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"Your Majesty, according to the latest information we have received, the British have been increasing their troops to India and Singapore for the past two months. By now, the British army strength in Singapore has increased to 20,000. In addition, although the number of warships in the Far Eastern Fleet has not changed, they have been replaced by a new type of warship, which is roughly the same shape as our 'Shark-class' cruisers, all of which have a streamlined design, but are only slightly larger. The British Navy referred to these ships as the 'Apollo class'. It is expected that the 'Apollo-class' cruisers, with a displacement of 1,500 to 1,800 tons and a maximum speed of not less than 12 knots, may be comparable to our 'Shark-class'. In terms of firepower deployment, the 'Apollo-class' has two or four more guns than the 'Shark-class', but I don't know how well their naval guns are performing. Major General Luo Hongtao, director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, said.

"It seems that the British are also restless. Their 'Apollo-class' battleships are clearly aimed at our 'Shark-class' cruisers. As an old maritime power, the British do have a deep accumulation of shipbuilding technology. Even if we are temporarily ahead, we will not be able to maintain this advantage for long. How many of these new warships did the British have in India and Singapore? Long Yufei asked. He had a hunch that the reason why Britain deployed the new 'Apollo-class' cruisers to Asia was aimed at Xinhua. Moreover. The war seems to be getting closer and closer to the new country. The British had always refrained from conflict with Xinhua before, probably waiting for this new type of warship to enter service.

"His Majesty, the Far East Fleet of the British Navy. There are a total of 18 'Apollo-class' warships, and the rest of the old warships have all been replaced by the Indian Ocean Fleet. The Indian Ocean Fleet of the British Navy, there are probably 20 to 30 more of these new warships. In addition, the Indian Ocean Fleet has more than fifty old warships. Major General Luo Hongtao said.

"Your Majesty, we have to guard against it, the British are obviously preparing for war." Lieutenant General Zhao Yi, Deputy Chief of General Staff and Minister of Logistics and Equipment, also said. Britain strengthens its military presence in Asia. This undoubtedly put great pressure on Xinhuaguo. Especially now that the main military strength of the Xinhua Kingdom is used on the Chinese battlefield, if the Nanyang is suddenly attacked by the British, the Xinhua Army will appear to be a little passive.

Long Yufei nodded. He has never been at ease with Britain. The ambitions of the British, he knew very well. In the past, the British restrained the conflict with Xinhua, but they were not sure to defeat Xinhuaguo in Nanyang. Now the British probably thought that they could defeat the new Chinese state. So I couldn't wait to prepare for war.

"If we break out into war with the British. Will they be able to defeat them? Long Yufei asked. He needed a clear answer to be able to inform the next series of decisions.

"Your Majesty, at the moment we are in Nanyang, and there are only 10 infantry brigades. The Navy also has only three fleets, including the 5th Fleet in secret training. The key to our war with Britain is still at sea. As long as the British can be defeated at sea, then we have nothing to worry about. Even if the British army were able to land, it would not pose much of a threat to us. After cutting off their sea supply lines. They have become turtles in urns. Lieutenant General Zhao Yi said.

"Give the 1st Fleet an order to return to the South Seas. If the British really dare to go to war with us. Then break their claws completely. and took the Straits Settlements as well, completely cutting off their idea of invading eastward. Long Yufei said. Although Britain is strong, this is the South Seas, the territory of Xinhua, and it is not the turn of the British to spread wild. Xinhua has enough strength to defend its interests. The 12 'Summer-class' cruisers of the 5th Fleet will also make a shocking appearance at that time. Since the formation of this fleet, it has been hidden as the killer weapon of the Xinhua Army. If Britain dares to come this time, then let them pay the price completely.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Lieutenant General Zhao Yi nodded. The naval strength of the Manchus was almost negligible. There is no need for the Xinhua Army to keep two more fleets in China, leaving the 4th Fleet in the Chinese battlefield is enough to ensure the safety of sea transportation lines.

"Your Majesty, do you want to send a few brigades back? The British numbered more than 20,000 in the Straits Settlements alone. There are still hundreds of thousands of people in India, and we now have only ten infantry brigades, which is too few. Lieutenant General Zhao Yi said.

"No need, ten brigades are enough. As long as the navy can win, then it will all be solved. By the way, how is the construction of our 'Shang-class' cruisers? Long Yufei asked. The 'Shang-class' cruiser is a more advanced warship designed by Long Yufei than the 'Xia-class' cruiser, and it has been greatly improved in terms of firepower, speed and armor. If the 'Shang-class' cruiser can catch up with this war, then Long Yufei will be even more confident in defeating the British.

