When the morning sun pierces the fog that envelops London and hits the lifeless chamber of Buckingham Palace. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Lieutenant General Dowell was reporting the most terrible news to everyone in the room in a stiff and cold voice, as if he were mourning the British Empire.

"Two battleships were sunk, the Remilis and the Victory; 3 ships were heavily damaged, HMS Queen, HMS Ravage, HMS Warrior...... At present, the ravages and warriors are still not free from the pursuit of the Chinese, and it is very likely that they will sink! ”

"Nine armored cruisers were sunk, the USS Nelson (caught up and sunk by the Liberation during the evacuation), the USS Savage (sunk by the Hongwu during the retreat), the USS Orlando, the USS Aurora, the USS Emerald, the USS Tourmaline, the USS Garnet, the USS Opal, and the USS Turquoise (abandoned due to heavy damage). Four more ships were heavily damaged. ”

"Twelve heavy damage to protected cruisers and light cruisers......"

"In addition, Arthur. Admiral Hood believed that the fleet could no longer return to the Singapore fortress and could only retreat to Australia...... The Singapore forts and Sumatra were no longer able to hold out, and he suggested abandoning these areas and concentrating his forces on India. ”

Lieutenant General Dowell put the telegram on the table and waited for a day and a night, first happy and then sorrowful, but now only this frightening result remained. In the face of such heavy losses, the vice admiral's voice trembled a little, "Judging from the information obtained so far, the Eastern Fleet has completely collapsed, and ...... The main reason for the defeat at sea was the significant flaws in the design of our battleships, that is to say that we ......"

"Woo woo woo ......"

Before Lieutenant General Dowell could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a whimpering cry, and everyone followed the prestige, and it was none other than Victoria, the Empress of the British Empire, who wept.

"Shouldn't I cry?" The Empress glanced at her courtiers, her eyes full of tears, which were pouring out irrepressibly, and no one shook their heads in denial, for all of them wanted to cry, and the British Empire had indeed lost miserably!

Originally, everyone thought that the British Empire's maritime superiority would always be obvious. The number and tonnage of the battleships are superior to the Ming Dynasty, even if they are unlucky in actual combat, they will win or lose twice. I definitely didn't expect that the final result would be so miserable. And the reason for the fiasco was not because of Arthur. Hood's bad luck was not due to the lack of effort on the part of the officers and men of the British Royal Navy, but the fact that the British battleship design idea was fundamentally wrong...... The bow facing the enemy, the diagonal open battery, and the large-caliber frame were the reasons for the crushing defeat of the British Eastern Fleet.

Other words. The battleships in the Home Fleet, the American Fleet, and all the battleships under construction, are all rubbish! Before the creation of a new generation of battleships with rapid-fire guns and a central axis arrangement of fire. The British Empire was not a naval power at all!

"What do we do now? Should we sue for peace with China? Empress Victoria asked, wiping tears from her eyes, "Australia can be caught, the Straits Settlements will be given to China, North America will be bounded by the Mississippi River, and the Midwest of Canada will be ceased." Such...... The Chinese should be satisfied, right? ”

Prime Minister of this program. Disraeli looked at the Foreign Secretary and the Admiralty.

"Now is not the time to make peace!" The Marquess of Salisbury, the Foreign Secretary, objected, "Your Majesty, if peace is sued now, the British Empire will lose everything!" ”

"Lose everything? His Majesty of China did not put forward such harsh conditions! He still wants Britain to survive as a world power...... "Queen Victoria's words have leaked some secrets. In fact, she and Zhu Jishi have always maintained a secret communication channel. Her daughter, Princess Helena, acts as a microphone between the two.

The two sides have negotiated the terms of the armistice many times, and Zhu Jishi also clearly told Victoria: the Ming Empire wants Britain to continue to survive as a powerful empire - there should be five major powers in Europe in the future, the French and Roman Empires, the British Empire, the German Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Russian Empire.

