Yan Yangtian was a little hesitant when he asked Russia for information about the latest British and French ironclad ships. Russia repeatedly proposed to exchange or purchase torpedoes, rapid-fire guns, machine guns and other technologies. Yuan Qi looked for various reasons to make excuses. Now how can he speak to Russia? Even if the Russians have relevant information at hand, they may not give it to them.

After hesitating, he said tactfully: "It is difficult for our country to spy on the intelligence of British and French ironclad ships, let alone Russia. Why not ask about America?"

"The United States has been sacking its navy in recent years. What useful information can it provide?" Yi Zhizuo seemed to know his thoughts and said slowly: "In the whole of Europe, no country wants Germany to become stronger. France and Russia are particularly unwilling to do so, because of their common enemy. France and Russia have been getting closer in recent years. If the Russians have intelligence on hand, they will definitely not be stingy."

In fact, he was asking the Russians for information. He also had a try-out mentality and did not expect much. In recent years, the confidentiality awareness of European countries has gradually increased, and the confidentiality measures in the military industry have been escalating again and again. It is difficult to spy on useful information. Yuan Qi has spent a lot of money in recent years, but the results are small.

"Report."

"Come in."

A staff member came in quickly, saluted and submitted a telegram, reporting: "Maputo's emergency telegram."

It was Maputo who urgently called Yizhizu to receive the telegram and glanced a few times, with a smile on his face, then handed it to Yan Yangtian, and said in a whisper: "A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger."

The telegram was naturally sent by Yi Zhengxing. It was a combat plan. It planned to use the Transvaal Defense Force to advance, destroy the railway built by the British in the Cape colony, and delay the marching speed of the French, Austrian and Italian coalition forces. At the same time, it dispatched troops from all over the country to Standerton to fight against the German army.

After reading the telegram, Yan Yangtian pondered for a moment before speaking: "Standerton has a railway connecting Johannesburg and Maputo, which can be called Transvaal transportation hub. It is not far from Durban. It is a place that military strategists must fight for and also a place that Transvaal must defend.

Our country currently has only 30,000 troops in South Africa, and it is impossible for the garrisons of Maputo and Johannesburg to be allocated. The number of troops that can be gathered is only 20,000. As for the Transvaal National Defense Forces, there are only three brigades, and they will attack the railway line and divide their troops to garrison, so they cannot draw any extra troops.

The German army had 40,000, and its combat power was not weak. 20,000 to 40,000, and the troops were very different. Although they were defending the city, Standedton was not a strong city, and its terrain was flat and had no support. It was an easy to attack and difficult to defend."

"Worry about too much casualties"

Yan Yangtian nodded, his tone was a little low, "Germany, France, Austria and Italy jointly sent troops to South Africa. The plan must be to quickly fight and decide to capture Johannesburg in one fell swoop, so as to shake the confidence of the country in Yuanqi and exacerbate my country's financial crisis.

Forty thousand Germans ventured to land in Durban, and the soldiers pointed directly at Standerton. They must have had some confidence in relying on them. Standerton's battle is probably a fierce battle."

Yi Zhizu smoked and said nothing. He never underestimated the German army's combat power. The German War of Unification has proved that the German army is the well-deserved first European army. He also has no confidence when the troops are twice as different.

After a while of silence, he asked, "There are other better ways."

"The decree to stop banknotes and exchange silver for silver has been announced to the world. Yuanqi is currently at the moment without risk of a run. Even if Johannesburg changes hands for a while, it will not have much impact on Yuanqi." Yan Yangtian spoke very slowly. "In the battle of South Africa, the naval battle was decided by the naval battle. The main fleet of our naval forces arrived in South Africa and blocked the sea surface of South Africa. The battle situation was already destined.

The students secretly thought that there was no need to fight hard or defend Standerton. As long as the railway was destroyed, Standerton would lose its strategic significance. After that, guerrilla harassment wars could be adopted to delay the German advance, so that casualties could be minimized."

"If this is true, it will inevitably make European countries underestimate it, and the situation in South Africa will inevitably repeat itself." Yi Zhizu said in a deep voice: "Now is the transition stage between European countries from the silver standard to the gold standard. European countries have all increased their demand for gold. Transvaal gold mines have large reserves and high output, accounting for 30% of the world's total gold production. European countries are all salivating. Whether it is naval or land war, our country needs to establish its authority, otherwise it will be difficult to dominate for a long time.

