Chapter 555 Empire Strikes Back

"Chief of Staff, the British Far East Fleet has retreated!"

Jiang Tianxiu hurried into the command center and handed the telegram he had just received to Chen Ping. With the emperor's declaration of war speech, the General Staff has been launched at full speed. At the same time of the naval counterattack, hundreds of mobilization orders have also been issued, including several containment front deployment and mobilization.

Among them, the battle for the Linga Islands on the South China side of the Strait of Malacca is the most critical. Although this is only an auxiliary operation of the British Far East Fleet to contain the Second Fleet, this archipelago, which is called the Dragon Tooth or Dragon Head by the Chinese, is very important, so Lieutenant General Phillips of the British Far East Fleet is still dispatched to contain it. 2,000 marines were sent to try to land and seize the island.

Originally, he thought that after he dispatched three old-fashioned battleships and four cruisers, and two Hebei and two Jilin classes of the New China Southern Ocean Fleet were contained in French Indochina, he could easily seize this extremely important island with a strategic position, but he did not expect to be bombarded by two capital ships.

At first, he thought it was the Dalian-class heavy patrol of the New China South China Fleet, but when the sun rose, he found that it was the armoured cruisers Schernhorst and Gneisenau in Spee's fleet, and immediately realized that the attack plan in the southwest Pacific had failed.

But after a moment of hesitation, he still made up his mind to attack by force, because two German armored cruisers could not stop three battleships at all, but the sly Spee did not enter the decisive battle. After a day of maneuvering, and the two Hebei-class battleships began to come back, Phillips had to end this failed operation. Full retreat to Singapore.

Stabilizing the Linga Islands means a good start for the upcoming Battle of the Southeast Peninsula, and I believe that at this time, the news of the Battle of Perth and the Battle of the West Cape has reached the United Kingdom and the United States. The sinking of the four war patrols means that the British mobile forces in the Pacific Ocean have completely disappeared!

So how to destroy the remaining U.S. mobile fleet has become the key.

Chen Ping looked at his watch. It was already 11 o'clock in the middle of the night. According to the previous intelligence and jet lag, the first task force will arrive in the target sea in two hours. So how will Clarkston escape this time?

Looking at the broken sea near Solomon Islands and Vanua annu, Chen Ping also frowned slightly. Even if he personally commanded the fleet in this sea, he would probably feel a headache. Now it's up to Gu Junhuo to complete the heavy task.

Just as Chen Ping looked at the chart carefully, there was a greeting from the guards behind him. He turned his head and found that Tang Shaoyi and Li Enfu had walked into the command center together. He immediately smiled and said, "Prime Minister, Mr. Li, why do you come to me when you don't have time to rest?"

"Then you have the heart to sleep." Tang Shaoyi waved her hand, sat next to Chen Ping and asked, "Is there any news about the First Special Fleet?"

Listening to his words, Chen Ping shook his head. He could see that everyone was worried about Gu Junhu at this moment, especially after the victory after the Battle of Perth and the Battle of the West Cape, his mood became more and more urgent.

It is not unexpected that the first two naval battles can be won, because fast battleships and warships are basically two different things. The advantages in equipment are very obvious, and the real test is the first mixed fleet!

The two Jilin-class battleships belong to ten years ago. The heroism of the naval battle of Xibilu Island does not indicate how strong they are, but that their opponents are too weak. As the first generation, its equipment and design concepts are not really mature, and the displacement is too small, even after medium-term improvement. There is no obvious advantage over the South Carolina class.

The Hebei class is the backbone of the navy at present. Because the first fast battleship Yanjing class was launched during construction, a large number of fast battleships were adopted. The 12 L50/356mm guns have enough power, and the speed has reached a relatively satisfactory 25 knots, but after all, there are only two.

The most important thing is that the first tompy fleet does not have a speed advantage, because four American heavy patrols can reach 25 knots, which means that even if the slow South Carolina class is eliminated, the two sides can only be flat in the final pursuit. Once they escape into the dense island group, they will not Don't watch them escape.

It is useless to destroy four old South Carolina-class battleships. Only by eliminating four heavy patrols can we ensure a year of maritime security, and the first mixed fleet also faces a numerical disadvantage. In the battleship confrontation, even if one side is poorly equipped, as long as there is enough quantity, it is enough to make up for some of the disadvantages.

