It's broken, and was picked up by a femme fatale

As the Battle of Tianjin began,
The Beiyang Fleet was completely suppressed by the enemy.

The Japanese navy loaded the captured artillery on board.

Attack with all your might, regardless of the cost.
After three days of fierce fighting, all the Beiyang land artillery batteries were destroyed.

Despite heavy casualties, the Japanese warships blocked the Tianjin naval port.

Seeing that the fleet was about to be destroyed, the young Beiyang captains secretly colluded with each other.

Finally, they gathered more than fifty warships, rushed out of the naval port, and engaged in a decisive battle with the Japanese navy.

Although the youngsters were loyal and courageous, they lacked backup.

They were soon divided and surrounded by Yamamoto Rokuroku and Nanyun Chuuji, and were defeated one by one.

The Beiyang Fleet's last gasp lasted only half a day.

Not only did it fail to deal a fatal blow to the Japanese navy, it was also unable to reverse the entire war situation.

Under the bombardment of artillery, the warships in Tianjin Naval Port became huge targets.

The news from the Imperial City was slow to arrive, and the Japanese Navy was out of reach...

The Beiyang Fleet, which had lost half of its ships, had no choice but to raise the white flag and beg for peace.

The Japanese navy was ecstatic and reported the good news to Edo.

Tokugawa Iemitsu sent Count Ito Fumihiro as the negotiating ambassador and put forward three conditions.

First, Beiyang paid ten times the compensation to Fujiya for two cargo ships, totaling 100 million taels.

Zhang Hongli asked doubtfully, "Isn't the value of the goods 80,000?"

The Japanese sneered, "Where are the personnel?"

Zhang Hongli was speechless.

Secondly, half of the ships in Tianjin Naval Port must be surrendered.

Zhang Hongli was heartbroken and begged Ito Fumihiro to reduce the salary.

Ito Fumihiro smiled and said, "General Zhang, I am just following the usual practice..."

Zhang Hongli was stunned for a moment.
I vaguely remember that Mao Wenlong asked for half of the warships and troop transport ships.

A dumb person is like a coptis chinensis, unable to express his pain.

Finally, Ito Fumihiro raised a finger.

"We are here to pay a visit to General Zhang. The cost of the ship and the personnel is 100 million taels!"

Zhang Hongli begged in every possible way, but Ito Fumihiro refused.

He threatened that if they were not satisfied, all the ships of the Beiyang Fleet would be seized.
They also captured Tianjin, and the navy officers and soldiers confiscated the spoils on their own, which was actually a synonym for allowing the soldiers to plunder.

In desperation, Zhang Hongli could only agree to Japan's request.

He found the prefect of Tianjin and consulted with various merchants.

He forcibly "raised" two million taels of silver and gave it to Ito Fumihiro.

The Japanese Navy defeated the Beiyang Navy for the first time and received huge compensation, which boosted their morale.

The Japanese navy returned home in a mighty and happy procession, beating drums and singing songs.

On the flagship, Ito Fumihiro, Yamamoto Rokuroku, and Nanyun Chuuji had a small gathering.

The three of them drank sake and admired the scenery of the Bohai Sea, with great enthusiasm in their hearts.

Nanyun Zhonger laughed and said, "There is no rival in the Yellow Sea!"

Ito Fumihiro was very happy:

"Nan Yunjun has made outstanding contributions. When he returns to Edo, he will definitely be promoted to a higher position!"

Nanyun Chuuji said modestly:
"Mr. Ito, you are too kind. Mr. Yamamoto is the one who can become a great general!"

Ito Fumihiro glanced at Yamamoto Rokuroku and found that the other party was not smiling much.

He asked curiously:

"Mr. Yamamoto, why are you so glum on such a happy day?"

Yamamoto Rokuroku said after careful consideration:

"I heard a rumor that the mastermind behind the Fujiya cargo ship was not Zhang Hongli..."

Nanyun Zhongji was stunned and asked casually:

"If not him, who else could it be? It can't be the Chinese Fleet, right?"

Yamamoto Rokuroku sighed:

"If it was just Mao Wenlong, I wouldn't be worried..."

