Seven Seas Beacon Fire

Thanks to this, the Channel Fleet now has two Revenge-class battleships, which were the most powerful battleships actually in service with the Royal Victoria Navy during the last World War.

Even now, disregarding speed, the Revenge-class battleships are the strongest capital ships in the Royal Navy of Victoria, second only to the Admiral-class battlecruisers—after all, Nelson hasn't even entered service yet.

Victor knew that at his age, it was unlikely that he could continue to advance through military achievements in the future. After all, although some insightful people pointed out that this was not a complete ceasefire but only 20 years of peace after the end of the world war, most people in this society believed that such a large-scale war would not break out again at least in this century.

Therefore, Victor knew very well that if he wanted to get promoted further, he would need to do all sorts of special tasks that seemed insignificant.

In short, as long as you can be promoted to general, can you tell which of my general stars was earned through military achievements and which was earned through these special missions?

"Sir, we've come all this way to greet the Crown Prince. Do you think they'll see us as making a gesture of goodwill or as a show of force?"

A staff officer next to him asked him in a half-joking tone. Victor glanced at the guy. He rarely put on a serious face, so the officers and soldiers of the Strait Fleet were quite friendly to him and not very afraid of him. During missions like this, which were not very important, he would often joke around like a doctor on the operating table.

"That depends on what kind of person the Crown Prince of the Tang Empire is who we are welcoming," Victor said with a slight sigh. In fact, even Victor himself didn't know whether sending a battleship and several cruisers from the Straits Fleet to such a far distance to welcome him was a show of force or a gesture of goodwill.

Therefore, before setting off, he paid a special visit to Leonard, who was now becoming increasingly overweight. Leonard, however, simply said while smoking a cigar, "If the Crown Prince is here to befriend us, then this is a gesture of goodwill; if the Crown Prince has ulterior motives, then this is a show of force."

He now relayed Leonard's exact words to the men on the bridge who were all listening intently, but it was clear that few of these ordinary naval officers were really going to delve into the deeper meaning of Leonard's words. They had initially raised that question simply because it had become a hot topic in many newspapers of the Victorian Empire before they set sail.

"I've heard that this Crown Prince is very fond of collecting princesses. I wonder if he won the heart of any princess during his visit to Syracuse and Gaul this time."

"I don't think the Crown Prince would like that princess from the Kingdom of Gaul. I've heard that Princess Jeanne from Gaul has a terrible temper, and she's only 10 years old this year, which is far too young."

"I've heard that people from the East prefer younger women?"

"It seems there is such a saying. Anyway, when I was in Barat, I found that the lower classes of Barat married very early. I don't know much about Seris, but the princess next to that Crown Prince in the East seems to have a very good figure."

"If that's the case, wouldn't that Crown Prince from the East definitely be very fond of the princess of Syracuse? I've heard that the princess of Syracuse is quite beautiful."

"No matter how beautiful she is, she's still a 35-year-old princess."

"Didn't the princess of Syracuse's husband die? He died of the flu a couple of years ago."

"You've got a really good grasp of European royal news."

...........

The sailors on the bridge have now begun their casual chatter. The situation on the bridge is naturally similar to some QQ groups, which always include Dong Ge, Jia Lio, the "permission dog," and the utterly useless group owner who is good for nothing except cross-dressing.

The performance of these soldiers also demonstrates the extent of discussion and attention Li Che's previous visit to Syracuse and Gaul had generated in Europe.

After all, this is the first time in a century that a royal family from the East has visited a powerful European country with such a high profile. Moreover, unlike the visit to Europe by a minor figure in another world, although the Tang Dynasty is a newly established dynasty, the crown it wears is the most valuable crown still existing in the world.

Therefore, the developed media in Europe naturally like to dig up news about Li Che, and for one reason or another, Li Che's reputation now seems to be inseparable from his nickname "Princess Collector".

Especially in Bharat, those idiots somehow got hold of rumors and actually gathered 100 princesses from the local chieftain states to welcome him. Although the princesses from the chieftain states might not be as high-ranking as real princesses, in terms of sheer spectacle, Li Che almost became the man with the most wives in the world.

The problem is that although he clearly rejected the outrageous suggestions from Bharat, European media reports seem to indicate that he has already won over the 100 princesses of the Bharat princely state.

