Town Bay,

Since 1902, this bay in the south of Korea has attracted the attention of the world, although nominally, the Northeast Navy has the Lushun Fortress, the Zhenwan Fortress and a number of berths, but in fact, for the Northeast Navy, its real capital is in the town bay, the reason why the most important reason for choosing this place as a naval base is that the water is deep and the port is wide, it can be said that it is the best military port in North China, through ten years of construction regardless of the construction cost, the town bay has already become a naval fortress with complete facilities. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The battleship "Zhihai" anchored on the seabed of Zhenhai Bay, leaving a thick sea-gray shadow on the slightly white sea, the "Zhihai" combat ship is the third ship of the "Jinghai class", compared with the standing displacement of 16,400 tons of the "Jinghai class", its displacement reaches an astonishing 17,000 tons, although it uses the same two steam turbines as the "Jinghai", but its speed is still not inferior to the "Jinghai", and compared with the Jinghai, its biggest difference is that it has more powerful firepower, "Jinghai" The ship had only four single-mounted 10-inch naval guns, while the "Zhihai", which was the third ship of the Jinghai class, was designed to be equipped with four twin 10-inch turrets, which were also the main guns of the "Fubo"-class armored cruisers.

Although theoretically the "Zhihai" has actually surpassed the "Jinghai class", in order to avoid "irritating" the imaginary enemy, the "Zhihai" and its successor warships are still classified as the "Jinghai class", although there are essential differences between the two. At the beginning of its service, the "Zhihai" became the flagship of the Northeast Navy.

It's August, and the summer is slowly passing, and the sun is still extremely strong, but the cool breeze seems to remind people that autumn is coming.

The waterline of the "Zhihai" was much lower than usual, and next to the "Zhihai" was the battleship "Jinghai". And "Zhenbo" and "Jibo" are also nearby. They were all "full of ammunition", as well as fuel. And all the ships and ships that are on the waterway from the bay of town to Gad are all the same.

Even the "Zhenhai" and "Dinghai", which were "old ships", were also fully loaded with ammunition and briquettes, and after the departure of the Russian Second Pacific Fleet, the main fleet of the Northeast Navy anchored in Zhenhai Bay was ready to go out at any time, and even the thirteen oil tankers and oil and water replenishment ships were also fully loaded with heavy oil and other supplies.

If there is any major difference between the Northeast Navy and the navies of other countries, it is probably the fueling of its warships -- the Borneo oil fields ensure the Navy's fuel consumption, and of course, more importantly, the East Asia Energy Company has spent millions of dollars every year in the past few years to purchase tens of millions of tons of "waste oil" from the United States for storage. According to the 15-year agreement signed between East Asia Energy and Standard Oil three years ago, within 15 years, Standard Oil will sell "comprehensive waste oil" after extracting kerosene to Northeast Energy at a price of US$1 per tonne, and supply as much as 200 million tons within 15 years, which is equivalent to only 1/10 of the price of oil.

No one knows why Northeast Energy needs so much "waste oil", although everyone knows that there is gasoline and diesel in "waste oil", but what is the use? It's just useless waste oil, and the most useful thing in oil is kerosene, which is used for lighting.

But the "waste oil" after proposing kerosene is of great use to the Northeast. Automobiles need gasoline, torpedo boats, submarines and other ships need diesel, and the remaining heavy oil after extracting gasoline and diesel from waste oil is the heavy oil needed by the navy's oil-fired boilers. The heavy oiling of the navy's fuel has made it possible for the navy to be independent of replenishment at sea.

According to the plan drawn up by the Navy, all coal-burning warships, even using steam engines, will be used as a left-behind fleet to guard against the First Pacific Fleet, and now the main fleet is ready to go to war. It's just that the enemy is there?

"The enemy sailed from French Guiana to German West Africa, where it was replenished with coal before sailing to Madagascar. Then it is very likely that it will go through the Dutch East India and then detour to the Pacific Ocean from German New Guinea! ”

In the cabin of the "Zhikai", Akiyama Mayuki muttered with some uneasiness. Although there is now ample information that the Second Pacific Fleet will join the Third Pacific Fleet in French Guiana, there is still no certainty as to its future course.

"Now it's two routes. One is from the Strait of Mageraun or Cape Horn, and the other is ......"

Akiyama Shinyuki's mind was completely mixed up, and as the deputy chief of staff of the fleet, Akiyama Shinyuki's thoughts were always confused, and he was always wavering when predicting the enemy's route. Extremely tense nerves and a tired mind made his movements a little off track.

For example, he would sleep in his shoes and not even take a shower throughout the summer. So much so that his cabin was full of foul smell, which made it difficult for the neat navy to accept, but after all, his rank was there, in fact, at this time, almost all the staff officers became "neurotic", they often opened their eyes in the middle of the night, and some staff officers urinated blood, and everyone looked extremely nervous.

"Just go to Hawaii and wait for them!"

A young staff officer said.

It also makes sense that Hawaii is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the enemy can arrive in a relatively short period of time whether the enemy is coming from the Eastern Hemisphere or the Western Hemisphere.

However, this method also has a fatal flaw -- that is, the time for the main force of the fleet to be transferred will be extended indefinitely. In Yokosuka in Tokyo Bay, there is also the Pacific Fleet, which has seven battleships, and the main force of the fleet is away for a long time, which is very likely to lead to a series of unforeseen results.

"Russia will definitely come from South America!"

In fact, Han Che was the one who formulated the interception plan, and when he and Akiyama Shinyuki were at the US Naval Academy, they had already drawn up this draft, and the basis of this draft could be turned into reality entirely because of the progress of naval technology -- the Northeast Navy is the only fleet in the world that can continue to sail at a speed of 18 knots or even 20 knots.

