Chapter 858: Ming Dynasty’s Strategic Deception (First Update, Please Subscribe)
Leaked the secret documents about Ming Dynasty’s development of airships!
This is what Emperor Zhu told Wang Xinyue on the train when he came to Nanhua. Deliberately leaking some secrets is a very common thing in later generations. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States each had a group of double agents who did this kind of thing, misleading each other by spreading false intelligence.
This is what the Ming Dynasty needs now.
"Only by leaking the documents can we make the British increase their investment in airships. Of course, the most important thing is to let them see that there are many types of airships and their wide range of applications!"
With his back to Qian Zizhuang, he stood at the window and looked at the Imperial Palace Square in the distance. Countless pigeons on the square sometimes flew up and sometimes landed. Looking at the pigeons playing among the tourists, Emperor Zhu thought for a while and then said.
"In the future, we must get used to misleading the British by fabricating some false intelligence, not only on airships, but also on the development direction of naval ships. For example, we can use some methods to make them regard speed as the main performance indicator of naval ships, thereby reducing investment in armor and firepower."
Of course it would be best if the speed, armor, and firepower of any battleship could be balanced, but the problem is that it is limited by the technological level of the time. It is impossible to have a warship that is fast, has thick armor, and has strong firepower!
This idealized warship was not only too expensive, but also too technically demanding. Not to mention Great Britain, even the Ming Dynasty would have a hard time building one, and Britain had only just mastered the triple expansion steam engine a few years ago, so it was simply a daydream to want to build a battleship with a balanced speed, firepower, and armor.
Speed, armor, and firepower are the three things they can only choose one or two of. In fact, even in another world, in the era of battleships and cannons, no country has achieved a comprehensive balance. Whether it is Britain, the United States, Germany, or Japan, they will make certain trade-offs in armor, firepower, and speed.
Emperor Zhu analyzed based on the naval battles in another world and concluded that among these three, speed can be sacrificed!
If you want a faster battleship, you need more and larger boilers and steam engines, which wastes a lot of tonnage, takes up the limited space inside the ship, and even sacrifices firepower and armor. This directly results in warships with weak firepower and thin armor.
For example, another world has very fast battlecruisers. Battlecruisers certainly have their uses, especially for a country like Britain with extensive overseas interests, but it is a bit lacking that battlecruisers cannot be used as the main force of fleet decisive battles.
When encountering a battleship with stronger firepower and thicker armor, the battlecruiser is simply no match for it.
At that time, the only thing they can rely on is speed, and they can escape by relying on speed.
In contrast, those battleships, which are thick-skinned, powerful, but relatively slow, have stronger survivability on the battlefield, and their combat effectiveness can definitely meet the needs under various conditions.
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, our warships are the fastest right now!"
Although Qian Zizhuang was not a naval officer, how could he not know that the Ming Dynasty's warships were the fastest?
"That's right, and that's why we have to continue to mislead the British!"
Emperor Zhu laughed.
"Our warships are fast because, firstly, the boilers are more efficient, and secondly, the steam engines are more powerful. Our Nanhua-class can reach 17 knots, and the Linhai-class exceeded 20 knots during the sea trials. The Youzhou-class will reach 20 knots through the optimized design of the ship type. Our leading advantage in speed will force the British to catch up with us. However, the British are far behind us in steam engine technology and hull fluid mechanics. If they want to catch up with us, they must make some sacrifices in certain performance."
When mentioning the technological and scientific advantages of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips. This kind of scientific advantage is indeed something to be proud of!
When did the British Empire fall to this level?
It’s not that the British Empire is backward, it’s that the Ming Dynasty is too strong!
"When they sacrifice their armor, the warships of the British Royal Navy will become thin-skinned dumplings in front of us. When the naval battle breaks out, they will be bullied by us..."
With a smile on his face, Emperor Zhu looked at Qian Zizhuang, his intelligence chief and said.
"Now, your task is to leak this information through appropriate channels."
Looking at the smiling Majesty, Qian Zizhuang just lowered his head slightly and said nothing. As the head of the investigation department, his task was very simple - to carry out the will of His Majesty.
As for understanding or not understanding, it is not important at all.
"Your Majesty, I know what to do."
This mission is very simple, not complicated at all. Double agent... there is a ready-made role in the Investigation Department.
…
Anmin Lane is called an alley, but it is also a tree-lined avenue. There are many teahouses and restaurants on one side of the street. This is also the place Anton often goes to. As usual, he comes here to have lunch. While he was enjoying his lunch, a man walked up to him.
As soon as he saw the visitor, a surprised smile appeared on Anton's face.
"Long time no see, my friend, I'll treat you to the best dish."
Anton added,
"How about some more wine?"
"sure,"
After sitting down, Li Chengan cast his eyes toward the sycamore trees on the street. The warm sunlight shone through the leaves. Facing the gentle sunlight, he whispered:
"I brought what you wanted."
"Oh, thank you."
A smile appeared on Anton's face, and he quietly put an envelope on the table.
“This thing is important, more important than anything in the past.”
Looking at the British man in front of him again, Li Chengan continued.
“So, I need more in return!”
"A thousand pounds."
Anton gave his offer directly. The guy in front of him was a spy he developed two years ago. This guy worked in the Navy Department. On the surface, he seemed to be a very competent officer, but in fact he was a gambler.
For a gambler, nothing is more important than money, and this is why Anton was able to develop him into a spy. At the beginning, he asked for only some semi-public information, such as the performance indicators of Nanhua-class and Linhai-class warships. These information were not secrets at all.
The key is to make the other party accustomed to selling secrets in exchange for money. Once selling becomes a habit, he will naturally send more and more important intelligence.
Just like now!
When he heard the one thousand pounds, a smile appeared on Li Chengan's face.
"It sounds good... Well, I can give you an extra piece of news - the war between us and Brazil is not just a border conflict, but an occupation. Uruguay is our bottom line!"
After saying this with a smile, Li Chengan emphasized it again.
"After all, for us, Uruguay controlled by Brazil is too close to our capital, so this is purely out of security needs."
(End of this chapter)
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