The impact of World War I on Chinese industry was very huge, and it was so great that it is difficult to estimate.

In the past 1917, although the United States formally joined the Allied Powers and intervened in the "Allied Reinsurance Treaty", as well as China's large-scale participation in the war, the growth of China's industrial exports declined sharply, but China itself did not suffer from the war after all.

Threatened by the threat, the country's total industrial output jumped to more than 40% of the gross national output. While Europe's steel production capacity declined sharply, China's steel production capacity doubled compared with 1914. The annual total of pig iron, crude steel and steel

Production exceeded 13.5 million tons.

The first Sinian-class dreadnought battleship built in China was officially delivered to the Navy in March 1918, becoming the centerpiece of the empire.

The new flagship of the yāng navy.

What an epoch-making moment this is.

After returning to China, the first thing Song Biao did was to go directly to the Jinzhou Shipbuilding Plant to attend the delivery ceremony of the Sinian dreadnought. Without even seeing the battleship, he was already filled with infinite pride because he

Knowing that this is a great start, from now on, China will continue to build larger battleships and other warships.

This is the real first step towards the rise of the Chinese nation.

In the future, China will further localize production until even steam turbines and main guns are made domestically.

While the European battlefield was in full swing, the Chinese nation was ushering in the greatest and most prosperous period of rejuvenation in history, a period known as the Golden Twenty Years. From 1914 to 1918, it was also the Golden Twenty Years.

During the war and prosperity period, the entire empire became more vigorous and full of youthful vitality.

Song Biao returned to China on the light armored cruiser Haiqi. He did not even return to the capital of the empire first, but went directly to Jinzhou Port. In order to welcome his return, the Navy Ministry delayed the delivery ceremony of the dreadnought ship Sinian for two days.

Zhou, as the greatest tribute and praise to the emperor.

The port was well prepared and newly decorated. White welcome tents were lined up hundreds of meters long along the port. Many media reporters had arrived long in advance. Some of them were reporters from the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Imperial Army's large-scale victory on the European battlefield has greatly improved the Empire's reputation in the international community. Especially after the Imperial Expeditionary Force easily defeated the Austro-Hungarian Defense Forces, the world was officially convinced that the military strength of the Chinese Empire was really what it is today.

It is far better than the ordinary powers in Europe. It can also be said to be among the world's top army powers.

The empire only used an army of 1.1 million to defeat the 1.34 million Allied forces, mainly the Austro-Hungarian Defense Forces. Since the empire declared war on Germany, the empire has dispatched a total of 1.838 million troops, destroyed more than 2.7 million enemy troops, and suffered 435,000 casualties.

, its combat effectiveness is the highest among the four major Allied Powers of China, Britain, France and Russia. Currently, it still retains 1.3 million elite troops in the battlefields of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

It is precisely because the empire's reputation in the world has increased rapidly that the world is so concerned about China's first self-built dreadnought being put into service. Before this, although the Imperial Navy had a fleet of nearly 300,000 displacement tonnage, it had always relied on cruisers and destroyers.

and various auxiliary ships to support naval operations. The returned ironclad Zhenyuan and the two old armored cruisers purchased from France are the strongest battleships in the empire.

The Chinese Empire's status as the world's most powerful army is undisputed, but it is also undisputed as the world's weakest navy. This situation may be reshaped starting with the dreadnought ship Cathay.

For European and American journalists, the expansion of the Chinese Empire's naval power meant the overall superiority of the Allied Powers and would also completely end this war.

iThe protracted world war against the crowds at the port

For journalists in Japan, an incredible confusion and worry made them feel great.

The future of our empire is in doubt.

China is indeed developing too fast.

Especially when the dreadnought ship Sinian was launched, the great

The elites of our empire seemed to feel that China

iThe horn sound of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894.

At this stage, everyone at home and abroad already knows that the person commanding the Imperial Expeditionary Force on the European front is His Majesty Hua Huang. And His Majesty Hua Huang will also return to China in the next few days to participate in the handover ceremony of the Sinian, so at home and abroad

That's why the media came to report this matter so intensively, especially

This media generally has ulterior motives.

China's rapid development and the Hua Emperor's great success in tutoring government and commanding army operations made

i There are a lot of discussions in this country. The power of the Imperial Sect has expanded rapidly. Demands

The clamor for Japan's emperor to take charge of the government is getting louder and louder.

Under the protection of the cruisers Haitian and Glory, the cruiser Haiqi on which Song Biao was riding slowly docked. Amidst the cheers of the people on the shore, and accompanied by the Minister of the Navy Cheng Biguang, Song Biao walked out of the warship.

On the side of the ship, in the center of the body

Wearing the military uniform of the Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Empire's Navy and Army, he looked even more heroic and majestic. The tough demeanor of a soldier-emperor made the people at this time feel an indescribable sense of security, especially for this weather-beaten and suffering country.

In terms of nation.

People need this real sense of security.

The port was crowded with gentry, celebrities and common people from the Sinian Mansion, as well as shipyard workers, navy officers and soldiers, as well as domestic and foreign media reporters. Song Biao stood here as an emperor who had returned triumphantly.

, watching tens of thousands of people and officers, soldiers and gentry crowded on the pier to warmly welcome him, with colorful flags fluttering, gongs and drums roaring, and even more than a dozen lion dance and dragon dance teams.

Song Biao took off his military cap at the side of the ship and waved it to the citizens at the port. People's joy became even more enthusiastic. Many people even cried with joy, crying and laughing excitedly.

Endless.

