"Mr. Yan, I have already informed Honolulu, and the Government Council has replied that I will bring your message back to Tianjin as soon as possible, and bring your wife and children to Honolulu."

"Okay, that's good." Yan Fu, who was standing on the deck and worried about his wife and children, finally breathed a sigh of relief, although he still didn't understand why Li Mo was on the ocean and could frequently send and send all kinds of messages, but he also knew that it was not appropriate to ask these questions at this time, so he hurriedly thanked: "Thank you, Brother Da Zhuang." ”

"Mr. Yan is too polite, the young master said, you are a distinguished guest." Du Dazhuang scratched his head and smiled innocently.

After getting along for a few days, Yan Fu gradually got to know a little better, knowing that the simple strong man in front of him had broken out with Li Mo back then, and treated him like a sibling brother, he didn't dare to slack off, nodded lightly and asked, "Brother Da Zhuang, where is Young Master Li now?" ”

"Don't, Mr. Yan still call me Da Zhuang." Du Dazhuang hurriedly waved his hand and pointed to the center of the hull: "The young master is in the rest cabin, if you have something, I'll take you there." ”

"That's good." Yan Fu is not a hesitant person, since he chose this path, he also wants to understand the situation in Honolulu as soon as possible, so he followed Du Dazhuang and walked towards the rest cabin.

Due to the continuous expansion of the control area, the Government Council also felt that it was necessary to arrange special ships for personnel exchanges, so it ordered this new type of passenger ship, from the displacement point of view, the passenger [***] is only about 2,000 tons, but because it is mainly used for the transportation of political axe personnel, so whether it is decoration or surname Neng, it is better than ordinary ships.

Bypassing the long passage, Yan Fu finally came to the rest area, but did not rush in, but let Du Dazhuang go first to report it.

The rest cabin is located in the middle of the hull, which is specially opened up for people to breathe during the trip, about the size of a room, much more spacious than the narrow living cabin, because this time it is a special trip to pick up the young master, so in addition to a few people who happened to go back on a business trip in Taiwan, only Li Mo and his guards remained, so at the moment the rest cabin seemed empty.

At this time, on the big table in the center of the rest cabin, there was a huge map, Li Mo stood in front of the table, looked back at Duan Fei who was accompanying him, moved the corners of his mouth but stopped talking, and then moved his eyes to the sea area on the map like it was full of broken gems, and his brows were furrowed tightly.

Nanyang, or Southeast Asia!

Vietnam, Siam, Luzon, Borneo, Singapore, Brunei, etc., have either changed their names or are still using ancient names, gathered in this sea like chess pieces, and the major forces are scattered and intertwined.

But the more the powers dominate, the more important it means that this sea area is important, and even if you go to the Strait of Malacca, which holds the throat of the southwest Pacific Ocean, there are too many important shipping lanes in this sea area.

As a later generation, Li Mo knows the important surname of Nanyang better than people of this age. Iron ore, gold, rubber, oil, etc., almost everywhere are strategic resources, coupled with the natural geographical location, it can be said that as long as you control here, the entire North Pacific will be embraced!

No matter from the point of view of resources or important surnames, this is an area that must be controlled by itself, but it is easier said than done, now there are many forces, there are many powers, the British Far East Fleet, the French Far East Fleet, the Spanish Far East Fleet, the Dutch East India Company, etc., almost all the top powers have garrisons everywhere, and it is light to say that it is a hornet's nest! If you really want to fish in troubled waters, you really have to think about it carefully.

In fact, he didn't think about sending troops to enter the South Seas in the name of suppressing bandits and occupy islands to lay a foundation, but he couldn't help but think about the consequences! Historically, after this invasion and occupation of Liaodong, he was immediately interfered by the Three Kingdoms and returned Liao to the fat that reached his mouth, and if he went to Nanyang by himself, it might not be verbal interference. Moreover, the fleet has just gone through a big war, and it is still digesting the results of the last war, and the materials and ammunition are not ready for another big war.

