At dusk

The golden sunset reflects the beautiful English Channel, the blue waves are undulating, and the sea is full of boats.

At the time of the chicken and dog jumping in London, the fast luxury cruise ship "Golden Years" has quietly arrived at the port of Calais, France, the narrowest point of the English Channel is only 34 kilometers, with the speed of the "Golden Years" up to 22 knots, from the London Thames Pier to the port of Calais It only took more than three hours.

on the bridge

Li Fushou stood against the railing, his dark hair blowing in the sea breeze, and his deep eyes watched the busy boats and boats in front of him at the busy port of Calais, a busy port for military, trade and fishing, the traditional water transportation hub on the west coast of France.

The sea breeze brought the strong fishy smell to his nose, and his heart fluctuated, and he couldn't help himself.

In the ninth year of his rebirth, Li Fushou suffered the greatest humiliation so far, and in view of his weak strength, he had to flee London in shame and anger.

This is no less than a slap in the face for Li Fushou, who has been developing smoothly.

Li Fushou is an easy-going person on the outside, but he is actually extremely arrogant on the inside, under his leadership, Queensland's economy has developed rapidly, a large number of immigrants have integrated into Australian society, and have achieved dazzling brilliant economic achievements.

It is estimated that the total population of Australia will reach nearly 7 million this year, in addition to more than 1.8 million whites and hundreds of thousands of East Indies and local aborigines, Chinese immigrants have actually reached 5 million, becoming the mainstream ethnic group in Australian society.

It's not enough, it's not enough!

The hand holding the railing turned white from the exertion, and a decisive glint flashed in his eyes.

Li Fushou was really awakened by the humiliation from Kensington Palace, and when he looked back on himself, he found that he was still weak, which inspired the ruthlessness in his heart.

Think about it

The land occupied in the past two years is not small, and the development project of Qixing Town in the Qingshui River Basin on Shangri-La Island has been smooth sailing under the support of key policies and financial inclination, and five towns have been built, and the prospects are gratifying.

Since the second half of the previous year, with the large-scale colonization program in full swing, the output of agricultural and sideline products in the region has increased year by year, not only replacing the import of grain and other agricultural and sideline products in Australia, but also supporting the food deficit in Jayapura, Longmen Town and various parts of Borneo.

It is expected to start next year

The Qingshui River basin will have another bumper harvest of the first crop of rice, and there is a basis for accepting more migrants.

As the situation in the occupied areas of Borneo calms down and the imprint of the Dutch white and local natives is completely eradicated, the region's agricultural and sideline products, including spices, tobacco leaves, and rubber, will resume growth, and food will basically be self-sufficient.

That's it

In the past, the annual immigration plan of one million people seemed conservative, Queensland needs one, Australia needs one, and the rapid growth of the immigrant population is the foundation.

Li Fushou thought about it again and again, and felt that in the new 1885 fiscal year, the target number could be raised to between 1.5 million and 1.6 million, and with many years of high-efficiency immigration organization and arrangement, he should be able to confidently digest it.

By next year, we can strive for 2 million, and in a short period of time (about three years), the number of Chinese immigrants in Australia will be doubled, and the total number will reach 10 million.

And so it goes

Organizing migrants from coastal areas alone appears to have a single source, and should be further extended to inland provinces, such as Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Shanxi, and other places with large populations.

After the specific implementation plan needs to be returned, the Secretariat will come up with a complete implementation opinion and roadmap, and Shangri-La Bank and Huitong Bank will fully cooperate to ensure that the new migrants have land to farm, housing and food after arriving in their new homes, and get through the most difficult start-up period, rather than leaving it alone after the migrants come.

For every additional citizen in the territory, there is an additional tax and an additional power.

Farmers need to pay a field tax, free of charge (20 days) every year, workers work also to create value, factories also need to pay taxes, whether it is a shop, buy a boat to run transportation, whether it is a horse-drawn carriage to carry people and goods, whether it is gold mining or mining, whether it is a private ranch or plantation, no matter what you do, you are creating value and need to pay taxes.

Trickling water converges into rivers, lakes and seas, which are the foundation of Queensland's thriving society.

Time is running out!

