For most of the officers and men of the 2nd Pacific Fleet, they did not know what was happening on the mainland, they just kept moving. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Now the fleet is heading towards the next anchorage, Vigo. This bay is large enough to accommodate 100 ocean-going ships, and five German coal carriers are waiting for the Second Pacific Fleet, which would not have been possible without the German company contracting the coal transportation business of the Second Pacific Fleet.

In fact, Kaiser Wilhelm II had always encouraged Mikhail to send his fleet to the Far East, and it was at his request that the German company would take over the coal shipment.

From the coast where Vigo is located, you can see the pinnacles of the Pyrenees that surpass the high peaks of the mountain next to it. For the people of the Second Pacific Fleet, neither officers nor soldiers were allowed to go ashore, and even adding coal was not an easy thing to do.

As soon as the fleet dropped anchor, the officials of the harbor arrived, and the Russian warships went up to inform them. Because Spain was a neutral country, the Russian fleet could not be fed in Spanish territorial waters.

The Second Pacific Fleet has not replenished coal since it left Russia, and now the remaining coal on the warships is only enough to grow for two days. What should I do now? Faced with this, the telegraph immediately flew to Madrid and St. Petersburg, and a telecommunication link was quickly established between the Spanish and Russian capitals, and the officers, read German and English newspapers.

The words of their conversation flew to the ears of the sailors, and they casually knew that the "Dogger Sandbank Incident" had become one of the largest international events.

"The foreign newspapers say we are gearing up for war with the British!"

"I've heard that all the nations of the world are going to declare war on us!"

"I'm not going to look like this yet, but our fleet can. Had to go back! ”

"Return to Russia? That's a good thing! ”

"Stop dreaming. That's simply not possible! ”

"That's what they said. And Roger Stevensky may still be put on trial! ”

Amid the rumors of the sailors, the news of the war did not come, they did not know how Russia resolved the incident, nor what kind of agreement was reached behind the resolution of the incident, but the good news came.

After a series of consultations, the Spanish authorities finally agreed that the Second Pacific Fleet would be resupplied with Spanish territorial waters, and the authorities informed the fleet that each warship could be replenished with 400 tons of coal. The news came out in the early afternoon, and the whole crew, including sailors, stokers, engineers, clerks, quartermasters, officers, and others, came out, and the officers told the sailors. If it dries quickly. Well done, each person can get two extra shots of vodka.

With the encouragement of vodka. Everyone was working desperately, all the warships of the whole fleet were shrouded in a cloud of black dust, and loading coal, which was a dirty job in itself, made everything very dirty, and the sailors loaded the coal all night until ten o'clock the next morning, during which time the sailors loaded the warships with twice the limit.

After a busy night, people thought that it was time to set off on the voyage. But the order was not given.

So the tense atmosphere once again enveloped the entire fleet, and it was not known what had happened, but guessing that the incident on the Dogger sandbank had caused trouble, and it was in this waiting that Simonov took leave and went ashore there. It was on the shore that he learned about the latest situation at the Dogel Sandbank, which was very indignant to British public opinion, and the British newspapers said that the Germans behaved like mad dogs, like pirates.

"The British are a bunch of pirates,"

Looking at the remarks in the newspaper, Simonov said lightly with dissatisfaction.

Judging from the newspapers, the British were most angry that the Russian Navy had not stopped to kill the fishermen after they had mistakenly beaten the fishing boats. Some newspapers demanded that the Russian Navy should return to Russia immediately no matter what. And to judge the commanders, some advocate a declaration of war! French newspapers also published information that the British were carrying out a mobilization of the fleet.

All in all, this incident is really terrible.

"Is the reason why the fleet is not leaving here now because St. Petersburg is preparing to recall the fleet?"

Simonov was in no mood to think so, and continued to wander around the Spanish city, and when he returned to the warship, he was surprised to see an English cruiser in the harbor.

How could there be British cruisers?

Although the British cruiser stayed for only a few hours this week, the captain of the ship did not visit Rozhest Stepinsky, an anomaly that immediately fueled rumors. Word spread on the same day that the British fleet was anchored in a nearby harbor, awaiting the departure of the Second Pacific Fleet.

The next day, the cruiser sailed into the harbor again, and made a courtesy visit, but the sailors did not relax at this move, but feared that the visit might be brewing some tricks.

New news came that the Second Pacific Fleet, which the commanders had privately mentioned, had been more or less detained. Freedom will not be restored until the "Dover Affair" is resolved, when the fleet will most likely return to Russia.

If that's the case, I can't ask for it!

Of course, this was only the imagination of the sailors, and a few days later the Second Pacific Fleet set out on its journey again, escorted by a small Spanish warship as the fleet left the bay.

Since the British cruisers, which had long been anchored in nearby ports, caught up, in 24 hours the number of British cruisers had increased to ten, and their actions were more provocative.

At night they sailed next to the Russian fleet. They were one or two nautical miles apart, and the next day they were behind the Russian fleet, less than a mile away, sometimes raising their speed, passing the left or starboard sides of the fleets of various countries, and walking in front of the fleets. Sometimes they dispersed to surround the fleet, as if they were escorting a batch of booty to the temple.

More precisely, it's like treating a group of prisoners. In response to a possible attack by British cruisers, the cannons on every warship of the Second Pacific Fleet were loaded with shells. The watchman who is constantly vigilant casually. In the past, alarms were often sounded. Hold fire drills and so on.

