PS: Today's three watches are completed, ask for subscriptions, ask for monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thank you for the monthly pass of the book friend Stone KK!

London in winter is shrouded in early fog. The hazy beauty of the foggy London was praised as a result of the blooming of the flower of industry. With the continuous development of the industrial revolution, the industrial development of various countries is also very inquisitive. As the first country where the Industrial Revolution occurred, Britain ranks first in the world in terms of industrial strength.

Relying on a powerful navy, Britain's overseas colonies spread all over the world. However, in the East of the world, Britain suffered a defeat. Not only did it lose its colonies in Southeast Asia, but even India, which was the most important one, was under the threat of the Chinese Empire. This has allowed Britain to increase its investment in military power, and so far, it has also paid off handsomely.

First of all, the strength of the British Navy has been fully restored. The successive commissioning of new warships built by major shipyards has made the strength of the British Navy expand rapidly. The old sail warships have all been withdrawn from active service. In its place, new steam-powered warships were used. And in terms of quantity, it once again surpassed the Chinese Empire and became the first in the world. The number of new warships of the British Navy has exceeded sixty. There are nearly twenty more warships under construction. In the navy of the Chinese Empire, there were only 38 capital ships. Once all the warships of the British Navy were put into service, they would be more than twice as many as the Imperial Chinese Navy.

In terms of quality, Britain's heritage in industrial technology and naval shipbuilding was far stronger than that of the Chinese Empire. Their new warships in service. In terms of combat performance, even if it is inferior to the pioneer Chinese Imperial Navy, it is not far behind. The Imperial Chinese Navy had 2,000-ton 'Xia-class' cruisers and 'Shang-class' cruisers. There are also 5,000-ton 'Western Zhou-class' warships and 8,000-ton 'Eastern Zhou-class' warships. The British Navy also has 2,000-ton 'Pearl-class' warships and 5,000-ton Orlando-class warships. In addition, the lead ship of the British Navy's latest 8,000-ton 'Nelson-class' warship has also been launched. In this batch, the British Navy built six ships at once. If the performance can satisfy the British Navy, the British Navy will further increase the order.

It can be seen that the British have been in the past few years. We have been accumulating strength ambitiously. Once the British navy can achieve overwhelming superiority, future wars will break out immediately. When the time comes. This is another new reshuffle of the world situation.

Secondly, the Army, as a weakness of Britain, has also been strengthened over the years. The British recruited young men from their homeland. and the formation of armies in the colonies. As a result, the size of the British Army has been greatly improved. In addition, a series of new weapons have been installed, so that the combat effectiveness of the British Army has also been greatly improved. At least compared to the original battlefield in Burma, it is no longer the same.

Britain is geographically located in a lonely position overseas, separated from the European continent by a strait. This allowed Britain to avoid being invaded by the great powers on the European continent. Coupled with the strength of the British Navy, Britain has been able to do so for hundreds of years. are in a transcendent position.

In order to consolidate its position, Britain has been pursuing a balanced policy in Europe. Its main purpose is to avoid the emergence of too powerful countries in Europe. Thus threatening the interests of the British. Now, Britain's balancing policy is not only applicable to Europe, but also to the whole world. Britain began to aggressively suppress opponents around the world who would pose a threat to Britain. Among these opponents, the Chinese Empire is undoubtedly at the forefront.

In December 1847, on Christmas Eve, British Prime Minister Edward Edward. Smith. The Earl of Stanley convened a cabinet meeting after an audience with Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. Consult with Cabinet Ministers on the current world situation and what kind of foreign policy Britain will adopt in the next phase. Although, in the several major wars that broke out in 1847, Britain stayed out of the matter. However, this also has far-reaching implications for the interests and security of the United Kingdom. So, Britain has to adjust.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the information compiled by the intelligence department, let's take a look!" Count Stanley said with a stern expression. British intelligence prepared a special report on the world situation, which was submitted to the Prime Minister. The Earl of Stanley, having seen it, has now been handed down to the various cabinet ministers.

The report is more than 10 pages long, but there are four main contents. First, after the defeat of Russia, the Chinese Empire had become the most powerful country in the East of the world, posing a serious threat to the British colonies of India. Second, the war between China, France, and Spain against the United States will have a great impact on British interests in North America, and the Canadian colonies will also be threatened. Third, what kind of impact the rise of the Kingdom of Prussia and the weakening of Russia will have on the European continent. Fourth, the alliance formed by China, France and Spain has posed a threat to Britain on a global scale. Britain had to find a way to break up the alliance between China, France and Spain.

