"It's Shanghai ahead." Lin Yongsheng looked at the largest metropolis in the Far East in the distance, and the mayor said with a sigh of relief.

"What is the damage to the ships?" Xu Jie asked.

"The Guiyuan was unable to fight for a few months, three boilers were destroyed, and the rest were damaged. The pipeline is even more of a mess. There are no major problems with the hull structure of the Suiyuan and Kaiyuan, but the artillery and superstructure are bad, and with sufficient equipment and personnel, they can be put back into battle in about 1 month. Lin Yongsheng returned to the Tao. The armor of the Guiyuan class is still a bit thin. It was a bit reluctant to resist an 8-inch gun. At the end, Lin Yongsheng added.

"What about ammunition consumption?"

"In addition to the 8-inch shells, the 6-inch and 12-pounder shells have basically run out. And I heard Boss Peng say that there are not many shells in stock in the Nanyang, you must know that when we were active in the East China Sea, these shells were provided by the Jiangnan Bureau and the Jinling Machinery Bureau, and in the Battle of Izu alone, we fired no less than 100 shells per 6-inch gun. Lin Yongsheng's eyes were a little gloomy. If there are not enough shells in Shanghai, what will happen to the battleship even if it is repaired?

"Sss Xu Jie couldn't help but gasp. "How so? Didn't Lord Liu agree to provide us with supplies? The shells that the Jiangnan Bureau has been producing for more than 2 years have run out in just a few days? Xu Jie asked in disbelief.

"The production capacity of the Jiangnan Bureau and the Jinling Bureau is limited, in addition to the 6-inch shells, there are also solid bullets, and there are a lot of defective rates, and now we are given good quality blasting bullets, and there are some solid bullets, but there is really no way to use things." After using blasting shells, Lin Yongsheng was quite unscrupulous about the solid bullets commonly used in Beiyang in the past.

"Let's talk about it, let's let the battleship into the dock first." Xu Jie has always attached great importance to logistics and supply, so in addition to expanding the military industry in Beiyang before the war, he also worked hard to mobilize other military factories, but now it seems that this production capacity is still far from enough, 6-inch guns, 8-inch guns and shells can still be produced by Qingguo, they are not enough, and the 10-inch guns and shells on the 10,000-ton warships that have just returned to China are not even more insufficient? You must know that the stock of shells for each 10-inch gun, including the transport ship, does not exceed 250 rounds!

Just when Xu Jie and Lin Yongsheng were struggling with the supply problem, a thick column of smoke suddenly appeared from the sea and caught their attention. Look at the speed, it must be a warship, look at the scale? It's not smaller than the scale of the Beiyang Grand Parade back then!!

"It's the British Far East Fleet, and the battleship led by it should be the Centurion that has just been launched!" After Lin Yongsheng looked at it with a telescope, he suddenly exclaimed.

"That's right, the one in the back that is about the same size as it should be the USS Black, a first-class protection cruiser. Which of the next two ships should be the Edgar class. The last 3 second-class protected cruisers were supposed to be the Apollo class. (The maximum speed is 20 knots, equipped with two 6-inch guns, 6 4.7-inch guns, and a displacement of 3,400 tons.) All of them are new ships that have been in the water for less than 5 years. Xu Jie couldn't help but sigh. With the complete hostility between Japan and Britain and the infiltration of the Russians into the Far East, the British also had to strengthen the Far East Fleet to maintain their superiority in the Far East, so the Far East Fleet also had to be strengthened.

"Get ready to fire the salute. Felimante should be on board. I am a lieutenant general, and I am a major general at most. Xu Jie glanced at the lieutenant general's flag on the Centurion and said. But to Xu Jie's surprise, the British actually fired the cannon first, and it was fired according to the rank of lieutenant general, which made Xu Jie, Lin Yongsheng and others very surprised. So what to do? They misplaced. Do you want to return the gift? If you return the salute, you accept the other general's courtesy, and if you don't return the salute. is a faux pas in itself. "Send someone to tell the British, they are wrong." Xu Jie finally decided to figure things out first. As a result, the news from the person who went back to report was very shocking,...,

"Felimante actually invited Lord Xu to be a guest on the Centurion? What does that mean? Lin Yongsheng asked puzzled.

"It shouldn't be a bad thing, you lead the fleet to the Jiangnan Shipyard, and I'll go to the British to have a look." Xu Jie said.

Officers' meeting room of the British second-class battleship Centurion.

"Chief Xu, do you really think that the Royal Navy will even make a mistake about the specifications of the salute? The courtesy we give you as a vice admiral is mainly based on two considerations: first, you are a very good naval commander and ship designer. Firing a high-spec cannon salute is a sign of respect for you. Second, with the arrival of the three second-class battleships you designed, I think it is only a matter of time before you are promoted to vice admiral, even if the contemptible people and the Far East Fleet of the British Empire wish General Xu a high promotion. In order to ensure that the normal trade activities in the Yangtze River basin are not disrupted. The British Empire's Far East Fleet was to be stationed in the British Concession in Shanghai, which was to be divided into non-belligerent zones. Your warships can be resupplied and repaired here without fear of being attacked. Felimante explained with a smile. Then he glanced out of the porthole at the 3 seriously injured Beiyang cruisers in the distance.

