Chapter 248 We still have 40 days left

"Far East, on the verge of breaking!"

In the newspaper on March 20, the thick black and eye-catching headline was like a haze over the Far East, making British Prime Minister Salisbury's eyebrows turn into Sichuan characters.

No one would have thought that Li Mo's bastard ran to the door of the British Empire to make trouble. As soon as the four Japanese battleships were halfway through the sea test, they were blocked in the port by two French cargo ships when they entered Manchester to replenish coal. The sunken ship full of coal crossed the narrow harbor waterway, blocking the whole port.

The Admiralty and the Port Authority have been doing their best to salvage, and the French shipowners have also sent 200,000 francs in compensation and salvage costs, and Chen has expressed his willingness to take responsibility and cooperate with the British government axe to salvage. It will take at least two weeks to salvage two cargo ships full of coal.

Is this a coincidence?

Salisbury shook his head. There are not so many coincidences in the world. This is obviously a premeditated action. Although the intelligence department could not find the relationship between the French freighter company and Li Mo, the arrogant Frenchman was willing to go out to bear the salvage costs and compensate for the losses, which itself shows the problem.

But what can I do if I explain the problem? Because an "accident" is like a declaration of war in Honolulu? No, the parliament will tear themselves up. This move to support Japan has caused a lot of dissatisfaction. Some Conservative MPs even publicly said that they demanded impeaching themselves, because they felt that they were putting Britain into the danger of interventionism.

The shipwreck accident is the best proof.

Supporting Japan and handing over the two battleships made by Honolulu to Japan is equivalent to completely tearing up with Honolulu. When Germany, France, Italy and even the United States have received huge orders from Honolulu, the most powerful country in the world has achieved nothing, which has made many domestic businessmen Feeling angry, they blamed the political axe's plan one after another.

In their opinion, it is the best way to maintain the original reading power beyond the mainland, watch Honolulu and Japan continue to catch fire, and make profits from it, but almost no one realizes how bloodthirsty the one will be when two beasts fight each other in the cage and bite each other with blood!

Solsbury thought of this, raised his head, looked around at the people sitting around, and then turned his eyes to Prince Baden-Louis, the First Admiralty of the British Empire.

"Your Excellency, I think everyone here wants to know if the Far East war is out of control, will the Imperial Far East Fleet have the ability to intervene?" Salisbury put down the newspaper and picked up the coffee cup.

As the helm of Britain's most powerful force, at a time when the situation in the Far East is unpredictable, Prince Badenberg naturally has a sufficient right to speak. For a moment, all eyes in the room are focused on the old man who is nearly 60 years old and still full of red.

Prince Louis Badenberg likes this feeling of being watched, just like the Royal Navy of the British Empire led by him. No matter where he goes, he will become the focus of everyone and all countries!

"If you can give me five slaor stars immediately, I think we can win. If not, then other warships can't be transferred, I think..." Speaking of this, Prince Louis Badenberg spread out his hand and said, "There's nothing I can do!"

"What." The first one to be shocked was Foreign Secretary Kimberly. He didn't expect Prince Louis Badenberg, who had always been known for his toughness, to answer like this. God, can't the Royal Navy fight without new battleships? Could it be that after a few years of formation, most of the warships are the Pacific Fleet purchased from Britain, which will be stronger than the Imperial Navy!

As an old naval minister, Prince Badenberg was unwilling to explain the war to these politicians, but said lightly, "Maybe my words are difficult to accept, but please don't forget that the people of Honolulu have just taken over two new battleships from Germany. According to the information obtained by the Admiralty, these two battleships The ship is completely based on the standard construction of the two battleships they ordered in China.

In addition, the four docks in Honolulu have been closed for two years. Based on the construction speed of the more than 4,000 tons of cruisers they had built before, we speculate that there are at least four large armored cruisers, or even battleships!

Whether it is a battleship or a large armored cruiser, once these four warships join, plus the Russian [***] ships they have captured, the size of their fleet has expanded to have 18 capital ships!

And China's Far East Fleet has only five battleships so far, all of which are old-fashioned. Even if we have an advantage in the total number of warships, please don't forget that the Pacific Fleet is the only fleet in the world with large-scale steel battleship combat experience. The training intensity of their soldiers is Three times that of the Far East Fleet, and all of them have been tested in actual combat!"

"I think as long as you are not a fool, you should be able to come to a conclusion." Prince Badenberg said and suddenly raised his tone: "Of course, if I am allowed to transfer the capital ship from the Atlantic Fleet, then I believe that the victory still belongs to Britain!"

"Draw the capital ship from the Atlantic!" Prime Minister Salisbury shook his head first. Although he had been trying to change the long-standing reading policy of the British political axe, and he also hoped that the empire could return to the center of the world stage instead of continuing to watch, this change could not be achieved by a war.

