Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Page 622

"Yes... Your Excellency, but isn't this a matter of course?"

"Really?" Churchill blinked, pretending not to understand.

"Because we are the de facto host." Fisher shrugged easily.

Churchill exaggeratedly raised his index finger to his mouth, "Don't let the French hear this."

"What about the Americans?"

"It's okay, anyway, it's not Americans who cook for us." Churchill said with a playful smile.

Fisher shrank his neck and spread his hands: "If our merchant ships continue to suffer losses in the Pacific Ocean like the previous two months, if we lose the food sources in India and Australia, one day we will have to rely on the Americans for food. for a living."

Since China announced the launch of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Pacific Ocean, Britain and France have lost 20 tons of merchant ships this month alone, including being sunk by enemy submarines and surface ships and sinking by mines. It is estimated that the total loss has further increased. , and a considerable number of ships were damaged and urgently needed to be repaired.In the past two months, 20 of the merchant ships in each port of the United Kingdom could no longer return, and at the same time lost the precious materials carried by these ships. Demand for various strategic materials.The British leadership, including Churchill, felt great pressure.

In addition to hoping that the U.S. Merchant Marine Fleet, the second largest in the world in terms of gross tonnage, can replace the lost shipping capacity of the British side as soon as possible, Churchill plans to urge the U.S. to send small ships to assist the U.K. in anti-submarine warfare at this meeting. Not only that, he also fought The idea of ​​an American battleship.

After the South China Sea War, Britain and France lost their sea dominance in the South Pacific and even the Indian Ocean. Australia was exposed to the advancing dragon army. India had long been included in the Chinese Federation. The large supply of cheap food and various strategic materials in these two places is One of the keys to the prosperity of the British Empire, the rich resources of the two places are even more indispensable in this war that has clearly shown the tendency of protracted war.

Churchill understood that defending or capturing two important points in opposite directions at the same time was far beyond the capabilities of the British Empire, especially after the combined Far East Fleet with the British Navy at its core was severely damaged.

Although 15 dreadnought battleships of the German Atlantic Fleet were sunk and damaged through the miraculous aerial attack, and 2 dreadnoughts under construction were also damaged, but with Germany's ship repair capabilities, it is estimated that the port will be severely damaged within half a year. Of the 4 battleships that were sunk, the 6 that were sitting on the bottom may be recovered and repaired within a year. According to the German shipbuilding information collected from various sources, it is estimated that 4 battleships and 2 battleships will be completed within the year. battlecruisers, which means that the German Atlantic Fleet can be restored to the level of 3 dreadnought battleships and 15 battlecruisers within the year.

On this premise, the British Atlantic Fleet currently has 27 dreadnought battleships, and at least one battle cruiser and four battleships must be drawn from other theaters to ensure a "sufficient" advantage over the German Atlantic Fleet.Even with the addition of the forces of France and the Netherlands, the expected basic force in the Pacific is not what it used to be. Compared with the strong lineup of China's Pacific Fleet, the chances of winning are obviously slim.

But if the U.S. Navy gets in on the act...

The Roar of the Dragon Chapter 25 American's Abacus

It is reported that the six U.S. dreadnought battleships that survived Pearl Harbor are currently hiding in docks on the west coast for repairs and refitting. The outfitting of the "Mississippi" has been completed and sea trials have begun. The third ship "Idaho" is expected to be completed before May, and the third ship is expected to enter service before the end of the year.

Leaving aside what will happen after May, it can be seen that by May of this year, the U.S. Navy will have 5 dreadnought battleships available. If the U.S. is determined to add all its main forces to the battleship lineup of the British and French Combined Fleet, it will be enough to fight the Pacific Fleet to the death.But don't forget that China also has the most powerful Atlantic Fleet, as well as a powerful Indian Ocean Fleet.

"Why should the United States defend British interests at all costs?" Secretary of the Navy John Fisher once proposed a motion to Churchill on the formation of a new joint fleet, and named this huge fleet "Napoleon".

why?Why?Churchill sincerely hopes that the simple and reckless minds of Americans can understand the following logic: Napoleon's fleet without the participation of the United States is unable to resist the twisted Chinese Federation Navy, and the current strength of the US Navy is neither capable of dispelling the threat of the Chinese fleet to the mainland, nor can it Launching a counterattack alone, the U.S. Navy can of course counterattack Hawaii while the Chinese fleet is fully attacking Australia, and eliminate the serious troubles. The enemy's superior force was destroyed.In other words, it is "two relatively dispersed and weak forces on the outside line, which are defeated by relatively concentrated and powerful forces on the inside line".

