The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 916 Pacific Ocean, Jinghai, a pair of eighteen!
April 1883, 10 Downing Street, London.

The fire in the fireplace cast flickering light in the cabinet meeting room. Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who was forming his second cabinet, had smoke rising from his pipe as he held a clear-coded telegram sent by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Nanjing Telegraph Office to the world in his hand, the pages trembling slightly between his fingers.

"Gentlemen," the Earl of Derby, now Foreign Secretary for the third time, waved a telegram with the same contents, his voice brimming with barely concealed excitement, "the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is in a panic! Look at this telegram—'Wherever the waves of the Pacific reach, that is the territory of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Those who offend our American-Spanish allies, no matter how far away, shall be punished!' What an arrogant declaration! It seems their American-Spanish puppets have indeed suffered a crushing defeat!"

Lord Edward Caldwell, the Secretary of State for War, took over, tapping his fingers lightly on the table: "Our American friends have not wasted the past decade or so. They have built a truly formidable armored force! If the Royal Navy can block the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom from sending reinforcements to the American West through the Pacific, victory will surely belong to our NATO alliance!"

The challenge naturally fell to First Lord of the Admiralty George Ward Hunt and First Sea Lord Sir John Key. Northbrook glanced at Admiral George Phipps Hornby, who stood at attention in his crisp naval uniform, and the latter immediately straightened his back and responded:
"The Royal Navy's Australian Fleet has assembled a large expeditionary fleet consisting of 18 capital ships, 22 cruisers, 25 destroyers, and 21 auxiliary vessels of various types, ready to sail north from Port Moresby to Sasebo at any time!"

Benjamin Disraeli nodded slightly: "Eighteen capital ships sounds like a lot."

"That's almost half the number of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's main fleet," Admiral George Phipps Hornby quickly added. "If they can successfully enter the Sasebo base, even just their mere 'presence' would be enough to tie down the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's main fleet. Add to that the three 'ravages-class' battleships of the Western Japanese Empire, and we'll have 21 main fleets in the Far East!"

The admiral emphasized the word "existence"—although there is no theory of fleet existence at present, as an experienced admiral, he certainly realized that it would be meaningful to place a bunch of "rusty and dilapidated warships" at the gates of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!

The Prime Minister's brow remained furrowed: "But the Taiping army's ships were superior, weren't they?"

Admiral George Phipps Hornby's Adam's apple bobbed, and he had to admit, "Based on current intelligence, their 'Sea Dragon II' and 'Jinghai-class' ships do indeed have a performance advantage. However," he changed the subject, "the Australian fleet's older ships are not bad either! The three 'Indomitable' and three 'Revenge' classes have all undergone modernization, especially the two 'Trafalgar' classes, which were just upgraded last year and equipped with eight 254mm main guns, making them fully capable of fighting the 'Sea Dragon II'!"

Benjamin Disraeli's gaze swept across the nautical chart: "Can this fleet really reach Sasebo safely? Will the Taiping Army intercept it?"

“Theoretically impossible,” Admiral Hornby replied firmly. “We have not declared war, and the Royal Navy has the right to freedom of navigation on the high seas. Unless the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom blatantly violates international law.”

Foreign Minister Earl Derby suddenly interjected: "What if they launch a surprise attack? The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom loves doing that kind of thing!"

Admiral Hornby smiled confidently: "This fleet has 18 capital ships, 11 of which are equipped with 10-inch main guns! Unless the Taiping Army deploys its main force, they simply cannot intercept us—and they cannot predict our course! Nor will they know when or if we have left Port Moresby. Port Moresby is a military restricted area; there are no yellow-skinned residents there, nor are there any civilian telegraph offices."

Benjamin Disraeli finally stood up, tapping his pipe against his palm. "Very well. I will report to Her Majesty immediately. The Admiralty will begin preparing the operational plan immediately, and simultaneously draft plans for attacking Java, Borneo, and Hawaii." He looked around at everyone. "This will be a decisive moment! I hope you will all fulfill your duties!"

In the drawing room of Windsor Castle, Queen Victoria's haggard face appeared exceptionally aged in the candlelight. The shadow of Prince Albert's serious illness loomed over the entire royal family, but at this moment she had to force herself to listen to the ministers' reports.

“Your Majesty,” Benjamin Disraeli bowed respectfully, “the Royal Navy is about to commence operations; the main Australian fleet will sail north to reinforce Japan.”

The Queen's fingers unconsciously traced the cross necklace on her chest, her voice hoarse: "If I remember correctly, the Australian fleet is one of the Royal Navy's three main forces in the Pacific, and the primary force defending Australia, if they..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured," said the British Prime Minister. "We have not yet declared war on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Instead, our fleet will set sail in secret. As long as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's navy cannot detect their movements, there is no way to intercept them."

The Queen nodded: "Then you must be careful. That person is a prophet."

The Prime Minister and the First Lord of the Navy exchanged a glance. George Ward Hunt stepped forward: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the fleet has been equipped with exorcist priests and combat nuns from Russia."