Ito Fumihiro was stunned, feeling that there was something else the other party said.

"Yamamoto-kun, there are no outsiders here, just say whatever you want to say."

Yamamoto Rokuroku said: "I heard from the Beiyang officers that

They were fooled by the Invincible Fleet and paid 4 million for a cargo ship worth 40,000 taels..."

Nanyun Chuuji widened his eyes and said in surprise:

"What they mean is that Zhang Hongli and Mao Wenlong teamed up to rob the Fuji family?"

"No, I suspect it was the King of China's intention..."

Nanyun Zhonger shook his head repeatedly:

"Yamamoto-kun, if you tell me about someone else, I might believe you.

But how could a ruler of a country do that for just 40,000 taels...

No, this kind of lies is really unconvincing!"

Ito Fumihiro also felt that
This speculation is really exaggerated.

"Mr. Yamamoto, this must be Zhang Hongli's plan to sow discord.
He hopes that we will go to war with China so that he can reap the benefits..."

Nanyun Chuuji nodded immediately: "Yes!

Gods will plot and scheme... We won't be fooled!"

Yamamoto Rokugo suddenly asked: "What if it is true?"

Ito Fumihiro didn't expect the other party to be so serious.

Nanyun Zhongji was in high spirits, and his partner was always pestering him, which made him very unhappy.

“Tell me, why is the King of China staring at a mere 40,000 taels of silver?
Yamamoto-kun! Rumors stop with the wise, don’t worry about it..."

However, after a brief thought, Ito Fumihiro felt that this question was quite mysterious.

He pressed his hand towards Nanyun, then turned to Yamamoto and asked:

"You mean, the King of China wants to use us to weaken the Beiyang Fleet?"

Lu Yuan is the leader of the three major rebel forces of Shen Ling.
It is an open secret that China and Shenling are irreconcilable.

It's normal that he wants to sow discord between Shen Ling and Dongying.

Yamamoto Rokuroku shook his head and said:
"What I'm worried about is that the King of China's goal is us, Japan..."

Ito Fumihiro was stunned.

Nanyun Chuuji was even more disdainful. He couldn't help but angrily said:

"Haha, this is such a joke!

If he wanted to deal with us, why would he return the sailors?
How could they just watch the Beiyang Fleet perish without helping?
Even make our fleet more powerful?"

Yamamoto Rokuroku was worried and murmured:

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about, it’s so confusing…

He must have planned a huge conspiracy..."

Nanyun Chuuji, under the influence of alcohol, taunted:

"Yamamoto, I think you are becoming more and more timid...

With the majestic appearance of our navy today, it is unprecedented and unrivaled, who dares to fight it..."

Suddenly, the lookout on the mast struck the gong.

"Ding, ding, ding! Ding, ding, ding!"

Yamamoto and Nanyun were shocked: This was a signal that an unknown enemy ship had appeared.

The entire fleet is about to sail out of Bohai Bay.

Apart from Fish Leong, who dares to stop the powerful Japanese navy?
Yamamoto put down his wine glass, rushed to the bow of the ship first, and raised the monocular telescope.

Ten miles away, I saw a huge ship that I had never seen before.

It lies in the middle of the channel like a dark steel fortress.
Nanyun Chuuji followed with unsteady steps and also pulled out a telescope to observe.

He was surprised when he saw it for the first time.

"What a big boat!"

Yamamoto Liuwu had already calculated that the enemy ship was 130 meters long and had a waterline of 110 meters.

It is 20 meters longer than the largest three-masted sailing ship in the world.

Nanyun Chuuji continued, “There’s no mast… what’s the point?”

Yamamoto also discovered this.

It is impossible to raise the sail without a mast, which means that the other party cannot sail with the help of wind.

It is too difficult to row such a large warship with only oarsmen...

Nanyun Chuuji's third sentence: "Is it the flagship of the Chinese Fleet... Mao Wenlong?"

Yes, on the flagpole above this steel fortress,
The Five-Colored Flag and the "Mao-Character Flag" were fluttering in the wind.

In the Invincible Fleet, except Mao Wenlong, there was no other general with the surname Mao.

Ito Fumihiro took the telescope handed to him by his assistant, looked through it, and said nothing.

