Chapter 3396: Escort naval battle

South Korea, Xinzheng.

"Karachi refused to send troops. We need to postpone the time for sending troops. We made some mistakes in supply." The Secretary of the Navy said helplessly. Some of their merchant ships and warships need to go to the Port of Gard to replenish a large amount of coal. This takes some time, and this time may take as long as five days.

"No, it's too long. Zhao Guo's actions are very fast, so fast that we can't react." Han Shu said. When the Zhao State sent their warships to the vicinity of Meng Island for fire support, Han Shu knew that their situation had begun to turn bad, which required some concrete responses from them.

"Zhao's warship has arrived there. We have to control some areas to complete our control of Mahara, instead of letting our merchants curl up on the island of Meng and do nothing. This is very bad for us. One thing." Han Shu said.

"This, we understand, but the problem is that our current situation does need to make some choices to solve this problem." The Secretary of the Navy said. Their warships must be refueled. If such replenishment cannot be completed, their situation will be very bad.

"Well. Well, it's done as soon as possible. Even if we only carry half of the fuel, we must launch military operations. Only in this way can we be at a favorable stage." Han Shu ordered. What she needs now is a result, not a process. As for what his subordinates do, it is their business.

Qin State, Xianyang.

"This is a report sent by the Admiralty. They arrived at an island in the Pacific, where they initially established a base, but the problem is. They lack enough fuel to advance further, and the endurance of the expedition ship has reached its peak. It's hard for them to go one step further." Meng Yi said to Shangwen. Shangwen quickly received the telegram. It seemed that he knew something about this matter. As for the island he arrived, it might be the Hawaiian Islands later. There is a good forward base. Occupying there, Qin will be able to enter North America as a springboard for the Pacific, and then open up the situation in North America.

"What do we need to do?" Shang Wen asked after reading it. He knew that the Admiralty's funds were running low. They can't do such things, they have a lot of things, and it is difficult to solve such and other problems. This is a very difficult thing for them, and they need to solve such problems.

"Give them more funds, organize more merchant ships to get there, or the second wave of ships that cross the ocean to get there, otherwise, it will be difficult for us to further develop the situation. At present, the Admiralty lacks a large amount of funds and lacks funds. The number is very staggering, which is very unfavorable to us, we need to change this situation." Meng Yi said helplessly.

"Yeah. You are right." Shang Wen nodded.

"The problem is that we don’t have much money in terms of fiscal funds. Although our taxes continue to increase due to our economic growth, the problem is that our expenditures are also very large. The Army consumes a lot of funds and expands. , Occupying a lot of land, we still need to develop there, need a lot of funds, financial difficulties are extremely difficult. Now we are gradually tilting to the naval strategy, in this case, the amount of funds required is extremely large. This may be possible It's still not good for us." Meng Yi said worriedly.

"Well. Various financial means have been used up. Obviously it is difficult for us to continue to use this method to expand." Meng Yi said.

"The Ministry of the Navy currently relies on technology exports to complete the return of funds. At present, all countries need a large amount of naval technology. They continue to develop and demand high technology. But this is just a stopgap measure. We are unlikely to export. A large amount of technology goes to various countries. In that case, our security situation will be in a bad state." Meng Yi said worriedly.

"Or, what you said is a very good way. At present, we need some companies to generate some revenue. Without this revenue, our government will be very difficult to spend. You should be very clear about this." Shang Wen said To.

"I think it can give some vitality to those small and medium-sized enterprises. They have technology. At present, we have many such enterprises, especially those from some research institutes. They have technology, but the technology cannot be transformed into a new kind of capital, and The theoretical source is very passive to us. We need to export such technology, so that it can bring us new income." Shang Wen thought about it. Qin’s tax sources mainly come from traditional projects such as steel, trade, bank investment, etc. Although technological enterprises will also bring them some income, this part of the proportion is not very large, and countries with a deep understanding of technology , They began to have this part of the demand, this part of the demand is very large for them.

"For example, Chu State, I heard that Chu’s shipbuilding industry is developing very fast, but they have encountered some bottlenecks and are in an extremely unfavorable state in development. Therefore, they cooperate with Koreans, but Koreans’ technology They are also imported from us. Although they also invented and created, the problem is that they do not have many patents on technology. They rely on the export of technology to Chu to maintain their current status. For us, It is a value of utilization, and we need to do this." Shang Wen said.

"In other words, we need to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to develop, and then increase taxes?" Meng Yi asked Shangwen.

