Among the licensing companies of the British Isles, the Red River Valley occupies about three floors of shares and interests. The second largest shareholder is Lord Ayton, the son of Duke Victor. Viscount Edward Nelson is one of them, accounting for about 3.2%, which brings him nearly 7,500 pounds of income per year and greatly alleviates financial difficulties.

Picking up girls is very expensive. Viscount Nelson's income is not enough to deal with the money-spending London socialite Mrs. Emilia.

Viscount Edward Nelson knew this well and had always been kind to the Earl of Queensland. He spoke, "No one can make everyone like it. Even if the noble Queen and the Prime Minister are the same, the only one who can do this is the omnipotent God, so please don't take it to heart."

"Thank you Edward, I know." Li Fushou said apologetically to Mrs. Emilia; "The gentlemen have some boring topics to talk about, I am very sorry, I want to borrow Master Viscount..."

"Oh...no problem, I wish you all a happy chat."

Mrs. Emilia was a natural party animal, and she was like a fish in the water at the guests' cocktail party. She obviously didn't want to stay by the dull Viscount Edward Nelson, and turned around happily to leave.

"So...what do you want to talk about now?" Viscount Edward Nelson watched the very well-known lady leave, and turned her head to ask.

"I feel very difficult to deal with the Dutch. I want to develop four heavy cruisers with a displacement of about five or six tons as the backbone of the fleet's strength. Will this touch the sensitive nerves of the British Empire's Admiralty?" Li Fushou asked bluntly.

"There is no doubt that it will. To be honest, they don't have a good impression of you, but this is the norm in the upper class in London. The royalist party and the parliamentary party are constantly fighting each other. The West End of London looks down on the East End, the city looks down on Cambridge, and conflicts are everywhere. The same thing... You won't let everyone like it, but life still has to go on." Viscount Edward Nelson shrugged indifferently.

His obscure meaning is very clear;

The Royal Navy of the British Empire was not concerned about several heavy cruisers. They were just unhappy with the Earl of Queensland. They were built only after they were actually built. Rumors were inevitable. Can they really sink?

This thing is like a colleague relationship in a company. The leaders of another department don’t like you. Whether you do it or not, they will be picky and look straight and dislike them.

But if you do it, you will do it, which may hinder the promotion in the future. But if you don’t have this motivation, the leader of another department will have no choice but to deal with you. This is probably what it means.

Li Fushou understood it in seconds, and he pondered for a moment and asked, "After the 50th anniversary of the throne of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, I am considering giving four 6,000-ton cruisers as gifts. I think such a gift should be taken out. At the same time, four ships of the same level are built for Queensland as the main force of the fleet. I hope that by then, I can reduce the noise of the Imperial Royal Navy."

"Okay, that's fine." Viscount Edward Nelson was cheered up after hearing this.

Her Majesty Queen Victoria was crowned the king on June 20, 1837, and the 50th anniversary of the throne was celebrated on June 20, 1887. It was more than five years and twenty days away from now, and it was completely time.

The Earl of Queensland scored a few tricks in one go, and presented this heavy gift of tens of thousands of tons, which was enough to wipe out all the doubts, and at the same time won the favor and acquiescence of the Imperial Royal Navy, confirming the position of loyal subjects of the British Empire.

What is the Royal Navy of the British Empire lacking now?

I was short of money, and in order to compete for military expenses, the Army and the Navy were criticized by people, and they kept attacking each other.

Even the richest British Empire in the world, the huge military expenditures spent every year are not enough, and just looking at them makes people feel numb.

The army needs to maintain the British Empire's war in colonies and hot spots around the world, from the Black Sea coast to Afghanistan, from Myanmar to South Africa, from Canada to Puerto Rico in South America, the mission list is thick like the British Encyclopedia. How much military expenditure does this cost?

The same is true for the Royal Navy of the British Empire. In order to maintain the operation of the huge fleet, it will burn hundreds of thousands of pounds if it is dispatched once. In addition, the crazy development of steam iron armored warships instead of old warships, no amount of military expenditure will be enough to burn.

Therefore, even if Li Fushou presented Shangri-La Island as a gift from Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the British Empire was not rare, and it was far from the effect of offering 4 heavy cruisers.