A bad premonition loomed in his heart.

The huge ship shocked and left the two fleet commanders speechless.
This is definitely not a good sign for the Japanese navy. At this moment, thinking of Yamamoto Rokuroku's worries, he felt even more depressed.

However, Nanyun Chuuji's previous arguments against Yamamoto were refuted.

The Chinese nation built such a huge and strange ship, which clearly shows that it does not take the Japanese navy seriously.

Even if the Japanese Navy and the Beiyang Navy joined forces, they would probably not be a match for the Invincible Fleet.

However, Nanyun Chuuji still said proudly:
"What's the point of having a big ship? We can just send a group of small boats to take it down..."

As the distance between the two sides gets closer and closer,

The true appearance of this Invincible Fleet's flagship gradually became clear.

Wow!
It’s really tall!

In the middle of the ship, there are two huge chimneys with white smoke rising from them.

The enemy's front and rear decks were equipped with double large-caliber naval guns.

At the same time, in the middle of one side of the ship, six below and eight above,

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Fourteen dark square portholes opened at the same time.

But, I can’t see clearly what’s inside?
Yamamoto Rokuroku had a strong premonition.

There's definitely nothing fun in there.

5 miles, 3 miles, 1 mile...

The Japanese navy flagship had to slow down to avoid a collision.

Nanyun Chuuji's expression gradually turned ugly.

Because the round muzzle inside the porthole was extremely obvious.

Such a large number of artillery pieces, with a range of more than five miles,

One round of concentrated fire will destroy any large warship.

This giant ship is covered in steel that gleams with metallic light!

Moreover, the tall chimneys spewed out large clouds of steam and mist.
A loud "rumbling" sound came from the abdomen, like a giant beast roaring and sneering.

Steam-clad battleship...so shocking!
However, Yamamoto Rokuroku was just like appreciating a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation.

His eyes were full of awe and admiration.

What a genius idea!
If I could command this battleship, what a happy life it would be!
Suddenly, the flag signalman reported:

"Commander Mao Wenlong, the flagship of the Chinese Invincible Fleet, sent a signal:
Invite Count Ito, Captain Yamamoto, and Captain Nagumo to come aboard for a chat."

Nanyun Chuuji looked at Ito Fumihiro, and then at Yamamoto.

Ito Fumihiro looked at Yamamoto, who was nominally the commander-in-chief of the fleet.

Yamamoto Rokuroku smiled slightly and said, "Reply: We will gladly accept the invitation!"

After the flag signal was sent, a small boat was lowered from the opposite ship and then rowed over.

Yamamoto ordered his men to lower the rope net and climbed down first.

Nanyun Chuuji and Ito Fumihiro looked at each other and smiled bitterly, and could only sacrifice their lives to accompany the gentleman.

The three of them boarded the Invincible Armada's small boat and arrived under the giant steel ship.

It was not until this moment that the three of them truly understood the grandeur of this new battleship.

The capstan lifted the boat up,
The three of them climbed onto the front deck, and Mao Wenlong stood up with a smile.
"Welcome, all three of you, to China's newest battleship, the Warrior!"

The voice has not fallen,

"Boom boom boom..."

A series of explosions resounded through the sky.

Ito Fumihiro was shocked and almost fell down.

Nanyun Chuuji hurriedly turned his head to look at his own flagship.

Yamamoto Rokuroku looked at the other side of the battleship.
He could hear gunfire coming from this side as well.

If I counted correctly, there were also fourteen guns on the other side.

Mao Wenlong laughed and said, "Don't be alarmed...

This is a welcoming salute! It only has explosives but no shells."

Ito Fumihiro breathed a sigh of relief and thought, what kind of rule is this?
Mao Wenlong gave the other party a warning, then smiled and invited the three of them to take a seat.

After the greetings, Mao Wenlong took the initiative to inquire about the battle in Bohai Bay.

Originally, this was the highlight moment of the Japanese navy.

However, the Chinese steam-powered ironclad battleships appeared.
This made the three important Japanese figures feel bored with the rare victory.

