Nanyang Storm 1864

After the launching ceremony of the "Kunlunshan" ship, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu gave it high praise, which made the naval officers overjoyed and their excitement was evident.

This means that the first batch of four new battleships is secured. With His Majesty the Emperor's attention, the royal treasury allocation will certainly be disbursed in full and on time, and will not be subject to sudden reductions.

think back then

The construction plan for the battleship "Coconut City" was reduced from the original 12 ships to just two, which greatly distressed the naval officers. They were so depressed that they couldn't eat or sleep.

The second ship, "Qinling," began construction last October and is expected to be launched in mid-June.

The third ship, "Tianshan," only started construction in February of this year and will not be able to be fitted with amphibious equipment until early next year. It will not be officially commissioned until the end of next year.

The fourth ship, "Changbaishan," is also the one with the most uncertain fate, and its financial allocation should be disbursed in the third quarter.

The shipyard has already begun preliminary preparations, and orders for the corresponding super-large steam turbines, new high-pressure boilers, high-pressure pipes, main guns and ammunition delivery systems have been placed. These important equipment and materials must be ordered in advance to avoid falling behind the construction schedule.

Now it seems like you can pinch a snail with three fingers... very steady indeed!
The construction cost of the lead ship, "Kunlunshan," reached a staggering 912 million silver dollars, making it the most expensive single-ship warship ever built. Its strength was undeniable, but the price paid was also quite astonishing.

All advanced technological equipment is built upon mountains of gold and silver.

In terms of the cost of building a main warship, various types of steel rank first, equipment ranks second, and labor and management costs rank third, accounting for no more than 10% of the total cost, normally around 7-8%.

Taking the Kunlunshan as an example, it consumed a total of 1.47 tons of various high-standard special steels. This does not even include the weight of several thousand tons of equipment. It is essentially a floating iron lump at sea.

Even with the immense financial resources of the Great Chu Empire, equipping them at a rate of two new ships built and two launched per year would be quite a challenge.

After all, the Royal Navy's funding is not limited to main battleships. It also includes the development of new heavy cruisers, light cruisers, torpedo destroyers, gun destroyers and torpedo boats, as well as various levels of patrol vessels for the second-line maritime guard area, the purchase and purchase of ammunition, and the continuous investment in naval stations and naval docks in various places. There are too many places where money needs to be spent.

Such major maritime military development projects often require special funding.

After the ceremony

Foreign Minister Lee Kyung-hee walked toward his car, preparing to leave, when he was stopped by Rear Admiral Chu-Zheng Hong, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Royal Navy, who was behind him.

"Lord Li, please take your time. I'd like to hitch a ride with you. I have something to discuss with you on the way."

"Oh... Your Highness, shall I take you back first?"

"No rush, let's talk on the bus."

"Then... Your Highness, please."

"Lord Li, you are too kind. You are a high-ranking official among the Nine Ministers. Please go first. I just wanted to hitch a ride."

"That won't do. Your Highness's status is beyond measure..."

After some polite tug-of-war, Major General Chu-Zheng Hong practically carried Li Jingxi into the back seat of the car before getting in himself.

Rear Admiral Chu-Zheng Hong is one of the dozen or so princes who have developed in the Royal Navy. He is ranked as the twenty-first prince and has served as a destroyer captain, an instructor in the command department of the Royal Navy Senior Military Academy, a light cruiser captain, the captain of the ironclad ship "Zhenxi", and a senior staff officer of the Admiralty. He has served in the Royal Navy for more than 20 years and is in the prime of his life.

He and Li Jingxi got along very well and were friends for many years.

The Great Chu Empire never prohibited foreign officials from having close relationships with princes. The emperor had many sons, and ninety-nine percent of the ministers could not recognize them all. What good would that do?

After the two got into the car, it quickly drove away from the ceremony site, heading south towards the city.

The ceremony took place at the Royal Navy pier in the northern suburbs of the city. The presence of a large number of military and police personnel along the route ensured smooth traffic and allowed for a rapid journey.

Li Jingxi knew that His Highness Chu-Zheng Hong must have something on his mind, but having served as an official for decades, he was extremely composed and only chatted idly in the carriage.

"As far as I know, His Highness the Thirty-Third Prince is doing very well in Dubai, and his smuggling business is booming. This has even alarmed Istanbul, and the Ottoman Empire has negotiated with the Empire on several occasions, expressing great indignation."

"It's because he dared to take this step. To be honest, many of us royal brothers are envious, but Father Emperor is very strict with us. It won't be easy for us to go out and explore the world again."