There is really no bragging element, it is true.

The reason why Earl Kanafen was granted the fief is that he dominated Canada to become a de facto country and joined the Commonwealth, completely cutting off Americans' longing and therefore was granted the title of Earl.

The United States has always had a strong aggression towards Canada in the north, and now it is really unrequited.

At the beginning, Earl Kanafon hoped that Canada would join the British mainland, but was flatly rejected by London and only allowed him to join the Commonwealth. The treatment here varies greatly.

The British are not willing to join Canada and Australia. Dilution should have been the high treatment that the British Isles enjoyed. Don’t even think about such a good thing. This is a strong resistance among the people of the British Isles, and the same is true in the upper class aristocrats.

If Li Fushou proposed to join the UK the next day after unifying Australia, he would be rejected 100%. The best situation would be to join the Commonwealth and enjoy the same treatment as Canada.

Let’s do a promising career in the colony, and don’t think too much about other things.

Tsarist Russia and Germany were insatiable and wanted to pull everything into their own plates. The British were simply eating and entering the sage time, and the large tracts of land could not arouse the desire to possess.

The reason why the East Indies was easily thrown to the Dutch was very explaining this issue.

At this time, I offer Shangri-La Island again, Isn’t it purely a humble person?

Someone will ask questions;

Since the British did not care about territory, why did they send troops to occupy Afghanistan and Myanmar?

Everyone knows that Afghanistan is not only a mountain, but also a barren land. The real poor mountains and bad waters are out of troublemakers, but it is exactly at the core of the intersection of the world and is extremely strategically important.

In order to cut off the strategic intention of Tsarist Russia to move south, it is imperative to establish a solid barrier for the Indian continent, the most dazzling jewel in the crown of the British Empire and the Queen of India, to defend it from being violated by Russian bears and take the lead in occupying Afghanistan.

Tsarist Russia was able to mobilize millions of gray animals, and its army was so powerful that it could tremble throughout Europe, and the British Empire was no exception.

The Royal Navy of the British Empire had no rivals across the world and the ocean, which did not mean that the army was equally powerful. The British permanent army had only 280,000 people, and it was not enough to pile up to Tsarist Russia. The barren mountains and steep mountains in Afghanistan were the best barrier.

Looking back at Myanmar, the French have existed in the Indochina Peninsula for decades, and their intention to colonize the Indochina Peninsula is obvious.

If the French-Prussian War had not interrupted the French colonization process, the entire Indochina Peninsula would have long fallen into the hands of the French colonial army.

As a standard old silver coin, British strategists have long seen this and have taken precautionary measures to prevent the French from getting involved in the Indian Peninsula. The specific action is to invade Myanmar and form a buffer zone between British and French colonies.

The reason is very simple. The British Army is far less powerful than the French Army, and its foundation and mobilization capabilities are also far less than that of them. We must be on guard against it.

Britain and France, two countries that have been in love and fight each other for hundreds of years, invaded and colonized other countries side by side, and dealt with Russia together, and also prevented the other party from stabbing themselves in the back.

During the French-Prussian War, the British supported the Prussians and stabbed the French hard in the back.

The defeated France not only lost a large area of ​​territory, but also directly led to the destruction of the Third Reich of France. Napoleon III was exiled to London. The French also paid a huge war reparation of 5 billion francs. The German Empire Emperor William I was crowned the Palace of Versailles, which buried a layer of haze in the hearts of all the proud Frenchmen...

Once there is a chance, the French don't mind giving the British a blow.

It took the lead in occupying Myanmar, and the French army could not directly attack the Indian mainland, which left a great buffer time and distance for Britain to make effective responses.

As for the French fleet landing from sea, it would be fine to think about this possibility in a dream, but it would be laughable if you said it.

The grand evening reception was not over, and Li Fushou had already returned to Jingsi Pavilion. All the subordinates like him were unable to let go of the fun and performed more honestly than the other.

When the Count left, the noise of the grand reception immediately rose octave, the dance steps were swift, and the joy was indulging in joy.

In Jingsi Pavilion, the lights are as bright as day.

Li Fushou sat at the desk and savored a cup of tea. He gently tapped a document with his slender fingers. This was the first-class ironclad ship application for construction report reported by the Coast Guard. It has been stored here for more than half a year.

