Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 121 European Situation

  Since the 1960s, the Kiel Bay adjacent to the Baltic Sea has been Germany’s main naval base and the center of Germany’s shipbuilding industry. The famous Horvatz Naval Shipyard is located here.

  In a azure blue bay

The   Hovaz Naval Shipyard occupies a large area, and the towering ridges of the factory buildings are conspicuously rust-red, which is particularly conspicuous under the blue sky and white clouds.

  The boats on the sea are constantly coming and going, the white sails are dotted, and a large group of seagulls hovering in the sky near the sea, presenting a vibrant scene.

On the dock of Horvatz Naval Shipyard, there are several large iron-clad battleships waiting to be repaired. The towering masts pierce the sky, the huge hull is glowing with cold steel luster, and the huge rivets on the hull show indestructible momentum. It's daunting.

Docked on the inside is the armored battleship "Deutsch" with a displacement of 8,939 tons. It is mainly armed with 8 254mm guns. It is a cutting-edge battleship launched in September 1874. It has a single propeller and still uses the old horizontal single-expansion engine. .

  Germany is a powerful centrally-arranged gunship. The main weapons are concentrated in the armored box in the middle. The huge gun mount makes the scalp numb, and the heavy armor-piercing projectile can tear any enemy.

Entering the Horvatz Naval Shipyard this time, the Deutsche Deutsche will undergo substantial modifications, focusing on refitting the old-fashioned retreat main artillery, replacing the original sails with combat masts, in order to adapt to the current era of iron-clad battleships. The tide, feel the Royal British Navy crossing the river, learn something.

  The iron-clad battleship "Flitjov" docked on the outside of the Deutsche Vessel is much smaller. Its displacement is only 3750 tons. Its main weaponry is 3 239mm guns. It is a newly built ship that has just been launched and is undergoing outfitting operations at the dock.

  The main power is the latest three-expansion engine, and the combustion efficiency has been greatly improved. Coupled with the twin-propeller configuration, the "Flitjov" can hit a high speed of 19 knots in the Mediterranean, with a limit speed of 20.5 knots.

Parked behind the two battleships is the iron-clad battleship "Friedrich De Grosse", with a displacement of 7,718 tons. The main equipment: 4 259mm guns. The hull is slightly smaller than the Deutsche and it also has front, center and rear. Three tall sail masts are used for auxiliary power propeller sailing.

  Friedrich De Grosse was an old-fashioned battleship built by the Royal Navy Shipyard in Kiel in 1859. It is one of the three turret ships of the same class.

  The ship’s two turrets are in the middle of the ship, behind a huge armored bulwark that is 2 meters high. This is a major flaw in the design of the ship. The tall bulwark blocks the line of sight and lays great hidden dangers.

  In the homeport of the Royal German Navy on the Elbe, the ship collided heavily with its sister ship, the Grossel Kurfurst, who was sunk 26 days after serving.

"Friedrich De Grosse" suffered serious losses and was forced to enter the naval shipyard for mid-term overhaul and modernization and upgrading. Therefore, the demolition of the deck was full of mess, as if it had been destroyed by violence. Like.

  Li Fushou, accompanied by Earl Holtz, owner of the Horvatz Naval Shipyard, visited the three huge iron-clad ships docked at the pier, stroking the cold steel hulls, which made him sigh with emotion.

  This is the foundation of today's European naval powers. Anything drawn out can completely crush the navies of other parts of the world, including the United States, and firmly occupy an absolute advantage.

  Inspecting these days, personally contacting all levels of Europa society and industrial and agricultural production, what made him feel the most is that the gap is too big, so big that it makes people feel desperate.

  Lin’s tall chimney emits rumbling black smoke, rendering half of the blue sky, representing the power of heavy industry in the steam industry era, and is in a leading position in national competition.

  The English country took the lead in entering the ranks of industrialized countries, followed by France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Denmark followed closely, and one foot has entered the ranks of industrialized countries.

  Spain, Austro-Hungary, Belgium, Ottoman Empire, Greece, Tsarist Russia and other countries have begun the process of industrialization, and the main body is still in the stage of agricultural society. This European power competition has already fallen behind by a big step.

  The steam industrial revolution promoted social changes, which in turn fostered explosive development in the fields of science and technology, culture, and military, showing a pattern of blooming flowers. This is also the foundation of Europa's dominance and colonization of the world.

