Chapter 127 Go to Tsushima (Ask for a monthly pass!) Read! ）

"The outcome of the battle between Rogerst Winsky and Togo Jiāo is related to the overall situation of the war, and if Togo wins, Japan will lay the foundation for remembering the final victory of the Russo-Japanese War and leap into the forest of the world's first-rate powers, on the contrary, if the Russian fleet wins, it can take away the sea dominance of the Sea of Japan and cut off the supply lines of the Japanese army stationed in Korea, and Russia will quickly recover its declining national fortunes."

Theodore? Roosevelt

Almost all over the world, after the "Nanjing Armistice Agreement" was reached between China and Japan, they all once again shifted their attention to the Russian Second Flat Ocean Fleet, and anyone understands that the Russian Navy has made the best use of its resources for China, that is, it has made the best use of its resources, so the host will naturally invite the "guests" to leave their homes.

"Paint these chimneys as yellow as we do."

The Third Pacific Fleet has five warships that can barely be called battleships, cruisers, etc., with an average age of 10 years and an average speed of 16 knots, but the Russian court pinned its hopes of victory on these old warships.

Rodger Stevensky did not expect much from these old warships "with guns" and was not even willing to accept them, but now he can only accept these old warships. After the meeting between the two, when Rear Admiral Nebogatov asked Rogerstinsky what he was going to do now and what they should do, Rodgerstinsky simply pointed to the black chimney of the Third Pacific Fleet.

"Paint these chimneys as yellow as we do."

Rogerst Winsky's order to the Third Pacific Fleet was only that. No one can understand why Roger Stevensky painted the traditional black chimneys of Russian warships with earthy yellow.

Even the Chinese naval officers, who were half allies, could not understand, and after their polite questioning, Roger Twinsky only shrugged his shoulders, while the Chinese naval officers in Sanshawan looked at the striking yellow cigarette pipe, but they were all saying a word.

"Rogerst Winsky's aesthetic serves only one purpose: to facilitate the identification of targets by the Japanese fleet in the future decisive battle between the Japanese and Russian fleets."

The Second Pacific Fleet finally departed, and Sa Zhenbing, who was at the Naval School on Shozi Island that day, wrote in his diary after receiving the news that the Russian fleet was on its way.

"It can be expected that in 10 days Russia will become a country without a navy."

After the departure of the Russian Second Pacific Fleet, although the Japanese captured the information that the Russian fleet departed from Sanduao in time, the Russian fleet disappeared as if it had evaporated, and this was not the command level of Rodgerstwinsky, a bureaucrat, but the Chinese Navy blocked all news about the Russian Navy.

Despite the help of the Chinese Navy, Rozhestwinsky, who had walked 18,000 nautical miles, was exhausted, and for him, the most important task now was to fulfill the will of His Majesty the Tsar.

"Go to Vladivostok!"

In the command's room, Roger Stevensky repeated his order, and when he gave this order, he almost instinctively wiped his left hand on the birch desk, and the soot on his fingertips made Rozhestvensky's brow furrow.

Because Vladivostok could not provide coal, the fleet had to solve the coal problem on its own, so all the warships still served as coal carriers, and even Rodgerstvinsky's own office was full of coal, and most of this coal was obtained from China when he left Sanduao.

This is the best white coal! Looking at the black coal bags in his office, Roger Stevensky said in his heart, but ...... If you run into a Japanese, the Japanese will definitely catch fire after a cannonball, so they designed a crematorium for themselves.

……

...... like this The fleet did not spontaneously combust halfway, it was already God forbid.

"Your Excellency, for the sake of safety, we should choose to pass through the Luzon Strait, enter the Pacific Ocean, and then sail from the Tsugaru Strait or the Soya Strait into the Sea of Japan to Vladilive Stoke!"

Rear Admiral Nebogatov watched as Roderstinsky, who was standing silent, and made his proposal, and when he set off with the Third Pacific Fleet, almost all the princes and ministers in St. Petersburg sent him a telegram, and there was only one request in the telegram. ,

"Help Roderstinsky bring the fleet to Vladivostok safely and smoothly!"

The generals of St. Petersburg had little confidence in Rozhestvinsky, and after Nebogatov's rendezvous with the Second Pacific Fleet, he felt this equally acutely from his friends, colleagues, and himself, who was originally a bureaucrat, a managerial bureaucrat, and at the same time a military illiterate.

Since his departure from Liepaja in October last year, Rozhestvinsky has not convened a single battle meeting of his staff, all of which, except for the reading of His Majesty's decree of the Emperor, has been to announce the punishment of an unfortunate subordinate. And the most hateful thing is that Roger Stevensky is not only a military illiterate, but also a political man.