Only by twisting into one fist can it be possible to defeat the Chinese navy. As long as the Pacific Fleet is defeated, Hawaii will be destroyed by itself.The continental United States is naturally safe and sound.If the United States only seeks self-protection and stands idly by while Australia falls, allowing the enemy country to possess more sufficient manpower and material resources, and to unite by sea and road, the United States will have to pay even greater sacrifices in order to win the final victory.

This level of truth is not only understood by President Johnson, but also by the majority of the American people.

At this moment, everything is just Churchill's wishful thinking.

"Americans...do you know Americans?" Fischer, who was going up the stairs, asked Churchill beside him casually.

"Actually, I don't know, but I know very well that this meeting is not just a private transaction between the United Kingdom and the United States, but a strategic coordination meeting of the entire Napoleonic Front. The United States is of course important, but it cannot neglect and alienate other allies. The war is going on around most of the world, and no corner can be taken lightly."

Fisher nodded hurriedly and said, "Your Excellency said..."

I don't know where to pick, Churchill suddenly opened the chatter box, and said incessantly: "You stretch out your fingers and count, from the Arab world to Australia, how many things do we have to worry about?"

"The United States is now being attacked from three sides, yelling at us every day that there are no rifles and no shells. In order for the United States to be able to fight, the Arctic Ocean route must not only be kept open, but also the volume of transportation must be increased..."

"The aftermath of the air strike on Kiel cannot be relaxed. Whether Denmark will participate in the war because of this, and which side it will participate in is still unclear..."

"By the way, there is also the Netherlands. Do you want to urge the Netherlands to go to war against Germany? Why doesn't Germany attack the Netherlands? This is something that needs to be clarified in the short term—"

"Can we reach an agreement on this counteroffensive in the Pacific Ocean? How much effort will be required after reaching an agreement? How much additional troops and resources will be invested—there are problems everywhere, and question marks everywhere!"

"Egypt, yes, and Egypt, the Turks are all up to the Suez Canal, gotta get them out of the Sinai as soon as possible... and the Middle East, Middle East Oil, and the Aid Channel to the U.S. through Persia , are of sufficient value to defend..."

When the car of the President of the United States approached the main entrance of the Garcia Hotel, the other allies had already been waiting for a long time.

"Is it too late?" President Johnson seemed to have a bit of a conscience.

The Secretary of State Rusk on the side smiled meaningfully: "On the contrary, it's still a bit early."

"You mean war?" the president said aloud.

"Yes, but this has nothing to do with our will. It was the yellow monkey who forced us in. We should know that China's ultimate goal is the European continent. It is precisely because they know that if the Sino-European war starts, the United States will never stand idly by, so we must Take the lead in launching a war against us. Alas, if China's strategy is not to attack the United States first but Europe, it can be delayed by two or three years, and when both sides are exhausted, we can complete the military expansion plan as scheduled..."

"Perhaps that's why the Chinese are so impatient." Johnson waved his hand, showing a slightly angry face. "Forget it, it just saved me the effort of persuading the people to join the war."

"Did you expect us to join the war from the beginning?" Rusk was a little surprised.

"I just think that since this war is protracted, the United States will sooner or later become a major creditor to Europe. At that time, in order to ensure that our debts can be honored, we will have to do our best to assist them in winning the war. At that time, Participating in the war will be a success. But... but China made all these dreams come to naught."

"Yeah, the Chinese stepped in, before we could complete the two-ocean fleet plan..."

Johnson nodded: "It's better to be a few months later, preferably after the miracle in the port of Kiel... If we had known that the British carrier air force could do this, we should have asked them for help in advance, our Pearl Hong Kong's main fleet will never be defeated so badly."