  Now this era of steam industry innovation

   Talking about environmental pollution and other falsehoods is a hooliganism, talking about everyone’s equality is all bluffing, talking about the power of changing the world is purely idiotic, and my brain is wattless.

  The only core and most important goal is development, development and development.

  Heavy industry forces build strong steel skeletons, light industry forces fill full and powerful muscles, and military forces build an intimidating iron fist. Queensland is the first to develop that is the answer.

  No one can run without walking, and it is impossible to pass the steam industrial revolution era and directly enter the electrical era.

  Afraid of polluting the environment, shouldn’t it wait for the beating if it doesn’t develop?

  "Your Excellency, Lord Queensland, are you satisfied with everything here?" Earl Howards kept his two-handed upturned beard, which is a typical Germanic style.

Li Fushou walked a few steps on the deck of the battleship, patted the huge steel cannon body with his hand, and said with admiration in his eyes; "It is really impressive here, and I have a higher evaluation of the German shipbuilding industry. , I hope that the Australian Redhill Shipyard can cooperate with you to a deeper level and invite some senior shipbuilding technicians to Australia, and we will pay all related expenses."

"As far as I know, Mr. Lord has a large site in Australia. Why don't you order a few big ones? We can sit down and talk about it. The price can give the most favorable terms. The shipyard can also guarantee the loan. You will Feel the enthusiasm and friendship from Germany."

  Earl Horvatz is chattering about selling warships, because this is the most profitable military-industrial deal. In this era, it is the field where all European naval powers are vying to enter.

  In the world armored battleship market

  The British undoubtedly occupies the majority of the share, and they have no bottom line and are even willing to sell powerful warships to enemy countries, such as the Ottoman Empire, such as Tsarist Russia, such as Germany, which has made the British almost swallow the lucrative iron-clad warship market.

  Backed by the British Royal Navy fleet that dominates the Seven Seas, these ludicrous shipyard owners dared to sell the warship to anyone, and they are not afraid of any storms.

  The British know that money can never buy advanced, nor can it buy a country to become strong.

  Here, I have to mention the current world situation.

  Based on the UK’s century-long "continental equilibrium" policy, any powerhouse emerging on the European continent will be suppressed, without exception.

When the French emperor Napoleon swept Europe with a powerful army, the British organized seven anti-French alliances from 1792 to 1815, and finally exiled the great French **** of war to overseas islands twice, and finally died in Saint Helena.

In the beginning, in order to fight against France, the three most powerful monarchs in Europe, Emperor Alexander I of Russia, Emperor Franz II of Austria, and King Frederick Wilhelm III of the Kingdom of Prussia formed an alliance, known as the "Alliance of Three Emperors." .

  After defeating France

  The "Three Emperors Alliance" dominated the situation in Europe. At the same time, it became a thorn in the eyes of the British. It tried every means to provoke the contradictions of all parties and eventually led to the collapse of the "Three Emperors Alliance".

Tsarist Russia became famous because it defeated the expeditionary force led by the French Emperor Napoleon. It was known as the "European Steam Roller". The endless gray livestock army made the entire Europe tremble with fear. After the collapse of the "Three Emperors", Tsarist Russia became the dominant situation in Europe. European military police.

  How could the British allow such a strong presence in Europe to influence the mainland's balance policy, and instead target Tsarist Russia, a policy of aggression and expansion.

So in the ensuing Russian-Turkish wars, the British either secretly contributed, sent troops, weapons, and even joined France to form a British-French coalition to intervene personally, leading to successive defeats in Russia. Even if they made heavy sacrifices, they could not achieve the original plan. Purpose.

  The latest Russian-Turkish war has just ended this year. Because of the powerful intervention of the British and French forces, Tsarist Russia ended up on the Neva River. Looking at the warm Mediterranean Sea can only sigh.

  The successive heavy blows have greatly reduced the reputation of Tsarist Russia, and can no longer play the role of the European military police, instead becoming the laughing stock of European powers.

  This is not over yet

  The situation in Europe has always been that you sang and I appeared on the stage, dazzling and dizzying, even if the old and cunning are like the British, they are slow to beat.

