Volume 1: The Battleship Yitian Changes into the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 Chapter 85 "Oriental Princess" "Yacht"
This is not a yacht, it's clearly a warship!
Sun Gang could tell from her appearance that this was definitely a fast cruiser from the British Armstrong Shipyard! It was a "sister" of the "Yoshino" and the "Haining"!
However, the fast cruiser in front of him gave him a sense of déjà vu.
Ma Yue looked at him proudly and took his hand to board the boat. A bearded American captain came up to greet them with a smile.
"It's a very good ship, ma'am." The captain said in stiff Chinese, "It runs fast and steadily, a real horse on the sea."
"Thank you for your hard work." Ma Yue said with a smile.
Sun Gang turned a deaf ear to their words. He looked at the battleship carefully. Strangely, all her weapons had been removed, but he was still sure that this battleship should be the same as "Haining", larger than "Yoshino" and should have stronger firepower!
After they had finally finished speaking, Sun Gang whispered to his excited wife, "Can you give me an explanation now?"
"What's there to explain?" Ma Yue was stunned and asked, "Didn't you defeat her once? You can't recognize it after you dismantled the cannon?"
Sun Gang suddenly realized and remembered why he always felt that he had seen this boat somewhere before.
This is the "May 25th" that the Japanese bought from Argentina and that they sank with a torpedo when he and Wen Junfeng and their crew drove the "Changjing" submarine into Nagasaki!
"Remember?" Ma Yue said with a smile.
"How did you buy her?" Sun Gang's mind had not yet fully recovered from the blocked state. Why would the Japanese sell her?
Ma Yue told him what had happened, and he finally understood what was going on.
It turned out that after Li Hongzhang had asked the Japanese Minister Komura Jutaro, he always felt a little uneasy about Japan's "two wars and one patrol". It happened that he was "assassinated" again. When Sun Yuwen came to see him while he was "recuperating" at home, he told Sun Yuwen about this matter. Sun Yuwen suddenly remembered the arrogance of Japan submitting two letters of breaking off diplomatic relations to the Zongli Yamen before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, and the way he and Xu Yongyi were forced to cry in front of the Commissioner of Customs and Taxation, Robert Hart, in order to ask the British to initiate the ceasefire. He was so angry that he immediately patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me." After returning to the Zongli Yamen, he immediately issued an "ultimatum" to the Japanese Minister Komura, saying, "Although the clipper is sold to the people, it is not difficult to guarantee that it will be used for military purposes in the future. Your country's recovery will definitely not convince the public. You should sell this ship to a third country as the resale of a giant ship. Otherwise, send the navy to bombard it there!"
The Japanese were unwilling to see the new cruiser they had salvaged and repaired with great effort disappear, and wanted to delay further, saying that it was difficult to find a buyer for the time being. After Ma Yue learned the news through the Military Intelligence Department, he immediately sent someone to entrust an American firm in Shanghai to invite the Japanese to buy the cruiser, which had been dismantled of its weapons. The Japanese still did not want to sell it. At this time, Emperor Guangxu somehow got to know the news and was very angry. A few days ago, Master Weng wanted to give Li Hongzhang some eye drops, so he said to Emperor Guangxu: "The Beiyang Fleet ship The weapons were sophisticated and they dominated the battlefield for a time. Nanyang, Fujian, and Guangdong could not even compare to them. Most of the Beiyang generals were Li Hongzhang's confidants and only obeyed Li Hongzhang's orders. If things continued like this, I'm afraid the Beiyang navy and army would become Li Hongzhang's private army and no longer belong to the emperor. "Emperor Guangxu was a little worried after hearing what Master Weng said. He wanted to test his control over the army, so he asked the Zongli Yamen to directly issue an edict to the Beiyang Fleet, asking them to go to the Japanese's doorstep to discourage their arrogance, so there was the strange order for Lin Taizeng to go on a tour.
When the Japanese saw that the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan were coming again, they were horrified and "happily" made a deal with the Americans for 300,000 taels of silver (almost giving it away for free). Ma Yue naturally returned the "cursed gold" to the Japanese and allowed the Americans to drive the ships back in such a grand manner.
When Sun Gang knew all this, he still couldn't help but want to laugh.
These bigwigs in the DPRK actually know how to engage in "gunboat diplomacy". Is this considered progress?
