The first batch of warships in the fleet to enter the dock for maintenance have been completed.
On warships such as the Taishan battleship, all parts that are damaged or in poor condition will be replaced with new parts.
The most troublesome system of an ironclad ship is the steam power system.
After this system is repaired and returned to the design state, the warship will not have major problems.
The battleship Taishan returned to normal, and Admiral Zhan Tie immediately ordered that the officers and men of the relevant warships end their vacation.
These warships formed a temporary fleet to demonstrate the strength of the Royal Navy of the Great China Empire and complete the diplomatic mission of reception.
They decided to do this after careful consideration.
The overall scale of the fleet is too large, and the scale of the Gibraltar Port dock is limited. It will take a long time to build the fleet and complete the overall overhaul.
It was also because the fleet was too large that the army approached European countries in a state of complete victory.
This is not a visit with the purpose of deterrence, it is very similar to the scale of a formal war between the two countries.
The already tense nerves of European countries will be directly broken.
Mr. Wei Yuansheng has pointed out more than once that if this warship diplomacy is to succeed, it must be done in moderation.
Relying on the size of the temporary fleet alone, Admiral Zhan Tie believed that they could achieve their purpose of deterrence with just one warship, the battleship Taishan.
The battleship Tarzan left the port of Gibraltar with several cruisers and supply cargo ships.
Flying the dragon flag of the Great China Empire, he sailed towards the British Isles in an open and honest manner along Europe's busy shipping routes.
The fleet had no intention of hiding it. The merchant ships passing by saw the huge fleet, especially the very conspicuous battleship Tarzan.
The expressions of these people are very complicated, either fear, envy, happiness, or despair.
The ironclad ship with the dragon flag shocked the whole of Europe with its record of destroying the United Fleet a year ago.
They don't know what will happen if the warship battle of the Great China Empire appears near Europe?
Many Europeans are accustomed to armored ships such as cruisers.
They often see this kind of warship in the waters around Gibraltar.
But the battleship Tarzan, an extremely oppressive ironclad, has a completely different look and feel from a cruiser.
On the deck of the battleship Taishan, Su Shu was asking Mr. Wei Yuansheng for advice on European affairs.
Wei Yuansheng contacted the military just to get in touch with the eldest prince Su Shu.
Otherwise, as a civil servant engaged in diplomacy, he would not be popular among civil servants.
He also had contact with the military, which was even more rejected by the civilian community.
Wei Yuansheng now got what he wanted and used his talents to seriously tell Su Shu about the situation in Europe.
Su Shu asked curiously: "Mr. Wei, during previous meetings, you said more than once that enough is enough.
why is that?
I think only when the fleet comes out in full force and frightens Western countries with a huge sense of oppression will these countries be completely afraid of us."
Su Shu had learned about the situation before, as well as his own experience.
These countries in the West are completely barbarians, fearful of power but not moral.
Against this kind of country, etiquette and integrity have no effect at all. Only cannon is the truth.
Wei Yuansheng saw Su Shu's curiosity and explained the matter more clearly.
"Your Highness, last time General Li Pinglang led the fleet to cause earth-shaking trouble in Europe.
England, France, Spain, the Netherlands and other countries formed a joint fleet.
They put all the wealth of their respective countries at risk and ended up in a disastrous defeat.
Insightful people in these countries have realized that they can no longer fight against the empire as a single country.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, no unified dynasty emerged in Europe.
But among these European countries, apart from the solitary continent, England mainly focuses on developing maritime power.
Other countries have ambitions to become European hegemons.
Just because of various reasons, no country has the strength to unify Europe.
But the emergence of empires made the wise people of these countries realize that only by uniting can they survive.
Some people have suggested that only by uniting can they fight against the empire.
The alliance is a step worthy of vigilance. The further step is to develop from the alliance into a huge country.
Many people in various European countries are now running around to form an alliance.
Because the benefits are unevenly distributed, the alliance does not even have a prototype.
But the pressure the empire puts on European countries is too great, and they will inevitably form an alliance as quickly as possible.
European countries fought on their own, and they had little influence on the empire.
But unite together to form a powerful overlord country.
The empire will need to pay a huge price in the future to extend its power to Europe."
Su Shu nodded and said, "Mr. Wei, I understand this too.
One chopstick is easy to break, but a hundred chopsticks tied together cannot be broken even by a strong man.