   France benefited from Emperor Napoleon’s advanced army-building strategy. Even after the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, it also possessed a powerful army force that made the whole of Europe fearful, and its profound background should not be underestimated.

   Soon thereafter, Napoleon III overthrew the rule of the Bourbon dynasty and successfully restored it again, leading the rise of France in central and southern Europe.

  This is pretty good. The rise of the Third Reich broke the European equilibrium policy and became a new goal for the British, and it was constantly under attack, both overt and under cover.

   this time

The British supported the ambitious ambitions of the German Emperor Wilhelm I and faced the fierce and traditional enemy France. They defeated Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War and forced him to go into exile in the United Kingdom. As a result, the French Third Reich was completely disintegrated, and the German William I was in France. The Palace of Versailles was crowned the German emperor, and the pattern of the five European powers for hegemony began.

  The top five are Germany, France, Tsarist Russia, Austro-Hungary and Ottoman Empire.

Some people say that the rise of Germany stems from the brilliant strategy of William I, from the stunning alliance of the iron-blooded prime minister Bismarck, from the outstanding talents of German military leaders, and from the outstanding performance of the traditional German Junker military aristocracy. .

  This is true, but this is only a superficial phenomenon.

  In order to obtain the support of the British and complete the great cause of German reunification, Kaiser Wilhelm I married the British Princess Victoria for Crown Prince Frederick William Nicholas Carr, and the relationship between Britain and Germany has since entered a honeymoon period.

  The result of the victory in the Franco-Prussian War was doomed in 1859.

  How poor Napoleon III can withstand the joint beatings of the British and Germans, not to mention the British taking advantage of Europe’s fear of the glorious era of the Napoleonic dynasty to win a large number of brothers to cheer.

  The connivance and support of the British Empire hidden behind the scenes are the biggest decisive factors. The clever use of two or two tricks has created the incompatible European situation between France and Germany, and achieved the desired result of the continental balance policy.

  Time enters the late 19th century

  The Kaiser Wilhelm I unified part of Germany's traditional territories, and his attempt to expand again was ruthlessly interrupted.

Why?

Because the British disagreed, the increasingly powerful Germany has become a new target for the British. The nickname "European **** stick" is not for fun. No one dares to ignore the opinions of the British, and neither will Kaiser Wilhelm I. .

  The order of the world and Europe is dominated by the British. Without a deep understanding of this, there will be no thorough understanding of the pattern after the Franco-Prussian War in Europe. It can only be superficial.

  As a result, the decisions made will often go the same way, resulting in fatal mistakes.

  The nineteenth century was the era of the British. After entering the end of the century, no one dared to question this.

   Seeing that the great ideal of completely unifying Germany's traditional territories has fallen into frustration, Kaiser Wilhelm I’s depression and resentment can be imagined. It is logical to find trouble for the British everywhere in Europe, which has caused the current situation of flames all over Europe.

  While the British were busy fighting the fire, they began to beat Germany in various small movements, which quickly cooled the relationship between the two countries, and also allowed Germany to completely unify the German-speaking region's dream, which has always stayed in the dream stage.

  At this time, you can see that the Germans are in full bloom. The great William I is helpless. The iron-blooded prime minister Bismarck can only look forward and sigh. The militant Junker military aristocracy can no longer occupy even a mile of land.

  The British have begun to support the French, Dutch, Danes, and even Tsarist Russia, who has just been beaten by the British, posing a huge threat to the new German Empire.

  Looking around, it turned out that they were all grandly hostile opponents. In the face of a possible siege, even though Germany was full of iron, how many nails could it hit?

  The message from Great Britain is very clear;

  If you dare to move rashly, it will make you unable to take care of yourself.

This is also the real reason why Germany has never launched a foreign war since the Franco-Prussian War. Even the chaotic Balkans is within reach. It has extensive support in the German-speaking Austrian region and can easily cut a large piece of meat from the decaying Austro-Hungarian Empire. , Germany is still honestly guarding the existing turf.

  Because both Kaiser Wilhelm I and Prime Minister Bismarck knew that if the anger of Great Britain was truly aroused, the road to the rise and rejuvenation of the German nation would be completely interrupted. They could not afford to bet or lose, let alone try.

  Li Fushou's trip to Europe deeply felt this. The sun never setting empire, which occupies one third of the world's land area, is at the peak of its glory.

  (End of this chapter)