Seven Seas Beacon Fire

"Right now, on one hand, there's the pandemic that's gradually spreading globally, and on the other hand, there are the economic problems that have accumulated since the end of the war. If these two problems escalate and affect... for example, food, do you know how much of an impact that would have?" Li Che said solemnly, "If a country's food supply is just enough to feed its people, and then if food production decreases by 10%, do you know how high food prices will rise?"

"Double?"

"It will rise to the point where even if those 10% of people starve to death, they still can't afford it." Li Che's words were filled with a chilling intent.

"So... that's why Your Highness suggested that His Majesty and His Highness the adoption of a planned economy to ensure a smooth passage through the next ten years?" She suddenly looked up, her voice lingering on the word "Your Highness" in the distinctive tone of Zhu Miaoyun from her past life: "Back in the Jingyun era, Feng Xifan implemented the 'Equalization of Transport and Price Stabilization' policy, but in the end, even the provisions for the nine border armies were almost insufficient..."

"Times have changed." Li Che rose and pushed open the carved lattice door on his side. Outside, the imperial guards were changing shifts in the corridor. Most of these guards were veterans of the garrison, and although they were standing under the eaves, the snow blown down by the wind still draped them in a layer of silver. "Before the war broke out, the garrisons alone could support 300,000 iron troops, thanks to the arsenal in Longxi, the fertilizer plant in Jiaodong, and the machinery factories located inside the pass. Do you know the output of the Taiyuan Tractor Factory after its recovery last year?" As he turned around, the golden dragon pattern on his court robes swayed with his movements. "Enough to equip three hundred state-owned farms."

"If we had adopted a planned economy, our Great Tang would now be an industrial country. Powerful industrial countries are often powerful agricultural countries, because a powerful agricultural country cannot do without machinery and fertilizers."

Even in the worst-case scenario, a planned economy can ensure that grain that might be used for speculation and waste is extracted from the hands of the powerful and wealthy. Under a reasonable planned economy, at least in terms of food security, we will not be in chaos in the future, and this is the most important foundation for social stability.

A cold wind, carrying snowflakes, swept into the warm room, and the pearl necklace around Zhu Miaoyun's neck felt chilly. She recalled the burning light in the eyes of those poor children in Gaza when they watched the documentary she was showing—a light exactly like the flickering candlelight in the eyes of the Crown Prince at this moment.

That was the gaze of someone looking forward to the future of the country they deeply loved.

"Does that mean I'll have to hand over my dowry too? I haven't even had a chance to properly handle the Jiangnan Textile Factory yet." She suddenly put her teacup down on the table, her tone tinged with reluctance, but her bright eyes revealed her determination to stand firmly with Li Che on this issue: "I'm willing to give up the textile factory, but the Tokugawa Shogunate is currently relying on their Japanese businesses on the mainland for their livelihood. If you're determined to proceed... you can't leave them without some compensation."

Li Che chuckled softly, rose, and sat down beside Zhu Miaoyun. As he wrapped his arm around her waist, his fingertips flicked at the jade pendant adorning her waist: "My Prince Yongning, are you a little impatient for the wedding? So eager to give me your dowry?"

“You—” The girl’s blushing cheeks said it all.

Li Che smiled, then suddenly became serious, running his fingertip along the gold-embossed cover of the "Five-Year Industrial Plan" on the table. "We won't adopt a planned economy in all industries. Do you know why even in sectors like energy or transportation, we reserve 30% of the quota for private enterprises?"

The sunlight streamed through the stained-glass window, illuminating his profile and highlighting a coldness beyond his years: "The arsenals converted during the war need to be restored, and the rubber plantations in Nanyang are waiting for steam cranes—but Old Liu, who sells candy in front of the palace, can't seem to find the right heat to use in his copper pot to boil the sugar syrup in his memorial to the emperor."

The deep sound of the Jingyang Bell came from afar. Perhaps it was because Li Che was sitting next to her and had his arm around her, but Zhu Miaoyun felt that the wind blowing in from outside was not so cold anymore.

