Master Yuan, start!

Xu Shichang nodded slowly, signaling Yuan Xiangcheng to continue.

"When the Ming Dynasty fought against the Tartars, it used red cannons many times, causing heavy casualties to the Tartars." Yuan Shikai took out a brush from the pen holder to refer to the red cannon.

"Everyone knows the name of the Red Cannon." Xu Shichang was puzzled. "But what does this have to do with building warships?"

"Yes, let me ask you a question." Yuan Xiangcheng picked up the brush and stabbed it towards Xu Shichang suddenly.

Xu Shichang was unable to dodge and was stabbed in the chest.

"Weiting, what are you doing!"

Then, he was a little slow to react and took several steps back, obviously frightened.

Yuan Xiangcheng did not explain, but smiled and took back the brush and asked:

"Look, if a red cannon from 300 years ago hit someone today, would it still be able to kill them in one shot?"

"Of course." Xu Shichang rubbed his chest, wondering what tricks this guy was showing off.

"If we use the red cannon to bombard the former Ming Dynasty's Fujian ships, will we be able to destroy them?" Yuan Xiangcheng persuaded Xu Shichang to continue answering.

"The former Ming Dynasty's ships were all made of wood. How could they withstand several rounds of bombardment from these cannons?" Xu Shichang naturally solved this trivial problem easily.

"What about Dingyuan No. 9? Can it hold up?" Yuan Xiangcheng continued to ask.

"Dingyuan is a first-class battleship, capable of withstanding Krupp cannons, and Red Cannons of course..." Having said this, he looked at Yuan Xiangcheng's face and gradually understood.

"Weiting, you mean!" Xu Shichang suddenly realized

"That's right. If the Red Cannon is true to what the foreigners say, the caliber of the shell is only about 120mm, and the Dingyuan's armor is over 300mm, which means it poses no threat to the Dingyuan.

The red cannon from 300 years ago could still kill people today, but it couldn't destroy today's warships!

Yuan Xiangcheng's voice was so deafening that Xu Shichang couldn't help but lower his head in thought.

When people are killed, they die.

Yuan Xiangcheng knew that during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese army could still kill the invading Japanese soldiers with a single shot using the Mauser rifles produced in 1884.

But if the Beiyang Fleet in 1895 were to fire at the Yamato battleship during World War II, even if the Yamato did not fight back, the Beiyang Fleet would probably not be able to break its armor.

Once the generation gap in the navy is formed, all previous investments will almost be in vain.

But army firearms are different. After all, humans cannot evolve.

Moreover, even if it is built and not used, the cost of maintaining it will be far less than that of a warship.

When the war broke out between the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union's front line was still using army weapons and equipment from the Soviet Union's inventory from more than 30 years ago.

The fate of naval equipment is much more tragic. Even if an aircraft carrier is parked in the sea, it still costs money every day.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia could not afford to maintain nine expensive aircraft carriers in service or under construction, so it first sold the Varyag in the dock to China.

After a pleasant cooperation, Russia sold another two aircraft carriers. The Kiev was converted into an aircraft carrier hotel in Tianjin, and the Minsk was converted into an aircraft carrier park in Shenzhen.

The remaining Gorshkov aircraft carrier was eventually sold to India, the Baku aircraft carrier was dismantled and sold to South Korea, and the Leningrad and Novorossiysk aircraft carriers were successively retired.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Ulyanovsk No. 4" that military fans talked about the most was dismantled the fastest. It was dismantled into a pile of scrap metal in the second year after it was dismantled.

In the end, Russia only retained one Kuznetsov aircraft carrier to defend its great Russian motherland.

It can be said that the Soviet Union’s naval legacy has brought a heavy economic burden to Russia.

However, the Soviet Union's army legacy still plays a role in the battlefield in eastern Ukraine.

Therefore, before China had sufficient maritime interests, Yuan Shikai would not choose to actively develop the navy.

After all, China is a "continental country" where land power is greater than sea power. It is already very good if its navy dominates the Western Pacific.