Each European country has different disadvantages.
For example, England is a small country with a small population.
France lacks copper and iron, which will affect its industrial development.
The Holy Roman Empire was in disarray and was barely maintained by the Habsburg family.
Once these countries are united, their weaknesses will complement each other and they will inevitably form a powerful country.
Diplomacy is indeed very important. We must continue to provoke differences among European countries and make the differences between them wider and wider.
Since they have been divided for so long, we will not give them a chance to unify."
Wei Yuansheng listened to Su Shu's talk and smiled happily.
He just used words to guide him, and the eldest prince Su Shu could immediately understand and judge the core of the incident.
Wei Yuansheng taught a smart person like Su Shu, and he felt very relaxed.
Su Shu asked curiously: "Mr. Wei, I remember that the most powerful countries in Europe are not France and Spain.
Why should we go to England as our first stop?
England is a country with a very weak army, and its entire strength lies in its navy.
General Li Pinglang destroyed the British navy to only a few broken ships in one battle."
Wei Yuansheng raised three fingers and analyzed them one by one.
He put down his first finger and said: "Your Highness, I have been an ambassador to England for many years and know this country well. I think England has the greatest potential.
This country has been controlled by the newly rising industrial and commercial capital. After civil war and constitutional disputes, all aristocratic forces have been suppressed.
One characteristic of industrial and commercial capital is that it puts profits first.
They throw away all etiquette and shame, do not care about any face, and act completely based on profit-oriented behavior.
The first countries we contacted were the Netherlands and Spain, but it was with England that we established formal relations.
From this detail, we can see the pragmatic attitude of England.
Europe discovered the role of steam engines, and England vigorously developed steam engines at all costs.
Now England's steam engine technology is in a usable state."
Su Shu asked: "Is this a technical leak?"
Wei Yuansheng replied ambiguously: "I'm not sure either. The empire's steam engines have been used in all walks of life, especially some ocean-going cargo ships, which also have steam engines.
It is really difficult for the empire to conceal its steam engine technology.
I think the English are copying the Empire's steam engines, but they also have their own unique technology."
Su Shu just asked casually. The senior officials of the empire knew that it was basically impossible to completely block the steam engine technology.
The empire can only block the most advanced technologies.
Some high-end techniques, even if taught by a master, are difficult to teach to apprentices.
Wei Yuansheng put down his second finger and said: "England is alone overseas, and this country's interests are completely different from those of other countries on the European continent.
When England was strong, it always wanted to intervene in the situation on the European continent.
Maintain its own development by constantly disrupting the situation in other countries on the European continent.
Once the European continental countries are unified, England will be the first to suffer.
It is precisely because of the gap in interests that England is the most suitable country to become a breakthrough.
If various European countries really form an alliance, as long as England exists, this alliance will be just an alliance and it will be difficult to unify."
Su Shu didn't understand Ying En's situation, he just listened to Wei Yuansheng's story seriously.
Wei Yuansheng put down his last finger and said: "England is a country composed of the British Isles.
As an island country, it has unique characteristics of island civilization.
Because the island civilization has a small living environment, they have a very strong sense of crisis, and the corresponding tolerance is also very low. Their vision is relatively short-sighted, and they pay more attention to short-term interests.
For England, an island country, sea power is extremely important to them.
They would never miss the development of ironclads.
The purpose we want to achieve through warship diplomacy is to complete normal diplomacy.
Even if warship diplomacy involves coercion, it is best not to use naval guns to open the country's borders.
This will be the last resort. Force will be used only after all negotiations fail.
In order to understand the ironclads, England achieved their goal of stealing troops.
England will definitely not refuse the fleet's request, and we can communicate normally with England.
The fleet visited the first European country successfully, and he became a model for the rest of Europe.
Next, the rest of Europe will definitely not refuse the fleet's visit."
After Su Shu listened to Wei Yuansheng's introduction, he also believed that the first target of the fleet's visit was none other than England.
European countries saw the power of ironclads, and they all wanted to build ironclads.
But England is definitely the country that wants to build ironclads the most.
Other countries cannot build ironclads, so it will have little impact on this country.
If England cannot build ironclads, it is likely to perish.
…………………………
British Prime Minister Oliver Cromwell was rubbing his aching head.
The King of England is now a rubber stamp.
