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Text Volume 4 England Section 3 Portsmouth

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    Japanese Legation in London, England, November 19, 1891

    "Did the Qing envoy go to Portsmouth?" After reading the latest report on the itinerary of the Qing envoy's trip to England, which was handed over by trainee Nishikujo Kazuki, the first secretary of the embassy, ??Aoki Shuzo, who was having breakfast, put down his hand in surprise.  cutlery.

    "Yes, sir." Nishikujo Kazuki bowed slightly and replied respectfully, "According to the report from the people we sent, the Qing envoy took a train from London last night, and he was accompanied by only three midshipmen.  With two guards, counting the time, he should arrive at Portsmouth tomorrow.¡±

    "Why is he going to Portsmouth at this time?" Aoki Shuzo lifted up the napkin tied around his neck. As he spoke, he was careful not to let the oil stains from the corners of his mouth flow onto his beard - I wonder if he had done it in his youth.  The reason for studying in Germany is that this former Japanese foreign minister who married a German wife has been growing a Prussian beard since he was 25 years old.

    Aoki Shuzo put down his napkin, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Nishikujo"

    "Yes, Your Excellency." Nishikujo Kazuki responded calmly.

    "You will make an appointment with our friend in the British Foreign Office today and ask him whether the negotiations on the demarcation of the Yunnan-Myanmar border between the Qing Dynasty and the United Kingdom have reached a conclusion?" Aoki Shuzang's eyes wandered, thoughtfully.  Di continued - After arriving in London at the end of September, the Qing envoy immediately began negotiations with the British on behalf of the Qing Dynasty to redefine the border between China's Yunnan and British Burma, together with Xue Fucheng, the minister to the UK.

    According to the information obtained by Aoki Shuzo from the British Foreign Office, due to the harsh conditions set by the British side in the first demarcation memorandum, the Yunnan-Myanmar border demarcation negotiations between China and Britain have reached a deadlock. At this juncture,  On the Internet, the Qing envoy, who was China¡¯s second-ranking representative, quietly left London?  Except that the two parties have reached some understanding on a number of key issues, there seems to be no good explanation. Around 4 p.m., I will go to have afternoon tea with him.  "Nishikujo Kazuki took out his pocket watch from his pocket, looked at it, and asked proactively, "Sir, do you want to report this incident to the country as soon as possible?  "

    "There's no need to rush this matter."  Aoki Shuzang picked up the rattle on the table and shook it.  An Indian servant wearing a red bun immediately opened the restaurant door and walked in.

    "Add another pair of knives and forks." Aoki Shuzo pointed to the position in front of Nishikujo and ordered the servant.

    He then turned to Nishikujo Kazuki and said, "You haven't had breakfast yet? Let's sit down and eat together." He pointed at the dazzling array of clear bean soup, Black Forest ham sausage, sauerkraut, apple crisps, pan-fried sweets on the table.  Pies, bread, cheese, jam, etc., continued: "They are all pure German style. I wonder if they suit your half-English taste?"

    "Thank you, Your Excellency.".  Nishikujo Kazuki didn¡¯t shirk much either.  He pulled out the chair and sat down.  At the same time, he smiled and said: "Diplomats are destined to deal with all kinds of people. So whether you like it or not, it is necessary to have a stomach that can accommodate all kinds of food."

    "This is a good statement."  Aoki Shuzang was slightly startled.  Xuan Ji also showed a heartfelt smile.

    "Your Mightiness¡­¡­".  After receiving the cutlery from the Indian servant who returned again and again.  Nishikujo Kazuki thought for a while.  Finally, he couldn't help but spoke to Aoki Shuzo, who was spreading jam on the piece of bread in his hand.

    "Um?".  Aoki Shuzang raised his head in surprise.  "What? Still feel that the food is not to your taste?"

    "no¡­¡­".  Nishikujo Kazuki hesitated for a moment.  He continued: "Your Excellency, should we report the latest itinerary of the Qing envoy to the country as soon as possible?"

    "After all, this is a man who bought two protected cruisers of the same level with the same amount of funds as our country's purchase of a Yoshinochi. And the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard where he went is building the latest warships for the Royal Navy."  Nishikujo Kazuki added.

