Chapter 435 Big Event

  The most important international event in 1885 was the Berlin Conference after a long period of wrangling, and finally reached a consensus, forming a "General Resolution" with more than 60,000 words and 38 clauses.

  The core article in the "General Resolution" is Article 36;

   stipulates that when foreign powers occupy land or establish protectorates along the African coast in the future, they must notify other countries that have signed this agreement so that they can make their own demands when necessary.

  At the same time, it is necessary to ensure the establishment of a ruling power sufficient to protect the existing rights, and to ensure compliance with the prescribed conditions of freedom of trade and freedom of transit when necessary, only in this way can it be considered as an effective occupation and be confirmed by other powers.

  In this way, for the first time, European and American powers delineated their respective geographical boundaries in tropical Africa in Berlin, far away from Africa.

Defeating the mighty France, King Leopold II of Belgium became the last person to laugh. With the support of European and American countries, the Congo River Basin, which covers an area of ​​more than 2 million square kilometers, was incorporated into his own private territory, and the Belgian was established. "Free State of Congo".

  The strong support from the royal family of the British Empire was a key factor in Belgium's ultimate victory.

  This is because Her Majesty Queen Victoria is the cousin of King Leopold II of Belgium. The two royal families are closely related. The former king of Belgium is Queen Victoria’s uncle. How can there be no reason for not helping her?

  Without a single shot, he defeated France through superb diplomatic skills and finally won the territory of the Congo River Basin.

  Belgian King Leopold II became a dazzling figure of European royal families. He was a man of international politics in 1885, and he was in the same spotlight.

  Tang Shaoyi witnessed this outstanding diplomatic performance in Berlin and was deeply moved by him. Since then, he has set a great aspiration to devote his life to the cause of diplomacy.

  In order to avoid conflicts between countries in Africa and establish relevant crisis management measures, the Berlin Conference focused on the issue of “effective occupation”.

  After fierce disputes between various countries and Britain, which occupies the most territories in Africa, a very vague resolution was finally passed.

  How to understand that countries can be freely defined. Real transactions are all placed under the table. On the bright side, it has become a reality. This greatly increases the space for London's diplomatic maneuver.

   is nothing more than bargaining, buying a piece of steamed buns with green onions.

  At this meeting, the Western powers divided their spheres of influence in central Africa and determined the common criteria for expanding colonies in Africa, which set off the climax of the carve-up of Africa at the end of the nineteenth century.

Through the "General Resolution" of the Berlin Conference, the international community publicly recognized the legitimacy of aggression and the partition of Africa. The signatories, without affecting the interests of other powers, will occupy those areas that have not been partitioned first. Sphere of influence.

  One day in mid-October

  Red River Valley City, Dream Castle

After five and a half years of large-scale construction, the overall white dream castle stands majestically on the top of the mountains. The towering spires of the castle pierce the sky, appearing extraordinarily magnificent against the blue sky. It is the iconic landmark of Red River Valley. One of the buildings.

The main body of the fantasy castle has been completed, but it will take time to polish the details. This is a miracle that combines the essence of German and French castle architecture. It is full of imagination, especially the double spiral luxurious staircase and huge crystal chandeliers in the castle. People were amazed.

This is the main palace where the Earl of Queensland will live in the future. It has a total of 999 rooms. The scale of construction is extremely large. It is decorated with exquisite stone carvings in the French neo-romantic style. The dome murals are made by European masters. Of course.

Beginning when Lord Earl set foot on Brisbane Wharf and won the first income through the oriental trick of the Three Immortals Returning Hole, he started the Fulinmen Hotel, purchased the Red River Valley Ranch, and was attacked on the way. "Wolf Birken", the Queen of England awarded honors and entitlements, opened up Shangri-La Island, encountered a battle off Jayapura, and fought **** battles with the Dutch in Moresby, marching into Borneo...

The artist creation team headed by the famous French impressionist painter Paul Cézanne and Oscar-Claude Monet has gathered more than 10 famous painters from Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands to create large-scale murals and dome murals for the Dream Castle. It has been three years now. Too much time.

  The Earl of Queensland, as the world's top rich and powerful lord, must build the best palace for himself. Whether it is an architect, painting or sculptor, he hired European masters to create, and the interiors are extremely luxurious.

  The dream castle is surrounded by mountains and overlooks the urban area of ​​Red River Valley that spreads far into the sky. The magnificent Brisbane River in the distance has a panoramic view. The infinite beauty is refreshing and refreshing, and I don’t want to look away for a long time.

