In the morning light, the steel bow of the Honolulu split the turquoise emerald sea, and rode the wind and waves at a rapid pace.

The bridge, which was much larger than an ordinary cruiser, was already crowded with people, except for Long Guozhang and a large group of naval officers, even Tang Xiao and McKinson were impressively listed.

Although the sailors on the deck were taking advantage of the opportunity to go to sea to train, it did not affect the people in the bridge, and at the moment some of them stood in front of the window, some leaned against the bulkhead, and cigarettes made the bridge smoky, as if it were on fire.

"All personnel evacuated from the deck, ready for testing."

"One minute to prepare."

"Thirty seconds."

Seeing that all the figures on the deck disappeared, Le Fei raised his wrist and looked at his watch and gave an order.

"Heading 180, left full rudder, full speed."

"Full rudder left, heading 180, full speed!"

The captain held the telephone and gave the order while answering the captain's order.

At the command, the helmsman began to turn the rudder rapidly, and while his eyes were firmly fixed on the pointer on the compass, he watched the pointer fly by one grid until it was leveled, and then stopped the wheel abruptly.

Turning at full speed is not only a severe test for the design and structure of the ship, but also a big test for the crew, because at this time, because the ship is not slowing down, the ship tends to tilt to one side when turning, and if the structural strength is not enough, or if it is not done properly, it is very likely to capsize.

Although this is very dangerous, it is very useful in actual combat, in the most important T-line tactics, because both sides of the naval battle are in a state of movement, in order to quickly seize the T-position, not only need speed, but also need to use the ship's own maneuver and flexibility, to carry out a small angle of inward cut or outside cut angle maneuver, to achieve the goal of seizing the first opportunity.

Speaking of the actual combat experience of ironclad ships of the navies of various countries today, I am afraid that no one is richer than the Pacific Fleet, coupled with the existence of Master Li, the biggest cheater in history, so the Pacific Fleet attaches great importance to the maneuverability of the ship itself, which can be seen from the fact that at the beginning of the construction of the Honolulu, it was proposed to use a larger area and a more efficient rudder.

Although the Honolulu had undergone numerous small-angle sharp turn experiments during the year's testing, it was completely different today, as the original first-generation steam engine that drove the warship had been replaced by two improved new-generation more powerful steam turbines, and the boilers had been replaced with higher-powered oil-fired boilers.

The faster the speed, the greater the centrifugal force generated when turning at a small angle, and if it exceeds the original design value, then ......!

Tang Xiao grabbed the handrail tightly, he was not like Long Guozhang's naval officers who ran at sea all the year round, although he knew that there were two destroyers behind him on standby, but he still couldn't help but glance at McKinson, who also tightened the handrail.

"! I don't even have confidence in designing warships, I don't want to go down and take a bath! Tang Xiao looked at McKinson, whose face was pale, and gritted his teeth, and the whole person was attached to the armrest.

As the hull of the ship tilted sharply to the left, not only did everyone in the bridge stagger, but even the sailors below the deck who had already prepared staggered.

As the angle became bigger and bigger, not only did Tang Xiao tremble all over his body, but even Long Guozhang couldn't help but sweat.

The hull of the ship tilted, and the time passed by second, and the two test steam turbines in the engine room continued to screech, indicating that the maximum load had been reached.

"Right full rudder, keep course."

When the hull gradually stabilized, Le Fei roared again, the helmsman began to adjust the course again, the hull tilted sharply to the right, and the stern pulled out a white S-shaped water wave, and everyone once again clenched the handrail.

Then it was left, right, and left.

With repeated sharp turns, there are more and more S-shaped water lines on the sea, not to mention the sailors in the Honolulu who are constantly tilting and shaking, and even the decks of the two destroyers that follow behind them are nervous, especially when a propeller is even half out of the water at every turn, and the sailors surnamed Ziyu even have lifebuoys and dinghies prepared.

When the ten consecutive maneuvering turns were finally completed, not to mention Tang Xiao and McKinson, even a few old navy sea wolves fell on the railing and vomited, and only Le Fei and the officers and sailors he led who had been rigorously trained day and night were still standing like javelins in the entire bridge.

Looking at this scene, Long Guozhang nodded with a smile, and it could be seen that after being assigned to the Honolulu, Le Fei was not only not discouraged, but instead brought a group of reserve sailors and officers into excellent naval soldiers who were calm and calm.

