On the turquoise Mediterranean Sea, a British-flagged freighter is sailing slowly, and in the bridge, several men are sitting around and chatting in detail.

"Dear Lou, is this true?" A white man, with wide eyes, quickly stood up and spoke in not very fluent English.

A dark-haired man sitting across from him smiled and said, "Of course, the first batch is already on the way, and it is estimated that it will arrive at the port of Durban in a month, all you need to do is sign for it." ”

"Lou! Thank you so much. Hearing what the other party said, the white man excitedly picked up the black-haired man and shouted. And several white people around him, too, hugged the nearest person and shouted noisily.

"God, 30,000 rifles, that's twice as many as the Germans sold us." After the white man calmed down, he shouted, "Lu, tell me, how the hell did you get so many guns?" Are you a relative of Wilhelm II? ”

"Haha." Hearing the humor of what the white man said, Lu Haha smiled and blinked deliberately: "Dear Mr. Phyllis, have you forgotten where I came from?" ”

"Far East!" Phyllis remembered Lou's birth, but he still didn't understand, didn't the Far East say that there was a war? How is it possible that there are so many guns for sale?

"I bought these guns from Hawaiians." The man known as Lu reminded.

"Master Hawaii!" Even though he is in Boer, he is still very familiar with the names that are often mentioned by the nobles of European countries today, but he is a little confused, aren't the Hawaiians ready to fight with Yuben again? How can there be a surplus of arms sold?

Lu knew that he would have questions, and said slowly: "After my defeat, their arsenals were emptied by the Hawaiians, how many troops do you think Hawaii has?" That's why I got this batch of arms. ”

"Oh." Phyllis understood, but before he could ask how he bought this batch of munitions, he heard a sudden and urgent call from outside the cabin: "Boss, there are several Russian [***] ships in front." ”

Russian [***] ship?

Lu Fei stood up quickly, to be honest, if it was another [***] ship, he would not be surprised at all, ships came and went in the Mediterranean, and he didn't meet one or two warships that day, but the Russian [***] ship is different, you must know that not long ago, a batch of Russian [***] ships passed through here, how can there be a Russian [***] ship? When will the Russians be able to swim in the Mediterranean?

"Could it be a few small warships passing by?" Lu frowned and ran towards the height of the bridge, but as soon as he came up, he saw several crew members pointing at a large fleet not far away.

One, two, three, four!

Lu, who was counting the warships, chuckled in his heart, and there were four large warships in front of him!

According to intelligence, the Russian fleet sent to the Far East had already arrived there at this moment, but how could there be four large warships here now? And looking at their goal, it seems that they are also heading east!

It's a pity that he really doesn't understand Russian, and the intelligence department's infiltration of Russia is not very ideal, so he doesn't understand the letters on the bow at all, and white sweat breaks out on his forehead.

"God, that's the battleships Chesma and Sinop!"

When Lu was confused, Phyllis's voice suddenly sounded beside him, and he hurriedly asked, "Phyllis, do you know Russian?" ”

"No, I don't know Russian." Phyllis smiled and pointed to the two huge figures in the middle: "But the last time I was in France, I met these two warships, and a French friend told me, hehe, what two big guys!" ”

Phyllis looked at the two battleships, his eyes lit up, and he didn't notice that Lu on the side had changed his face at all, this is the only way to the Suez Canal, and it is also the closest sea route from Europe to the Far East, since the Russian fleet appeared here, it will definitely not be here to hang out and fish, if these two battleships, and the two large cruisers behind are also going to the Far East, then

Thinking of this, Lu's face suddenly turned very dark, this was a serious intelligence mistake!

Damn it! All were misled by the Russians!

They sent two fleets! ――

As soon as Li Mo stepped on the Pearl Harbor dock, he received a report on the North Korean incident, and he couldn't help but sigh when he looked at the detailed incident in his hand.

In history, the North Korean Concubine Min was killed on October 8, 1895, also known as the Yimo Incident, originally he thought that he had defeated himself, and this thing would no longer happen, but he didn't expect that half a year later, the Empress Mingcheng still did not escape the catastrophe.

This incident also represents that the Russians officially intervened in the affairs of the Far East, although it was a year earlier than the invasion of the Northeast after the Three Kingdoms in history, but it was not too unexpected by Li Mo, the greed of the Tsars of the past dynasties for land was very famous, how could they give up the fat fat of the Far East!

However, at this moment, Young Master Li did not have time to take care of the affairs of North Korea, because he was followed by the German Far East Patrol Fleet that had come from afar, and a nasty beard!

