The mid-19th century was an era of great technological change, and ship technology also underwent earth-shaking changes during this period. This is the era when sailing battleship technology reaches its peak, this is the era when steam turbines and ironclad battleships begin to sprout, this is also the era when new types of gunpowder replace the old granular gunpowder...
Countless new technologies were invented and promoted during this period. The advancement of science and technology directly pushed the wheels of the second industrial revolution and reshaped a new map of the great powers.
The United States, Germany, Japan, and even the red Soviet Union in the future, these emerging powers that influenced the direction of modern history all jumped on the wave of the second industrial revolution, until they finally replaced the two established powers, Britain and France.
With the huge power of new technology, it is indeed possible to change the strength and weakness of the human world, but this change does not happen overnight. The popularization of any new technology takes time.
For example, the telegraph technology that has changed the pattern of human communication is obviously very mature now, but it is not that easy to popularize a global telegraph network. It will take at least ten years to lay a submarine communication cable across the ocean.
Nowadays, the exchange of information between the East and the West can only take advantage of telegraph technology in a limited area, but more often than not, ships still need to ride the wind and waves to deliver messages to distant places.
The time difference is very scary, because many conspiracies and tricks are hidden in the time difference. The speed competition that Molière said is not an empty talk. Sometimes a piece of intelligence can determine the outcome of a battle.
"Xiao Letian, I admit that my talents are far inferior to yours, but unfortunately, there is only one Xiao Letian in the entire Eastern world, and you can never become two... What's more, the people of East Asia are ignorant and backward. Without the inspiration of a hero, they are just a bunch of sheep doing nothing..."
"Just wait. When you return to Asia and see Ryukyu razed to the ground, I think you will regret having offended the powerful France...Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
The fanatical Knight Molière stood on the deck, praying to God all night long, and expressed his determination to His Majesty the Emperor. Under this religious self-brainwashing, his will to fight became stronger.
The fleet led by Molière consisted of one battleship, the main battleship Glorious, plus seven frigates and two cruisers. Among them, only Glorious had a three-layer artillery firing deck, with a number of 140 guns, and the remaining The frigates below all have double-layer gun decks, and the average number of guns is about 60.
As for the two fast cruisers, they only have a single shooting deck and only 20 guns. Their main function is to use their speed advantage to protect the battlefield.
According to Major General Bruce's opinion, there would be absolutely no accidents in this punishment battle of the task force. With a total of 600 artillery pieces, it would only take two or three salvos to turn Naha Port into a sea of flames. Even against the entire Qing Dynasty, the advantage of six hundred artillery pieces was obvious.
As long as supplies are sufficient, this expeditionary fleet can bomb all the coastal cities in China, and then knock off the government's 1.8 million taels of silver, so that everyone can even earn retirement money.
Major General Bruce thought very well, but he was unable to assimilate Special Envoy Moliere. This knight from Paris seemed to always have worries in his heart, and he was always counting the time in his mouth. Major General Bruce made several circumstantial inquiries but found nothing.
However, the officers of the entire fleet knew that this special envoy must have some unknown plan secretly.
Just when the French task force was about to pass through Malacca, no one in the Qing Empire and Ryukyu Kingdom in the north knew that such a fleet was heading towards them, and no one had the slightest sense of crisis.
Directly north of the Forbidden City, on the edge of the Beihai Sea as the royal garden, there are swaying willow shades and a cool breeze. Although the Manchu nobles who are afraid of the heat no longer have the Old Summer Palace as a good place to spend their summers, the Shichahai Sea system can still meet their needs.
Although Emperor Chongzhen was hanged in Meishan in Beihai, the brave Eight Banners disciples outside the pass obviously don't care. They are not afraid of you Chongzhen when they are alive. Do they still need to be afraid of your ghost after death? Not only that, Meishan was renovated many times in the hands of the Manchus, and the pavilions and pavilions were even more luxurious than those in the Ming Dynasty.
The empress dowagers of the two palaces have been in a very good mood in the past six months. Although Xiao Letian popped up from overseas in the fourth year of Tongzhi, which caused a lot of trouble for a year, but fortunately with the blessing of the ancestors, the monkey finally stopped.
He also got married at the beginning of the year, and his aunt from Manchuria became his wife. He also accepted the beauties given to him by the royal family with a smile. In the past six months, he actually paid taxes of 30,000 taels of silver to the Ministry of Internal Affairs through Master Qing. .
Even though the money is not much, the royal family has received this heartfelt offer. It is said that with Xiao Letian's current strength, even if he does not pay a penny to the Qing Dynasty, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Internal Affairs will not dare to come to visit him. That Sun Houhou can He really dared to kill people. The Qing Dynasty couldn't bear his torture.
But now that no one is asking for it, he actually takes the initiative to hand it over. This strong political signal can be seen clearly by the royal family. Isn't this just taking the initiative to soften the situation and ease the situation? This incident makes the royal family feel great face.
Not only that, Zeng Guofan's suppression of the long-haired remnants in the south, and Li Hongzhang's campaign to suppress the Nian Army in Shandong and Henan were also going very smoothly. The little emperor clapped his hands and laughed after reading the victory reports one after another.
