Imperial Foreign Minister Wei Yuan summoned Sir Bonham to China, the British Minister to China, and Bourblon, the French Ambassador to China, and conveyed to them the attitude of the Chinese Empire. If the French* army did not withdraw from northern Spain, the Empire would take a single measure to secure the interests of the Kingdom of Spain. At the same time, the news that the Imperial Army and Navy had entered the highest state of combat readiness was also transmitted back to Britain and France.

As one of the most powerful countries in the world, every move of the Chinese Empire will have a serious impact on the situation around the world. The statement of the Chinese empire can almost be regarded as the statement of the Eurasian military alliance. The countries of the alliance have said that they will do everything in their power to ensure the interests of their allies. Including the means of warfare. As a result, the European continent was once again overshadowed by the clouds of war.

On the afternoon of March 19, 1851, the British Prime Minister, Earl Stanley, convened an emergency cabinet meeting after meeting with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to discuss how Britain should face the present situation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Her Majesty the Queen and Her Royal Highness the Prince, are very concerned about this incident, and ask me to do our best to find a way to solve it. Her Majesty has only one request, that is, it must not affect the status of the British Empire, and it must not affect the interests of the British Empire! Earl Stanley glanced at everyone and said.

"Your Excellency, the attitude of the Chinese Empire is very tough. If we don't stop and the French don't withdraw their troops from Spain, I'm afraid they will declare war on us! The British Foreign Secretary, the Earl of Granville, said with some concern.

"A declaration of war? Do the Chinese have the guts? Although, their military strength has improved a lot over the years. However, the British Empire is no longer the time of the Burma War. Our military strength is no less than theirs! The Marquess of Anglesey, Secretary of State for the British War, said.

"The army and navy of the Chinese have already entered the highest state of combat readiness. They are ready to throw themselves into the war. Moreover. Once the Chinese are mobilized, their military strength will expand rapidly. When the time comes, the interests of the empire will be at risk. India, the most important overseas colony of the empire, will be directly attacked by the Chinese! Said the Earl of Granville.

The words of the Earl of Granville made the ministers present a little nervous. Over the years, India has provided more than £20 million a year to the British Empire, and it is these funds that have been granted. This enabled Britain to effectively alleviate its domestic financial crisis and at the same time invest heavily in the development of armaments. Almost all of the warships launched by the British Royal Navy were developed with these funds. Lost the words of India. Britain will be hit hard.

"If war breaks out, the Chinese will definitely attack India." At present, the Chinese have formed a three-sided encirclement of India. "Chancellor of the Exchequer Benjamin. Disraeli was also a little worried. After the Chinese occupation of Central Asia, a land encirclement of India was formed. In addition to the ocean direction. India has fallen under siege from the Chinese Empire.

"As soon as war breaks out. Will the Anglo-Indian army be able to hold India? Earl Stanley asked. Britain deployed 200,000 native troops in India, in addition to millions of Anglo-Indian troops. This makes the British army in India as high as 1.2 million. Such a large army size made the Earl of Stanley have high expectations for these troops.

"Your Excellency, once the war begins, the Imperial Army and the Anglo-Indian Army will be able to resist the attack of the Chinese. But. India's industry is so weak that it almost blanks. Not even bullets can be produced, let alone other weapons and equipment. The supply of millions of armies came from the supply of the empire itself. Therefore, the Imperial Navy had to ensure the smooth flow of supply lines by sea. Otherwise, without enough weapons and ammunition, we can't let the army and the Anglo-Indian army use flesh and blood to resist the brutal Chinese, right? Said the Marquis of Anglesey.

So, all the pressure fell on the Secretary of the Admiralty, Charles. Sir Adam's shoulders. Everyone's eyes fell on him.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, Ministers. The overall strength of the Royal Navy can already be compared with that of the Imperial Chinese Navy. In the number of warships, we have even surpassed the Chinese Empire. However, I have to admit that in terms of quality, there is still a big gap between us and the Imperial Chinese Navy. This is a report on the strength of the Imperial Chinese Navy obtained by the Admiralty. At present, the most powerful warship in service with the Imperial Chinese Navy is the 'Qin-class' battleship, which is a powerful battleship with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons and a 280-mm main gun, which far surpasses the warships of any country in the world in terms of firepower and armor. The Royal Navy, with which no warship is currently matched. "Charles. Sir Adam said. The British Royal Navy is already lagging behind the Chinese Empire in terms of top-tier warships.