Rushing back from the South Seas, except for the sudden appearance of the elite Cossack cavalry of the Russians, half of it was for the German Far East cruising fleet consisting of one battleship and three cruisers, because the current commander of this fleet is none other than Tirpitz, who became famous in Europe a few years later and is known as the founder of the German Navy!

Li Mo didn't expect that this bearded man, who was supposed to be in Europe, would actually become the commander of the Far East Cruise Fleet a year earlier, and this visit was also incorporated into a battleship!

You must know that Germany has a decent colony in the Far East and even in the entire Pacific Ocean, except for Papua New Guinea and a few isolated islands, and there is no port capable of supplying battleships at all.

For a continental country, and a great power that is trying to get into the hands of the emperor of the world, Germany's current strength and status are not commensurate, and no one likes to stand at a table, holding a knife and fork, and watch a small country like Italy stuff fat into its mouth.

This nasty Tirpitz, doesn't he know that something is wrong with the young master?! What do you want to do in the Far East at this time?

Angry, really angry!

In the end, Young Master Li had to give up the impulse to immediately correct her on the spot under Xiao Yue'er's resentful gaze, and went to greet the visiting German Far East Patrol Fleet.

Brandenburg!

Looking at the battleship that was docking, Master Li, a half-military fan and battleship enthusiast, finally saw this famous German dreadnought-class battleship with his own eyes, and like its owner, the steel hull was full of cold and rigorous Prussian style.

Compared with the British first class of the real pre-dreadnought-class battleship Sovereign class, the Brandenburg class, which was in service a year late, has obviously changed again, first of all, the number of main guns, which is also the most talked about by many Harder fans about this class of battleships, that is, he installed three twin 280mm main guns along the central axis for the first time, arranged in the front, middle and rear, but I don't know if it is out of the uncontrollable increase in recoil after the long-barreled gun, or in order to facilitate the need for the barrel to rotate between the upper floors, The barrel of turret No. 2, installed in the middle of the hull, was shortened to only 35 times the caliber.

Although the caliber is uniform, the effect of different multiples is also different, and compared to the now popular front and rear turrets, or the diamond-shaped layout created by the French, this design is so unfashionable that the German second class of Caesar-Frederick III abandoned this design.

The Germans lost an opportunity to innovate!

Young Master Li flattened his mouth, do you want to remind the Germans? However, when he saw Tirpitz with two beards coming down the gangway, he immediately aroused the hatred of being disturbed by him, and decided not to talk about it!

Compared with Britain, the boss of today's shipbuilding industry, in addition to the faster rate of fire of the main gun, the Brandenburg really has nothing to show off, especially after being drummed up a few times by Master Li, compared with the majestic class that came out in advance, the displacement of the early 10,000s is really a bit of a big deal, not as good as the Polar Star, not to mention that the power of the main engine is only a pitiful 9,000 horsepower, which is really a shame for the famous German engine experts in later generations.

"Dear Grand Duke, it is a great honor for me to meet you."

Without waiting for Master Li to continue his judgment, the bearded and energetic Tirpitz had already come to the front, untied his snow-white gloves, and stretched out his right hand. "Don't need a hug anymore?" Looking at Tirpitz's two big beards, Master Li finally let out a sigh, this is being hugged by this guy, it is really!

"On behalf of the Kingdom of Hawaii, Li Mo welcomes you and wishes you a wonderful journey here." Li Mo shook the big hand of this German Navy generation of cattle and was excited! I really want to pull out the autograph book that still has only one name.

"Do you want to sign it?"

"I didn't expect the Grand Duke to speak German so well, I was so surprised!" Tirpitz couldn't help but be surprised to hear Li Mo actually speak to him in German.

"In fact, I've always admired your culture, so I hired a language teacher to teach me German!" The corners of Li Mo's mouth twitched, grandma! If it weren't for this broken German, would the young master have crossed over here?

As the salutes in snow-white naval uniforms on the pier shouted, a rumbling gun salute rang out to welcome guests from all the way from Germany. Subsequently, Li Mo accompanied Tirpitz to inspect the fleets of the two countries.

Finally, after each visiting the other party's battleship, the two returned to the German mansion where Tirpitz was staying, and before the attendants brought Tirpitz's favorite beer, they heard the naval cowman say: "Dear Archduke, your Pacific Fleet is really an eye-opener, disciplined and well-trained, and it is the best fleet I have ever seen." ”

"The generals are too polite, they still have many flaws compared to your country, and when it comes to discipline, they are not comparable to your country's powerful army, in my opinion, they are a model of soldiers." Li Mo thanked him, and he despised it in his heart! Let you disturb the young master's good deeds, it just so happens that I use the army to stimulate you.