"But the British Empire has not yet completed the integration of the United States, and now it has lost its maritime power, what qualifies it to become a second-class power in the world?" The Marquis of Salisbury sighed and said lightly. "If the British Empire sues for peace now, not only North America will not be able to hold on. I'm afraid it's hard to keep even India, right? There are now anti-British uprisings in many parts of India. ”

"So what should we do?" The Empress is a little helpless now. Her Foreign Secretary was not wrong, Britain had lost its power! The British Army has never been a formidable force, far less than the British Navy. Once the British Navy was no longer strong, then why did the American Empire still rely on the British? Why didn't the French and Roman empires come out and act as the sole leaders of the white world? Even the military power of Russia and the Holy Roman Empire, the two "sick men of Europe", is now stronger than that of the British Empire, right?

Secretary of the Navy Robert Brown. Churchill took the question, "Your Majesty." First of all, we should announce the victory, telling reporters that we have won the naval battle in the South China Sea, sinking four Chinese battleships, capturing Vice Admiral Yu Guibei, deputy commander of the Chinese South Sea Fleet, and Rear Admiral Takehiro Enomoto, deputy chief of staff, and crushing China's plot to occupy Singapore! ”

"But aren't we going to give up on Singapore?" The empress looked at the fat man.

The fat man said: "The Singapore fortress must be held to the end. Can't give up...... Because we need the Singapore Fortress to buy time for the Empire! ”

"In the coming year, we will overhaul the Navy's capital ships and armored cruisers, replacing useless rack guns, installing 8-inch and 9-inch rapid-fire guns, and increasing turret protection. Therefore, the Indian Queen's class under construction also had to be changed, changing the diagonal turret layout to a central axis layout. This means that the British Empire will lose its main naval force within a year, and in this case, we cannot show weakness to the whole world! ”

Qiu Fatzi's meaning is clear, slap the swollen face and fill the fat man, block the news of the defeat of the Eastern Fleet, and say that a fiasco is a victory! Only in this way can the British Empire maintain its dignity and make it difficult for others to covet the wealth of the empire for the time being.

"But the Chinese may not give us a year!" Empress Victoria cried with a sad face, "Now that we have lost the control of the Indian Ocean and the South Sea, we will be able to transport supplies to Chittagong in half a month at most Chinese...... Then the whole of India will fall! ”

"Your Majesty, we should have confidence in Admiral Hemming, he will definitely be able to maintain the situation in India." Qiu Fatzi said in a firm tone, "Of course, we should also give Haiming the necessary help to mobilize more troops to India, while the Chinese fleet has not yet controlled the Indian Ocean......"

"Your Majesty." Robert. Before Churchill could finish speaking, the secretary had already banged on the door and walked in to interrupt her.

"What's the matter?" Looking at the empress's secretary, everyone suddenly felt a palpitation, there is already a worst news today, don't come to the second one!

"Good news! The Good News of the Indian Army, Will. Admiral Hemming's victory in Feeney! The squadron suffered heavy casualties and is retreating towards Chittagong......"

"What did you say?" The empress frowned, "Didn't the Indian army surround the Chinese in Finney?" ”

"Admiral Hemming must have adjusted the deployment." Robert. Although Churchill was Lord of the Navy, he was more familiar with the Army and India. Admiral Hemming gave way to the retreat of the squadron and then expelled them with a fierce assault, with the aim of banishing them to Chittagong as soon as possible. Although this cannot completely annihilate the enemy army, it is the most secure at present, and the only pity is that we have not been able to catch Zhu Guowei, otherwise we will be able to brag about it. ”

"No, Sir, we're likely to catch Zhu Guowei." The secretary interrupted Qiu Fatzi again, "Admiral Heming's telegram said that after the prince of Dali led the guards, his royal flag was still fluttering at the head of Feini City!" ”

Hearing this, Empress Victoria's brows furrowed even tighter, and she shook her head and said, "What a brave boy, tell Admiral Hemming to save the life of King Dali as much as possible." (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. )