The Rise of the Empire

　　 "This is really a perfect warship!" Next to the berth of the British Earlehull Shipyard, Shuzo Aoki finally saw the first-class protective cruiser recommended by the British to Japan!

The Edgar-class cruiser, formerly known as the George, was originally intended to be equipped with the British navy, but with a series of accidents, the Japanese fleet, which suffered huge losses, urgently needed supplementary strength, so the British decided that the ship had just been completed. The warships in service were sold directly to Japan! And the cost of this warship with a displacement of up to 7,300 tons and the return cost is as high as 550,000 pounds!

"Each 9.2-inch gun is equipped at the front and the rear, and 10 6-inch guns on both sides. In accordance with your requirements, the 12 6-pounders were replaced with 12-pounders, and the protective armor of the gun positions was increased. After some improvements, the firepower and defense of this warship have been improved to a certain extent, but the voyage has been reduced." Sir Watts on the side introduced.

　　 "If Beiyang acquires a Mainz-class armored cruiser, can the Georges match its opponents?" Shuzo Aoki tentatively asked, after all, news from the country made the possibility of this matter increasing!

"The George’s core compartment will not be destroyed by the 6-inch rapid-fire gun, but there is doubt whether it can block the 280MML40 main gun. It should be no problem in a short time. After a long time, I am afraid it is hard to say. After all, your country’s 260MM gun is also Can’t penetrate Mainz’s armor. The medium-caliber rapid-fire gun is not very effective on Mainz, which has a huge armor belt.” Sir Watts is still very honest.

　　 "But I still believe in the battleships and technology of the British Empire." Shuzo Aoki looked at the slightly embarrassed Sir Watts and said euphemistically.

　　The war will continue to be fought, and if you want to win the war, you must regain the maritime superiority. Even if you are shy, the Japanese must grit their teeth and restore their fleet. And in order to make up for the loss and deal with the possible increase of warships in the Northern Ocean. Buying a first-class cruiser is the first-hand response of the Japanese!

　　 Watts' words were communicated to China by Shuzo Aoki intact, and this information obviously caused a domestic uproar! Many people think that Japan has paid too much to balance its maritime power!

"Since my colleagues in the Army think that the cost of the navy is too high, you can ask the engineers to build a pontoon bridge between North Korea and Lushun. If possible, I will give the army all the military expenses of the navy!" Ito Hirofumi's words completely overwhelmed. Grievous generals in the army.

　　 And the existing fleet is not enough, but after buying one, it is still not enough. What should I do? The answer given by Ito's blog is simple! Keep buying! Until enough! But although the world is big, there seems to be only one place where you can buy a boat!

　　 The Munich-class armored cruisers of Germany are naturally excellent. They have proved their strength with the British construction record and the blood of the Japanese Navy. Although the Japanese want to buy them, they are not sold in Germany! Russia can get it in the same way, and the French have also closed the door to Japan for outsourcing thanks to Russia's diplomatic efforts. What's more, because of the Sanjing ship, Japan is not interested in the French warships! Italy has no newly completed warships, and Italy is not willing to offend Germany and Russia. Then the only choice is the UK!

　　 I have to say that the British are still very interesting to their little brother! On the second day after the Japanese government proposed to continue buying warships, the British government detained the cruiser Blanco Encaraca ordered by Chile. This warship, which was launched only on September 9, 1893, was being outfitted. As a result, it was in May 1994. After this incident.

(The author does not know when this cruiser arrived in Chile, but based on the general second-class cruiser launching into service, the process will take about one year, so for the time being, it is assumed that the ship is still in the UK and is about to be completed but not Delivered to Chile.)

　　 The British acted as an intermediary to coordinate negotiations between Chile and Japan on the purchase of this warship. The British had a lot of face, and finally this second-class protective cruiser of the same type as Yoshino but obviously stronger than Yoshino changed its owner! The Japanese government finally bought back this warship at a high price of 390,000 pounds!

　　The Japanese government, which has two new dome cruisers, still feels a little bit psychologically unsure. Before the official delivery, the Japanese are still considering whether they can replace the two battleships with one battleship! For example, the Centurion-class second-class battleship deployed in the Far East is a good choice! After all, the price of these two battleships is equivalent to one battleship, and the latter has obvious advantages in firepower and defense, and the speed is not slow!

　　 But this time the British said they couldn’t play anymore, or they didn’t want to continue playing for Japan! Some time ago, the dispute between Britain and Russia and Germany was already quite unhappy because of the Japanese problem! If you dare to sell an active second-class battleship at this time, wouldn't it be uncomfortable?

　　 As a godfather, there is a limit to helping godson! (For example, in history, when the Three Kingdoms interfered in the Liaoning Province, the British decisively shrank!) Didn't you see that the British used the side ball when they sold you the first two cruisers? None of the warships in service were directly swept over! Instead, choose a battleship that is almost ready to be completed and not yet in service!

　　 But even so, the British still tried their best to meet the needs of the Japanese. The larger battleships are really nowhere to be found, so they can only find a smaller record! After going through the shipbuilding lists of various shipyards, the British finally found another small boat!