Not to mention Salisbury, most of them here shook their heads at Prince Badenberg's proposal. Only a few of them did not make a statement, but judging from their expressions, they were obviously unwilling to go to war with Honolulu for themselves.

Britain is not afraid of war. The Royal Fleet is still the world's First Fleet, but if it uses the main force of the Atlantic, it is equivalent to a decisive battle with the Honolulu political axe! For a Japanese who doesn't know if he can win, he will fight with the people of Honolulu! God, the parliament will tear itself apart!

Although he is confident that he can send the main fleet to completely destroy the Pacific Fleet, in that case, I'm afraid the happiest person will only be the madman Nicholas II! And the upstarts of Big Apple City!

Since the Franco-Prussian War, Germany's aggressive momentum has made the whole of Europe restless. Now they seem to be involved with Li Mo. If they take this opportunity to intervene in the Far East, I'm afraid that Britain's interests in the Far East will be fatally hit!

And the British Empire also had its own troubles. The emperor's [[***] team had just been frustrated in Pretoria, the capital of Transvaal. The Boers were desperately digging for gold belonging to the empire, stealing piles of diamonds, and even shouting to drive Britain out of Africa!

The legislators have been annoyed. They can't stand that gold and diamonds were taken away by a group of groundhogs. They have asked for more troops countless times. Perhaps the full-scale war of the Boers will begin in the next second. What makes the parliamentarians can't stand is that there are obviously Germany and France behind the Boers. Shadow, these two countries are secretly armed and supporting the Boer army, and are digging up the interests that should belong to Britain!

Across the Atlantic Ocean, the economic expansion of the United States is becoming more and more unbearable. Their economic aggregate has exceeded that of Britain, and Russia is also rapidly expanding its fleet. In addition to shouting to erase Honolulu from the earth, God knows whether the madman Nicholas II will take the opportunity to seize the whole Far East!

Britain's core interests are still in Europe. If we want to make a choice between the Russians or Honolulu's rule of the Far East, I'm afraid no parliamentarian will elect the former.

"But if you don't continue to support Japan, once Li Mo completely controls the Far East, then...!" Salisbury thought of this and raised his head again, but just as he was about to speak, he was suddenly interrupted by a rapid knock on the door.

"Don-Don-Don."

"Please come in." Salisbury took a breath. Although he was a little annoyed, he still maintained his elegant demeanor.

An assistant rushed into the room, glanced at the ministers sitting around him, and said hurriedly, "Mr. Prime Minister, Greece and Turkey are at war!"

What!

Salisbury suddenly stood up. Although there had been signs of war between Greece and Turkey, he didn't expect it to be at this critical moment!

The assistant did not seem to see the rich expressions on everyone's faces and continued: "In addition, three hours ago, William II Berlin officially appointed Alfred von Tirpitz as German naval minister, and their parliament officially passed the Naval Expansion Act, indicating that it would form a battle line including 17 ships. The new fleet!"

"Moreover, they also sent five transport ships full of soldiers to the Far East."

"The new fleet of 17 battleships!"

The eyelids of Salisbury and all the people in the room jumped, and Prince Badenberg jumped up, almost trying to catch the assistant in front of him and ask for clarification.

Looking at the assistant's last words, which seemed to be ignored by everyone, Salisbury sat down slowly, and his hand holding the coffee cup stopped in front of his lips. What the hell are the Germans doing? Why did you propose to build a new team at this time? Do they think that building a new fleet can challenge the invincible imperial navy?

"It's ridiculous!"

He spat contemptuously, and no one can challenge the Imperial Royal Navy, whether it is the newly rising Honolulu, the rapidly advancing economy of the United States, or the covetous Germany!

They all forgot that the Royal Fleet of the British Empire was not a toy on paper, but a real one!

"But why did they send the army to the Far East at this time? Do they want to take advantage of the opportunity of Li Mo and Japan to get a piece of the pie?!"

After thinking for a while, Prime Minister Salisbury suddenly got up and walked to the coat rack and looked at his pocket watch: "Mr. Kimberley, go and inform the port to speed up the salvage and guidance, and try to send the Japanese warship out as soon as possible."

After saying that, he quickly put on his coat and put on his favorite hat, but as soon as he got to the door, he suddenly paused, turned his head and glanced at the audience and exclaimed: "Gentlemen, I don't know if my decision is right, but if I can choose again, I will still make a decision. Hold on to the original decision.

"Now I have to convince the parliament that the Germans have set out for the Far East, and they must want to take the opportunity to intervene there, so I think it's time to revise the isolation policy that has been adhered to for so long!"

"We still have 40 days!"

(to be continued)