The most important event that occurred internationally in 1885 was that the Berlin Conference finally reached an agreement after a long dispute, forming a "General Resolution" of more than 60,000 words, including 38 articles.

The core of the General Resolution is Article 36;

It is stipulated that when the great powers occupy land or establish a protected state on the coast of Africa in the future, they must notify other countries signed on this agreement so that they can make their own requests if necessary.

At the same time, it is necessary to ensure the establishment of ruling powers that are sufficient to protect the existing rights, and to ensure freedom of trade and transit that comply with prescribed conditions, if necessary. Only in this way can it be considered effective occupation and will it be recognized by other powers,

In this way, for the first time, the European and American powers set their respective geographical boundaries on the map in Berlin far away from Africa.

Defeating the powerful France, Belgian King Leopold II became the last person to laugh. With the support of European and American countries, the Congo River Basin, which covers an area of ​​more than 2 million square kilometers, was included in its own private territory, and established the "Congo Free State".

The strong support from the British royal family was the key factor in Belgium's final victory.

This is because Her Majesty Queen Victoria is the cousin of King Leopold II of Belgium. The two kings have close ties with each other. The former Belgian king was Queen Victoria's uncle. How could there be no reason not to help his own people?

Without a single shot and bullet, he defeated France through superb diplomatic skills and finally won the Congo River Basin territory.

King Leopold II of Belgium became a dazzling figure in the royal family in Europe. He was a sensational figure in the international political arena in 1885 and was in the limelight.

Tang Shaoyi witnessed this outstanding diplomatic performance in Berlin, deeply moved him, and made great ambitions from then on, dedicated his life to the cause of diplomacy.

In order to avoid the encounter between countries in the competition in Africa and establish relevant crisis control measures, the Berlin Conference focused on the issue of "effective occupation".

After fierce debates between countries and Britain, which owns the most territorial territory in Africa, a resolution with extremely vague words was finally passed.

How to understand that countries can define freely. Real transactions are placed under the table, and when placed on the surface, they are something that has become a fact, which greatly increases the space for London's diplomatic maneuver.

It’s nothing more than bargaining and buying a steamed bun to get a green onion.

At this meeting, Western powers divided their spheres of influence in central Africa and determined the common norms for expanding colonies in Africa, which led to the climax of dividing Africa in the late 19th century.

Through the General Resolution of the Berlin Conference, the legitimacy of aggression and division of Africa was publicly recognized internationally. Without affecting the interests of other powerful countries, the signatory countries will belong to their sphere of influence whoever occupied the areas that have not been divided first without affecting the interests of other powerful countries.

A day in mid-October

Red River Valley City, Dream Castle

After 5 and a half years of large-scale construction, the overall white dream castle stands majestic on the top of the mountains. The towering spire of the castle pierces the sky, making it look particularly magnificent against the blue sky. It is one of the iconic buildings in Red River Valley.

The main body of the dream castle has been completed, but it will take some time to polish the details. This is a miracle that combines the essence of German and French castle architecture, full of imagination, especially the luxurious double spiral staircase and huge crystal chandeliers in the castle, which are amazing.

This is the main palace where the Earl of Queensland will live in the future. It has a total of 999 rooms. The construction scale is extremely grand. It is decorated with exquisite carvings of stone in the French Neo-Romantic style. The dome murals were made by famous European masters. Each of them reflects the rise of Queensland step by step.

Since the Count had just stepped onto the Brisbane Pier and won the first income through the Oriental trick of the Three Immortals Reminder Cave, he established the Fulinmen Hotel and purchased the Red River Valley Ranch. He was attacked on the way and led his team to kill the giant bandit "Wild Wolf Bilken" across Australia. The Queen of England was awarded a merit and a feudal title to open up Shangri-La Island. He encountered a battle outside the sea of ​​Jayapra, and fought with the Dutch in Moresby to march into Borneo...

The artist creation team led by the famous French Impressionist painters Paul Cecchan and Oscar Claude Monet have gathered more than 10 famous painters from Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands to create large murals and dome murals for the dream castle. It has been more than three years since then.

As the world's top rich man and great lord, the Earl of Queensland must of course be the best to build a palace for himself. Whether it is architect, painting or carving, European famous artists are hired to create, and the interior is extremely luxurious.

Behind the dream castle is surrounded by mountains, overlooking the Red River Valley city that spreads to the sky. The magnificent Brisbane River in the distance is full of views. The infinite beauty is refreshing and I feel unwilling to take my eyes away for a long time.