But obviously it's not okay not to go, there is no need to say much about Nanyang's important surname, Malacca alone is enough to make him salivate! Britain is worthy of being an old maritime country, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, the Strait of Malacca, etc., almost all the important maritime strategic places, in fact, to see whether a country is a sea power, as long as it looks at how many maritime points it controls.

After the First World War, Britain was defeated on all fronts, and the Americans took control of these places and took over the stick of sea power, and now that they have returned, they must change these, so that the descendants of Yan and Huang can get out of the shackles of the yellow earth and become a real sea power country!

But this road is too difficult to follow, for example, although the damage of this pirate attack is not large, but it is a wake-up call. Originally, he was going to wait until the United States and Spain went to war to take control of Luzon before the United States, but now it seems that this trick is no longer working. Because since he defeated Yuben, history has been diverged, and it has shifted in a direction that no one knows, and the most provable thing is that just received news from the French that Tsarist Russia suddenly sent several warships to the Far East, which has never been recorded in history!

Therefore, Nanyang must start early, but how to start and where to start is still confused. Historically, the United States seized Luzon, in addition to being isolated by Spain in Europe at that time, and it also had a great deal to do with the international situation at that time. At that time, the British were disgraced by the Boer quagmire, the French were bent on dealing with Germany, Tsarist Russia invited merit to force Yu Ben to return Liao to seize the Northeast and had no energy to manage the South Seas, Austria-Hungary was trapped in internal affairs, and Yu Ben was anxious to digest Taiwan, etc., so he picked peaches for the Americans, but that was also based on the fact that the United States and the West declared war on each other in Cuba.

In the end, Germany almost took the lead! Fortunately, George Dewey was decisive and did not let the Germans succeed!

What now? Let yourself declare war on Spain at once? It's a joke! Although Spain is weak, if it starts a war on its own, without Cuba to contain it, people can immediately buy seven or eight battleships to explode the young master chrysanthemum!

The problem in front of us is like an equation, if you want to fight Spain, you must first make trouble with Cuba, but if Cuba makes trouble, it will force the United States to get involved in the war, and this will also have to divert the attention of Britain, and finally before everyone can react, take it!

It's hard, it's so hard!

If there were seven or eight dreadnoughts now, they would be able to do it, but the problem was that their own shipyard had not yet built the ability to build battleships, and all their resources needed to be imported by sea, so they could not afford to fight a war that might involve a third party.

Especially the performance of the British [***] ship before it saw death and did not save it, it shows that people are already wary of themselves, and they don't want Honolulu to continue to expand, these damn Brits!

As soon as he thought of this, Young Master Li hated it so much that he really thought that he was a soft persimmon and pinched it casually! Grandma, let you know how many eyes the young master Ma Wang Ye has!

"Duan Fei." Li Mo suddenly turned his head to look at Duan Fei: "Do you remember the list I gave you a few years ago?" ”

"Yes." Duan Fei nodded.

The list that the young master handed over to him in San Francisco a few years ago, plus some additions over the years, that list has long since become a roster. Some of the above people have been abducted by themselves, and they have been lured to join the Honolulu Ministry of Science and Technology, some have been concerned and protected by other countries, and the rest have been under the sight of Kekob.

He didn't understand, the young master was obviously looking at the map of Nanyang, and he was also thinking about the escort when he saw the situation, how could he suddenly care about that list? What's more, the Russian big hairy man has also come to the Far East, these are all more important than the list, right?

"Let's do it! Roll call in order, what can be caught, what can be robbed, all of them will be brought to Honolulu, as for the rest. The corner of Li Mo's eyes twitched suddenly: "Kill, don't keep one!" ”

Hearing Li Mo's last words, even the cold-faced Duan Fei couldn't help but shudder, he was no longer a young man who didn't know anything when he first got the list, he knew very well who the people were on that list.