Although Queensland's economy is small and strong, it has no presence in Europe, and its political and military influence is almost zero, and its economic influence is not great.

Compared with the development of hundreds of years of old European colonial powers, the background is too different.

In this case, it is necessary to embark on the path of unconventional development.

Before you know it, night falls and the port of Calais is lit up.

"Lord Earl, the sea at night is more exposed, and the cold hits people, if you suffer from the cold, it is not a joke, and you can't afford to bear such a heavy responsibility, so I dare to ask your lord to move to the cabin to rest."

The one who spoke was Captain Zhang Daoru, who was Geng Guigui's classmate at the British Naval Academy in Manchester, England, and the captain of the heroic ship "Puffin", who had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel over the years, and one of the senior officers of the Coast Guard.

"Daoru, you are a senior military officer who graduated from the United Kingdom, and you have studied military issues for many years, so tell me about it...... How are we compared to these European naval powers? ”

"Returning to the Earl, this proposition is too broad, please let me think about it."

"Oh...... Can't tell? ”

"Please forgive me, Lord Earl, this is not the case, but the situation of European naval powers is very complicated, the Royal Navy of the British Empire is alone in the first gear of the world's top, France and Germany can be regarded as the second gear, if you add the United States, then and the traditional Mediterranean naval power Italy, the Ottoman Empire across Europe and Asia, and Tsarist Russia, which is rising on the coast of the Black Sea, can be tied for the third gear, these countries can be regarded as naval powers, but the specific situation is different, it is difficult to summarize in one word."

"The United States can only be in Pot 3? I remember that the United States' ten-year shipbuilding program has entered its sixth year, and there are many big ships launched in these years, why is it so low? Li Fushou wrapped his fur coat and walked towards the cabin.

Zhang Daoru followed behind him step by step, thinking about the question quickly, and replied cautiously; "Returning to Lord Earl, although the United States has built a lot of new big ships, but the naval background is too shallow, and there are no strong challengers around, the last time it performed in the war was the domestic Civil War, both the South and the North performed unsatisfactory, and did not experience the test of a truly cruel naval battle, such a fleet is not destined to be high, the naval power of the Ottoman Empire on paper is not worse than the United States, and it is also ranked third among naval powers, which is the reason."

Enter the lavishly decorated cabin

A warm breath came to the face, and in the simple bronze gluttonous shape of the stove, the refreshing fragrance of the dragon's birthday rose around.

Li Fushou took off the fur coat he was wearing and handed it to the maid, then sat down at the sandalwood table, and the maid quietly retreated after serving hot tea and exquisite refreshments, leaving only the two of them in the cabin.

"Sit down, Brother Daoru, drink a cup of tea to warm up your body and then elaborate on your high theory." Li Fushou beckoned his hand with a gentle expression, picked up the teacup and took a sip, feeling the fragrance of tea overflowing his mouth, and his body warmed up.

"Thank you, Lord Earl, for your grace, and for daring to disobey your orders." Zhang Daoru sat down after bowing his hand, took a sip of the teacup and immediately put it down, and said respectfully; "I'm ashamed, I don't know where to start."

"It's okay left and right...... Just talk about it, and say it wherever you want. Li Fushou held the teacup in both hands and responded indifferently.

"Obedience." Zhang Daoru thought about it for a moment before he spoke;

"A battleship is a collective art of war, and a high-speed cruiser with dozens of crews, a light cruiser with more than 100 crews, a heavy cruiser with more than 200 crews, and a first-class ironclad battleship with more than 300 crews must form a joint force under the command of the captain in order to give full play to the combat performance of the battleship.

This is related to every battle position on the battleship, the captain, the helmsman, the chief navigator, the chief engineer, the commander of every gun position and the damage control combatant, in addition to the naval tradition, commander cooperation, military expenditure, training level, logistics support and other factors, each of which will affect the combat effectiveness of the battleship.

How can a European power with a deep naval heritage, a strong naval tradition, a high-level naval commander training system, high-quality sailors, sufficient funds to support navigation and artillery training, and the construction of the entire logistics system from the shipbuilding industry to the colonial docks, and the country and the army attach great importance to the development of the navy?