"What are you doing in a daze, go and check the hull structure." When the vomiting gradually dissipated, McKinson, who had regained some strength, was the first to shout, and a group of experimental assistants behind him suddenly jumped and ran to various positions in the cabin.

Tang Xiao also breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately asked several steam turbine experts to immediately go to the engine room to check the status, only Long Guozhang was still standing in the bridge, but as the sea breeze outside the cabin became louder and louder, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but hang a smile, although the actual speed had not yet been obtained, but experience told him that the speed of Experiment No. 1 at this moment was at least more than twenty-five knots.

Lefei still had a cold face, and continued to order: "Continue to run at full capacity to maintain speed, calculate the actual speed immediately, and tell the engine room, don't be afraid of damage to the machine, we are here to test, and if it is broken, go back and replace it!" ”

Hearing this, Tang Xiao pulled down a black line on his forehead, how could this girl's navy be so virtuous? The cost of two steam turbines is tens of thousands of pounds, and with the addition of new boilers, it adds up to almost 200,000 pounds, which is almost equal to the original cost of this ship! If the young master knew about such a bad thing, would he be criticized again?

"The engine room reported that the turbine was in good condition and there were no problems."

"Report, the shaft is a little overheated, but it can hold on."

"It is reported that the three compartment beams on the left side of the hull are deformed."

"Report, everything is in good condition in the boiler room."

"Report ......."

"Report, the current actual power output is 18,000 horsepower, and the speed is 26 knots!"

As the data began to gather on the bridge, everyone's faces were full of smiles, until the last voice sounded, everyone couldn't control it anymore, and they didn't know who took the lead in applauding!

Tang Xiao also applauded vigorously, the power equipment he was most concerned about finally began to wield, "Eighteen thousand horsepower!" "The average is 9,000 horsepower, and it is done with only six oil-fired boilers installed, if it is calculated according to the 12 oil-fired boilers of the Jinghai class, then the power will be doubled, 36,000 horsepower! This value not only greatly exceeds the design of a single 5 megawatt unit, but also is enough to increase the speed of 10,000 tons of Jinghai-level to 25 knots!

The most important thing is that in this test, from the Ogasawara Islands to the soon-to-be-arrived Guam, the speed of the steam turbine was maintained almost all the way, which is enough to prove that the stable surname of the steam turbine has reached the design index and is ready to be loaded!

In just two months, the most critical power can be fully installed, and the Jinghai project is finally coming to an end.

"Report to the commander, the Honolulu power test is complete, request for next instructions!" Le Fei stood up and saluted, and the corners of his mouth rarely showed a hint of a smile.

"After the power test, send the data back to Honolulu immediately, and notify the shipyard that the steam turbine has completed the test and meets the requirements and can be installed immediately! Start preparing for the next artillery experiment! ”

Hearing the new order, Le Fei answered, and was just about to turn around and leave, when Long Guozhang suddenly stopped him: "Le Fei." ”

"Here!"

"Captain Le Fei of the Honolulu, who did an outstanding job during the period of leading the ship, was specially awarded the rank of colonel, and was reappointed from the captain of the Honolulu to the captain of the Jinghai ship! At the same time, all the officers of the original Honolulu were promoted by one level and retained the Jinghai ship! After Long Guozhang read out the promotion and appointment order aloud, he took out a neatly folded document from his pocket: "At this time, the promotion and transfer letter." ”

"Captain of the Jinghai Ship!" Excitedly took the paperwork, Le Fei, a cold-faced man, couldn't help but breathe shortly, and the officers in the bridge were even more excited, from the reserve to the sky to the Jinghai-class first ship, this glory is enough to make anyone envious.

"What? Don't want to go? Long Guozhang glanced at Le Fei and smiled teasingly.

"Go."

Le Fei shook his fist fiercely, straightened his waist hard, and suddenly saluted and shouted: "Be loyal to your duties, fight bravely to kill the enemy, wherever the ship goes, it is the sea frontier that needs to be guarded!"

The officers behind him also saluted and shouted in unison: "Wherever the ship goes, it is the sea frontier that needs to be guarded!" ”

Looking at the new generation of navy people in front of him, Long Guozhang nodded excitedly, exhaled and lit a cigar, the corners of his eyes were misty, he knew that from this moment on, the fleet equipment not only ushered in a leap, but the new batch of officers were also full-fledged, and they would prove themselves in future naval battles.

