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"Your Majesty, do we really want to unite the kingdoms of France and Spain to build a canal connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean? I'm afraid it's not so easy to do! Foreign Minister Lin Zihao said with some concern. It was a 200-kilometer-long stretch of the Grand Canal, still on the territory of someone else's country. The most critical point is that it is too far away from the Chinese Empire, and with the current strength of the Chinese Empire, if you want to control this section of the canal, it seems that it is still a little beyond the reach of the whip!

"Your Majesty, the strategic location of a canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea is very important. But can we hold it? Major General Liu Zhongming, deputy director of the Operations Department of the General Staff, also raised his own questions. There is no doubt that this canal, once opened, will change the communication between East and West. However, the strategic significance of this canal is clear to everyone. I'm afraid that once the canal is opened, the war over this canal will start immediately! The Chinese Empire is too far away from the canal, and if you want to keep this canal, I'm afraid it will not be easy.

"I know your concerns. That's why I pulled France and Spain together. If the British are willing to join in, we welcome it as well. Once the canal is opened, it will play an obvious role in promoting exchanges between the East and the West. The British, as long as they are not idiots, will not refuse. Although we are now adversaries and potential enemies with Britain, there have never been any permanent friends in our country-to-state interactions, and some are only interests. As for the control of the zhì canal, judging by our current strength. It really can't be done yet. But if this section of the canal is opened, it will take at least several years! When the time comes, maybe we will have the strength. Other than that. After the opening of the canal, we can mention the prohibition of the deployment of military forces around the canal. In this case, no one will be able to use the canal. Long Yufei said.

"Your Majesty, this is a good solution. Once the canal is opened, it will only take a month for the Imperial Navy to attack the British in the future, which will be much easier than now! Rear Admiral Lu Haipeng, commander of the Navy's 5th Fleet, said with a smile.

"After the Kingdom of Spain and France. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs first inquired into their tone. If they agree, then we'll take the lead in getting this thing done. Long Yufei said. He sincerely hoped that the Suez Canal would be opened. In this way, the communication between the East and the West will be much easier. Of course. At that time, the Chinese Empire was already strong, and it was not afraid of Western powers at all. On the contrary, it is possible to use the canal to penetrate into Europe. When the empire is strong enough to reach a certain distance, it can even completely control the Suez Canal, a major transportation route. When the time comes. The status of the empire in the international arena. It's easy to set up. Before the rise of the Chinese Empire, didn't the British also control strategic points such as the Strait of Malacca, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Strait of Gibraltar? It is not too late for the empire to start laying out from now.

In addition, in addition to its strategic location, the Middle East is rich in resources, but they have not been exploited. Today's steam engines still burn coal. However, the oil of the steam engine. More power than coal-fired steam engines. The more power the ship gets, the faster it will be. Development of internal combustion engines. There is still a big gap from the current technical conditions. However, it is also possible to take a piece of land around the Persian Gulf first. The current Ottoman Turkish Empire is gradually declining. Britain, France, Russia and other countries have already sharpened their knives, and there is no reason why the Chinese Empire should not intervene in this! Otherwise, when Britain, France, Russia and other countries have taken advantage of all the benefits, China will have to drink some soup.

At present, the Western powers are frantically encircling colonies in the world, and if the Chinese Empire does not catch up, it will be too late. By then, the world would have been carved up by the great powers. Therefore, the empire had to strike early.

After circling the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, the Chinese fleet began to move south along the eastern shore of the African continent to South Africa. At this moment, South Africa has become a British colony, and it is one of the most important British colonies. Gold produced in South Africa is an important source of income for the United Kingdom, which is very popular with other countries. Of course, the same is true for Long Yufei. If you can, when the empire is strong, of course, South Africa will be taken from the British. It is impossible for China to be strong and not to plunder from the outside world. Guarding the little land in the country, you can't do anything in the end. There is no reason to watch the great powers eat and drink spicy food, and they themselves starve and suffer poverty.

The fleet stopped and stopped, arriving in Europe at the end of October. However, this is when the disagreement arises. Fabio, the French minister to China, proposed that the fleet go to France first, while Casimiro, the minister of the Kingdom of Spain to China, proposed that the Chinese emperor should visit Spain first. Queen Isabella II and her husband Francisco I are already waiting for the Chinese emperor in Seville, a city in southwestern Spain.