Tirpitz is worthy of being a naval strongman, and a trace of displeasure flashed on his face when he heard Li Mo praise the Imperial Army, but this loyal militarist and right-winger was very good at hiding himself, and he smiled in a blink of an eye: "Dear Grand Duke, I heard that you will be challenged in two years?" ”

it! What the young master doesn't like to hear the most is this, what is a challenge, Lao Tzu can pinch out the egg yolk out of the garbage that is put together! Young Master Li's face turned and he pretended to have a pitiful expression: "Yes, damn it, I still dare to challenge me!" But rest assured, I won't let the British get their way! I'm going to interrupt their black hand here anyway! ”

Tirpitz touched his beard, which was very distinctive, raised the corners of his eyebrows, and laughed: "Dear Mr. Grand Duke, do you really hate the British so much?" Know that all the warships in your fleet are British-built. ”

"Hey!" Young Master Li sighed bitterly: "Don't hide it from the general, in fact, I don't have any hatred with the British, and I used to be very grateful to them, I have always regarded the British as a friend of Hawaii, but when I knew that they deliberately delayed the construction cycle of my battleships, just to wait until they were launched with the warships I ordered, I felt betrayed!" ”

"They are deliberately instigating war, trying to let me and Yue myself fight to lose and dominate the Far East forever!" The more Young Master Li spoke, the more angry he became, and he wanted to jump on the chair, but considering that he might lose his temper, he still chose to sit down and waved his fist fiercely: "General, you can't understand this pain, Hawaii is just an island country, we just want to live a peaceful life!" And being betrayed by a friend who used to think was good is not a good feeling! ”

Tirpitz had long known about the British slowing down the construction of warships for Hawaii, so when he heard Li Mo say this, he couldn't help but nod his head and pretended to be angry: "These Brits, they really damn it!" ”

Tirpitz scolded in agreement, and suddenly blinked: "Mr. Grand Duke, why don't you choose Germany?" Our shipbuilding technology is not worse than that of the British, and it has surpassed it in some aspects, why don't you go to our German shipbuilding? If you want, we can build you two battleships and two armored cruisers in a year, and we won't betray our friends! ”

"Whew! Why does the young master want to build so many battleships! Hearing Tirpitz's words, Young Master Li secretly took a sip. Bah! This old guy just saw that the young master had made a vote and deliberately came to sell the warship! And even how many warships the young master needs!

Last time, Germany did not reap any benefits from the large-scale expansion plan of the company, although it finally sent a minister to negotiate, but at that time it was no longer rich, so it only got a few torpedo ships, and the British won the contract to build a total of four battleships and two heavy cruisers, compared with the contract, even the United States, which has always looked down on it, because of this opportunity, not only controlled the economy of the capital in one fell swoop, but also successfully entered the Far East, it is said that after the minister returned home, he was immediately scolded by Wilhelm II. Kicked out of the diplomatic ranks.

Germany has long been looking for an opportunity to set foot in the rich Far East and the Pacific Ocean, in order to enter the Far East and show its existence, it even spent a lot of money to form the Far East Cruise Fleet, just hoping to take a bite of this cake, but in the past few years, a lot of money has been used, and it is still cruising around the periphery!

Now the dignified Prussian Empire, Kaiser Wilhelm II, who has just defeated France and established the status of the king of the European land, is no longer willing to go to a continental country, he needs a powerful sea power that can match his status! Seeing that Britain and the United States and other countries are now fishing in the Far East and in this country, but they can't intervene, they are naturally sending people to find him, not to mention that this Hawaiian young master really needs to replenish new warships.

Now not only did he send people, but he was also a generation of cattle Tirpitz as a lobbyist, and he had to drum up the God of Wealth, who had just "earned" 30 million pounds, to order a few warships! But Li Mo also has a hard time, because he really doesn't need so many battleships that are about to become scrap metal, not to mention that the young master is going to fight Maozi, will he spend money and be detained in the end?

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but take a sip in my heart, and pretended to drip and said, "General, is this true?" But why did your Minister tell me last time that your country was going to build a large number of ships to replace the old warships, and was there still a spare dock? ”

Tirpitz didn't know that there was anything else, and hurriedly shook his head: "Dear Mr. Grand Duke, please rest assured, as long as you place an order as soon as possible, the German political axe can provide you with four large ships within a year." ”

Say! This bastard, don't say anything about ruining the young master's good deeds, just climb up with the pole! Four large warships, the annual maintenance cost alone will cost hundreds of thousands, isn't this going to bankrupt me! But looking at the other party's demeanor, it seems that it may not work, what can I do?