At this moment, Li Che was also considering in the blue space whether it was because of his special reputation that he did not meet the princesses of Syracuse and Gaul during his visits.

Well, it was just pure curiosity. It wasn't that he had any romantic feelings for the princesses of those two countries. After all, one of them was far too young, while the other was old enough to be his mother.

But it's really hard to bear this kind of reputation.

It's a really unpleasant feeling when almost everyone in the world assumes you've done things you never actually did.

So far, this trip to Europe has gone very smoothly.

The Jiangzhou heavy cruiser, which was publicly displayed in Syracuse, combined with the false information deliberately released by Li Che, has now almost brought the Italian Navy's original heavy cruiser construction plan to an abort.

The 150mm armor, which was purely fabricated, coupled with a speed of 32 knots, almost made the designers of the Syracuse Navy pluck their beards out of their wits. They just couldn't understand what kind of magic the Easterners had used to complete this warship with such specifications.

It's not like we resurrected Archimedes and then redefined buoyancy, is it?

During the subsequent technical exchange, Li Che perfectly embodied the role of a "strategic conman." After having a few drinks at the welcome banquet, Li Che pretended to be unable to hold his liquor and began to "reveal secrets" without any restraint.

Li Che bluntly stated that cruisers only need to maintain a certain speed. If the Tang Dynasty weren't situated on the world's largest ocean, warships like treaty-controlled heavy cruisers, which are strictly bound by treaties, would need to have their speed further reduced to increase firepower and protection.

If the Tang Dynasty were in the Mediterranean, why would it need cruisers with such high speeds? You'd be running into other ships all the time; firepower and armor are more important!

Li Che then began to recount the glorious history of the Garibaldi-class armored cruisers, stating that the Garibaldi was so perfect back then. Although it wasn't the fastest, its protection was absolutely the best among armored cruisers of its time, and no other country's armored cruiser at the same period could match the Garibaldi's main armor belt coverage.

These words gave the naval personnel of the Kingdom of Syracuse a great inspiration. Indeed, their most successful warship was the Garibaldi. Was the Garibaldi really that fast back then?

At a time when the fastest cruisers in various countries could reach speeds of 23 knots, Garibaldi maintained a speed of 20 knots, emphasizing balance and moderation!

Although there is no evidence at the moment, Li Che could sense from the tone of the Syracuse naval officers he spoke with that, influenced by him, the Syracuse navy now preferred a cruiser similar to the Zara that was slower but had stronger firepower and protection.

However, it's obvious that this kind of cruiser is no longer suitable for any country other than the Mediterranean. Without making a sound, Li Che had already dealt with an important "friendly competitor".

Chapter 382 The Gauls' Minds Aren't Quite Good Right Now

Li Che was very satisfied with guiding the Syracuse Kingdom's "friendly merchants" onto the "right path".

Despite Zhu Miaoyun's private remarks to him, "Don't blame the European newspapers for making up stories about you like that," the Kingdom of Syracuse's hospitality towards you was impeccable. From the level of reception to the itinerary arrangements, from military and technological exchanges to civilian business dealings, everything went very smoothly. It is evident that the people of Syracuse genuinely welcomed and received you.

Instead, you're thinking about how to steal their orders and distort the development direction of their warships.

Li Che vehemently denied all of his wife's accusations. How did I lead them astray? I directly guided the Kingdom of Syracuse to skip their relatively unsuccessful first CA and go straight to developing Zara. How could I be wrong about that?

Although it did sacrifice some export orders, wouldn't this cruiser be a better fit for the Syracuse Navy?

Compared to the Kingdom of Syracuse, the visit to the Kingdom of Gaul was less satisfactory. First of all, for some reason, these Gauls insisted that the Tang Empire clarify its stance on the issue of the Letanian Federation, even when discussing economic issues.

What's the attitude?

That is, the Tang Empire must promise not to assist Letania in rearming or to help Letania rebuild its military industry.

Li Che was very unhappy from the beginning with the Gallic Kingdom's attitude of linking economic and political issues together. Although the Tang Dynasty had no intention of assisting Letania in rearming, it did not mean that the Tang Dynasty was willing to accept such a statement under the coercion of the Gallic Kingdom's negotiating conditions.

It's one thing if I don't do it, but you can't teach me how to do it.

