Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 691 The Shock Caused by the Global Fleet in Europe
Relations at the national level have always been very complex, and the Ottoman side expressed enthusiasm, while the global visiting fleet responded with polite but businesslike formalities.

Of course, before entering the Dardanelles, the Global Fleet encountered a Royal Navy fleet, and the two sides exchanged friendly greetings by opening their gun ports.

After a brief one-day standoff, the British fleet voluntarily withdrew, ending this friendly interaction.

Given this premise, the Global Visiting Fleet decided to conduct a joint exercise with the Ottoman Fleet in the Black Sea to demonstrate the traditional friendship between the two countries.

It should be noted that this acting role was an additional task added at the last minute. There were no prior plans for it.

As the vanguard officer of the fleet, Jia Quan commanded the "Yu Lie" to patrol the outer perimeter of the exercise area, preventing foreign navies from getting too close and avoiding unnecessary friction.

The Global Fleet deployed four new cruisers, along with two battleships of the Ottoman Navy, to conduct naval formation and firing drills.

In official terms, this was a normal and friendly military cooperation, and it was not directed against any third-party country.

But you can't stop people from having wild thoughts!

The performance had barely begun when three Russian warships appeared in the distance. The Yulie immediately moved forward and used flag signals to warn them not to approach.

Perhaps because it was outnumbered by three, or perhaps because the Yurek only had twenty cannons on its two sides, the Russian warships ahead did not heed the warnings from the Yurek.

Jia Quan, in his command position, lowered his binoculars: "Final warning! If you get any closer, we will open fire!"

Having received much instruction from Jia Lian since childhood, Jia Quan already had a stereotype of Western powers. He knew that the weapon of criticism could not represent the criticism of weapons, and he believed his father's words that Western powers were inherently arrogant, and that if they were to sit down and reason with each other, it was only because they had no other choice.

Therefore, Jia Quan simultaneously signaled to the main fleet while also advancing to deliver an ultimatum to the Russian warships.

"Report! The Russian ship ignored our warnings and continued to approach China!" came the message from the lookout tower.

Jia Quan decisively ordered: "Open the gun ports, turn, and seize the T-shaped position!"

Although it was one against three, Jia Quan, who had fought a battle before, believed that the advantage was in his hands.

The messenger shouted into the brass pipe to relay the captain's orders.

The "Yulie" drew a beautiful arc on the sea, its turn was smooth and effortless, and its gun ports were pointed at the three Russian warships.

The Russian warships were surprised by the Yurei's turn at a distance of 1,500 meters, and due to insufficient firing range, they could only continue to approach in column.

Based on traditional experience, even if the "Yu Lie" were to fire at this moment, it would only be a warning shot, not a real attack.

But they were wrong. The Type 1 75mm naval gun has a maximum range of 4,000 meters. The reason for choosing to fire at a distance of 1,500 meters was to ensure accuracy.

"One test shot!" Jia Quan's tone always turned cold during battles.

"Boom!" A shot was fired, creating a cross-section, and the shell nearly missed.

The three Russian warships immediately changed course, not to watch for firing, but to turn around and flee.

Having clearly observed the enemy's actions, Jia Quan did not order further firing. Instead, he watched the three enemy warships sail away. Ultimately, the three Russian ships did not go too far, remaining at a distance of about ten kilometers, observing the exercise area from afar. With the cooperation of the Zhou Empire's fleet, two Ottoman naval warships continuously unleashed fierce gunfire, sinking the target ship at a distance of five to eight hundred meters.

The exercise concluded successfully, and the news that the Yulie had repelled three Russian ships with just one shell quickly spread throughout the naval community.

On the day the play ended, the Ottoman Pasha hosted a banquet at the palace to entertain the officers and soldiers of the Zhou Empire's friendly visiting fleet.

During the meeting, Ibrahim expressed his strong desire to purchase the new cruisers and offered a high price of one million silver dollars per ship.

If it weren't for the ongoing round-the-world mission, the fleet commander would have really wanted to sell one of the cruisers.

In the end, they still pushed Jia Quan out as a shield and had Ibrahim talk to Jia Quan.

"You are the first in line to the throne of Duke Jia? That's incredible! Your father was a great politician." Ibrahim was completely stunned after learning Jia Quan's identity.

There was such a big fish hidden in the visiting fleet, which had been completely unnoticed before.

