ps: Chapter 506 has been released. It is a very important chapter. Please read it later. This chapter connects the past and the future and was originally intended to be the beginning of the new volume.
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As a participant in this operation, Bismarck had the honor to attend the naval deployment ceremony.
Although there were only two ironclads, these two warships carried Prussia's national destiny.
For Prussia, Schleswig and Holstein were not just two small principalities of the German Confederation.
If this war is victorious, Prussia's status as the overlord of the German Confederation will be confirmed.
The next step is to bring down the other overlord, Austria.
The ship of more than 3,000 tons was not the largest ship Bismarck had ever seen.
He traveled around Europe, and Britain and France already had warships larger than this.
Moreover, the sail battleship will appear taller because of the sails on it.
But the two battleships in front of him were made of steel.
The slightly raised rows of rivets on the surface show their thickness.
This is the crystallization of Prussian industry.
After the Anti-French War, Prussia worked hard to cultivate its internal strength and vigorously developed its steel industry.
These two battleships are the crystallization of Prussian industry. It is precisely because of the vigorous development of domestic industry over the years that Prussia was able to produce such a big thing early.
The era of naval warfare has changed. Whoever has stronger industrial strength will have stronger maritime strength.
Steel battleships no longer need to rely on wood resources.
The huge oak trees are almost drying up throughout the country, and Prussia naturally does not have them in its hands, but Prussia has a huge steel industry.
As long as the steel mills continue to operate, new warships can continue to be manufactured.
After the construction of these four battleships, the Prussian shipyards started construction on eight more ironclads.
Such was Prussia's efficiency and strength.
I believe that Prussia's armored fleet will soon be able to roam the ocean.
Bismarck knew very well that after having a navy, Prussia would next prepare to unify the German Confederation.
To be on an equal footing with Britain and France, Prussia must integrate the power of the entire German Confederation.
A Prussia alone is not enough.
Seeing the huge gun barrel on the warship, Bismarck couldn't help but feel confident.
Steel and artillery are what Prussia relies on. Iron and blood is the right path to development.
It was calm outside Tanggu Harbor today, and the tiny waves on the sea reflected the sun's rays, just like fish scales.
The First Fleet, which has returned to the shipyard for overhaul today, seems to have put on new clothes. They are going to be reviewed here. This is the honor they deserve.
Colorful flags were fluttering at the port, and there were crowds of people. Thousands of representatives from all walks of life were sitting in the makeshift stands.
There is a separate area in the middle where all foreigners with blond hair and blue eyes are sitting. These are envoys from various countries in the Tianjin Embassy District.
"Finally we can see this mysterious fleet of the Renaissance Army. I have to say that they did a great job keeping it secret." Bulbulon said to Bao Ling beside him.
As envoys of two big countries, they are in the best position and are relatively independent, which makes it convenient for them to communicate together.
"Yes, don't you think we were fooled by this Dong Shuheng?" Bao Ling said somewhat unhappy.
Recent events in India have earned him severe criticism from the domestic government. Diplomats in this era are also responsible for intelligence work.
Bao Ling didn't have any information about what happened during the Indian colonial period, otherwise it wouldn't have led to what it is today.
When formulating its foreign policy with the Renaissance Army, the British Empire made decisions based on the information sent back by their diplomatic envoys.
Now it is proven that the decision made at the beginning was wrong. Of course, the decision-makers at the top cannot be wrong. The only one who can be wrong is Bao Ling, the person who sent back the intelligence.
"Bao Ling, I have to say that the Renaissance Army has indeed gone too far in many places. I feel that they are driving us out of the east step by step." Bulbulon no longer helped Dong Shuheng.
After all, what the Baath Army did in Indochina deeply offended the French.
"Your Majesty the Emperor is not prepared to take some measures? I can answer you with certainty that our British Empire will firmly support France in gaining control of Indochina." Bao Ling asked tentatively.
The French have always regarded the Indochina region as their sphere of influence.
Siam is based on a line of power previously agreed between France and Britain.
"Mr. Bao Ling, it's too late. The Renaissance Army has already set up a province there, and they are still stationing a large number of troops there. Unless there is a war with these Renaissance Army. You know, our Emperor is always more cautious.
of."
"Oh, okay, look, their fleet is coming." Knowing that he couldn't find anything here in Bulbulon, Bao Ling simply turned his attention to the sea.
I saw eight silver-gray warships on the sea moving in a neatly long formation from south to north.
Sixteen pillars of smoke rose into the sky.
"Look, it's our armored ship!" I don't know who shouted out first.
The people in the stands suddenly became excited.
There was no such sensation when the Nanyang Navy was established.
"Sir, can you lend me your telescope?" A middle-aged man in worker's clothing asked sheepishly to a businessman in a brocade robe next to him.
"Well, alas! Let me show you, if we had such warships more than ten years ago, the British would not have invaded the Yangtze River Estuary." The businessman in Jinpao handed the telescope in his hand to the workers beside him and sighed in his heart.
He didn't mean to look down on the worker wearing linen work clothes next to him. Those who could sit on this viewing platform were not ordinary workers.
The Jinpao merchant just remembered the shameful past of running a boat on the Yangtze River more than ten years ago.
British warships breached the Wusong Fort. The defenders on the fort suffered all casualties.
The British warships sailed all the way outside Jiangning City.
At that time, his sand boat was parked at the dock in Jiangning.
In order to force the Qing court to surrender, the British directly fired indiscriminately at the merchant ships on the dock.
How can these wooden boats running on the rivers withstand the bombardment of these giant warships?
Just one shot would result in them being shattered to pieces. I don’t know how many people were buried at the bottom of the river.
What is even more despicable is that after the incident, Qing Tinglian did not give any pension to these businessmen.
