The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 785: Set off, Pacific Fleet!

"But why should the Spanish worry about Peru?" the queen suddenly asked, with a hint of confusion in her voice, "That Isabella II couldn't even control the mobs in her own Madrid!"

Prince Albert leaned forward slightly, tapping his fingers on the table. "My dear, Isabella II needed to strike hard abroad just to calm the mob in Madrid." He turned to the Foreign Secretary, Lord Clarendon, "Please explain the current situation in Spain in detail."

Clarendon patiently explained to the Queen of England, who did not ask her husband for advice when faced with problems, "Your Majesty, Spain is now in a delicate period. Isabella II's rule has just stabilized, and they are in urgent need of a victory to restore national prestige and make a fortune at the same time."

"Oh," the queen nodded, "this idea is a bit like Napoleon III's! But can Spain defeat the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?"

Admiral Somerset took over the conversation: "Three years ago, Spain ordered the Numancia ironclad ship from France in order to revive its navy. The displacement of this ship reaches 7350 tons, second only to our 'Valiant' class, and is the third largest ironclad ship in the world. It is even larger than the 'Gloria' class used by the French themselves!"

Prince Albert smiled and said, "I remember that this ship was built by the Mediterranean Shipyard in France?"

"That's right, Your Highness." Somerset nodded. "Napoleon III called it a symbol of 'Franco-Spanish friendship' and ordered the Mediterranean shipyards to build ships for the Spanish at the highest level."

The Prime Minister, Viscount Palmerston, who was only 80 years old, suddenly sneered: "The Spanish are now extremely poor. They can't even pick up the ship because they can't pay. Their Chancellor of the Exchequer will come to London to borrow money in two days!"

"Why do we need to buy ironclad ships when the situation is so difficult?" the Queen was puzzled.

"Your Majesty, the Spanish want to use this ironclad ship to restore their former glory!" Prime Minister Viscount Palmerston winked humorously, "and by the way, force several wealthy former colonies to return to the empire!"

Clarendon added, "Peru is the Spanish's first choice! Peru's Chincha Islands guano mines and Cerro de Pasco silver mines are extremely rich. The Spanish have long been jealous. Peru's total population is only 250 million, the army is only more than people, and the navy is even weaker. Although Spain's national strength has declined, it has this new ironclad ship."

"How powerful is the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Peru?" the Queen suddenly asked.

Clarendon immediately replied: "According to the report of our consul in Lima, the number of Chinese workers of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Callao and Chincha Islands has exceeded 30,000. Half a year ago, the South American Cathedral of the True Covenant of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom opened in Callao. The archbishop is Zeng Shuiyuan, a general of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. With his arrival, the Chinese workers in Peru began to be dishonest!"

Prince Albert smiled and said, "So Spain sent troops on the pretext of 'protecting Peru from the Yellow Peril'. To do this, we can lend the Spaniards some money and let them take the 'Numancia' away."

"Wait," the Queen interrupted, "Will the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom just sit there and do nothing?"

Palmerston sneered: "This is the most interesting part. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's 'Tianjing' class ironclad ships are inferior imitations of the French 'Glory' class, with a displacement of about 5000 tons."

Prince Albert drummed his fingers on the table excitedly, and said with great joy: "Let Spain use French-made ironclad ships to fight the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's ironclad ships that imitated French designs! This is simply brilliant!"

Albert's throat suddenly itched and he had a strong urge to cough. He quickly took out a bottle of Chuanbei loquat paste that Luo Yaoguo asked Ma Baocai to bring to him and took a sip to suppress his cough. "If the Numancia scares the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom into not daring to protect its overseas Chinese, their expansion in the Americas will be severely frustrated and will also encourage American white supremacists. If they dare to fight..." A sly look flashed in his eyes, "the 5000-ton Tianjing class versus the 7350-ton Numancia, the outcome is unpredictable."

"No matter what the result is, we will win." Palmerston laughed. "If the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom loses, their expansion momentum will be frustrated, and their relationship with France will turn cold sharply. If they win."

"Where can Napoleon III put his face?" Albert took over the conversation, with a smile of success on his face, "The ironclad warships that the French were so proud of were defeated by the Chinese ironclad warships that copied the design of the Glory class."

Clarendon added: "More importantly, no matter what the outcome, we can take the opportunity to sign a 'protection treaty' with Chile and take control of the saltpeter mines in the Atacama Desert."

"Okay!" Queen Victoria nodded heavily. "That's it!" She said to Palmerston, "Go and arrange it!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

As dusk fell over London, No. 10 Downing Street issued two important orders in succession: the ambassador to Spain immediately visited Isabella II to inform her that the British government agreed to guarantee the £200 million bonds issued by the Spanish government in London; and a fleet with the Warrior as its flagship immediately set off for Honolulu in the Hawaiian Islands.

That night, Prince Albert stood in front of the window, looking at London shrouded in darkness. His cough seemed to have eased a little, and a long-lost blush appeared on his face: "Luo Yaoguo, I want to see if you, a demigod, can still predict the future this time?"