"My navy has gained another main battleship. Your contribution is huge." Sun Gang said to his beloved wife gratefully.
"Stop, stop, I'm telling you clearly, this is not from the Beiyang Navy." His beloved wife immediately poured cold water on him, "I bought it as a civilian ship, to be used as our yacht."
"Using a fast cruiser as a yacht?" Sun Gang's eyes almost popped out when he heard this. He looked at her in shock, "Are you sure?"
"I've already thought of a name for it, 'Oriental Princess', isn't that good?" Ma Yue said to him proudly, "When you load up all the guns for me, if anyone dares to hijack my ship again at sea, I'll blow them into pieces!"
"What? Your ship was hijacked? Explain it clearly!" Sun Gang was completely confused and asked anxiously.
It turned out that after the establishment of the "Beiyang Shipping Company", overseas business developed rapidly, but the safety issues on sea routes became prominent at this time. Pirates often appeared on the routes to the South Pacific islands. Ma Yue didn't pay attention at first, and as a result, a ship of tea and silk was almost hijacked, forcing her to temporarily give up that route. But those pirates might not know that the beauty they provoked was the "vindictive" type. From that day on, she decided to get a warship back to avenge this arrow. At first, she set her sights on the new submarine that Sun Gang had obtained, but when she later learned that the Beiyang Navy was under the control of Ding Ruchang, the Governor-General of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang, and could not be dispatched at will, and even her "young and promising" husband had no right to command, she thought about "doing it herself and having enough food and clothing." It happened that the Japanese came to "help", and she immediately took action, and then there was the scene that shocked Sun Gang just now.
After listening to his beloved wife's explanation, he fell into deep thought.
What his wife said made sense. A large part of their income came from maritime trade. He learned from his wife that overseas trade was lucrative , but due to the traditional Chinese concept of "respecting agriculture and suppressing commerce", Chinese merchants wanted to engage in overseas trade, but they could not get the support and security of the country, which suppressed the development of commerce. Ensuring the safety of sea transportation lines is one of the responsibilities of a country's navy, but the bird court he served regarded all four naval fleets as guarding the house! If he tried to change this situation, it might have a profound impact on China's economy!
"Okay, I understand. Let's do as you say." Sun Gang said to his wife, "I'll contact the Ordnance Department and ask them to install all the weapons according to the Haining. According to my estimation, this warship needs two 210mm large-caliber rapid-fire guns, four 120mm rapid-fire guns, and some small-caliber guns and machine guns. Ammunition is not a problem, but the crew cannot be transferred from the navy. I'm afraid we have to find another way."
"You mean you agree?" Ma Yue looked at him carefully and asked, "I was afraid you wouldn't do it. There is only one warship of this kind in the Beiyang Fleet." His unexpected agreement and support made her unable to believe it for a moment.
"It won't be long before the Beiyang Fleet has battleships." Sun Gang smiled proudly at his wife, "However, we are using cruisers as yachts. This is probably the first time that anyone has used them before and will never be the first to do so again."
Under Sun Gang's coordination, the Ordnance Department transferred the necessary equipment from the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau and the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, and began to equip the "Oriental Princess" with weapons and equipment. With the advice and help of French technicians, French armor was installed, allowing her to quickly regain her former glory, transforming from a "fast cruiser" into a "fast armored cruiser"! On this day, when Sun Gang looked at the "Princess Royal Highness" who had been assembled, "armed to the teeth", and replaced with Victorian-style paint, he was still very excited.
The news that the Minister of Beiyang Shipbuilding used the cruiser as a merchant ship has spread as a "good story" throughout the Beiyang Fleet. Lin Taizeng even specifically approached him, wanting to have this fast armored cruiser added to the Beiyang Fleet's battle line. Sun Gang told him his thoughts and the reason why the "Oriental Princess" could not be included in the Beiyang Navy's fleet. He was afraid of arousing suspicion from Britain and other powers. After all, it was China that asked Japan to resell this warship, which was "not" a warship, to a third country. Now China is taking this ship back and adding it to its own navy in a high-profile manner. It is indeed a bit unreasonable. The Chinese Navy is still in its infancy, so it is better to be careful.
After hearing what he said, Lin Taizeng also agreed with him and did not insist. In addition, the attention of the Beiyang Fleet Admiral was mainly attracted by the battleship "Long Yang" lying in the dock.
