Australian Storm 1876

   Chapter 1045 It's okay to take a break

In the past two years, there have been many changes in the personnel of the high-level military and political affairs of the empire. Following the death of Wu Mozhou, the founding father, Pan Shoudao, the former Minister of Culture, Education and Health, Conrad-Adenauer, the former Minister of the Ministry of War, and Yuchi Shouzhuo passed away successively. There are also some high-level generals in the army and navy who died of illness, which is very sad.

   Earl Xin Changjun, the first prime minister, is nearly 80 years old. He has been in good old age recently, no longer involved in political affairs, and even rarely goes to the House of Lords (the House of Lords).

   Admiral He Fang, Duke He Fang, was also in poor health. He was lingering on the sick bed in good and bad times. Maybe one day he would ride a crane to the west, which is not unusual at all.

   The former Minister of the Navy, Admiral Zhu Qingxi, was in office for less than 4 years, and he retired because of illness. In addition, Admiral Li Jie was old and second-line.

  The old generation has stepped down, giving the new generation a chance to emerge.

  Li Fushou intends to keep a few veteran generals to lead the new generation to help the new generation of generals take important jobs. Admiral Zhang Daoru of the Navy, Marshal Mo Rufeng of the Army, and Lieutenant General Li Baihu are all old and strong veterans who act prudently and can be trusted.

  We discussed for a while

   Li Fushou praised the plan of the Admiralty and asked them to continue to improve it before it could be implemented. After the "Island Replacement Weapons Plan", the Imperial Navy entered a stage of large-scale replacement.

   Originally, there were 24 battleships in active service, 5 battleships were sealed, and 12 battleships in active service were traded at once, accounting for half of the ships in active service.

The Royal Navy only had 12 battleships centered on 8 "Princess Elizabeth" class battleships, so the 5 sealed battleships headed by "Red River Valley" and "Brisbane" were immediately unsealed and re-listed into active service, making the main force The fleet size remained at the level of 17 ships, still the third largest in the world.

  Current stage

  The major shipyards of the Ocean Empire concentrated on the construction of new ships, mainly 10,000-ton "Tarzan" class cruisers and 3,000-ton class general-purpose destroyers. The former plans to build 36 ships and the latter plans to build 60 ships, which are quite large in number.

  There is only one large-scale ship, the "Dingbo" aircraft carrier under construction, and some large-scale military auxiliary ships, such as 6,500-ton tank landing ships, 12,000-ton fast oil tankers, 20,000-ton fast coal carriers, and so on.

   "General Daoru, the next-generation main battleship plan of the Admiralty needs to be repeatedly demonstrated, and the experience and lessons of the British and German sides in the Jutland naval battle should be learned carefully." Li Fushou explained it earnestly.

   Admiral Zhang Daoru nodded in agreement and raised his hand in a salute; "The sage has a clear view of thousands of miles, and he has an insight into the slightest, and the ministers deeply agree.

   In terms of combat power of the Royal Navy, after this major transaction, it only takes two years to adjust and replace the old with the new, and then it will be better than before.

  Look around the world

  Only the British Royal Navy can pose a deadly threat to us, but the British mainland fleet must take off a layer of flesh if it wants to invade the Empire through the Red Sea Sky Fortress.

The   Empire has the Panama Canal and the Straits Province Fortress in the east, the Red Sea Skyline Fortress in the west, the Mozambique fortress and the Malacca fortress. It has built a copper wall and an iron wall, and the homeland is safe.

   From the Battle of Jutland

  The British Royal Navy is obviously at a disadvantage in the confrontation. Apart from relying on the advantage of "ship sea", it seems that there is no good way to deal with the German high seas fleet.

  The concept of "Battle Cruiser", which it pioneered to develop, has been proven to be not cost-effective, has little meaning, and is not worth investing heavily in development.

The "Hood"-class battlecruiser currently planned by the United Kingdom costs 6.025 million pounds per ship. The "Vengeance"-class battleship "Royal Oak", which started construction only two years earlier, cost only about 2.47 million pounds. Both sides are also equipped with 15-inch (381 mm) main gun, the cost is more than doubled.

From the point of view of naval battle performance, the battlecruisers are placed in the battle line, and their anti-strike capability is obviously inferior to that of the battleships, and it is not as good as the German heavy cruisers (the German battlecruisers are all heavy cruisers, and the German navy does not have the battlecruiser. species, which is the same as the Ocean Empire, the preceding text is for the convenience of unified name).

   On the whole, the demand for the development of a new generation of battleships by the Admiralty is not high, and it can be done with caution after repeated arguments. "

   "That's right. After a new aircraft carrier is launched into service, the Admiralty must study new tactics based on the characteristics of carrier-based aircraft, accumulate experience and lessons, and prepare for the development of a mature aircraft carrier. This work cannot be relaxed."

   "Wei Chen, bearing in mind the teachings of the Holy Master, must put the development of aircraft carriers at the top of the naval forces, carefully organize and implement them, and hope to find a way as soon as possible."

"You have to keep in mind that the birth of the aircraft carrier gave the navy wings. Because of the characteristics of carrier-based aircraft, it has unparalleled innate advantages. You should form a special fleet around the aircraft carrier to give full play to the aircraft carrier's large coverage and long observation distance. The characteristics of the strike distance are equally far, and the team is in the forefront in terms of military theory."

  Li Fushou couldn't help but mention it again. His words were the golden rule, and General Zhang Daoru could only follow his promises and strictly follow the holy decree.

   After finishing the conversation, Li Fushou returned to the imperial study and stopped after seeing the calendar on the wall.

  Today is June 23, and there is only one day left before the outbreak of the most tragic Battle of the Somme in the First World War.

