Chapter 785: Going to the Expedition, the Pacific Fleet!

"But why should the Spaniards worry about Peru?" The Queen suddenly spoke with a little puzzled voice, "That Isabella II can't even suppress the mob in her own Madrid!"

Prince Albert leaned forward slightly and tapped his fingers on the table: "Dear, Isabella II needs to punch hard in order to suppress the Madrid mob." He turned to the Foreign Minister Lord Clarendon, "Please explain in detail the current situation in Spain."

Clarendon patiently explained to the Queen of England who did not know how to ask her husband, "Your Majesty, Spain is now in a delicate period. The rule of Isabella II has just stabilized, and they urgently need a victory to regain their national prestige and make another vote."

"Oh," the queen nodded, "This idea is a bit similar to Napoleon III back then! But can Spain beat the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?"

Navy Secretary Somerset took over the conversation: "Three years ago, Spain customized the Iron Craft Numancia in order to revive its naval power. The displacement of this ship reached 7,350 tons, second only to our "Warrior" class, and is the third largest Iron Craft in the world. It is larger than the "Glorious" class used by the French themselves!"

Prince Albert smiled and said, "I remember this ship was built by the French Mediterranean shipyard?"

"That's right, Your Highness." Somerset, "Napoleon III called it a symbol of 'Fasi friendship' and ordered the Mediterranean shipyard to take the highest level of man-made ships for Spain."

Viscount Palmerston, who was only 80 years old, suddenly sneered: "The Spaniards are now so poor that they can't pay, and now they can't carry the ship. Their Chancellor will come to London to borrow money in two days!"

"It's so difficult that you still have to buy an iron armored ship? Why bother?" The queen was puzzled.

"Your Majesty, the Spaniards want to use this ironclad ship to restore their former glory!" Prime Minister Viscount Palmerston blinked humorously, "By the way, force several wealthy former colonies to return to the empire!"

Clarendon added, "Peru is the Spanish's first choice target! Peru's guano mine and the Cerro de Pasco silver mine are rich. The Spanish have long been jealous. Peru's total population is only 2.5 million, the army is only more than 10,000, and the navy is even weaker. Although Spain's national strength has declined, it has this new ironclad ship."

"How is the power of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Peru?" the queen asked suddenly.

Clarendon immediately replied: "According to our consul in Lima, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had more than 30,000 Chinese workers in the Kayao Port and the Chincha Islands. Half a year ago, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's True Journey Church opened in Kayao Port. The Archbishop was Zeng Shuiyuan, the general of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. With his arrival, the Chinese workers in Peru began to be dishonest!"

Prince Albert smiled and said, "So Spain sent troops on the grounds of 'protecting Peru from the yellow peril'. For this reason, we can borrow some money to the Spanish and let them take the 'Numancia' away."

"Wait," the queen interrupted, "Will the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom sit still?"

Palmerston sneered: "This is the most interesting place. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's 'Tianjing' class ironclad ship is a low-quality imitation from France's 'Glorious' class, with a displacement of about 5,000 tons."

Prince Albert tapped the table with his fingers excitedly and said with a smile: "Let Spain use the ironclad ships made by France to fight the ironclad ships designed by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom imitate the French design! This is simply wonderful!"

Albert's throat suddenly itched and had a strong urge to cough. He quickly took out a bottle of Luo Yaoguo and asked Ma Bao to take a sip of Chuanbei loquat paste that Ma Bao had brought him, and pressed down his cough: "If the Numancia scared the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and dared not protect the overseas Chinese, their expansion in the Americas will be severely frustrated and will also inspire the white supremacists in the United States. If they dare to fight, a trace of cunning flashed in his eyes, "The 5,000-ton "Tianjing" class vs. the 7,350-ton "Numcia" will be unpredictable."

"No matter what the result is, we will win." Palmerston smiled. "If the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom loses, their expansion momentum will be frustrated, and their relationship with France will turn sharply. If they win."

"Where is Napoleon III's face?" Albert took the conversation and showed a successful smile on his face. "The French proud ironclad ship was actually defeated by the Chinese ironclad ship that he copied the glorious design."

Clarendon added in due time: "More importantly, no matter what the outcome, we can take the opportunity to sign a 'protection treaty' with Chile to keep the saltpeter mines in the Atacama Desert in hand."

"Okay!" Queen Victoria focused heavily, "That's it!" she said to Palmerston, "Go and arrange it!"

"Yes, Her Majesty the Queen!"

When dusk fell to cover London, 10 Downing Street issued two important orders: the ambassador to Spain immediately visited Isabella II and informed the British government that it agreed to provide guarantees for the 2 million pound bonds issued by the Spanish government in London; a fleet with the flagship "Warrior" immediately set off for Honolulu in the Hawaiian Islands.

That night, Prince Albert stood in front of the window and looked at London covered in the night. His cough seemed to have eased a little, and a long-lost blush appeared on his face: "Luo Yaoguo, I want to see if you, a demigod, can still predict the uncertainty this time?"

"Dear Albert, what are you talking about?" The Queen of England's sweet and delicate voice suddenly came from behind Albert.