And from the previous command of Clarkston, no one knows whether he is a good commander or not, but he has enough caution and caution. I believe that he already knows the results of the first two naval battles at this moment, so he is very likely to avoid fighting and immediately disband the fleet and break through in danger.

"Can you ask Xiao Tianzhi and Li Xiuyan to support you?" Tang Shaoyi looked at the second special flot fleet in Nauru and the 31st Fleet far away on Maste Island and said immediately.

"Three hours ago, Xiao Tianzhi had taken two fast battleships south to Vanuanu, but the distance was so far that it was impossible for him to rush to Shanghai. As for Li Xiuyan, we have ordered him to turn around and go to the Atlantic Ocean."

"What!"

When Tang Shaoyi heard the news, she stood up with wide eyes and went to the Atlantic Ocean?! Is there something wrong with your ears?

Don't mention him. Even Li Enfu's face around him is changing. The Atlantic Ocean is not a good place. It is a traditional sphere of influence of Britain and the United States. The two countries have nearly 100 warships in the Atlantic Ocean, and nearly 40 main battleships. In addition, after Italy and Spain participated in the war, the French navy has freed their hands and stayed The six new battleships in the Mediterranean can also take Gibraltar into the Atlantic Ocean!

This is just going straight into the wolf's den!

Madman!

Also help the navy madman!

The emperor said he would fight back, but he didn't let you go directly into the back garden!

In the face of the simultaneous criticism of Tang Shaoyi and Li Enfu, Chen Ping also shook his head with a wry smile, because this plan was suggested by the emperor. If you want to go crazy, then the biggest madman in history is Emperor Li.

"The emperor suggested it?"

At this time, Tang Shaoyi and Li Enfu were all dumbfounded. Although Emperor Li would not directly command the army, his suggestions were still powerful, and his suggestions were often sharp-sighted, so until now, Chen Ping has also praised this plan that began half a year ago.

Taking advantage of the panic of Britain and the United States after the Guam-level water, it was deliberately arranged to go around the coast of Mexico, and then pretended to visit South America and could not return to China in time to participate in the war, forcing Britain and the United States to do it in advance. Finally, when the United States had to intercept the use in the southwest peace for it. When the four strongest battleships of the ocean went south to intercept, they turned around and madly entered the Atlantic Ocean!

This is a crazy plan, but it is also a sophisticated deployment. You should know that if it were not for the containment of the 31st Fleet in Chile, the United States could have invested four more stronger battleships in the southwest Pacific. The four Hebei class in the first fleet could not do it. The Guam class has just completed the combat effectiveness formation, and the second fleet still needs To ensure the safety of the Strait of Malacca, it is impossible to block this big attack even with three heads and six arms.

At that time, even if the battle between Perth and the West Cape was won, 12 American capital ships could still sweep across Melanesia, occupy the Solomon Sea and the Bismarck Islands, and block Xinhua from Australia.

As mentioned before, any battlefield that starts at the same time is linked. In addition to containment, the 31st Fleet also considers that once the carefully arranged counterattack trap fails, it can immediately reinforce the southwest Pacific Ocean. However, with the victory of the West Cape Sea, the eastern front of this great counterattack has been basically stable, and the U.S. fleet has basically returned home. There is no hope, so the 31st Fleet can completely free up its hands.

Enter the Atlantic Ocean!

At that time, when the plan was put forward, anyone who saw it felt that the emperor was crazy, but Li Mo gracefully spread out his hand and smiled, moving everyone with just one sentence. Use two ships to contain 40 ships! Do you like to use battleships to break the attack war?

Sure enough, there is no craziest, only crazier!

Using a fast battleship to break through the attack war, probably only Emperor Li's unique head can think of it, but when everyone thought about the plan carefully, they had to admire Li Mo's vicious vision.

The reason is very simple, because Li Mo knows very well that this is still a super battleship. In the era of tonnage and caliber, it is difficult for later generations to imagine how powerful two Guam-class battleships are. For example, as long as the Guam-class appears on the New York coastline, the population of the city will all flee. Light, if it is given a chance to fire at close range, then New York will completely disappear!

