"Mr. Liu, what else do you know?" In the captain's cabin of the Zhiyuan, Deng Shichang stared nervously at Liu Yiming.

"I know a lot. For example, your army's move south this time was completely a Japanese conspiracy!" Liu Yiming said.

"Conspiracy? How to prove it?" Even so, Deng Shichang had already believed it, so he got rid of those people. He knew that those in Nanhua would not care about it, and there was no way to know about those who did.

"I asked the British to get this information." Liu Yiming took out the information Charles gave him and took out the Japanese part.

"The British?" Deng Shichang looked at the information, but he was more concerned about Liu Yiming's relationship with the British. "Did the British tell you the information about me waiting to go south?"

"Part of it, we have many sources of intelligence, especially since you didn't cover it up at all." Liu Yiming said, "Nanhua and Die Qing have always been in contact, especially since I was still gathering refugees and sending them to Java Island. Last month,

When the refugees were suddenly cut off, I opened the intelligence system at that time. Nan Hua knew much more about this matter than Die."

"The purpose of Mr. Liu coming here should be to persuade me to go back? But unfortunately, this is not the Warring States Period. Mr. Liu has the talents of a political strategist, but there is no place to display them." Deng Shichang changed his voice and said, "Mr. Liu might as well join Mr. Li Zhongtang.

My subordinate, Mr. Zhongtang, loves money. Besides, Nanhua is just an island, so I can’t display my talents.”

"Master Deng, I know that you run the army rigorously and the soldiers under your command are well-trained. Today we boarded the Zhiyuan ship. There is no rust on the ship. The supplies are neatly stacked and the soldiers move in an orderly manner. This is a testament to Master Deng's great talent.

It's a pity, it's a pity..." Liu Yiming also changed his tone.

"What a pity?" He knew Liu Yiming was trying to trick him, but Deng Shichang couldn't help it.

"It's a pity that Mr. Deng is in his prime and is about to die for the country. Mr. Deng has preserved his reputation after his death, but this huge China has also lost its last barrier and is ravaged by others." Liu Yiming said.

"Absurd, without Deng, our Qing Dynasty still has a million troops and two ships in Dingzhen. You are just in Nanhua and have an insufficient population. Do you, Liu Yiming, dare to collude with the British and help the tyrants to do evil?" Deng Shichang looked like he wanted to devour others.

appearance.

"Master Deng misunderstood that the South China Navy only has seven ships, three warships, and four auxiliary ships, and there are many immigrants. It is impossible to collude with foreign thieves." Liu Yiming said easily, "Since the popularity of steel warships,

, Warship technology is changing with each passing day, and new technologies are constantly being applied to warships, such as Armstrong’s twelve-year-old cannon, does Mr. Deng know?”

"I know a little bit, this cannon fires very fast, five to seven rounds per minute, so what? The twelve-shot cannon is a small cannon after all, what can it do to me? And we and other warships can also install this cannon.

"Deng Shichang said.

"Twelve-generation gun armor-piercing bullets can already penetrate Zhijing's coal bunker, and Nanhua's custom-made warships are equipped with fifteen-generation guns. The rate of fire can still reach five to seven rounds per minute. There is no problem in penetrating Zhijing's coal bunker.

." Liu Yiming said.

"What exactly does Mr. Liu want to say? Why don't you just say it?" Deng Shichang said with a frown.

"I want to say that Beiyang's move south this time is meaningless. When the Qing court was still discussing this matter, I saw that it was not good, so I made preparations for Beiyang warships to go south. There are currently forts in major cities

, a single shot of heavy artillery can put the expedition fleet into a disadvantageous position. One hundred thousand soldiers are preparing to attack inland. Once you choose to log in, you will have no choice but to fight to the death. Mr. Deng does not want to lose the soldiers who have trained so hard.

Here?" Liu Yiming said.

"Not to mention, this time the Beiyang Fleet was forced to go south. It was originally the Japanese who were behind it, but it is impossible for Mr. Li not to see that this was a dispute between the court and the court. Mr. Deng should have received the order, right?" Liu Yiming said.

Deng Shichang didn't speak, thinking silently. The fleet with no supplies was going to carry out the mission of attacking the land, but there was no accompanying army and the Marine Corps relied on the crew to serve as part-time workers? What a joke! That was an attack on a city, and

It is a fortified city.

"Does Mr. Liu know any information about the Japanese?" Deng Shichang's words softened.

"This needs to be said slowly. Compared to Mr. Deng who still doesn't believe me, let's go all the way south. I have already opened up the relationship with Singapore. Let the fleet go to supply first, and let the brothers also step on the land." Liu Yiming did not directly.

Answer, I have to tell you Japanese intelligence slowly, and the most important thing now is to talk to Li Hongzhang, not anything else.

"When I arrived in Singapore, I asked Mr. Deng to send a report to Li Zhongtang, saying that the Chinese still have something to ask for. Not to mention Nanhua, your department has almost no confidentiality measures." Liu Yiming said unceremoniously.

"Don't be impatient. Master Deng, you still want to wait?" Liu Yiming looked at Deng Shichang who was about to get angry and said speechlessly. It's also true that it is impossible to win over Deng Shichang.

"Humph!" Deng Shichang snorted coldly and went out to give orders. Liu Yiming also found Charles who was bragging with the sailors.

