Chapter 427 What is the gold content of each naval power?

  At dusk

  The golden sunset shines on the beautiful English Channel, the blue waves are undulating, and the boats on the sea are like clouds, a busy scene.

On the occasion of London’s flying, the fast luxury cruise ship "Golden Age" has quietly arrived in Port Calais, France. The narrowest point of the English Channel is only 34 kilometers. It took just over three hours for the river terminal to reach the port of Calais.

  On the bridge

  Li Fushou stood against a railing, the sea breeze blew his black hair flying, and his deep eyes watched the busy boats passing by the Port of Calais. This is a busy port that combines military, trade and fishery, and a traditional water transportation hub on the west coast of France.

  The sea breeze sent a strong fishy smell to the tip of his nose, his heart was ups and downs, and he couldn't help himself.

  In the ninth year of his rebirth, Li Fushou suffered the biggest humiliation so far. In view of his weak strength and the hero did not suffer the immediate loss, he had to flee London with embarrassment and anger.

  For Li Fushou, who has been developing smoothly, it is no less than a head start.

  Li Fushou is an easy-going person with an extremely arrogant heart. Under his leadership, Queensland’s economy has developed rapidly, and a large number of immigrants have integrated into Australian society and achieved impressive economic achievements.

  It is estimated that Australia's total population will reach nearly 7 million this year. Except for more than 1.8 million whites and tens of thousands of East Indies and local indigenous people, the number of Chinese immigrants has actually reached 5 million, becoming the mainstream ethnic group in Australian society.

  This is not enough, far from enough!

  The hand holding the railing turned pale because of the force, and a decisive light flashed in his eyes.

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

  Carefully calculate

  The land occupied in the past two years is not small. The development project of Qixing Town in the Qingshui River Basin on Shangri-La Island has been going smoothly with key policy support and funding tilt. Five towns have been built and the prospects are promising.

Since the second half of the previous year, as the large-scale colonization plan has been fully launched, the output of agricultural and sideline products in the region has been increasing year by year. Not only has it replaced the import of grain and other agricultural and sideline products in Australia, but also has spare capacity to support Jayapura and Longmen Township. And the food gap in various regions of Borneo.

  Expected to start next year

  The first crop of rice in the Qingshui River Basin will have another bumper harvest, which has the foundation to accept more immigrants.

As the situation in the occupied area of ​​Borneo calms down and the imprints of Dutch whites and local indigenous people are completely eradicated, the area’s agricultural and sideline products, including spices, tobacco leaves, and rubber, will have a restorative growth, and the food will basically satisfy Self-sufficiency.

  Calculate like this

  The annual migration plan for millions of people in the past has been conservative. Queensland needs a government, and Australia needs a government. The rapid growth of the immigrant population is the foundation.

  Li Fushou considered repeatedly and felt that in the new year of 1885, the target number could be increased to between 1.5 million and 1.6 million. With years of efficient immigration organization capacity, he should be able to digest it with confidence.

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

  This way

  Only organizing immigrants from coastal areas appears to have a single source, and should be further expanded to inland provinces, such as Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Shanxi and other places with large populations. Zhu Wei, the head of the Shenzhou region, set up more institutions to assist immigration agencies to promote.

After the specific implementation plan needs to be returned, the secretariat will come up with complete implementation opinions and roadmaps, and Shangri-La Bank and Huitong Bank will cooperate fully to ensure that the new immigrants will have land for farming, housing, food, and food when they arrive in their new homes. After the most difficult start-up period, instead of just letting go after immigrating.

  For every additional citizen in the territory, there will be more tax and more power.

Farmers need to pay land tax for farming, and serve free of charge every year (20 days). Workers also create value for their work. The factory also needs to pay taxes, whether it is a shop, buy a ship for transportation, or drive a horse to carry goods, or mine for gold. Regardless of whether it is a private ranch or plantation, whatever you do is creating value and you need to pay taxes.