In this battle, I not only hope to continue to teach the two maritime powers of Britain and France in the naval battle, but also hope that the land battle can defeat the German army, which is known as the first European army. In this way, in the later climax of the European powers' division of Africa, no one will come to fight South Africa again."

Yan Yangtian naturally knew the importance of the Transvaal gold mine to the Qing Dynasty. Since the other party had the intention of establishing power and intimidating power, he couldn't refute it. After pondering for a while, he said: "Before you have to worry about victory, be sure to lose first. The student thinks that he has to remind him that if it is not violated, he must preserve his strength and blow up the railway and retreat."

"Well. Before you consider winning, you must first lose." Yi Zhizuo said slightly, "I'll give you some advice. Being greedy for merit and advancing is also a taboo for military strategists."

To the surprise of easy contentment, the Russians responded very quickly. Only one day later, the Russians gave a reply. Britain and France have been actively developing armored cruisers in recent years, with strong endurance, fast speed and strong firepower. It is also clearly pointed out that Britain and Geely have developed rapid-fire guns, and the newly built cruisers are equipped with rapid-fire guns.

It turned out that the rapid-fire gun was developed. No wonder he was fearless and started a new round of South Africa's war. Yi Zhizu put down the telegram, smoked silently, and did not say a word for a long time. The rapid-fire gun had undoubtedly a huge impact on the sea and land war, and it was no wonder that England was ready to move again.

Yan Yangtian was full of worries. He knew very well that after all, the most important weapon in the duel of ironclad ships was the naval gun, and torpedo could only rank second. When both ironclad ships were equipped with rapid-fire guns, the British army could completely distance themselves for artillery shooting. In this case, the torpedo was almost useless. After all, the range of the torpedo was far beyond that of the naval gun.

After a while, he broke the silence and said tentatively: "My ironclad ship will not be stagnant in the past few years."

"Don't worry." Yi Zhizu comforted him: "We not only have the advantage of torpedoes, but also have the advantage of military strength. This battle is still a sure victory."

Yan Yangtiandao: "my country's industrial strength is still quite different from England. Once the ironclad ships have equal combat power, it will be difficult for the navy to maintain its advantages. Once our country loses its naval advantage, South Africa, the Persian Gulf and even the Southeast Asian provinces may become England's targets for competition."

"Yes, I know I've considered it for the long term." Yi Zhizu praised and said slowly: "Since the rise of Yuanqi, the reason why my country has been able to win consecutive battles in foreign wars is largely because it maintains its weapon advantage. Once it loses its weapon advantage and its industrial strength is not as strong as that of humans, it will soon be defeated back to its original form, at least it cannot protect its overseas territory.

Our overseas territories such as South Africa, the Persian Gulf, the South Ocean provinces and even Alaska contain amazing wealth. No matter which one is lost, it is a huge loss that cannot be endured.

To protect many overseas territories and interests, we must build a strong navy and always maintain huge advantages in terms of military strength and weapons. Industrial strength is very important, scientific and technological strength is even more important, and advanced weapons are built on strong scientific and technological strength.

Now the military budget and expenditure are gradually independent, and Yuanqi will gradually transfer the weapon research and development. In any case, we must remember to spend at least 10% of the military expenditure on weapon research and development."

Yan Yangtian bowed slightly and said solemnly: "Students must remember the principal's instructions."

"English has developed a rapid-fire gun, and Germany should not be behind." Yi Zhizu ordered: "Give Yi Zhengxing, Feng Zicai to call them and tell them that the German army is very likely to have a rapid-fire gun."

Yan Yangtian said worriedly: "If the German army has rapid-fire guns, Standerton."

Yi Zhizu waved his hand and interrupted his words, "When weapons are equal, it is more conducive to distinguishing the combat effectiveness of the two countries' army."

South Africa, Transvaal, Standerton.

Standerton was originally one of the major important towns in Transvaal. After discovering the coal mine, it developed rapidly and became an important coal base in Transvaal. The railway connecting Johannesburg and Maputo was built, because the two places had a huge demand for coal.

With the connection of railways, Standerton's military status was also rapidly improved, becoming the most important military center in southwest Transvaal. This is not only because Standerton is a transportation hub, but also because Standerton is not far from Redysmith.