"It turns out that the British are courting overtures." Xu Jie said in his heart. Although deep down they were very dissatisfied with the British brazenly demarcating non-belligerent zones on China's territory, this provided a security guarantee for the Beiyang Fleet and the southern part of the Qing State, and from the overall point of view, it was still very beneficial to the Qing State. (Historically, the warships that Japan bought from Italy were escorted to Japan by the British in the name of joint exercises.) Since the other party has shown enough kindness, Xu Jie will not say a few polite words, it will be too much to say. "I am very grateful to the British Empire and the Royal Navy for their contribution to the Qing Kingdom, and I believe that after this war, the friendship between the Qing and the British will be further strengthened. The Beiyang Fleet and the British Far East Fleet will become important forces in maintaining stability in the Far East. In the Far East, we do not need the interference of external forces. The seas of the Far East should be managed by the Qing and the British on the basis of fairness and cooperation. Xu Jie used some official terms on his plane in a daze, but this Tiyì, which was dominated by the Qing Dynasty and Britain in the Far East Sea, was actually valued by the British government. And the joint operation of the Beiyang and British Far East fleets did make it impossible for the Russians, Germans, or American cowboys to interfere in the sea power of the Far East.

"Huh? Qing and Britain dominate the Far East sea power? Fremante frowned slightly, in the navy of the British Empire, the oceans are their home, and they have never thought of sharing sea power with others, even in the bathtub of the Mediterranean, Britain definitely emphasizes the advantages of France and Italy. (The British Mediterranean Fleet in the pre-dreadnought period in history was the strongest, and the commander of the Mediterranean Fleet was often the candidate for the Minister of the Admiralty) However, with the development of the times, the advantage of the British Navy in the past is no longer the same. Among other things, the French and Russian navies made the British feel Alexander. The Russians, in particular, were no longer satisfied with a large amount of land, and the Far Eastern seas were to be taken over by them. And this is absolutely not allowed by the British Empire, but according to the practice of the British Empire, the British habit is that if someone wants to take the lead, then the British go back to support others to beat the top person, and they rarely do it directly!! (Of course, Napoleon, a once-in-a-millennium demon, still has to be done by Niu Niu himself)

"There are no outsiders here, I think Mr. Xu can say what you need, you know, although with the return of the fleet led by Colonel Luang Weili, the Beiyang Fleet will gain an overwhelming advantage over the Japanese Combined Fleet. But as you may know, the Russian fleet is coming to the Far East, and the British Empire cannot completely cut off the Russian trip to the Far East, but can only delay. If the Russians were involved in the Qing-Japanese War, I think the pressure on the Beiyang Fleet would still be great. Fremante said carefully, this meaning is very clear, although the British Empire supports the just cause of Beiyang, but it is unlikely to directly take the sleeves and hair, this thing has to be done by yourself, but there is no problem with support. …,

"Shells, supplies, dockyards, mechanics." Xu Jie was not pretentious, and directly prescribed his own conditions.

"The repair of the Beiyang Rapid Fleet, as well as the replenishment and maintenance of the Luang Weili fleet along the way, is not a problem, and Colonel Jericho has already sailed with the fleet, and he will be responsible for liaison with the colonial authorities of the British Empire along the way. But this shell is really a problem, you know, the British Empire currently has only 2 warships with 10-inch Armstrong guns. In addition to the artillery shells that are left in Singapore's home port for war, there are very few that can be provided to your country, and your country's three capital ships are all 10-inch main guns, and 8-inch artillery shells must be ordered from Britain or Italy, because 8-inch guns are not the standard equipment of the British Navy. As for the truly universal 6-inch shells, according to your consumption. It is estimated that a batch will also be transported from mainland Europe or Italy. Felimante thought for a moment and said. But I complained in my heart, do you have to use 10-inch guns and 8-inch guns if you have nothing to do? Directly with 9.2 inches is incredible? At least make it easier for Lao Tzu to find cannonballs!!

"Ugh." Xu Jie couldn't help but swallow his saliva, what does this mean? This shows that at this stage, even if the Luang Willi fleet comes, the number of shells will definitely not be enough. Especially the 6-inch gun, the consumption of this thing is really large, and it is estimated that even if the shells on the supply ships of the Luang Weili fleet are brought over, I am afraid that it will not be enough for the Beiyang team and the fast fleet to consume. And, of course, the propellant. This thing is also very precious. The production of smokeless gunpowder is limited, although it can be replaced with maroon propellant, but rapid fire is hopeless, and the smoke and dust of maroon gunpowder are very good, and the artillery cannot be aimed until the smoke dissipates.

"If I can, I hope that the British Empire can send some mechanics to help the Jiangnan Dockyard repair my three ships damaged in the Beiyang war. Replacement guns can also be provided. We will pay this qiē at the market price. I hope that the three Beiyang ships can go into battle as much as possible. Xu Jie said sincerely.

"In terms of technical capabilities, the Yerson shipyard in the British Empire has an advantage." Felimante said.

"Okay, then Guiyuan will be repaired in the Jiangnan Bureau, and the other two will be repaired at the Yesong Shipyard." As for why Xu Jie let the seriously injured go to the Jiangnan Bureau for repairs, there is a reason! First of all, as far as secrecy is concerned, one of the headquarters of Japanese spies is Leshantang in Shanghai, although this place has been cleaned up once before the war, but how can it be completely cleaned? Judging from it, I'm afraid there are a lot of moths inside the Jiangnan Bureau, right? As for the British Yesson shipyard, relatively speaking, under the supervision of the British Navy, it was not easy for Japanese spies to get in, anyway, it seemed that the Guiyuan ship could not be repaired in a short time, so the Japanese fleet was staring at a ship that could not be put into battle. The other two Xu Jie are in a hurry!

"The contemptible people have one last request, I don't know if the Imperial Far East Fleet still has stocks of 6-inch guns and shells, ship parts and other materials, and the Beiyang Fleet still needs these valuable resources to maintain combat strength." Xu Jie made his last request.

"In this regard, I will contact Master Li and Admiral Ding directly. General Xu is relieved. Felimante said with a smile.

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