Albert shivered and looked back at his wife - she was already wearing sexy underwear made of Chinese silk. It hurts her waist!

"Ah, Victoria, I'm talking about whether Luo Yaoguo can count the Spanish to attack his people in South America this time?"

"Definitely not!" the queen smiled, "Dear Albert, I am not afraid of the fallen angel. I am the reincarnation of Jesus' fifth sister Mary, and I still have the covenant version!"

On the eighth day of the fifth month of the 14th year of Tianli, Shanghai Beach and Huangpu River.

The No. 1 outfit pier of Jiangnan Shipyard was already full of officers wearing dark blue uniforms. The wind of the river was wrapped in the breath of coal smoke and steel, and the golden dragon naval flag of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was roaring. Luo Yaoguo stood at the end of the pier with his hands behind his back, staring at the brand new black steel giant beast on the river surface with his eyes as if he was torched.

"Your Highness, the 'Xi'an' ship is ready, please review it!"

The Secretary of the Navy Wang Yan quickly stepped forward, and the heels of the leather shoes were "clicked" and performed a standard military salute.

Luo Yaoguo nodded slightly to his eldest disciple, stepped onto the gangway, and the steel deck made a dull sound under the military boots.

"Tell me about the parameters." Luo Yaoguo's voice was not loud, but the generals behind him unconsciously straightened their backs.

Xu Shou, the Secretary of Military Affairs, immediately stepped forward and opened the cowhide notepad he carried with him: "Report to Your Highness, the light load displacement of the 'Xi'an' ship is 5,200 tons and a full load of 5,800 tons. The ship is 112 meters long, 16 meters wide, and has a draft of 6.8 meters. The power system uses a double-expanded steam engine, with an output power of 3,000 horsepower and a maximum speed of 13 knots."

Luo Yaoguo nodded with satisfaction. After several years of hard work, the double-expanding steam engine produced by the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau finally reached the world's advanced level. "Main gun?" Luo Yaoguo asked again.

"There is a double-mounted 120mm breech gun in front and back." Xi'an Captain Ding Ruchang stood attentively and reported, "Using the newly developed nitroglycerin charge of 'Xuzhou Huagong', the shell's initial velocity is 600 meters per second, and 150 mm wrought iron armor can be penetrated at a distance of 2,000 yards!"

Luo Yaoguo's mouth rose slightly. The double-equipped rotating turret and 120mm breech gun were finally completed!

He turned around and walked towards the bridge, and the soldiers along the way stood up and saluted. Through the porthole, you could see the neatly arranged gun doors on the sides.

"The side gun cabin can accommodate 20 same-type 120mm guns." Wang Yan added, "All of them are equipped with a back-up mechanism, and the rate of fire can reach 1-2 rounds per minute. The thickest part of the armor belt is 120 mm, the front of the turret is 130 mm, the command tower is 130 mm, and the deck is 40 mm. All are made of steel and iron composite armor!"

Luo Yaoguo suddenly stopped and his eyes shot towards Ding Ruchang like lightning: "If you meet the Spaniard's 'Numancia', what's the chance of winning?"

The deck suddenly became silent. Ding Ruchang and Wang Yan exchanged shocked eyes.

"Your Highness." Wang Yan's voice hesitated, "Are you talking about the Numancia built by the French for the Spanish?"

"It's the ship. It's displacement of 7350 tons and is equipped with 40 203mm cannons!"

"But this ship has not been delivered yet," Wang Yan said, "It seems that the Spaniards have no money."

Luo Yaoguo chuckled: "They will have money." His tone suddenly sank: "If I'm right, this ship will be the first enemy of the Heavenly Pacific Fleet after it became an army!"

The river wind suddenly became violent, blowing away the last ray of morning mist. The sun shone on the brand new steel armor of the "Xi'an" ship, reflecting dazzling light.

Luo Yaoguo turned around and faced a group of naval generals, and his voice suddenly increased: "The mission of the Pacific Fleet is to fight for the Pacific sea control for the Kingdom of Heaven! Your first enemy is the Spaniard's 'Numancia'! Although the tonnage of this ship is more than 2,000 tons larger than that of the Xi'an, it is known as the third iron armored ship in the world. However, it does not have 120mm breech guns, no steel composite armor, and no brave and fearless naval soldiers! Ding Junmen!"

Ding Ruchang's eyes ignited a desire to fight and he stood at attention: "Please give an order!"

"I order the Pacific Fleet to set off immediately, go to San Francisco first to replenish supplies and standby, and wait for the Spanish Navy's Pacific Fleet to arrive in South America before heading south to Peru." Luo Yaoguo's eyes swept across every face, "The Spaniards are going to rob the bird guano mines in the Chincha Islands, where there are 30,000 people of the Kingdom of Heaven. I want you to sink ‘Numancia’ in the Pacific and give the Spaniards an unforgettable lesson, so that they can know the power of my heavenly dynasty and not offend!"

"The last general obeys the order!" Ding Ruchang raised his chest and saluted!
Chapter completed!