"I think you might have other plans besides this reason."

"Then tell us about it?" Li Che said.

"Leaving some private assets behind will allow the general public to understand what Hayek's big hand really meant."

Li Che burst into laughter, and Zhu Miaoyun laughed so hard she nearly fell apart. The nine-phoenix hairpin she wore in her hair swayed as if it were about to fall apart.

The snow fell thicker and thicker, covering the golden glazed tiles of the Forbidden City and the neon signs outside Zhengyang Gate. The fusion of these two orders was like the nine-phoenix hairpin with pearls swaying in her hair, flickering in the halo of pearls and tungsten lamplight.

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With the signing of the Anchorage Treaty, the smoke of battle had cleared, but the battlefield did not immediately calm down.

The United States of Colombia's expeditionary force is withdrawing from northern Borneo and Luzon in an orderly manner under the supervision of the Tang Dynasty's army and navy, in accordance with the terms of the Anchorage Treaty. Some of the merchant ships mobilized by the United States of Colombia are sailing into Sandakan port with trepidation.

Although there are no longer those wolf-like submarines and leopard-like cruisers hunting these fat pigs at sea, not far from Sandakan Harbor, a colossal ship flying the dragon flag is patrolling back and forth at a speed of 12 knots, escorted by several cruisers and destroyers.

This was the Longyuan battleship, representing the Royal Navy of the Tang Dynasty, monitoring the United States forces' withdrawal from Borneo and Luzon in accordance with the agreement.

As the most prominent and widely recognized most powerful battleship in the world, its 40,000-ton hull and eight imposing 420mm guns posed a tremendous deterrent to all passing merchant ships and warships of the United States.

After all, many people still vividly remember how this ship led the Tang Dynasty Royal Navy to massacre a United States transport fleet in the Bashi Channel not long ago.

For many sailors on merchant ships, the chaotic battlefield and the high-pressure atmosphere created a false memory. In their eyes, Long Yuan, who barely fired any shots that day, had already transformed into a demon god who slaughtered everyone.

Meanwhile, on the sea surrounding the Longyuan battleship, two other giant ships flying different flags were also patrolling around. These were naturally the USS Washington and the HMS Queen Elizabeth, flying the Stars and Stripes and the St. George's Flag, respectively.

These two warships were among the world's most advanced capital ships before this. The British Mark I 381mm naval guns that they were both equipped with had made countless dreadnoughts and the first generation of super-dreadnoughts tremble under the muzzle of the 15-inch guns.

The warring parties, who once drew their swords against each other on the battlefield, were now in a state of mutual restraint, each holding their swords firmly in place, wishing they could rush forward and sink the other. But today, for the United States of Colombia and the British Empire, their two ships facing the Dragon Abyss together actually seemed to be "outmaneuvered" by the enemy in terms of morale.

There was no way around it; the cannon caliber was almost 40 millimeters larger, and the tonnage was several thousand or even tens of thousands of tons more. Compared to the Colorado-class and Queen Elizabeth-class battleships, the Longyuan was no longer a match for them.

But who can blame them when the United States and Britain can't muster a capital ship comparable to Longyuan to stand against it?

As soon as the war was declared over in the United States, the naval shipyards immediately began to lay off workers. The South Dakota-class battleships, which were originally being built at a frantic pace with two or even three shifts, were reduced to the pre-war construction speed in just a few days.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the South Dakota-class battleships will not be launched this year, and their outfitting and commissioning will likely not occur until the latter half of next year.

On the other hand, Victoria and Britain possessed a giant ship that was at least comparable in tonnage and had a more imposing and beautiful design—an Admiral-class battlecruiser, also weighing 4 tons.

However, it is clear that the Admiral-class battleships paid a heavy price for their speed of 32 knots and long endurance. In terms of firepower, they only had five twin 15-inch main guns. It would be a waste to send such a ship to confront the Longyuan.