    "Nishikujo-kun, are you worried that the Qing Dynasty will continue to purchase warships?" Shuzo Aoki swallowed his bread and said with a smile, "So I don't even have the appetite for breakfast.

    "Yes, Your Excellency." Nishikujo Kazuki said worriedly.

    "Then maybe I can let you relax and enjoy a hearty breakfast." Shuzo Aoki put down his knife and fork again, crossed his fingers, and said to Nishikujo Kazuki with a smile: "Don't worry, the Qing Dynasty will not buy any more warships.  They have no money left.¡±

    "Don't ask me about the source of the news." He waved his hand to Nishikujo Kazuki, who looked surprised and hesitated to speak, and said: "I can only guarantee you that this news is absolutely accurate! The prime minister of the Qing Dynasty  Your Excellency has just allocated another two million taels of silver to this special envoy, and this is already the limit of what the Qing Dynasty's finances can afford."

    "As for what you just mentioned, the personal talent of the Qing envoy""" He glanced at Nishikujo, who was already full of excitement, with a slightly confused look, "Now is no longer the era when the victory or defeat of the two countries was determined by a single blow between generals!  No matter how talented an individual is, it is of no use when facing a country Besides, even if Mr. Ren Lingyu is here, do you believe that the talent of this special envoy of the Qing Dynasty is still higher than that of Xixiang Takamori?  "

    "With Mr. Nanzhou's arrogance and the bravery of tens of thousands of Southwest athletes, they could barely support the army that had just formed at that time for half a year. Therefore, Mr. Nishikujo, there is no need to be too unreasonable. This Qing envoy cannot be lifted.  What a storm." Aoki Shuzang took a plate with sausages in front of him and began to cut the sausage.

    "By the way," he seemed to suddenly remember something, and asked Nishikujo Kazuki, "Is there any news about the disciple of the Oikai Mikado family?"

    "It's still those clues." A relieved Nishikujo Kazuki picked up the slices of bread and smeared butter on them with a table knife as he replied, "It happened more than 20 years ago. It's hard to find."

    "Then we have to look for him!" Aoki Shuzang said with a frown, "No matter what, this person is also a descendant of the Jiuqinghua family. By the way, in addition to meeting our friend this afternoon, you also need to continue to follow up on this matter.  In addition to discussing the renewal of the treaty with the British, this is also a major event."

    Nishikujo Kazuki on the side had a solemn expression at this time. After Aoki Shuzang finished speaking, he sat upright, nodded to the latter, and replied very formally: "We will definitely find him, please don't worry."

    At the same time, the passenger ship "Feng Leidan" in Marseille Port, France

    "Gui Po, is this the Port of Marseille in France?" said the middle-aged man standing on the edge of the tourist corridor at the stern of the passenger ship with a pergola in his hands.  I looked at the outline of Notre Dame de la Garde that became increasingly clear.  He smiled and asked the young man next to him who was full of vigor.

    "Returning to Mr. Yang, since Xianguan entered the naval academy, although he has gone out to sea several times with Lao Weiyuan, which is today's training ship Li Hai, the farthest he has not reached is Nanyang. In Europe,  Xiaguan has never been here, so your Excellency asked Xiaguan if this port is Marseille, but he really doesn¡¯t know.", the young man replied loudly.  He is very handsome, but he is a little short, which makes him look a little out of place.

    "I just asked you casually. You just replied with such a long sentence." Although the words were reproachful, there was no trace of anger on the middle-aged man's dark and red face.

    "We have been walking for more than a month, and today we finally arrived in France."  Seeing the port getting closer and closer, the joy on Yang Yonglin's face became even stronger.  "It's not far away from seeing our Fuyuan."

    "Reply to your Majesty." The handsome young man also showed an obvious look of excitement on his face.  "The lower officials also think so."

    "Huh?", the middle-aged man was slightly startled.  Immediately, he turned to look at the handsome young man. The two looked at each other for a moment, and finally burst into hearty laughter together.

    On November 19, 1891, Yang Yonglin, deputy general of the Beiyang Navy and deputy general of the left wing center battalion, who was ordered to go to France to pick up the ironclad "Fuyuan" as it returned to China, led Xiao Lengyue and other first batch of ship pick-up personnel to arrive in Marseille, France.

