperial Navy started construction of a total of eight Western Zhou-class warships, four of which were built in Manila and the other four at the shipyard in Xinhua City. In terms of scale, the shipyard in Xinhua City is slightly smaller, so the construction period will lag behind. After the completion of the shipyards in Guangzhou and Fuzhou, the construction of important warships of the Imperial Navy will be carried out on the mainland. This makes it easier to keep security and confidentiality.

"Well, can you speed up the construction period, preferably before August? When the time comes, when I visit Europe, I will be able to go to Europe on our most advanced warships. In this way, safety is guaranteed! Long Yufei said. The Western Zhou-class warships are the most powerful warships of the Chinese Navy, and they are much ahead of Europe. Taking the 'Western Zhou-class' warship to Europe, there is no Western country's navy that can compete with the 'Western Zhou-class' warship.

"Your Majesty, there should be no problem. However, will this expose the 'Western Zhou-class' battleship in advance. Lieutenant General Zhao Yi said with some concern. The reason why the Chinese Navy was able to defeat the British Navy was because of the superiority of warships.

"Now that the British have stepped up their spying on us, we have to keep it completely secret, it is not possible. On the contrary, it is better to let them know our strength generously, so that they do not dare to act rashly. Long Yufei said. He hoped that he could use this visit to Europe to deter European countries, especially Britain. In this way, when the empire launched a final attack on the Manchus, the British would not dare to intervene.

Admiral Zhao Yi nodded, no longer dwelling on this issue.

"Also, what happened to our wireless telegraphy technology? Is it possible to communicate over long distances? Long Yufei asked. Once you visit and talk, the connection with the country is a big problem. After all, Europe is so far away from China that it takes three or four months to go back and forth, and with the addition of visits to France and Spain, it will take a lot of time. It is estimated that this visit will take at least half a year.

"Your Majesty, after the efforts of the scientists, it has been preliminarily possible. However, further trials are needed. Admiral Zhao Yi said.

"Well, it should be no problem to get it done before I go abroad. So, I'm going to visit Europe in September this year. Long Yufei finally said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Everyone saw that Long Yufei had already made up his mind, and they also knew Long Yufei's temper, so they had to stop persuading. (To be continued......)