And it seems that there are nearly 40 new Allied battleships in the Atlantic, but there are only six that can really be threatened, namely, the British Queen Elizabeth class, the Monarch class, the Tiger class battlecruisers equipped with 15-inch guns, and the American Pennsylvania class with 15-inch guns installed by the United States. 16-inch New Mexico-class and 14-inch Northampton-class heavycruisers.

It goes without saying that Britain's biggest enemy is staring at the doorstep. Even if the five Elizabeth-class battleships can be transferred, they can only send one or two. If there are too many, I'm afraid Tirpitz will laugh, and the first of the eight monarchs can be directly removed. As for upgrading from the lion class. The first two ships of the New Tiger-class battle patrol were launched, but the battles of Perth and the West Cape have confirmed that even with the same caliber guns, the battle patrol can never fight against battleships, not to mention that the Guam class is a fast battleship!

The third-class in the United States also has little chance. Although the United States has accelerated the construction process, the first Pennsylvania class to imitate the Queen's class was launched. The New Mexico class, which plans to install a 16-inch gun, is said to have stopped work and the design drawings will be greatly modified due to the emergence of the Guam class. As for the two Northampton-class heavy patrols with eight 14-inch guns that have been launched and ready to be delivered, they are also war patrols. After sacrificing armor and protection for speed, there is no chance to face the Guam-class 380mm guns.

More importantly, even if they are all put into the water and delivered at this moment, they will be thrown far away by the 31st Fleet in terms of speed, so as long as Li Xiuyan does not boldly, basically no one can stop him if he wants to escape.

And the second benefit is the attack!

There is no doubt about the important surname of the Atlantic route. The German maritime forces in this place that connects the United States and European battlefields can only rely on submarines, but the threat of submarines is not as great as that of battleships. If the United States is allowed to support Europe unscrupulously, or start sending troops to land, then Germany will be under great pressure. More.

At present, Xinhua can't cut off the Atlantic route, but it can threaten to make Britain and the United States not be so bold. If the threat is strong, it can even make the United States unable to send troops to Europe in half a year. After the southeast is settled in the spring, Sun Jiugong can quickly advance to the Ural Mountains and kick Russia. Out of the game!

To be honest, even Emperor Li can't find a more suitable attack ship than a fast battleship. The advantages of speed and naval guns can make it easy for them to catch any Allied fleet. Even if they don't use the main gun, a total of 24 double-caliber secondary guns on it can deal with the escort cruisers. When the vital Atlantic route was shrouded in two Guam-class muzzle, Li Enfu and Tang Shaoyi could not imagine how much panic they would cause!

As for the last advantage, it is political. Since Xinhua has chosen to join the alliance, it will naturally contribute to the alliance. When the Suez Canal is cut off and the Russian railway line can not be quickly opened for a while, let the most powerful naval battleships appear in the Atlantic Ocean to crack down on the maritime transport of the Allies. The line will be a boost for Germany. If they can seize the fleeting opportunity, they may also cause considerable trouble for Jericho's fleet!

But the threat is not absent. The submarine is always a ghost, and Xinhua lacks a base in the Atlantic Ocean, so it can only rely entirely on comprehensive supply ships. In addition, if the warships are not maintained for too long, it will lead to an increase in failures.

Another problem is that because there is no more light patrols, there is only one. Although the ship is equipped with two sets of secret weapons, no one knows if it can be effective. However, compared with the benefits, these difficulties can still be overcome, and it is not necessary for the 31st Fleet to stay there all the time. Therefore, it can still be done with a few months of containment, so that the British and American naval forces will not be able to support the Pacific Ocean, which has lost its mobility, giving Xinhua the opportunity to attack the Marshall Islands and Vanuanu.

As Chen Ping put out the whole plan, Tang Shaoyi and Li Enfu quickly completed the whole idea of Emperor Li's counterattack in their minds, and the two experienced politicians could only grit their heads.

This biggest madman!

Maybe after a few days, after Li Xiuyan's gang of bastards bypass Cape Horn and appear in the Falkland Islands, the whole Atlantic Ocean will cry!

(to be continued)