The Queen slowly made the sign of the cross, her eyes glistening with worried tears: "May my brother Jesus Christ in heaven protect our fleet."

June 1, 1883, waters west of Guam.

The vast Pacific Ocean gleamed with a metallic blue light under the blazing sun. The massive Royal Navy's Australian Fleet northward detachment carved dozens of white wakes across the sea, resembling a herd of steel behemoths migrating.

Inside the conning tower of the flagship USS Trafalgar, Vice Admiral George Trein gripped his brass binoculars. Despite commanding a formidable force of 18 capital ships and 22 cruisers, and with his sailors training spiritedly on deck, the veteran of the Crimean War was filled with unease.

"Report, General!" came the voice from the lookout over the loudspeaker. "Unidentified vessel spotted at 30 degrees to starboard!"

Tryon's binoculars immediately turned to the designated location. On the distant horizon, a blurry black dot appeared and disappeared amidst the waves. "Maintain formation, continue observation," he ordered in a deep voice, the tension in his voice only perceptible to his adjutant beside him.

Ten minutes later, the lookout reported again: "Confirmed to be a Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Navy 'Jinghai-class' armored cruiser! Its course is the same as ours, and its speed is incredible, at least 24 knots!"

The air in the command tower froze instantly. The staff officers exchanged bewildered glances. 24 knots... that left only the "Jinghai" class! The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's fastest armored cruiser, equipped with 210mm main guns, could easily annihilate the "Rafale" class, and even the "Blazing Wind" class with its 9.2-inch guns was no match for it!

Someone muttered quietly, "Is there only one?"

"Only one has been spotted so far, and it seems there's a small boat accompanying it," the lookout confirmed.

Lieutenant General Trein let out a long sigh, a cold smile creeping onto his lips: "A mere armored cruiser dares to spy on my eighteen capital ships?" He turned to the communications officer, "Signal it to keep its distance!"

Inside the conning tower of the armored cruiser "Jinghai," Luo Xinhua lowered his binoculars, a cold smile playing on his lips. He turned to the communications officer beside him: "Record: 10:15 AM, June 1, 1883, 13°26'N, 144°38'E, British main fleet spotted, confirmed."

He rattled off the types and characteristics of eighteen British warships in one breath, then added: "Heading northwest, speed 12 knots, expected destination Sasebo. I suggest the main force of the Pacific Fleet be dispatched immediately to intercept them."

Inside the communications room, the "communications priestess," Yukino Chizuru, flew her fingers across the telegraph keys, sending encrypted messages through a radio secretly installed on the ship. The "Jinghai" had been upgraded a month ago; previously, it could only send and receive "long waves," but now it could send and receive "short waves"! This "shorter wave" meant it could travel to very, very far places.
The British have not yet developed such revolutionary communication equipment.

"Captain," Navigation Officer Jiang Zhaoxing leaned closer and whispered, "the British have sent a signal warning us to keep our distance."

Luo Xinhua scoffed: "Return the signal: 'The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Navy's Jinghai is conducting a routine patrol on the high seas and will strictly abide by international law.'" He turned to the helmsman, "Slow down, maintain distance, and follow and monitor. Let them know—"

His gaze swept over the vast fleet in the distance, and his voice suddenly deepened: "The Pacific Ocean is our sea."

In the Prime Minister's Office in Tianjing, telegrams and military reports were piled on the sandalwood desk, and wisps of smoke rose from the bronze incense burner. Luo Yaoguo (Prince Wu) was bent over his desk reviewing official documents, marking memorials with a vermilion brush, his expression calm and composed.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

"Teacher!" Navy Minister Wang Yan strode in, a telegram in his hand, his expression grave. "The Jinghai has sent an urgent telegram!"

Luo Yaoguo paused, then looked up at Wang Yan: "Read it."

“1883年6月1日10时15分，北纬13度26分，东经144度38分，发现英国皇家海军澳大利亚舰队北上支队，计主力舰18艘、巡洋舰22艘、驱逐舰25艘、辅助舰21艘，航向西北，航速12节，预计目的地佐世保。”

After listening, Luo Yaoguo slowly put down his vermilion brush, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Good, very good."

Wang Yan laughed and said, "Teacher, the British are trying to take advantage of our unpreparedness and send their fleet into Sasebo to tie down our main force. This is exactly what we wanted!"

Luo Yaoguo stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, and looked at the city of Tianjing, its lights twinkling in the night—all of them were electric! He was silent for a moment, then coldly snorted, "Let that brat Luo Xinhua continue tracking! Send another telegram to Zhang Bao, the admiral of the Pacific Fleet—it's time for him to make his move!"

Wang Yan was taken aback, and whispered, "Teacher, but we haven't declared war yet..."

Luo Yaoguo chuckled, a sharp glint in his eyes: "We will declare war." He turned to Wang Yan, his tone resolute, "We will definitely declare war before the fighting even begins. We, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, are the most compliant with international law!"

Wang Yan instantly understood his meaning, his eyes gleaming: "Teacher means... to submit a declaration of war one or two hours before the fleet battle?"

(End of this chapter)