"Yes, this is how it is done. This is a new economic growth point, which is very important to us." Shang Wen said.

"Well, but the Admiralty's funds are still lacking. The most important thing is that the Admiralty is in need of funds. What should we do?" Meng Yi asked.

"Well. Borrowing money, or mortgage some of our trophies, this is our only way at the moment." Shang Wen said helplessly.

Meng Yi shook his head. Obviously, he could not find the best way to solve the financial problem. This problem severely restricted the development of Qin's navy, and finances must be tilted to this part.

On the ocean north of Jeju Island, a merchant fleet is slowly passing here. They only move forward at a cruising speed of ten knots. Two Goguryeo frigates are escorted around. Their task is to protect this merchant fleet from pirate attacks. . The materials they transported are very important to Goguryeo. A large amount of food, industrial products, and all kinds of daily necessities. These Goguryeos all need to be imported, and what they export are coal, copper ore, and other mineral resources, in addition to a large amount of wood. These can be exchanged for a large number of commodities to enter Goguryeo, alleviating their demand for these commodities.

"Keep your eyes open and watch out for pirate ships nearby." The captain of the White Tiger frigate warned carefully. They came to the most dangerous area, which is less than twelve nautical miles from Jeju Island. This is usually the most dangerous place, because the pirates can quickly attack from Jeju Island. They can launch an offense. Once the offense is frustrated, they can quickly withdraw, relying on the artillery on Jeju Island to counterattack, and they are equipped with fifty-two. It is difficult for frigates with millimeter-caliber rapid-fire guns to attack them effectively.

The Koguryo Navy has been equipped with more than nine frigates, and the number of merchant ships is increasing exponentially. According to official statistics, more than 111 merchant ships have been registered on the tax books of the Goguryeo government. A large amount of coal can be transported out in exchange for a large amount of funds, and at the same time, funds can buy a variety of commodities they need. Goguryeo needs to maintain such a situation. But the pirates on Jeju Island annoyed them.

The Goguryeo Navy hopes to continue to increase its military expenditure. They hope to add two large warships and cruisers. In this case, their firepower will be further increased, and then more careful ships will be added again, and they will occupy Jeju Island. The pirates on Jeju Island will not wait for the other side to attack. They must take some measures to protect their island from the other side.

"Boom." A huge explosion came. The captain was taken aback, and then quickly stabilized.

"Stay steady and see the direction of the enemy's attack." The captain took the binoculars and started looking for the target. With such a big explosion, the caliber of the artillery must have exceeded one hundred millimeters. This worried the captain very much.

"Sir, it's Wusong, and Wusong is sinking." The chief mate shook his head and reported.

"What's a joke?" The captain said as he looked at the merchant ship, which was already leaning. Obviously, a hole has been blasted. Many crew members quickly left the merchant ship, and nearby merchant ships stopped moving, but inertia would allow them to move forward for a long time. When this happened, the fleet began to be in chaos.

"Damn it. Keep the formation, let the merchant ships not stop, let them sail in a circle. We sail around them and surround them. Let their boat rescue." The captain couldn't figure out what caused the foggy pine. Sunken. The captain was very annoyed by this, because it meant that his **** mission was very unsuccessful.

"No. We should retreat and leave here. It is a mine. If we rush forward in such a formation, it may be very disadvantageous to us." A lieutenant of the Qi State Navy said anxiously. He is a consultant. Although they have visited the Naval Weapons Research Institute and seen fake mines, they still don't know the true power of mines.

"Boom." There was another explosion. A merchant ship was unfortunately caught.

"Another one." The chief mate reported helplessly.

"Damn it, stop moving forward, turn the rudder, and get out of here." The captain reluctantly issued such an order. He could not watch his merchant ship suffer more losses. The merchant ship was in good condition just now. The mine hit the opponent's propeller and the propulsion device was not stable enough. Their rudder was also affected to a certain extent. It takes a long time to complete. However, no sinking occurred.

"Pirates, Jeju pirates, at six o'clock, Jeju pirates, it seems that there are two battleships, armored battleships." At this time, a naval officer reported.

"The situation is not good for us. It seems that the opponent's warships seem to be fighting a lot more than us, and we simply don't have such an advantage." Lieutenant Qi Guo said worriedly.

"What should we do?" Captain Goguryeo asked worriedly. He looked a little frightened, because his main task was to escort, but now the opponent rushed over two warships like them, which made them very tricky.