"Charles, what do you think of this ship?" Liu Yiming found Charles who was bragging with the sailors and asked.

"A very good ship, with long endurance, fast speed, and low price. It is very suitable for patrolling waterways and colonies, but the armament is a bit awkward. It is equipped with three 8.3-caliber cannons, so that the firepower density of this ship is very high.

"Low, it looks good, but it's hard to say how strong it is." Charles said sincerely, but the content was full of ridicule.

"Let's go and listen to my analysis together." Liu Yiming did not listen any more. Charles is a member of the New Navy faction, and what he pays most attention to is always cutting-edge warships.

British warships accompanied them, Zhi Jing Jing Lai reorganized and slowly headed south.

"Master Deng, I will make a long story short. The real enemy is Japan, not Nanhua. In other words, the real enemy in Beiyang is Japan." Liu Yiming said.

"Mr. Liu, I am also aware of Japan's wolfish ambitions, but how can it, a mere small country, dare to become an enemy of the Qing Dynasty?" Deng Shichang was a little unbelievable.

"This matter is a trap for Japan. It knows that some people in the court know that Nanhua has been established, and they will definitely jump in. Previously, Japan wanted to cooperate with Nanhua, but I rejected it. On the back foot, Nanhua was established.

The matter spread to the palace, and Nanhua was established more than half a year ago, don't you think it's a bit too coincidental?" Liu Yiming said.

"Furthermore, Mr. Deng once guarded the fortresses such as Penghu and Keelung. Mr. Deng was well aware of Japan's ambitions. However, last year, the economic crisis broke out again and Japan was also affected. Therefore, 60% of Japan's fiscal revenue last year was spent on armaments.

Nanhua had not yet been established at that time. What did Mr. Deng think this explosive increase in naval military expenditures was used for?" Liu Yiming released another big news.

"Is this true?" Due to professional reasons, the Navy is the most enlightened group of people in the Qing Dynasty. Of course, they know what it means to spend more than half of the fiscal revenue on armaments.

"The Sanjing ship was launched the year before last. It should be delivered by now, right?" Liu Yiming asked Deng Shichang as if he didn't know anything about it. Deng Shichang's face turned darker and darker. The Sanjing ship was aimed at the second ship Dingzhen. It is meaningless. The entire East Asia and Southeast Asia

, except for Dingzhen, Sanjing has no target. Should we use 320mm/38 cannon to hit the protected cruiser? Aren't we afraid of hitting the target?

"Okay, okay, that's it for now. Is there anything else you want to ask, Mr. Deng?" Liu Yiming asked nonchalantly.

"Mr. Liu just said that Japan is interested in our Beiyang. Did you get any news?" Deng Shichang asked with a little expectancy. After all, this man could have stripped off the Qing Dynasty's southward trip this time, even better than him, the person in charge of the squadron.

clear.

"I have some information, but no evidence," Liu Yiming said.

"I don't know. Isn't it convenient for me to tell you?" Deng Shichang asked with some hope. There was no way, there was no external intelligence system in Beiyang or even the entire Die Qing Dynasty.

"Japan has a national policy, from small to large. It first conquers Taiwan, then Manchuria and Mongolia, then the Qing Dynasty, then Asia, and finally the world. If you want to prove it, I don't have it. But think about it.

You can figure it out." Liu Yiming said.

"Chao and Taiwan, Chao and Taiwan! I have participated in both places, how can I not believe it? May I ask, sir, does Japan really dare to invest 60% of its income in the navy?" Deng Shichang asked as if he was looking forward to it.

"Don't think about it, Mr. Deng. In 1890, 60% of Japan's fiscal budget was invested in armaments, directly the navy, and there was also the issuance of 17 million yen of public bonds. It should not be crazy to 60% in the future, but more than 40% is

Definitely, otherwise its investment over the years has become a sunk cost, and who can accept it?" Liu Yiming said.

"Furthermore, I heard that your country allocated 2.6 million taels of silver to fight against South China?" Liu Yiming asked.

"Yes! But in the hands of Master Zhongtang, there are only more than 2 million left. I heard that the Ministry of Internal Affairs later intervened and took hundreds of thousands." Deng Shichang said angrily. Li Hongzhang originally promised to use the money for purchases.

Warship, but...

"Beiyang has not purchased warships for four years. Do you want to hear the specifications of the warships I bought?" Liu Yiming said seductively. The brainwashing must not stop at any time.

"I would like to hear the details!" Deng Shichang's eyes lit up. He was also thinking about buying a cheap warship. Unfortunately, not buying a warship was not because of lack of money, but because of political reasons.

"Speed ​​22 knots, four eight-inch guns, four 4.7-inch rapid-fire guns, three torpedo tubes, and most importantly, a 3-6-inch armored belt, the price is also cheap, 1.5 million taels of silver

, it is considered to be of high quality and low price!" Liu Yiming quietly said to Deng Shichang, this is to pave the way, hoping to sell this ship to Beiyang in the future, so the price is slightly higher (referring to the increase of 500,000 yuan in the quotation)

"Although the ship is good, it is too expensive." Deng Shichang frowned after hearing the quotation.

"It's not expensive. It has a strong pressure and ventilation of 23 knots. Is there any ship that can reach this speed?" Liu Yiming said with a smile.
Chapter completed!