"Won't our 'ravage-class' battleships work either?" Count Stanley frowned.

"Your Excellency, the 'ravage' may be able to confront the Chinese' 'Qin'. However, the 'ravage' is under construction and is not expected to be able to enter service until the end of the year. Moreover, there were only four 'ravage-class' battleships. The next class of 'Ajax-class' battleships will not be able to enter service until the end of next year. The Chinese Navy has eight Qin-class battleships. On the top warships, the Imperial Royal Navy cannot compare with the Chinese Navy! "Charles. Sir Adam said.

The British ministers are a little unpleasant.

"In addition, the Chinese Navy has six 'Eastern Zhou-class' warships and eight 'Western Zhou-class' warships. The Royal Navy has 12 'Nelson-class' ships and 18 'Orlando-class' ships. Of these two types of warships, the Royal Navy had the upper hand. ”

"Light warships, the Royal Navy is mainly 48 'Pearl class' cruisers. However, the Chinese Navy has 12 'Trotto-class' cruisers, 12 'Trotto-class Improved' cruisers, 18 'Tiangang-class' destroyers and 18 'Tiangang-class Improved' destroyers. According to the analysis of the data we have obtained, the Chinese Navy's 'Tsurotto-class' cruisers and 'Temperance-class improved' cruisers are completely superior to the Royal Navy's 'Pearl class' cruisers, 'Tiangang-class' destroyers and 'Tiangang-class improved' destroyers, and are also comparable to the Royal Navy's 'pearl-class' cruisers. Therefore, on light warships, the Royal Navy is completely at a disadvantage! ”

"Summing up, the Royal Navy, in terms of heavy and light warships, was at a disadvantage and had an advantage only in medium ships. However, according to the latest information, the Chinese Navy's more powerful 'Western Han-class' battleships will also be commissioned by the middle or end of next year. At that time, the Imperial Navy will once again be at a disadvantage in terms of heavy warships! "Charles. Sir Adam said.

The ministers of the British Cabinet are now a little frighteningly gloomy. Originally, they thought that after several years of development, the strength of the British Navy had surpassed that of the Imperial Chinese Navy. However, it now seems that they are still far behind by the Imperial Chinese Navy. If the Navy could not defeat the Chinese Navy, and the British wanted to hold India, it would be impossible at all.

"Without the support of the navy, can our army in India withstand the attack of the Chinese?" Earl Stanley asked.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, this will be very difficult!" The Marquis of Anglesey shook his head.

"Sir Adam, why does the empire allocate a lot of money every year for the construction of warships, but the imperial navy is still left behind by the Chinese?" Chancellor of the Exchequer Benjamin. Disraeli asked. You must know that the British navy and army often account for 60% of the military expenditure, and the army only accounts for 40%.

"The Chinese Navy entered the age of steam one step ahead of the Royal Navy. Subsequently, the Royal Navy although stepped up time to catch up. However, it is still difficult to catch up now. If the Royal Navy can completely catch up with the Chinese Navy in the next ten years, it will be quite good! "Charles. Sir Adam looked a little depressed. When he got the report, he was also very decadent.

"Ten years is too long, Sir Adam, and I hope that within five years, the Royal Navy will be able to surpass the Chinese Navy!" Earl Stanley said sternly.

"Five years?" Charles. Sir Adam frowned. This time is undoubtedly a little too short.

"Sir Adam, we don't have any time left. Now that the two opposing military alliances have been formed, the situation will be even more dangerous, and once war breaks out, it will be a protracted war. We have to be ready! Earl Stanley said.

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister. However, the Navy needs to get more funds for building ships! "Charles. Sir Adam said.

"I'll convince the council to allocate more money to the navy. But, after five years, you have to give me a navy strong enough to defeat the Chinese! Earl Stanley said.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Prime Minister!" Charles. Sir Adam nodded. If there is sufficient financial support, then the British Royal Navy's cutting-edge warships can continue to start construction. When the time comes, it will not be impossible to surpass the Imperial Chinese Navy. Of course, the British did not know that the Chinese Navy was also building warships on a large scale in order to gain an advantage in future wars.

The Marquis of Anglesey, Minister of War, was very dissatisfied with the fact that the navy was once again receiving more funds. However, he also knew that the navy was the key to holding India, so he had to say nothing more.

When the British were in trouble, France, which directly sent troops to invade the Kingdom of Spain, also fell into the disadvantageous situation of riding a tiger. (To be continued......)

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