Young Master Li's eyes rolled, and he said worriedly: "General, it's not that I don't want to order warships, it's really that your country's naval system is completely different from the imperial system used in our country now, you know, our Hawaiian Kingdom is geographically small, and it is impossible to afford two sets of logistics at the same time!" ”

Hearing Li Mo's words, Tirpitz's eyes lit up and he became even more enthusiastic!

Hurriedly said: "Mr. Grand Duke, you can rest assured that our country can provide you with a full set of logistics equipment, of course, if you find it troublesome, we can also provide equipment and send engineers to help you establish your own logistics system, just like Italy." ”

Looking at Tirpitz's red eyes, Young Master Li was dumbfounded, he really couldn't imagine that this navy bull man actually knew how to do business so well, if he rebuilt a logistics system according to what he said, it was estimated that he could directly declare bankruptcy!

Knowing that this level can't be passed, Young Master Li sighed in his heart, this girl is obviously here to blackmail herself by driving a warship, but unfortunately people are powerful now, so they can't offend this big man for a few warships!

Isn't it just spending money! The young master is afraid of everything, but he is not afraid of spending money! But the Germans couldn't be so cheap, so he immediately said: "General, I have an idea, I don't know if it will work, if I can, I am very willing to order two battleships in your country." ”

"If you have any needs, Mr. Grand Duke, just say it, and my country and I will try our best to accommodate you." Tirpitz said, rubbing his beard.

"General, the difference between my [***] ship system and your country is mainly in the artillery, so I wonder if your country can build two battleships for me, and all the weapon systems will be installed by me, do you think this is okay?" Li Mo came up with a compromise solution.

"Only warships?" Tirpitz's eyes lit up, and he was surprised: "Could it be that the Duke's factory can produce naval guns and build battleships on its own?" ”

"Not yet." Li Mo gritted his teeth, he didn't tell a lie this time, gritted his teeth and scolded: "Damn the British, all the experts were withdrawn, so my shipyard can only produce some protective cruisers at the moment, but they seem to have forgotten that Italy can also produce 305 mm guns." ”

"In order not to get the British stuck in my neck, I have ordered eight twin-mounted twelve-inch guns from the company, which are intended to be used as a spare for several battleships now, but if your country is willing to build a hull for me, I will install them." Young Master Li said.

Tirpitz understood, it turned out that this guy was preparing to install Italian naval guns, although Italy also has 305 mm naval gun technology, but it is not at the same level as Britain, but he can't care about this kind of thing, as long as this guy is willing to order warships, so he immediately said: "Mr. Grand Duke's conditions, I will immediately report to the Admiralty, and they will decide whether this is okay or not." ”

"Thank you so much, General." Li Mo pretended to be happy and took the initiative to shake Tirpitz's hand, and while thanking him, he asked, "Is the general's coming this time just to let me order a warship?" You don't need to bother with such trivial things. ”

The corners of Tirpitz's mouth hooked: "This time, I came, in addition to inviting your Pacific Fleet to hold exercises together, I also wanted to meet Master Li Hongzhang of the Qing Kingdom, hoping to find a suitable supply depot for our fleet." ”

Depot!

Li Momei's heart skipped a few beats, Qingdao! Wasn't it forcibly loaned by these guys? But he couldn't ask much about it, Tirpitz was an old fox!

"I think Zhoushan is good, the general can consider it."

"No, Zhoushan is too small to dock large warships, I prefer Xiamen, Taiwan or Jiaozhou Bay, but last time I wrote back to the ambassador that Qing Guo did not agree to our conditions, because Jiaozhou Bay is too close to his Beiyang Fleet, and Xiamen is too close to the Nanyang Fleet, so I am ready to negotiate again this time." Tirpitz said, staring at Li Mo's changes out of the corner of his eye.

Li Mona didn't know what this old fox was paying attention to him, he was deliberately testing himself, wondering if he would be moved by the fact that the Great Qing Kingdom was the mother country, so he immediately said: "I think Xiamen is good, and my country is also negotiating with the Qing Dynasty recently, hoping to obtain a treaty port, otherwise we will work together?" ”

"Oh, no, I think we'd better separate, or the British will be pointing fingers at you again!" Tirpitz frowned, secretly wondering, could it be that this Duke really didn't care about his home country? He knew that Young Master Li, as a latecomer, had no sense of belonging to that pigtail country at all, and he was thinking about Liaodong at the moment.

"Okay, then I wish you success!" The corners of Li Mo's mouth twitched, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

These powers!

Not a good thing! ……

(To be continued)