In this respect, he is the same as His Majesty the Tsar, who trusts him to the extreme, and he can also be said to be the Xiǎo Tsar of the Bōlo Sea Fleet. Since it was not necessary for the Tsar to listen to his subordinates, there was no need for Commander Rogerst Winsky to listen to his subordinates. Although he knew that his proposal would be difficult to follow, Nebogatov dutifully put forward his own proposal, not for the sake of Rozhestvinsky, but for the sake of the Russian Navy.

"Major General Nebogatov!"

Looking at the tropical fruits on the beautiful Jingdezhen fruit bowl on the desk, Roger Stevensky did not show his solitary side in the future, and said with interest.

"We've traveled 18,000 nautical miles since the fleet set off last year, which is probably the greatest expedition ever made by the world's navies, but now our soldiers are exhausted, and almost everyone wants to get to Vladivostok a second early!"

Excuse!

Rogerstinsky's reasoning made Nebogatov curse in his heart, yes, everyone wants to get to Vladivostok a second earlier, but it does not mean that everyone is willing to risk going through the Tsushima Strait, in fact, almost everyone is not willing to take Tsushima, which gives the Japanese a geographical advantage. Compared with the time lost by the detour, I am afraid that the sailors are more eager to reach Vladivostok alive.

"At this time, why should we take a detour? Moreover, if we take a detour through the Tsugaru Strait or the Soya Strait, which are covered with reefs and dense fog all day long, we may not wait for a war to start, and more than half of our warships will be sunk. So, now the safest way for us is to desperately cross the Tsushima Strait, my General Nebogatov! ”

And when he said this excuse, Rogerst Winsky's expression was still tired, maybe the rest in Sanduao made his body recover some jīng strength, but in fact, as a palace favorite, he never thought that one day he would need to bear the fate of the entire fleet, maybe there was nothing to bear the fate of the fleet, but the most terrible thing was that he needed to bear the fate of the decline and prosperity of the entire Russian Empire, God knows, this is the responsibility that only the tsar can bear, there is himself- What a naval officer can afford.

And Rogerstinsky, who was crushed by this kind of pressure that he could not bear personally, had no confidence in the future at all, and was even less willing to take on this "great responsibility", did not think of any choice but the Tsushima Strait. The responsibilities of "1 the Eighth Miracle" and "the Russian Empire will revive its declining national fortunes in one fell swoop" have long made Rozhest Stevensky physically and mentally emaciated, unable to even think normally.

At this time, what else can be pointed to him to make decisions, but Nebogatov does not know this, but even if he knows, what is the use?

"Your Excellency, Commander, I ...... when we set off"

As a professional naval officer, although the journey made him equally exhausted, he had many meetings with Chinese naval officers and staff officers as soon as he arrived in Sanduao, asking for their opinions, exchanging views with them, and even listening to their suggestions.

"Your Excellency, when we were in Cam Ranh Bay and Sanduao, especially after our fleet appeared in Taiwan and even in the Ryukyus, a great panic began in Japan, because we had inadvertently threatened Japan's lifeline, and the number of ships entering and leaving the port was greatly reduced, and the Kansai Osaka area had begun to shut down factories due to the shortage of raw materials!" ,

Major General Nebogatov presented a fact that Russia did not know, and which was also incomprehensible to the people of the mainland.

"Therefore, if we enter the Pacific Ocean from the Luzon Strait, directly occupy the Xiǎo Kasawara Islands, and fight a positional war with the Combined Fleet in the future, then Japan will be completely dead. Even if we don't need to occupy the Xiǎo Kasawara Islands, just cruising around the Xiǎo Kasawara Islands is enough to force the Japanese to ......"

Major General Nebogatov, who did not wait, finished his advice, but Rozhest Stevensky showed his identity as the "Second Tsar of the Pacific" and interrupted him a little rudely.

"Admiral Nebogatov, I need to remind you that the commander of the 2nd Pacific Fleet is my ......"

Looking directly at General Nebogatov, Rozhestvinsky continued in a questioning tone.

"Do you need me to repeat to you the order of His Majesty the Tsar?"

Nebogatov was stunned by Rozhestwinsky's changes, and the attitude he showed at first even gave Nebogatov the illusion that perhaps he would be able to convince Rozhestvinsky to accept his suggestion that he should make a detour back to Vladivostok from the Pacific Ocean, even if not cruising in the Pacific Ocean east of Japan.

"A great panic has already begun in Japan? Are they afraid that we will appear in xiǎo Kasahara? Don't you know that the Japanese are a cunning people? ”

Roderstinsky continued as he stared at General Nebogatov.

"Chinese? Maybe they made some deal with the Japanese! If I am not bad as expected, now the Japanese Combined Fleet, perhaps, is waiting for us in the Luzon Strait! ”

In a mocking tone, Rogerstinsky asked, what were Japan's economic fears, what were their fears of their own shipping lines, which, in Rogers' view, was nothing more than a conspiracy by the Japanese to divert the fleet to the Luzon Strait.