The classification of steam iron armored warships is based on 4,000 tons. The first-class iron armored warships are higher than this standard. The first-class iron armored warships include iron armored battleships and heavy cruisers. The second-class iron armored warships include light cruisers and patrol ships, and light armored gunboats.

As the captain of the Coast Guard, Geng Baogui has worked hard to promote the construction of the joint fleet in the past two years, and has come up with multiple plans to build heavy cruisers, and has been loudly calling for it to attract attention from all parties.

The Coast Guard Development Report he proposed was beaten back one by one, but he was stubbornly submitted it, showing eager development expectations.

All of this is actually a double act with the Earl.

After all, Li Fushou personally came forward to promote naval construction and was discussed as a noble lord who was a militarized nobleman, which would cause uneasiness in the army. Everyone knows that naval construction is a giant beast of gold swallowing. Not only is it expensive to build, but it also has bottomless pits for maintenance and usage, especially large warships.

A shell weighs five or six hundred kilograms and is worth dozens or hundreds of pounds. The lifespan of a large caliber naval gun is only 250 to 300 rounds, and a barrel is worth more than 5,000 pounds. These are all white money!

The construction cost of a British standard 10,000-ton armored battleship can be enough to equip three divisions with nearly 20,000 troops.

The construction cost of 6,000-ton heavy cruiser is enough to equip the army units of two divisions.

This is enough to prove that building a navy is extremely expensive. The main battleships of 10,000-ton are very expensive. Heavy cruisers are also gold-eating beasts, and large ships and small ships are not cheap.

If you want to get a cheaper one can only buy the Lundall shallow water gunboat. That thing is purely a scum and can only sway in the port and near the sea. When the wind and waves get a little bigger, it will sink into itself.

Geng Baogui came forward to promote the naval construction plan, which was very appropriate from the perspective of identity and naval construction, and the criticism would be less.

"The wolf is here, the wolf is here..." He kept shouting, but he was not surprised when the wolf is actually here.

Originally, Li Fushou did not want to rush to develop heavy main battleships, but was preparing to wait until the era of steam iron armored warships came to an end and the former Fearless Class battleships came on stage.

This time node was 1890, and there are only more than 7 years left.

This will save a lot of money on ship purchases and economic development, slowly develop farming, and accumulate strength...

The original idea was too beautiful, and the facts were far more harsh than they had been imagined.

After several small-scale naval battles, Li Fushou deeply realized the important role of the navy, so now he changed his mind.

Heavy armored warships must not only develop, but also develop as soon as possible. At best, the Queensland United Fleet is just a light offshore naval force, and it is the Dutch soft persimmon that can succeed repeatedly.

When hydraulic re-access cannons become popular, the firepower advantage of the Queensland Combined Fleet will no longer be available, so this batch of crisp ships cannot guarantee core rights.

If you can hit others, others will naturally be able to hit you.

The rumors of the Royal Dutch Army trying to buy second-hand German warships were sensational, including the German 10,000-ton armored warship anchored at the Halls Shipyard, a serious threat that a Queensland Combined Fleet could not resist.

Not to mention this, the Spaniards entrenched in the Luzon colony were not good at it. They owned two first-class steam iron armored warships with a displacement of more than 5,000 tons, which was far stronger than the Queensland Combined Fleet.

Now that the territory is large, Shangri-La Island, as a private territory, is not protected by the British Empire. Germans or Americans may cut off a piece of meat. For the sake of preventing problems before they occur, the Queensland United Fleet must have a main battleship that is enough to shock potential opponents.

A defeated army without fighting is the best strategy!

The cost of building heavy warships is indeed expensive, but the cost of war is also expensive. Li Fushou cannot bear the serious consequences of losing the war. The reason is that the foundation is too shallow, and if you take a step back, you will face a cliff.

After comprehensive consideration, the development of heavy armored warships has become an urgent task.

More than 80 experts from the German Naval Shipyard have arrived at the Honghe Shipyard. They will help the Honghe Shipyard break through technical difficulties, realize the ability to independently build 6,000-ton heavy cruisers, and achieve the take-off of shipbuilding technology.
Chapter completed!