Only Britain and France meet this criterion, and Germany also has obvious shortcomings, that is, it does not pay enough attention to the navy, the level of investment and training is slightly lower, and there is no perfect colonial system, which is a certain distance from France.

The U.S. investment is sufficient, and it is still waiting for a real naval battle to test its gold content, while the Ottoman Empire is hot and cold, and most of the military fleet has been anchored in the port for many years, and it is a debatable question whether there is still a few remaining combat strength in the already small amount.

As for Tsarist Russia, which built ships on a large scale on the shores of the Black Sea, the scale of shipbuilding was huge, and given that it had no naval tradition, the navy's performance in previous wars was completely negligible, and it could only be ranked among them as a potential naval power. ”

Li Fushou's slender fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, and after listening carefully, he said; "You only talked about 6 naval powers, but as far as I know, Austria-Hungary has launched two ironclad giant ships of more than 5,000 tons this year, and as one of the European powers, its military strength should not be underestimated, in addition to the traditional colonial countries Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, all of which are countries with a long naval tradition, why haven't you mentioned it?"

"Lord Earl, please be humble and considerate." After Zhang Daoru bowed, a trace of confidence flashed in his eyes, and he replied in a deep voice;

"For my Queensland Coast Guard, there is only one measure of a naval power, and that is whether it can defeat us in a naval battle.

All the countries that have been trampled under our feet or are likely to be trampled under in naval battles do not deserve to be called a naval power, no matter how old and brilliant their history is, and they are not worth mentioning in naval battles measured by strength.

The Queensland Coast Guard's entry into service with the "Blue Dragon" ship as a symbol, represents a rise to a new level, which can trample these former maritime powerhouses under their feet.

Here I will mainly say about Austria-Hungary.

As a land power with no maritime tradition, the main contradiction between the dual system of Austria-Hungary was domestic, and Hungary and the Balkans had a strong tendency towards independence, and wars were frequent.

The Habsburgs concentrated their efforts on the management of Austria with Vienna as the core, and focused on everything from state finance to army building, and the navy was just a window dressing gadget that never received attention.

As a result, the navy has serious shortcomings, insufficient funds, insufficient training, and worrying about the quality of its commanders from aristocratic backgrounds, and many of them have not even attended a special naval academy and are not proficient in maritime warfare.

I have carefully studied the two new warships launched by Austria-Hungary this year, and have come to the conclusion that the entire shipbuilding concept is at the level of 20 years ago, and the traditional ship-waist gun room design is still used, the 281-mm main gun is still in the old frame retreat type, and the amount of ammunition projected per unit time is only one-third to one-quarter of the level of our main gun.

In addition, it did not use the new British bulletproof armor Harvey steel, did not use the dense compartment design, did not use the design of setting up the main gun along the central axis of the ship, did not use the high freeboard design, and still retained the two tall sail masts in front and one behind, and its firepower and defense are still at the level of 20 years ago, and the comprehensive combat effectiveness is two generations behind the "Qinglong" class warships.

Once the battleship "Qinglong" is launched, it can sling the two ironclad giant ships of Austria-Hungary, and even the entire fleet of Austro-Hungarian Empire.

This is really not bragging, the high speed of the "Qinglong" battleship determines that it can freely choose its opponent, it can fight quickly and withdraw quickly, the heavy armor determines that it can approach the fire battle, and the vigorous main gun firepower determines that it is destined to be passively beaten, and it is in an all-round lead in the three elements of firepower, defense and speed.

Not to mention that the "White Tiger" battleship will be launched and outfitted in December and will be delivered to the Navy in the first half of next year, and the "Suzaku" has already begun construction on the slipway, and in the second half of next year, the construction of the last "Xuanwu" will also begin.

Such a powerful heavy cruiser was equipped with many new technologies that were ahead of its time, and after the four ships were commissioned, they were almost unrivaled in the whole of Asia and the South Pacific.

The only scruple was the Third Battlefleet of the British Empire stationed in Calgotha, and if the French Lancey Fleet did not support it, we were confident that we would touch the French Expeditionary Fleet and see how it was doing.