But Li Mo seemed to have made up his mind, and without waiting for Duan Fei to speak, he continued: "Give you half a year, remember, don't let people doubt us." Listening to what the young master said solemnly, besides, many people on that list have already become the attention of all countries, so Duan Fei also understood the arduous nature of this task, and after hesitating for a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, young master, I will be careful." ”

Li Mo already knows his brother-in-law very well, and knows that he will never easily promise anything, but if he agrees, then he will definitely put his heart into doing it well.

After solving the list, Li Mo only felt that something was sinking in his heart, and he had finally come to this point, not knowing whether it was right or wrong. He took a deep breath before continuing: "In addition, immediately inform Mr. Li and ask him to send someone to Cuba to contact Marseo and invite him to Hawaii as a guest. ”

Duan Fei answered and was about to go out to send a telegram, when Du Dazhuang suddenly rushed in to report that Yan Fu was coming, and Li Mo hurriedly got up to greet him.

"It turned out that Mr. came, the ship was simple, is Mr. still used to it?"

"The young master is polite, why bother when you go out." After Yan Fu came in and exchanged a few words with Li Mo, he was immediately attracted by the large map spread out on the table, and walked to the side to take a serious look.

Li Mo waved his hand and motioned for Duan Fei and Du Dazhuang to go out first, before slowly walking to the map and said with a smile: "Mr. Yan, you are a top student at the Greenwich Naval Academy in the United Kingdom, what do you think of my chart?" ”

Yan Fu looked up at Li Mo, smiled slightly and didn't speak, picked up the pen next to him, sketched it on the chart, and with his movements, a thin line centered on Honolulu, connected to Ryukyu and connected to Taiwan, and finally extended to Luzon, but when he got there, he didn't continue to draw the line, but fiercely slaughtered Luzon's seat and made a circle.

Looking at this line in one go, Li Mo nodded and said with a smile: "Mr. is really a roundworm in my stomach, I know what I'm worried about." ”

"Huh." Yan Fu dropped his pen, took off his glasses and wiped them with the corners of his clothes before putting them back on, then pointed to the circle and said: "Living in an island country, the lifeblood is all on the ocean, and the smooth shipping route is a must to be guaranteed!" ”

Someone must have planned the attack on the fleet in the South Seas, but it doesn't really matter who it is, the important thing is that you must ensure the safety of the route no matter what. There are many islands in the South Seas, the power is complex, but the resources are abundant, it has been a battleground for soldiers since ancient times, since the young master, you have the heart to promote my Chinese sea power, then here and here must be taken! ”

Li Mo nodded approvingly, and did not hide his coveting of Nanyang, and said bluntly: "I'm also thinking about this matter, but you should know that now it's almost all covered with foreign powers, and there is not even a place to stay. ”

"The Pacific Army was first created, and after a big war, Young Master Zaijia, you said a few days ago that the British and American powers don't want you to continue to expand, since the fleet going straight to the South China Sea is not feasible for the time being, why don't you change the method?"

"Another way? What do you mean, sir? Li Mo's eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked.

"If you want to enter the South Seas, there are two best places, one is Borneo and the other is Luzon." Yan Fu also drew the seat of Borneo on the map with a pen, and then continued: "Borneo is located on the edge of the Strait of Malacca, with deep forests and mountains, and there are many cannibals, if you want to intervene, you must first fight hard, but there are also advantages, first of all, it is close to the strait, has several good harbors, and has many resources, it is a good place for the navy to garrison, but before a Lanfang tragedy, almost all of my Chinese were killed, and now there are less than 10,000 Chinese living there, and it is very difficult to make connections, and it is now the territory of the Dutch, The British are also on the side, and it is more difficult to meddle. ”

"Luzon is not bad, Spain has been weak for a long time, and it has long lost its original prestige, and it is also the largest gathering place of my Nanyang Chinese, so the young master might as well start from here!"

Young Master Li finally knows what a hero is, if it weren't for the weakness of the Qing Dynasty, the chaos of internal affairs, and the unevenness of the people, with these cattle people, maybe he could really become the world's largest country.

