The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 878: The British Empire's New Bet
Kyushu Island, Sasebo Naval Base.

In the heavily guarded harbor, Shimazu Tadayoshi felt that his breathing was getting harder and harder, and he was about to faint. Because he saw the "Musashi" staggering in with its hull tilted. What had happened to this powerful warship? The 305mm main turret at the bow looked like a tin box flattened by a giant, and the two gun barrels were hanging down to the sea like broken reeds.
The Yamato, which entered the port with the Musashi, was in a slightly better condition, but it was charred all over and had dozens of holes and pits. It was obvious that it had been beaten! Although the Yamato was beaten, it obviously still had the strength to work - the Yamato had a chain tied to the stern, dragging the tortured Fuso!
But this is not the most suffocating thing for Shimazu. What makes him feel like the sky is falling is that there were 13 ships when they went out, so majestic and impressive, but now only 7 have returned? And all of them are injured, and there is not a single good ship. Where did the remaining 6 go?
"My lord, yes, six cruisers sank in the battle! The engine room of the Musashi was severely damaged... 6 tons of water entered before the keel was saved." Yamamoto Gonbei was carried down the gangway by the sailors, and the blood seeping from under the gauze mixed with tears dripped onto the bluestone of the dock, "I have failed the country..."

Saigo Takamori grabbed Yamamoto by the collar and said, "Six ships lost? What about the enemy? How many ships did the enemy sink?"

Shimazu Tadayoshi, Nabeshima Naohiro, and Mori Motonori all pricked up their ears and looked on pitifully.

"Zero, zero ships!"

British naval adviser Montagu followed Yamamoto down from the ship and took over the question: "It is obvious that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's fast cruiser route is correct. Slow armored ships certainly have the strongest protection, but no one in the world can win by being beaten."

Finished!

The Shimazu family is about to perish!
The Nabeshima family is finished!

The Maori family is doomed!

The lords of the three feudal domains of Satsuma, Choshu and Saga all felt dizzy before their eyes!
Japan is an island country. With sea power, it is infallible. Without sea power, it will be attacked from all sides. No, now it is not four sides, but five sides, because there is also an "inside" - although the Shinyo Shinto Temple has been retreating for several months, it has not perished. And they have not lost their core territory in Kinai. As long as they can get strong assistance from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Korean Heavenly Kingdom, they can launch a counterattack at any time!
"Colonel, what should we do now?" Saigo Takamori shouted.

"No problem, because the Rafale class is here - four 20.5-ton giant ships with a speed of knots, enough to fight against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Exofish class!" Colonel Montagu paused, his face suddenly darkened: "As long as Sasebo is under the jurisdiction of the Royal Navy, Kyushu will be an iron wall."

Naoda Nabeshima roared, "Baga, are you asking us to sell out the interests of Japan?"

Shimazu Tadayoshi also pulled a long face: "This is treason."

Mao Li Yuande also shook his head repeatedly: "No, absolutely not."

"No? Then let Kusunoki Inako's true warriors hang you in Nagasaki Harbor!" Montagu sneered, "Yang Chengtian's 'Korean Fleet' can send thousands of troops to Tsushima Island within six hours - without the 'Rafale' to block you, you won't even have time to commit seppuku."

Amid the roar of the tide, Maori Motonori spat out a mouthful of blood foam: "How long will Britain control Sasebo Castle?"

"Ninety-nine years." Montagu casually mentioned the lease period. "After ninety-nine years, Sasebo Castle will still be yours."

Shimazu Tadayoshi raised his head suddenly: "Ninety-nine years later, you are going to swallow up Sasebo!"

Montagu said slowly: "Lord Shimazu, you can choose to refuse, but the Kusunoki family's army will soon land in Fukuoka, and you don't even have a ship that can go to sea."

Shimazu stamped his feet heavily: "Okay! We can agree. But tell London, but I ask London to help us build a new army of 5 people!"

Montagu smiled: "A wise choice." He turned to Saigo Takamori, "Lord Saigo, what do you think?"

How else can we look at it? This country has no choice but to sell it!

Saigo Takamori was silent for a moment, then said with a sullen face: "We can give you the concession, but Britain must guarantee that Kyushu will always be the Kyushu of the Japanese!"

Montagu raised an eyebrow: "Of course, as long as you are loyal to the British Empire."

As the bow of the Dingyuan plowed through the water of Busan Harbor, Ding Ruchang was counting the scorch marks on the deck: seventeen traces of picric acid burns, leaving traces of battle on the sturdy hull.

However, the Dingyuan ship still withstood the test - this also means that the two types of fast cruisers, Feiyu and Feiying, do not actually have the strength to sink the Zhenyuan class. It seems that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom needs naval guns with larger caliber and faster firing rate!

"Teacher, teacher, we have won a great victory." Zhang Bao rushed into the top floor of the Port Authority and slapped the battle report he had just compiled on the nautical chart in front of Nanmu Gaozi. "Our army sank 6 enemy cruisers, severely damaged 3 enemy battleships, and the remaining enemy cruisers were also damaged to varying degrees. And none of our fleet sank in the battle!"