The dreadnoughts of World War I, the aircraft carriers of World War II, and the cruise missiles after World War II are all epoch-making weapons.

The latter two are too far away, and it is hard to say whether he can live to see them. Therefore, in Yuan Xiangcheng's view, the only thing he can influence at present is the construction of China's dreadnoughts.

His view is that there is no need for innovation, only imitation.

We can wait until after 1906, when the production of dreadnoughts in major countries in the world has been finalized, and then we can start manufacturing dreadnoughts.

Shipbuilding cannot just be satisfied with the growth of military power on paper, but must bring tangible benefits to China.

This is an economic account.

After building large-scale warships, it would be impossible for China to compete with Britain and France for large colonies.

Putting aside the question of whether we can win or not, the key point is why we should use the navy to fight.

Southeast Asia is right next to China, so the army can just push across. The navy can only serve as a guard and transport supplies.

Therefore, it is more important for China to build more cargo ships for practice. On the one hand, it can accumulate technology, and on the other hand, it can meet the demand for civilian ships.

The three killer features of the dreadnought are steam turbine, unified artillery, and central fire control.

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As long as China continues to track these three technologies, it will not be left too far behind.

Steam turbines can be used on merchant ships; artillery can be used as army equipment; and central fire control can serve as technological accumulation for the future air force.

This is how to spend money wisely and do two things with one dollar.

Just like the German army reduced its organization after World War I, laying off one million ordinary soldiers, but cramming a large number of staff and officers into the Wehrmacht with only 10 people.

It not only complied with the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, but also preserved the spark for the future of the German army.

Therefore, on the eve of World War II, the Germans were able to create a million-strong army "out of thin air" within a few months.

This method saves money and maximizes the combat effectiveness of the army. Yuan Shikai would certainly choose to learn from it.

For the navy, as long as these three technologies are mastered, it will not fall into the bottomless pit of crazy shipbuilding, but can also prepare for current economic development and future military wars.

In the foreseeable future of Yuan Shikai, the navy can only protect itself, and the real major battles and decisive battles will still have to be fought by the army.

"Juren, do you understand?" Yuan Xiangcheng looked at Xu Shichang with a sharp gaze.

"I understand, now I really understand!" Xu Shichang seemed to have opened up a new world. After accepting Yuan Xiangcheng's new ideas, he felt that this could be considered killing two birds with one stone.

"Don't worry, Wei Ting." Xu Shichang promised Yuan Xiangcheng: "From now on, we will only buy ships, not build them!

As for the comrades from the Shipbuilding Bureau, I will help you convince them!"

"Ju Ren, I didn't say I wouldn't make it, I just won't make it now!" After seeing Xu Shichang's agreement, Yuan Xiangcheng smiled and hung the brush back on the shelf.

...

After seeing Xu Shichang off, the full moon was already high in the sky.

It is already summer now. Yuan Xiangcheng sits in the courtyard, thinking about the future situation in the dim light coming from the study.

As his thoughts moved, Yuan Xiangcheng picked up a pen and paper, wanting to write down the future "secret"

I am Yuan Xiangcheng and also Yuan Shikai.

It is now 1891, July 17, the 7th year of the Guangxu reign.

The conflict between Britain and Russia continued to escalate, and the historical reconciliation between Britain and Russia before World War I seemed to be a distant prospect.

Bismarck of Germany was dismissed from his post, and William II was stubborn and self-willed, constantly testing Britain's bottom line in Europe and Africa.

The United States was eyeing the Spanish colonies, and Cuba and the Philippines were already considered to be in its pocket.

Japan is licking its wounds. There will inevitably be a war between Japan and Russia in the future. Will it be a repeat of the original Japan-Russia scenario, or will the weak Japan be completely defeated?

France occupied Vietnam, Taiwan and Xiamen, but the frequent outbreaks of workers' movements at home left the Republican government with no time to look eastward, and these places had not yet become a driving force for France's development.