"How do you define the act of helping Letania rebuild its military industry? Are high-pressure boilers considered military equipment? Are radio equipment considered military equipment? Are optical lenses considered military equipment? Even if our country makes a commitment, what methods does your country have to monitor the implementation process? If our country sells to a third country, and then the third country sells to Letania, would that be considered a breach of agreement?"

Li Che's series of questions completely baffled the representatives from the Gallic Kingdom. Looking at the subtle expressions on the faces of these Gauls, Li Che was certain that they hadn't given these guys much thought when they made these demands.

Perhaps due to the high number of deaths in this war, the Gauls' hatred for Letania has led them to act irrationally in handling many international issues. For example, the recent joint entry of Gallic and Belgian troops into the Ruhr region to control Letania, the most important industrial area, and their demand for Letania to quickly repay war reparations, was an extremely idiotic move.

Aside from provoking opposition from most European countries, including the Kingdom of Syracuse in the Victorian Empire, and deepening nationalist sentiments and ethnic hatred within Letania, Li Che saw no benefit whatsoever for the Kingdom of Gaul.

In fact, the Gallic Kingdom's impulsive act ultimately led to its humiliating retreat under the intervention of the Victorian Empire. Moreover, their actions aroused further vigilance from the Victorian Empire. Only a few years after the war ended, the Victorian Empire had already proposed to support and arm Letania to a limited extent.

Although the proposal was ultimately not passed, it does reveal the attitude of neighboring countries towards the actions of the Gallic Kingdom.

The world war in the past may have devastated an entire generation, and its impact on the Kingdom of Gaul was still too great, changing every aspect of the country.

Fortunately, the Gallic government still had some sense. They realized that this immature strategy still placed the Tang Dynasty in the position of a potential ally of Letania. Although this possibility did exist, the Tang Empire was not the Ming Empire of the past. If the Gallic Kingdom continued to adhere to this attitude, it might actually push the Tang Dynasty to Letania's side.

Therefore, in the subsequent negotiations, the Gauls also began to be more pragmatic and stopped talking about these political conditions. The two sides were finally able to carry out more pragmatic exchanges on economic and military technology.

Unlike the Syracuse Kingdom, whose military exchanges were mainly in the naval field, the Gallic Kingdom now boasts the title of "Europe's No. 1 Army." Although Li Che felt that this title was somewhat like saying that everyone had the courage of Lü Bu after his death, the Gallic Army is indeed recognized worldwide as the best in Europe.

Especially in the development of artillery, although the Gallic Army mistakenly concentrated too much of its artillery power on the 75mm field gun before the outbreak of the last World War, resulting in the vast majority of its artillery being the 75mm, through continuous confrontation with the heavy artillery in the hands of Letania during the war, by the end of the war, the Gallic Army had already possessed a world-class heavy artillery force.

In the East, due to the vast geographical conditions and tactical styles, both the Ming and Tang armies preferred field artillery that was not too heavy. In terms of the development of long-range heavy artillery, there were indeed many things that the Gauls could learn from.

Besides artillery, armored forces are another key area of ​​technological exchange between the two countries. The French army now possesses the world's best armored force, and the Renault FT17 tank is undoubtedly the best tank of its time.

While the Ming Dynasty did develop some tanks towards the end of the war, their overall performance and cost-effectiveness were clearly inferior to the Renault FT-17, a groundbreaking design.

These matters, which were outside Li Che's "professional scope," were handled by another army attaché who was on the visit. Li Che did not offer much advice on army issues. Ever since he put on his navy uniform, he had used some somewhat superstitious methods, and the navy happens to be a very superstitious branch of the military, so it has become quite a convenient fit. However, he did not intend to play the superstitious card on the current army issues.

After all, in the other world, he was more interested in the navy, so he naturally had more and deeper knowledge of the relevant professional knowledge. As for the army, apart from being somewhat interested in armored troops, being obsessed with a certain Russian slave game, and using his money to buy some 1/72 scale small tank models, he was at a beginner level when it came to many army technologies, especially tactical issues.

If it were the late 30s, he might still be able to offer some advice on the construction of armored forces, but what about the tanks right now that he needs to correct?

These days, tank development is all about accumulating experience. Letting designers learn and grow on their own is more important than anything else. Moreover, the Renault FT17 is indeed a good starting point, so he naturally didn't bother to interfere. After finalizing the purchase of some FT17 prototypes and a complete set of blueprints, as well as the introduction of the Gallic Army's 240mm heavy howitzers, Li Che only slightly intervened in the naval issue, proposing that the two countries could cooperate on naval power issues, such as jointly establishing a power research institute.

