The fleet sailed in the darkness, and the stars hung high in the sky, guiding the way forward for the ships in the vast sea.
Su Shu took out a star map and studied astronomy seriously.
One of the most accurate positioning methods when sailing is to use the stars in the sky for positioning.
An excellent navigation staff must master the technology of star positioning.
The starry skies in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are completely different, and the starry skies in the East and West are also different.
In this era, to become an outstanding sailing talent, one must master the world's astronomical information.
Su Shu raised his head and looked at the sky. His neck felt stiff and painful. Only then did he stop memorizing the information about the stars in the sky.
He saw bunches of lights shining on the sea in front of the fleet.
This method of condensing lights into beams of bright lights through lenses is currently only mastered by the Empire.
Su Shu calculated the time for the fleet to sail, and they should also arrive near the port of Gibraltar.
The fleet had just approached the port of Gibraltar when suddenly there were hundreds of lights on the shore, shining on the sea where the fleet was located.
High-brightness carbide lamps reflect light through concave mirrors, which can illuminate the sea near the shore as bright as day.
Su Shu is already a qualified naval officer, and he knows that this is the port of Gibraltar and feels danger.
The next step is to launch thermite incendiary bombs, lighting up the entire sky in the war zone.
If it is confirmed to be an enemy, it will receive intensive artillery fire from the shore.
Admiral Zhan Tie reacted very quickly. He first ordered the red lights on the island to be turned on.
These electric lamps form the four characters "大华 navy".
He also sent a cruiser to the shore quickly, and at the same time used a high-power loudspeaker to shout to the shore.
Electrical appliances and armored ships are now technologies unique to the Dahua Empire.
As long as the fleet demonstrates these technologies, the warning can be lifted ashore.
Admiral Zhan Tie's method worked quickly. The searchlights on the shore were quickly extinguished, leaving only the lighthouse to guide the fleet.
The Third Fleet Navy stationed in Gibraltar also sent warships to guide the fleet into the port.
The military port of Gibraltar is as bright as daylight under the light.
The warships of the fleet entered the port in an orderly manner and berthed.
Admiral Zhan Tie ordered that except for those left behind on the warship, the rest could move ashore freely.
The space on the warship is small and there are no entertainment facilities.
Traveling long distances at sea is boring and depends entirely on perseverance.
When the soldiers heard that they could go ashore freely, they all smiled from the bottom of their hearts.
They have not seen their parents, wives and children for more than a year, but it is also a very happy time to meet the officers and soldiers of other fleets and brag with them.
Su Shu followed Admiral Zhan Tie, Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan and others off the battleship Taishan.
He saw a strong and honest general staring at the Taishan in a daze.
Niu Xiangshan, Governor of Gibraltar of the Great China Empire and Admiral of the European Squadron of the Third Fleet, Niu Xiangshan.
It was as if he had just walked out of the mountains of Sichuan and Chongqing and saw the scene outside for the first time.
"Oh my god! I thought my ship was amazing.
Now it seems that Taishan is truly amazing.
I would rather be a private on the Tarzan than the governor. "
Captain Li Pinglang heard what President Niu Xiangshan said, and he said disdainfully: "Who looked happy at that time, came over happily to take over Gibraltar, and wanted to kick me away."
When Niu Xiangshan saw Li Pinglang speaking, he said with envy: "Brother Li, you are so prosperous this time and can become the captain of the Taishan. I really envy Niu.
I'm already jealous and don't know what to say?
Now I am doing my best to be a landlord, and I must board the battleship Tarzan tomorrow to have a good experience. "
Li Pinglang encouraged: "Brother Niu, the empire will definitely vigorously develop battleships, and you will definitely have a chance in the future."
The two of them exchanged a few words, and Li Pinglang introduced everyone's identities to Niu Xiangshan.
Niu Xiangshan seems simple and honest, but he is also a human being, otherwise how could he stand out from a small soldier.
He knew that these high-status people would become his connections as long as they had good connections.
Niu Xiangshan tried his best to entertain Su Shu and others.
He also took the initiative to take out the newspapers he gave to the Chamber of Commerce when he passed by.
These newspapers are mainly mainstream newspapers in the Great China Empire, as well as newspapers from countries along the route such as Fujian.
There are also some newspapers from Western countries.
Su Shu also took out several newspapers from the Great China Empire, and he looked directly at the front pages of these newspapers.
He has been away from the empire for more than a year, and the warships are traveling faster than the merchant ships.
They have no way of knowing the information about the Dahua Empire.
