The bright moon hung high in the sky, and Su Shu stood on the deck of the battleship Taishan.
He was on duty tonight and had to concentrate on observing the situation around the fleet.
The Imperial Royal Navy fleet is powerful and surrounded by relatively safe waters.
But a qualified officer of the Imperial Royal Navy must remain vigilant at all times.
No one knows which one will come first, accident or war.
The enemy will never give a good greeting before attacking.
Warships must always be prepared for situations where the enemy is ready to attack at any time.
Of course, you just need to be more vigilant and don't have to be nervous all the time.
The Imperial Royal Navy has different alert levels.
In this unfamiliar sea area, there is only a possibility of war, and the alert level is not high, but a quarter of the soldiers must be on duty at night.
When a war breaks out, warships can leave to fight back.
Su Shu's mission tonight is to be a lookout. This is his initiative to experience every branch of the navy and to be well aware of the various operations of the navy.
A small bright spot appeared faintly on the left front of the fleet, attracting all Su Shu's attention.
As the fleet moved on, these little bright spots revealed their true colors.
These are lighthouses set up on the seashore.
The lighthouse burned brightly with carbide lamps.
The huge light passes through the reflector and illuminates the seaside side of the lighthouse.
The technology on the lighthouse looks very old.
The lighthouses on the Imperial coast no longer use reflectors.
Some scholars invented the lighthouse lens, a device that can transform a central light source into beams of brighter light sources.
Su Shu looked up at the lights above the battleship Taishan island.
Straight beams of light illuminated the entire fleet.
The lighting technology it uses is the latest technology from the Empire.
Su Shu looked at these lighthouses on the seaside, and he could also guess the strength of Wei.
The other vassal states he came into contact with only established lighthouses guiding the direction around the harbor city.
We are still far away from the port marked on the chart.
Wei Guo was able to build a complete lighthouse in such a place to guide ships on the sea.
This is enough to explain two things.
First, Wei was very rich and could afford to build lighthouses along the way.
Second, Wei's navigation industry was relatively developed.
There are few ships in the country, so there is no need to invest huge sums of money in building lighthouses.
Su Shu shifted his gaze to the shore.
He found that after entering the border of Wei State, the shore changed from the previous deserted state, and there were a few fireworks at night.
This kind of human fireworks looks more comfortable than the desolate coast.
Su Shu didn't need to think, he understood the specific reason.
Qi State is located in the prairie, and its people are mainly nomadic.
The few citizens were scattered all over the grasslands and could not form enough numbers to gather into towns.
The place where Wei State is located is suitable for farming.
Agricultural civilization must gather together to generate the ability to sustain production.
These people form natural villages. Once there are more villages, large-scale towns will naturally form.
…………………………
Su Shu yawned and walked out of the dormitory.
He heard the sound of cannons outside. He had never seen a warship formally confront the enemy, so he ran out excitedly to check the situation.
When Su Shu saw the calm look on Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi's face, he knew that the sound of artillery had nothing to do with the Imperial Royal Navy fleet.
With such a large regular army, pirates who have their heads kicked by donkeys will not mess with them.
Whether it is the navy of Wei or the navies of Western countries.
They saw the size of the fleet and could better judge the strength of the fleet, and they also did not dare to provoke the Imperial Royal Navy fleet.
Su Shu asked curiously: "Where did the sound of artillery come from? It seems that the sound of artillery is not far from the army."
Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi pointed ahead at two o'clock.
"Xiao Su, the sound of the cannon came from there. It shouldn't be far from the fleet. Everyone is watching with binoculars.
There is some fog on the sea now, so it is not very clear.
As long as you wait a little longer and get closer, you can see which two forces are fighting. "
Su Shu saw that the soldiers on the deck had placed the shells of the naval guns in combat positions, and the artillery could enter the battle at any time.
If the forces at the front really dare to provoke the Imperial Royal Navy fleet.
Even without the battleship Tarzan taking action, the accompanying cruiser can drown the enemy with artillery fire.
Su Shu was also curious about this matter. He picked up the telescope and looked forward.
He glanced at the time on the navigation clock. It was now six-fifty in the morning, and the fog on the sea had not yet cleared.
Through the telescope, he could only see the flickering light coming from him.
As the distance between the two gets closer and closer, coupled with the exposure of the sun in the sky, the concentration of the fog is reduced.
Ahead were seven ships firing at each other.
One side only had two smaller warships, but they overwhelmed the other side's five larger warships.
