Xiao Letian still has very complicated feelings about Britain in this era. On the one hand, he has the hatred of the country and his family for burning the Old Summer Palace, and on the other hand, he has extreme envy of the Royal Navy's super combat power.
He is really jealous. The British Royal Navy in this era pursues a dual-power strategy, which means that the overall strength of the Royal Navy must exceed the sum of the second and third strongest forces.
The British's goal is too obvious. They want to control the earth's oceans forever, and they want to be ready at any time for other countries to join forces to challenge their national security.
The reason why Xiao Letian's words to Count Doubi moved the Prime Minister of a country is actually very simple, because Xiao Letian's analysis of the current situation is highly consistent with the British national strategy, and it is still possible to curb the expansion of France's power. This is really the recent national policy of the United Kingdom.
The rise of a nation is a high-tech job that requires great care. You cannot be too timid because you will lose fleeting opportunities, nor can you be too fanatical and arrogant enough to declare war on the world. At least you cannot make trouble with the British now. It's deadlocked, because now China simply doesn't have the strength to compete with Britain.
If you offend France, Napoleon III will send out a retaliatory force of ten warships at most. If you offend the Queen of England, then I am afraid that hundreds of warships will block the entrance of Dagu and capture Beijing again.
Xiao Letian is not a crazy old lady like Cixi who dares to declare war on all nations. Xiao Letian knows the art of balance. Since Britain and France are two powerful powers, if you offend France, don't offend Britain again.
For such a powerful country, for such a powerful country that has made it clear that it cannot be offended, when necessary, we still have to be willing to put down our face and give more face.
"Dear Eastern Prime Minister Xiao, I am Commander-in-Chief of the North Sea Fleet, Lieutenant General James... Welcome to the British soil."
On the tall Monarch, Xiao Letian had just turned over from the rope ladder when he was greeted by the commander-in-chief of the British fleet, Lieutenant General James, who was nearly fifty years old. This man was full of the style of an old-fashioned British gentleman. He was so handsome. Xiao Letian went crazy, looking a bit like Beckham no matter how he looked at it.
"Oh, Beckham... No, no, no, Lieutenant General James, hello, hello..." Xiao Letian's mouth was so fast that he almost shouted out the name of the star in his previous life. He held James' hand and gently He kicked the deck beneath his feet.
"Well, battleships are floating countries. Now I am standing on British territory, and I feel extremely...safe."
James laughed, "Haha... The Prime Minister is really a European expert. You can understand the little test in my mind. I really didn't expect that you know so much about the Western Navy... In fact, in the eyes of our Royal Navy officers, They all thought you were a land warfare genius, but I realized today that I was wrong..."
While the two were chatting, Luo Huo and Sima Yun rolled over on the rope ladder... Those brothers who were not seriously injured and could move freely were also invited to visit this not-so-top British battleship.
The sailors on the deck formed a standard square formation, and their proud eyes followed Xiao Letian's figure. The standard of reception James gave Xiao Letian was really high enough. Europeans like Liu Qiu may not have heard of it. The Prime Minister of the country with the same name is not expected to receive such courtesy.
The officers behind Xiao Letian also took a deep breath at this time, and the square formation was more strict than that of the British soldiers. This group of veterans who had fought in hand-to-hand combat had more murderous intent than these sailors who only knew how to shoot cannons. The square formations had only been facing each other for ten minutes, and the British sailors' eyes became a little distracted.
James, who was introducing the parameters of the battleship to Xiao Letian, noticed something unusual. He looked at Xiao Letian's officers with interest, "Oh, dear Prime Minister, are these the officers who led you to create the Miracle of Stone Bridge? Oh, I really I am very surprised, how did you train such a soldier who has both the iron discipline of modern soldiers and the bloodthirsty fanaticism of the Middle Ages."
Expert, Xiao Letian's eyes lit up when he heard this. This James is old enough and has a lot of experience. As expected, he is just like a hound, he can smell something strange with his nose.
James walked to the Eastern Phalanx and stared at these murderous officers one by one. He soon discovered that some of them were strange.
"Japanese sword, Prime Minister, why do you allow these soldiers to carry this medieval weapon? This will affect normal combat..."
"Well, they are members of my foreign legion. They are basically Japanese samurai now. Don't underestimate them. In the most anxious and difficult moments of countless wars, it was their swords that broke the deadlock..."
James was indeed the reincarnation of a hunting dog. He took a deep breath, "Ah... the smell of blood is so strong. Soldier, can I take a look at your sword? May I ask your name..."
Standing in front of James was the Japanese samurai Noheita. He also had the official name Shonoheita. The Japanese samurai's feet were tightly clasped on the deck, and the muscles all over his body were as tight as a leopard's. His aura suddenly changed, as if he had returned to the kendo dojo in Kyoto and faced a powerful enemy again.
There was a slap on James's back, and all the hairs on his body stood up. This kind of substantial murderous intent made him feel more dangerous than ever before. James knew very well that as long as the officer in front of him was willing, he could let himself go without even screaming. Died on the spot.
