In the year 4615 of the Yellow Emperor, on February 5, in the Celtic Sea in southern England, a merchant ship flying the British flag was sailing. It was a merchant ship from India, loaded with thousands of tons of much-needed grain for the British mainland, and a thousand soldiers conscripted from India.

As the war continued, the casualties of the British expeditionary force increased, which made the British focus on the colonies' human resources in addition to collecting the colonies' supplies. Although the quality of those soldiers in the colonies is generally poor, it is still completely okay to use them as cannon fodder on the battlefield. Therefore, these Indian Ah San, who are wrapped in turbans, have become the most abundant cannon fodder candidates in the UK.

On the sea, the wind and waves were a little strong, which made the merchant ship shake very much, and the Indian Ah San on it had already vomited in the dark. The whole cabin was so stinking that even the British crew members were reluctant to go inside.

"Hell, I don't know when this storm will stop. In such sea conditions, it will be very difficult for us to reach Plymouth by tomorrow afternoon! On the foredeck of the merchant ship, the captain said with some concern.

"Captain, I'm not worried about the weather now, I'm worried about the Germans. According to the latest information we have, those damned Germans have ordered unlimited submarine warfare. Hopefully we won't be targeted. The first mate said with a worried face.

"Submarines of the Germans? Hmph, relying on such despicable means, it is impossible to defeat the British Empire. The captain snorted coldly. Although, now the situation of the British Empire is somewhat difficult. However, he still firmly believed that future victories must belong to the British Empire.

At this time, less than five hundred meters from the merchant ship. A long rod rises from under the water.

This is a submarine of the German Navy, which has been maneuvering around the nearby seas to strike at British sea transport lines.

"Bow torpedo ready, launch!" Having taken aim at the target, the captain immediately gave the order to launch.

The two torpedoes were fired at the merchant ship like arrows from the string. And at the moment. The British sailors on merchant ships did not know anything about this at all. A distance of five hundred meters is nothing at all for a fish with a rate of fire of almost thirty knots. In less than half a minute, two torpedoes approached the merchant ship. At this time, it was discovered by sailors on a merchant ship.

"Torpedo! Torpedoes were found. The sailors on the merchant ship shouted a warning. However, there is no use at this time.

"Boom!" A violent explosion sounded, one torpedo hit the merchant ship, and the other missed. However, even this was enough to sink the merchant ship. After the explosion of the warhead of the torpedo. It easily blew a large hole in the side of the merchant ship. The icy waters poured into the merchant ship, causing it to slowly tilt.

"Immediately send a telegram to the Royal Navy requesting help." The captain gave the order with a pale face, and then gave the order to abandon the ship. As for the grain on the ship and the Indian Asan, no one cared about them. After all, the lifeboats on the merchant ship can only carry a dozen people away, and it is impossible to save all of them from so many Indian Asan.

A few minutes later. The merchant ship capsized and sank to the bottom of the sea. On the sea. Littered with broken wooden planks and Indian Ahsan who jumped into the sea to escape before the merchant ship capsized.

Two hours later, a destroyer of the British Navy arrived belatedly. It's just that the submarines of the German Navy, after hitting the British merchant ships, have already dived and fled. After the destroyers of the British Navy arrived. It was just to rescue the sailors on the merchant ships.

After the German Navy launched unrestricted submarine warfare, Britain's overseas trade routes suffered heavy losses. In just a few days, dozens of British merchant ships were sunk. As a result, Britain, which was already extremely dependent on sea transportation, experienced a shortage of materials.

Sir John Fisher, Lord of the Admiralty, was bewildered by the incessant attacks of the German navy. The main force of the Royal Navy must remain in the North Sea. Blocking the main forces of the German Navy. Therefore, only some destroyers and light cruisers can be sent to carry out anti-submarine missions. However, hundreds of submarines of the German Navy attacked the British sea transport lines with wolf pack tactics, which caused heavy losses to British transport ships and merchant ships.

"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister's Office has informed you to go to the meeting immediately." The secretary said to Sir John Fisher.

"Okay, I see, let's get the car ready." Sir John Fisher said.

When Sir John Fisher arrived at the Prime Minister's House, he found that several other key cabinet ministers had arrived. It's just that everyone's faces are not very good-looking. It is clear that the recent unrestricted submarine warfare of the Germans has made Britain feel its power.