This point received an enthusiastic response from the Gallic Navy, which was currently suffering from a lack of high-speed capital ships. Therefore, from the Gallic perspective, technical cooperation with the Tang Dynasty Royal Navy, which had a large number of battlecruisers, would be of great benefit to the future. The Gallic people, eager to curry favor with the Tang Dynasty, immediately agreed to Li Che's proposal.

However, Li Che was actually the one who was preparing to cling to a powerful figure. He knew very well how outrageous the future power of Gaul was. In another world, the French possessed the world's most advanced ship propulsion technology when World War II broke out. What? You thought I was going to mention super destroyers like the UFO and the Mogador?

No, no, no. While the performance of these super destroyers is indeed amazing, the best demonstration of the Gallic Navy's power capabilities is still found in large warships. Most of the unexpected situations encountered by other cruisers during sea trials were due to problems with the power system or the hull lines, causing the ship's speed to fall short of expectations.

(Isn't that right, Queen Elizabeths?)

However, the situation encountered by the French Navy was completely different. The light cruiser, which was originally designed to have a maximum speed of 34 knots, significantly exceeded expectations during the trials, easily reaching a speed of 36 knots and maintaining this speed for a full 8 hours. After this 8-hour high-speed sprint, in the last hour... they increased the speed to 37 knots and sprinted for a full hour.

After completing this entire set of tests, the power system did not encounter any problems. What does it mean to have world-class ship power? Among the four European musketeers that participated in World War II, the Lisseau-class battleships had the largest power output and the fastest speed.

This is strength.

After both sides felt they had gotten a good deal, Li Che waved goodbye to the enthusiastic Gauls, then boarded a ship and set sail again for the Victorian Empire.

-------------------------------------

The Victorian Empire clearly attached great importance to his visit. They had only been in the Atlantic for a short time when they were greeted by the Vengeance-class battleships, a treatment that most countries would not receive.

He was able to enjoy such treatment on this trip thanks to the fact that the Tang Dynasty could "engage in dialogue with the Victorian Empire from the perspective of strength and status".

At this moment, the two formations were heading towards each other at sea. Although the other formation had a battleship equipped with eight 15-inch guns, Li Che did not feel that he was being outmatched by the other side.

The reason is simple: the Jiangzhou heavy cruiser here is obviously more eye-catching than the traditional Revenge-class battleships. If the Revenge battleship is like a Land Rover at sea, then the Jiangzhou heavy cruiser is simply a Ferrari.

Of course, a Ferrari can't beat a Land Rover in a crash test, and a Ferrari can't outload a Land Rover either, but Ferraris aren't bought for those kinds of things.

I have a Ferrari now, you should be the one driving the Range Rover envying me!

It's hard for a man to simultaneously possess both inferiority and a Ferrari. In another world, Li Che never... well, if we set aside that Monaco man named Leclerc, Li Che has truly never seen a man cry in the driver's seat of a Ferrari.

After exchanging signal greetings with the battleship HMS Revenge, the Jiangzhou and Changjiang ships of the Tang Dynasty fired the first salute. This was because the HMS Royal Oak was currently flying a vice admiral's flag on its mainmast, while neither of the two heavy cruisers of the Tang Dynasty were flying a similar flag for a high-ranking officer. Li Che's status was certainly higher, but he was currently on a civilian ship, so according to the custom between navies of different countries, the two cruisers of the Tang Dynasty took the initiative to salute Vice Admiral Victor on HMS Revenge.

The battleship Revenge then responded with two cruisers in return.

Unlike the subsequent dialogues in Gaul, where political issues were largely ignored, Li Che was well aware that his trip to Victoria during this European tour was primarily for political dialogue.

After all, the Victorian Empire and the Tang Dynasty regarded each other as their second most important hypothetical enemy.

This second most important hypothetical enemy is actually quite ingenious. If the relationship between the two sides is that they regard each other as their most important hypothetical enemy, then there is not much to talk about in politics.

On the Blue Space, after entering the Atlantic Ocean, Li Che pondered what issues the high-ranking officials of the Victorian Empire would discuss next.

Bharat or Letania?

Or perhaps Colombia?

