"After a long delay, the 'Milestone' and 'Scavenger' have finally entered service, and the naval construction has also achieved remarkable results." Near the mouth of Duck Lake, two Star-class light cruisers cruised south and north, blocking all ships that might be close to this narrow entrance. Today is a big day for Ma Wenqiang, chairman of the Executive Committee, to inspect the Navy's First Fleet, and for this reason, the relevant sea areas have been cleared three days in advance so as not to be disturbed by uninvited guests.

Li Zemin, chief of the General Staff of the National Armed Forces and minister of the Navy, accompanied Ma Wenqiang to board a light and steady liaison ship as a review ship. Li Zemin is only in his early 50s this year, and it is precisely the years when the sea boys have the most experience and the most determined will, so after taking over the post of former Navy Minister Rear Admiral Sang Kai, who died of sudden illness, he made persistent efforts and constantly advocated the theory of sea power and the importance of the navy, and finally after Liao Xiaoyao, the head of the army, stepped down, he was co-opted to the post of chief of the general staff of the military department, and regained the leading power of the military department for the navy, which had been lost for more than 10 years.

Moreover, it is foreseeable that under the current situation, the navy may control the military department for a longer period of time in the future, and Li Ze * Min will go down to Mo Liee, and Mo Liee, as well as Zhou Yu and others, all of which are temporary choices. In comparison, although Guo Handong, Yang Liang, Mao Jun and others in the army are also very good, who makes the overseas interests of the East Coast very important today? And the country is in such a key strategic position with transportation all over the world, so it is difficult for the navy not to become strong. In the next few decades, it will be difficult for the Army to turn over, and many people know this.

The liaison ship, which acts as a review ship, is not slow, so it quickly sails into the parade area. Rear Admiral Jiang Yaohui, commander of the Navy's First Fleet, stood behind Ma Wenqiang and explained: "Chairman Ma, please see, the first is the 'East Coaster' three-deck battleship, which is also the only three-deck battleship built by the people's donation. The 'Executive Committee' class was originally designed so that we have a maritime armed force that can surpass the '10 August' class that has been in service for many years, and at the same time, it is also to better deter the navies of other countries and protect our interests on the east coast. The 'Executive Council' class is still one of the most powerful warships on the planet, and only a handful of ships such as the French 'Sun King' can compete with it. ”

"If you face the 'Sun King', will you be able to win the battle?" Breathing in the slightly salty sea breeze, Ma Wenqiang asked with concern.

"Of course!" Jiang Yaohui replied without hesitation: "The navy is traditional. The French have had occasional successes in recent decades, such as defeating the Dutch fleet in the Mediterranean, but in the end it is still difficult to convince. The 'Sun King' may seem powerful and fierce in firepower, but what about the quality of his personnel? It is no exaggeration to say that it is far inferior to our navy on the east coast. And not only the French, but also the English and Dutch navies are not as good as us now. One of the major drawbacks of the navies of these countries is that most of their personnel are dismissed in peacetime, and only officers and grassroots backbone elements are retained to serve in the army, which means that the proportion of professional soldiers in their personnel is very low, far inferior to ours. Six years ago, our country laid off a considerable number of naval officers and sailors and mothballed many warships in order to reduce military spending in peacetime. However, nearly six years have passed now, and the continuous large-scale investment has not only greatly increased the number of ships, but also replenished the personnel, and the combat effectiveness has recovered quickly. We have maintained a full-fledged navy for almost six years, and ships go to sea for training every month, and the cost of a month's maintenance of a ship, the cost of gunpowder for the guns that are knocked out, and the cost of the allowance for officers and soldiers to go to sea add up to more than a year for a British and Dutch warship. In the event of a war between the two armies, not to mention our superiority in ship mobility and artillery accuracy, we can win the battle simply by the quality of the officers and men of the navy who train hard every day. Ships and cannons are dead things, and in the end it is up to people to control and drive, Chairman, I am proud of the professionalism of our naval officers and men, please allow us to go north to Europe and conquer thousands of miles of waves! ”

"The spirit is commendable, and the courage is commendable. However, the matter of going north to the European continent will have to wait a little longer. The "Executive Committee" has already been sub-flotillated in Cape Verde, the "Liberator" is also in the Caribbean flotilla, the "Umbrella" is still undergoing major repairs at the shipyard, and the "Milestone" and "Scavenger" have not been in service for a long time, and the personnel are still in the process of running in. Wouldn't it be a bit risky to send the 'Easterners' out as well? "Ma Wenqiang is still relatively conservative, and the first thing to consider is local security.

"President, in fact, our country is located in the Southern New World, where can we encounter any real maritime threat? On the left side, the only one left to repair and maintain a large fleet while providing enough water, ammunition, and personnel to replenish it was San Salvador, a Portuguese Brazilian country. And the Portuguese, who lent them ten dares, did not dare to argue with us. Therefore, our homeland is actually very safe, and with the remaining warships of the South China Sea Detachment of the First Fleet, it is basically impossible to turn the sky upside down. Jiang Yaohui replied: "Besides, we still have a huge number of coastal fort systems, and the local area can be said to be impregnable. ”

Ma Wenqiang was a little silent when he heard this, and didn't say anything more. The reviewer continued to move forward, followed by several "Trotto"-class frigate gunboats. This ship can now be said to be the main backbone of the East Coast Navy, and there are as many as thirty ships enough to make anyone tremble. It can be said that even a powerful warship of the "Executive Committee" class will not end well when it is besieged by several "Solar Terms" class, because this is a powerful warship with a tonnage of not small (more than 700 tons) that can go on the battle line to bombard, and the cost performance far exceeds that of the expensive "Executive Committee" class, and it is the real main force of the navy.