  Whenever tired

  Three or five friends such as Paul Cezanne and Monet sat on a high platform to admire the surrounding scenery, drank a cup of coffee, and all the exhaustion disappeared.

  The magnificent scenery here can inspire unlimited creative inspiration for artists. They know that they are completing an unprecedented masterpiece, and for this reason, they work harder and strive to create better works.

  Famous European artists gather here. Only by creating amazing works can they stand out. From this perspective, every artist is a competitor.

  Li Fushou inspected the construction progress of the Dream Castle, and it was already in the afternoon to return to the Red Fort.

  Backyard of Lingxiao Pavilion

  Private masseuse Chris was massaging Li Fushou's shoulders. The tea table in front of him was scented with tea. Opposite the coffee table sat the secretary general Fan Zhongzhai. The two were talking gossip about each other.

"Zhong Zhai, you continue to follow up on these things about Dream Castle. Li Ang has been responsible for building palaces in Songjiang City recently. He will build a magnificent Chinese style palace in Songjiang Reservoir. Specifically, the style will be built by the Lei family. It's up to him to toss here, anyway, the internal warehouse has a lot of surplus."

  "I’ll keep an eye on this. Yuan Ding, the local administrative officials and the army have recently become a common practice for holding shares in business. I think this will ruin our original healthy operation mechanism and corrode our body. Should we introduce policies to curb it?"

"Please discuss this matter privately with Speaker Changjun Xin. Refer to the relevant laws and regulations of the United Kingdom and the United States, and introduce a legal constraint that belongs to Queensland. What is the use of power to participate in shares violates the regulations, and what is reasonable investment is clearly distinguished. Try to consider it thoroughly. These will be passed and implemented in the state legislature."

"Understood, I will start to do this soon." Fan Zhongzhai drank the chewing tea, considered it, raised his head and said seriously; "Master Yuanding, according to the news from Guangzhou, noble Weng Gu Yanchuan Your lord is now being attacked by court ministers for fear of a bad situation!"

   "Oh...what did you hear?"

  Fan Zhongzhai knew as soon as he heard that Lord Earl hadn’t read the briefing, so he explained; “It was a briefing sent by Guangjitang. They were in charge of some intelligence spying on the mainland of China, so they learned...

  The Westernization Minister Li Hongzhang first suggested that in order to regain the unified command of the navy, it is recommended to establish the Prime Minister’s Naval Affairs Office in Beiping, which has been approved by Guangxu and will be implemented on the same day.

  This policy will take back the command of the Nanyang Fleet in the hands of the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Gu Yanchuan, which may make the South China Sea defenseless. Even if the Nanyang Fleet is still stationed in the South, it will lose its command.

  Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Mr. Gu Yanchuan has always expressed strong opposition to this, advocating that Shenzhou’s coastal defense stretches for thousands of kilometers, and the north-south support is not enough, and it is advisable to divide the defense.

   Obviously, the court did not listen to this suggestion.

Out of the primary need to defend Gyeonggi, the establishment of a sufficiently powerful Beiyang fleet overwhelmed everything. Li Hongzhang used this to impress the people in Guangxu and the Forbidden City, and promoted the naval yamen in the name of rectifying coastal defense, vigorously purchasing foreign ships, and The better ships of the Nanyang and Fujian navy were assigned to the Beiyang to expand the Beiyang navy.

  According to the presentation on the presentation;

  Peking set up the Prime Minister's Naval Affairs Office, with Prince Jin Yizhen as the Prime Minister, Qingjun Wang Yiqiu, and Beiyang Minister Li Hongzhang for the meeting, the Zhenghongqi Han army unified Shanqing, and the Ministry of War You minister Zeng Jize as assistants.

  Don’t look at the Manchu prince and ministers over your head, the real power is still in the hands of Li Hongzhang, and the Beiyang Army will inevitably become his voice, and the power in the court will further expand.

  As the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Gu Yanchuan, who has always been at odds with Li Hongzhang, it is inevitable that he has been repeatedly attacked. The situation is really worrying! "

   "Oh... has the matter reached this point?" Li Fushou couldn't help but sit up and ask.

"It hasn't collapsed yet. After all, the contract has just been signed and the ink has not yet dried. The French still need Master Gu Yanchuan to frighten them in southern Xinjiang and prevent them from going north. Ting shouldn't be so stupid."

   "It's hard to say, it's hard to say..." Li Fushou murmured, then sat back again, frowned and thought about it, and really smiled bitterly.

  What knowledge can the old witch in the Forbidden City have?

  The handling of state affairs depends only on personal likes and dislikes and the reason. It is a bludgeon to the international situation at all, or else you will not be able to make a ridiculous decision to go to war with all nations.