“I guarantee that if we were to accidentally clash here, even our two ships combined might not be able to defeat that monster.” On the bridge of the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth, Thomas, who had been promoted to admiral, put down the telescope he had been using to observe Longyuandu since the beginning of the mission.

As a participant in the Battle of Scaldlark, Thomas commanded all four Queen Elizabeth-class battleships of Battle Squadron 5. During the turn, he encountered the majority of the German High Seas Fleet's main force, with the Germans firing continuously from 280mm to 305mm and a small number of 330mm shells. However, even then, he still felt very safe because he knew very well how strong the newborn Queen Elizabeth's armor was.

But now, even in the Queen's command tower, Thomas no longer feels the same sense of security he once did.

Chapter 245 The Great Battle Ends (6)

Inside the conning tower of the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth, Admiral Thomas's knuckles tapped heavily on the edge of the observation window. The massive silhouette of the Longyuan cut through the twilight, and the white waves churned up by its bow as it broke through the sea were even more majestic and awe-inspiring than those of the Queen Elizabeth herself.

"This is the posthumous offspring of the Ming Empire..." On the bridge of the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth, a young operations officer muttered to himself, looking at the numbers transmitted by the main rangefinder: "Its length is approximately 210 meters or more, possibly even 220 meters. This is truly a behemoth."

"Fortunately, our Queen Elizabeth ran faster than them, otherwise, even if the war were over, it would be very unsafe to confront such a behemoth at this distance."

Beside this young staff officer, a thin, elderly man with hair in the Mediterranean style like most typical Britons, graying temples but bright eyes, continued to observe the Longyuan in the distance through his binoculars, while making this remark that seemed to shake the morale of the troops.

If any other ordinary officer of the British Royal Navy had said such a thing, General Thomas, who was also on the bridge at the moment, would certainly have rebuked him for boosting the morale of the enemy and diminishing his own.

However, Admiral Thomas could only pretend not to hear what the 50-something Mediterranean-looking man, who was not wearing a military uniform, had just said, because the old man's name was Eustace Tennyson Dincott, the current head of the Victorian British Naval Design Bureau.

And this naval design master's representative works in another world are as numerous as fish crossing a river:

The sacred object of the multi-turret cult – the battleship Agincourt with a week's worth of turrets;

The most vulnerable super-dreadnought in terms of protection—the Admiral Latorre-class super-dreadnought;

The Importance of GM Value – Avenger-class Battleship

The most defensively weak battlecruiser in history – the Renown-class battlecruiser

To match Old Man Feld's wild ideas—the large light cruisers HMS Glorious and HMS Furious

Widowmaker—K-class steam turbine submarine

Tinpi – Kent-class heavy cruiser

Achilles' Ankle - HMS Hood

Our rudder control is a pile of crap—Nelson-class battleships

You can tell from this warship design that although he was jokingly called a "German spy" in the British Royal Navy by many military enthusiasts, Diyncourt himself was actually very capable and competent. Otherwise, he would not have been able to take over the British Naval Design Bureau after Phillip Watts and El. Atwood.

While Daincourt did have some unique considerations and control over certain details when designing warships, many of his criticized designs were essentially due to unreasonable demands from the client.

Needless to say, the two battleships for export were originally intended for the Brazilian Navy. The Brazilian Navy's understanding of battleships was not entirely ignorant; at the very least, they were at a high level. They genuinely believed that the strength of battleships lay in their powerful firepower and numerous weapons. Moreover, the arms race in South America was more of a competition among a group of peacocks, and none of the South American ABCs were truly prepared for war.

Therefore, given that the customer is king, it's not surprising that Diinkouts came up with a design like the Holy Relic. The same logic applies to the Admiral Latorre-class battleships with nine inches of armor – the 14-inch guns are just for show, and the 9-inch armor isn't meant to be used in actual combat.

As for the other warships he mentioned, the two "Hush"-class large light cruisers and the Renown-class battlecruisers, which were essentially plus versions of large light cruisers, were designed under the unrealistic requirements of Baltic Sea assault operations.