"Your Excellency Ibrahim, my father mentioned you at home, considering you a rare and clear-headed political figure in the Ottoman Empire." Jia Quan's reply was anything but polite. As the heir to the Rongguo Mansion, with Jia Lian already holding the highest rank of official, the pinnacle of civil service, and Jia She too old and frail, the title of Duke of Rongguo would likely bypass Jia Lian and be directly inherited by Jia Quan. Therefore, Jia Lian had spent considerable time personally instructing him.

Since Jia Quan had joined the army, it was unlikely that he would be involved in politics in the future, which Jia Lian was happy to see. Therefore, his education focused mainly on external affairs.

As for domestic affairs, Jia Lian only taught him one thing: be loyal to whoever becomes emperor. The rest can only be figured out by oneself; it cannot be taught.

Ibrahim felt deeply honored by Jia Quan's answer, and with a look of reminiscence, he said softly, "Duke Jia was a very good friend and very friendly to the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, the domestic politics were too complicated, and he failed to live up to the many goodwill gestures he extended. As one of Duke Jia's best friends, I deeply regret this. However, the current Pasha is correcting past mistakes, and I believe..."

Jia Quan listened patiently to his rambling, but didn't really take it to heart, after all, Xin Pasha was still a thirteen-year-old child.

Having read many history books since childhood, Jia Quan could discern some of the current state of the Ottoman Empire through his actions. Was he a Han emperor or a foolish, incompetent ruler? Who knew?
It couldn't possibly be Liu Bingyi, could it?

See, this is the benefit of having a long history and a love for recording it. As long as you are willing to read history books, you can always find a comparison in reality.

Jia Quan glanced at the new Pasha, who was holding a wine glass and trying hard to act like a serious adult, and a strange smile appeared on his face.

After a grand banquet, the fleet resupplyed and continued its journey. The Ottoman authorities, in a rare display of close cooperation, expedited the dispatch of the mission.

The chief representative of the mission was given a very important task: to purchase the Zhou Empire's latest warships, and he was willing to pay in full.

As for where the money comes from, it can only be obtained by making ordinary people suffer even more.

In reality, after a fierce power struggle, the powerful figures who had purged their political enemies weren't short of money; what was lacking was the national treasury. The spoils of their campaigns naturally went into their own coffers; they wouldn't take money from their own pockets for the country—this phenomenon has been the same throughout history. In the eyes of the powerful figures in the Ottoman Empire at that time, wasn't the state's money their own?

This is like people donating money to the Air Force to buy planes, only to have it deposited in Citibank to earn interest.

After leaving Istanbul, the global fleet passed through the Strait of Tunisia and then headed north to Marseille.

Talleyrand stepped off the warship and stood on the land of Marseille port, walking solemnly toward the crowd that was welcoming him back.

The French held a grand welcoming ceremony for the visiting Zhou Empire fleet. The reason was simple: the new emperor of the Zhou Empire, adhering to the principle of non-interference in foreign affairs, expressed understanding of the change of government in France and affirmed the Consulate's inheritance of the political legacy of the previous France. The two sides signed a new friendship agreement, which became a precedent. This agreement would be followed regardless of who subsequently ruled France.

This political event drastically altered the political atmosphere across Europe. Political figures from various countries reached a consensus: Tsarist Russia's arrogant attitude towards the Zhou Empire had angered the Zhou Emperor, leading him to reverse his previous reluctance to recognize the French Consulate. Government officials from around the world condemned the Russian government, believing their territorial ambitions had caused this tragedy.

As for which territory it was, the political leaders of various countries still gave Tsarist Russia some face, and made some veiled references to Tsarist Russia's past eastward expansion. After all, they had been beaten and now that the wounds had healed, they had forgotten the pain.

Of course, this is the public issue, because the political leaders of various countries needed a scapegoat for the Zhou Empire's change in attitude toward France.

In private, the behavior of political leaders from various countries is quite different.

The biggest concern for the British cabinet is still the India issue. After losing the thirteen North American colonies, if it weren't for the constraints imposed by France, Britain's attention would inevitably be on India and even the whole of Asia.

Capital needs new markets and sources of raw materials; this is determined by the nature of capital.

Specifically, the British summoned the Russian minister, urging him to convey to the British that they hoped the Russians would consider the overall interests of Europe and avoid provoking the Zhou Empire. Especially given the recent conflict in the Black Sea, where a Zhou Empire warship fought three against one, its cannons achieving astonishing range and accuracy. The entire Royal Navy worked overtime for three days and nights, their greatest desire being to witness firsthand the firing of that cannon.

