Chapter 943

Zeelandia.

Dutch soldiers looked enviously at the Great Yu Empire warships docked in the harbor. Over seven years, people stationed in Zeelandia had come and gone, but what remained unchanged was the astonishing speed of the Great Yu Empire’s development.

“General Yue Yun, welcome to Zeelandia.” Eric showed a sincere smile. He was the new Governor-General of Zeelandia, responsible for Dutch affairs in Asia.

“It’s a pleasure to see you, Eric,” Yue Yun chuckled. He had grown accustomed to dealing with Eric. He frequently inspected Ryukyu during these years.

His purpose for coming to Zeelandia this time, besides resupplying coal and water, was also for the matter of the Spanish.

In fact, the Netherlands and Spain both had colonies in the Luzon area and East Indonesia. Their relationship was actually one of competition. Spain had always been wary of the Dutch. The two often clashed over issues of interest.

Therefore, after receiving authorization from the Emperor, he immediately sought out the Dutch. Firstly, they were unfamiliar with the true geographical situation of islands like Luzon and Bohol in the Philippines and needed the Dutch’s help.

Secondly, logistical supply for this distant expedition was also a problem. If the Dutch could provide supplies, their pressure would be significantly reduced.

Thirdly, there was the alliance treaty they signed with the Dutch. This treaty stipulated that the two needed to advance and retreat together in Asian affairs. If the Dutch were attacked in Asia, the Great Yu Empire was obligated to help the Dutch counterattack the enemy. Similarly, the Dutch were obligated to help the Great Yu Empire attack the enemy.

After exchanging pleasantries, Yue Yun and Eric went to the official residence in Zeelandia. He fully informed Eric of their current operation.

“You are going to attack the Spanish and seize Malacca?” Eric asked in surprise. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “Attacking the Spanish is simple, but Malacca is now controlled by the British. Furthermore, French Indochina is on the east side of Malacca. Once you seize Malacca, they will not stand idly by.”

Yue Yun laughed loudly, “Eric, you needn’t worry about that. This time, we are determined to take the Malacca Strait. Britain and France have stabbed us in the back several times during our internal strife. The Emperor has long been displeased. Now that the Great Yu Empire has completed its unification, it is time to deal with them.”

After a pause, he continued, “Moreover, according to our intelligence, the combined warships of Britain and France in Asian waters number less than fifty. If we join forces, we can surely defeat them.”

Eric’s eyes gleamed with excitement upon hearing this. The Netherlands was once the true maritime hegemon of Europe. It was the British who ruined them, causing their status to plummet, and also seizing many of their colonies.

They had always kept this score in mind. However, the Netherlands had declined to such an extent that it could no longer contend with the British. But now, with the Great Yu Empire, it was different. They could completely suppress Britain and France in Asia and gain more tangible benefits.

And their original purpose in signing an alliance with the Great Yu Empire was to jointly deal with the British. Now, Yue Yun’s request was not excessive.

“I’m not worried; I’m just surprised by your Emperor’s grand ambition. But I have to say, your action this time aligns with our interests. We now have twenty warships in Asia that can assist you,” Eric said.

A weight lifted from Yue Yun’s heart. As long as they had the Dutch’s support, their attack on the Spanish would be much easier.

“Since that’s the case, let’s now formulate the battle plan. According to my idea, first, we must launch a surprise attack on the Spanish navy near Luzon, annihilating their navy in one fell swoop. Then, using Manila as a base, we will contend with Britain and France for the Malacca Strait…”

Yue Yun unfolded the nautical chart he carried and marked the offensive steps.

Eric nodded repeatedly, casting an appreciative gaze at Yue Yun. He had to admit that this Yue Yun was a naval general with strategic vision.

Having reached an agreement, the two decided to depart five days later. This would be their first time cooperating to fight a common enemy.

…

Qingzhou City, Imperial Study.

Song Changping joyfully handed a steel-cased bullet to Xiao Ming. This was the first metal bullet they had manufactured after the metal bullet project was put on the agenda.

“Your Majesty, this is the bullet we produced,” Song Changping said loudly.

Xiao Ming showed a pleased expression. Ever since the task of producing metal bullets was set, the entire industrial system of Qingzhou Province had been operating.

The thermal power plant immediately supplied electricity to the military machinery department. Various machinery factories, organized by Lin Wentao, worked day and night to produce electric motors and related machinery for bullet production.

In just over two months, they had established a half-manual, half-automatic bullet production line and manufactured the first steel-cased bullet.

“It wasn’t easy! This will be a landmark event in the evolution of military weapons,” Xiao Ming said, picking up the bullet. This bullet’s shape was basically similar to contemporary bullets.

Looking at this modernized bullet, Xiao Ming felt a surge of emotion.

Now that the Great Yu Empire’s technological level had firmly reached the 19th century, coupled with the detailed technical information he provided, establishing a simple military industrial system within a strong industrial foundation was feasible.

For example, the Great Yu Empire’s metal bullet production line now actually adopted a semi-manual, semi-automatic approach, where the bullet casing and bullet head were produced by workers operating machinery, while the assembly of primers, gunpowder, and bullet heads with casings was done manually.

This greatly reduced the difficulty of bullet production. After all, an automatic production and assembly line required numerical control, which he couldn’t produce.

“Your Majesty, although the production speed of these metal bullets is a bit slow, we do have metal bullets after all. I believe there is no longer a need to produce Falcon Rifles. Now, the military machinery department will only produce trigger-action rifles. I hope Your Majesty can officially name this rifle.” Song Changping said.

Xiao Ming nodded. He had not yet given this trigger-action rifle a definitive name. In his excitement, he said, “This type of rifle will be called the Han-Style Rifle. May this trigger-action rifle, combined with metal bullets, allow us to drive out invading enemies like the great Han Dynasty!”

“Han-Style Rifle?” Song Changping’s eyes lit up. He said heavily, “What a great name! This trigger-action rifle will surely be recorded in history!”

“Hahaha…”

With that, the two laughed simultaneously.

Xiao Ming continued to toy with the metal bullet. With this type of bullet, the problem of gas leakage in breech-loading rifles would be eliminated. At the same time, the advantages of rifling and conical bullets would also be realized. This rifle would be superior to the leaky Falcon Rifle in both range and accuracy.

In addition, the appearance of metal bullets brought a new understanding of weapons, which was also an inspiration for artillerymen.

As he was thinking, Qian Dafu suddenly walked in and bowed, saying, “Your Majesty, Chen Qi requests an audience.”

Xiao Ming was startled for a moment. He looked at Song Changping, “You two are quite interesting. Why didn’t you come together?”

Song Changping awkwardly coughed. He said, “Your Majesty, it’s not my fault. Chen Qi has blockaded the artillery factory during this time. No one knows what he’s tinkering with inside!”