Chapter 170: The Ambition of the Navy

Thanks to the book friend Gaga-Quack-'s monthly pass

Touring the embassy, Wang Xiao's study. Originally, this was the place where Wang Xiao handled official business. Now, Wang Xiao spends most of his time in bed, and this has become the place where Wang Yuze handles government and military affairs, and it also shows that Wang Yuze has now taken over the power of western Sichuan. And in this regard, the whole of western Sichuan has basically agreed.

On the other day, Wang Yuze summoned the deputy chief of staff of the General Staff Headquarters and several other people, and the main thing to discuss was the establishment of the Admiralty. These people have already been stockpiled in western Sichuan. It's just that there was no access to the sea before, and there was no way to talk about the navy in western Sichuan. Now, the navy of western Sichuan is about to be established, and these people will all come in handy.

Sitting in front of Wang Yuze were four middle-aged men, who were the main leaders of the new Admiralty. They are Zhang Cheng, Minister of the Navy, Wu Dezhang, Director of the Equipment Division, Ye Longxiang, Director of the Quartermaster Division, and Wei Han, Director of the Shipyard. The commander of the fleet was Deng Shichang, a famous admiral of the late Qing Navy, but now Deng Shichang is no longer in China and is in charge of receiving warships from western Sichuan in Germany. He originally served in the Beiyang Fleet, but he had been poached by western Sichuan a few years ago. This time, there will never be another such thing as his heroic death at sea. In addition, Li Dingxin, chief of staff of the fleet, is also a talent poached from the Beiyang Fleet, and is now also in Germany. They will return home together with the fleet next year.

Zhang Cheng was originally the pipe band of the Yangwu ship of the Fujian Naval Division, and at the same time was appointed as the deputy general of Min'an Town, responsible for commanding the Fujian Naval Division. However, in the Sino-French Majiang Naval Battle, the delay of the fighters and improper handling caused the Fujian Navy Division to suffer huge losses and almost all the troops were wiped out. Frankly speaking, although Zhang Cheng has a certain responsibility, on the whole, it is still the relationship between the rotten and rigid system in the Manchu Qing Shui Division. Zhang Ben himself was also very capable, an early admiral in the late Qing Dynasty and the earliest commander of the fleet. After the Fujian Navy Division was almost completely wiped out, Zhang Cheng was also dismissed. And Wang Xiao took this opportunity to take it under the banner of western Sichuan. Of course, there were also a large number of officers and sailors of the Fujian Naval Division. These officers and sailors were all flooded into the Yangtze River Fleet in western Sichuan, in order to rise the navy in western Sichuan in the future. And now, that day has finally arrived.

Wu Dezhang, director of the equipment department, is a native of Minhou, Fujian. In 66, he was admitted to the Fuzhou Shipbuilding School and was the first student of the manufacturing class. After graduation, he entered the shipyard of the Shipyard of the Shipyard, started construction in June 75, and launched the "Yixin" in 76 years, which was designed and supervised by Wu Dezhang and other students of the Shipbuilding School, and the ship was designed and manufactured by the Fujian Shipbuilding Department itself, and was praised by Shen Baozhen as "the beginning of China's development". In 79 years, Wu Dezhang and others went to Lou'er and Bukan Thames sea and land artillery factories to learn to make artillery, and in 0 years, Wu Dezhang returned to China after completing his studies and served as the supervisor and director of the Fuzhou Shipping Bureau. At the Mawei Shipyard, he worked closely with Wei Han, Chen Zhaoao, Li Shoutian, Zheng Qinglian, Yang Lianchen and others, and successively built the first modern cruiser "Kaiji", the first steel-armored cruiser "Longwei" later changed to "Pingyuan", and more than a dozen large steel-tube torpedo boats "Guangyi" and "Guangbing". After the destruction of the Mawei Shipyard, he was also recruited by Wang Xiao to western Sichuan, along with a large number of workers from the Mawei Shipyard. It is undoubtedly the most appropriate for him to serve as the head of the Navy's armament department.

Ye Longxiang, director of the Quartermaster Department, was also a general in the Fujian Navy Division, and was originally engaged in quartermaster management. After the fall of the Fujian Navy, he also followed Zhang Cheng to western Sichuan. This time, the Admiralty in western Sichuan was established, and he still went back to his old job.

Wei Han, whose name is Ji Zhu, is a native of the eastern suburbs of Fuzhou, Fujian Province, and a famous shipbuilding expert in modern China. In 66, he was admitted to the first phase of the Fuzhou Shipbuilding School to learn shipbuilding. After graduating in 7 years, he was assigned to work in the shipyard, and 75 Wei Han went abroad to study, and because of his excellent learning, he was evaluated by Li Fengbao as "bold and enterprising". After returning to China after completing his studies in 79, he served as the general director of shipbuilding in the Shipbuilding Engineering Office. In February 0, he was ordered to go to Germany to supervise the construction of the "Dingyuan" ship, and after returning to China in 2 years, he participated in the construction of the "Kaiji", and later presided over the construction of China's first steelclad ship "Longwei", that is, "Pingyuan", which made an indelible contribution to the development of China's shipbuilding industry. This time, he will be the first director of the Beihai Shipyard under the Admiralty, responsible for the construction of the warships of the Admiral Kawanishi. Buying from abroad is faster and cheaper. However, if the navy of western Sichuan wants to become strong, it cannot always rely on foreign purchases. It was necessary to build it yourself, and to build the most advanced and powerful warships in the world.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the navy of western Sichuan is almost a blank slate compared to the army. However, my father and I firmly believe that Kawanishi cannot do without a navy, and must have a strong navy. We all have a lot of confidence in the Navy, and that's it. I assure you that the navy will be the top priority in the development of western Sichuan in the future. I hope you can train a world-class navy for western Sichuan," Wang Yuze said solemnly.