"I... Xiao Yeheita... the prime minister is my adoptive father... I am the descendant of the Shinin-ryu in Kyoto... The name of this sword is the one-character pattern, which is a prop specially provided by the Japanese royal family... It is a pity that I dare not put chrysanthemums on it. Seal, otherwise this would be a top-notch chrysanthemum pattern..."
With a swish sound, the bright sword light suddenly lit up out of thin air. Even though James was well-informed, he was frightened and took half a step back. The moment Nohira drew the sword, a murderous aura was as unstoppable as an avalanche. The momentum is coming.
"Protect the general..." A group of British soldiers raised their bayonets and were about to surround him.
"Don't move...stop." Only then did James realize that what was in front of him was not the tip of the knife, but Nohira's steady right hand and the handle of the knife held tightly in his hand.
James glared at the soldiers around him fiercely, and cursed in his mind. After all, the navy was not something that the army could participate in. There were not many fights in the face. They would definitely handle this kind of close conflict improperly. They must practice hard when the mission is completed. them.
Xiao Letian happily explained to the side, "Don't be nervous, General. Didn't you just want to see my adopted son's weapons? Now take it easy..."
He said it politely, but Xiao Letian secretly spat in his heart. Isn't it just a big battleship? This kind of thing is the comprehensive national strength and the industrial base of a country. Don't worry, Britain is leading the way now. , but given time, we in China will definitely be able to surpass you.
We are not as good as you in terms of battleships, but we will not lack the spirit and courage to fight. Nohira Tai is good at showing off his authority. If you want others to respect you, it is more correct to establish your authority first.
James took the heavy sword with a name and looked at the darkness in the blood groove and the cold and slippery handle. The general knew that the sword was soaked in blood, and that the heavy sword was filled with innocent souls.
"This... this gentleman, can I ask you a presumptuous question?" James said carefully, "This knife has... killed so many people."
As soon as he finished speaking, Noheita raised his eyebrows and stared at General James with gleaming eyes. "Not many...only 0 people were clearly killed. Among them, 15 people were killed in Japan. The Ryukyu riot killed 120 people in one night. Tanggu The riot killed 34 people, and the rest were Europeans..."
Hiss... This group of British officers and soldiers suddenly took a breath of air. They killed 0 people with one knife. Is this a murderer? But Xiao Letian knew that Noheita was not bragging. In that bloody night, this guy could definitely kill people. It’s not that 120 is more or less. You have to remember that at that time, there were 100,000 thugs who were causing chaos in the whole city.
"This, this, this... how is this possible? This knife can actually cut so many people, and the blade is not even damaged once it is damaged." James was the first to not believe it.
At this time, Xiao Letian took over and said, "The mysterious East has many incredible skills. The swordsmanship practiced by Nohira Tai is one of them. They regard the sword as life, and they have all kinds of incredible war skills... You said that killing people will damage the blade. Wrong, as long as you avoid the hard bones of the human body and cut through the fragile joints, will it still hurt the blade?"
Abnormal, these Orientals are really perverted. James never expected that Xiao Letian, as the prime minister of a country, would talk about anatomy here.
"Oh, okay, thank you for opening my eyes..." James quickly returned the sword to Nohira with both hands, and waved to dismiss the British honor guard formation.
The British's original plan was to use the momentum of the battleships and sailors' honor guard to overwhelm these Orientals, but after Noheita and Xiao Letian finished their double recital, the secret battle of momentum was considered a draw.
The middle-level officers of the Monarch began to take the new army officers to visit the warship, while the general personally led Xiao Letian to drink in the captain's room.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister, the order I received is to escort you across the English Channel. We have already detected the movements of the French and have communicated with the Prussian side... I think the Prussian diplomats have now begun to assist you. The journey back to China has begun..."
"After crossing the strait, you can return to the Portuguese merchant ship. The Portuguese Coast Guard will escort you. When you enter the Mediterranean, the Italians will also provide you with protection. After all, Prussia and Italy are allies. , your military exploits in Sadowa are also recognized by Italy..."
"As for arriving in the Sinai Peninsula, our British garrison will provide you with land protection. Don't think that the French are building the Suez Canal and they will block your way home. With the protection of our British Empire, your journey home will be safe." It’s destined to be smooth sailing…”
Xiao Letian drank the wine in his glass with a wry smile, "Thank you, I am very grateful to the UK for helping me, but the word "smooth sailing" is not appropriate for me... Pity the 500,000 people in Ryukyu, pity our career that has just started. ah."
James sat upright and sighed regretfully, "From all the unfair treatment you encountered in Europe, I have a new understanding of the French. From my personal feelings, I hope you can win. I am even willing to take the fleet to fight the French..."
"But it's a pity that I am a soldier and I have to obey the orders of politicians. And judging from the current relationship between Britain and France, there is only so much we can help you..."
There was silence in the captain's room. It took a long time for Xiao Le to stand up. "Are we leaving the North Sea? I'm going to the deck. Let me say goodbye to those brave fishermen and sailors... Goodbye Prussia."
Note: It hurts my eyes so much. This chapter was coded with one eye. If there are any typos, please check them out... There should be another update tonight.