The warships on both sides have masts, and one side has a single deck. The warships look long and thin. The other side is a double-layer plywood, very traditional style Western sailing battleship.
Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi has not seen the specific situation of the two parties.
He said firmly: "The side that has the upper hand has only two warships, but it is overwhelming the opponent's five warships.
The artillery they used used fire ejection technology.
In this way, smaller artillery can be used to suppress fire with extremely high reloading frequency. "
Su Shu smiled and said: "I can also see clearly that on the weaker side, the style of Western warships is too obvious.
In the early days of the empire, warships of this style were adopted, but they did not accept them in full, but made some detailed changes.
What's more, on the stronger side, the paddle wheels on both sides of the warship are too conspicuous.
The domestic navy has always said that paddle steamers are not suitable for military use.
This was the first time I saw a paddle-wheel warship. They fought very well in this war. "
The distance between the two parties is close enough that they can directly observe each other clearly.
Su Shu didn't need to speculate, he looked directly at the flag on the warship.
The side that has the upper hand is the Wei navy.
The weak side was not the pirates, but the Spanish navy.
This should be because the Kingdom of Spain could not bear the loss of its colonies and sent warships to secretly observe Wei's situation through the fog.
The Wei warship discovered the enemy and immediately chased it out, biting the enemy and not letting go.
When Admiral Zhan Tie saw the situation in front of him, he deliberately used a telescope to observe the people on both sides.
One was a Han Chinese with the same face as them, and the other was a blond and blue-eyed Western Yi. Their judgment was not wrong.
He smiled and said: "I didn't expect that when we first arrived in Wei, we would encounter such a situation.
Notify the cruisers at the front of the fleet to assist the Wei Navy. "
The Imperial Royal Navy fleet was on a visit to Wei State and encountered the Wei State Navy pursuing enemy ships.
Sending a favor is a piece of cake.
The relationship between the Kingdom of Spain and the Great China Empire is not good at all.
The greatest achievement of Captain Li Pinglang of the Taishan was to take away Gibraltar, which belonged to the Kingdom of Spain.
Su Shu saw the warship ahead firing its cannons. This was the first time he saw a warship engaged in actual combat.
Only streaks of fire were seen flying from the warship to the enemy ship.
Then there was a loud noise, and four of the five enemy ships were disabled. The mast of the main target of the attack was directly blown off.
An enemy ship tried to avoid the bombardment and was directly hit by the shell. The warship was blown into two pieces and slowly sank into the ocean.
After the sound of cannons sounded, the Wei navy, which had been concentrating on fighting the enemy, discovered a huge fleet rushing out of the fog.
When they saw this warship, they were so frightened that they broke out in cold sweat.
Then they saw the flag above the warship, and saw the warship helping them fight the enemy, and then they realized that they were friends and not enemies.
Su Shu looked at the warships ahead and communicated with the Wei navy through flags.
He still can't understand the meaning of the complicated semaphore?
He asked the staff officer Lu Yuanqi who was proficient in flag language beside him: "Old Lu, what are they communicating?"
Staff officer Lu Yuanqi simply translated: "We have stated our identity and intention, and the Wei Navy welcomes us.
One of the warships will clean up the mess here, wait for reinforcements, and drag these enemy ships back to the port.
Another warship served as a guide to guide us to the largest port in Wei. "
After the translation, Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi said happily: "The fog is really heavy during this period. With a guide to lead the way, we don't have to take the wrong path.
It is impossible to use the sextant in heavy fog, so we can only rely on experience and drive along the coastline. "
The fleet communicated well with the Wei navy and they set off again.
Su Shu looked at the Wei navy warship leading the way.
This warship is a warship with various technologies.
As he went forward, the mast raised the sail and the ship was carried forward by the returning wind.
At the same time, billowing black smoke rose from the large chimney in front of the mast.
The steel paddle wheels located on both sides of the warship began to rotate slowly.
The paddle wheel lapped the sea, giving the warship extra power.
When Su Shu looked at the situation of the warship, he knew that this warship was completely produced by Wei.
Wei Guo was able to build wooden-hulled warships driven by steam engines and paddle wheels.
This shows that Wei's steam engine technology has been able to operate stably on ships.
Their only weakness is that they cannot break through propeller technology and can only use civilian technology such as paddle wheels.
Wei's current technology is not far from the technology of the first-generation iron-hulled ships of the Great China Empire.
Military technology has matured, and there is no problem at all in producing some paddle wheel freighters.
From the shipbuilding industry in Su Shu, he could see the power of Wei.
Without a certain industrial background, it is impossible to build a warship.