"Fighting with them, maybe we can protect our merchant ships and let them return to Qi State waters immediately, and issue rescue reports at the fastest speed. Hurry up." Qi State Naval Adviser said. This is the only thing they can do right now.

"I hope these are useful." The captain reluctantly issued an order. The two Koguryo warships immediately set out to intercept the destroyers of Jeju Island pirates. Both sides have similar firepower, but the passive one is Goguryeo’s frigate. According to the advice of Qi Guo’s consultant, they cannot leave their merchant fleet and can only fight each other continuously. Escort is their first priority. If they leave If some measures are taken in response to such an important task, I am afraid that their condition will not become very useful. This is extremely disadvantageous for them.

If they abandon their merchant ships at this time, of course they can gain tactical flexibility. If necessary, they can give the two frigates a great safety advantage, but the problem is that their merchant ships will suffer the most. Threats, this threat will become extremely bad. They may be sunk by the opponent, just like a wolf entering a flock, they will bite recklessly, and finally they all sink. This is definitely not what Goguryeo would like to see most. This is too cruel for them. It is so cruel that they can hardly accept such a situation, which makes them extremely passive.

"Bang. Bang." The opponent's artillery is still firing, and the Goguryeo frigate here is also constantly fighting back. They hope to defend their merchant ships in this way, but in this way, the condition of their frigates will be better. It became extremely bad.

"The battle situation is very bad for us. Our situation is very bad." A Koguryo ensign officer reported to his officer. There was blood all over his body, and his white training uniform turned red and white.

"My gunners are all killed. Cannonballs keep coming. If they attack, our condition won't be very good." The ensign shouted loudly.

"Look at what it is, underwater, underwater." A navy sergeant shouted in horror. Torpedo, Jeju’s pirates fired torpedoes, this weapon is very rare for them.

"Bang." A harsh impact sound came out. The torpedo did not explode. After all, part of the impact fuze was produced by the country of Chu itself, and it was produced by the Koreans themselves. They cannot guarantee that it will work 100%. The torpedo just hits off a rudder plate of the frigate, and the blades of the propeller. One piece was knocked out, which is very bad for them. It's terribly bad.

"Damn it. This makes our situation very uncomfortable." The ensign said after seeing it. The speed of their warship slowed down suddenly, and it may have been around five knots, while the pirate destroyers were still launching at them. From time to time, torpedoes pass through their hulls, setting the depth too deep. In this way the role of torpedoes will be difficult to play. After all, they are not professional soldiers.

This naval battle was extremely detrimental to Goguryeo.

Qi State, Laizhou. Admiralty.

"Sir, this is a wireless rescue telegram from Goguryeo. They are in a frantic attack by pirates, and their situation is very bad." A naval officer urgently reported the incident.

"The crazy offensive of the pirates? Can you be sure?" Obviously the Secretary of the Navy can't believe in such a thing. In their opinion, the pirates will not be well equipped, because the pirates are not very rich. The pirates are just a mob. What Sometimes they will launch crazy offenses. Perhaps such crazy offenses are just a group of wooden steamships launching offenses. They just have a quantitative advantage.

"No. Sir, the situation is very bad for them. They are armored ships. The pirates are equipped with armored ships. They also use new weapons. The tonnage of their armored battleships seems to be much larger than that of the frigates we built. This is for us. In terms of it, it is a huge threat." The officer said worriedly.

"What?" The Secretary of the Navy obviously did not expect such a thing to happen.

"Yes, sir. The situation is very bad for us. We must let the nearby patrol ship get on board." The navy officer suggested.

"Well, if this is the case, doing so may be very bad for us, but we must accept such a thing. This situation will be very bad for us." The Secretary of the Navy accepted helplessly.

Qingcheng Naval Shipyard, South Korea. More battleships are being built here.

"The Chu people’s destroyers are very good. The pirates on Jeju Island have already proved this. We can also build so many pirates on a large scale. They can perform a variety of tasks and attack. They have torpedoes and serve as large-scale pirates. The **** mission of battleships is also useful for the **** of merchant ships, but their firepower is a little weak. We must upgrade the destroyers and extend their tonnage to a position near 2,000 to 3,000. In this way, he will have a certain degree of protection. Firepower can also be further increased. It can be equipped with 120mm artillery and double-mounted 75mm artillery. The threat of firepower will be further increased." A naval engineer provided a statement from Chu State. The design drawings are suggested. In their opinion, Chu's destroyer is still too small.