6:0
Luo Yaoguo cheered in his heart, but then he saw a hint of worry on Zhang Bao's face.

"What's wrong?" Luo Yaoguo asked.

Zhang Bao took out another telegram: "Four British Rafale-class ships are stationed in Sasebo!"

Yang Chengtian pulled out the Seven Star Sword with a "clang" sound: "Uncle Jiu, give me two months, and the warriors of the Zhenyue Shinto Palace will be able to conquer Kyushu!" And Luo Yaoguo looked at him coldly - the warriors of the Zhenyue Shinto Palace. Are they your people?

He retracted his gaze, stared at the sea chart and said, "Chengtian, do you know why Kyushu was left to the British?" He opened the curtain and pointed at the 10,000-ton standard displacement Flying Eagle in the harbor, "The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will build a lot of ships like this in the next ten years, and there will be bigger and faster ships. But Britain is too far away from us. If the British don't send the main force of the Royal Navy, it will be difficult for us to sink them!"

Yang Chengtian's pupils suddenly shrank: "You want to use Jiuzhou as bait?"

"The British think that the Sasebo Naval Base is a noose around our necks, but I want it to become a noose to strangle the main force of the British Royal Navy!" Luo Yaoguo put his hands behind his back and looked at the fleet entering the port. "After this battle, Britain will definitely build a large number of fast armored ships and battlecruisers with thin skin and large fillings, and I will build battleships to sink them!"

There was a sudden thunder outside the window and heavy rain fell in an instant.

Yang Chengtian asked softly, "Uncle Jiu, are you really not afraid of a full-scale war with Britain?"

"Total war is inevitable!" Luo Yaoguo said coldly, "The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is too big, with too many people, land, and resources. Once it develops, it will threaten the world hegemony of the British Empire. How can the British be willing to hand over their hegemony? A fight is inevitable! Chengtian, Gaozi, when the world war starts, who will you support?"

"Support the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!"

"Support the prince!"

Yang Chengtian and Nanmu Takako both answered with firm answers!

The atmosphere on both sides of the long oak table in the London Admiralty was extremely depressing. Perhaps only when Napoleon dominated Europe would the people in the Admiralty be so dejected.

"6:0!" Benjamin Disraeli threw the telegram to the First Lord of the Admiralty, George Ward Hunt, "Nelson's coffin is shaking!"

"Prime Minister, it was the Japanese who lost the battle!" said the Navy Minister. "We did not lose, and we found a way to defeat the enemy!"

"Oh? What method?" asked the British Prime Minister.

The Secretary of the Navy pointed to the Director of Shipbuilding and said, "Mr. Barnaby!"

Barnaby, the shipbuilding director, unfolded a blueprint: "Mr. Prime Minister, the Rafale is just a bandage to stop the bleeding. We also need steel teeth that can tear open the Yangtze River estuary!" He circled the graceful streamlined bow with a red pen. "This is our latest heavy and fast battleship. I call it a battlecruiser! It has the firepower of a battleship and the speed of a cruiser. It is a perfect combination."

"How big is it?" asked the Prime Minister.

"Standard displacement is 15500 tons and fully loaded is 16800 tons."

"So big?" The Prime Minister gasped. "How fast can it run? How much horsepower does the steam engine need?"

Barnaby replied: "The steam turbine that is about to be developed can make the 22.5-ton monster run at 30000 knots - Parsons Laboratory has just completed a horsepower test!"

"Cost?" asked the Prime Minister, who was also the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The Navy Secretary said: "Each ship costs 150 million pounds. If it is built in batches, it can be reduced to 130 million to 135 million!"

"Too expensive! It's enough to buy four semi-destroyer-class battleships!" The Prime Minister shook his head repeatedly. "The annual naval expenditure of the United Kingdom is only more than 2000 million!"

"But her 305mm main gun can penetrate the Zhenyuan class at a distance of 15000 yards!" Barnaby slammed down the ballistic report, "and it also has an unparalleled speed. The speed of 22.5 knots is just a conservative estimate. If we can further optimize the ship type, or install a more powerful steam turbine, 27 knots or 28 knots are possible!"

The Navy Minister added: "In addition, this is just the beginning! If this type of battlecruiser is successful, we will be able to build super battleships of 2 tons, 2.5 tons, or even 3 tons! Now that we have steam turbine battleships that are much more efficient than triple expansion steam engines, the tonnage limit will be greatly increased!"

"The cost has also increased greatly!" the Prime Minister said through gritted teeth.

"Prime Minister," said the Navy Minister, "It's a bet. The stakes on the world's oceans have doubled! Now it all depends on whether Luo Yaoguo dares to follow suit."

"Approved!" British Prime Minister Disraeli finally nodded reluctantly. "We will build a large number of them. The next ten years will be a critical time window to determine whether the British Empire can continue to lead the world. We need more and better battleships and cruisers, and there will be many orders. Therefore, the maximum budget for this class of new battlecruisers is 135 million pounds. In addition, I hope to name it 'Invincible'. It will be the invincible battleship of our British Empire!"

(End of this chapter)