After a long time, the cabinet ministers finished reading the report and raised their heads one after another.

"Your Excellency, this report of the intelligence department is very important, and these points are all thorny problems facing the British Empire now." The Earl of Granville, the Foreign Secretary, was the first to speak.

"On the first question, I think we should further strengthen our military presence in India. Both the army and the navy need to be strengthened. The importance of India to the empire is needless to say. We have to protect India. It's a matter of whether the empire is strong or not!

The attack on the United States by China, France, and Spain would affect the interests of the empire in North America. So we have to have the power to help the United States. I built the Yì Empire to help the United States by all means other than war. In this way, we can not only win over the United States, but also use the United States to weaken the strength of China, France, and Spain.

The empire should have established closer relations with the Kingdom of Prussia, which had already taken control of northern Germany. The relationship between the empire and the Kingdom of Prussia was already good, which was conducive to the empire's influence on the European continent. Similarly, Russia suffered heavy losses in the war with the Chinese Empire. Now it is being defeated by the Ottoman Turkish Empire. We need to support Russia and restore its strength to the best of its ability. By borrowing the hands of the Russians to hold back the Chinese Empire, in this way, it would be possible to curb the expansion of the Chinese Empire in a certain way.

As for the alliance between China, France and Spain, this is indeed a headache. However, if you pay attention to the current war situation in North America, you should be able to find that China, France and Spain are already full of contradictions in North America. We may be able to find a way to break up the alliance between China, France and Spain in this regard! In response to a few points in the report, the Earl of Granville, the Foreign Secretary, proposed a corresponding proposal.

Earl Stanley, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, nodded again and again, and the other Cabinet Ministers did the same.

"Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary's construction is very good, now the empire is facing a great threat, and we must do our best to act!" Chancellor of the Exchequer Benjamin. Disraeli said.

"Sir Adam, if the Imperial Navy goes to war with the Imperial Chinese Navy now, will we be able to win?" Earl Stanley asked. The previous British Navy was defeated in the hands of the Imperial Chinese Navy, which was an eternal pain for the British.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, at present the Imperial Navy has a total of 48 'Pearl-class' cruisers and 12 'Orlando-class' warships. In terms of numbers, it has far surpassed the 1st and 5th fleets of the Imperial Chinese Navy. However, according to the latest information we have received, the newest 'Eastern Zhou-class' warship of the Chinese Empire has entered service. Compared with the 'Western Zhou-class' warships that visited Europe that year, the 'Eastern Zhou-class' warships have a larger tonnage, more powerful firepower, and a comprehensive improvement in protection capabilities, and the Imperial Navy is currently unable to compete with this kind of warship. In addition, it is said that the Chinese Empire was also designing more powerful and advanced warships. The Imperial Navy's 'Nelson-class' warships have already been launched and will be able to enter service in a maximum of one year. When the time comes, the Imperial Navy will have the upper hand! "Lord of the Admiralty, Charles. Sir Adam said.

Although, Charles. Sir Adam did not give a definite answer, but the Earl of Stanley already knew what he meant. Now the strength of the British Navy has been greatly improved, but in the face of the navy of the Chinese Empire, it does not seem to have an advantage. This was especially true before the 'Nelson-class' battleships were not put into service. It seems that the British Navy will have to continue to accumulate strength.

"I see, Sir Adam, Imperial Navy, more advanced warships are needed to protect our maritime interests. We need not only 'Nelson-class' warships, but more powerful ones. Whether in terms of the number or quality of naval warships, we need to surpass the Chinese, we are the hegemon of the sea! Earl Stanley said.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Prime Minister!" Charles. Sir Adam nodded.

"Your Excellency the Marquis, what about the Army?" The Earl of Stanley looked at the Marquis of Anglesey, Secretary of War.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, at present, the strength of the Imperial Army has been increased to 300,000. In the event of war, we can mobilize millions of troops. In addition, the armies we had formed in the colonies, especially the Anglo-Indian army in India, had grown to more than a million. In addition, a range of advanced weapons, such as heavy machine guns and mortars, have been installed in the troops. If the Chinese dare to attack India, we will surely make them pay a heavy price! The Marquis of Anglesey said firmly! (To be continued......)