    The next day Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, Portsmouth, UK

    "This is the real giant warship!" Xuanhua couldn't help but express his heartfelt admiration as he looked at the giant warship in front of him that had entered the final stage of installation. It was 115 meters long and had a freeboard height of nearly 5.5 meters.

    "Indeed." Yang Licheng, who was standing next to him, turned over the relevant instructions about this unfinished giant ship in his hand. "The design displacement of 14,150 tons alone is almost as much as our Beiyang Land Cruiser.  The combined displacement of the two ships is smaller than that of the two ships. What is even more rare is that this warship can actually run at a speed of more than 17 knots per hour in this area."

    Ren Lingyu, who was standing in front of a few people, looked up at this large battleship with a parallel double chimney design, known as the origin of the "pre-dreadnought", and felt a little dizzy - it was indeed so spectacular!  Although in the original time and space, he had already seen countless pictures and materials and even large-scale models of this or this class of battleships, all of them were far less shocking than being there in person!

    It is recognized as the most outstanding work in William White's battleship design career, the core work in the 188 "Naval Defense Act", and a typical battleship that can stand side by side with the epoch-making "Dreadnought" in the history of world ships By the way,  There is also the mother model of the Japanese Navy's first generation true battleship "Fuji" class

    ¡ª¡ªThe battleship HMS Sovereign of the Royal Navy!

    "This is Mr. White's most satisfactory work so far." A voice mixed with excitement and pride sounded from the right side of Ren Lingyu. Ren Lingyu followed the sound and saw that he had specially traveled from London to train him.?Jamie Evans, who was coming with a group of people, was looking at the huge ship in front of him with a look of undisguised pride on his face.

    "People do have the capital to be proud." Looking at Jamie Evans, who was so excited that he could hardly control himself, Ren Lingyu actually felt a bit bitter in his heart - and at this time, he was already occupying the position of overlord of the sea.  Compared with the British Royal Navy that has been around for more than three hundred years, the domestic fleet known as the strongest in Asia is really too weak

    However, even though he had already thought so in his heart, his face still looked calm, which also disappointed Jamie Evans once again, who was trying to observe his words.

    "Mr. Evans" Just as Jamie Evans was sighing secretly in his heart, Ren Lingyu had already turned his face and asked him calmly: "Can we board the ship now?"

    "Huh?" Jamie Evans was startled at first, and then said as if he had just woken up from a dream.  "Of course, Mr. Ren, please come this way." He said as he led Ren Lingyu and the others to the gangway for boarding the ship.

    After a while

    Now that Ren Lingyu and others had stepped on the main deck of the "Junquan", he glanced slightly outside the ship's side and felt slightly dizzy.  This freeboard is really not that high.

    No more wasting words.  He had already taken the lead from the stern to the bow of the ship with his hands behind his hands. As his steps progressed, the shock to him from this most typical "pre-dreadnought ship" became more intense - although it was not completely completed, and even occasionally  You can see a few shipyard officials passing by, but the appearance of the entire warship has roughly taken shape.

    ¡ª¡ªTwin-mounted 30-caliber 13.5-inch main guns on the exposed turret, as well as the latest Armstrong-type 40-caliber six-inch rapid-fire guns installed on the double deck amidships, and a 77-meter-long  Meters, a new armor belt with a maximum thickness of 457 mm

    The so-called "strong ship and powerful gun".  I'm afraid it's nothing more than that, right?  Compared with this giant ship, the two "world's first-class ironclad ships" that the Beiyang Navy is proud of are simply as fragile as children's toys!

    Suddenly, the conversation between Yang Licheng, Xuanhua and He Qianting came from behind.

    "If we can only build 1 or 2 such giant ships, then our Beiyang Navy will be the leader in East Asia. It will be enough to ensure the peace of the Qing Dynasty for another ten years." Xuanhua said in Mandarin with a slight Hebei accent.