  The trickle water converges into rivers, lakes and seas, which is the foundation of Queensland’s prosperous society.

  Time does not wait for me!

  Li Fushou has a strong sense of crisis in his heart. Although Queensland’s economy is small and strong, it does not have a sense of existence in Europe. Its political and military influence is almost zero, and its economic influence is not large.

  Compared with the old colonial powers in Europe that have been developing for hundreds of years, there is a lot of difference in their background.

  In this case, we must embark on a path of unconventional development.

  Unknowingly, night fell, and the Port of Calais lit up.

   "Master Earl, the surface of the sea at night is deeper and colder. If you are caught in the cold, it is not a joke, and you can't bear such a heavy responsibility. I courageously urge adults to move to rest in the cabin."

It was the captain Zhang Daoru who was a classmate of Geng Baobao at the Manchester Naval Academy in England. The captain of the heroic ship "Puffin" has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel over the years. He is one of the senior officers of the Coast Guard. The captain of the "Golden Age" on a European mission, he and the sailors all dressed in civilian clothes to perform the mission.

  "Daoru, you are a senior British officer who has studied military issues for many years. Then tell me...what are we inferior to these naval powers in Europe?"

   "Return to Lord Earl, this proposition is too broad, please allow Humble to think about it."

   "Oh... can't you tell me?"

"My Excellency, please forgive me. This is not the case, but the situation of the European naval powers is very complicated. The Royal Navy of the British Empire is alone in the world's top first gear. France and Germany can be regarded as the second gear. If the United States is added, then Italy, the traditional Mediterranean naval power, the Ottoman Empire that straddles Europe and Asia, and the rising Tsarist Russia on the Black Sea can be ranked third. These countries can all be considered naval powers, but the specific circumstances are different, and it is difficult to put it all together. ."

"The United States can only be ranked third? I remember that the United States' 10-year shipbuilding plan has entered its sixth year. There are many large ships launched in these years. Why is the ranking so low?" Li Fushou wrapped the fur wrapped around him. The coat stepped into the cabin.

Zhang Daoru followed him step by step, thinking about questions quickly, and replied cautiously; "Return to Lord Earl, although the United States has a lot of new ships, but the navy is too shallow and there are no strong challengers around it. The last performance in the war was the Civil War in China. The performance of both the South and the North was not satisfactory. It did not experience a truly cruel naval battle. Such a fleet is destined to not rank high. The naval power of the Ottoman Empire on paper is not high. Not much worse than the United States, it also ranks third in the naval power, that’s why."

  Enter the luxuriously decorated cabin

  A warm breath rushed into the face, and the refreshing dragon birthday incense rose in the quaintly shaped furnace.

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

"Sit down, Brother Taoist, drink a cup of tea to warm up your body and then elaborate on your high-level theory." Li Fushou gestured with a gentle expression, took a sip from the tea cup, feeling the fragrance of the tea overflowing in his mouth, and his body followed. It also warms up.

   "Thank you, Lord Earl, for your grace, you dare not obey your humble duty." Zhang Daoru sat down after bowing his hands, took a sip of the tea cup and put it down, and said respectfully; "Ashamed, I don't know where to start with humble duty."

   "There is nothing left and right... just talk about it, and talk about it wherever you think." Li Fushou held the tea cup in both hands, and responded indifferently.

   "Humble duty, follow orders." Zhang Daoruli thought about it before speaking;

"Battleship is a collective art of war. A high-speed frigate has dozens of crew members, a light cruiser has more than 100 crew members, a heavy cruiser has more than 200 crew members, and a first-class iron-clad battleship has more than 300 ships. Under the command of the captain, a joint force must be formed in order to give full play to the combat performance of the warship.

This is related to every battle position, captain, helmsman, navigator, chief engineer, every gun position commander and damage control combatant on the battleship, in addition to naval traditions, commander coordination, military expenditure, training level, Restricted by factors such as logistical support, each of the shortcomings will affect the combat effectiveness of the battleship.