Knowing that the sailors in the fleet could see the coast of Africa, the British destroyers left and sailed for Gibraltar.

The Second Pacific Fleet anchored in Tangier, on the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, where the fleet would rendezvous, and unlike the treatment they suffered in Vigo, where they were warmly welcomed, as it was under the jurisdiction of the French colony of Morocco, he indicated that the fleet would stay as long as it wanted. Although the British government protested, it was ineffective.

Why is the fleet here? Is it preparing to pass through the Suez Canal? Will the British agree then?

In the speculation of the sailors, the Second Pacific Fleet added two more ships, one was a hospital ship painted white, and his two cigarettes clutched two huge red crosses from either side. The other was the French ship "Hope", which served as a refrigerated ship and was loaded with frozen meat.

The loading of coal in Tangier was done in extremely difficult conditions, because of the storm, and after a week of revisions by the fleet with Tangier, the flagship ordered!

It was at this time that Simonov and his comrades-in-arms knew their destination. Not the Dakar they had originally imagined, the capital of the West African colony of Senegal. Originally, they thought. The fleet would sail like there, but to their surprise, after leaving the harbor, the fleet sailed westward, not south as they had imagined.

The fleet sailed on the vast sea, formed in two columns, and looked extremely spectacular on the outside, and on the hospital ship, in addition to the doctors, there were many noble women who volunteered to take care of them, and for the sailors, their greatest dream was to one day be sent to that ship, which they regarded as a paradise of rest and a royal palace on the sea.

For Simonov, it was also his dream to board a hospital ship, and he was equally eager to make contact with the noble women, which of course was the wish of every sailor. But if the price is health, it still needs to be considered

After leaving the port, the fleet did not encounter any other ships, except for the British cruisers that were still watching them, which appeared on the horizon from time to time, and when the fleet reached the Azores, the British cruisers disappeared.

"Where are we going this time?"

When he learned that the island not far away was the Azores in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Simonov asked the chief engineer next to him with some puzzlement, shouldn't they sail south? How do you get to the middle of the Atlantic?

"How did we get here?"

"That's because we're going to ......"

The chief engineer smiled mysteriously and continued.

"We're going, we're going to the United States......"

"What? Going to the United States? ”

Looking at the chief engineer in amazement, Simonov couldn't believe his ears, how was this possible? Isn't the fleet going to Asia? Why go to the U.S. now?

"This time we're going to Virginia in the United States!"

Looking at Simonov, the chief engineer said with a smile.

"I heard from the commanders that this time the Americans agreed to help us, they agreed that our warships would enter their bases and carry out maintenance in their bases, and of course, there would be a price to pay......"

What will it cost?

Simonov did not think about this, he was full of curiosity about the United States, what would the United States be like? How is Virginia different from St. Petersburg?

Thoughts like these flashed through Simonov's mind, and he was naturally full of anticipation for his trip to the United States.

What exactly does America look like?

On the following voyage, for Simonov, the question on his mind was not about the war, it turned completely into the United States.

But why did the United States give so much support to Russia? When Tangier docked, Simonov and his friends already knew that Britain was trying to help the Chinese, and it was with the help of Britain that the Second Pacific Fleet could not be replenished in the ports along the way, and no other country supported Russia except the French!

But the French help to Russia was extremely limited, and there were not many well-equipped ports in the French colonies, just like in Tangier, although they were willing to provide all the help, but it was only a port with ordinary facilities, and because of this, the loading of coal there would be carried out under extremely difficult conditions.

It can be said that similar hardships will happen again on the next voyage, but this is also the greatest help that France, and the only country willing to help Russia, can give.

No, now there is one more America.

But why would the United States support Russia? If I am not mistaken, just a few years ago, Russia seized the Philippines by taking advantage of the United States' declaration of war on Spain. At that time, the Americans were extremely angry!

But now the United States not only allows the fleet to be replenished in its ports, but even allows warships to be repaired in American shipyards. For a warship that sails thousands of nautical miles, this is the most important thing!

But why would the Americans do this?

"Maybe it's because Americans hate Chinese more?"

Simonov thought of it this way, as if this was the only explanation.

But can the relationship between nations be analogous to hate? But for Simonov, perhaps this is the best explanation.

"Hate?"

At this moment, a voice came, it was the first lieutenant, and I saw him walking to the side with his pipe in his mouth.

"The Americans are willing to help us not because they hate Chinese, but because they want us and Chinese to fight each other so that they can have a chance to intervene in the Pacific......"

Silorov, as the first lieutenant, naturally understood the relations between states better than Simonov and, of course, the Pacific Ocean.

"Ahh Your Excellency and I ......"

Without waiting for Simonov to finish. He continued.

"But at least now we need the help of the United States, and with the help of the United States, we can choose a safer route,"

Not only is it safe, it is fundamentally new, and for the Russian Navy, there has never been a fleet sailing on this route.

"Do you speak English?"

As soon as the words came out, Xi Luofu realized that the person in front of him was not an ordinary sailor, but an officer, as a naval officer, how could he not know English?

"When you arrive in the United States, you will probably stay there for a long time, and then you should have a good look there, learn more about the United States, you know, it may be difficult to have such an opportunity in the future!" Seize this opportunity! (To be continued.) )