Then there are the three major industrial zones in the Qing Dynasty, which are now very prosperous. Especially in Fuqing, it can be said that everything is going smoothly. In half a year, the foundations of various roads, culverts, and factory buildings in the park have been built. Eighty-eight. The Third Master would give the Prime Minister's Yamen a coupon almost every ten days, and the joy in his words made Prince Gong drink a few more glasses.
The highest entertainment enjoyment for ancient people was to watch a big show. As soon as the Queen Mothers of the two palaces got together, they erected a stage on the edge of Beihai. The top ten famous opera troupes in the capital sang the show with great enthusiasm for three days, which not only made people The royal family was happy, and the civil and military officials of the entire court were also happy.
For a time, the sound of silk and bamboo could be heard all the way along the Beihai coast. Various operas were performed in competition, and ten theater troupes opened ten stages along the Beihai coast. Everyone showed off their special skills and tried their best to attract the whole court. Civil and military eyeballs.
The little emperor and the empress dowagers of the two palaces had never seen anyone singing like this before. All the civil and military officials in the court were a little dumbfounded. When I looked back, I found out that this method was actually thought up by Er Mao, the most popular eunuch around the little emperor. Even We came up with a name called the Opera League.
"Greetings to Lafayette, greetings to the emperor, and greetings to all your lords! I'm just thinking about it. I think this craft is good or not. You have to compare to know. Ten major theater troupes are performing at the same time. Everyone can watch whatever they like. There are the most people under the stage, so shouldn’t there be a ranking?"
"There is a competitive mentality inside. Do you think they can stop working hard? It is estimated that in these three days, they will have to show off all the unique skills of their ancestor. If they can earn the first place, their troupe will be in the capital in the future. But it’s the number one one!”
After Er Mao explained this, everyone suddenly understood. The two queen mothers were overjoyed and announced on the spot that the one who came out on top in the three-day show would be allowed to hold the title of royal troupe for one year. He would wait until a big stage opens next to Beihai in a year, and then grab it. A first win.
This was an extraordinary moment. Being able to hold a royal title was an honor that the children of Liyuan could not even imagine. On the spot, the class leaders showed off all their ancestral pressing skills, and the scene on the edge of Beihai was as noisy as New Year's Eve. Even more lively.
"All ministers, please hold up your wine glass and congratulate the Queen Mother! Congratulate the Emperor! Congratulate our Qing Dynasty! I wish the Qing Dynasty ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"
"Wish me the Qing Dynasty, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"
Amidst the congratulations, the Queen Mothers of the two palaces felt as if they had drank a large bowl of wine, and their whole hearts were intoxicated. "All the ministers are so loyal, the Ai family has seen it. The Qing Dynasty shares weal and woe with all the ministers, and shares the glory and wealth!" "
Cixi roared, and all the civil and military officials were excited. Being able to share the glory and wealth in the bath of imperial power was a blessing that had been cultivated for several lifetimes. As for how miserable the lives of the untouchables are and how ambitious overseas foreigners are, it has nothing to do with you. We only want the wealth we have today.
The atmosphere was already overwhelming. The Tongzhi ZTE was promoted by the literati in such an enthusiastic atmosphere of flowers and fire. Who in the end prospered in the prosperous dynasty? How many people are grieving? This is not what these big people are willing to consider.
Just when the two empresses were enjoying peace, several eunuchs suddenly rushed in from the direction of the South Palace Gate. The first one was actually An Dehai, the eunuch who served Cixi.
In the chaotic situation, no one would pay attention to the hurried footsteps of several eunuchs, but Er Mao's eyes were very vicious, and he could see Ande Hai's sweating profusely at a glance.
Andehai forgot to salute and strode up to Cixi. After whispering a few times, he handed over a roll of paper. When Cixi opened it and read it, it didn't even take half a minute. She was so shocked that she was already shaking. got up.
Ci'an was also stunned. She looked at Cixi's shocked expression and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Cixi couldn't tell whether she was in a good or bad mood, so she turned around and dragged Ci'an to a wing where the eunuchs lived.
"My good sister, look at this quickly. This is the latest newspaper brought back by a French merchant ship. That Xiao Letian may be dead..."
"Ah?" Ci'an screamed strangely and snatched the roll of paper from Cixi's hand. After opening it, he found that it was all written in foreign languages. Ci'an was not stupid. She knew that this was the most popular newspaper in Europe. When she saw the original photo, she was so frightened that her jaw almost dislocated.
"Is this Xiao Letian? Was he stabbed in the chest? Is he already dead..."
That's right, the newspaper placed in the hands of the Queen Mother of the Two Palaces was the French newspaper Le Figaro, and the photo above was of course arranged by Xiao Letian, showing the bayonet piercing the heart.
"Hahaha... Hahaha..." Cixi laughed so hard that she went crazy. "Retribution, this is retribution. I didn't expect that this troublesome Monkey King was eventually taken away. He actually died overseas... The Qing Dynasty is lucky, and all the people are blessed! Die well..."
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