At that time, the Jinyi businessman was still a small businessman and could not afford such losses.
He had to give up doing business on the river and returned to his hometown of Gaoyou to work as a small merchant.
More than ten years later, Huai Haijun took control of Gaoyou, and Dong Shuheng and a family of Yangzhou salt merchants established the Yangtze River Bank.
In order to support the development of Gaoyou light industry, Yangtze River Bank issued low-interest loans to small businessmen to help them purchase machinery and build factories.
It was at that time that this Jinyi merchant emerged from the ashes.
It was the Renaissance Army that gave him a second chance to rise, so even if he was asked to donate half of his family property to the Renaissance Army, he was willing to do so.
"It's really made of steel, dear! It's bigger than the gunboats running on the river." said the worker.
Several spectators on the other side were obviously more professional.
"Look, the one at the front is the flagship 'Yangtze River'. These warships are all Jianghe-class frigates, and they are all named after major rivers. The second ship is called 'Yellow River' and 'Haihe'
,'Xiangjiang No.'..."
This man was obviously a ship enthusiast and knew the First Fleet very clearly, and he kept explaining it to the people around him.
"Here, how do you know so clearly?" someone couldn't help but ask.
"Hey, there is a magazine that talks about the current weapons and equipment of various countries. Not many people read this kind of book. I happen to like reading it. The latest issue of the magazine has an introduction to the First Fleet. Have you heard about it?
Well, our navy is still building bigger warships. But because the steel has to be used to build railways, our president has not allowed more to be built." The man whispered to the people around him.
At this time, the fleet was getting closer and closer to the port, and Dong Shuheng sailed over on a high-speed naval communication ship.
The painting of this communication ship is similar to that of a warship, and even its appearance is similar, but it is more slender and has two chimneys on it.
When this ship was originally built, it was in pursuit of speed. Although its tonnage is only seven or eight hundred tons, its speed can reach twenty-five knots, making it the fastest ship today.
This communications vessel has four 75mm rapid-fire cannons as self-defense weapons.
But just relying on its speed, there won't be any danger.
Dong Shuheng often takes this communication ship when he travels.
"Flag flag, the First Fleet of the Navy salutes the President." On the flagship Yangtze River, Du Hang also saw Dong Shuheng's car coming towards him.
On the left side of the ship, officers and soldiers wearing snow-white navy uniforms were already standing upright.
Each of them was very excited in their hearts.
Today they are heroes who have returned triumphantly.
The huge stands on the shore have fallen into the eyes of the soldiers. They know that countless people are watching them at this time.
They seemed to be able to see people in the stands waving to them.
Countless flashing lights lit up on the shore. Their figures will definitely appear in the most prominent position in tomorrow's newspaper.
"It's unbelievable. Two years ago, these people were buying second-hand warships from you, and now they already have ironclads before us." Bourblon said with a slightly sarcastic tone.
"Yes, this Renaissance Army is developing too fast. I feel that their development speed is faster than the reports we sent to the country."
"We really should have helped the Manchu Qing court eliminate them from the beginning, instead of providing them with opportunities to grow again and again," Bao Ling said.
Bulbulon arrived earlier than Bao Ling. After Bao Ling's arrival, the Renaissance Army was already too strong to lose.
It should be said that for the Renaissance Army to be what it is today, the predecessors of Bulbulon and Bao Ling were "indispensable".
However, Dong Shuheng controlled the export of goods at that time, and they were all trying to avoid the enemy. There was no way to deal with Dong Shuheng.
It’s not that there’s no way around it, it’s just inconsistent with their principle of putting economic interests first.
At that time, Bulbulon was determined to win over the Renaissance Army to join the Crimean War.
Blindly accommodating the Renaissance Army in diplomacy.
"Mr. Bao Ling, let's have a chat when we have time. We must not let the Renaissance Army develop like this, otherwise the entire East will be at their discretion in the future. I believe your country does not want the Indian colonies to be threatened all the time."
Burblond Road.
In fact, it goes without saying that diplomats from Britain, France, Tsarist Russia and other countries in Europe have come into contact with him many times.
Their issue is how to inhibit the development of the Renaissance Army.
In several of these countries, Tsarist Russia has been newly defeated, and they do not want to confront the Renaissance Army head-on for the time being.
Alexander II was a monarch with very clear thinking. He knew that what Tsarist Russia needed most now was to hide its capabilities and bide its time.
Because the greatest danger in Tsarist Russia has appeared internally, the issue of serfdom that has been dragging on for hundreds of years has come to a time when it must be resolved.
France itself has relatively few interests in the east. They only have a small colony in the east of India.
The French were more concerned about their colonies in Africa and the development of the situation in Europe, especially the rise of Prussia, which posed a huge threat to France.
The Spaniards hate the Renaissance Army with all their heart, but they have just suffered a huge defeat, the navy's vitality has been severely damaged, and the domestic situation has once again entered turmoil. Now they are still negotiating with the Renaissance Army.
Spain is also under great pressure now, and their domestic trade with the East has almost stopped.
A large number of merchant ships were seized by the Renaissance Army.
The big ship owners in the country are putting pressure on the government through various channels, hoping that they can negotiate peace with the Renaissance Army as soon as possible.
At present, the most urgent people to deal with the Renaissance Army are the British.
The British hope that everyone could work together to deal with the Renaissance Army did not succeed.
The intelligence teams arranged by Ji Mingshan across Europe have long known about these little tricks by the British.
These messages were also sent back through the fast communication channels between Europe and Asia.
Therefore, this naval parade is not only to commend the naval officers who have returned triumphantly, but also to show off their muscles to these Europeans.
The Renaissance Army has risen and is no longer something anyone can control.