  The old witch is healed, the scar is forgotten, and the ears are soft, anything can happen.

  Should I remind you?

Li Fushou immediately thought of the two heavy cruisers "Qinglong" and "White Tiger" that had been equipped with the Borneo Fleet. No wonder Mr. Mi’s president had anything to do. He always thought of his own aircraft carrier at the first time. He is deeply concerned now. Can appreciate this.

  To show off your strength, you still have to be these big guys.

   "Let's pay close attention to the relevant situation. If it doesn't work, let anyone work hard. The United Kingdom has a commercial port in Yantai. Just take a visit in the name of a friendly visit to remind these forgetful guys."

   "Understood, the secretariat will further communicate with Lord He and convey your instructions." Fan Zhongzhai understood Lord Earl's meaning and agreed with a smile.

   "How is the construction progress of the Vermilion bird?"

"Well, it's like this... The Suzaku has been outfitted, and the main energy of Longshan Shipyard has been transferred to the construction of "Xuanwu". After this round of naval equipment development, the construction technology of Hongshan Shipyard has been rapidly improved. It has reached a new level. It is estimated that all the construction of the slipway will be completed in 9 months, and the outfitting will be launched in the middle of next year."

   "It's not easy. The improvement of technology is one step at a time, and there is no falsehood."

   "Yes, through the construction of these main battleships, the shipyard has trained a large number of young backbone experts and designers, trained a large number of technically qualified technicians, can produce more and better warships, and enhance the strength of the navy."

   "So all our efforts are worth it." Li Fushou showed a satisfied smile on his face. After 8 years of development, Hongshan Shipyard has become one of the world's top shipyards, ranking between sixth and seventh.

Especially the construction of three 10,000-ton "Majesty"-class iron-clad battleships and the construction of four 8,800-ton-class "Qinglong"-class heavy cruisers have allowed Hongshan Shipyard to rapidly expand and develop like a tonic, supplementing military use. The shortcomings of ship construction have realized the take-off of technical power.

  Economic benefits are second. The key is the military significance and the major social influence brought about by it, which cannot be measured by money.

  Queensland Territory contains tens of thousands of islands, and most of the surrounding important towns are within 50 kilometers of the sea. It is an urgent need for reality and the future to have a strong naval force. This has long become a consensus.

  Li Fushou will not place his safety on the mercy and sympathy of others. To put it bluntly, it is worthless to say that this thing is nothing but a dream.

  Having a strong backing can be respected and valued by others, and only when someone listens to what is said can it have weight. This is the eternal truth.

  After he returned from Europe, he had put aside his concerns and ordered the replacement of the two "Qinglong" class heavy cruisers with dual-mounted 305mm long-barreled naval guns and the use of a new hydraulic reclamation system to further enhance the firepower of the warships.

  This major change

As a result, the heavy cruiser "Suzaku" was delayed for more than 4 months. The original three twin-mounted 280mm main guns were all replaced, and the displacement increased by more than 800 tons, reaching more than 9,650 tons. It can be called a battlecruiser. .

Fortunately, the "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser was originally designed with a twin-mounted 305mm heavy gun. It was later forcibly suppressed due to other considerations. Of course, the already built Qinglong and Baihu could not be changed. The two Suzakus built later There is no problem with the number and Xuanwu number.

  It’s just that after such a change, the top speed of the latter two warships has to be reduced by 1.5 knots. This is also a necessary price to pay!

  Such a powerful battleship is only inferior to the "Majesty" class battleship in all aspects.

The   "Majesty" class battleship uses Armstrong’s advanced dual-mounted 343mm caliber cannon. It should be known that the larger the outer diameter of the shell, the increase in weight and power almost doubles.

The 280mm long-barreled main gun is the calibre commonly used by warships below heavy cruisers, and is also the main force of shore artillery. It is equipped from thousand-ton light cruisers to 8000-ton heavy cruisers, especially the German Krupp 280mm artillery. Good prices and low prices sell well in various countries.

The 305mm main gun is about 12 inches and weighs 57 tons. It is the current mainstream caliber of the main iron-clad battleships of the French, German, American and Tsarist fleets. It has a slow rate of fire, strong firepower, and strong armor-piercing capabilities.

The 343 mm cannon belongs to a 13.5-inch caliber and weighs 76 tons. It was first equipped on the first-class iron-clad battleship of the Royal Navy of the British Empire. It is also the unique stunt of the Royal Navy. It is an out-and-out sea hammer and the killer of the fleet. arms.

  (End of this chapter)