Mao Wenlong highly praised the Japanese navy.
They say that Japan is full of talented people, its national strength is prosperous, and that the two countries are friendly neighbors.

Mao Wenlong let the three people go only after treating them to a freshly caught and cooked seafood feast.

When they all boarded their own flagships,

The Warrior blew a long whistle and quickly sailed away under the power of the steam engine.

Looking at the back of the giant steel ship, the three important Japanese officials had different thoughts.

A moment later, Yamamoto Rokuroku ordered the fleet to continue sailing back to Edo.

At this moment, on the warships of the Japanese navy,
There was no more laughter, it was so quiet that not even a fart could be heard.

Let's not talk about how the Warrior battleship shocked the Japanese navy.

However, the Beiyang Navy’s naval port was filled with gloom and sorrow.

The intact warships were all taken away by the Japanese, and the rest were just junk.

Zhang Hongli finally received the long-awaited imperial edict.

The general idea is that we should not fight recklessly, but should hold our ground and wait for help to ensure that the fleet is not damaged.

Zhang Hongli was so angry that he was speechless.

If we fight a war like this, even gods can do nothing.

Just when I was feeling extremely angry, someone suddenly came to report something.

"The messenger of the Invincible Fleet, requesting to see the commander-in-chief!"

Zhang Hongli shouted sternly: "Bring him in!"

It's the same messenger.

As soon as he entered the classroom, he said with a smile: "Congratulations, General Zhang! Congratulations, General Zhang!"

Zhang Hongli shouted angrily with a dark face: "Are you here to see Zhang's joke?!"

The messenger pretended to be ignorant and asked, "Why do you say that, General?"

At this time, the staff could not stand it anymore and immediately jumped out to question:
"At first, your Commander Mao said that if we had money, we would share it together. Now the Japanese pirates are outnumbered and outnumbered.

You actually watched someone die without helping him, what are you thinking?"

The messenger calmly explained: "It's not that I just watched someone die without helping...

Without the king's order, Commander Mao had no power to mobilize a single soldier or ship.

Commander Mao had already told your envoy,
I also asked the king for help, but the king was not in the country.

The cloud is so deep that I don’t know where it is… Commander Mao is really powerless…”

Zhang Hongli said angrily:
"It's easy to say, but we did the hard and dirty work.
The goods and ships were taken by you, and the Japanese pirates are coming to settle accounts with us.
You are fine, can you just say "the king is not here" to justify it? "

The messenger nodded repeatedly and explained:

"When my king returned to the palace, he learned about this.
He gave Commander Mao a severe lecture, saying, "Since we share the same fate,

We should share the hardships, and it is the true nature of a man to not be too particular about small matters when doing great things...

Therefore, I was sent here today to try my best to make up for General Zhang..."

Zhang Hongli was stunned... Is there such a good thing?
The staff asked for the master without any instructions:

"The Japanese pirates looted our property worth four to five million taels. How is your king going to make up for it?"

The messenger said loudly: "As long as General Zhang speaks, we will not say anything!"

Zhang Hongli was puzzled and asked:

"If Zhang wants 400 million taels, will your king give it to him?"

The messenger laughed and said, "General Zhang, you are joking. It's not like my king robbed you..."

Zhang Hongli's face turned dark again.

The staff member shouted, "So you are here to tease General Zhang?"

The messenger waved his hands and explained:

"As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor.
You can ask whoever robbed it for it, even if it's double the price."

The aide sneered, “Would you like to hear what you said?

Can you go and see if you can find a good ship in our naval port?"

The messenger raised his thumb and said:

"Sir, you hit the nail on the head. That's why I came here!"

Zhang Hongli heard the other party's words and asked hurriedly, "What do you mean? Just tell me."

The messenger handed over the gift list, the aide took it, glanced at it, and was stunned.

Immediately, he handed it to Zhang Hongli.

When General Zhang received the gift list, his eyes lit up.

He stood up with a bang and asked, "Is that true?"

The messenger said calmly: "My king is as good as his word! If you don't believe me, please go to a higher place and take a look!"

Zhang Hongli rushed out of the court excitedly and climbed to the top of Tianjin City Wall.

He took out his telescope and looked toward the sea... (End of this chapter)