A European power with a deep naval background, a deep naval tradition, a high-level naval commander training system, high-quality sailors, sufficient funds to support navigation and artillery training, and support the construction of the entire logistics system from the shipbuilding industry to the colonial docks, from the country Even the military attaches great importance to the development of the navy, how can such an army be strong?

  Only Britain and France meet this standard. 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 complete colonial system, which is a certain distance from France.

The U.S. investment is enough. A real naval battle has yet to test its gold content. The Ottoman Empire is always hot and cold. Most of the warships have been parked in the harbor for many years. It is a question worth discussing.

  As for Tsarist Russia, which built large-scale ships on the shores of the Black Sea, the scale of shipbuilding is huge. In view of its lack of naval tradition, the navy’s performance in previous wars is completely negligible and can only be listed as a potential naval power. "

Li Fushou's slender fingers tapped the tabletop lightly, and after listening carefully, he said, "You only talked about six naval powers, but as far as I know, the Austro-Hungarian Empire has launched two iron armors of more than 5,000 tons in the water this year. A huge ship, and as one of the European powers, its military strength should not be underestimated. In addition, there are traditional colonial countries Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. They are all countries with a long naval tradition. Why didn't you hear that?"

  "Lord Earl, please be careful about your position." Zhang Daoru replied in a deep voice with a gleam of confidence in his eyes after he bowed his hand to the salute;

  "For my Queensland Coast Guard, there is only one criterion for measuring a naval power, that is, can we defeat us in a naval battle?

  All countries that have been or may be stepped on by us in naval battles are not worthy of being called naval powers. No matter how long their history and how brilliant they are, they are not worth mentioning in naval battles measured by strength.

  Queensland Coast Guard is marked by the entry of the "Blue Dragon" ship, which represents a rise to a new level, which can put these former marine powerhouses underfoot.

  Here, I mainly talk about the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

  As a land power with no maritime tradition, the main contradiction of the dualistic Austro-Hungarian Empire lies in the country. Hungary and the Balkans have a strong tendency of independence and frequent wars.

  The Habsburg dynasty concentrated on operating the Austrian region with Vienna as its core, giving priority to the state finances and army building. The navy is just a gadget to decorate the facade, and it has never received attention.

  This has caused serious shortcomings in its navy, insufficient funding, and insufficient training. The quality of commanders of noble origin is worrying. Many people 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 the Austro-Hungarian Empire this year, and I came to the conclusion that the entire shipbuilding concept is the level of 20 years ago, still using the traditional waist gun room design, and the 281mm main gun still uses the old frame. With the retreat type, the amount of ammunition projected per unit time is only one-third to one-fourth of the level of our main gun.

In addition, the new British bulletproof armored Harvey steel is not used, the dense compartment design is not used, the main gun design is not used along the center axis of the ship, the high freeboard design is not used, and the two tall sail masts are still retained. The firepower and defensive power is still at the level of 20 years ago, and the comprehensive combat power is 2 generations behind the "Qinglong" class warships.

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

This is really not bragging. The high speed of the "Qinglong" battleship determines that it can freely choose its opponents, fast fight and retreat. The heavy armor determines that it can be close to the fire, and the strong firepower of the main gun determines that it is destined to be passively beaten. The three elements of firepower, defense power and speed are fully ahead.

Not to mention that the "White Tiger" battleship will be launched in December for outfitting and will be delivered to the Navy in the first half of next year. The "Suzaku" has already been on the berth to begin construction. In the second half of next year, the last "Xuanwu" will also start construction.

  Such a powerful heavy cruiser adopts many advanced new technologies. After 4 ships are put into service, they are almost invincible in the entire Asia and South Pacific region.

  The only scrupulous thing is the third battle fleet of the British Empire stationed in Galgota. If the local fleet of France's Lanci is not supported, we are confident to touch the French expeditionary fleet to see how it is?

