"Mr. Ma Jifen, can't you wait until Mr. Xu comes back before saying goodbye?" Yang Yonglin asked sincerely, looking at his former comrades. Since the end of the Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1894, these foreigners who have served in the Beiyang Army and experienced many naval battles have

The members were immediately regarded as treasures by their motherland. They managed the entire war and must have a deeper understanding of naval warfare.

, and this is undoubtedly the most valuable resource for the navies of various countries. Actual combat experience is much more reliable than the so-called inferences that have been deduced on paper for a long time. Therefore, navies of various countries have requested to recall their own crews, and as a former fixed

Naturally, Maggie Fen, a distant ship officer, is included. He will return to the United States and become a cruiser captain.

"No, Mr. Lin, it's a great honor for you to come and see me off. Mr. Xu has more important things to do, so I won't bother him." Ma Jifen declined. In fact, deep down in his heart, Ma Jifen

I know, including Yang Yonglin

The Second Beiyang Marine Division was very angry about the United States' support for Japan during the war. Although it was not bad for him, a comrade who had fought together, but now judging from various information obtained, Beiyang's revenge against the United States has begun.

.

"Do you have anything else to say? My friend?" Yang Yonglin asked.

"I just want to ask, what role does Beiyang play in Italy's arms sales to Spain? And what is the nature of your country's contact with Spain?" Ma Jifen hesitated and said it.

"It's just normal trade. Although Mr. Xu has a good relationship with Italy, he can't decide anything. As for Beiyang's promise to the Spaniards to send officers to serve in the Spanish Navy, it is also a normal exchange." Yang Yonglin said vaguely.

"But you know, the relationship between Spain and my motherland is becoming increasingly tense. And this is an unfriendly sign to the United States of America." McGiffin said.

"The British provided funds for the Spanish, the Italians provided technology and warships for the Spanish, and Beiyang only sent a few people there. If this ship is considered hostile, I'm afraid the United States has too many enemies." Yang Yonglin said dissatisfied. "By the way, by the way.

Let me say something. Your country's support for Japan has made the Qing Dynasty very angry. There is a saying that sooner or later, it will be replaced. I hope you can tell the US authorities that the United States should not stretch its hand too long."

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. This is the will of the country and is not something we can decide. I just hope that we will not become enemies in the future." Ma Jifen said with a sigh.

"Maybe. We will meet each other on the ocean outside the West Indies in the near future." Yang Yonglin said in his heart. "I hope we will not meet on the battlefield. But we will always be friends. Your contribution to the Beiyang Fleet

You will never be forgotten. The Beiyang Fleet welcomes you at any time." Yang Yonglin still respects this friend who lives and dies together, even if the two sides will compete on the battlefield in the future.

"Yes, Yang, we will always be friends." After saying this, Ma Jifen and Yang Yonglin hugged each other tightly. Many years later, after Ma Jifen became the Secretary of the Navy of the United States, he often talked about this matter with his son.

This is the commander of the Chinese Navy and the Secretary of the Navy of the United States in later generations.

’s first embrace, and this embrace not only represents the end of cooperation between the two parties, but also represents the countdown to preparations for the Spanish-American War. The United States is doing everything possible to integrate its fleet, and the Spanish fleet is also in the process of personnel and ships.

and make last-ditch efforts on port facilities!

"Colonel Magiffin, you are now a captain in the U.S. Navy. I am Lieutenant Colonel Ross, the captain of the USS Olympia cruiser. I will be responsible for transporting you back to the country." Ross said with a smile. Half an hour later, he looked at Magiffin in front of him. This

The American captain extended his hand in a friendly manner and said.

"Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Ross, I would like to visit this latest American cruiser." Maggie shook hands with the other party politely and then said.

"As you wish, please come with me." Ross made an invitation gesture as he walked and introduced the warship, which was only commissioned in February 1892. "Olympia started construction in June 1891 and was completed in November 1892.

It was launched in February and officially entered service in February this year. The ship has a standard displacement of 5,865 tons, a length of 104 meters, a width of 16 meters, and a draft of 6.5

5 meters. The entire ship is covered with dome armor. The horizontal part is 2 inches, the inclined part is 4.75 inches, and the command tower is 5 inches. The front and rear turrets are protected by 3 to 4 inches of armor. All armor is new Harvey hardened armor. Maximum output

The power is 13,500 horses. The maximum speed is 20 knots. However, it has reached a high speed of 21.68 knots during testing."

"The Olympia is most proud of its firepower. The first twin 8-inch turret can ensure that the artillery can fire in a 40-second round. There are 10 5-inch guns on the side. There are also 14 6-pound guns and 6 1-inch guns.

pounders, and six 18-inch torpedo tubes, enough to suppress Beiyang

"Guiyuan-class battleship." Ross said proudly. In fact, the reason why the United States sent this new battleship to the Far East this time was not only to pick up a person for an ocean voyage, but more importantly, it wanted to go to the Philippines.

At the same time, let’s take a look at the level of the First Fleet in the Far East.

Ross will never forget this day. On October 7, 1895, when the Olympia sailed into the Lushun Naval Base of the Beiyang Fleet, there were 3 large, 3 small and 6 armored cruisers of the Beiyang Fast Fleet, as well as the Japanese battleships that were settled and captured.