"Dear Albert, what are you talking about?" The sweet and delicate voice of the Queen of England suddenly came from behind Albert.

Albert shuddered and turned around to see his wife - she was already wearing sexy lingerie made of Chinese silk. Just looking at her made his waist ache! "Ah, Victoria, I was wondering if Luo Yaoguo could have expected the Spanish to attack his people in South America this time?"

"Of course not!" The queen said with a smile, "Dear Albert, I am not afraid of that fallen angel. I am the reincarnation of Jesus' fifth sister Mary, and I also have the Covenant!"

The eighth day of the fifth month of the fourteenth year of the Tianli calendar, Shanghai, Huangpu River.

The No. 1 outfitting dock of Jiangnan Shipyard was already full of officers in dark blue uniforms. The river breeze carried the smell of coal smoke and steel, making the blue-backed golden dragon naval flag of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom flutter. Luo Yaoguo stood at the end of the pier with his hands behind his back, staring at the brand new black steel behemoth on the river with a sharp gaze.

"Your Highness, the Xi'an ship is ready, please review it!"

Navy Minister Wang Yan stepped forward quickly, clicked the heels of his leather shoes together, and gave a standard military salute.

Luo Yaoguo nodded slightly to his eldest disciple and stepped onto the gangway. The steel deck made a dull sound under his military boots.

"Tell me the parameters." Luo Yaoguo's voice was not loud, but it made the generals behind him straighten their backs unconsciously.

Xu Shou, the Minister of Armaments, immediately stepped forward and opened the cowhide notebook he carried with him: "Reporting to Your Highness, the light-load displacement of the Xi'an ship is 5200 tons, and the full-load displacement is 5800 tons. The ship is 112 meters long, 16 meters wide, and has a draft of 6.8 meters. The power system uses a double-expansion steam engine with an output power of 3000 horsepower and a maximum speed of 13 knots."

Luo Yaoguo nodded with satisfaction. After several years of hard work, the double-expansion steam engine produced by Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau finally reached the world's advanced level. "Main gun?" Luo Yaoguo asked again.

"One twin 120mm breech-loading gun each," said Ding Ruchang, the captain of the Xi'an, standing at attention. "Using the latest nitroglycerin charge developed by the 'Xuzhou Chinese Workers', the initial velocity of the shell is 600 meters per second, and it can penetrate 2000mm wrought iron armor at a distance of 150 yards!"

Luo Yaoguo's mouth curled up slightly. The twin rotating turret and 120mm breech-loading gun were finally completed!
He turned and walked towards the bridge, and the soldiers along the way stood up and saluted. Through the porthole, he could see the neatly arranged gun ports on the side.

"The side gun bays can accommodate 20 120mm guns of the same type." Wang Yan added, "All use a recoil mechanism, and the rate of fire can reach 1-2 rounds per minute. The thickest part of the armor belt is 120mm, the front of the turret is 130mm, the command tower is 130mm, and the deck is 40mm. All use steel and iron composite armor!"

Luo Yaoguo suddenly stopped and shot a lightning-like look at Ding Ruchang: "If we encounter the Spanish 'Numancia', what are our chances of winning?"

The deck fell silent. Ding Ruchang and Wang Yan exchanged shocked glances.

“Your Highness.” Wang Yan’s voice was hesitant. “Are you talking about the Numancia that the French built for the Spanish?”

"That's the ship. It has a displacement of 7350 tons and is equipped with 40 203mm guns!"

"But the ship has not been delivered yet," Wang Yan said, "It seems the Spanish have run out of money."

Luo Yaoguo chuckled: "They will have money." His tone suddenly became heavy: "If I'm right, this ship is the first big enemy of the Heavenly Kingdom's Pacific Fleet after its establishment!"

The river wind suddenly became fierce, blowing away the last wisp of morning mist. The sun shone on the brand new steel armor of the "Xi'an" ship, reflecting a dazzling light.

Luo Yaoguo turned to face a group of naval officers, and his voice suddenly rose: "The mission of the Pacific Fleet is to fight for the control of the Pacific Ocean for the Kingdom of Heaven! Your first enemy is the Spanish 'Numancia'! Although this ship is more than 120 tons larger than the Xian, it is known as the world's third largest ironclad ship. But it does not have a mm breech-loading gun, no steel composite armor, and even less my brave and fearless naval soldiers! General Ding!"

Ding Ruchang's eyes lit up with fighting spirit, and he stood at attention: "Your Highness, please give the order!"

"I order the Pacific Fleet to set off immediately and go to San Francisco for supplies and standby. After the Spanish Navy's Pacific Fleet arrives in South America, it will head south to the Peruvian waters." Luo Yaoguo's eyes swept across every face. "The Spaniards want to rob the guano mines in the Chincha Islands, where there are 30,000 citizens of the Celestial Kingdom. I want you to sink the 'Numancia' in the Pacific Ocean and teach the Spaniards a lesson they will never forget. Let them know that the power of our Celestial Empire cannot be offended!"

"I obey your command!" Ding Ruchang straightened his chest and saluted!

(End of this chapter)