The Portuguese on another ship at this time did not have such optimistic ideas as Su Keyi.
Of course Thomas and Simang also noticed the two escort fleets that appeared one after another, but what they thought of was not the complicated relationship between Fujian and Taiwan, but the combat strength of these two fleets.
Thomas looked at the Haihan warship chopping waves on the sea not far away, and couldn't help but said to himself: "Haihan's military strength is really terrifying!"
Simang responded: "Do you know what is the most terrifying thing? It is not that the Haihan people deployed two armed fleets at the same time in the Fujian Strait, but that the strength of these two fleets is not even high in the Haihan Navy's establishment. ! ”
Ximang's sentiments are not groundless. He has visited Haihan troops in various places over the years, including those stationed in Fujian and Taiwan. Through long-term contact, he has a very clear understanding of the strength of the troops stationed in various places in Haihan.
In terms of the navy alone, the most powerful one is of course the South China Sea Fleet, which Haihan is famous for. Choose any one of its four detachments, and they are probably stronger than the two Fujian and Taiwan fleets combined.
For example, the third detachment stationed in Star Island and the fourth detachment stationed in Manila are both armed forces that can act independently and have the power to destroy the country.
The naval force second only to the South China Sea Fleet in strength is undoubtedly the East China Sea Fleet, which is headquartered in Dinghai Port, Zhoushan.
Although the area under the jurisdiction of the East China Sea Fleet is not as large as that of the South China Sea Fleet, thanks to the prosperity of the East China Sea Region, the fleet has always had sufficient military budget, is well-trained, and is well-equipped, making it a maritime elite.
The East China Sea Fleet not only designed and built the latest "Glorious" class warships by itself, but also had the spare capacity to build an overseas station in Japan's Sasebo Bay across the East China Sea, bringing western Japan into the scope of the fleet's supervision.
Compared with the East China Sea Fleet, the Northern Fleet started late. In the early days, it even had to go south to Dinghai Port to complete repairs and maintenance of warships.
However, the Northern Fleet relied on many natural harbors within its jurisdiction and successively built multiple naval bases at Zhifu Port, Lushun Port, and Qingdao Port. Now it also firmly controls the Bohai and Yellow Sea waters between the Liaodong Peninsula, Shandong Peninsula, and the Korean Peninsula.
The jurisdictions of the Fujian Fleet and Taiwan Fleet are basically limited to the Strait area. Both the scope of activities and mission requirements are far less than those of the three major fleets. Their organization size and equipment level are naturally not on the same level.
But if you pick one of the two fleets in front of you at random, it will have few opponents in the Far East. It is difficult to imagine what kind of impact it would have on European counterparts if Haihan launched these armed fleets around the world.
When the two of them thought about this, they both saw deep worry on each other's faces. If the executive committee really plans to expand its territory through sea routes, who else in the world can stop Haihan?
Two days later, the fleet arrived near the Taishan Islands where Fujian and Zhejiang meet, where it met the East China Sea Fleet that came to greet them.
Arriving at the boundary of the East China Sea region, the escort mission of the two fleets from Fujian and Taiwan ended. The flagships in the fleet each blew their whistles, bid farewell to the fleet led by the executive committee, and then turned around and returned to their bases.
The number of warships dispatched by the East China Sea Fleet is not more than that of its colleagues, but the specifications are higher.
As the only Glorious-class battleship in service so far, Zhoushan serves as the flagship of this escort fleet.
This is also the warship with the most advanced equipment and the largest displacement in Haihan. It is the first time for most people, including members of the executive committee, to see this new warship with their own eyes. Because it is equipped with the latest steam power system, the mast and sails of the Zhoushan have been greatly simplified, and the shape is no longer as complicated as a traditional sail warship. The naval guns that used to be mainly deployed on both sides of the ship have now been replaced by more advanced deck turrets with larger firing ranges.
Such a battleship should not have appeared in this era, but Shi Diwen used the power of money to make it appear at least a hundred years ahead of schedule.
The Zhoushan is a masterpiece that combines Haihan's existing industrial capabilities. Many of the equipment installed and used on this battleship have not yet been mass-produced. It can be said that they are specially customized for this battleship, and the cost is understandably high. Know.
Although the tonnage of the Glorious class is only slightly more than double that of the Majesty class, due to the impact of equipment and construction period, the cost of the first ship is nearly ten times higher. Perhaps after mass construction begins in the future, the Navy can slowly spread the cost and reduce the cost through quantity.
Precisely because of the high cost, long construction period, and difficulty in maintenance of such large warships, the Executive Committee is still hesitant about whether to use this type of warship as the main force of the navy in the next stage.
But at least one thing, everyone has reached a consensus, that is, the sense of oppression of this new type of warship is indeed very strong, and people can't help but associate its huge hull with its combat effectiveness.
"What a beautiful battleship!" Even Ning Qi, who had never been very interested in weapons and equipment, expressed heartfelt admiration after seeing this battleship.
Yan Chujie said: "When we arrive in Zhoushan, we can board the ship and visit."
Qiao Zhiya added: "Not only do you have to visit the ship, but you also have to visit the shipyard."
Although the technical strength of Zhoushan Shipyard is not bad, building such a large warship will definitely encounter many difficulties. After the Zhoushan came out, it can be said that this symbolizes that the local shipbuilding level has reached or even surpassed the Sanya Shipyard.
Two days later, the fleet successfully arrived in Zhoushan waters.
Even though this is the busiest shipping area in the East China Sea, the appearance of this huge fleet still surprised the locals who were accustomed to the world, and they all asked about the coming of this god.
There were many ships passing by in Zhoushan, and the channels and docks were not cleared in advance like Hong Kong. It took dozens of ships in the fleet nearly half a day to dock at multiple docks in Zhoushan Dinghai Port.
As a landowner, Shi Diwen naturally attached great importance to the arrival of the Executive Committee and came from Hangzhou two days in advance to welcome them. According to the itinerary, the executive committee will rest briefly in Zhoushan for two days before setting off for Hangzhou.
Accompanying Shi Diwen to Zhoushan were not only a large group of local officials and gentry, but also Tao Hongfang and Ning Zijing, who had stayed in the Donghai Region for temporary posts when they went north for inspection last year.
It has been almost a year since the two young people left Sanya. This is probably the longest time they have been away from home in their lives. After seeing their father in Dinghai Port, both of them were very excited and hurried forward to say hello.
Tao Donglai looked at his son, nodded happily and said, "He has grown stronger after being out for so long."