King of Beiyang

"Father, your son has returned!"

Li Jingyuan stood in front of Li Hongzhang.

"Good! You finally decided to come back!" Li Hongzhang patted Li Jingyuan on the shoulder, feeling quite proud.

Xu Jingcheng, the Qing Dynasty's minister to Germany, had already reported Li Jingyuan's activities there to Li Hongzhang via telegram. This left Li Hongzhang speechless but also greatly excited.

With neither his adopted son nor his eldest legitimate son to rely on, this third son surprised Li Hongzhang, who saw in him the hope of entrusting the entire Beiyang Group and the Huai Army to him.

"Third brother, it's been years since I last saw you. You've grown taller and stronger!" Li Jingshu said with a smile.

As Li Hongzhang's eldest son, Li Jingshu had no ambition. Apart from taking the imperial examinations, he spent his time by Li Hongzhang's side to fulfill his filial duties.

"Second brother, I've been away all these years, and you've taken care of everything at home. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Haha, we're brothers, why bring this up? Second brother has no other ambitions. It's good enough for me to stay at home, study and write." Li Jingshu appeared quite indifferent.

Li Jingyuan's return is a joyous occasion for the Li family.

In particular, the death of Li Hongzhang's second wife, Zhao Xiaolian, plunged the Li family into grief.

The next day, after handling official business, Li Hongzhang summoned Li Jingyuan to his study.

  

"Third brother, I have already secured the position of Vice Admiral of the Beiyang Fleet for you. I have also taken care of the officials in the court, and the appointment will be issued soon."

Regarding the Beiyang Fleet, I personally summoned Ding Ruchang. He is a sensible man and won't cause trouble; he will fully cooperate with you.

Li Hongzhang said.

"Thank you, Father!" Li Jingyuan felt relieved.

"However, Father, I believe this matter must be handled discreetly. Father has already become a target of attacks from the righteous faction. Working on this matter for me will most likely bring even more criticism upon you," Li Jingyuan reminded him.

"Don't worry, no matter how harshly those reformers criticize me, they can't do anything to me. As long as the Beiyang Army and the Huai Army are still in my hands, neither the Empress Dowager Cixi nor His Majesty can win me over!" Li Hongzhang said confidently.

This fully illustrates the saying that "whoever has the gun is king."

The Beiyang Army and Huai Army under Li Hongzhang were arguably the most capable fighting forces in the Qing Empire at that time.

In addition, Li Hongzhang had a large number of followers in both the imperial court and local areas.

As a result, Li Hongzhang's influence at present is completely unmatched.

Li Jingyuan nodded. He knew that although Li Hongzhang was loyal to the Qing Dynasty, the power he wielded had actually made the Qing rulers very wary.

During the First Sino-Japanese War, the Beiyang Army suffered heavy losses.

This actually gave the Qing court an opportunity to suppress Li Hongzhang.

Li Hongzhang was blamed for the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, and his subsequent dismissal was a natural consequence.

"Father, as long as nothing unexpected happens, or as long as the British do not personally intervene, defeating the Japanese should not be a problem for the Beiyang Fleet."

But the British clearly support the Japanese. Therefore, they are undoubtedly a major variable.

Li Jingyuan reminded him with a serious expression.

The Far East Fleet of the British Royal Navy is currently a formidable force.

Although the core main warships numbered only a dozen or so, neither the Beiyang Fleet nor the combined fleet of the Japanese were a match for the British Royal Navy's Far East Fleet.

The Royal Navy's Far East Fleet consisted of two Buffalo-class battleships, three Edgar-class cruisers, two Orlando-class cruisers, and four Apollo-class cruisers.

Among them, the Bavrell-class battleships had a standard displacement of 10 tons and were equipped with four 254 mm main guns and ten 120 mm rapid-fire guns.

The Edgar-class cruisers had a standard displacement of 10 tons and were armed with two 234mm main guns and ten 152mm rapid-fire guns.

The Orlando-class cruisers have a standard displacement of 10 tons and are armed with two 243mm main guns and ten 152mm rapid-fire guns.

The Apollo-class cruisers had a standard displacement of 6 tons and were armed with two 152mm main guns and six 120mm rapid-fire guns.

Such strength was enough to overwhelm the combined fleet of the Beiyang Fleet and the Japanese.

Even with the addition of six "Sea Sky-class" protected cruisers to the Beiyang Fleet, it was still only enough to give them a fighting chance against the Far East Fleet, which was equally formidable.

But the two Bavrell-class battleships were too formidable, not only with powerful firepower but also with extremely thick armor.

The two Dingyuan-class ironclad warships of the Beiyang Fleet were no match for it.

The main guns of the other warships were simply no match for the two battleships of the British Empire.

One point that must be acknowledged is that the British Royal Navy's ability to dominate the world's oceans for centuries and hold the throne of maritime supremacy is indeed remarkable.

The individual skill level of the Royal Navy's sailors is absolutely the best in the world.

Even more than a decade later, the German Imperial Navy could not compare with the Royal Navy in this respect.

The navies of other countries are even further behind.

The same applies to both the Beiyang Fleet and the Japanese Navy.

Moreover, the Far East Fleet was just one of many fleets in the Royal Navy of the British Empire.

In fact, they were the weakest of the three.

If they were to face the entire Royal Navy, the Beiyang Fleet would be far inferior.

In another timeline, the British did not intervene in this war.

But that's because the British supported the Japanese, and the Japanese had already won the naval battle, so of course the British wouldn't interfere.

This time was different. After being reinforced by Li Jingyuan, the Beiyang Fleet's strength increased dramatically, and it was fully capable of wiping out the Japanese.

So, will the British Empire still stand idly by when the time comes?

Li Hongzhang frowned upon hearing Li Jingyuan's concerns.

The British Empire was a world superpower, and the Qing Dynasty suffered greatly at the hands of the British over the years.

It can be said that the entire Qing Empire was filled with fear of the British Empire.

If the British intervene in this war, then the entire situation will indeed be extremely bad for the Beiyang Fleet.

"Will the British Empire intervene in this war?" Li Hongzhang couldn't help but worry.