　　 This second-class protective cruiser named Brave belongs to the Apollo class. Displacement of 3400 tons, output power of 9000 horsepower, maximum speed of 20 knots, with 2 6-inch guns, 6 4.7-inch guns and 8 6-pounder guns. This warship was completed in 1894 and was also prepared for the British Navy. , The result was directly assigned to the Japanese Navy!

　　 So after some hard work, the Japanese spent nearly 1 million pounds to order 3 cruisers! Someone may ask, does the Japanese government have so much money? The answer is naturally yes. People have been preparing for this war for more than ten years! The military reserves and budget funds alone are about 150 million yen! At that time the ratio of the pound to the yen was about 1 to 9! It is also possible for the Japanese government to give 1 million pounds. What's more, there is the support of the United States and Britain to purchase Japanese foreign debt. As long as they can win, everything will be fine!

　　 The Japanese not only purchased a large number of battleships, but also replaced all the artillery of the main battleships with new rapid-fire guns. You must know that the secondary guns of Fuso, Hiei and Takachiho were not rapid-fired in history! After the change of guns, the combat effectiveness of these old ships also soared!

　　 With a lot of new ships in hand, the Japanese navy has become bullish. Historically, the Takachiho, which originally belonged to the guerrilla fleet, has been difficult to get into the eyes of the high-level Japanese navy. The speed of the warship that served in the 1980s was too slow! So the new fast fleet consists entirely of 3 new ships and 1 Yoshino! After being frustrated, Dongying Demon Sword stood up and went to the battlefield again!

　　 "Are you ready to go?" Ruprecht looked at Hipper who came to say goodbye behind him.

　　 "Yes, the Mainz has been handed over to the Beiyang Navy, and I will also go to Lushun with the ship. I am very willing to teach those Japanese dwarfs!" Hipper said with high spirits.

"You are very optimistic. Remember, second, after the war of the fleet is over, you must persuade Yang Yonglin to implement the strategy we have formulated in advance. Third, this warship must never fall into the hands of the Japanese. Mainz The fame comes from the massacre of the Japanese fleet, so you know. In addition, this is also the meaning of the Emperor and the Admiralty." The prince said solemnly.

　　 "Mainz's result is only victory and sinking, there will be no third kind of result!" Hipper said. A warship that has opened up a new history of the German Navy, naturally cannot fall into the hands of its former enemies!

　　 "Then what is the first point? You seem to have forgotten the most important point!"

"Do your best to ensure the safety of you and your men! This is just an experiment. In the future, you and your fleet will participate in a sea battle that can change the entire world! Every German naval officer is the most precious Our wealth is more precious than the Mainz!" Ruprecht said earnestly.

"This sounds really exciting, but it's too far away, can you be more realistic?" If Ruprecht is generally before the king, then this is obviously an exception, even if he is of noble background. , And even after more than ten years of royal education and influence, Ruprecht seems to be farther away from the two words Wangba! As the adjutant who accompanies him, Hipper is also very casual in private.

　　 "In 3 years, how about the chief mate of a certain cruiser?" Ruprecht asked. "As long as you can come back!"

　　 "Are you kidding me?" Hipper said with a bit of embarrassment.

"Whatever you think!" Ruprecht waved his hand to indicate that the other party could leave ~www.readwn.com~ and just after the armored cruiser Mainz left the formation, the German Navy's Black Eagle flag was lowered and raised. After the Dragon Banner of the Beiyang Fleet, the first German transport ships carrying Blue Army supplies and personnel have also arrived in Vladivostok. Although the two sides have not yet started fighting, His Royal Highness believes that they should come to the battlefield soon to adapt to the future environment. .

This time, the leader of the Blue Army was the old subordinate of His Royal Highness, Lieutenant Colonel von Carlipt. This buddy had accompanied the Prince and the Prussians before, and brought infantry to the French-Prussian War and charged with the French platoon guns. However, overall performance is fairly good, with rich practical experience, and at the same time more sensitive to new things. As a lieutenant colonel commanding a force of no more than 3,000 people is absolutely fine.

　　The conflict between Germany and Japan did not dissipate the cloud of war that permeated the Far East. After the crisis came to an end, the one who should come back eventually! When the three cruisers ordered by Japan finally arrived in Japan, the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 entered the countdown again, but unlike in history, the war that was supposed to break out in July was delayed by 2 months! During this period of time, Beiyang and Japan are doing their best to prepare.

However, unlike in history, it is not only the Qing and Japan who are preparing to meet each other this time. Because of certain accidents and under Ruprecht’s deliberate guidance, Russia and Germany have more interference in the situation in the Far East than in history. Come up earlier, and at the same time more intense means!

　　 "I have created a different Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, what will happen later, really make people look forward to!" Ruprecht watched the armored cruiser Mainz leave, said in his heart.

　　 A change of 3,000 words is one and a half chapters. Can you give me more support for the side-by-side efforts to update?