The Spanish navy is stronger than the Netherlands, but the strength is limited. There are a lot of old ships and old ships. That thing may give us a headache before the "Qinglong" battleship enters service. Now it is only in the plate. It's just a side dish.

The battleship that can deal with the "Qinglong" heavy cruiser must be the first-class iron-clad battleship of the British Empire, or the "Cavour" iron-clad battleship built by the Italian Navy. The 280mm long-barreled artillery can't penetrate it at all.

  The capital ships of the French and German navies can also pose a major threat, because their main guns are too large, generally above 305 mm, which is very difficult to deal with.

  The premise is that the two sides line up the battle line to fight against the enemy with our shortcomings.

If fighting independently, the Qinglong-class heavy cruiser will be a nightmare for any country’s transportation line. Battleships that can fought can run faster than us, and warships that run fast are not as strong as our defenses, and can cause unilateral firepower. Performance crushes the situation. "

  Speaking of which

  The expression on Zhang Daoru's face was agitated, and the look of fiery desire could not be suppressed. Driving the powerful Qinglong-class battleship across the ocean is the dream of every captain of the Kunshan South Coast Guard.

  Zhang Daoru is only one step away from the dream, but unfortunately it will not be possible to achieve it in 3 to 5 years.

   "Blue Dragon", "White Tiger", "Suzaku" and "Xuanwu" four ships, of which three are the flagships of the fleet. The captains are the commander of the Borneo Fleet, Li Jie, the commander of the Shangri-La Fleet, and the commander of the Queensland Fleet are precious.

The only captain of the "White Tiger" who is not the commander-in-chief of the fleet, Colonel Wu Gang, is Zhang Daoru’s classmate at the Manchester Naval Academy, and another is the Coast Guard Captain Geng Baogui. The three graduated together and returned to Queensland to join the Coast Guard. Colonel Wu Gang He is also one of the founders of the start-up.

Wu Gang was once the captain of the heroic ship "Haiyan". During the encounter off Jayapura, Wu Gang, the captain of the "Haiyan" and Zhang Daoru, the captain of the "Piklin", cooperated closely and adopted flexible tactics. The fierce fighting spirit that felt like death rushed forward, breaking through the line of resistance of the Dutch landing ship regiment, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy, fought a beautiful encounter, and fired the first shot of the East Indies War.

  In the subsequent series of naval battles, Wu Gang led the battleship also performed well. He can be described as a member of the Coast Guard, and he is indeed superior to Zhang Daoru.

  The heavy cruiser "White Tiger" was delivered in the hands of Colonel Wu Gang, and Zhang Daoru was 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 is not comprehensive." Li Fushou made a pertinent comment.

   "Please criticize and correct the Lord Earl."

"Okay, let me just talk about it." Li Fushou subconsciously glanced at the direction of the British Isles across the English Channel, and said with a slight sigh; "After our Coast Guard defeated the Dutch, there was widespread The blind optimism of stocks can also be seen from your words.

  Dare to challenge the French expeditionary fleet. You are not the first to think this way, and you will not be the last.

  Contempt opponents strategically, and value opponents tactically.

  Even the Royal Dutch Fleet, which you completely ignore, is forced to rush to purchase retired ships from Britain, Germany and other countries. With the deep maritime tradition, it is not easy to deal with the skyrocketing combat effectiveness.

  Will this situation happen?

The retired iron-clad ships of Britain, Germany and other countries were as little as 100,000 pounds, and as many as 200,000 pounds. A major iron-clad fleet gritted their teeth and won a million pounds, not to mention the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal tighten their belly. You can get the money.

  No matter how powerful the "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser is, it is impossible to defend all our ports.

  Does not underestimate any opponent, it is a necessary quality for senior officers. "

  After saying this,

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

  He is not wearing a military uniform now, so all he does is traditional Chinese etiquette to show respect.

  (End of this chapter)