Beneath the clear blue sky is a much bluer water, which seems to be even more vast than the vastness of the sky. This is the Pacific Ocean, and the core of this fleet is the "" royal cruise ship with the flag of the dragon, and the members of the fleet are the "Daming" and "Jishi", two 3-ton battleships. Compared with the steam ironclad ships that can only sail turtles that the Ming Navy is proud of, this 3-ton battleship powered by steam and sails is actually the mainstream of this era, but it is also a bit chicken. In order to ensure the degree, the armor of these ships should not be too thick, but the outer shell was covered with a thin layer of steel plates, and as for the defensive ability, it can only be said that it is better than nothing. And their firepower is dominated by large-caliber bombardments. After several years of tackling key problems, the engineers of Lanfangxing Nanfen Iron Works finally learned the technology of casting large-caliber smoothbore iron cannons, but the yield rate is still not high, that is, only 20 or 30 percent. As for large-caliber rifled guns, it is still an unattainable fantasy.

In addition to these two 3-ton battleships, the current Daming Navy also has two other steam sail battleships of the same tonnage and design, and four 3-ton steam ironclad ships -- these are already the second generation of steam ironclad ships, and they are also named after the place names of the Ming Dynasty, namely "Yingtian", "Beijing", "Shanghai", "Guangzhou", "Tianjin", and "Wuchang", and the ship is "Yingtian", so it is named "Yingtian" class ironclad ship according to international practice. This class of ironclad ships is equipped with the most advanced steam engines imported from Britain, and has also introduced a propeller propulsion system from France, and has also adopted a high freeboard design, and its sailing and seaworthiness performance have been greatly improved, and it can barely sail in the open ocean, but the maximum voyage is still not more than 8 knots. And the price of increased aviation is the decline of armor defense capabilities. 6 such ironclad ships, plus 4 battleships with only thin ironclad, plus 8 outdated "turtle" ironclad ships. It is now the main combat power of the Ming Navy. In an age when warships will fall behind on slipways, it is a complete waste to maintain a large number of navies. Moreover, in the "Five-Power Agreement", the size of the Ming Navy was also strictly limited, and the total tonnage should not exceed 3% of the British. However, the treaty did not limit the number of Ming naval vessels, so the staffing of all Ming naval ships was 3% more than the actual need. , which is also a bit "overcrowded". Because Hawaii controls the heart of the Pacific Ocean and controls the shipping routes between Asia and the Americas, it is of great importance. Therefore, it was built by the British as an important naval base from the beginning. Although the center of gravity of the British Royal Navy is now in the Atlantic, in Hawaii, they still deploy a Pacific fleet, and at the same time deploy the Far East Fleet in Singapore, the Australian fleet in Australia and the South Pacific, and also deploy a large Eastern Fleet in India as a backup, just like an island chain blockading the Ming Dynasty!

In addition, the British government is now stepping up the construction of the Tehuantepec Canal at no expense, and has also signed a treaty with the Mexican government on the deployment of 6 armies in the canal zone! Once this canal is completed, Britain's vast maritime power will be free to move between the Pacific and Atlantic!

Obviously, because of Emperor Zhu's butterfly effect, it is not only China that has benefited! The Victorian era of the British Empire was even more glorious than the same period in history. And after the United States lost its qualification to compete for world hegemony forever due to division, the Ming Empire will probably become the most important object of British containment, right? And this containment ...... Will it turn into a world war in the future?

On the way to Hawaii to attend the registration ceremony of his son and daughter-in-law, Zhu Jishi thought more than once about the world war, which is a world war in this time and space! The resources and markets in this world are just like that, and a rising China and a powerful empire on which the sun never sets will clash sooner or later......

Oahu, the main island of the Hawaiian archipelago, was already in sight, and this key point in the Pacific Ocean almost suddenly appeared in the eyes of Zhu Jishi and his imperial concubine Maria, who were walking on the deck - as had been arranged on previous visits, Empress Luo Xiangmei once again served as regent, keeping Crown Prince Zhu Guoxiong in Nanjing. The Admiralty and the senior generals of the North and South Ocean Fleet, who followed Zhu Jishi on his visit, all rushed to the deck, raised their binoculars, and looked at the island in the sky with complicated eyes -- this place is very likely to become a battlefield for their future achievements!

The 671-ton Duke Wellington, the flagship of the British Pacific Fleet, was already waiting for the Chinese emperor off Oahu with two old 3-ton battleships. Although these three warships are somewhat outdated, their huge size, as well as as many as 3 and 4 layers of artillery decks, still make the visiting Ming Emperor and his admirals feel a kind of pressure.

The British Empire actually deployed its most powerful steam-sail battleship in the Pacific Ocean! Coupled with the fact that the Pearl Harbor Fortress had been under construction for four years, the British determination to control the Pacific Ocean had been fully revealed.

At the same time that Zhu Jishi and his naval officers were wide-eyed and observing the huge battleships of the British, Sir Napier, commander of the British Pacific Fleet and commander of the Pearl Harbor fortress, was also standing on the "Duke of Wellington" and was holding a telescope to observe the two or 3-ton "Ming" class battleships of the Ming Empire. Although the navy of the Ming Empire is so small in his opinion, the pocket is not weak, and the fact that it is small now does not mean that it will not grow into a behemoth in the future.

As a veteran admiral of the British Navy, he knew very well that the necessary conditions for a strong navy were nothing more than excellent naval personnel and strong shipbuilding capabilities. The former Ming Empire is slightly lacking, they are not a country with a naval tradition, but in the past few years, they have been cultivating their naval elites step by step, although now their navy still relies on European military advisers, but what about ten or twenty years later? But it's quite worrying! As for their ship-building capabilities...... Then it is even more worrying, the two steam sail battleships in front of them are built by the Chinese themselves, and they also have 6 pure steam ironclad ships with far-sea combat capabilities, although the practical value may not be high, but no one can otherwise, this kind of battleship without sails and wrapped in iron armor represents the future of the navy! The Chinese are not only not lagging behind in this regard, but are also one step ahead! )

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