As for the K-type submarine, the idea of ​​using submarines to cooperate with the main fleet in fleet battles was not the first of its kind in the Nine-Dan Invitational. The K-type was the Royal Navy's ingenious idea, requiring the submarine to have a speed of 25 knots so that it could cooperate with surface ships in high-speed maneuvering operations.

The idea was certainly wonderful, but these days, if you want a submarine to run at 25 knots on the surface, what else can Diinkot choose besides steam turbines?

Fortunately, compared to the other world, the Diencourt in the Victorian British Empire clearly had a more rational client, which was largely due to the greater pressure the Victorian Royal Navy faced in this world. Faced with real pressure, many fancy concepts would not have the chance to be implemented.

Look at America, they didn't go and do anything with LCS during the height of their Cold War confrontation with Russia, did they? They just focused on building Spruance and Perry.

Therefore, Diinkot's works to date are quite satisfactory. Whether it is the heavily armored version of the Renown-class battlecruiser or the firepower-enhanced version of the Admiral-class battlecruiser, they can all be called masterpieces among the world's naval equipment.

However, Diinkault was not satisfied with this. Both the Renown-class and Admiral-class battlecruisers contained many emergency components from the wartime period, and there was still much room for improvement in terms of firepower and armor layout.

Aside from the ceasefire, the most heated discussion among the major powers right now is probably the upcoming naval arms control treaty negotiations. Therefore, Diinkault specially traveled to the East aboard this Queen Elizabeth-class battleship, hoping to have the opportunity to witness the splendor of the Longyuan-class battleship firsthand.

This behemoth, which some Western media have dubbed a "super battleship," still holds many unknowns for the West. Currently, apart from its firepower, which is certain, its tonnage, armor, and speed are all speculations.

After witnessing the Longyuan battleship firsthand and measuring its distance using a rangefinder today, Diinkot fell into deep thought as the main rangefinder reported a distance of 210-220 meters.

"Is the United States Navy certain that they witnessed the two Longyuan-class battleships reaching speeds of 23 knots during the Second Battle of the Bashi Channel?" Dincott asked his staff officer again for confirmation, but Admiral Thomas answered him before the staff officer could.

"This can be confirmed. After the Second Battle of the Bashi Channel, the United States of Colombia, in accordance with the Allied internal intelligence sharing principles, reported to us the detailed information they had regarding the Longyuan-class battleships. At that time, two Longyuan-class battleships did indeed pursue the United States Navy ships at a speed of 23 knots. Do you think there is any problem with this figure?"

Dincott shook his head: "I'm not entirely sure either. At least from the data we have so far, all the data is consistent with each other, but... the length of the Longyuan-class battleship makes it really hard to make a judgment."

How do you judge and estimate the speed of a ship? If you see a Renown or a Hood, there is no need for any hesitation. Such a long hull and length-to-beam ratio are as eye-catching as a beautiful woman's long legs. In particular, the Admiral-class battlecruisers are over 260 meters long. Such a long capital ship can only be a high-speed ship.

However, the Longyuan, which is over 210 meters deep, is a bit difficult to judge, because the length and width of this ship should be roughly the same as the Queen's if we make a rough estimate now.

The Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were designed and built by the Royal Navy as a high-speed battleship. Although the Royal Navy hoped that these Queen Elizabeth-class battleships could reach a speed of 25 knots to cooperate with the battlecruiser squadron, the five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships could only reach a speed of 24 knots. However, compared with most capital ships in the world with a speed of around 21 knots, the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships could indeed be called high-speed.

However, the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships did not appear as slender as their contemporaries, the Revenge-class battleships. The former was 196.8 meters long and 27.6 meters wide, while the latter was 190.3 meters long and 27 meters wide. Such a small difference would be difficult for most people to discern with the naked eye.

So, is the ship in front of us Queen Elizabeth Plus of the Tang Dynasty Royal Navy, or the Revenge Plus of the Tang Dynasty Royal Navy?

Dianecourt felt that her already thinning hair was about to become even sparser.