After thinking about it for a while, Long Yufei decided to visit the Kingdom of Spain first, and then visit France. In this regard, although Fabio, the French minister to China, was a little dissatisfied, he did not dare to express it. After all, the Kingdom of Spain and the Chinese Empire were much more intimate. And the strength of the Chinese Empire is not something that France can compete with. Fabio had no way to sway Long Yufei's opinion at all. In the end, Fabio had to say that after arriving in Spain, he would return to France first, and then wait for Long Yufei in Paris. In this regard, Long Yufei was also noncommittal.

The Kingdom of Spain was one of the two states on the Iberian Peninsula, and before the rise of the British, they were the world's hegemons, controlling the world's largest colonies and most of the gold-producing regions. However, after the Spaniards received huge profits from the colonies, they did not use these profits to develop industry. Eventually, it was overtaken by the British. When the colonies were lost and the gold was spent, Spain was still Spain, and the qiē they experienced was like a dream. It was not until it established good relations with the Chinese Empire, became the spokesperson of the Chinese Empire in Europe, and made a great deal of wealth from the trade between the East and the West, that the national power of the Kingdom of Spain was restored.

After Long Yufei made his decision, the fleet began to turn around, preparing to sail east from the Atlantic Ocean to southern Spain.

On October 26, 1845, the Chinese fleet encountered a Portuguese fleet about 500 kilometers from the Strait of Gibraltar. This fleet consisted of more than a dozen third-class battleships and fourth-class battleships. For this fleet, Rear Admiral Lu Haipeng, commander of the 5th Fleet of the Chinese Navy, did not care at all. Such a small fleet is not enough for the Chinese fleet, which consists of four 'Western Zhou-class' warships and four 'Xia-class' cruisers.

In many cases, there are so many people who don't know whether they are alive or dead. The Chinese fleet does not want to cause trouble, but that does not mean that trouble will not come to you. The Portuguese fleet was originally sailing northwest. But after discovering the Chinese fleet, it actually approached without knowing whether it was alive or dead.

"Bastard, what do those Portuguese want to do? Are they ready to attack us? Chief of Staff, order the ships, get ready for battle! Commodore Lu Haipeng, commander of the 5th Fleet, looked at the approaching Portuguese warships, and his eyes almost burst into flames.

"Yes, Commander!" Major General Ye Feng, Chief of Staff, nodded. Now that the Emperor Long Yufei is on the ship, the Portuguese are simply looking for death when they do this!

"General Lu, don't forget, we are in a state of war with Portugal now!" Major General Liu Zhongming, Deputy Minister of Operations Department, said.

Major General Lu Haipeng was stunned for a moment, and then reacted. In order to recover Macao, the Chinese Empire declared war on each other with the Kingdom of Portugal. Even now, the two sides have not been in contact with a state of war. That is to say, after the fleets of the two sides meet, they can attack each other.

"Holy shit, do these Portuguese want to fight us? Haha, that's good, just to test the performance of the 'Western Zhou-class' battleship! "Major General Lu Haipeng was originally the kind of person who was not afraid of heaven and earth. Now the Portuguese himself has come to the door, which just gives him a chance.

After receiving the combat order, the four "Xizhou-class" battleships and four "Xia-class" cruisers of the 5th Fleet of the Chinese Navy immediately began to prepare for battle. The crew rushed to their posts, and the guns spun and began to aim at the Portuguese warship four thousand meters away.

On the second-class battleship of the Portuguese fleet 'Lisbon', a middle-aged general with a big beard was holding a telescope to observe the reaction of the Chinese fleet, and a smile of disdain appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"The shipbuilding industry of these yellow-skinned monkeys is really strong, and even such a huge warship can be built, even more powerful than the British. No wonder they dared to attack Macau with impunity! The middle-aged general said.

"General, the Chinese have become the hegemon of the Far East. Even the British could no longer meddle in the affairs of the Far East. A colonel officer said.

"Humph! One day they will know that the world is still dominated by white people. The yellow race is nothing more than an inferior race! The middle-aged general said.

"General, are we going to keep closer? The Chinese fleet has already begun to prepare for combat. What if we get closer, if we start a war with them? The colonel said with some concern.

"Don't worry, this is Europe, they don't dare! I just want to get closer and see what their ships really look like! The middle-aged general said nonchalantly. (To be continued......)