While the army was still digging trenches and mobilizing troops, in the distant France.
On the surface, he let Li Hongzhang negotiate with us to delay time, but behind our backs, he was mobilizing troops to prepare for a counterattack!“
Ruferi angrily threw the telegram in his hand on the table. He was in a good mood. After a great victory, according to the previous routine, the Qing Kingdom would sue for peace, then open the trading ports, pay compensation, and build roads. Everything was logical. And just as he had expected, the Qing Kingdom had sent Li Hongzhang to negotiate.
However, all these fantasies were shattered by this telegram. The Qing army stopped the French army from advancing and began to exchange fire.
These monkeys must learn a lesson and let the Empire's navy teach them a lesson!“
He issued the order with a gloomy expression.
A telegram was sent to the distant east, asking the French army to launch a full-scale attack. They wanted to obtain enough results to force the Chinese to yield.
Zhenhai Port
At this moment, almost all of China's fleets were docked here. In addition to the "Super Brave" and "Yang Wei" that completed the escort mission, there were also the "Guangyuan" and "Guangwu", two behemoths that were originally ordered by Turkey. Even the 7000-ton Dingyuan was docked here.
In addition to the ironclad warship " Kaiji " produced by Mawei Shipyard, the three 2,000-ton warships " Nanchen " and " Nanrui " cruisers that had just returned to China at the end of last year.
It could be said that the top combat power of the entire Celestial Navy had been hit.
The British and the Germans had completely different ideas in building ships. The British sought speed and the power of their cannons. The speed of Super Courage and Yang Wei could reach 16 knots. The Germans paid attention to the degree of armor protection, so the German-made warships were slightly slower. The two cruisers only had 13 knots, but their firepower was very powerful.
According to this world, with the increase in the weight of warships and the increase in the caliber of cannons, the role of the fleet was not only to protect and intercept the sea route, but also to attack the enemy's coastline. Based on these two types, two types of warships were derived, which were ironclads and cruisers.
The various countries had already begun to build larger and faster battleships. They were currently in a confidential stage, and once they appeared, no one knew what kind of giant they would be.
At this moment, all the supervisors and Ding Ruchang were gathered together.
Chen Ying, Ye Chen, and Lin Senlin were in charge. Xu Shoushan, Lu Han. Lin Taizeng and Deng Shichang. It could be said that apart from going to Germany to receive training and taking over the few warships of Zhenyuan, Lin Yongsheng and Liu Buchan were basically the future elites of the Chinese navy.
"Admiral! Why didn't we go back to Beiyang and stay here for so long?”
Deng Shichang asked in confusion.
After escorting the troops, the Beiyang Squadron was supposed to head north to defend the Bohai Bay. However, they did not expect that they would take advantage of the night to enter the Nanyang Navy's military port and do a good job of concealment and vigilance.
"The emperor wants Mawei Shipyard to be safe, so he asked us to wait here.”
Ding Ruchang saw that it was almost time, so he decided to reveal his purpose.
"What is it? Sir, are you saying that the French might attack Mawei Shipyard? That's right. Mawei Shipyard could already produce 2,000-ton ironclads. It would be a pity if it was destroyed.”
Lin Taizeng nodded and said. He was a descendant of Lin Zexu and had a certain prestige in the navy.
"You've underestimated our emperor. He sent so many people to Germany just to build a 2,000-ton warship? Preserve Mawei Shipyard, which could produce warships of 8,000 tons or even 10,000 tons.”
Ding Ruchang said with a smile. As the admiral of the navy, he naturally had access to some things. In five years, Tianjin and Mawei would definitely have the ability to build warships of the 10,000-ton class.
"In the future, will our Qing Dynasty really build our own giant ships?”
"That's great. Although the Dingyuan is now the number one warship in the Pacific Rim, the difference in numbers is still very large compared to the French and British armies.”
When they heard that they would be able to know about the ironclad ship, they were all extremely excited and filled with anticipation.
" Sir, are you saying that everything was arranged by the Emperor? Isn't that too hasty? The French might not attack Ponytail. What if they attack Tianjin…"
Lin Taizeng was more conservative. He thought of some possibilities.
"Alright! It's almost time. Our emperor is not someone we can guess. Just do your job well!”
Ding Ruchang stood up and began to order the ships to replenish their ammunition and daily necessities. He remembered Li Hongzhang's words." There's no need to think about the Emperor's orders. Just carry them out!”
The huge fleet began to move slowly and disappeared from Zhenhai Harbor two hours later...
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