The Spanish Navy is stronger than the Netherlands, but the strength is limited, they are all old ships and old ships, and that thing may give us a headache before the "Blue Dragon" battleship enters service, and now it is just a small piece of cake.

The battleship that can deal with the heavy cruiser "Blue Dragon" must be a first-class ironclad battleship of the British Empire, or the "Cavour" ironclad battleship built with a lot of money in the Italian Navy.

The capital ships of the French and German navies could also pose a major threat, as their main guns were too large, generally above 305 mm, and they were very difficult to deal with.

The premise is that the two sides line up and bombard each other, and attack the enemy's strength with our shortness.

If it fights independently, the Qinglong-class heavy cruiser will be a nightmare for any country's transportation line, and the battleships that have been beaten can not run as fast as us, and the fast battleships are not as strong as our defense and firepower, which can cause a unilateral performance crushing situation. ”

Speaking of which

The look on Zhang Daoru's face became excited, and the look of fiery eagerness was difficult to suppress, and it was the dream of every captain of the Kunshan South Coast Guard to control the powerful Qinglong-class battleship across the ocean.

Zhang Daoru is only one step away from his dream, but unfortunately it is impossible to realize it in 3~5 years.

Of the four ships "Qinglong", "White Tiger", "Vermilion Bird" and "Xuanwu", three of them are the flagships of the fleet, and the captains are He Fang, commander-in-chief of the Borneo fleet, Li Jie, commander-in-chief of the Shangri-La fleet, and Geng Guigui, commander-in-chief of the Queensland fleet.

The only one who is not the commander-in-chief of the fleet is Colonel Wu Gang, the captain of the "White Tiger", he is Zhang Daoru's classmate at the Manchester Naval Academy, and there is also one person who is the captain of the coast guard, Geng Guigui, and the three of them graduated together and returned to Queensland to join the coast guard, and Colonel Wu Gang is also one of the founding veterans.

Wu Gang was the captain of the heroic ship "Haiyan", and in the initial encounter off the coast of Jayapura, the captain of the "Haiyan" Wu Gang and the captain of the "Puffin" Zhang Daoru worked closely together, adopted flexible tactics, and gave full play to the strong fighting spirit of seeing death as if they were at home, rushed forward wildly, broke through the blocking line of the Dutch landing ship group, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, fought a beautiful encounter, and also fired the first shot of the East Indies War.

In the subsequent series of naval battles, Wu Gang led the battleships to also perform well, and he can be described as a member of the coast guard, with great achievements, and he is indeed stronger than Zhang Daoru.

The heavy cruiser "White Tiger" was delivered in the hands of Colonel Wu Gang, and Zhang Daoru was also convinced, but he inevitably left a trace of regret in his heart.

If you build two more ships, you will definitely be selected.

"Well, the analysis makes sense, but it's not comprehensive." Li Fushou made a pertinent comment.

"Please criticize and correct the Earl."

"Okay, then I'll talk about it." Li Fushou subconsciously looked at the direction of the British Isles across the English Channel, and said with a slight sigh; "There was a general sense of blind optimism in the victory of our coast guard over the Dutch, and this can be seen from your words.

You are not the first to think so, and you will not be the last, to dare to challenge the French expeditionary fleet.

Strategically despise the opponent and tactically value the opponent.

Even the Royal Dutch Fleet, which you completely ignored, forced to purchase a large amount of decommissioned ships from Britain and Germany, and with its profound maritime tradition, its combat effectiveness skyrocketed, and it is not easy to deal with.

Won't that happen?

The decommissioned ironclad ships of Britain and Germany and other countries are less than 100,000 pounds and more than 200,000 pounds, and a main ironclad fleet will be taken down with a gritted tooth and a million pounds, not to mention the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal can get this money by tightening their bellies.

No matter how powerful the Blue Dragon-class heavy cruisers are, they will not be able to defend all our ports.

Not to underestimate any opponent is an essential quality of a high-ranking officer. ”

After these words were spoken

Zhang Daoru stood up convincingly, bowed solemnly; "Thank you, Lord Earl, for your teachings, Boru has been taught."

He is not wearing a military uniform now, so he is practicing traditional Chinese etiquette as a sign of respect.