Chapter 2168: Blood Fire Estuary One
When countless flyers fell in downtown Kingston, the whole city was boiling. People panicked and prepared to evacuate the dying city, while some unscrupulous elements began to take advantage of the fire. The army and police tried to restore order and spirit. The nervous people clashed, and before the German fleet arrived, the British themselves broke up!
When the entire Kingston-upon-Hull people knew that the High Seas Fleet was about to launch an attack on Kingston-upon-Hull, the Prime Minister Asquith in London and Jericho in Forth Bay naturally received the information. And that night, Churchill, the representative of the London Navy, came to the opposite side of Jericho, with an order from London in his hand.
"Is the London requesting the fleet to attack?" Jericho looked at his old boss opposite, the former British navy minister, and now the central navy representative Churchill said.
"I do have this order in my hand, but it is up to me to decide whether to issue it or not. I now need a reason. Whether it is attacking or ignoring, I need you to give me an explanation!" Churchill looked at Jericho with complicated eyes. .
"I think you already know my decision." A wry smile appeared on Jericho's face.
"Yes, not only me, but the King and Prime Minister Asquith also know your decision, but they are not cold-blooded enough. They still want to try, or they want to know, our Grand Fleet Commander, Jericho Sir, why did you give up the three cities of Kingston, Brig, and Grimsby on the Hull River!" Churchill said a little sullenly.
"We deployed minefields there, and the German fleet dare not get too close." Jericho said with a sigh.
"Just kidding! Although I am not a soldier, I also know that our minefields on the banks of the Hull River cannot stop the German fleet's attacks on cities and ports! The mines in these minefields are of poor quality, and their density and width are not enough! In order to shoot the shells as far as possible, the Germans specially equipped with a light bomb. With the high elevation angle of the artillery, they can shoot the shells at a distance of nearly 50 kilometers! The Germans can cover these three cities in the North Sea. There is no need to enter the minefield at all." Churchill is already out of anger, not only because of Jericho's refusal, but also because of the other's attitude! In Churchill's view, Jericho was obviously bullying him for not understanding the Navy!
(Historically, the German 380MM train gun has a range of 47.5 kilometers when it fires a 400KG light bomb. The maximum range of a grenade with an elongated body is up to 55 kilometers!)
"Moreover, this time the Germans are attacking land targets. Their shells are definitely light bombs and high-explosive shells. They are not suitable for fighting capital ships. We do not require you to command the large fleet to defeat the opponent, as long as you can force the other party. Just retreat. Don't you even want to meet this requirement?" Churchill's tone was almost pleading.
"Tomorrow is a sunny day, and the German long-range reconnaissance aircraft can even fly to Aberdeen! With good visibility, I am afraid that our fleet will be spotted as soon as we go to sea, and then before we encounter the German fleet, the German bombers There will be waves of attacks on the large fleet. Think about it, once we are out of the support of the air force in the Gulf of Forth, once we cross the red line. What will the large fleet face? Hundreds of bombers attacked in turn. Believe me, when the weather permits, they will definitely bomb the large fleet with more energy than bombing London!"
"We may have suffered heavy losses before encountering the main force of the High Seas Fleet, and the High Seas Fleet will definitely have the opportunity to use the speed advantage to evacuate calmly! We have no use other than losing a certain number of capital ships!" Jericho said here. After a pause: "If the Empire decides to die hard with the Germans, then in the coastal area south of the Gulf of Forth, all targets within the range of the German naval gun can be considered to be abandoned!"
"This is simply a disaster for the Empire." Churchill said: "It is not only a material loss, but the German naval guns will leave indelible scars in the hearts of the people of the Empire."
"That's better than fighting against the German fleet when we are absolutely disadvantaged. Mr. Churchill, you know better than me that the empire can no longer build a sea power comparable to a large fleet. If we lose, we won't be able to win in the future. "There was also a touch of movement in Jericho's original cold words.
"But in any case, we can't say that the Royal Navy has nothing to do!" Churchill said: "In any case, the large fleet must go to sea. You can turn around near the port, or you can go south to a limited extent under the cover of the air force. I don't care. Will you really run into the High Seas Fleet, but we must give the people an explanation, even if the explanation is a lie."
"I don’t care about fuel or the state of the fleet. The Empire will fully support you. The pressure on your shoulders is heavier than that of Lord Drake and Lord Nelson. Since the Empire allows you to control the fleet, it will trust you completely. So In this case, you can always meet this small requirement, right?" Churchill said ~www.wuxiaspot.com~ Let the large fleet go to sea for a deterrent cruise. This is already the bottom line of London, and politicians must consider the people. Psychological endurance. So even if it is a lie, even if the fleet goes out to work without success, the Royal Navy must do it! If Jericho still decides, then the British government will really consider replacing Jericho!
"Is this the final decision?" Jericho asked, frowning.
"This is the last order!" Churchill made no compromises.
"Okay. Let's do it." Jericho knew he had done his best.
At the same time, since the start of the war, the main force of the High Seas Fleet’s first military operation to the British offshore has kicked off. More than 100 warships in Wilhelmshaven are ready to go, and tons of coal and fuel have been injected. Among the hundreds of boilers, hundreds of tons of treated boiler water is converted into high-temperature and high-pressure steam, and they roar like giant blood flowing in the pipes.
"The steam pressure is sufficient to start!" With the pointer of the pressure gauge pointing to the green line, tons of steam began to enter the engine room. With the roar of the turbine from slow to fast, a steady stream of power was sent to the battleship. Thick smoke gushes from the towering chimneys, and the huge battleship starts to leave the port with the help of the guiding ship! At 4:30 in the afternoon, when the tide was high again, the huge high seas fleet left Wilhelmshaven along the channel, and the huge fleet directed towards the British mainland!
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