Whenever tired

Paul Cézanne and Monet and three or five other friends sat on the high platform to enjoy the beautiful scenery around them, drank a cup of coffee, and all the fatigue disappeared.

The magnificent scenery here can inspire artists to create infinite creative inspiration. They know that they are completing an unprecedented masterpiece, and they are doing their best to create more excellent works.

European famous artists gather here, and only by creating amazing works can we stand out. From this perspective, every artist is a competitor.

Li Fushou inspected the construction progress of the Dream Castle and it was already afternoon when he returned to the Red Castle.

Lingxiao Pavilion Backyard

Private masseur Chris is massaging Li Fushou's shoulders. The tea fragrance lingers on the tea table in front of him. Facing him, the secretary-general Fan Zhongzhai, sat opposite the coffee table. The two were talking about each other.

"Zhongzhai, please continue to follow up on these things about the Dream Castle. Ang Lee has been responsible for building a palace in Songjiang City recently. He wants to build a magnificent Chinese-style palace in Songjiang Reservoir. The specific construction is under the leadership of the Style Lei family. I will also let him do it here. Anyway, the warehouse has a lot of surplus."

"I will keep an eye on this matter. Lord Yuanding. Recently, local administrative officials and the army have become more involved in business. I think this will ruin our original healthy operation mechanism and corrode our bodies. Should policies be introduced to curb it?"

"You and Speaker Xin Changjun discuss this matter privately, refer to the relevant laws and regulations of Britain and the United States, and issue a legal constraint belonging to Queensland. What are the differences between using power to participate in shares and which are reasonable investments clearly, try to consider it carefully, and then pass and implement it in the state legislature."

"I understand, I will start doing this soon." Fan Zhongzhai took a sip of fragrant tea, thought about it, raised his head and said seriously; "Mr. Yuanding, according to the news from Guangzhou, Guiweng Gu Yanchuan is now attacked by the imperial ministers, and I am afraid the situation is not good!"

"Oh...what news did you hear?"

As soon as Fan Zhongzhai heard this, he knew that the Count had not read the briefing, so he explained, "It was a briefing sent by Guangjitang. They were responsible for some intelligence spy work in mainland China, so he learned...

The Minister of the Westernization Affairs Bureau, Li Hongzhang, first proposed that in order to regain unified command of the navy, it was recommended to establish a Prime Minister's Naval Affairs Office in Peking, which has been approved by Guangxu and will be implemented today.

This policy will regain the command of the Nanyang Fleet in the hands of Gu Yanchuan, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, which may make the South China Sea region unguarded. Even if the Nanyang Fleet is still stationed in the southern region, it will lose its command. If it is attacked by foreign enemies, it may not be expected.

Governor Gu Yanchuan, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, has always expressed strong opposition to this, advocating that China's coastal defense will last for thousands of kilometers, and will not be able to rush to support from north to south, and it is advisable to defend in sections.

Obviously, the court did not listen to this suggestion.

Out of the primary need to protect the capital, establishing a strong enough Beiyang fleet overwhelmed everything. It was Li Hongzhang who used this to impress the one in Guangxu and the Forbidden City, and promoted the naval office to vigorously purchase foreign ships in the name of rectifying coastal defense, and allocated ships of the Nanyang and Fujian navies to the Beiyang to expand the Beiyang Navy.

According to the briefing;

Peking established the Prime Minister's Naval Affairs Office, with Prince Chun Yihuan as the Prime Minister, Prince Qing Yili, Minister Qing Li Hongzhang as the Councillor, Zhenghong Banner Han Army Commander Shanqing, and Right Minister of War Zeng Jize as the assistant.

Although there are Manchu princes and ministers above his head, the real power is still under Li Hongzhang's control, and the Beiyang Army will inevitably become his one-man rule and its power will further expand in the court.

As the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Gu Yanchuan, who has always been incompatible with Li Hongzhang, has been repeatedly criticized, and his situation is really worrying!"

"Oh... has things reached this point?" Li Fushou couldn't help but sit up and ask.

"It has not collapsed yet. After all, the contract has just been signed and the ink traces have not dried. The Frenchman still needs to shock Gu Yanchuan in southern Xinjiang, so that he will not be able to look north. At this time, it is unwise to hide the birds and eat rabbits and dogs. The Qing court should not be so stupid."

"It's hard to say, it's hard to say..." Li Fushou murmured, sat back again, frowned and thought for a while, and smiled bitterly.

What can the old witch in the Forbidden City have?