Before they could even see what the new naval guns looked like, devastating news reached London: of the six Indian fleet ships against the three cruisers of the Zhou Empire, five were sunk and one captured.

For the British Empire, the defeat of its navy, even if it was as a pirate defeat, was still a devastating blow.

The range and accuracy of naval guns are not the problem; the problem is their immense power, which is extremely lethal.

Not to mention, the Zhou Empire's new cruisers far surpassed their counterparts in maneuverability. Unable to win, unable to escape—what could be more catastrophic?
Therefore, the Foreign Minister urgently met with the Zhou Empire's ambassador to London, emphasizing the traditional friendship between the two countries and respect for the friendly agreement.

In contrast, Prussia, the little brother Britain cultivated in Europe, had a different attitude towards the Zhou Empire in private.

Prussia was still very weak at the time and needed Britain's support, so it did not hesitate to join the anti-French coalition and act as its vanguard.

As a result, Prussia was thoroughly defeated by Napoleon and, with nowhere else to turn, considered importing technology and equipment from the Zhou Empire. But, to put it another way, Prussia was poor!

The Junker aristocracy were essentially a group of nouveau riche from the countryside. For the time being, Prussia could only sell itself to Britain and accumulate wealth, awaiting the emergence of the powerful duo of Wilhelm I and Bismarck.

Even with this combination, Prussia was a poor imperialist power, and without British support, it would have been difficult for it to achieve anything significant.

It is clear that the continental balancing policy of the "troublemakers" is the root cause of the constant wars in Europe.

There was also private debate within the Austro-Hungarian Empire regarding whether it was necessary to strengthen ties with the Zhou Empire in order to acquire relevant technology and equipment.

As for Tsarist Russia, it was truly a mess. Despite being criticized, it outwardly refused to back down and insisted on its established positions. Privately, however, it reassessed the situation and determined that its plans for Central Asia must be immediately halted.

After all, other European countries were too far from the Zhou Empire to experience the same acute geopolitical interests. But Tsarist Russia was different; its land borders led to constant conflicts among various parties.

If these conflicts are allowed to develop unchecked, they could very well escalate into a full-blown, protracted war.

Rumyantsev, who had visited the Zhou Empire, advised the Tsar, despite his advanced age, that relations with the Zhou Empire must be restored, or a military disaster would be imminent.

The Russian side faced a sudden and difficult adjustment, urging its already en route mission to expedite the process and reach a new peace agreement between the two countries as soon as possible, making every effort to avoid conflict.

Tsarist Russia was very poor, and its main purpose in marching into Siberia was to acquire furs. Siberia, on the other hand, was considered barren land by the Zhou Empire, which had no intention of occupying it for a thousand years.

Privately, Tsarist Russia also contacted Britain and agreed to Britain's request to ease relations with the Zhou Empire. Britain also met some of Tsarist Russia's economic interests and loan requests.

Tsarist Russia, on the other hand, recognized the cooperative relationship regarding the possibility of uniting to contain the Zhou Empire's expansion out of Asia.

Accompanying the fleet to Marseille was the newly appointed Minister to France. After the formal restoration of relations between the two countries, France's first request was for the transfer of railway technology.

The Chinese ambassador to France did not make a clear statement on this matter, but simply replied that he would relay the message to China and await further instructions.

In fact, Talleyrand had already expressed this demand before, which was made to Jia Lian and received a relatively positive response.

The two sides reached agreements on several matters, including exchanging students and strengthening scientific and technological exchanges.

Napoleon's need for railway technology was indeed very urgent, especially after Talleyrand reported the results of his visit in person.

Based on Talleyrand's detailed description and intelligence obtained from Britain, Napoleon believed that this technology was of paramount importance for the domination of continental Europe.

He also instructed Talleyrand to expedite the transfer of military technology between the Zhou Empire and France. If this could not be achieved in the short term, then equipment procurement, especially artillery, should proceed.

The fact that the Zhou Empire had developed new cannons and equipped them on warships was shocking news to the whole of Europe.

Napoleon, who was extremely confident in his military strategy, could not imagine what a hellish scene it would be for the French army, lined up in battle formation, to face the explosions of the new artillery.

Fortunately, the Zhou Empire was far enough away that, apart from Britain and Tsarist Russia, other European countries had not yet had the opportunity to experience the new artillery.

(End of this chapter)