Austria-Hungary was aging, and Francis I was doing his best to maintain this bulky empire with one country, two official languages, and three ruling regions.

As for me, I will do my best to take advantage of the contradictions between the great powers to gain benefits for China at this time.

Although China is divided today, it has lost its political shackles and capitalism is developing rapidly.

The moon was bright but the stars were sparse. Dark clouds obscured the pale moonlight, and the candlelight in the house seemed to be burning out.

Putting away the paper and pen, Yuan Xiangcheng muttered to himself.

"Living in the Second Industrial Revolution, I must and must bring China to the status of a world power."

Chapter 174: Double Standard Yuan Xiangcheng

The cicadas in Jiangning City were chirping non-stop, people were coming and going in front of the Governor-General's Mansion of Liangjiang, and various military information from the front lines were being sent to the mansion one after another.

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From time to time, someone would run to the Jiangning Telegraph Office outside the city with a military order in hand.

Strictly speaking, Liu Kunyi, the successor Governor-General of Liangjiang, was self-proclaimed. He was not recognized by the northern court, nor did Empress Dowager Cixi in the south agree to it.

In this way, the Hunan Army's expedition to the west under the pretext of "revenge for the Nine Marshals" really felt a bit unjustified.

But even so, he had to do this, because as long as he wanted to take over Zeng Guoquan's political legacy, this was what he had to do.

The newly formed Hunan Army marched rapidly after passing Anqing with a desperate attitude. With great momentum, they captured Fengguozhou on the north bank of the Yangtze River in Jiujiang Prefecture in one battle.

Fengguozhou is a bulge extending northward from Jiangxi Province into Hubei Province. Originally, the Yangtze River served as the boundary between Hubei and Jiangxi.

Kefeng Guozhou is low-lying, and the Yangtze River has been changing unpredictably here. Finally, with the changes of the times, it changed its course to the south in the late Qing Dynasty, leaving behind a small, semi-abandoned river channel in the shape of a Chinese character "几".

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The "J"-shaped river channel surrounding the north of Fengguozhou only forms a wide river surface during the flood season of the Yangtze River. The rest of the time, it is mostly a mudflat or muddy ground.

Logically, this area should belong to Jiujiang Prefecture, Jiangxi Province. However, due to the inconvenient transportation in the agricultural era and the difficulty of crossing the wide Yangtze River, this place nominally belongs to Jiangxi, but is actually under the jurisdiction of Hubei.

After hearing that the Hunan Army was marching from Jiangning, Zhang Zhidong immediately ordered the Hubei Army to send heavy troops to defend the area.

However, this key area guarding the westward advance of the Yangtze River was captured by the Hunan Army that came from Jiangning in the cover of night in just one day.

The Hubei Army was attacked suddenly. Having no experience in large-scale combat, they could only flee westward and retreat to Wuxue in Xingguo Prefecture, Hubei for defense.

"Zhang Nanpi boasted about his 5 Hubei troops several times in the Hubei official newspaper. Now look, he can't even compare to Changmao!" Zhu Hongzhang, commander of the Second Regiment of the Hunan Army, is now stationed in Jiangning. He looked at the battle report sent from the front line with some contempt.

After shaking off the telegram in his hand, Zhu Hongzhang slammed it on the table and said, "General Liu Kun of Xian, his name is Xianzhuang. Let's make a concerted effort to capture Wuchang City!"

"Huanwen Zhu Hongzhang's words, you know that we are fighting with a strong will." Liu Kunyi also received the battle report, but his expression was obviously not as relaxed as Zhu Hongzhang's.

"I just finished dealing with Yuanfu's funeral, and now I'm worried about the situation in Jiangnan." He talked about the current predicament with some embarrassment: "Now Wuchang is using that old woman to pressure me, and the foreigners also want me to stop fighting and make peace. Sigh..."

Liu Kunyi couldn't help but sigh.

After Zeng Guoquan's death, he thought he would be able to seamlessly succeed as the Governor-General of Liangjiang, but who would have thought that all the forces that had been suppressed would begin to emerge.