Su Shu originally thought that the country with the strongest industrial strength in the American continent was Cao State, but now it seems that Wei State is taking the lead.
The fleet approached the port of Wei State. The sun had been high in the sky for a long time, and the thick sea fog gradually dissipated.
Su Shu saw that the port of Wei was very busy.
A large number of paddle steamers are constantly entering and leaving the port.
Some paddle steamers still maintain their sails and masts.
These paddle steamers were slightly larger, and they looked like they were intended for ocean-going trade.
Wei's steam engine technology was still not mature enough to guarantee the stability of marine steam engines, and masts and sails still could not be discarded.
Some small and medium-sized freighters have completely abandoned their masts and sails for greater convenience, and only rely on steam power to travel.
The Wei navy went to the military port, and he quickly conveyed the news of the arrival of the Imperial Navy fleet to his superiors.
The Wei Navy immediately dispatched warships to greet them and escort the Imperial Royal Navy fleet into the military port.
Su Shu looked at the situation of Wei's navy, but there were at least twenty warships built by Wei in this military port.
The fleet soon entered the military port and the warships were parked.
Su Shu saw a Wei naval general coming towards them with the decree of the King of Wei.
After the Wei naval general saluted with a military salute, he read loudly: "The King of Wei welcomes the imperial envoy.
The King of Wei is waiting for the envoy in Daliang City, and at the same time he asked us to entertain our friendly troops. "
Admiral Zhan Tie discussed with Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan.
He is responsible for staying in the military port and restraining the officers and men of the fleet.
Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan was responsible for accompanying His Royal Highness Su Shu and others to Daliang City to meet with King Su Hu of Wei.
Admiral Zhan Tie saw His Highness Su Shu leaving.
He announced that army officers could take leave in batches and go to Wei ports to move around freely.
The largest port in Wei State has all the entertainment the soldiers want to relax their body and mind.
The Su Shu group, led by Sun Huosheng, the envoy from Daliang City, headed to the train station.
Sun Huosheng has blossomed the second spring of his life, and he is now the minister of the Ministry of Rites of the State of Wei.
The tactful Sun Huosheng was sent by King Su Hu of Wei to greet the envoys of the Great China Empire.
The arrival of the huge Imperial Royal Navy can be seen clearly by the Wei monarchs and ministers.
This is not just a normal visit by the empire, but also the empire is beating their vassal states.
Let them know, who is the boss in this world?
If the vassal country wants to survive in peace, it must express its attitude.
At this time, attitude is extremely important. Once the wrong signal is sent out, the price will be beyond what Wei can afford.
Sun Huosheng pointed to the train station in front and said: "This is the train station built by our Wei State. Its speed is only a little faster than the horse, but it lasts longer than the horse.
It only takes more than an hour to get from the military port to Daliang City. "
Su Shu and others were familiar with trains, but this was the first time they saw such a rough train.
The width and height of Wei's railroad tracks and trains are similar to those of the Great China Empire.
But the size of the Wei locomotive was almost three times the size of the Dahua Empire locomotive.
The silly, big, black and thick locomotive made many people look at it with disdain.
However, Su Shu was very shocked. Wei State not only used steam engines for ships, but also made steam locomotives.
Wei's industrial level is definitely not low.
Steam locomotives are smaller and require more complex steam engine technology.
Wei's steam trains can run on the rails, so the steam engines used in Wei's factories have no problems at all.
They boarded the train. Wei's train was slower but ran very steadily.
Su Shu looked out of the train window.
The endless rice fields caught his eye.
There are ditches in the fields, and Wei's water conservancy facilities are very complete.
By observing Su Shu all the way, he could clearly see how powerful Wei was.
Wei State has a lot of farmland and can feed a large population in the country.
Wei's industry is still developed, and the ability to produce industrial pearls like trains means that Wei's steam engine technology is in the first echelon on the American continent.
When Su Shu saw this scene, he remembered the conspiracy mentioned by King Qi Su Shan.
The three countries in South America joined forces to promote the development of the Bull Run Canal.
Su Shu remembered the steam engines in Cao Guo's factory and the secretive behavior of Cao King Li Dazhuang.
From what he observed, he could deduce that the three South American countries were really united.
Sushan, the king of Qi, provided money and people to unite Cao and Wei. Wei provided food and machinery to push Cao to start a war, and they benefited behind the scenes.
The piercing whistle sounded and the sound of the train arriving at the station brought Su Shu back to his senses.
He wanted to adjust his condition and meet with King Su Hu of Wei. (End of chapter)