The Royal Navy now possesses the world's most powerful existing fleet, with over a dozen battleships and battlecruisers equipped with 15-inch guns, giving it an overwhelming advantage over other countries.

However, as far as the two countries on opposite sides of the ocean are concerned, one is mass-producing battleships and battlecruisers equipped with 420mm guns, while the other is mass-producing battleships and battlecruisers with slightly smaller caliber guns but more barrels and 406mm guns.

If these behemoths on both sides of the ocean were to be mass-produced and deployed in the future, the Royal Navy, which possesses a large number of 15-inch naval guns, would naturally have to wear a mask of pain.

"If their speed is indeed 23 knots, then it means that back in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Navy ultimately equipped these decisive weapons with relatively conservative power."

Daincourt paused at this point: "Just like our Renown-class battlecruisers."

Upon hearing Diyncourt compare the ship to the Renown-class battlecruiser, Admiral Thomas, though unfamiliar with ship design, felt a special affection for HMS Renown, the Royal Victorian battlecruiser that had fought in the war from its mid-stages until the armistice and had made significant contributions.

However, precisely because this capital ship was built during wartime, the Renown used the most mature and reliable models available at the time for many of its subsystems. While choosing mature products for fire control and firepower was a good thing, the hindrance in the propulsion system can be said to be the fundamental reason why the Renown-class battlecruisers were not particularly satisfactory in terms of firepower.

After all, the engine compartment alone is such a long distance, where would you find enough space to fit a turret?

"Besides speed, did you see anything else?" General Thomas asked Dincourt.

"There are many interesting points, but the only things we can be sure of are that this battleship uses external main armor, and the main armor belt appears to be angled slightly. Also, the gun layout..."

As he spoke, Daincourt quickly sketched a simple diagram of a capital ship in his notebook. From these few strokes, one could see that Daincourt possessed extremely high professional skills.

Admiral Thomas glanced around, then lowered his voice so that only he and Daincourt could hear him: "I heard that after the Admiral-class battlecruisers, Whitehall intends to start construction on a next-generation capital ship, and it seems to be designed to rival the Longyuan?"

Daincott nodded: "But it's still in the conceptual research stage. My trip here is to earn tuition fees for the future ship."

These words pleased Admiral Thomas. Compared to the main warships of the Great Tang and the United States of Colombia, which were at different stages of construction in the shipyards, the shipyards of the Royal Navy of the Victorian Empire were rather deserted.

Originally, the British Empire planned to cut most of its orders for Admiral-class battlecruisers after the war ended. However, it seems that after being impacted by the Longyuan-class battleships, it has not only retained two Admiral-class battlecruisers, but the Victorian Empire is now probably determined to spend every last pound in the country to maintain the status and combat power of the Royal Victorian Navy.

Although Diyncourt didn't give him a direct answer, it was enough for Thomas.

Just then, the Longyuan battleship, which had been under the watchful eye of the crowd, suddenly sounded its horn. The setting sun had turned the Bashi Channel a rusty color, and the salty sea breeze, carrying the lingering smell of gunpowder, swept across the bridge of the Longyuan battleship.

As Rear Admiral Lin Zhiyuan of the Eastern Tang Empire lowered his brass binoculars, the dragon carvings on the rim of the lens gleamed coldly in the twilight. Four twin 420mm main gun turrets stretched across the deck like black mountains, their barrels pointing diagonally to the southwest at the retreating American transport fleet.

Over there, the last transport ship of the United States of Colombia for the day is slowly sailing out of the naval port.

Chapter 246 The Great Battle Ends (7)

The twilight air in Sandakan Harbour reeked of diesel fuel and decaying seaweed. On the rusty hulls of six transport ships, United States soldiers squinted and fumbled for gangways. Searchlights swept across the mountains of dark green canned goods piled on the dock, casting pale spots of light on the spray-painted "Type D Rations" lettering. A private stumbled, kicking over an empty can, glanced at the white lettering, spat out "Field Feed," and continued his aimless wandering on the dock. The clatter of a tin can kicked open on the concrete pier startled a flock of seabirds.

