He took a deep breath, his voice lowering, "Moreover... their warships are extremely maneuverable, and our naval guns are suppressed before they can even enter effective range."
The meeting room erupted in an uproar.
The naval officers whispered among themselves, some scoffing, others looking worried.
East India Company representative William Crawford sneered: "Colonel, are you making excuses for failure? The Qing people have never even seen a steam engine, how could they suddenly possess such advanced weaponry?"
"This is no excuse!" James roared. "Our 'Victory' was hit directly on the deck by a shell, and the explosive force was far greater than that of ordinary gunpowder! Their shells must have contained some kind of new explosive!"
Technical advisor Sir Henry Morris suddenly interjected: "What the colonel says may be true."
He opened a document. "According to intelligence from Macau, the Qing Dynasty has recently established the 'Western Learning and Technology Department' within the Ministry of Works, which is personally supervised by their Imperial Noble Consort. This Imperial Noble Consort is said to be well-versed in Western learning and has even designed new types of naval cannons and steam engines."
Oh, this Imperial Noble Consort is now the Empress of the Qing Dynasty.
"Absurd!" Greville slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "What engineering technology could a woman possibly understand? This must be a smokescreen from the Qing Dynasty!"
Morris shook his head: "Your Excellency, intelligence indicates that the Qing Ministry of Works has achieved 'segmented casting' and 'rifling technology' for artillery, technologies that our Royal Navy has not yet fully mastered. What's even more frightening is that their shells use 'pointed conical shells' instead of traditional spherical shells, which greatly improves penetration and range."
The meeting room fell into dead silence.
After a long silence, Greville gritted his teeth and said, "So, the Qing people not only stole our technology, but also improved it?"
“I’m afraid it’s more than that,” Morris sighed. “They’ve already started testing steam-powered warships in shipyards in Fujian and Guangdong. If successful, the balance of naval power in the Far East will be completely disrupted.”
Crawford's expression changed drastically: "The East India Company's trade routes in the Far East must not be threatened! We must take action!"
"Action?" James sneered. "Declare war directly? Don't forget, the Qing Dynasty now has weapons capable of sinking our warships, and our Far East Fleet has already lost nearly half its strength!"
Greville narrowed his eyes: "A head-on confrontation is not the best strategy. But we must regain our technological advantage."
He turned to Maurice, “Sir, I order you to immediately assemble a technical team to crack the secrets of the Qing Dynasty’s artillery. If necessary… extraordinary measures may be taken.”
Morris understood: "You mean a spy?"
“That’s right.” Greville sneered. “If the Qing Dynasty can steal our technology, we can steal it back.”
Furthermore, the East India Company planned to intensify its infiltration along the Qing coast, bribing artisans and acquiring blueprints.
Crawford nodded: "I will arrange for the trade offices in Macau and Guangzhou to cooperate."
At this moment, Chancellor of the Exchequer Edmund Burke spoke with a grim face: "Gentlemen, don't forget the cost of these two failures."
The Admiralty's budget has run out, and rebuilding the Far East Fleet will take at least two years and two million pounds.
Those old men in Parliament will never allocate funds easily.
A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Greville's eyes: "Then tell them—if the British Empire loses the Far East, the prices of tea and silk in London will increase tenfold! As for money..."
He looked at Crawford, “The East India Company needs to bleed a little.”
Crawford looked grim, but under the intense scrutiny of the crowd, he had no choice but to compromise: "...We will cover 30% of the cost."
As the meeting drew to a close, Greville gave his final orders: "James, you return to the Far East immediately, but this time you are not to engage in direct combat. Monitor the movements of the Qing fleet, especially their new warships. Morris, your technical team must depart within a week."
As everyone rose to leave, James suddenly asked, "Sir, if Qing Dynasty technology truly surpasses ours..."
Greville interrupted him: "Then let them disappear. The maritime supremacy of the British Empire cannot be challenged!"
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