"Now, our intelligence shows that Japan's combined fleet is really waiting for us to throw ourselves into the net in the Luzon Strait in the sea south of Taiwan!"

As soon as Rozhestvinsky said this, General Nebogatov immediately refuted.

"Your Excellency Commander, we don't have accurate information at the moment, it is indeed the main force of the Japanese Navy in the Luzon Strait, perhaps their yòu bait fleet! It's like...... It's like a British fishing boat in the Hull Sea region of the North Sea! ”

When the impatient Nebogatov refuted Rozhestwinsky, he just forgot that standing in front of him was the commander of the Second Pacific Fleet, who also had the nickname of "Xiǎo Tsar of the Second Pacific Fleet".

After Nebogatov mentioned the "Hull Incident", Rogerstwinsky's white cheeks immediately flowed with annoyance and anger, and the "Hull Incident" could be said to be a great shame for him, which was caused by the heinous disaster caused by the fleet's departure six days after the fleet's voyage, a spy reported that the North Sea was full of Japanese mine-raiders and torpedo boats, for which the nervous Rogers-Stevensky took the black shadow of the British fishing boat on the sea as a Japanese mine-strike ship when he passed through the Hull Sea area of the Sea. Nearly 300 shots were fired at the British fishing boat, and although it only sank the ordinary fishing boat and damaged three, it almost led to a major Anglo-Russian war.

If it had not been for the French who had threatened Britain with French loans to Britain in the end, I am afraid that the Second Pacific Fleet would have been sent into the sea by the British Navy long ago.

"General Nebogatov, I need to remind you that the order given by His Majesty the Tsar was "to Vladivostok", not "to defeat the Japanese fleet and win the war", not to mention what advice was made by those stupid Chinese, who did not even have a navy! And...... My order has been given! ”

Perhaps considering Nebogatov's ties in St. Petersburg, Rogerswinsky's heart was full of anger, but it was surprisingly unexpressed, and it reminded Nebogatov again.

As early as before departing from Sanduao, out of secrecy and fearing that the Chinese or Japanese spies would gain access to the Second Pacific Fleet, Roger Stevensky specially sent an envelope to all captains, asking them to open it after they were on the road. Inside the envelope was a piece of xiǎo paper with Roger Stevensky writing "Tsushima" in beautiful huā script. ,

"Your Command, if we go through the Tsushima Strait, then Tsushima is a dead end!"

Major General Nebogatov said bluntly.

"At least it's fuel-efficient!"

"But it will bury the entire Russian Navy! The Russian Navy will suffer a hundred years of shame for your actions! ”

Nebogatov continued to argue, but at this time he also understood that it was impossible for him to persuade Rozhestwinsky to accept his proposal unless there was a direct order from the Tsar, and that he could not make any proposal to St. Petersburg on the sea.

"I want to ...... I guessed at least a little right! ”

After leaving Rogerstwinsky's office, Nebogatov, who looked bitter and sad, said this to his attaché, looking at the ragged sailors, he sighed helplessly.

"Rogerstwinsky's stupidity will ruin two hundred years of wisdom of the Russian Navy!"

Under Rozhest Stevensky's insistence, the huge Second Pacific Fleet continued north. Although Rogerst Winsky was a complete bureaucratic court officer, he also knew that it was now the most tense moment, and after sailing out of Sanduao, he changed the habit of the entire fleet being brightly lit and as bright as day within a few nautical miles.

Deck lights, portholes, etc. were all closed, and the anti-collision portlights that had to be retained were also reduced in brightness, and the entire fleet implemented the strictest light control. Of course, the radio can no longer be used, and this vice admiral from the palace has the knowledge of radio silence.

In the end, he robbed the ship when he saw it along the way, and he didn't let go out alive, but Rogerst Winsky also knew that he was a navy, not a pirate, and he couldn't kill people, so he could only rob the ship first and force him to go along.

These measures are taken for granted, but there will be some inexplicable mistakes in "taking it for granted". Originally, the arrival of the Russian fleet caused panic in the maritime community, and everyone had nothing to do but go there, and Rozhestvinsky only robbed two merchant ships along the way, but there would be problems with these two ships.

At noon on May 19, the Russians hijacked the British oil tanker "Oort? Khamiyan", forcing the ship to go with the fleet. However, at 9 o'clock in the morning of the same day, the Russians also hijacked a Norwegian-flagged freighter, the "Second Oscar". And Roger Stevensky didn't know that the cargo ship that he kindly let go of was rented by Mitsui & Co.

And the most fatal point is that the Russian officers who came on board to inspect the ship also "casually" answered the questions "casually" asked by the crew of the second Oscar.

"Where are you going?"

"Let's go to Tsushima".

[.b.m]