"Your Majesty, the progress of the 'Shang-class' cruiser is not fast, and it is expected that it will not be able to enter service until at least the end of the year." Lieutenant General Zhao Yi said. Like the 'Xia-class' cruisers, 12 'Shang-class' cruisers will be built, and the naval shipyard in Manila and the shipyard in Xinhua City will start construction at the same time, and all 12 'Shang-class' cruisers will be built at one time. In order to further enhance the naval strength of Xinhuaguo. But now it seems that the 'Shang-class' cruisers will not be able to catch up with this war.

"That's a shame. However, I believe that even without the 'Shang-class' cruisers, we would have been able to defeat the British. Long Yufei said confidently. The country he single-handedly built, after several years of development, has enough confidence to say such things. Although in terms of comprehensive strength, Xinhua is still far from being comparable with the United Kingdom. However, in terms of military strength, especially in the South Seas, Xinhua has a great home advantage. If the British wanted to defeat Xinhua in Nanyang, it was absolutely impossible. In addition, after the overthrow of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Long Yufei believed that it would not be long before Xinhua would be able to leave Britain far behind in terms of comprehensive national strength.

"From now on, the army and navy of the new country will enter a state of emergency combat readiness. Military intelligence strengthens the collection of intelligence on the British, and gives early warning in time if it is discovered that the British are in a tendency to go to war against us. Long Yufei said. Xinhua was reluctant to take the initiative to provoke the British, but if the British launched a provocation, Xinhua would not be afraid at all, but would be able to beat the British all over the ground.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The generals of the military replied one after another. They have strong confidence in Xinhuaguo, even if the opponent is British, they will not be afraid.

The army and navy of Xinhuaguo that remained in the South Seas have all begun to enter a state of emergency combat readiness. The 2nd and 3rd fleets began to assemble in the South China Sea and the Java Sea. The 5th Fleet, which had been secretly training, also began to return from the east, actively preparing for a possible war with the British.

Almost as soon as Long Yufei returned to Manila, Bonham, the British Governor of the Straits Settlements, also received an urgent letter from the British Minister to China, Sir Pottinger. In fact, Governor Bonham also learned a lot about the Xinhua Army's performance on the Chinese battlefield through his own channels. In addition, warnings were issued to India and the United Kingdom. Governor Bonham believed that he could not sit idly by and watch the Qing State be defeated by the Xinhua State, and once the Xinhua State defeated the Qing State, or even destroyed the Qing State, Britain's Far East Road would be completely cut off. Moreover, a powerful country with a population of more than 300 million people will pose a serious challenge to the United Kingdom. Britain will have to invest more in order to maintain its position as a global hegemon. At that time, Britain will most likely lose its status as a world hegemon. This was definitely not something that Governor Bonham and other high-ranking British officials wanted to see.

"Gentlemen, this is a letter from Sir Portlander, so take a look at it." Governor Bonham urgently summoned Rear Admiral Brighton, commander of the British Army in the Straits Settlements, and Rear Admiral Allen, commander of the Far East Fleet. With the rise of the new Chinese state and the pacification of India by the British, the strategic center of gravity began to shift eastward, and the importance of the Straits Settlements increased considerably. Burleyton and Allen also successfully promoted from brigadier general to rear admiral, becoming senior admirals of the British Army and Navy.

Major General Burleyton and Major General Allen, after reading the letter sent by Sir Pottinger, their faces were not very good-looking.

"Your Excellency the Governor, we must stop the Xinhua Kingdom, and we can't let the Xinhua Kingdom continue to be strong. When they still have millions of countries, they dare to declare war on the Western powers. Once they overthrew the Qing Dynasty and unified the whole of China, they would have a population of more than 300 million. A country of this magnitude would be a disaster for the British Empire and the entire Western world. We must find a way to curb the development of Xinhua State, even if it is by means of war. Major General Allen said first. At present, the British Far East Fleet has all been refitted with new 'Apollo-class' warships, and Rear Admiral Allen is very satisfied with this kind of battleship with strong firepower and extremely fast speed, and he also believes that this kind of warship will definitely be able to restrain the 'Shark-class' cruisers of the Xinhua Navy. Although the Far East Fleet consisted of only 18 'Apollo-class' warships, Rear Admiral Allen was confident that they would be able to win even against the two fleets of the Xinhua Navy.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Governor, I agree with Major General Allen. The emergence of an eastern power with a huge population and an advanced industrial system is not in the interests of the British Empire, and we must do everything possible to contain this country, and finally eliminate it outright. Major General Bleton also said. (To be continued......)