1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 145

"I don't expect your navy to be able to fight a decisive battle in the ocean. Just guard the country's borders like you did in the last war, and leave the rest to time."

"Time is on our side. If the Japanese continue like this, they will collapse sooner or later. We don't even need to fight them; they will just explode on their own."

Zhao Yan made a final summary, having no intention of gambled on the nation's hard-won rise to wear down an opponent destined for death.

Sa Zhenbing retorted, unwilling to accept this, "The Führer's navy isn't the army. The army can be rapidly expanded during wartime, and can be trained in three months!"

"But the navy is a branch of the military that relies on its existing strength. If it's not expanded in peacetime, there's no hope for it in wartime."

"You can't expect to build a capital ship in three months, can you? You can't even build a destroyer in three months!"

Wang Chongshan also spoke up, saying, "Your Excellency, we all understand your considerations, but the navy really can't wait. It's better to strike first than to suffer the consequences of striking later."

"It's better to build a warship and not use it than to not have it when you need it. That's like buying insurance."

Zhao Yan waved his hand and said, "With the Japanese's national strength, do you really think they can build an 88 Fleet? It's just a bluff. I have quite a few trump cards, so you can relax."

"I guarantee you won't be left without a way out. Times have changed, and the balance of power has shifted. Now we're the ones wearing shoes, while the Japanese are barefoot!"

"Developing to 50-60% of the size of the joint fleet is no small feat. Instead of worrying about the number of warships, the navy should think more about whether it has enough officers and men. If warship production capacity explodes and you don't have enough people to operate the warships, that would be the most embarrassing thing!"

Zhao Yan knew exactly how the military needed funding. The navy's current manpower was barely enough to meet the needs of the destroyers that were about to be launched, and they had to rely on retiring old ships to free up manpower to arrange for the new ships.

The navy's total tonnage is now over 60,000 tons, but its personnel number only over 50,000. The majority of them are shore-based logistics and coastal defense artillery, with over 20,000 on the front lines. A considerable number of them are marines, and the rest are actual naval sailors and officers.

The most elite gunners, engineers, observers, and those highly demanding technical officers and commanders are extremely scarce. What's the point of just building ships if you don't have anyone to operate them? No matter how many warships you have, they're just freeloaders.

It will still take two more years, until around 1914, when the graduates of the naval academy in the mainland and the naval officers who have studied abroad have all completed their studies. Only then will the navy have the potential to expand.

Now, we can just take small, quick steps; we won't be fooled or overworked.

Even if the Japanese really did manage to build an 88-Fleet, the Republic's Navy would at least have a 44-Fleet. Not to mention winning, at least they wouldn't lose. As long as they didn't lose, even if the fleet existed, the Japanese would just explode on the spot.

Finally, there was one more thing, which Zhao Yan kept to himself: on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, there was probably someone even more anxious than they were.

With such a significant move as the Anglo-Japanese alliance, China knew it couldn't escape and thus calmed down. But the Americans were a different story.

Chapter 240 The Germans with ill intentions

"Your Majesty, it is a great pleasure to see you again!" In the reception room of the Presidential Palace, German Ambassador Jonas had an exaggerated smile on his face, his mouth almost reaching the back of his head.

“Me too, Ambassador Jonas, seeing you is like seeing a true friend!” Zhao Yan reached out and shook hands tightly with Jonas, a politician’s smile on his face.

Jonas is the new German ambassador to China, who was appointed this year. He is said to be of German royal lineage and has some kinship with the German Emperor.

But Zhao Yan still preferred the steady, reliable, and always serious Ambassador Schultz. Although Schultz was not easy to fool, at least he was less malicious and wouldn't cheat people.

Jonas, who always has a smile on his face and endless flattery, is actually a very cunning guy.

When he first took office this year, he changed the previous calm, low-key and pragmatic diplomatic style of Schulz. He turned the German embassy into a ballroom and held various banquets every now and then, constantly inviting celebrities from all walks of life in the capital and even officials.

However, the central government officials were very cautious and did not attend; only some department representatives symbolically went to the banquet to give them face.

Besides turning the embassy into a dance hall, Jonas also liked to make public appearances and actively participate in various external activities, such as tree planting activities, charity fundraising, campus speeches, and attending various gatherings, keeping him busy every day.

The key point is that this guy is a big spender. In less than half a year since taking office, he has donated more than two million Han Yuan, including various charitable donations and a sole sponsorship of the Ministry of Education to establish the Imperial College of Technology in Beijing, which hired many German professors to teach and attracted a lot of young students.