"Actually, that's not the case. His Majesty has always been kind and tolerant. As long as you find a suitable location for expansion and colonization, and it doesn't cause serious international disputes, provided that the research is rigorous, there should still be a chance."

"Many of the prince's brothers do have these things on their minds, but none of them have taken a crucial step yet. In my opinion, they are all just braggarts."

"That's not entirely true. After all, expanding overseas requires risking one's entire fortune, and one might have to stay there for the rest of their life. It's not an easy decision to make."

"Lord Li, there's no need to cover for them. Among us imperial brothers, including myself, there aren't many who are willing to go all out. Thirty-third brother is quite a character."

"Hehe, great minds think alike."

After chatting for a while, His Highness Chu-Zheng Hong couldn't help but change the subject and ask, "Lord Li, I would like to ask, what stage have the negotiations with Japan regarding the abolition of the concessions reached?"

This……

Li Jingxi glanced at Major General Chu-Zheng Hong with slight surprise. This matter was a diplomatic secret, and the two countries were in secret negotiations, so it was not appropriate to disclose the specific progress.

His Highness the Twenty-First Prince is no novice; he should know the rules of secrecy.

"Lord Li, please don't overthink it. The Chief of the Navy just asked me to inquire about this; he's just concerned," Major General Chu-Zheng Hong explained.

After hearing the explanation, Li Jingxi's surprised expression softened considerably, and he responded;
"If that's the case, then there's nothing to worry about."

Given Lord Ho's rank and position, he has the right to access diplomatic secrets of this level. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' high-level briefing this week originally stated that all cabinet ministers had the right to access such information, and it would be available in a few days.

Since you've asked, I'll explain in detail.

As you all know, since the Battle of Tsushima, the Japanese have been riding high on a wave of arrogance and a sense of looking down on everyone. Fueled by narrow-minded nationalism, this has become increasingly uncontrollable.

In less than 10 months, from May of last year to now, local residents in Japan have launched wave after wave of protests.

With the deliberate tacit approval of the local police, the illegal storming of the concession caused numerous incidents and strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.

At the strong request of Japan and at the initiative of Britain, France and the United States, the Empire restarted negotiations on the concession issue.

The fourth round of diplomatic consultations is now underway. Due to the large gap between the two sides' positions, the negotiations are progressing slowly and there are serious disagreements on many issues.

The victory in the Russo-Japanese War made these Japanese pirates incredibly arrogant, leading them to make many outrageous demands.

For example, they demanded the unconditional takeover of the concessions, the confiscation of land, buildings, businesses, docks, warehouses, and other structures ceded under the so-called unequal treaties, and the dissolution of the concession's municipal council, tax bureau, and police station. They also ordered the immediate cessation of operations of the Empire's bank branches and telegraph offices in the concessions, demanding the refund of users' funds and profits, etc. The demands were utterly absurd and laughable.

Analysis revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believed Japan was desperate for money and wanted to take over the Imperial concessions to recoup its losses, with extremely malicious intentions. Following His Majesty's supreme decree of "reasonableness, advantage, and restraint," the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected all such unreasonable demands and sought the understanding and support of Britain, France, the United States, and other countries.

Given the current situation
The Empire did not close the door to abolishing the concessions, but this was based on ensuring that the interests of the Empire's industrial and commercial sectors and the personal and property safety of the Chinese community were not harmed.

This point is non-negotiable.

Before Japan clearly recognizes this point, adjusts its own position, and respects the interests and concerns of the Empire's business community, the so-called abolition of concessions is out of the question.

Judging from the current situation, a breakdown in the fourth round of negotiations is inevitable, and the prospects for further negotiations are not optimistic.

"Oh... I see. These shameless Japanese pirates really dare to think so. They got cocky after beating the Russians, they don't even know their own limitations. With my fiery temper... I'll just take them down." Major General Chu-Zheng Hong said indignantly.

Li Jingxi glanced at him calmly, without saying a word.

At that moment, he understood that this was the prince's true purpose.

So, you're suggesting that this Minister speak before His Majesty? That's rather disrespectful.

Is Honbu-do the kind of idiot who gets taken advantage of?
This matter also involves His Majesty's deeper strategies. Li Jingxi has served His Majesty for many years and has roughly realized that this is a "bait and switch" tactic, and that he will strike swiftly when the time is right.

From both the perspective of national dignity and international law, it firmly occupies the moral high ground, leaving the British with no room for argument.