It's a pity that there are so many outstanding Chinese sons and daughters! Watching the signing of traitorous treaties one after another, it is too wasteful to be full of blood but unable to do it, the young master must get these people in his hands, what a fortune it is!

"What do you think, sir?"

"In Yan Fu's view, the attack on this fleet is not an opportunity, although the main force of the large ships is difficult for the time being, but you can completely transfer some small ships to escort and suppress bandits, first open the way to survey the reality, and you can also contact the local Chinese to prepare for the future."

Without waiting for Li Mo to speak, Yan Fu continued: "A few years ago, I went to Luzon, and now it is controlled by Spain, but Spain has gradually declined over the years, and the local natives have hidden signs of riots, and revolutionary parties have appeared in various places. ”

Hearing this, Li Mo's eyes lit up suddenly, he had always been imprisoned by the thinking of his previous life, and he always wanted to start from the outside, but Luzon is also the Philippines, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was indeed a large-scale national reading movement, if he could borrow this power and consume the strength of Spain and Luzon, wouldn't it be much easier in the future?

As if he saw Li Mo's thoughts, Yan Fu squinted, walked to the window and looked at the sea and said softly: "In troubled times, some national elites will inevitably appear, and now Luzon is also at this time, once those people grow up, if they want to occupy it, I am afraid it will cost a lot!" Since you want to establish a foothold in the South Seas, it is better to start early. ”

Listening to Yan Fu's words that seemed to be talking to himself, Li Mo's body shook slightly, and he understood what he meant, he was preparing to let himself completely burn this fire between Luzon Spain and the locals!

Literati, those who do, and literati who have studied are even more terrible!

But it's hard to find a person who is familiar with the situation on the ground in Luzon and can do it with ease! Young Master Li racked his brains, but he couldn't think of a suitable candidate, so he had to shake his head: "It seems that after returning to Hawaii this time, Mr. will accompany me to Luzon once." ”

"Hehe, Yan Fu should accompany him." Yan Fu smiled and asked, "But why don't you go directly to Luzon from Taiwan?" Or take a big detour back to Honolulu first? ”

The corners of Li Mo's mouth were cold: "Sir, I don't know, we got the news a few days ago that the Russians have sent several warships to the Far East." ”

"Oh? The Russians are coming? When he first heard the news, Yan Fu couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and immediately walked to the map, and muttered for half a salary before suddenly raising his head: "North Korea!" ”

Li Mo nodded, although Russia has long coveted the Northeast, but at this time Nicholas II has just come to power, the first thing to do must be to stabilize internal affairs, although he is arrogant but not a fool, and he will not easily start a war with the huge Qing Dynasty in the case of lack of preparation, so this time sending warships, in addition to showing that he has shown his ambition, is more to see that he was crippled by himself, and he wants to take advantage of the maneuver of North Korea!

"It seems that you beat me so badly that even the Russians used their brains, so I don't know what they are going to do." Yan Fu smiled bitterly, as if he saw the Russians landing in North Korea, and saw the picture of the destruction of life in this land that was originally a subject country of the Qing Dynasty, and couldn't help sighing: "The imperial court just made peace with Yu Ben, and the Russians sent warships, I don't know if Li Zhongtang regrets it at this time." ”

Li Mo shook his head, and he didn't want to comment on that Master Li of his own family, so he only sighed: "Mr. Yan's words are wrong, I think even if Lord Li Zhongtang wants to fight, I'm afraid it won't be so easy." ”

Yan Fu nodded, Li Hongzhang is a character, but there are too many involvements in the court, even if he has three heads and six arms, I am afraid he will have to give in, not to mention that the Qing Dynasty is still in charge of the harem.

But just watch North Korea be carved up? Yan Fu suddenly raised his head, glanced at Li Mo, and asked, "As soon as the Russians come, I'm afraid that there will be chaos here in the Far East again, what are you going to do, young master?" ”

Hearing this question, the corners of Li Mo's mouth suddenly smiled slyly.

"I'm going to build a warship!".

(To be continued)