The book has been updated by a million words unconsciously, and Grape Jun's writing goal has taken a small step forward, and now looking back, I find many deficiencies to be left to continue to improve.

In particular, the character portrayal is not clear, meticulous, and vivid, which is the direction of improvement that should be focused on in the next step.

The end of the 19th century was a time of international turmoil, with visions of maritime hegemony, the Russo-Japanese War, and the First World War......

Dear readers and friends, we look forward to walking with you all the way through the blood-pumping and passionate era.

Finally, ask for a monthly pass, ask for a recommended ticket, ask for a collection, thank you for your encouragement and support.

Another small courtyard in the Beilun official residence

Lord Hugh Howard sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, holding a glass of red wine from Château Burgundy in France and gently swaying it, looking leisurely.

In front of him sat Professor Alan Johnson and Sir William White, none of whom spoke, and the atmosphere in the room was somewhat solemn.

"Professor Allen, what kind of person do you think of His Excellency the Earl of Queensland?" Lord Hugh Howard asked.

"Your Excellency, I am no different from you, the Lord Earl of Queensland is undoubtedly the best of his generation, born with a sense of leadership, wise and decisive, with respect for science, possessing amazing whimsy and whimsy, and you can see many noble qualities in him."

"This is a very high evaluation, doesn't he have any shortcomings?"

"Oh...... It depends on how you interpret it, the Lord Earl of Queensland undoubtedly has a strong desire for control and possessiveness, which is manifested in his strong desire for possession of territory and women, and from the perspective of historians, we can get the answer from the noble Eastern blood of Lord Queensland. Professor Alan Johnson took a sip of the red wine in the glass, this is Lord Yunjue's collection, of course, the quality is top-notch, don't drink it for nothing.

Lord Hugh Howard nodded thoughtfully and said; "It's a pity that I don't know much about the history of the East, Mr. Professor, can you elaborate on it?"

To this request, Professor Alan Johnson replied crisply; "Of course, that's fine.

The ancestors of the Earl of Queensland are a glorious dynasty established thousands of years ago in Chinese history, called the Tang Dynasty, which ruled the ancient country of the East for 289 years and experienced the rule of 21 emperors, and our Lord Earl of Queensland is the descendant of the 19th emperor, with the noble blood of the ancient royal family.

The Tang Dynasty was a very aggressive dynasty in the ancient East, its territory reached as far west as Kazakhstan in Central Asia, and it had a war with the black-clothed food in history, and expelled the Huns to the west.

These westward Huns, the forerunners of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, migrated thousands of miles to Eastern Europe after being defeated by the aggressive Tang Dynasty to avoid destruction.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Lord Earl of Queensland has ancestral blood in his veins, and there is a strong possessiveness and aggression in his character.

Your Excellency, all of this I have said is closely corroborated by historical facts.

God testifies that it is impossible for you to imagine that a farmer's son has such a unique character, that is completely inconceivable. ”

Lord Hugh Howard suddenly understood, and immediately accepted Mr. Professor's explanation, and it was ridiculous that Professor Alan Johnson, as a rigorous scholar, could not have fabricated such a big lie.

He couldn't help but respect Li Fushou in his heart, which was the admiration for the noble bloodline of the ancient royal family, thousands of years ago......

Oh my God, Lord Hugh-Howard could not have imagined what it was like to be in Europe a thousand years ago, the Eastern Roman Empire collapsed under the onslaught of the barbaric Germans, three consecutive years of great floods left large swathes of Europe in vain, and had to rely on bloody and cruel cannibalism to survive, and the ancestors of the Duke of Norfolk family still lived a semi-primitive life in the forest......

And in the far east

The Earl of Queensland's ancestors had built a vast and wealthy empire, and the powerful Hun cavalry had been almost wiped out, and they had to embark on a long journey westward.

The vast majority of Europeans may not know what happened in the ancient Eastern Empire, but as long as the little knowledgeable person knows clearly, the Hun Attila the Great, known as the "Whip of God", led an endless number of steppe cavalry, bringing great disasters to Europe, it was almost a nightmare era.

"It's really a pity, it seems that I have behaved too lightly towards Lord Earl, and I would like to formally apologize at the right opportunity, hoping to get his forgiveness." Lord Hugh Howard made an important decision.

He groaned and asked; "Professor Allen, from what you know about Lord Earl, is there any chance that his decision will change?"

"It's hard, it's hard, it's almost impossible." Alan Johnson shook his head seriously and said seriously; "The Earl of Queensland is a very tough clan leader, and the decisions he makes can hardly be changed, of course...... The scope of what I say is only to Queenslanders, and not to you, Lord Lord and the Admiralty whom you represent, and it is not uncommon for the Lord Earl of Queensland to consider if there is sufficient interest. ”

Speaking of which, Alan Johnson secretly added; If the Royal Fleet of the British Empire is willing to enter Borneo, everything is easy to say.

He didn't care to fool this lord with a sense of superiority, after all, Lord Hugh Howard was just the second son of the Duke of Norfolk family without inheritance, and if he couldn't earn a hereditary title of nobility for himself, his children would be commoners.

When Sir William White heard this, he could not help but interject; "Your Excellency Lord, the Earl of Queensland has given a clear design commission, this is only a heavy cruiser with a displacement of no more than 6,000 tons, and it cannot inherit the essence of my previous ship design, which is not something that the Royal Navy does not want."

