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Chapter 1733 Cable Laying Ships in Europe
In the city of London, a [-]-ton steam ship appeared here, emitting thick black smoke.

For residents of London who have seen steam ironclad ships many times, the steam ship is no longer a novelty, and they will no longer cause a sensation in the city because of the appearance of the steam ship.

However, this [-]-ton steam ship is not a warship for military use, but a cable-laying ship used to lay submarine cables-the Dongfang.

This is the second steamship built by Chu Yun. It has been in service for more than ten years. It is used to lay submarine cables in the main sea areas. The submarine cables go from the capital to Edo, Batavia, Calcutta, and finally to London.

In addition to the giant ship Dongfang, there are two sail frigates with hundreds of tons beside it.

It is not safe to sail in the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Vostok is not equipped with artillery, and two sail frigates are used to protect it, so that it can successfully complete the laying of submarine cables.

The city of London is the end point of the Asia-Europe submarine cable project.

At this time, the Suez Canal had not yet opened, and the Vostok could only detour to the Cape of Storms to London.

The third phase of the Asia-Europe submarine cable project is to start from the city of London, lay the submarine cable to Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, connect with the cable route extending from the capital to Egypt, and completely connect East Asia and Western Europe.

"welcome."

Huang Xiushan, the director of the Western Company, heard that the Dongfang was coming, and brought some people to greet him.

Under the order of his superiors, he directly started production of cables, relays and other products in the industrial area of ​​London for the laying of submarine cables.

The weight of thousands of kilometers of submarine cables is amazing, so the Vostok did not carry thousands of tons of submarine cables to the city of London by itself.

In the future, overland cables will be laid on the European continent, and it is more appropriate to directly produce in the London industrial area.Laying cables in various places is equivalent to controlling the communications of various places, and even listening to the information sent by countries when using cable communications.

"The passage to the Cape of Storms in South Africa is really long. Although there is no big problem for a ship of our size, it just takes too much time."

The captain of the Orient disembarked with a group of sailors. This was the first time they had reached the Western Ocean.

"That's right, every time we take the Cape of Storms route, it is very painful, and we may encounter storms in the Atlantic Ocean. I don't know when the Suez Canal in Egypt will be opened." Huang Xiushan deeply felt the same.

"Our Vostok arrived in the Red Sea and handed over the submarine cable to the Egyptian engineering team. They seem to be preparing to recruit laborers in Egypt to start digging the Suez Canal. It is estimated that it will take at least ten years to complete the excavation of the Suez Canal," the captain said.

The steamship Orient stopped temporarily in London while carrying submarine cables to the giant ship.

The submarine cable weighs several thousand tons, and it is also a laborious and spectacular project to transport such a heavy submarine cable to the Vostok.

Many residents came to the pier to watch, feeling baffled by the coils of thick cables and not knowing why.

There are still a small number of people who know the goods, such as Queen Sophia who has been in the Oriental capital for a long time.

She even witnessed the laying operation of Vostok.

Could it be possible to communicate directly with the East by telegram?
Before Chu Yun left, Sophia heard that the submarine cable would be laid soon. She thought that she could communicate with Chu Yun by telegram, so she specially asked the royal ministers to summon the captain of the Dongfang.

If you only communicate through merchant ships traveling between the East and the West, it is normal to spend more than a year from sending a letter to receiving a reply.

However, using submarine cable communication, it only takes ten minutes to a few ten minutes to let the other party know.

"Your Majesty, at present, the submarine cable has been laid from Mumbai to Cairo, Egypt. Our Vostok was blocked by the land and could not enter the Mediterranean, so we detoured to Cape Storm to arrive in London City. The third phase of submarine cable laying will start from London City, and the cable After laying in Cairo, it is estimated that communication between the East and the West will be possible in half a year." The captain saw Sophia, and after she inquired about the submarine cable project, she replied in this way.

"Do you have to wait another half a year... The Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea are not peaceful. The conflict between us and Spain and the Netherlands is still going on. In order to protect the safety of the Vostok, I will assign two ships of the Royal Fleet to you. ’” Sofia said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Queen." The captain of the Dongfang did not expect Sophia to be so generous.

The Royal Fleet sent two ships, basically to help out for free, without any benefits.

Sophia can't wait to communicate with Chu Yun, after all, it's a bit lonely to be alone in Western Ocean.

After the captain of the Dongfang left, the maid happened to find Sophia: "Your Majesty, the little princess is crying again, and I think she won't calm down until she sees you."

The Vostok loaded thousands of tons of submarine cables and supplied a large amount of coal in the city of London. Under the witness of many people, under the leadership of two Chinese sail frigates and two Royal sail frigates, it headed to the Mediterranean Sea to carry out Asian The laying work of the last section of the European submarine cable project.

When the last section of the submarine cable is laid, the orders of the Eastern capital will be transmitted to any important stronghold along the cable through the submarine cable. Batavia, Malacca, Calcutta, Cairo, and London are all within the communication range of the capital. The degree of control is undoubtedly greater.

The giant ship Orient has four sailing frigates passing through the Strait of Gibraltar controlled by the Spaniards. However, the Spanish warships saw the Oriental ships emitting black smoke and flying dragon flags. They did not dare to attack such a fleet, so they let the Orient enter the Mediterranean Sea. .

The Fifth Fleet was established in Athens, and the Kyushu Army also had a force in the Mediterranean.

The Hospitallers of Malta also pledged their allegiance, since it was Chu Yun, not the Pope, who helped them retake Rhodes Island.

The Venetians are also faintly standing on the side of Athens, making it impossible for the Spanish and French Mediterranean fleets to roam the Mediterranean Sea. They also have to take care of many things.

After the giant ship Vostok entered the Mediterranean Sea, it first came to the island of Malta, which will become a transit station for the Asia-Europe submarine cable line.At present, this transfer station does not have much effect, but it will definitely have a great effect in the future, because from here telegraph lines can be extended to Athens, Rome and other Greek and Italian regions, until all countries and regions are covered by submarine cables.

"If this kind of thick line is connected to Egypt, then I can contact my sister? This is really a good thing!" The head of the Hospital Knights welcomed the arrival of the Vostok. The world can directly communicate with the East in real time, which is very surprising.

(End of this chapter)