Incidentally, they are also constantly spreading German culture and promoting the idea that Sino-German friendship will last forever.

Under his constant maneuvering, Sino-German relations in Beijing continued to warm up. The British and French ambassadors would visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs every few days to subtly inquire about what was going on and why it seemed as if China and Germany had formed an alliance.

Gao Dewu was completely bewildered. He didn't know what was going on either. The secret agreement between China and Germany was only known to a very small number of people. On the Republic's side, only Zhao Yan, Zhang Mingqi, Wang Chongshan, and Ding Anmin, the head of education and culture, were aware of it.

The others, including Foreign Minister Gao Dewu, were also unaware of the situation. After all, there had been precedents of ministerial-level officials leaking secrets, even before the Far East War.

The secret agreement between China and Germany is a huge deal. If it gets out, it will cause a cataclysmic event and could even change the landscape of the Far East.

But the Germans just happened to send Jonas, an ambassador who liked to show off. Jonas was also one of the people who knew about the secret Sino-German agreement. To be honest, Zhao Yan himself didn't even know how many people in Germany knew about this secret agreement.

Perhaps the Germans had already leaked the information, but the British and French were still skeptical, worried that it was a German conspiracy to sow discord.

After all, backroom diplomacy is common practice these days, and until the tide goes out, no one knows whether the people around them are good or bad.

"Your Majesty, our Emperor has heard of some conflicts between your country and the British, and has asked me to convey that Germany will always support China's just act of crushing the British and French colonialism of the world, and highly supports your country's advocacy of human rights and freedom!"

"To be honest, your operations in India are fantastic!"

The Germans had their own information channels, and the news of the Indian affair had basically spread throughout Europe. France and Germany secretly gave a thumbs up, marveling at the courage of the Chinese for actually messing with the lifeblood of the British Empire.

"Those are all rumors. Don't make baseless accusations without evidence." Zhao Yan said with a faint smile on his face, "Also, please don't call me Your Majesty. I am only the head of state, not the emperor."

"Whether there is evidence or not is not important. What is important is your country's courage, which proves that you meet the needs of the German team's allies. This world is big, but at the same time it is small."

Britain's greed was appalling, but what was even more enviable was their luck. The gold mines in South Africa were already tempting enough, and now they seemed to have discovered gold mines in India, open-pit and ready to be mined—all they had to do was bring rifles and cannons and scoop up gold from the ground.

"My lord, your country has a saying: 'Those who are virtuous should rule.' I believe that the morality of the British is not worthy of that rich land. If your country is willing, Germany will provide full support!"

Jonas kept instigating and urging Zhao Yan on in his every sentence.

Zhao Yan also saw Jonas's purpose. Germany is now teaching China everything it can without reservation, but China seems to have lost the courage it had before.

A few years ago, during the Far East War, China was like a greenhorn, fearless and indiscriminate, with no cowardice in its vocabulary.

But China today is like a middle-aged man sitting in a deckchair, basking in the sun with a teacup in hand, occasionally making a move to amuse, but never standing up to throw a punch.

This has made Germany somewhat dissatisfied. Germany is bearing the pressure of the arms race between Britain, France, Russia, and other countries in Europe, while China is basking in the sun in the Far East. This is unfair.

Germany was pleased to see this major move by the Anglo-Japanese alliance, which led Jonas to come and probe Zhao Yan's attitude.

"The Chinese people love peace. We have experienced countless brutal wars, so we cherish this precious time of peace."

"Your country need not worry. I will definitely keep my promise. When you need me, China will be the first to stand up. China will not start a war, but it will not shirk its responsibilities either."

Zhao Yan's words were so well-reasoned that it left people speechless, and China now has the confidence to do so.

Germany did indeed help China without reservation, but China also paid a huge price for this help. Every technology, every piece of equipment, and every expert engineer was funded by China.

The Germans have profited immensely from China's vast market, and now a significant portion of the funding behind Germany's arms race comes from the Chinese market.

Moreover, China will step forward to help Germany withstand the pressure along the entire eastern front in the future. Zhao Yan does not believe that China owes Germany anything; it is all about interests and exchanges.

Zhao Yan pulled a gold-cased pocket watch from his breast pocket. It was a capture from the Far East War, found on the body of the Russian cavalry general whom Zhao Yan had personally killed.

He slowly opened his pocket watch, glanced at the time, and then put it away again.

The meaning is clear: my time is precious, get to the point quickly and don't dawdle.