"As long as we grit our teeth and persist for another two years, we will have a fleet that can completely overwhelm the yellow monkeys—including carrier-based aviation." What Rusk said was not empty guns. A week ago, Congress passed the [-] Navy The bill stipulates that in addition to accelerating the completion of the two Colorado-class battleships "Colorado" and "Maryland" under construction, the additional construction of the "West Virginia" of the same class and the construction of six "South Dakota"-class battleships.

In addition to the eight powerful new battleships, six "Lexington" class battlecruisers were also stipulated.

The sting caused by the Pearl Harbor incident to the Americans is also fully reflected in this bill: it is stipulated that seven aircraft carriers should be started in one go that year.Among them, the three ships of the "Assaulter" class were built directly using the drawings of the "Hundred-eyed Giant" class provided by the United Kingdom, and the fourth ship of the "Lincoln" class was built on the basis of the improved design of the "Hundred-eyed Giant" class. Completion mid year.

In order to meet the needs of the former carrier-based aircraft pilot training for the above regular motherships, it was decided to urgently refit one 3-ton cruise ship, two 2-ton cruise ships and two training motherships, which are expected to be completed within this year.In terms of carrier-based aircraft, Boeing designed a new type of carrier-based fighter based on the drawings of the "Cuckoo" aircraft provided by the United Kingdom.Before mass production of the new model, a batch of Sopwith aircraft was imported and imitated for training.

It is unprecedented that the U.S. Congress, which has always been stingy and stingy, passed this navy bill with such an astonishing budget unanimously. This is the so-called "war efficiency."However, this huge investment will not start to show results until a year or two later, and before that.The United States cannot rely on warships on the berth and a scattered naval air force to launch a counterattack.

Johnson sighed, shook his head and said, "Two years... It's too long, too long. In the past two months, I feel as if I have aged 20 years."

"We're not fighting alone," Rusk reminded.

"I know. But our allies can't protect themselves. The Pacific Ocean is already dominated by the Chinese, and Australia is open to them. Our British and French friends have to play a game of bullying with the Germans in Europe. Our steamroller, which has suffered many disasters The Spanish fleet, this time surrounded by the Arctic ice cap and the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, God only knows how long this messy empire can last—”

"So we have to fully support them." Rusk emphasized.

Johnson smoothly added a premise: "After we have saved ourselves."

Rusk nodded: "That's natural... Recently, on the shipping routes on the west coast, enemy submarine attacks have been extremely frequent, and ships near the mouth of the Panama Canal have often been struck by mines. In their hands, they can strike directly at the mainland of the United States whenever they want."

Rusk paused for a moment, and then said with a slightly emphatic tone: "But it is obvious that before the planning of the new bill is completed, our independent counterattack in the Pacific will not have any real significance."

Johnson raised his eyes: "You mean..."

"If we can't assemble a force strong enough to overwhelm China's Pacific Fleet, even if we temporarily regain Hawaii, we will definitely lose it again. To make the counterattack truly successful, there are two options. One is to leave our fleet on the safe west coast Lao Wo, wait until the strength of the troops is sufficient, and then launch a counterattack step by step. The second is that with our existing basic strength, after the Battle of Kiel Port, it is possible to merge with Napoleon's United Fleet dispatched to Europe and twist into one to deal with the Pacific Fleet. "

Johnson clenched his cane tightly, shook his head and said: "We can't fight a gamble war. The risk is too great. Before the paper figures of the new bill form real combat power, the existing naval forces must be used carefully. At any time, the United States cannot Not a fleet strong enough to defend itself."

Rusk didn't take it seriously: "But isn't the current fleet unable to defend itself? When the enemy's naval guns attacked San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, where was the main force of our navy? Didn't they all hide on the east coast for safety? Sleeping in a comfortable harbor? Our Pacific Fleet is now an empty shell, and we can only rely on the army to defend the west coast. In the next year or two, the main force of our navy will either continue to sleep, or join forces with the British and attack alone It will not achieve substantial results, and it is likely to be defeated by the superior enemy.”

Dragon's Roar Chapter 26 China Threat Theory

ps: It will be changed three times today, and will be changed on Friday after the weekend.The flowers are not strong this month. Fortunately, there is still half a month left. Please support me a lot.

The president thought for a while, and glanced at the Garcia Hotel, which was close at hand: "Let the soldiers worry about the war. We are politicians, so we need to think more about political matters. Well, it's time to go down and say hello to everyone." gone."