In recent years, the British have extended the railway from Durban Port to Redysmith. In short, the German army had to go from Redysmith to Johannesburg. The capture of Standerton was the best route, and it must also be captured, otherwise they would be worried about being attacked from both sides.

In the southern suburbs of Standerton, countless soldiers in camouflage uniforms and shirtless black workers were sweating profusely in the scorching sun, fighting for seconds to build defensive positions. From a distance, a scene of enthusiasm was seen.

Yi Zhengxing's eyes crossed the position and turned into the distance. The plain wasteland was very desolate, with very sparse vegetation. It was rarely seen. There were trees, and even grass was not in groups. In many places, it was simply sandy. Occai was very far away. Feng Zicai said it was right. Standerton could not provide any cover at all. It was an easy-to-attack and difficult-to-defense place.

Yi Zhengxing didn't care much about the terrain. He was just waiting for his leisure and built a position. The most important thing was to occupy the advantage of weapons. Such a flat and unobstructed terrain was more suitable to leverage the powerful firepower advantages of artillery and machine guns.

Withdrew his gaze, he said with some uncertainty: "Knowing that Standerton is a hard bone, the German army will still attack."

"From Ledysmith, there are wastelands all the way, and there are no people for hundreds of miles. The German army is mainly infantry. For such a long-distance marching, it is very difficult to replenish logistics. Even if it is a hard bone, the German army must fight." Feng Zicai's tone was very confident, "In addition, being able to find our main force to fight a decisive battle should be the dream of the German army. The German army cannot afford to fight guerrillas on this wasteland."

As the two were talking, they rushed over and reported loudly to each other: "Report, call from Shanghai."

After receiving the telegram, Yi Zhengxing's expression immediately became a little solemn. He handed the telegram to Feng Zicai and glanced a few quickly. Feng Zicai said in a relaxed tone: "Even if the German army is equipped with rapid-fire cannons, the number is still limited."

This is true. Their artillery is transported by railways. The German army marched for a long distance, and the artillery they could carry must be limited. There is nothing to worry about.

Another rider galloped over, "Report, call from Fort John."

I heard a call from Johannesburg. Feng Zicai took the telegram first, glanced at it and said: "I call from Johannesburg and asked if I need to evacuate in advance."

After hearing this, Yi Zhengxing was a little hesitant. With the increasing scale of gold mining, Johannesburg's development has also grown extremely rapidly. It has developed into a city with a population of more than 100,000 in less than ten years. Once it is evacuated, it will take less than one or two days. According to his plan, the Four-Nation Alliance will naturally not be able to threaten Johannesburg, but what if something happens?

After pondering for a while, he asked, "It is certain that the Boers can destroy the railway from Kimberley to Maverkin."

"Your Highness can rest assured." Feng Zicai's tone was very relaxed, "The Boers are good at riding, have strong mobility, and are good at guerrilla warfare. Due to the mining reasons, Transvaal has a huge amount of explosives. It is easy for the Boers to blow up the British railway."

Yi Zhengxing tentatively said: "Since this is the case, there is no need to withdraw."

"There is no need to retreat, and it cannot be withdrawn." Feng Zicai said slowly: "The war will last for at least several months. If all mines stop production, the losses will be too great. In addition, the current gold mine mining has now penetrated dozens or hundreds of meters underground. Once the work is completely stopped, the mine will be completely submerged by water, and it will take a long time to resume production."

"Return the call, no withdrawal. All mines will not stop production." Yi Zhengxing said in a deep voice. Although he knew that this decision was extremely risky and would bring huge pressure, he did not consider it much. The suspension of Transvaal gold mine for six months or one year also means unimaginable huge risks for Yuanqi, who is now at the forefront.

Feng Zicai comforted: "Your Highness can rest assured. In half a month, reinforcements will arrive, and there is no risk." Seeing a dark cloud floating quickly, he quickly reminded: "It's raining soon, Your Highness will go back to the city to shelter from the rain."

The heavy rainstorms in South Africa are very fierce in summer. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a storm. Yi Zhengxing has seen it and is not pretentious at the moment. He turned around and walked. After walking a few steps, he looked back at the trenches that were being built and said worriedly: "If it rains heavily when war begins, wouldn't the trenches seriously accumulate water?"

"Your Highness, don't worry." Feng Zicai smiled and said, "There are drainage ditchs in the trenches, so there will be no water accumulation."

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Chapter completed!