Chapter 28 of 100

Chapter 28

10 min read2,561 words

Lin Yuan smiled at Chen Fei and said, "Don't worry, I'll announce our plan soon. Since you're injured, I'll give you a little spoiler."

Lin Yuan continued, "Now, our aircraft carrier needs to find a port to dock. Although places like Lüshun, Dalian, and Weihaiwei are excellent military ports, our 100,000-ton behemoth is bound to arouse suspicion from the Beiyang Fleet. So we've decided to find a place to hide for a while."

Chen Fei frowned and asked, "But we are the great benefactors of the Beiyang Fleet. They should be grateful to us, not suspicious."

Lin Yuan laughed and said, "Don't forget, we're in the past. In this world, the Beiyang Fleet hasn't failed. We've all read history; the Beiyang Fleet's commander, Ding Ruchang, forced the naval expert Lang Weili to leave due to political struggles. If we go there, we'll have no shortage of trouble."

Chen Fei said, "All these political messes are so annoying. Captain, just tell me where we're going."

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "I have a good place in mind: Keelung Port in northeastern Taiwan."

Chen Fei was very familiar with this name. To deal with the ** forces, the Marine Corps had studied Taiwan's ports extensively. Keelung Port is a natural good port, with water depths exceeding 20 meters, far more than the Beijing's full load draft, capable of accommodating 100,000-ton ships.

Lin Yuan added, "Taiwan is already a province of the Qing government, but the Qing court's control over it is far from sufficient. So we can get a relatively relaxed development environment there. Plus, the fishing resources there are abundant, and our ship's food supplies are running low."

Chen Fei said with regret, "So, if we go there, we won't be able to fight the Japanese!"

Lin Yuan burst into laughter, leaving Chen Fei confused. "What are you laughing about?"

Lin Yuan said, "Once we get there, we'll fight the Japanese even harder!"

Chen Fei said, "I know the Japanese once attacked Taiwan but failed and didn't station troops there. How can we fight the Japanese?"

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "You'll see. Now, I have an important mission for you."

Chen Fei quickly stood at attention and said, "I will complete the mission! What is it?"

Lin Yuan said, "Ye Zhichao just sent us a telegram, inviting us to negotiate with the Japanese. I will take a few comrades with me, and you will be responsible for security. This time, we will sign the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki with the Japanese!"

Chen Fei quickly replied, "I will do it!" Then they each went about their business.

According to Lin Yuan's plan, the entire Combined Fleet was captured by the Beijing, except for the sunken Matsushima, the heavily damaged Fuso, and seven other warships. To get these warships moving, Lin Yuan and his team put in a lot of effort.

For example, the power system. Although the Beijing uses a nuclear reactor, most of the crew members have experience with steam turbines, as the previous generation of our aircraft carriers used steam turbines. Although the steam turbines on the Liaoning, the previous generation of our carrier, are more advanced, the basic principles are similar. The soldiers and engineers on the Beijing, seeing the machines they had only read about in history books, were both excited and eager, quickly mastering the operation methods.

The navigation system was less of a problem. Although the Beijing's crew was accustomed to using navigation radar, celestial navigation is a basic skill for sailors, so it didn't take too long to master.

Despite this, there was still a shortage of personnel. So Lin Yuan decided to select some Japanese prisoners to assist in necessary but replaceable positions, such as stoking the boilers of the steam engines.

The Beijing's economical cruising speed is 18 knots, which is the most energy-efficient. However, this speed exceeds the maximum speed of most Japanese warships. Fortunately, the Beijing uses nuclear power, so the energy consumption can be ignored. Therefore, the Beijing cruised at 10 knots, staying within the visual range of each Japanese warship.

There was also the crucial issue of nautical charts. Nautical charts include information on shorelines, islands, reefs, and water depths. The charts used on the Beijing were drawn in the 21st century, and the sea conditions have certainly changed over the past 100 years. For example, coral reefs can grow at a rate of 5 cm per year, so over 100 years, the water depth could change by 5 meters. The East China Sea's water depth generally does not exceed 200 meters, and a 5-meter change in water depth is enough to put the Beijing at risk of running aground or hitting a reef.

Lin Yuan quickly thought of using Japanese charts, but when he looked at them, they were not usable. The Japanese mainly operated in the Yellow Sea, so most of their charts were of the Yellow Sea. The few East China Sea charts they had were on a small scale, which means they were not very accurate. The most important coastal and port charts were almost non-existent! Coastal and port waters are the most complex, with narrow channels, reefs, and many artificial structures.

So Lin Yuan organized the navigation department to discuss and decided to activate the ship's active sonar to test the sea conditions. Activating active sonar is very dangerous in modern warfare, as it is like turning on a flashlight in a dark room, immediately revealing your position. However, since the enemy had no submarines, this was not a concern.

The preparations took ten days. During this time, Lin Yuan finalized the team for the negotiations in Japan, including Chen Fei, Shen Wanqing, Zhang Hua, two comrades from the Confidentiality Department, and the journalist Tang Fan, who insisted on documenting this historic moment. They were a group of seven, heading to Tianjin to meet with the Qing government's delegation.

The Qing government's negotiators were Li Hongzhang and his adopted son Li Jingfang. Ye Zhichao recommended Lin Yuan to Li Hongzhang, praising him as a rare talent. The Qing government valued their team, and with Lin Yuan's addition, there were a total of 35 people. They soon headed to Japan.

As in history, the negotiations took place at the Shunfanlou in Shimonoseki. Shunfanlou is a famous local restaurant known for its fugu (pufferfish) cuisine, surrounded by beautiful scenery.

After the defeats at the Battle of Fung Island, the Battle of Asan, the Battle of Seonghwan, and the Battle of Pyongyang, the Qing government's negotiators were all gloomy. In stark contrast, Lin Yuan and his team treated the negotiations like a Shimonoseki tour, especially Tang Fan, who, upon disembarking, wanted to go to Shunfanlou to eat fugu.

When they arrived, it was already evening. The Japanese, knowing that Chinese scholars and officials often stayed in temples when abroad, specially cleaned up the nearby Jieyin Temple and arranged for them to stay there. The negotiations were scheduled for 10 a.m. the next day.

Lin Yuan and Zhang Hua shared a room. Zhang Hua snored loudly as soon as he hit the pillow, while Lin Yuan was very excited, thinking, "This time, I'll give the Japanese a big loss. I'll sign the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki with them."

He couldn't help but walk to the courtyard, where he saw Shen Wanqing going out. Under the bright moonlight, her slender figure was particularly charming. Lin Yuan couldn't help but ask, "So late, where are you going?"

Shen Wanqing smiled and said, "It's a secret, I can't tell you." She gently pushed open the courtyard gate and walked out.

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