With the recovery of England's national strength, France has no ability to exert more influence on England.
Prime Minister Oliver Cromwell is now in great power. Even if the United Fleet failed and the royalists wanted to overthrow the government, they failed.
But he knew that there would be another disastrous defeat for the combined fleet, or the warships of the Great China Empire would directly attack the English coast.
The staunch supporters behind him will become his biggest opponents.
Not only will he be unable to continue to serve as Prime Minister, he will also become a sinner in British history.
This situation is still very likely to happen.
A merchant ship saw from a distance that a fleet from the Great China Empire, larger than a year ago, was approaching the British Isles.
Oliver Cromwell did not know the purpose of these Han people.
He immediately summoned the ambassador of the Chinese Empire to Britain, but did not receive any information.
He could only notify major ports to be more vigilant.
The only good thing is that there are not a large number of troop transport ships behind the Dahua Empire fleet.
In this way, even if a war breaks out, only the port will fall.
However, the British Isles are small and their ports are occupied. As long as the enemy blockade lasts longer, they will lose their foreign trade and the people will starve to death in large numbers.
Oliver Cromwell was officially concerned about the situation and had given strict orders to the troops at the front.
If the Great China Empire does not fire the first shot, they will never allow it to be fired.
The political affairs officer quickly ran into the Prime Minister's residence. He held a report and said cheerfully: "Your Excellency, there is news from the front.
The Imperial Navy of Great China came to England for a state visit.
The warships of the Great China Empire are staying at the outer sea and port waiting for orders from the Prime Minister."
When Oliver Cromwell heard that it was a state visit, his nervous mood immediately relaxed.
Compare the Imperial Navy of Great China and the current British Navy.
There is no need for the Imperial Navy of Great China to use conspiracies and tricks, this is their plan.
Oliver Cromwell thought for a while, and he knew he had to agree to this condition.
He had seen reports before that a more powerful ironclad ship had appeared in the Dahua Empire Navy.
The war between the Great China Empire and the West has just ended, and now more powerful armored ships have been sent, obviously to intimidate them.
The British Navy has not yet returned to its former size.
The Great China Empire is trying to intimidate them, but they must also welcome it with a smile.
Once there is a conflict between the two countries, they will still suffer.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Prime Minister Oliver Cromwell agreed to the visit of the Imperial Navy of China.
He also ordered the British Navy to carefully observe the warships of the Great China Empire.
In the future, England must have its own ironclads.
His friend Admiral Robert Blake.
It was precisely because England did not have ironclad ships that it perished in the sea of fire.
Not only Admiral Robert Blake, but also the elite of the British navy were severely damaged.
If it weren't for the fact that other European naval powers had also suffered heavy losses, England's life would have been even more difficult.
…………………………
Su Shu looked at the exotic port in the distance.
They have been waiting for a night and a half and have not yet received official permission from England.
Admiral Zhan Tie said impatiently: "The barbarians are afraid of power but not moral. They have not seen the power of the battleship Taishan.
I thought that the winding shore defense guns could block the powerful naval guns of the battleship Taishan.
Chief of Staff Cao, if it doesn't work, let the battleship Taishan fire a shot.
Opening the country with cannons is the way to impress these European countries."
The Imperial Navy of Great China is more radical than the Army.
Zhan Tie is a high-ranking member of the Dahua Empire Navy, and he certainly belongs to the unwavering war faction.
He can compromise for the Navy's long-term interests.
But England didn't understand current affairs, and he also wanted England to see the power of the Imperial Navy fleet.
His subordinate Captain Li Pinglang can make the European naval powers tremble.
Zhan Tie also wants to leave his name in Europe.
Wei Yuansheng's gentle voice sounded: "Admiral Zhan, the port is still some distance from London.
Some urgent information can be delivered in a similar way as a beacon.
But in this situation, we must get a reply from the British Prime Minister, and the local soldiers dare not make the decision at all.
There is no telegraph in England, so traveling on the road is a bit slow.
We’ll see what happens.”
Not long after Wei Yuansheng persuaded them, news came from the port from England. They welcomed the Great China Navy to visit England and invited the Great China Navy warships to enter the port.
The battleship Tarzan entered the English port in a fighting attitude, without fear of the coastal defense artillery along the way.
Warship diplomacy got off to a good start, with the Imperial Navy fleet officially visiting England.