This was the first time Su Shu learned information from the Empire after leaving the Empire.
He quickly flipped through the newspaper and found no more information about the royal family, and Su Shu was completely relieved.
What Su Shu was most worried about was that he was floating outside with the navy.
The Great China Empire suddenly established a prince. It would be too stupid for him to request to act with the navy this time.
This kind of thing usually doesn't happen, but if my father has a physical accident, this kind of thing is likely to happen.
It is not uncommon in history for some emperors in their prime to suddenly become seriously ill.
The royal family of the Song and Ming Dynasties was very short-lived, and emperors in their prime often died suddenly.
The only thing Su Shu was worried about was this situation.
If this happens, it can only be blamed on his bad luck.
Su Shu saw huge changes in the imperial officialdom.
There was a huge conflict between Prime Minister Wei Shiming and Cabinet Minister Li Zhisheng.
This directly led to the resignation of Prime Minister Wei Shiming and the resignation of Cabinet Minister Li Zhisheng, an evergreen official in the officialdom.
The specific reasons for their conflict were unclear in the newspaper.
The new Prime Minister of the Empire, there is no definite information in these newspapers yet.
Both Su and Shu could imagine the swords and swords between various factions fighting for the prime minister.
He only hoped that the eldest prince's faction would not suffer disaster in such a huge change.
Su Shu thought about the forces in the court, and with his mother behind the scenes, there shouldn't be too much loss.
He glanced at the clock outside the courtyard. It was already two o'clock in the morning, and his eyelids were shaking.
Su Shu couldn't stand it anymore. He put down the newspaper and went to rest. There were more things to do tomorrow.
…………………………
Su Shu ate at the Gibraltar Restaurant, which guarded a busy shipping lane and had a very large flow of people.
The Port of Gibraltar is also a prosperous port.
In addition to the huge military port and fort.
They also had various supplies coming from ships.
After Su Shu finished his meal, he began to visit the Port of Gibraltar.
There are merchants from all over the world, speaking different languages and conducting trade.
When Su Shu passed by, he understood the hurtful meaning.
In order to pay less tax, these merchants traded the goods they needed directly with each other at the Port of Gibraltar.
The Port of Gibraltar is a military port, and merchants from Future.com provide services and only charge some warehousing fees and do not impose taxes on commodity transactions.
This directly allows many businessmen to take advantage of the loopholes and choose to find people to trade in the Port of Gibraltar in order to maximize their profits.
Su Shu didn't understand at first why the empire did this.
The Suez Canal imposes taxes on merchant ships passing through, and the Port of Gibraltar offers a trade area but does not tax goods.
Until he saw merchants bringing a large amount of goods, including grain and vegetables that the Port of Gibraltar needed.
Merchants also transported large amounts of cement and river sand, so that there was no shortage of construction materials in the Port of Gibraltar.
In this way, the Port of Gibraltar has sufficient supplies, not only to arm the most important port in the north of the strait into a top-notch fortress.
It is now occupying the territory north of the strait in North Africa.
The land in the north is not suitable for building large ports, but there is no problem in building forts on the shore to guard the strait.
This forms the Greater Gibraltar area and strengthens the depth of Gibraltar.
Even if the Spaniards launch a massive attack from the shore and North Gibraltar cannot be defended, they can still retreat to their African territory without being completely wiped out.
From this layout, Su Shu could tell that Governor Niu Xiangshan had extraordinary talents.
He stood high above Gibraltar, looking down at the direction of the military port.
Ships anchored in the port are queuing up to enter the dock. Engineers accompanying the fleet use tools in the dock to conduct detailed inspections of the condition of the warships.
They set out from Wei State, went north to the English Colony, and then crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Many components on the warship are overloaded and must be replaced.
The fleet still has important tasks to do next, and it must appear in Europe in its best possible appearance.
There can be no room for error in the state of the battleship Taishan.
The main purpose of the fleet's travel is to deter potential enemies.
The extremely oppressive battleship Tarzan appears on the coasts of various European countries. This is the best means of propaganda.
However, the battleship Taishan suddenly stopped at sea and lost power and could only be towed by other warships.
The deterrence of the fleet will be greatly reduced.
Su Shu didn't know how long it would take for engineers to repair the warship.
There is no need to complete the overhaul of all warships. They only need to complete the battleship Taishan and two or three cooperating cruisers, and they can implement the next step of the plan.
Su Shu went to the conference room to discuss the fleet's next actions.
He met Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi and saw that among the attendees, Captain Li Pinglang was missing.