    "That's not necessarily the case. We in Beiyang can buy more artillery and ships. Then will the Japanese just sit back and ignore it?" This time it was Yang Licheng.  He raised his eyes and looked at Ren Lingyu, who was walking in front of him in a leisurely manner, and continued: "Besides, such a huge ship costs at least one million pounds. At that price, it's ten million taels of silver! The court is here again.  Where can I raise such a huge sum of money?¡±

    "Ten million taels is indeed a bit too much, but fortunately it doesn't need to be paid off in a year." The person who answered Yang Licheng was He Qanting, who had always been taciturn.

    "Such a huge ship will take at least three years to complete. After it is completed, personnel will have to be sent here to be trained and received, and then set sail to return home This will add another year." He Qianting frowned slightly, thinking in his mind.  He continued: "Divided into four years and paid four times, it will be 2.5 million taels each time. If we raise more, we can reduce other places and it should be enough."

    Ren Lingyu, who was walking in front of the three of them, couldn't help but smile when he heard this - do these guys really think of themselves as the Prime Minister and Minister of Naval Affairs

    However, if they were really in that position, I'm afraid they would never think like this again - just a few days ago, Li Hongzhang had just transferred 2 million taels of silver from the Zhili treasury to the ship purchase account of HSBC Bank  .  In the telegram received earlier, Ren Lingyu's mentor, whom he had not seen for many days, directly informed the local disciples and masterminds who were far away in England. This money was the last sum that Beiyang could come up with in three years.  The money for the purchase of ship equipment was earmarked for Ren and Xue to hire French mechanics for the Lushun dock, purchase waterproof rubber strips and other sundries for the Beiyang ships, and purchase quick-fire cannons from the Schneider factory in France.

    ¡ª¡ªBefore leaving France, Ren Lingyu had just signed a contract with Schneider Factory for the purchase of dozens of 6-inch and 4.7-inch Ghana rapid-fire guns, as well as nearly 10,000 explosive bombs. This alone was enough to buy the two million taels of silver.  7788 consumed

    "Kunwu, you can't settle the debt like this." Yang Licheng, who was falling behind Ren Lingyu, frowned slightly, seeming to be speaking his mind to He Qianting, and also seemed to be mumbling to himself, without any pretense.

    "Not to mention anything else, the two types of artillery on this ship are both models that Beiyang has not had before. Do you want to buy these shells?" He pointed at the two giant cannons at the bow of the ship and continued: "Also  Yes, this warship usually floats on the sea, and the engines and other parts will inevitably be damaged and replaced. Do these spare parts also need to be purchased in advance when the ship is delivered?"

    "Also, even ifI gathered my money to buy shells and spare parts between my teeth. Kunwu, Shengji, I just asked the boatman that the number of soldiers required for this warship is at least six hundred.  These people¡¯s daily wages and clothing, as well as the earliest recruitment and training, all require money"

    He continued to talk calmly, "Let's take a step back. We have also come up with the labor cost. Kunwu and Shengji, the introduction said that this warship has a draft of nearly 9 meters. This means that if Beiyang purchases it,  After entering, some harbors will have to be dredged. Not to mention, our Lushun dock in Beiyang currently does not have the dock to repair such a giant ship of 10,000 tons This means that even for the most common bottom scraping, we have to go to Hong Kong or  Where else can we find a foreign shipyard to use? Otherwise, we have to raise huge sums of money to renovate the Port Arthur shipyard"

    Yang Licheng spoke eloquently, and all the expenses mentioned were as real as bricks. At this time, He Qanting and Xuanhua looked sad. They looked at each other and could only talk to the people in front of them.  Jamie Evans next to Ren Lingyu also smiled helplessly.

    "The navy is all about money! The imperial court's annual income is only 80 million taels at most, and a flag salary will cost almost 20 million taels. Plus other expenses, the Ministry of Household Affairs  There's no money in it" Ren Lingyu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.

    Ren Lingyu walked casually to the side of the ship, held the side of the ship, and stared at something in the distance. His heart was filled with emotion and melancholy, as if he was in a dream, with a bit of inexplicable decadence.

    He pointed to the small slipway not far away and said softly: "That one is ours"

    Yang Licheng, He Qianting, Xuanhua and the other three looked in the direction of his finger, and their faces immediately showed a look of disappointment - on that small slipway, a torpedo clipper with a maximum size of only 900 tons was being laid.  The keel
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