Hidden Dragon in Qing Dynasty

Avoiding the awkward conversation, everyone turned their gazes to the sea in the north. At the end of the azure sea, there was indeed a black spot that gradually became clear.

Duke of Newcastle stood beside Zai Chun and explained the history of the military port in Portsmouth and the geography of this place to the little Emperor.

It had to be said that the Duke was someone who was very close to others, and had a good mouth as well. Zai Chun was quickly attracted by him.

Now, not only Xiao Letian, even the people close to Xiao Letian could feel the "special care" from the British side. Everyone could sense the distance that the Duke was giving off.

According to etiquette, you would pick out that Zai Chun was, after all, the emperor. Xiao Letian was merely a head of state who had not been recognized by the strongest powers in Europe, or someone else as a Imperial Advisor.

It was normal to be a little more enthusiastic with Zai Chun, but the current problem was not only between him and, but also the people from Duke of Newcastle.

The reason he kept on bragging about England's strength to Zai Chun was not only because he was bragging, but also because he hoped to instigate an impression that Britain could not be defeated. He also wanted to use his power to influence Zai Chun.

Being able to make a thirteen year old Emperor of Great Qing Kingdom into a British fan would definitely benefit the negotiations and business between the two countries in the future.

At that time, the reform of the Kingdom of Qing would draw heavily on the experience of the United Kingdom, using its standards, borrowing its funds and using its talents … At that time, Britain's capital would be able to hold a large amount of shares in the enterprises of Great Qing, whether it be a joint venture or a sole investment. In any case, with the Emperor's support, wouldn't the market open up?

Ships after ships of British industrial goods began to be dumped along the mainland, and more and more pounds were being poured into the Great Qing to become shares that could last for hundreds and thousands of years.

This kind of cooperation was a true example of a semi-colonial cooperation. Together with the Qing Dynasty Royal Family, they ruled over China, excavating this gold mine that was so endless for the Han … Just thinking about it would make him smile.

In order to reach this goal, the Duke of Newcastle had to spare no effort to instill in Zai Chun the strength of British industry.

Who would be willing to bother with the Chinese people right now? 90% of the time, he would still spurt on Zai Chun's body, flattering him, and his words were like a crazy wave that rushed towards Tongzhi.

On the surface, Xiao Letian still maintained enough diplomatic etiquette, a smile still hung on the corners of his mouth, but he had already started to curse in his heart.

"You dog, you have nothing to be afraid of. Do you really not treat our Chinese as a dish? Are you trying to dig your way out of the wall so obviously?" But even if he was silently cursing, Xiao Letian had to admit that in this era, Britain had the ability to openly humiliate others.

"Your Majesty, please quickly look …" The Royal Fleet has set up a phalanx for your inspection... Thirteen times nine … There are a total of 117 Class 1 warships awaiting your Majesty's inspection … "

Everyone on the deck grabbed their telescopes and looked out at the Jade Wave Ocean three kilometers away. They were at the sea surface of the English Channel, right outside of Huai Te Island, where countless battleships were already forming a phalanx.

All of them were Level One main battleship, and facing the alliance fleet was the newest type of Iron-armored Steam Battleship. Although it wasn't a pure Iron-armored battleship like the Zhiyuan Warship, the design of this kind of wooden hull and iron armour could still be considered as the advanced battleship of the time.

Behind these iron armor steam ships were sail battleship s full of history, some of which were even rare five-masted sailing ships. The cannon on both sides of the ships were opened, and the cannons were pitch black, like the eyes of a sea monster.

Further away were large cruisers, these cruisers were famous for their cruising speed, they had bigger sails and slender bodies, although on the surface, the number of cannons was less than battleships and their fighting strength was a bit lower.

But in the eyes of naval experts, these cruisers were the only ones who could protect the interests of the British at sea.

The reason for this was simple, because the British had already taken complete control of the sea. No one in the European powers dared to challenge the British Royal Fleet, which meant that a battle for life and death at sea like Trafalgar would not occur for some time.

This way, battleships would be less useful in battle. On the contrary, these cruisers with fast speed, long cruising time, and good firepower began to flourish.

In the vast ocean, they had to run around swearing English military might. Pirates that looked like flies and wanted battleships to hang and kill them would definitely not be appropriate. At this time, they needed to be taught a lesson by cruisers.

Even at special times, these cruisers could fly very fast, and they could even hack away at a bunch of pirates at a moment's notice, striking at rival merchant ships and the like on the vast uninhabited high seas.

In any case, the use of cruisers was great, and today they were showing off in large numbers.

As he got closer and closer, Zai Chun's hands trembled in excitement. When had he ever seen so many battleships gathered together?

The Chinese officials were also silent. The anger they accumulated from hearing the Duke of Newcastle was now replaced by a cold feeling deep in their hearts.

"Good heavens! Too much, too much … 117? And there were 117... " Luo Huo who was born in the army was unfamiliar with the navy, maybe in his eyes, the combination of 30 to 40 battleships was already a very strong fleet.

Never would he have thought that Britain would present a more spectacular scene today, with 117 ships anchored off the coast, in a neat phalanx like soldiers on their feet.

Xiang Ying's fingers that were holding onto the telescope had turned white, he said excitedly, "You don't understand … You don't know the background of the British Navy. Wooden battleships are like this, as long as you maintain them properly, even if you use a hundred years worth of time, you won't lose anything! "

"The Europeans began exploring the sea in the fifteenth century. Can you imagine how many battleships Britain has accumulated over the years? Forget about 117 ships, even if their numbers were to triple, I wouldn't be surprised! "

The joint fleet was getting closer and closer to the docking bay, from three kilometers to two kilometers, one kilometer, eight hundred meters, six hundred meters …

Finally, one didn't even need binoculars to see the proud navy men on the opposite deck, almost all of whom were making their way eastward to meet a guest of honor, God knows how long they had been holding their arms up.

The entire square array on the sea surface formed a nine times thirteen rectangular square array. This square array did not use a cross section to face the Zhiyuan Warship, rather, it faced the Zhiyuan Warship from a slanted angle.

At the start, no one knew what was so special about this formation, but as they approached, everyone was shocked!