He asked: "Brother Lu, Captain Li Pinglang has always been there before. Why didn't he attend this meeting?"
Staff officer Lu Yuanqi explained: “Captain Li Pinglang accompanied Governor Niu Xiangshan to visit the battleship Taishan which was under repair.
He had promised Governor Niu Xiangshan to board the ship yesterday and take a look.
Boarding the ship now will not interfere with our next actions. "
Su Shu asked strangely: "Governor Niu Xiangshan is a local snake, so he will not participate in this meeting.
How can we plan our next actions without Eurocom's participation?
If this speed is not properly controlled, war is likely to break out again.
I believe that with the strength of the fleet, there is no problem in defeating these dilapidated navies in Europe.
But if the empire is not prepared for war, it will not be able to harvest benefits efficiently through various means.
Spending huge amounts of money to fight a war that is bound to lose money is not what a wise man would do. "
Su Shu was even more worried that someone would put the blame on him for starting a war.
A war that is necessary or profitable.
He had no problem planning this war.
But fighting a war that is destined to be fruitless will make the various factions in the empire, as for his abilities.
Once doubted, his ability to continue leading the empire forward.
As a prince who is expected to be crown prince, Su Shu's being questioned will make it more difficult for him to be appointed crown prince.
Staff Officer Lu Yuanqi didn't know what Su Shu was thinking, but when he heard this question, he replied in a relaxed tone: "Xiao Su, we don't need to worry about this problem at all.
Captain Li made this request to Governor Niu Xiangshan in private yesterday.
Governor Niu Xiangshan made it clear that he did not have a deep understanding of the situation in European countries.
He recommended to us Wei Yuansheng, the second imperial ambassador to England.
Officially under the auspices of Wei Yuansheng, the empire's embassies were established in major European countries.
He is a veritable European expert. With his participation, we will be more secure for our next plan.
Wei Yuansheng has been promoted by the empire. He has been promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, responsible for the empire's diplomatic affairs.
The handover of work has now been completed and we are ready to leave for home.
He happened to stay in the port of Gibraltar for a few days, meeting businessmen from the empire and asking them about their business in the West.
Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan learned that Wei Yuansheng was also in Gibraltar and was a dedicated diplomatic officer of the empire.
He immediately consulted Wei Yuansheng overnight to formulate the next action plan. "
Su Shu was completely relieved when he heard the explanation from staff officer Lu Yuanqi.
With the participation of professionals like Wei Yuansheng, the fleet's next action plan will be more complete.
The meeting started soon. In addition to the senior leaders of the fleet, there was also a civilian wearing silk among the people participating in the meeting.
Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan took the initiative to introduce to everyone: "This is Mr. Wei Yuansheng, the right minister of the Imperial Ministry of Rites. He is an outstanding diplomat and understands the situation of various European countries.
Mr. Wei Yuansheng will provide us with help so that we can better complete our tasks. "
After Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan finished his introduction, everyone burst into applause to welcome Wei Yuansheng's arrival.
Wei Yuansheng is preparing to return to the empire and take over as the right minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Nothing can make you happier than getting promoted.
He didn't want to spend too long on the road and wished he could return to the empire in one day.
Wei Yuansheng received Niu Xiangshan's invitation, and he originally wanted to refuse it.
But when he heard that the eldest prince Su Shu was among them, he immediately agreed.
Wei Yuansheng knew that his relationship with the eldest prince Su Shu would probably serve him well for the rest of his life.
Many people try their best to establish a relationship, but if he refuses the opportunity, he will probably regret it for the rest of his life.
Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan didn't know what Wei Yuansheng was thinking. He only knew that with the addition of this talent, the fleet would be able to complete its mission more easily.
He spread out a map of Europe and told everyone: "The next task of the fleet is warship diplomacy.
These European countries must be made aware of the powerful strength of the Great China Empire, so that they can be frightened and despaired.
These barbarians are fearful of power and have no morals. They do not believe in the teachings of civilization and only believe in strong ships and powerful guns.
When we talk to European countries, we must use words they can understand.
Only strength can allow them to sit safely at the negotiation table and listen to our conditions.
What you need to prepare is to treat the next action as a war drill.
We must show a true attitude towards war and show the style of the Royal Navy of the Great China Empire.
It's up to me to control how far the fleet can go. "
Chief of Staff Cao Zhengyuan said this just to unify everyone's thoughts.
He would discuss the specific action plan with Mr. Wei Yuansheng. (End of chapter)