Jonas immediately understood, and he abandoned his previous tactics. The exaggerated smile on his face faded considerably, and his tone became serious: "Germany has heard about the actions of Britain and Japan in the Far East, and we are very concerned about the crisis facing our allies."

"This time I have brought to your country the complete technology and design blueprints for the King-class battleships, including our latest 305mm/L50 naval gun technology."

"It's not just about the technology and drawings; relevant experts and engineers will also provide guidance and assistance throughout the process."

"There is no doubt that China needs a capital ship to counter the British Far East Fleet and the Japanese Combined Fleet."

Zhao Yan murmured, "As far as I know, your country's latest naval guns should be 380mm caliber, right?"

Jonas was surprised. The 380mm main gun that Germany was developing was top secret. He wondered where Zhao Yan knew about it, but then he suddenly realized that it was something that could be guessed at most, given the arms race among European countries.

However, that thing is extremely difficult to develop, and it is a technology that China cannot learn at present. It is not something that you can do just by being given blueprints and technical processes. It also requires a large number of skilled and even highly skilled industrial workers, and none of them can be missing.

Jonas explained, "Our country does have a 380mm naval gun development program, but it is currently very difficult. If I may be frank, your country's current industrial capacity is not suitable for manufacturing artillery of this caliber."

Zhao Yan nodded and said, "That's true, so I don't expect Germany to help China manufacture this kind of artillery; that's wishful thinking."

"But I think it would be appropriate to let our students go into factories to participate in the research and manufacturing process and experience the powerful industrial strength of your country, right?"

Zhao Yan is very concerned about the students studying in Germany. He is happy to help them get opportunities to enter the core workshops, technical departments, or even advanced laboratories in factories. After all, classroom learning must be applied to the workshops and laboratories, and laying a foundation early is always beneficial.

Jonas thought about it and decided that the request was not unreasonable, so he agreed.

Zhao Yan readily promised to deal with the arms race initiated by Britain and Japan in the Far East. Although it would be very expensive, it was a matter of course. Even if the Germans did not take the initiative to help, China would seek help and would even have to spend a lot of money to import technology and equipment.

Now that the Germans are willing to send it over for free, Zhao Yan has no reason to refuse.

This also benefits Germany. Now that the British Far East Fleet has lost Hong Kong, it is stationed in Singapore. In order to contain China and control the lifeline of Malacca, the British have greatly strengthened the Far East Fleet.

The Germans did not want to see this Far East fleet be redeployed to Europe to fight at some point in the future, but to hold this fleet back, they had to ensure that the Chinese had a sufficiently prominent naval force.

The British were absolutely unwilling to lose the Strait of Malacca, while China probably dreamed of acquiring this vital strategic location.

With the growth of China's foreign trade, the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal have become two insurmountable barriers for China's foreign trade. Unfortunately, these two barriers are in the hands of the British, with whom China has a poor relationship. Even a German could guess what the Chinese were thinking.

Taking over the Suez Canal is certainly unrealistic, but with some effort, taking over the Strait of Malacca is still possible.

Only by taking control of the Strait of Malacca can China qualify to close its doors and become the hegemon of the Far East; otherwise, it will have to rely on the benevolence of the British.

But the prerequisite for all of this is the navy; it is simply impossible without the navy.

If war were to break out in the future, and China's navy were weak and unable to put pressure on its opponents, the British might very well send their Far East Fleet, or even their lackey Japan's Combined Fleet, to deal with Germany.

By providing some free technology and materials, it's as if the Chinese are spending money to build warships to help the Germans distract their adversaries.

It would be even better if the Chinese could exert enough pressure to lure the British Mediterranean and Home Fleets to the Far East.

After about half an hour, Zhao Yan ended the conversation, and Jonas left satisfied.

Back in his study, Zhao Yan sat and thought for a while before calling the Ministry of National Defense to instruct them to prepare to receive technical assistance from Germany. However, he also cautioned them not to rush into construction but to digest the aid gradually first.

China's current industrial capacity is insufficient to support the construction of large capital ships. Even if it were capable of building them, Zhao Yan would not want to build slow-moving, short-legged iron turtles like those used in the High Seas Fleet.

After seeing Jonas off, Zhao Yan still had to meet with diplomatic envoys from France and Russia in the afternoon; they had also come to probe Zhao Yan's attitude.

The Far East arms race was launched, drawing France and Russia into it as well. Russia's Far East and France's East India were core interests of both countries, and both were on China's doorstep. They were unable to continue a new arms race in the Far East, so they could only resolve the issue through diplomacy.

