"To be honest, I don't think Port Arthur is suitable as a major naval port, although it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the location is dangerous, but the port conditions are slightly poor, and the proximity to potential opponents strategically limits mobility." When the Mainz was approaching the berth with the help of a guide ship, Hipper, who had been a full-time navigator, complained.

The depth of the main channel of Lushun is not large, only about 7 meters. It is precisely for this reason that the draft of the Dingyuan-class ironclad ship was limited to more than 6 meters. Mainz obviously could not enter the berth if it was heavily loaded, so after removing a large amount of coal and other loads, this legendary warship, which had been in the Far East for some time, was able to enter the port.

Ruprecht supported Hipper's opinion, at least Ruprecht believed that in the Russo-Japanese War, the Russians chose to deploy their main fleet in Arthur as a wrong choice, and the Russian fleet was weaker than the Japanese in the Far East at that time. And this fleet, which was already at a loss, was divided into two parts, the main fleet was in Port Arthur, and the Essen fleet consisting of three 10,000-ton cruisers was in Vladivostok.

The main channel of Port Arthur is too narrow, so it can be blocked with mines and shipwrecks. Makanov was killed by a mine. The Japanese fleet, with the cooperation of the mine blockade line, could easily lock up the main forces of the Pacific Fleet. Moreover, the Yellow Sea is too narrow, as long as it comes out, it will be encountered, and this kind of narrow sea area almost makes it impossible for the weaker side of the fleet to play at all!

Compared to the performance of the Essen fleet from Vladivostok, the more powerful battlefleet did nothing. In the end, it was bombed and sunk in the harbor, which has to be said to be too ironic! Trap yourself to death! Of course, some people say that Vladivostok is an ice-free port and you can't get out in winter. Ruprecht did not know the level of icebreakers at that time, but Ruprecht knew that the fleet in Arthur did not run out either! In the end, the Russians decided to break through to Vladivostok, which shows that the Russians were wrong in their idea of focusing on Arthur.

When the Mainz finally passed through the main channel and entered the berth area of Port Arthur, the main force of the Beiyang Navy finally appeared in front of Ruprecht, and the first thing that caught the eye was Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, the treasures of the Beiyang Naval Division, and then two German-made armored cruisers Jingyuan and Laiyuan, followed by the British-built armored cruisers Zhiyuan and Jingyuan. followed by the Pingyuan of the Fuzhou Shipbuilding Bureau, and finally the old ships such as Chaoyong and Yangwei!

"All but two ironclad ships are unusable. In the event of a war, I am not optimistic about the Beiyang Fleet. Hipper looked at the Beiyang Naval Division battleship that was being greeted in the harbor. He said with a sigh.

After the Battle of Toshima, Hipper also grew up quickly and became more sensitive to naval technology. These products, which are more than one era behind, are naturally inferior to his vision. The new 3,000-ton and 4,000-ton second-class dome cruisers were nothing more than chickens and dogs in front of Munich. And these warships are even worse.

"Your Highness, are you not attending the upcoming ceremony?" Hipper asked.

"If I don't participate in the ceremony, it's easy to cause speculation from the outside world, but I will attend the subsequent meeting." Ruprecht said. As a Bavarian prince and honorary admiral, coupled with the de facto commander of the Battle of Toshima, these auras represent too much significance. Not to mention the unequal status, it will add some unnecessary trouble, anyway, it is just a ritual.

Tirpitz and his gang went to participate in the grand welcome ceremony, and the northern side naturally couldn't snub this prince, and this time, it was Zhenyuan's first mate Yang Yonglin who was responsible for receiving Ruprecht! For this general with outstanding ability and finally committed suicide and martyrdom, Ruprecht still admires it very much! Under the guidance of Yang Yonglin, Ruprecht and his entourage boarded the Zhenyuan ship.

"My war is over, and yours is about to begin." Standing in the huge twin-mounted 12-inch terrace turret on the side of Zhenyuan's hull, Ruprecht leaned against the gun. Then he looked at the armored cruiser Mainz in the distance and said: "The ships in the North Ocean have been replaced, and they are too old. ”

"But we have some funding problems." Yang Yonglin looked at the battleship in the distance, his eyes showed a glint of envy, but then said with a little regret.

"That's your middle hall, but I think he can tell the difference. I believe that this ship will be able to enter the North Sea. Ruprecht motioned for the others to leave, and then whispered.

This time, the efficiency of the Russian and German sides was still very high, and the Russians expressed their willingness to provide emergency loans to the Qing State, and this time, the Russians also pulled the French! With the financial guarantee of the French, the Russians still have a lot of confidence, of course, they have to clear the country with customs duties and salt taxes as guarantees!

And Li Zhongtang, who had money, naturally wanted to quickly expand his armaments, and even before the loan was in place, Li Zhongtang took out the shares of Kailuan Coal Mine and Shanghai Yarn Factory as collateral to buy warships! Among the warships that can be obtained in the Beiyang at present, the Munich-class armored cruiser that has just beaten Japan up is naturally the best choice!

Long before the German fleet arrived at Arthur, the two sides had actually finalized the main content, the only problem was the transfer of warships and the formation of combat effectiveness, and the difference in history is that Hannagan, who was born in the army, could not serve in the Beiyang Fleet, this time the German fleet will send a "experienced commander" to assist the Beiyang Fleet in combat!

"Poof!" When Ruprecht heard this, he spit out half a glass of wine. "Since the Battle of Lisa, there have been experienced naval officers in the world, but where does this experience in actual combat begin?" Ruprecht's face was full of confusion and he said he was very incomprehensible.

"Your Royal Highness, in fact, you can be regarded as having a lot of experience in actual combat!" Tirpitz said half-seriously, half-jokingly. "If you had to choose an officer from the Mainz, who would you choose?"

"Count Spee and Hipper!" Ruprecht said without hesitation, these two people are bulls, if you don't choose them, will you still choose Ingnoll? ? Count Spee is not to mention anything else, at least in terms of retraining gunnery, it is considered the best in the high seas fleet! Just look at the Shane sisters' artillery results, as for Hipper? The grasp of the situation and the tactical aspect are absolutely powerful, otherwise you will not be able to run away in the battle of Sandbank! Sometimes, running away is also a skill!

The Germans were still interesting enough for the North Ocean, a future commander of the Far Eastern Fleet and a commander of the battle cruisers! What's not to like? So now the question is, who is the captain of the Beiyang side?

"Eighty percent is Yang Yonglin!" With these words, Ruprecht won a saber with a black eagle on it from Tirpitz! Accurately guessed the Ruprecht appointed by the Beiyang people, which made Tirpitz even more shocked! This TM is too powerful, isn't it?

The third is to offer ~~~~~. This collection is not going to be strong.