As the Battle of Santiago Port came to an end, the Americans did not bring Cuba and other Caribbean areas under their control. Spain, a country that had long been in decline, finally defended its only shred of dignity. Of course, at this price

It is also very huge. Not only did the fleet that we worked so hard to build was crippled, but the fleet that year was

The fiscal deficit has reached a new high.** Of course, all of this has nothing to do with Yang Yonglin. After returning to Spain, Yang Yonglin ignored the attempts of the Spanish top management represented by Severa to stay, and did not accept the invitation to go to Germany or the United Kingdom.

Instead, he quickly took a cruise back to Beiyang, a place that had haunted him for several years.

"Master Yang, how do you feel?" Xu Jie asked with a smile in the admiral's room of the Pinghai, the flagship of the Beiyang Fleet.

"We haven't seen each other for a few years. This Beiyang Fleet is no longer what it used to be. Master Xu is indeed very generous. In just a few years, it has surpassed Master Zhongtang's preparations of more than 20 years!" Yang Yonglin said sincerely. "It is said that we still have more.

Buy a third battleship from Italy?”

"Well, it is also of the Dante class, temporarily named Jinghai. In this way, the Beiyang Fleet has 3 battleships and 4 armored cruisers (two Pisa-class armored cruisers, Tianjin and Dalian. Two Garibo

Tier 1 armored cruiser), 4 ships returned

In addition to the class light armored cruiser (the new one is temporarily named Anyuan), we will also have 4 to 6 2,000-ton third-class protected cruisers to cover the main fleet operations, which is the Hailong class of that year.

Improved type." Xu Jie nodded and said.

"In addition to this, the Overseas Fleet will also have three King-class armored cruisers by this time next year. One of them is newly built by our Beiyang Dalian Shipyard. (.) It is temporarily named Fuzhou. Plus one

A Yoshino and three Hailong-class improved warships can be considered a powerful force. In addition to these two fleets, a certain number of torpedo boats will also be arranged." Xu Jie reviewed the fleet situation of the entire Beiyang system.

He said after the introduction.

"In this way, our navy in the Beiyang system can be considered to be strong and strong. What about the Russians? Will they not just accept this situation?" Yang Yonglin asked.

"Master Yang, haven't you heard any news in Europe?" Xu Jie asked thoughtfully.

"The Russia ordered by the Russians in France has been completed and will arrive in the Far East soon. In addition, two improved Azov-type cruisers departing from the Russian Baltic will also arrive in the Far East. If I remember correctly, they should.

It's the Warrior and the Goddess." Yang Yonglin thought for a while and said.

"Master Yang is still very well informed. The Russians still have backup. They will send at least one more battleship and an improved cruiser to the Sea of ​​Azov. This battleship is likely to be the Navarin. Although it is very old.

, but it is a battleship after all." Xu Jie paused, took out a form and said: "In this way, the Russian Far East Fleet will reach such a size next year."

"There are three battleships, namely Petropavlovsko, Poltava and Navarin. The first two are ships of the same class, with four 12-inch 40L heavy guns and 12 6-inch 45L secondary guns.

, 12 9-pound guns, 28 1-pound guns, 4 torpedo tubes (the secondary gun configuration has been improved here, and 2 torpedo tubes have been reduced). The main armor belt is 16 inches, and the upper armor belt is 5 inches.

inch. The turret is 14 inches. It has an output of 14,000 horsepower and an estimated speed of 18 knots. However, it is said that for some reasons, these ships can run at a speed of 17 knots. The Navarin is equipped with four 12-inch 40l main guns (historically

It is 35L, improved here) 8 6-inch guns and 8 3-pound guns. The main armor is 16-inch steel armor. The upper armor is 8 inches. The speed is 16 knots.

"There are two armored cruiser leaders. One is the Rurik. This is our old friend, so I won't go into details. The other is the French-made Russian, equipped with 4 274mm cannons. 4

8-inch guns and 8 6

inch guns, and 12 9-pound guns. The side armor is 10-inch hardened armor, the upper part is 7-inch, and the front of the turret is 10-inch. The maximum output power is 19,000 horsepower, the displacement is 11,000 tons, and the maximum speed can

to knot 20."

"There are 5 armored cruisers. Among them, the Turquoise and the Pearl are known to their capabilities. The other three are Azov Sea improved cruisers. Apart from the improved layout, other capabilities have not changed much. They are the Warrior and the Goddess.

and the Parada.”

"From this point of view, the overall strength of its main fleet is not much weaker than our Beiyang Fleet. I don't know how good the auxiliary battleships are." Yang Yonglin frowned.

"It's not clear. Those warships that are mainly used to break diplomatic relations are no more expensive than battleships. I don't know how many ships the Russians can build." Xu Jie said with a wry smile. In history, in 1904,

After the opening of the Russian War, the light on the Pacific Ocean,

In addition to the three 10,000-ton armored cruisers in Vladivostok and the battleship trapped in Lushun, the Russians have five protected cruisers of more than 5,000 tons, two 3,000-ton protected cruisers, and a 7,000-ton armored cruiser Bayan.

!

"It seems that our mode of fighting the Russians this time is more focused on protecting transportation lines, supplemented by fleet battles. After all, the Russians are not stupid and will not risk their lives against you when they are at a disadvantage.

!" Yang Yonglin said with a headache. After all, winning the decisive battle does not mean that the safety of the traffic line can be perfectly protected.

"Yes, it is very troublesome. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese needed to ensure the smooth flow of transportation lines. During the Spanish-American War, the U.S. Navy also had to ensure the smooth flow of transportation lines and at the same time take into account the pressure from the government and the people. Otherwise, the front

In a decisive battle, the Spanish fleet has almost no chance. But now, it is our turn to ensure the safety of this long maritime artery from the south to the north. I wonder what Mr. Yang has in mind?" Xu Jie asked.

"I have an idea, and that is the tracking tactic implemented by the Royal Navy against the cruisers of potential opponents. It tracked each of the opponent's warships leaving the port, and always kept the opponent's situation under its own control. If a war broke out, it would immediately

From tracking to attacking, and now with radios, even if the tracking warship cannot effectively attack the opponent, it can at least guide the target for friendly ships or delay the opponent," Yang Yonglin said.

"Well, this method is good. The Guiyuan-class combat effectiveness is relatively low, but the speed is fast enough. In this case, it will not reduce the fleet's combat effectiveness too much, and at the same time, it can keep track of the opponent at all times. Although the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea cannot be counted

Small, but definitely not too big. In this way, the situation of the sea battle will be much clearer." Xu Jie nodded and agreed.

"It will be better if this is further refined. You can now act as the admiral of the Beiyang Fleet. Lang Weili is mainly responsible for training and daily management. I will be away for a while recently. The specific preparations for war are up to you. In addition,

We also need to keep in touch with Governor Lin of the Overseas Fleet. I need you to come up with a practical plan before our next meeting." Xu Jie said slowly.

Although the navy is very important, Xu Jie has a more important thing to do now, which is to persuade Li Hongzhang to join his plan!
Chapter completed!