Docked next to the Olympia. Although the fleet is not large in number,

However, the power of the Pisa class and the skill of the Guiyuan class left a profound impact on Ross. What impressed Ross most was the well-trained training of the Beiyang Fleet and the aura left behind after experiencing a battle of blood and fire. That left a deep impression on Ross.

This kind of momentum of not being afraid of hardships and daring to win is definitely not something that a navy that has never fought in a war can have.

Later, Ross was able to visit the flagship of the Second Fast Formation of the Beiyang Fleet, the Guiyuan. Although the Qing Dynasty and the United States were very unhappy during the Sino-Japanese War, due etiquette was still in place, not to mention the return of Ma Jifen. The Beiyang Fleet

Americans will know some of the superficial things in it. Although the Guiyuan is not big, it has novel design and practicality.

The extreme configuration still amazed this American from across the ocean. The entire Guiyuan-class battleship has a compact structure. Although the sea trial performance and stability are reduced, the entire battleship is still a stable platform, and

By adjusting the layout and weight division, the already heavy weapon can be as little affected by sea conditions as possible.

From this visit, Lieutenant Colonel Ross felt for the first time that the Spaniards might not be as easy to deal with as he imagined. When he met with Maggie Fen today, he couldn't wait to hear the views of this officer who had served in the Northern Fleet.

.

"In terms of firepower, the Olympia is almost the same as the Guiyuan. It may have a slight disadvantage. After all, Beiyang's turret guns have a faster fire rate. Although the opponent only has 8 medium-caliber guns, they have a larger caliber. The Olympia may have more firepower.

It is better than the predecessor of the Guiyuan class." Ma Jifen said.

"Does it mean that the Olympia is not as good as the Guiyuan-class Beiyang class in terms of other performance?" The speed disadvantage of an armored ship compared to a dome-shaped ship is even more obvious, and Ross naturally knows the answer to the question.

"This is a design problem. The dome armor can provide better protection for the core cabin, but for the navy equipped with high-explosive bombs and rapid fire cannons, even if the core cabin is not destroyed, the warship will still lose its gun position and

Too much water entered and it sank." Ma Jifen thought for a while and said.

"But it doesn't matter. American shipyards are producing larger and more advanced warships. We will not lose to the Spanish. Mr. Colonel, come and sit in my cabin. The navy bosses asked me to give you something." Ross

Changed the topic.

"We need your experience to provide valuable reference opinions for the development of the navy. We also need outstanding officers who have been baptized in actual combat to command the American fleet. This is the Indiana-class battleship, which was started in 1891. It may be after you return

By that time, the first 10,000-ton battleship had already been commissioned." In the captain's cabin of the Olympia, Lieutenant Colonel Ross handed a piece of information to Magiffin as he spoke.

"The most eye-catching thing about this battleship is its firepower. Four 13-inch 35L main guns and eight 8-inch 35L main guns. These guns are installed in twin turrets and arranged in a hexagonal shape. In addition, there are

It has 4 6-inch guns, 20 6-pound guns and 6 18-inch torpedo tubes. And its armor protection is also very good. Of course, the speed is still a little lower." After saying this, Rossi looked at it with a serious expression.

McGiffin.

"If I guess correctly, Indiana's 13-inch gun uses chestnut gunpowder. The actual power may not be as good as the 12-inch naval gun of Britain, France and other countries. In terms of firepower, this battleship is indeed very powerful on paper, but

Considering that the 13-inch gun fire rate is too slow, the 8-inch gun may be

The existing problem of insufficient power, in fact, the combat effectiveness is average. As for the armor? I can only say that there are many problems in the design, among which the main armor belt has excessive defense, but the height is insufficient, which is the most serious. As for the speed, I can only say that this speed

It’s really hard for people to accept.” Ma Jifen said helplessly.

"It doesn't matter, Mr. Colonel, we have high-speed battleships. We have high-speed battleships that are more powerful than the Olympia. You are looking at this. This is the Brooklyn armored cruiser that was only started in 1993. It has a displacement of 9,215 tons. Although the outer armor is slightly

It's a bit thin, with only 3 inches of Harvey armor, but it covers a large enough area. More importantly, there is a layer of dome armor protection with sufficient strength behind the main armor belt.

, the inclined surface is 6-inch armor, and the horizontal part is 3-inch armor. In this way, the core compartment is enough to resist the attack of the 12-inch main gun. In terms of firepower, there are 8 8-inch 35l main guns, 12 5-inch 40l artillery, and 12

6-pound gun. And more importantly, the speed reached 20 knots, and the trial speed reached more than 21 knots." After speaking, Ross looked at Magiffin expectantly, waiting for his response.

"I need time. I need to systematically understand the composition of the U.S. Navy and the status of its ships. Can you give me some time to study and analyze the information on my own?" said Ma Jifen.

"Of course, we have plenty of time. Admiral Simpson and Colonel Mahan hope to see your report at the Annapolis Naval Academy." Ross said with a smile.

"I am very honored to accept this job." Ma Jifen nodded with satisfaction.
Chapter completed!