At present, half of the 30 "Tsunabu" class frigate gunboats have either gone to Huaiyuan Island in the Caribbean Sea, or to the Cape Verde Islands in the east, or to Portugal, and only a dozen or so remain on the mainland. According to the plan of the Admiralty, ten more "Trotsky" class frigate gunboats will be sent to the Cape Verde Islands in case of emergency.

In addition, a considerable number of the "Star" class light cruisers, which are now numbered as high as 60, will also go north, and it is estimated that at least half of them will go north. No matter how "thin-skinned" these ships are, they are still warships, not better than your armed merchant ships? You must know that if the current European countries are engaged in a decisive battle at sea, the temporarily conscripted armed merchant ships are still an important part of the strength of the fleet. No matter how unbearable the "Star" class light cruisers are, they are more reliable than these guys, and they are more capable of fighting than them, right? Although this battleship was originally designed to be used for anti-smuggling.

In this way, if the East Coasters finally send four "Executive Committee" class battleships, 25 "Tsurot" class frigate gunboats, and 30 "Star" class light cruisers to the Northern Hemisphere, then this strength is very considerable. In the event of a war, there is no doubt that the people on the east coast will be able to take at least two-thirds of these warships and reach the conflict zone to safeguard the interests of the Republic of China in the east coast of China, excluding those who remain in the Caribbean Sea and the Cape Verde Islands.

And such a force, no matter which side it is, is enough to change the outcome of a naval battle. Of course, this is not to say that the people on the east coast are going to wage war against whom, in fact, the Joint Staff Headquarters does not have such a plan. What the people on the east coast are planning is the security of the Iberian Peninsula and northern Italy. The fleet of the people on the east coast came over, in fact, it was more of an armed deterrent, after all, no matter how strong you are, who knows if you don't make an appearance! Hearing is believing, and Europeans believe in this truth. And once the appearance is successful, for example, let the French have some scruples and choose not to attack the Iberian Peninsula or the rich land of northern Italy, then the trip of the people on the east coast is worth the fare, and they will have the right to speak and influence for many years to come, at least the states of Spain, Portugal and Northern Italy really know who can give them security guarantees.

Of course, if the French go mad and insist on attacking the above-mentioned areas, then the people on the east coast can't do anything. After all, warships cannot go ashore, and all they can do is to knock out their maritime colonies one by one, except for the continued blockade of the French coast. The question of which is more important depends on how the French know each other, and the people on the east coast do not have much initiative in this regard. Land power country, sometimes it's so annoying!

"The last time our country fought a naval battle with the Portuguese in Europe, it completely wiped out the country's remaining naval capital. This war has brought unexpected benefits to our country that have lasted for many years. Now that the situation on the European continent has reached a critical moment, and our navy has not shown its muscles in front of the Europeans for decades, I hope you can continue to work hard, hold high the banner of your fathers, and let the European buns also see the strength of our navy on the east coast. Our ancestors often talked about the soldiers who surrendered without a fight, and I hope that your navy can also deeply understand the essence of it. In many cases, you don't need war to reap a lot of benefits, and I'm sure you can do that. Ma Wenqiang turned around, looked at Jiang Yaohui and Li Ze*min, and said, "There is also the matter of the Dutch." Remember, it is acceptable for William III to be the king of England, but he can never concurrently serve as the governor of the United Provinces, and the two countries must not be merged, this is our bottom line. If William III crosses this line, then I authorize your navy to do whatever is necessary to get things back on the right track. ”

Ma Wenqiang's words made Li Zemin and others a little happy, because this was tactful to tell them that he had basically agreed to send the navy north. And it also gave them great freedom to dispose of the Anglo-Dutch merger, both of which were rivals of the East Coasters, and although they were not afraid, it was quite annoying once the merger was made, so it was better to break them up. Moreover, only by dismantling them and allowing Britain to obtain a large amount of capital, talent, technology and market transfer from the Netherlands, can it be convenient for the East Coast and England to cooperate, and finally train them to become thugs like Japan in the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in the future, and act as a pawn on the East Coast to influence the situation on the European continent, which is the most perfect state and the final destination of the Kingdom of England.

Therefore, speaking of which, now that the strength of the five-year shipbuilding plan has increased greatly, it is time for the East Coast Navy to go out and move its bombs. Otherwise, it is not a way to spend military money at home, and the cost of a soldier on the east coast is even higher than that of the Netherlands, the most expensive in Europe - during the Franco-Dutch War, the Netherlands had a maximum of 80,000 land forces, and the annual expenditure exceeded 100 million dong (more than 33 million silver dollars on the east coast), far exceeding that of France, England, Austria and other countries - can you not go for a walk? Is it feasible not to pull it out to create benefits for the Eastern Republic? So many countries and such a vast market in Europe are looking at it, and if you show it properly, you can't spend too much money, maybe you will get back a large amount of real economic benefits, which is a profitable business!