The maritime parades in the pre-dreadnought era were indeed very unique. Since humans have not yet had a unified understanding of the development of future steel battleships, many ironclads are experimental.
There is an improved iron-armored battleship that was transformed from a wooden-hulled sailing battleship. The gunports on both sides are still the same structure as in the past, but the wood has been replaced by iron.
There is also a huge monster that combines sails and steam power, and there is a huge chimney standing in the complex mast structure!
But perhaps due to the influence of the Zhiyuan, the warships invested by the British Navy in recent years have gradually become a vague concept of the dreadnought era.
Yes, in this era, I am afraid that there is no longer a standard for dividing the naval era by dreadnoughts. The truly epoch-making warship is the Chinese Zhiyuan.
The Battle of East Frisia made the Chinese navy famous, and it also marked the coming of the era of large ships and cannons with the Zhiyuan as the standard for firing.
It has to be said that Britain is indeed the well-deserved maritime hegemon. Before the actual combat test of the East Frisian Sea Battle, the Royal Navy had already built several test ships based on the design style of the Zhiyuan.
Although in Xiao Letian's opinion, the British designers did not grasp the essence, at least the short and thick naval guns can already be guessed that the British have not made up their mind to equip expensive high-caliber naval guns.
But actual combat is the most exciting thing. I believe that within a year, at least ten battleships of the Royal Navy will be able to complete the replacement and modification of main guns.
The foundation of the super powerful ocean empire can be seen from this!
The faces of the Chinese people were livid. They all saw the threat from the British, but there was nothing anyone could do. After all, the sea was the British territory, and even the warships they were riding on belonged to the British.
Boom boom... boom boom boom...
When the head of state sailed past the formation, the British warships began to fire their guns one after another. Of course, they were salutes that only discharged powder packets but not live ammunition!
But what is this smoke-filled scene if not a provocation?
The British Empire did not hesitate to block the golden waterway of the Pas de Calais, but also showed off its power in front of Xiao Letian. This shows that the Franco-Prussian War stimulated the British too much.
The ship review lasted for a full two and a half hours, and Xiao Letian slowly drove past the huge British battle fleet. At this moment, his nasal cavity was filled with the pungent smell of burning gunpowder.
The 220 warships saluted with their famous guns, and the number of guns consumed was probably not a small amount. There was no wind on the sea today, and the smoke from the burning guns filled the air into a faint cloud of smoke, which pressed on the strait for a long time and did not dissipate.
"The Royal Navy is so domineering. I have finally experienced the power of the Ocean Empire. Thank you very much..."
The British captain pretended not to hear the displeasure in Xiao Letian's tone, but said with a smile, "With the head of state's current reputation, it is reasonable to receive such a ship review!"
"Look, the Victory has already approached, and the Crown Prince and the Duke of Newcastle are here to greet you!"
"The sea is too stormy and it's too dangerous to rely on help. Let's see you in London!" Xiao Letian was in a bad mood and actually turned around and returned to the cabin.
The rest of the Chinese officers also returned to the cabin to rest, silently protesting against the British threatening behavior.
In the cabin, Xiao Letian frowned and thought about the British's true purpose!
"Just a Franco-Prussian War cannot break the British dominance. What do they want?"
"Just beating me? If it's just beating me, there is no need to use such a big noise. Could it be that the Reach made the British feel threatened?"
"It's impossible! With Britain's industrial strength, building more than a dozen Zhiyuan battleships is simply child's play. Besides, the Zhiyuan has no secrets..."
"The warship is now docked at William's Port for repairs. It is impossible for British spies not to spy on it. Coupled with the data exposed during the war, with the skills of British scientists, I am afraid that the design ideas of this warship have long been understood!"
"Britain will only build a better ironclad than the Zhiyuan. He won't go to war for this battleship?"
"Is it to stand up for the Spanish? I've never heard that the relationship between Britain and Spain has improved so well?"
Xiao Letian fell into a typical dark state under the lamp. He thought about it but did not think about the 1.2 billion gold francs war compensation.
In the final analysis, the British national power is too strong. This small amount of money is nothing in the eyes of the British. Xiao Letian ignored this from beginning to end.
The warship entered the Thames Estuary and anchored at the military port closest to London. Xiao Letian finally met the Crown Prince and the Duke. The two exchanged some pleasantries, and Xiao Letian felt the sense of distance very alertly.
The Crown Prince obviously started to speak in an official tone, while the Duke seemed to have something to say but still held back the words!
"Dear Head of State, first of all, congratulations on your wonderful victory in France. The British Empire admires you very much... This time, I hope that the Head of State can stay in Paris for a longer period of time, so that we can show our friendship as landlords!"
"Your Highness, you are welcome. I have stayed in Europe long enough. Haha... I should return home early! Otherwise, my wife will protest!"
"Hahaha... The head of state should stay longer. There are too many storms on the sea in summer. It is not safe to return home at this time!"
The smell of danger was approaching. The Crown Prince had already made a clear threat. Xiao Letian's heart thumped and he secretly thought, "What does this mean? Does the UK still dare to put me under house arrest?"
Thinking of this, Xiao Letian suddenly realized that even if the UK placed him under house arrest, he seemed to have no way to fight against it!
The Chinese have absolutely no means of retaliation against the British. Even if they are really detained, what else can the Chinese do besides protest? The army cannot even think of crossing the ocean to save itself.
He glanced at the Duke of Newcastle, only to find that the Duke's eyes were evasive, and he even had no manners to invite Xiao Letian to a family dinner!
This is not how a friendly shareholder should behave!
After that, the formal diplomatic etiquette began. The two sides met with a group of reporters at the dock and made some indifferent remarks about the situation in the Philippines.
In the end, Xiao Letian and his party did not live in the original palace. The British actually lowered the hospitality standard for them and simply did not arrange room and board.
At this moment, preparations for the Chinese Embassy in the UK are almost complete. The Chinese have bought the five-story hotel at 49 Portland Street and are preparing to become a permanent embassy.
This time the British simply let Xiao Letian and the others stay in their embassy. The enthusiastic attitude they had when they first came to Europe was completely different.
When the group of people returned to the embassy, they returned to their own homes. After closing the door of the conference room, the grumpy Luo Huo began to curse.
"These big British noses are so bullying! They are trying to stick a knife in our noses!"
"These bastards just don't like us. Seeing that we have made some money and gained some colonies, they are jealous!"
Wang Huaiyuan coughed twice, "It's not... It's not... It's only 1.2 billion francs. How could the UK care? Why is the situation so small?"
Hyōtaro said angrily from the side, "Do you think we got Annan and the Philippines, and they want a share of the pie? Do they want a colony?"
There was endless discussion in the conference room, but no one expected that at this moment, a group of people were rushing over anxiously!
"Quick...just get off the carriage at the corner, cross the alley and we'll walk there..."
"We must get rid of those plainclothes policemen, we must see Xiao Letian tonight..."
Two bearded men in straight suits, one older and one younger, were hurriedly getting into an alley. After a while, two carriages stopped at the place where they got off.
Six or seven plainclothes men in black jumped down in a hurry to look for him!