After nightfall, the evacuation operation in Sandakan and Harbor temporarily came to an end. During the siege, in addition to weapons, ammunition and medicine, the supplies provided by the United States Army to the island, as well as the field rations that the soldiers later provided, which were called "new military feed", mainly focused on how to provide the soldiers with as much heat as possible in the smallest possible size and space.

As a result, when the United States Army discovered that many soldiers had developed night blindness due to vitamin deficiency from long-term use of this ration, it was clear that vitamin powder had been considered during the design phase of the ration. However, as is well known, the equipment received by United States soldiers was always the lowest among all the bids, and the random inspection of the ration did not examine the vitamin content. Thus, a large number of United States soldiers were successfully fed this ration and developed night blindness.

Before they could add vitamin powder to the subsequent military rations, the war was already over.

After the war ended, the United States Army could now withdraw its troops in an orderly manner according to the agreement, and could also provide healthier food for the besieged troops. However, the soldiers suffering from night blindness would need some time to recover, and the United States Army's withdrawal was somewhat reluctant. Therefore, the withdrawal operations were mostly carried out during the day.

So, although these soldiers missed their hometowns and families terribly, they still had to patiently wait for evacuation. Many of those who didn't get a chance to board were now living like zombies, because of the rampant pandemic. Some of the more astute soldiers knew that even if they did manage to leave by ship, they probably wouldn't get a quick return home.

Today in northern Borneo, large numbers of United Colombian soldiers wander around in a disorganized and undisciplined manner. What these soldiers have in common is that they try to minimize contact with others except for themselves or their trusted small groups.

After all, under this terrible pandemic, the higher the population density, the easier it is to get sick. Before the war ended, the officers and soldiers of the United States Army on the front line were forcibly confined to their positions by military authorities, which eventually led to the surrender of an entire division of the United States Army.

So when the news of the armistice came, the United States troops, which were already filled with all sorts of small groups (after all, their divisions were made up of battalion and company units), quickly dispersed. After all, in the present moment, the probability of getting sick and dying was even higher than the probability of being killed by artillery fire.

"My God..." At that moment, on a hospital ship docked at the pier in the harbor, a military doctor's pen scribbled messy lines on a medical record. The soldier in front of him was staring blankly with his gray pupils, his fingers scratching at a non-existent handrail in the air. The IV bags hanging on the cabin wall swayed and reflected an eerie green light, making the ulcers under the soldier's eyelids look like rotting oysters.

When the military doctors who came from the United States of Colombia actually arrived at the front line, they discovered that northern Borneo had become a huge incubator for the virus. The virus that was spreading from the continent to the rest of the world, including the United States of Colombia, could only be considered as the first or second generation at most.

In northern Borneo, the dirty and filthy environment of the battlefield, along with the hot, humid, and humid natural conditions, provided an ideal breeding ground for the virus. In terms of symptoms, the virus here has already undergone at least several iterations, and the patients' conditions are vastly different from those in China.

The military doctor knew he had to report the situation here in a timely manner. When the armistice agreement was being discussed regarding the withdrawal of troops, the United States of Colombia was in a state of indifference because the flu had already begun to spread globally. They thought that since the virus had already started to spread, so be it.

But now it seems that the situation is not like that at all. The difference between the new virus after iteration and the brain virus is almost equivalent to that between J16D and SU27SK, or between F18EF and F18A/B.

"God... I want to... go home..."

The patient he treated used all his strength to utter those few words, and then quickly lost consciousness with his head lolling to the side. These simple words touched the doctor's heartstrings.

The doctor knew very well that if he reported the situation here, although it was not certain, there was a considerable possibility that the area would be completely sealed off, and then who knows how many soldiers would be unable to see their wives and children again.

Finally, the doctor gently closed the patient's eyes with his hand, and casually tossed aside the paper he had prepared to use to draft the report, indicating that the doctor had tidied his makeup. Then he said to the outside, "Call the next person."