  The information obtained from the high-level channels of the empire shows that this battle of fate in history will still break out as scheduled.

   Then, in the year of the decisive battle, the three major battles that will affect the defeat of the 1st World War and the future will be staged as scheduled, and the strong inertia of history will not be deviated.

  Although there was a small accident in the Battle of Jutland, the British suffered much greater losses, but the overall result was still that the British Royal Navy Home Fleet blocked the Germans in the North Cape Bay.

   Will the German High Seas Fleet take another risk?

   This Li Fushou did not dare to make a deal, and it cannot be ruled out that under the unfavorable situation of the war, the Germans took risks again.

   The second half of the First World War was in full swing, and the Ocean Empire under Li Fushou was also ready to debut.

  What is needed now is an opportunity.

   Li Fushou carried his hands behind his back, walked leisurely to the large map in front of the study, browsed around the Mediterranean area, and finally stopped at North Africa and West Asia.

  It is not realistic to occupy a territory in Europe, unless it is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, there is still a possibility of one or two points.

   Then, take the next step.

   can only make an idea within the existing territorial scope of the Ottoman Empire. Li Fushou considered the kingdom of Najd in the Arabian Peninsula, that is, the land on the side of the Persian Gulf of Saudi Arabia.

  The land on this side includes oil-rich areas such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, but it does not include the Kingdom of Oman, nor does it include the other half of Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea. The sensitive religious sites of Mecca and Medina are located on this side.

  Li Fushou's plan was to divide Saudi Arabia in two. He took away the oil-rich areas near the Persian Gulf and left the two holy cities near the Red Sea to the Saudis.

   The ultimate purpose of taking away the oil depots in the Middle East is still the economic hegemony and world status of the Ocean Empire, the efforts to replace the status of the US dollar and make Jinyang a universal hard currency in the world.

  The predecessors planted trees, and the later generations enjoyed the shade.

  Li Fushou's gaze stopped on the Crimea Peninsula for a long time, feeling that it was in line with the needs of the empire.

   But if you take her away, you will inevitably fall into the power game of European powers, and it will no longer be possible to be like an outsider, singing the backyard flowers on the other side.

   The loss of detachment is the price of reaching out to Crimea.

   At this time, Li Fushou remembered again, it is not far from the collapse of the Tsarist Russian Empire, and it will only take 7-8 months to fully count.

   In this case, it cannot be too late to increase the world war. Two or three months is the best time.

   Playing at the most difficult time in Britain, France, Italy and other countries, the thanks you can get are also the most sincere, which will greatly enhance the empire's right to speak at the post-war Paris peace conference and get the most benefits.

   To send troops to fight in Europe, the most convenient way is of course the North American garrison. Starting from Seattle or Newport, the troop carrier will enter the Atlantic Ocean via the Panama Canal, and it only takes half a month to arrive.

   The action is a little slow, and one and a half to two months is enough.

  Li Fushou summed up his thoughts;

The    Army Tournament has been going on for more than three months, and it seems to have achieved remarkable results in all aspects.

  If we join the war in August and September, and send troops to Europe one after another, it will take several months, just after the end of the big competition, there is no conflict in terms of time.

  The Royal Army is now well-equipped and well-trained. Once it enters the European battlefield, it will be a decisive force that cannot be ignored. It is very likely that this world war will be ended ahead of schedule.

   But before that

  For the United States and Japan to continue working, it has been more than two months since the rest of the time, and the whole world is playing so lively, the little devil Fusang took Lao Tzu’s money and equipment, and it’s not enough to just rest like this.

   Gotta fight!

  Think of this

Li Fushou beckoned in exchange for Liang Ruhao, deputy director of the Secretariat. This person was also a young child who studied in the United States. He is the director of the North American film of the Secretariat. Submit the case.

   "What, when did Marshal Da Shanyan die?" Li Fushou was surprised by the news and asked casually.

  In the original history

   Marshal Dashanyan also died in the same year. Li Fushou didn't remember the specific things clearly, including the life of Marshal Dashanyan, so he was very surprised.

  Liang Ruhao replied respectfully after salute;

   "Report to the Holy One;

  Marshal Da Shanyan arrived at Watsonsburg late at night on June 11. He fell ill because of the sudden drop in the temperature in the Gobi Desert. Due to his old age and hard work, he fell ill all of a sudden.

   It became more and more heavy in just a few days. The medical conditions on the front line of the Japanese army were poor, so several famous medical professors from the University of Brisbane were hired to go to Fort Watson to participate in emergency treatment.

  On June 17th, when several professors were still on the train in Las Vegas, Marshal Da Shanyan died quietly at night because of a phlegm stuck in his throat.

  After the incident

  The furious chief of staff of the Japanese North American Command, General Naosuke Toyoda, ordered the shooting of 17 Japanese officers and soldiers, including military doctors and officers on duty, but the consequences were irreversible.

  The Japanese offensive had to be postponed because of this major change, waiting for the dispatch of the base camp or the appointment of a new commander.

  Our secretariat also received the latest report from North America yesterday afternoon, and is now jointly evaluating the impact of the incident with the Royal Family Attaché Office and drafting a detailed analysis report.

  If Your Majesty is in a hurry, Wei Chen will go to get it now, but the report has not been completed..."

   "Oh, no need, report it after you're done." Li Fushou waved his hand and couldn't help but sigh in his heart; dying before he leaves the apprenticeship often makes heroes burst into tears!

   Okay, then wait, hundreds of thousands of troops are ready to go, and there will be no delay.

  This big mountain rock, the time of death is too unfortunate.

   (end of this chapter)