The handling of state affairs is based solely on personal likes and dislikes and reasons. It is simply a disgrace to the international trend, otherwise it would not be possible to make a ridiculous decision to go to war with all countries.

The old witch has healed the scar and forgot the pain, and everything can happen if the ears are soft.

Should I remind you?

Li Fushou immediately thought of the two heavy cruisers "Qinglong" and "White Tiger" that had been equipped with the Borneo fleet. No wonder President Lao Mi's anything happened. He always thought of his aircraft carrier at the first time. He can now deeply understand this.

To show off your martial arts, these big guys still have to do it.

"Follow the relevant situation closely. If it really doesn't work, let He Fang work hard. The UK has a commercial port in Yantai. Let's go there in the name of friendly visits to remind these forgetful guys."

"I understand. The Secretariat will communicate further with Lord He and convey your instructions." Fan Zhongzhai understood what Lord Earl meant and agreed with a smile.

"How is the construction progress of the Zhuque?"

"Well, that's it... The Zhuque has been launched and outfitted. Longshan Shipyard's main energy has been turned into the construction of the "Xuanwu". After this round of great development of naval equipment, the construction process of Hongshan Shipyard has rapidly improved and has reached a new level. It is expected that all shipbuilding construction work will be completed in 9 months and outfitted in mid-next year."

"It's not easy. The improvement of technology is one step at a time, and there is no falsehood."

"Yes, by building these main warships, the shipyard has trained a large number of young backbone experts and designers, and trained a large number of technicians with qualified technical levels, which can produce more and better warships and enhance the strength of the navy."

"So all our efforts are worth it." Li Fushou showed a satisfied smile on his face. After 8 years of development, Hongshan Shipyard has ranked among the top shipyards in the world, ranking about sixth and seventh.

In particular, the construction of three 10,000-ton "Magic" class iron armored battleships and the construction of four 8,800-ton "Qinglong" class heavy cruisers made Hongshan Shipyard expand and develop rapidly like taking a big tonic, making up for the construction of military ships and achieving the rise of technical strength.

Economic benefits are second, the key is the military significance and the resulting significant social influence, which cannot be measured by money.

The Queensland Territory contains tens of thousands of islands, and most of the surrounding important towns are within 50 kilometers of the sea. It has long been a consensus to have a strong naval force and have an urgent need for reality and future.

Li Fushou will not place safety on other people's pity and sympathy. This thing is worthless and is purely a dream.

Only by having strong strength as a backing can we gain respect and attention from others, and only by listening to what we say will be worthy. This is an eternal truth.

After returning from Europe, he had already put aside his concerns and ordered the latter two "Qinglong" class heavy cruisers to be equipped with a dual-mounted 305mm long-body tube gun, and adopt a new hydraulic re-entry system to further enhance the firepower of the warship.

This major change

This resulted in the delay of the start of construction of the "Surpriser Bird" heavy cruiser for more than four months. The original three dual-mounted 280mm main guns were all replaced, and the displacement increased by more than 800 tons to more than 9,650 tons. It can be called a battle cruiser.

Fortunately, the "Qinglong" class heavy cruiser used a dual-equipped 305mm heavy artillery at the beginning of its original design. Later, it was forcibly suppressed for other reasons. Of course, the already built Qinglong and White Tiger could not be changed, but the two Suzaku and Xuanwu were not a problem.

However, after such changes, the maximum speed of the latter two warships will be reduced by 1.5 knots, which is also a necessary price to pay!

Such a powerful battleship is only inferior to the "magnificent"-class battleship in all aspects.

The "Magic" class battleship uses Armstrong's advanced dual-mounted 343mm caliber cannon. You should know that the larger the outer diameter of the shell, the weight and power will almost double.

The 280mm long-body tube main gun is a caliber commonly used by warships below heavy cruisers, and is also the main force of shore guns. It has equipment from 1,000-ton light cruisers to 8,000-ton heavy cruisers, especially the German Krupp 280mm artillery, which is sold well in various countries with high quality and low price.

The 305mm main gun is about 12 inches and the total gun weighs 57 tons. It is the mainstream caliber of the main armored battleships of the French, German, American and Tsarist Russian fleets. It has a slow firing rate, strong firepower and strong armor-breaking ability.

The 343mm giant cannon has a 13.5-inch caliber, with a total cannon weighing 76 tons. It was first equipped with the first-class iron armored battleship of the Royal Navy of the British Empire. It is currently also the Royal Navy's unique skill, an undefeated maritime heavy hammer and a killer weapon for the fleet's decisive battle.
Chapter completed!