"Report to the commander, I received a signal from Guam Radio, this is a Luzon urgent report forwarded by them." ――

In the city of Manila in November, although the cold snap that swept through the north did not bring cold and heavy snow, it brought continuous rain, and the rainy season that lasted for several months was about to begin again, and the dark clouds overhead were as oppressive and gloomy as the atmosphere of Luzon at the moment.

The only way for the citizens of Manila to submit and protect themselves is the only way for the citizens of Manila to submit and protect themselves, but behind the flags and white cloths, there are countless hearts that are beating more and more hot.

Groups of heavily armed Spanish soldiers ran through the streets, their nervous eyes and cold expressions, and even the occasional passer-by would worry them for a long time.

Since the sudden revolutionary riots in Katipunan at the end of September, the situation in Luzon has reached the most critical moment, and the core city of Manila has even broken out [***] and armed firefighting, with the Governor of Polavicia ordering a crackdown and severe suppression, thousands of demonstrators have been killed, and as many as 10,000 people have been executed!

But even so, not only did it not curb the riots, but it made the Philippines even more turbulent!

Voices of uprising were heard in Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nova Ecija, Neihu, Cavite, and even Medan and Visayas, and countless young people rushed out of the city to the outskirts to join the ranks of the Katipunan rebels, shouting for freedom, chanting the slogan of Long Live the Philippines and Reading Power of the Philippines, and charging into battle in the face of bullets.

When the news reached Spain, it immediately caused an uproar, and the Spanish political axe, fearing that it would lose the most important colony in the Far East, immediately announced that it would increase its troops by 50,000 to ensure the safety of the Philippines.

But before 50,000 soldiers could be loaded onto the ship, there was another riot in Cuba, where countless black slaves broke chains, shouted slogans of freedom, and took up arms to fight the colonizers.

Overnight, Spain's two most important colonies were in a state of turmoil, and after much deliberation, the Spanish government decided to reduce the number of troops in the Far East and give priority to Cuba.

The 50,000 soldiers were reduced to 20,000 and stuffed into the cabin in batches to speed up the reinforcement of the Philippines, and Polawechia even made the news of the increase public at a drinking party, but this not only failed to deter the rebels, but instead caused a more fierce firefight, and it was clear that the rebels wanted to establish enough advantages before the reinforcements arrived!

Outside the Spanish Governor's Palace, the muzzles of guns are numerous.

In the Governor's Palace, the Governor of the Philippines, Polavisha, was anxious, constantly discussing the situation with his generals and discussing how to deal with it!

And in a Chinese restaurant three streets away from the Doge's Palace, some people were watching the war with their eyes, but unlike the anxiety of the Spaniards, they were more leisurely.

Jiang Tianxiu poured a cup of tea for himself and Yan Fu, who was sitting opposite, but the corner of his eyes was always on the man standing at the window, his fingers slightly open the curtains, and staring outside.

After watching several Spanish soldiers in red military uniforms with obvious targets patrolling by, Liu Hengzhen gently lowered the curtains and sat next to Jiang Tianxiu.

"Mr. Yan, has the young master made a decision?"

Yan Fu shook his head and took a sip of the teacup. "Not yet?" Not to mention Liu Hengzhen this time, even Jiang Tianxiu wondered, could it be that the young master really had to wait until the Spanish reinforcements arrived before making a move? Wouldn't it be more difficult to attack Manila after that?

Facing the four burning eyes, Yan Fu put down the teacup with a slight smile: "The young master's thoughts are only known to him, but I can tell you that the staff department also did not give any orders. ”

"Why?"

"It's simple." Yan Fu tapped his fingers on the table a few times, and slowly said four words: "Timing, reason!" ”

"Now that Katipnan and Espanyol are just getting started, they are far from being able to consume each other, so the timing is not very ripe yet. And don't forget, Spain is not a book, we need a sufficient reason, a reason to go to war! ”

After listening to Yan Fu's explanation, the two gradually understood, he was right, Spain is not a country that has a deep hatred with the Pacific Army, nor is it Russia that destroys the balance of the Far East, the forces on the edge of Luzon are complicated, and the British especially value this generation, if there is no suitable excuse, I am afraid it will really anger the British! ”

The war is about to begin, and the original strength of the Navy is enough to have a headache, and if the British Far East Fleet is added, even if it has eight hands, it will be a war that will be lost.

But when is the right time?

Yan Fu hooked the corners of his mouth and smiled mysteriously: "Wait, soon Mr. Slow has already gone to meet the Governor of Luzon, as long as the escort ship can be stationed in Manila Port, I believe the time will appear soon!" ”

(To be continued)