"Night attack tactics can only be used against fleets anchored in harbors, because at that time the enemy's position is fixed, and it can be detected in advance, and the fleet in motion is not a suitable target for night attacks", the fleet commander pointed out the mistake made by the captain, but did not kill his idea, "In the future, if our main fleet arrives and wins the decisive battle and forces the remnants of the Chinese Navy back into the military port, the night attack tactics can come in handy, and only torpedo boats need to be sent at that time, The odds of success are greater, but the potential for losses is smaller"

After agreeing on the opinions, the fleet commander began to officially issue orders, but to the surprise of the captains, the two most powerful Edgar-class large protective cruisers in the fleet, were actually excluded from the attack queue

"Our main attack was lightning strikes and ramming, and the Edgar-class might not do much to help with that, as its sheer size would affect agility and make enemy fire more vulnerable, making it unsuitable for this mission. Moreover, large cruisers are expensive and carry many people, so it would be too wasteful for them to do such a suicidal mission. Although the fleet commander's words made sense, the captains didn't seem to buy it, because the flagship was one of them, and it was hard not to suspect that it was actually an excuse for his escape.

"I'll change one ship to command the nearest one, and as for these two cruisers, I'll make other arrangements." However, the fleet commander soon made the captains embarrassed by his malicious speculations, and he was always stubborn in the face of the persuasion of some subordinates, so that some of the captains who were psychologically dark and thought that this was just a show had nothing to say.

However, the captains of the two cruisers did not want to be considered cowards, and immediately asked the commander, "Your Excellency, what is the task you have assigned to us?" ”

"It depends on the outcome of the fleet's attack." , The fleet commander took a hard puff of his cigar and made corresponding arrangements for various possible scenarios, "If our attack is successful and defeats the Chinese fleet, well, this is unlikely, but I am saying that if, if this can really be done, then you can be the vanguard of our army's counterattack, pursue the wounded ships of the Chinese and drive north to attack the Chinese coast; And if our attack is partially successful, and the Chinese have capital ships that are heavily damaged and forced to return home for repairs, then you will follow, if there are no escorted warships, you will destroy the injured Chinese warships, and if there is, then the Chinese will lose twice as many warships, how many forces can they attack Singapore? Your very existence has generated great value."

"And if the worst happens, and our attack is in vain, and we don't sink or damage any of the capital ships of the Chinese Navy, I mean if, then you must leave the battlefield immediately to avoid being overtaken by the Chinese warships, and the next task is to break the relationship." , This passage of the fleet commander immediately aroused everyone's discussion, and now it is possible to carry out the same operation to break the diplomatic relationship? And the more cruisers there are, the effect is definitely better, why first put together all your own warships, and then let the only two remaining do this job?

Hearing this, the fleet commander smiled helplessly, spit out a smoke ring and sighed, "Because our first task now is to hold Singapore, we must create a little trouble for the Chinese fleet and hinder its attack on Singapore." More importantly, China's rebels took the initiative to cut off maritime trade with Southeast Asia as early as half a month ago, and our operation to break diplomatic relations must go north into China's coastal waters, and the combat radius has been greatly increased, and we have lost Hong Kong and Shanghai, two supply ports, so the operation of breaking diplomatic relations will depend more on the endurance of the warships themselves, and only these two Edgar-class first-class cruisers are left in the fleet."

"After you go north, I authorize you to shell all ships and all Chinese cities that may be Chinese, and force the present Chinese government to transfer back the fleet that attacked Singapore. However, if you encounter a Haitian-level patrol, you will have to retreat as soon as possible, they are very fast, and if you get entangled in them, you will probably not be able to escape. ", said the fleet commander in a vicious tone, but his face was always covered with a layer of gloom.

Although the two captains had also heard some rumors about the Haitian-class cruiser, based on common sense, it was still difficult for the two of them to believe that they were true, "How can an armored cruiser be so fast?" Maybe the rumors are exaggerated? ”

"It's hard for me to believe that even though it's an armored cruiser and is so stubby and short, it can run at a speed of more than 20 knots, but this is the judgment made by His Excellency Vice Admiral Philmante after personally observing the whole process of the naval battle in Jianghua Bay, and the fact that the two Centurion-class second-class battleships of the Far East Fleet, which can reach a maximum speed of 19 knots, can't even escape, which is also a strong evidence." The fleet commander shook his head and insisted, "I believe in the facts more than the so-called common sense, the progress of the world's naval science and technology in the past few years has been too fast, so is there still less outdated 'common sense'?" ”

"What's more, the idea of breaking diplomatic relations and escort operations is completely opposite, and if you can avoid taking risks, try not to take them. Our Royal Navy has a glorious tradition of fighting when facing the enemy, but this is the most stupid way to do it for the battle to break the diplomatic relationship, because if you lose the battle, the mission of breaking the diplomatic relationship will be completely failed, and even if you win, you will inevitably be injured, and then the speed will drop, and it will be easy to be caught by the enemy's capital ship, and it will still fail at that time; Choosing a non-threatening target to attack is the correct way to break the battle, and you two must keep it in mind! The fleet commander pressed the cigar that was about to burn out into the ashtray and admonished the two captains with a serious face, "For the first time in hundreds of years, our Royal Navy has been forced to break diplomatic relations, and there is a serious lack of experience, but according to the likes and dislikes of escort operations, it is not difficult to find out the law. ”

Seeing the two nodding solemnly, the fleet commander nodded with satisfaction, and then continued, "Okay, finally there is the issue of supply ports, you can rest assured, although France, Spain, and the Netherlands have not yet made up their minds to start a war against China for the time being, the governors of their colonies have agreed to open their naval bases for our use." By the way, there is also Japan, which has always had a good relationship with our British Empire and the Royal Navy, and now there is still a common enemy, and after you have completed this operation to break diplomatic relations, you can also go to Japan not to return to Southeast Asia, but to Japan to maintain and replenish" (to be continued. )