"I know, I know...... I was fascinated by your ship design as soon as I saw it, but it was not clear in the transoceanic telegram, and I could only roughly explain to the Admiralty that this class of ships was an innovative qualitative change, which meant something extraordinary to the Royal Navy of the British Empire, in order to gain their support, and I myself had no right to make more commitments, damn it! ”

Lord Hugh Howard scratched his hair in annoyance, if he could really bring a powerful warship to the Royal Navy of the British Empire, which would crush his peers and make a significant contribution to the construction of the Imperial Navy.

As the originator and recommender of this class of ships, coupled with a strong network of connections from a top duke's family, Lord Hugh Howard had the potential to claim the coveted title of nobility, and he was not willing to let go of this opportunity.

The design scheme of the main guns of the ship along the axis is not uncommon among the designers of Britain, France, the United States and Germany, and it was put forward very early on, and various advantages were demonstrated.

But this is only an academic opinion, and it will remain only at the stage of academic debate until it is widely accepted by the navies of European powers, and its implementation is far off.

It may be 10 or 20 years from now, maybe tomorrow.

When Lord Hugh Howard first saw Sir William White's stunning blueprints, he was acutely aware; This is a rare opportunity that must be seized.

"Needless to say, you know the maddening efficiency of those lords in London, so I sent the telegram to Philip Howard, who you know is my brother, now Assistant to the Admiralty, and should hear back soon."

"How long will it take soon?"

"This is not good, you must know that Philip Howard is only an assistant to the Secretary of the Admiralty, and he must exert influence on Lord Rochester, the Lord Lord of the Admiralty, and the Earl of Queensland's request is too unbelievable, and I am not sure whether the Admiralty will be able to make such a major decision, and it may need to be reported to the Prime Minister before deciding, so this time cannot be predicted."

"I can understand, but the design requested by the Earl of Queensland cannot be postponed indefinitely, I ......"

"It's okay, please believe me, Sir William White, I will be here with you for the next few months, I am also coming to Australia for the first time, and I am preparing to visit Melbourne and Tasmania, I sincerely hope to be able to travel with you, so that we have more time to exchange your design ideas, such opportunities are not many!"

"Alright then, as you wish." Sir William White reluctantly agreed.

Day 3 of arrival in Beilun Town

Extra-military barracks

Today is the day of the military ceremony, and since early in the morning, a large number of residents have called friends to come to the front camp to watch the ceremony, and on the road to the barracks, there is an endless stream of pedestrians talking and laughing and rushing over.

For the residents of Beilun Town and the cowboys on nearby ranches, the grand ceremony is more like a festival, a joyful carnival that can fully inspire national pride, and they come with their families, holding small colorful flags ready to cheer and cheer.

In the barracks

The tall parade platform made of large wood is tied with red silk on both sides, and a huge copper megaphone is placed in the center, and a huge horizontal plaque directly above the parade platform reads;

Warmly celebrate the Guards Dragoon Division, the Guards Tiger Cavalry Division Formation Ceremony and the Barracks Open Day Drill and Training Speech was grandly held.

There was a railing on one side of the barracks, and many people who arrived first stood in the fence under the command of the salute soldiers, talking in twos and threes, looking very excited.

"Hey, brother, do you know what the army is training today?"

"The newspaper didn't say how I know, I guess it's the part of cavalry training, anyway, it's impossible to really fight."

"What do you want, brother, fighting a war will kill people."

"That's why I said it can't be, and today I can see the Earl himself here, to be honest...... It's been more than 4 years since I came to Australia, and I haven't met Lord Earl in person. ”

"Yes, to be able to live a good life today is really a blessing that has been cultivated for several lifetimes, which is inseparable from the blessings of Lord Earl, we can't forget our roots, and we can also show a heart when we see Lord Earl kowtow."

"What are you prostrating...... Didn't you read the newspapers? The Earl advocated changing customs and customs, and kowtowed at every turn, which was all a cultural mess imposed on the people by the Manchu Tartars, the Earl said; After kneeling for a long time, your knees will be weak, and your backbone will not be straight, so you will really be a minion. ”

"This big brother said well, we are all dignified Chinese men, and we will never be the coated servants of the clear dog."

"Hey, hey, hey...... What you said is not right, after all, my Qing Dynasty is the authentic sect of today's imperial court, how can I make such a chaotic city thief? ”

"Phew...... The sour smell is unbearable, the court is incompetent today, corrupt officials and corrupt officials are rampant, the people are not happy, the land of Qilu has always been rich and the disaster is 359, there are small disasters every year, the people are hungry to gnaw the bark of the tree, eat Guanyin soil, hungry mayflies all over the place, if it is not for the grace of the earl, the bones of the victims of the disaster are cold, where is today's good day? You don't recognize the authenticity of such a court, but we don't recognize it. ”

"Isn't this the case in the land of Fujian and Jiangxi, the common people can't live!"

"yes, yes...... Thanks to the grace of Lord Earl, we can now have food and clothing without worry, marry a wife and have children in Australia, start a family, and live a good life that we could not have imagined in the past. ”

"Lord Earl is a bodhisattva who saves suffering and distress in this world, and saves all our people from fire and water, so he should set up an incense tablet to worship, this is the right reason."

"That's right, that's what you can do when you go home."

"Count me in ......"