South America, Peru, San Lorenzo Naval Base.

More than 20 iron-clad ships with golden dragon flags flying quietly are anchored in the harbor, the most eye-catching one is the flagship "Xuanyuan".

The "Xuanyuan" with a total length of 125 meters, a ship width of 22 meters, and a standard displacement of up to 12,000 tons is like a flock of cranes among the warships.

This is the latest warship that has been launched in the Qing Dynasty. As soon as the trial voyage was completed, it was incorporated into the East China Sea Fleet to come to South America. Only a few people in the Qing Dynasty were able to see its style.

On the dock, Zai Zhao, Guo Zhongmu and several naval generals stood in uniform in the shadow of the warships waiting. Peru agreed to capture the Port of Valparaiso and advance to Santiago's combat plan, but made a request to allow a group of military and political officials to visit the Qing fleet.

Zai Zhao naturally would not refuse this request, and it was difficult to refuse it. After all, it was a completely legitimate requirement to send troops to cooperate with Peru.

However, some officers had an objection to this. Sun Yisheng, the captain of the "Xuanyuan", was one of them. However, after waiting for a few minutes, he was a little impatient. He raised his wrist and looked at his watch, muttering softly: "We have come from thousands of miles to live and die for them, but they have even raised their airs..."

"What are you complaining?" Guo Zhongmu scolded softly, and then said: "We came to South America, on the surface to support Peru and Bolivar, but in fact, it is to safeguard our country's interests in South America. This must be clear.

In addition, it is a legitimate requirement for people to visit the fleet and evaluate our strength. After all, they have to send 20,000 troops to cooperate in combat, or maybe they have different opinions in the country and hope to use this to unify their thinking."

Sun Yisheng whispered: "The 'Xuanyuan' is the most advanced warship in our country. It is full of people and eyes, so it is hard to guarantee that no one among them took the opportunity to spy on the secrets."

"You are very alert? We are all wine bags?" Guo Zhongmu scolded angrily: "The 'Xuanyuan' hurriedly ended the trial test and joined the fleet to come to South America. Do you know why?"

After hearing this, the officers watching the fun suddenly became interested, "Why?"

"Confidential." Guo Zhongmou looked stern, "Pay attention to discipline, and do not ask what should not be asked."

Everyone rolled their eyes. Isn’t this sincere and upsetting the appetite? Since you can’t say it, what did you ask for?

Sun Yisheng was so itchy that he turned to Zai Zhao, "Commander, can you say it?"

The "Xuanyuan" came to South America. Yi Zhizu made a special explanation. There is no need to keep confidential. The only thing that needs to be strictly confidential is torpedo. His intention is very simple. One is to show off his military power, and the other is to stimulate the arms races of Western countries and drag down the economies of various countries.

The "Xuanyuan" is a dreadnought, and it can be said that it has created an era - the dreadnought era - the era of giant ships and cannons. Compared with the existing warships of Western countries, the "Xuanyuan" has too many advantages. Once it appears in public, Western countries will inevitably follow suit.

Zai Zhao understood this meaning, but it was not convenient to say it clearly. He pondered and said, "There is nothing that cannot be said. Sending the 'Xuanyuan' is naturally to achieve a better deterrent effect of force. In addition, the 'Xuanyuan' can also reflect and reflect my country's comprehensive strength such as industrial strength, shipbuilding ability, scientific and technological level, and weapon research and development level. The hidden meaning behind this is more important than deterrent."

This is even better than him. Guo Zhongmu was secretly amused, but he looked at Sun Yisheng and said, "You can say that the military and political leaders of Peru will come soon. You will be responsible for the explanation and introduction. Remember, there will be less explanations for the torpedo situation."

As he said that, he glanced at everyone and reminded: "My influence in Peru is quite large. It is not ruled out that Peruvian officials know Chinese, so everyone should not be careless."

Three warships appeared on the sea surface, and when they approached the harbor, the whistle sounded. On the deck of a battleship in the middle, Peruvian President Prado pointed at the Qing fleet in the harbor with a smile, "In the two South African naval battles, the British navy was defeated by the Qing navy. Originally, he thought that the Qing navy only relied on torpedoes.

After seeing the Qing fleet, I realized that I was wrong. The armored warships built by the Qing Dynasty had surpassed Britain in all aspects. It seems that the Qing Dynasty replaced Britain as the new maritime overlord, and there is no need to question."

Admiral Grau, who has a detailed understanding of the ironclad ship, said: "The Qing people have always been in the world's leading position in weapon development. In the army, from breech rifles to machine guns, from mortars to breech steel cannons to automatic abdication and re-entry artillery, the navy has more advantages, and submarines, torpedoes, and twin main guns are far ahead.

Originally, there were some shortcomings in warships, and the firepower of the naval gun was seriously insufficient, but in just a few years, the Qing people made up for this shortcoming. The firepower of the naval guns equipped with the "Xuanyuan" has exceeded that of the European ironclad ships, and they are in an absolute leading position in terms of speed, steel armor, gun position setting, wind and wave resistance, endurance, maneuverability, etc.."

"What's ridiculous is that there are people who are worried that the Qing fleet is not the opponent of the Chilean navy." Prado said: "What does the Qing Dynasty mean? Going to the well... Watching the sky, yes, just watch the sky in the well. We should have asked them to visit the Qing fleet."

"Your Excellency." Grow said with a serious expression: "The Qing navy's record is too dazzling. Not only is the torpedo powerful, but it also has no effective defense means so far. The Chilean navy is very likely to avoid war.

According to normal circumstances, the Qing army should assist our country in regaining the occupied ports and lost land first, but the Qing Dynasty directly attacked Santiago. The purpose was very obvious, to force Chile to surrender and end the war as soon as possible...."

Prado said: "What are you worried about? Worrying that the war situation is stalemate, the Qing Navy evacuated and returned to China halfway through the battle?"

"It's not that there is no possibility." Glau said straight away: "There was a rebellion in Central Asia, that is, the two major provinces in the northwest of the Qing Dynasty, and there may be a situation of British and Russian interference. If this happens, the Qing army will likely retreat."

"Then we will strive to end this war as soon as possible." Prado said in a deep voice. In fact, he has always paid great attention to the situation of the Qing Dynasty. The war with Chile was only based on the strength of their own countries, and there was no possibility of winning. He must rely on the support of the Qing Dynasty. He must pay attention to the situation of the Qing Dynasty.

The Central Asia area is too sensitive, and the possibility of Britain and Russia intervening is really high. In order to prevent accidents, they did end the war as soon as possible, which is why he agreed to attack Santiago directly.

After pondering for a while, he spoke: "Chile advocates force and the support of the British is behind it. If it cannot be completely solved, there will be no less trouble in the future. We cannot always rely on others. We must build a strong navy and a new Qing warship. You can find an opportunity to ask if you can book a few ships."
Chapter completed!