Song Biao then walked down the Banqiao passage under the protection of the Secret Service.

He doesn't have the habit of shaking hands with people, especially in such chaotic situations, even if the Secret Service, Secrecy Bureau, etc.

general investigation bureau, national intelligence bureau, zhong

Personnel from the Yangtze Military Intelligence Department, the Sinian Prefecture Patrol Detachment, and the Police Bureau have gathered here to be on guard against any eventuality.

There are many people who worship the emperor, and the forces that want to assassinate the emperor have never stopped. Don't think that the Manchus and the remnants of the previous dynasty are really willing to withdraw from the stage.

i Ben. People still have overseas governments

Fu and the emperor, Mr. Sun's followers cannot be lost in a day or two.

It’s not like this spy doesn’t have secret activities.

But compared with the intelligence agencies of the empire, they all seemed a bit childish. To put it bluntly, Song Biao generally knew who Mr. Sun met every day and what they had secret conversations with. Those people from Xuantong and the Zongshe Party hid.

He also knows where it is.

Just too lazy to start.

Under the protection of the Secret Service, Song Biao passed through the port and then transferred to the shipyard.\\..

\\

The emperor just returned home today, so it is impossible to hold the handover ceremony of the Aurora right away today. The formal ceremony will be held tomorrow. In the shipyard, Song Biao first met with Hu Weiqiao, Zheng Qinglian and others, as well as people appointed by the British Vickers Company.

the prison

After thanking the supervisory team, Song Biao immediately held a meeting in the shipyard conference room to listen to Zheng Qinglian’s report on his experience in the construction of the Aurora and the various achievements made by the Jinzhou Shipbuilding General Plant in the process.

Achievement.

Today is definitely a big battle. All the people in the Imperial Navy are present. Navy Minister Cheng Biguang, zhong

Sa Zhenbing, the First Chief of Naval Staff of the Yangtze Military Department, zhong

Song Wenhui, Commander of the Yangtze Navy, and Lin Baoduo, Chief of the Navy, were all present. Even Zhang Kangren, the Minister of Finance, and Cheng Daqi, the Director-General of the General Administration of Science and Technology, were also present. In any case, the Ministry of Finance allocated a huge sum of money for this purpose.

Song Biao sat in the chair of the long conference table and listened attentively to Zheng Qinglian's report. Such a report was definitely not a propaganda style, but had the charm of eight-legged style, but what Zheng Qinglian said was all the truth.

This Dreadnought Ship Sinian can be said to be the first Dreadnought Ship built by China, but it cannot be said to be the first Dreadnought Ship built by the Chinese themselves, because important positions such as dock director, project director, director, mechanical director, etc.

It was a British consultant team sent by Vickers Company. The Chinese could only say that they paid Vickers Company to do it.

The company built a dreadnought in China. The total allocation for the entire warship was 24.3 million Chinese yuan, which is approximately 36% higher than the cost of the dreadnought. In addition to the high cost of the steam turbine, boiler, main gun, and propeller purchased from the United Kingdom,

In addition, the consulting fees and design fees paid to Vickers alone reached 240,000 pounds.

Therefore, Zheng Qinglian proposed that the Ministry of Navy continue to allocate funds, continue to invite Vickers as a consultant, and have the Jinzhou Shipyard continue to build two dreadnoughts of the same class within three years, and gradually have the Jinzhou Shipyard itself complete all the construction work.

, and arranged concurrent observation and internship internships for various shipbuilding companies involved in warship manufacturing, such as Fuzhou Shipyard, Jiangnan Shipyard, Jinzhou Shipyard, Tangshan Shipyard, Guangzhou Shipyard, Zhenjiang Shipyard, etc.

In the four aspects of steam turbines, boilers, main guns, and propellers, the Ministry of the Navy and the Ship Technology Bureau of the General Administration of Science and Technology should organize unified research to complete this historic breakthrough in the heavy industry bases of the three eastern provinces and strive to build the third Sinian.

All of the above-grade dreadnoughts are domestically produced.

It is said that Zheng Qinglian's proposal shocked the Navy Minister Cheng Biguang. He was still very familiar with this aspect. If he really agreed to Zheng Qinglian's proposal, the Navy Ministry would have to pay an additional 35 million Chinese yuan per year, which is almost the equivalent of

1 of the Navy’s annual military expenditure

3.

This is still a war period. Once the war is over, it is unknown how much military expenditure the Imperial Navy can maintain.

Before the Cathay, it was a question whether China's shipbuilding industry could build a battleship. The Navy has still had some doubts about this dreadnought until now. It would be a bit risky to continue to invest in building new ships now.

Song Biao pondered for a moment, then asked Cheng Biguang, Sa Zhenbing and others: "What do you think?"

Cheng Biguang did not dare to make the decision without authorization, saying: "This matter is important, and we should ask the emperor for a sanction. I think it is reasonable to continue to build another ship at this stage, and we will look at the situation later."

Sa Zhenbing also said: "It's better to build another one first."

Zheng Qinglian hurriedly explained: "Now that the equipment has been updated and the techniques have been learned, the only thing missing is experience. If we don't continue to practice, where will the experience come from? The leap forward of Jinzhou Shipbuilding General Plant is a bit large, but right now

Because this span is very large, it is more necessary to strengthen the training while the iron is hot and consolidate the current results."

Song Biao thought for a moment.

This does not mean that we cannot support domestic shipbuilding. It is true that there is still a larger-scale war waiting for China, and military spending is limited.

The empire's military expenditure last year has suddenly increased to 100%
To be continued...