Or is it the Ursus Federation, which is now widely regarded as an anomaly by countries around the world?

Of course, the love-hate relationship between Gaul and the enemy goes without saying. Thinking about it this way, even if I wanted to predict the exam questions, the chances of me getting them right were not high.

Well, since it's hard to predict the exact outcome, we need to prepare a mental plan for every possibility.

The Victorian Empire was a rather pragmatic country, and Li Che did not really want the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the Victorian Empire to become too strained in the future. This was not because he had any special feelings for the country, but simply because Li Che had considered easing tensions with the Victorian Empire.

In this way, after the real world war ends in the future, the Tang Dynasty will not only be able to take back the lost Old Port from the Victorian Empire, but will also be able to easily take over some of the spheres of influence that originally belonged to the Victorian Empire.

What a beautiful thing.

Chapter 383 Prince Edward, who loves the Three Kingdoms

On the docks of Portsmouth Harbor, a welcoming ceremony organized by several high-ranking military and political officials of the Victorian Empire, as well as Prince Edward of the Victorian Empire, was underway. Li Che, the grandson of the Tang Dynasty emperor from the East, and Prince Edward of the Victorian Empire were engaged in a warm exchange.

After completing the standard procedures, Prince Edward invited Li Che and Zhu Miaoyun to board the special train to London. On the train, Prince Edward invited Li Che and Zhu Miaoyun to enjoy tea and desserts in carriage number 1, while the other military and political dignitaries rested in carriage number 2.

After closing the carriage door, and perhaps finally escaping the gazes of those military and political dignitaries, Prince Edward revealed some of his true nature.

Li Che could sense Prince Edward's strong interest in Eastern culture. Although in the other world, Li Che's understanding of this man was mainly limited to the rumors that he loved the country more than the woman and his apparent sympathy for the mustachioed man, he had never heard of any particular interest in Eastern culture.

However, the historical processes and even the international political landscape of the two worlds are completely different. Considering the international status and influence of the Ming Dynasty in the modern era, it is quite reasonable that there are more enthusiasts of Eastern culture in Europe regarding this matter.

Prince Edward seems to be particularly interested in the history of the Three Kingdoms, perhaps because Romance of the Three Kingdoms was one of the earliest long-form Eastern literary works translated into English in the world.

As they enjoyed Darjeeling tea and began discussing the Three Kingdoms like ordinary friends, Li Che and Edward seemed to have become more familiar with each other, and they started to address each other by their first names more casually.

“Edward, you should know that although Romance of the Three Kingdoms is not entirely true history, it is definitely not an ordinary novel. In the past in the East, this book almost became an enlightenment textbook for command.”

"Is that so? When I was reading this book, I also felt that it contained a lot of military philosophy in many aspects. Is this why your country has always been so good at war?"

Li Che nodded slightly on the surface, but in his heart he was cursing inwardly—of course I was lying to you, you idiot. The reason why Dongda in this world is so powerful is because we also caught the fast train of the Industrial Revolution. In the Qing Dynasty of another world, there are many old generals who can almost recite the Romance of the Three Kingdoms by heart, but their performance on the battlefield is not even as good as those farmers in Sanyuanli.

However, Li Che certainly didn't want to spoil Prince Edward's mood at the moment. Such an easily fooled person was rare in the Victorian Empire.

Zhu Miaoyun looked at Li Che, who was full of bad intentions, speechless. How come she had never noticed how wicked this guy was before? He had been deceiving her from the very beginning of this trip to Europe. She had actually thought he was an honest and reliable young man.

But right now, it's not even appropriate to provoke Prince Edward, so he can only let Li Che do whatever he wants.

"It seems this book is indeed profound. I started learning Chinese last year, and my goal is to read the original Chinese version of this book once my Chinese level is good enough. I believe there must be many essences in Chinese that cannot be translated into English."

“Of course, after all, English is a very crude language,” Li Che said. “Once you start learning Chinese, you will be able to appreciate how profound and extensive the Chinese language is.”

When Zhu Miaoyun heard Li Che belittle someone's language in front of the Crown Prince of Victoria, she wondered if Li Che was deliberately trying to cause trouble. Unexpectedly, Prince Edward nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Indeed, English is a convenient language in daily life, but it is not elegant enough. I didn't feel this way before, but after learning French, I have felt this more and more deeply."

Huh? Aren't these Victorians angry at all?