The Americans also sent representatives to the capital for a visit, and they were received by Cabinet Secretary Ding Anmin.

The Americans, too, had ulterior motives, actively courting China and trying to incite it into a more intense arms race. They even offered low-interest loans. If it weren't for the fact that the technology of America's own main warships was so poor, far inferior to that of Britain and Germany, they would even be willing to provide technical assistance.

The once peaceful Far East has been thrown into turmoil by the black swan event of the Kerala temple treasure.

Chapter 241 Getting Started with Aviation

February 1911, 6, Guangzhou.

Lingfei Aviation, test flight field.

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Ting, director of the Technical Equipment Bureau of the Joint Logistics Support Department, stood beside a simple grass runway, examining a rudimentary biplane with the admiration and curiosity of an engineering student.

"This thing can fly into the sky, and it can fly thousands of meters high and reach speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour?" Liu Ting had never seen an airplane before. At most, he had only seen airships, and that was in the United States. The airships he saw back then were not like the Zeppelin airships, but rather round and similar to hot air balloons.

Therefore, Liu Ting was very curious about the small and compact flying object in front of him. Before, he had only seen things that flew by air buoyancy, but this one was flying by aerodynamics.

Feng Ru, the technical director and director of Lingfei Airlines, stood under the wing and patted the sturdy hollow steel pipe, saying, "That's right, this is the Wanhu 1911 aircraft, which is the latest model developed and produced by our company."

It can fly up to 4,000 meters high, has a maximum speed of 145 kilometers per hour, a maximum range of 510 kilometers, and can carry two pilots. It also has a small cabin that can carry an additional 230 kilograms of payload.

Liu Ting stroked the propeller and asked, "It's amazing performance. This thing can fly because of these propellers, right?"

The Wanhu 1911 aircraft is powered primarily by three 80-horsepower gasoline piston engines, one in the nose and one on each side of the wings, which drive the propellers.

Feng Ru also remarked, "Human beings have always yearned for the sky. I named the Wanhu series of aircraft to commemorate those Chinese people who yearned for the sky."

"In the future, more Chinese people should be able to fly in the blue sky. In modern times, we have lost the ocean and the land, but I can never lose the blue sky again!"

Feng Ru's journey has been full of hardships. In his early years, he went to the United States and worked in a factory, where he suffered all kinds of contempt. It wasn't until he heard that Americans had built the first airplane and taken to the skies that he found his goal.

In early 1909, Feng Rudu had already begun planning to build a factory, but upon hearing of the tremendous changes in his motherland, he felt that the republican government was no longer like the corrupt Qing government, but a capable and decisive government.

Therefore, Feng Ru abandoned his plan to build a factory in the United States and returned to his hometown in Guangdong with his technical data and employees.

In that same year, Lingfei Airlines was established. Many wealthy people in Guangdong were interested in airplanes that could fly, and they poured a lot of investment into the company.

Lingfei Airlines was never a small workshop from the beginning, but a fairly large company with a registered capital of 700,000 yuan.

Although Feng Ru is neither a major shareholder nor the chairman, his position as the founder of the company is very secure because he is the initiator and an expert in the field.

Feng Ru didn't concern herself with business operations, but she had full authority over technical matters.

"Mr. Feng, I am here today on behalf of the Ministry of National Defense to specifically inspect your company's products."

"Currently, there are only two large-scale aircraft manufacturers in China: Guangdong Lingfei Aviation and Changsha Zhuzhou Machinery. There are also some small companies, but they are all small workshops and cannot meet the needs of the Ministry of National Defense."

"What I'm about to say is confidential; you'll keep it to yourself after you hear it."

"The Ministry of National Defense, under orders from the highest decision-making level, will establish an aviation branch in both the Army and Navy, which will require the procurement of a large number of specialized aircraft, namely airplanes."

"To be honest, nobody in our military understands this, let alone knows how to operate it. Establishing a specialized branch of the military is just starting from scratch. In this respect, you and your company are much better than us."

"So the Ministry of National Defense not only needs you to produce aircraft, but also needs your help to train pilots, or rather, pilots. Ground crew and airport facilities also need your help."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

As a professional technical officer, Liu Ting disliked beating around the bush and always spoke his mind directly.

After listening, Feng Ru replied without hesitation: "No problem, this is our bounden duty. We'll do anything as long as the country needs us!"

Liu Ting waved his hand and said, "Don't rush, I haven't finished speaking yet."