"Don't worry, young marshal, we will do our best to make the western Sichuan Navy a first-class navy as soon as possible," Zhang Cheng and the others immediately said. After the Battle of Majiang, they, the people of the Fujian Naval Division, were very sad. Fortunately, Kawanishi reached out to help, otherwise they would have been destitute. In addition, these people are people who have dedicated their lives to the navy, and they can work hard for the strength of the Kawanishi Navy, which is exactly what they want.

"Young Marshal, Navy Grass Creation, how many warships will we have this time?" Zhang Cheng asked. Although they had just been appointed as the Minister of the Admiralty, they had always been secret about Kawanishi's orders for warships from Germany and Britain, and they did not know about it. After Zhang Cheng asked, everyone looked nervously at Wang Yuze.

"Last year, my father ordered a batch of warships from Germany, including two of the most powerful 'brandenburg-class' battleships in Germany now, 4 armored cruisers and 0 destroyers. This fleet will return home around the summer of next year. In addition, some time ago, we ordered two 'Sovereign-class' battleships from the British side, and three of them were in a panic? I will return to China before the end of next year," Wang Yuze said with a smile. These warships will become the main force of the Kawanishi Navy and will also become a guarantee for the Kawanishi Navy and the Honda Fleet to compete for supremacy for a period of time in the future.

After Zhang Cheng and the others listened to Wang Yuze's words, they couldn't help but gasp, and at the same time, their eyes were full of surprise. Originally, they thought that the battleships ordered by Kawanishi were probably a small number of cruisers. I didn't expect it to be a fleet with four of the most powerful capital ships in the world, and after these fleets return to China, the navy of western Sichuan may surpass the Beiyang Fleet and become the most powerful fleet in the Far East. After all, western Sichuan has not yet overthrown the Manchus, and this is the focus in the future. But now, their suspicions are all gone. Kawasaiken has invested heavily to build such a powerful fleet, which has undoubtedly shown Kawanishi's determination to develop the navy.

"Guys, we can buy the fleet back for money. But the navy can't just have a fleet, the most important thing is people. After the fleet returns home, it is hoped that the Admiralty will step up training and strive to make the Navy an army in the shortest possible time. Take on the heavy responsibility of defending the maritime frontier in western Sichuan," Wang Yuze said to everyone.

"Don't worry, the young marshal, we will definitely live up to the trust of the young marshal," Zhang Cheng and the others immediately assured.

"Young Marshal, although the shipyard has not yet been built, we have enough skilled workers. Once the shipyard is built, we will be able to start building the battleships. Although we have already purchased the main battleships, we still need to build the supporting warships, such as gunboats and supply ships. At the Mawei shipyard, we were already able to build 2,100-ton cruisers, and when the equipment imported from Germany arrived, we were able to build our own warships," said Wei Han, the director of the shipyard.

"This is nature. Blindly buying from outside is never a long-term solution. The shipyard is not just going to build cruisers, he is going to build our own battleships. I'm really looking forward to that day," Wang said.

Throughout the first two decades of the twentieth century, the navy was still dominated by giant ships and artillery. The navy of western Sichuan is strong, and it is inevitable to embark on this road. Compared with the great powers, the naval road of western Sichuan has just begun, and there is still a long way to go. Among them, shipbuilding, as well as the design of warships is the key. Shipyards in western Sichuan not only employ foreign experts, but also train their own human resources. This is the foundation of the Navy.

Next, everyone talked about some construction of the navy, and Wang Yuze also adopted the construction of good buildings. Moreover, assuring them that after the navy is strengthened, the army in western Sichuan will specially establish the Admiralty and the War Department, and the status of the two will be completely equal. In peacetime, the Ministry of Defense is responsible for military spending, promotions, etc., in these two departments. The General Staff was responsible for leading both departments during the war.

Wang Yuze's attitude made these generals of the former Fujian Navy Division show their sincerity to the navy in western Sichuan. It also made them more confident.

After that, these admiralty generals immediately rushed to the North Sea to prepare for the construction of a military port and shipyard. In order to speed up the progress, the General Staff Headquarters specially transferred more than 10 engineer battalions from the units below to rush to Beihai to build officers and shipyards. At the same time, the General Staff Headquarters also began to establish the Navy's coastal garrison and the Marine Corps, which were responsible for guarding ports and shipyards, as well as landing operations that would need to be faced in the future.

S: The fourth watch has been completed and the monthly pass is not finished to be continued.