This is not out of fear of the British, but rather a display of more mature and sophisticated great power wisdom, manipulating the Japanese with ease.

This caused them to suffer a loss, lose face, and be impolite.

This was merely Li Jingxi's speculation. His Majesty had never explicitly stated it, and naturally, he would not tell anyone, but would simply cooperate silently.

Slow, arrogant, and careless diplomatic negotiations would greatly anger the Japanese and cause them to do irrational things.

There are already signs of progress, which is great.

……

Feeling threatened by the Fusang Combined Fleet, the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire has formulated more than ten operational plans to strike the Fusang Combined Fleet over the past year and has conducted rigorous simulations and demonstrations under various naval battle scenarios.

The results were extremely optimistic, with seven wins, two draws, and one loss.

In weapons simulation
The only time the Great Chu Empire lost to the Fusang Allied Fleet was when the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire was attacked from a distance without being declared war. Despite several of its new capital ships being severely damaged, the Great Chu Empire lost by a narrow margin.

Since winning the Battle of Tsushima, the strength of the Fusang Allied Fleet has expanded like an inflating balloon.

Its own four battleships, plus four new battleships surrendered by Tsarist Russia, formed the formidable "Eight-Eight Fleet".

With the addition of two 16,000-ton battleships that returned to China at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, its main battleship fleet has expanded to ten ships, including a large number of heavy cruisers and light cruisers.

Overall, their combat strength is truly formidable.

The gap between them and the Great Chu Empire's total of 15 battleships (Note: the Kunlun Mountain battleship had just begun its amphibious preparations and had not yet entered service) had narrowed again.

This gave the Japanese a huge boost of confidence, making them feel that they could finally compete with the Great Chu Empire.

As a result, Japan's tone became particularly aggressive in various international settings, showing a strong tendency to provoke trouble.

This situation is almost a replica of the drastically different attitude of the Japanese towards Tsarist Russia after the signing of the Russo-Japanese Alliance Treaty in 1902, which became unprecedentedly tough.

The Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire already looked down on the Japanese, so how could they tolerate this?

The naval commanders were eager for battle, which was not surprising, given their strength and glorious record since the founding of the nation. The Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire had its own pride.

The Imperial Navy had defeated the British task force and the French Far East Fleet in direct combat, and completely annihilated the Spanish Luzon Fleet and the Dutch Royal Navy East India Fleet. It was an incredibly powerful and formidable naval force.

Since the Japanese pirates are so eager to cause trouble, we'd like to teach them a lesson.

It's like a man who sings well; when he goes to a karaoke bar, his throat gets itchy, and he always wants to show off his skills and let those mediocre people know what singing is all about. It's only human nature.

The problem is that
The Navy should actively seek war from His Majesty, but it would be unethical to indirectly persuade His Majesty to have the head of the Navy speak to him indirectly.

Li Jingxi's face remained expressionless, revealing no emotion whatsoever. He simply turned his gaze forward and instructed his secretary, "Oh... turn right ahead and go to the General Post Office on Jinling Avenue."

"Yes, sir." The secretary quickly replied and whispered to the driver to change course.

Li Jingxi and Prince Zheng Hong of Chu had a gentlemanly friendship. They often met in public and had pleasant conversations, indicating that they appreciated each other.

They didn't have a particularly deep personal relationship, but they handled the situation very well.

He was displeased by the other party's probing, but he wouldn't say anything harsh. So he made an excuse to go to the General Post Office, intending to change cars and return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This car will take Your Highness back.

Major General Chu-Zheng Hong hadn't expected him to be so sensitive. He had only inadvertently let slip a sentence, which had already alerted Li Jingxi, and he felt a little regretful.

So he explained;

"Lord Li, I apologize. I was also manipulated by my colleagues and lost my composure for a moment. I wanted to sound out their opinions, but I was being reckless."

"Your Highness is too kind. These Japanese are indeed hateful, and I understand their feelings perfectly. Oh... I have official business to attend to here, so I will not accompany Your Highness any longer. Let my carriage take Your Highness back first. Make sure you arrive safely and smoothly, without the slightest negligence."

"As you command, sir."

"Lord Li, this... well, please forgive me."

"Your Highness is too kind. It was just a casual conversation, nothing serious. Please don't take it to heart."

"Uh... thank you!"

Chu-Zheng Hong forced a smile and waved goodbye, sighing inwardly that he had lost another friend.

These cabinet ministers are all incredibly shrewd and perceptive; they can understand the meaning behind a single sentence, and their composure is remarkable. You can't help but admire their skill. (End of Chapter)