Steam turbines can continue to sail at full power for long periods of time and have higher mechanical reliability than steam turbines, which cannot continue to sail at full power, but this is only part of the reason, the most important reason. They believe that this is the only option for victory, both for the Russians and for China.

Although as the earliest "naturalized person", Akiyama Shinyuki did not naturalize the Chinese name, which may be considered "dissenting", but nevertheless. Akiyama Shinyuki, who was born as an instructor at the Naval Academy, has always been trusted by everyone as the deputy chief of staff of the fleet, but this time he often has confusion under the weight of this task, and now he is also a "dizzy" person.

"Do you think the enemy will go to German New Guinea?"

Su Yueyang looked at Akiyama Mayuki in front of him in surprise, he simply couldn't believe his eyes, and endured the stench on his body, Su Yueyang asked again.

"You are at odds with Chief Han's opinion!"

"Our opinions used to be the same, but now, I think it is highly likely that they will take this route!"

Then Manoru Akiyama continued to explain to him. Explaining his thoughts, after listening to his many explanations, Su Yueyang was silent for a moment before speaking.

"I've been to the South Seas and Hawaii in the past, and sailing around the tropics is torture, and the weather is unbearably hot, especially when it's time to load coal. The experience of the past can imagine the hardships of the Baltic Fleet, especially since they had to carry out such coal loads repeatedly on the way. So they should arrive later than we predicted. So I also think that the enemy will come from the South American route, because there. Well, at least they can cool off for a while......"

Then Su Yueyang took out the map again, and used a pencil to draw a line along the line drawn by Akiyama Shinyuki with a red pencil.

"From French Guiana, to German South West Africa, then to French Madagascar, to German New Guinea. And from there, they sailed into the Pacific Ocean and sailed to China, almost entirely in the tropics, for months. It's even beyond the limits of my fitness, and if I were Roger Stevenski, I would never have chosen this route, I would have chosen the South American route......"

Then he drew a blue pencil on the map, which is a cool line in South America.

"For the Russians, the weather is more pleasant, and they can even attack there properly, after all, they have broken into the harbor more than once, even if Argentina and Chile do not welcome them, what can they do? With a little diplomatic mediation, it is still possible to get time to recuperate, or even ......"

After a slight pause, Su Yueyang's voice was very low, as if he was talking about an unknown secret.

"Don't forget, we've had a break there more than once on our ocean voyages......"

To a certain extent, the Northeast Navy may be the fleet with the most ocean-going voyages in the world, and every warship with a displacement of 3,000 tons has sailed in the ocean, and without exception, it has sailed through the wind and waves, hundreds of military voyages and thousands of ocean-going whaling ship voyages, so that the Northeast Navy knows that sea area very well.

Even just two years ago, the main fleet of the Navy held an exercise there that was unknown to outsiders, and what Su Yueyang said now is actually the Navy's trampling on "public international law" -- entering the territorial waters of other countries for a long time without the approval of a sovereign state

"Stay".

"Whether it is the Wollaston Islands, or the Oster Island and Navarino Island south of Tierra del Fuego, although those islands are large, they are all uninhabited islands, and do not forget that our warships have been in the Wollaston Islands for several months and have not been discovered......"

How could it be discovered?

At that time, no one in the world knew that the Chinese navy would go there to conduct military exercises, let alone any merchant ships would enter those huge narrow bays, which was why the navy was able to "stay" there for a long time, thus proving the feasibility of interception tactics.

"But now it's different, the whole world is watching him for the Russian Second Pacific Fleet......"

Rather than entering the Pacific Ocean via Cape Horn or the Strait of Magellan, Akiyama seems to the Russians to choose the Indian Ocean route, with a stable and reliable bay call, rather than the uncertain South American route.

"The whole world is looking at them, and what is there? Even Spain, don't forget that the Russians also snatched the Philippines from them, but when the Second Pacific Fleet visited, they said they were against it, but with diplomatic mediation, didn't they still stay in the Spanish Gulf for about 20 days? ”

The corners of Su Yueyang's lips were raised, and his face was full of contempt, he had a natural contempt for South American countries, those so-called republics were actually just chaotic military dictatorships, and in those countries, there was no possibility of becoming a strong country at all.

"This is true of Spain, and what are the South American republics? If I am not bad, they may protest, but the protest is at best to stay on face, for the Second Pacific Fleet, this is enough, do not forget, it is winter in the southern hemisphere, as long as the Second Pacific Fleet sails past 40 degrees south latitude, it will enter the sea navigation is extremely suitable, those sailors who have been tortured enough in the tropics, it only takes ten days, they can recover, if they rest for a month in an uninhabited bay in the Fuego Islands, then ......"

"By then, the officers and men of the Russian fleet should have basically completed their rest, and perhaps in the next voyage, their warships have not been properly maintained, but their combat effectiveness has not been reduced, and may even be improved, because the tired sailors have fully recovered......

Su Yueyang's words made Akiyama Shinyuki once again mention the point of view a few years ago, a point of view based on the rest of naval sailors, and even the Northeast Navy has deliberately carried out "exploration" on several routes, of course, in the name of training, and many ocean-going training has proved that the South American route is the most suitable route, where the seemingly bad navigation conditions are actually not as bad as imagined, compared to the bad sea conditions, perhaps, a pleasant temperature is more important for the navy, at least there, Sailors don't have to suffer from the heat.

"But, I'm still not sure, after all, ......"

Akiyama Mayuki's words paused slightly, and he looked at Su Yueyang and said with some uncertainty.

"After all, there's always a lot of uncertainty out there, in case they don't go there and we put everything there......"

Without waiting for Akiyama to finish speaking, Su Yueyang asked rhetorically.

"Is there anything else we haven't pressed down on?" (To be continued.) )