"Sir Fisher, the transports and merchant ships of the British Empire, suffered extremely heavy losses. If we were not able to contain the submarine attacks of the Germans, the British Empire would soon collapse. Prime Minister Asquith said solemnly.

Britain was extremely dependent on overseas trade, and most of its resources needed to be transported to the mainland by sea, including not only those industrial raw materials, but also agricultural products such as grain, which also needed to be transported from the colonies. If the sea transport line was cut off by the German submarines, the consequences could be imagined. Even, the whole society will be in great turmoil.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the Admiralty is already actively trying to find ways to protect our sea lines. It's just that the submarines of the Germans are lurking underwater, and it is difficult for us to detect them and it is difficult to counter them. Sir John Fisher said with a bitter face.

"Isn't there any other way? Lord Sir Fisher, in any case, the logistics supply lines of the Expeditionary Force must be protected. Once the expeditionary force loses supplies, the consequences will be very serious. War Secretary Richard Haldane said.

The British Army, however, had hundreds of thousands of expeditionary forces fighting in northern France, and the supply of these troops was entirely dependent on sea transportation. If even this logistical supply line was cut off by German submarines, the consequences would be really unimaginable.

"Your Excellency, the Navy has dispatched elite warships to focus on protecting the logistics supply lines of the expeditionary force. There will be no problems with this logistical supply line. Sir John Fisher assured. He also knows the importance of this logistical supply line for the Army.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen. In the days when the Germans were engaged in unrestricted submarine warfare, we have lost more than forty merchant ships. And, as the Germans put more and more submarines, our losses will grow. Therefore, it is better for us to come up with a way to deal with submarine warfare against the Germans as soon as possible. Otherwise, we're afraid we won't last long. Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George reminded.

"Is there anything you can do?" Prime Minister Asquith asked.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the submarines of the Germans are hidden under water and are very difficult to detect. However, the German submarines did not stay underwater all the time, they just stayed underwater when they attacked and fled. Other times, you still need to sail on the water. We can use airplanes to find the tracks of those submarines, and then have warships drop depth charges to sink them. Sir John Fisher suggested. This is also the method of submarine warfare that the British Admiralty has been thinking of these days against the Germans.

"That's one way. Is there anything we can do to reduce our losses, though? Prime Minister Asquith asked. The purpose of hunting German submarines was to protect British transport ships and merchant ships. The most important thing is to let these transport ships and merchant ships transport the war materials to Britain safely.

Sir John Fisher was speechless for a moment.

"Sir Fischer, I remember that when we were fighting with the Spaniards for supremacy at sea, the Spaniards used a method which seemed to be very effective. Perhaps, we can give it a try. War Secretary Richard Haldane said.

"You mean the Spanish used warships to escort merchant ships?" Sir John Fisher asked, frowning.

"Yes, our merchant ships and transport ships will be used in a centralized manner and divided into formations. Then the Navy allocates escort forces for each formation. In this way, we will be able to effectively protect these fleets. Richard Haldan said.

"It's a great way to try." Sir John Fisher nodded.

When the Spanish Empire was the hegemon of the world, in order to challenge the hegemony of the Spanish Empire, the British came up with a way to disguise merchant ships as pirate ships to fight the merchant ships of the Spanish Empire. In order to weaken the power of the Spanish Empire, and thus narrow the power gap between the two sides.

At that time, the Spanish Empire, in order to curb this behavior of the British, had to equip merchant ships with warships. Now, in the face of an attack by German submarines, Britain could also use this method.

Perhaps, this method cannot completely avoid the loss of merchant ships, but at least it can play a certain protective role, so as to minimize the loss.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the Germans have certainly inflicted some losses on us by conducting unrestricted submarine warfare. However, it was also an opportunity for the British Empire. Sir Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, said.

"Oh? What chances? Prime Minister Asquith frowned. During this time, he was almost driven crazy by the unlimited submarine warfare of the Germans.

"It was not only our merchant ships that were sunk by German submarines, but also merchant ships from China and the United States. This practice of the Germans completely cut off the financial route of the Chinese and the Americans. Will they still be watching from the sidelines? Sir Edward Grey said with a smile. (To be continued.) )

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