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The Japanese fleet consisted of four battleships, namely the Shikishima-class battleships, the Shikishima-class battleships, the Shikishima, and the Asahi, and the two Ryuch-class battleships, the Ryuchō and Hizen. The Shikishima-class battleships were imitations of the British Navy's 'Majesty-class' battleships, while the 'Ryuchamp-class' battleships were modified from the U.S. Navy's Indiana-class battleships. It can be said that the battleships of these two levels are not of the same class at all. Except for the more powerful firepower of the 'Longxiang-class' battleships, there is no way to compare the rest with the 'Shikishima-class', especially the maximum speed of 5 knots, once facing the 'Zhonghua-class' battleships of the Chinese Navy, it is a dead end. At the beginning, the Japanese government also ordered two battleships and two armored cruisers from the United States in order to be able to obtain loans from the United States. Otherwise, they wouldn't have ordered American battleships!

In addition to the battleships, there were six armored cruisers, all of which were of British design, two each built by the British, French, and American. The United States also built itself 5 armored cruisers of this class. The armored cruisers of this class were named the Iwami class armored cruisers by Japan, including the Iwami, Tango, Shubo, Ainomo, Owari and Suruga. "Iwami-class" armored cruiser with a displacement of 50 tons and a maximum speed of 25 knots. The main guns are two twin 20-mm naval guns and six 55-mm single-mounted guns; 6 x 05 mm single-mount guns; 7-mm cannons; 4 x 450 mm water torpedo tubes. Combat power is among the cruisers. It's already very good. It's just that there is still a certain gap in the face of the Chinese Navy's 'Chengdu-class' heavy cruisers, not to mention the Chinese Navy's latest 'Beijing-class' battleships.

In addition, there are fifteen destroyers, all of which have a displacement of just over 1,000 tons, a speed of 2 knots, and are mainly armed with 05-mm naval guns and torpedo tubes. Compared to the destroyers built by the Japanese Navy itself. It's a lot better.

The Japanese fleet also carried several supply ships, and although they could get supplies from British-controlled ports along the way, they could deal with emergencies with them. For example, they must be fully considerate about how to return to Japan safely. This qiē must be supported by sufficient materials. Otherwise. A qiē is empty talk.

London, England, Secretary of the Admiralty Frederick? William? Sir Richards is talking to Walter, the Second Admiralty-Chancellor? Lord Kerr talks.

"Your Excellency, Lord of the Navy, when the Japanese left, they were very angry and resentful of our navy's refusal to save them. Will this have an impact on the interests of the Reich in the Far East? "Walter? Lord Kerr said with some concern.

"Walter, rest assured, the contradictions between the Japanese and China are irreconcilable. There will definitely be a big war between China and Japan. And this time. The probability of a major war breaking out between the two sides is as high as more than 90 percent. Merely. It is somewhat regrettable that the war did not break out 900 years later, as we had hoped. In that case, Japan will be more powerful than we are, and the U.S. Navy will be more than twice as powerful as it is now. At that time, if the Chinese want to win, I am afraid that they will pay a greater price. And now, as far as we can meet, the Japanese are bound to fail. It's just not known how much they will inflict on the Chinese! "War Chancellor Frederick? William? Sir Richards said with some regret. If Japan can inflict huge losses on China, it will not be so difficult for Britain to clean up the mess.

"What if I give up the contradiction with China and unite with China instead? If the two powerful Far Eastern powers were united, it would be a great threat to the empire! "Walter? Lord Kerr thought of a loophole.

"Haha! Walter, you're thinking too much! You don't know about these Far Easterners, or rather, yellow-skinned monkeys. The Chinese have an old saying that 'one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers', which shows that the entire Far East cannot tolerate two powerful countries, and only one strong country can be allowed to survive. Therefore, this constitutes the most basic contradiction between China and Japan. Now, all of Japan sees China as its worst enemy. Otherwise, they would have successfully risen four years ago. The situation in Japan is very similar to that in the United Kingdom. However, we in Britain are fortunate that we have more resources than Japan, and at the same time, we embarked on the road of maritime expansion 300 years earlier than Japan. Therefore, if Japan wants to rise, it only needs to defeat China and become the only power in the Far East. Otherwise, their huge foreign debt alone could bankrupt their government. The Chinese, on the other hand, also regard Japan as a great enemy. During the Sino-Japanese War more than four years ago, the Japanese committed unforgivable crimes in China, and if it had not been for our obstruction, Japan would have perished long ago. This time, the Chinese will certainly not let go of this opportunity. So, we just need to be on the show! "Lord of the Admirals Frederick? William? Sir Richards said with a smile on his face. Now Britain is still the world's number one power, and they can easily use other countries as pawns, hide behind them, and they will fight bloodily, and in the end they will reap the benefits.

"Then, Your Excellency the Lord of the Admiralty, I propose to temporarily withdraw the 'Chinese fleet' south to Singapore. The Chinese fleet 'has four 'Sovereign-class' battleships, and the Pacific Fleet has two, which can be regrouped into the Far Eastern Fleet. At that time, perhaps the Far Eastern Fleet will be able to defeat the Chinese Navy after a duel with the Japanese Navy! "Walter? Lord Kerr built yì road.

"Yes! Send a telegram to Vice Admiral Filimantel, commander of the 'Chinese fleet', and ask him to command the fleet to the south! It was he who served as the commander of the Far Eastern Fleet. When the Japanese fleet arrived, quietly followed the Japanese fleet and looked for opportunities. If you find that the Chinese Navy has been damaged, you can take the opportunity to launch an attack on the Chinese Navy! "Lord of the Admirals Frederick? William? Sir Richards said.

"Ahh Are we going to go to war against the Chinese without declaring it? "Walter? Lord Kerr asked in surprise. According to the Pacific Alliance Treaty, Britain and France did not have to declare war on China in the first place. If war is not declared, I am afraid that it will have an impact on Britain's international image.

"If you can take advantage of it, declare war or not declare war. It doesn't matter, as long as we can win, we are righteous. In the end we were victorious, seizing great benefits for the British Empire! Well, we are the heroes of the British Empire! "Lord of the Admirals Frederick? William? Sir Richards said disdainfully. In this world, history is always written by the victors. Besides, he also left room for it. If the Japanese Navy had not done much damage to the Chinese Navy, Britain would have stopped its operations and would not have been involved in the war too soon. It's just that he didn't expect that once the British fleet appeared on the battlefield, many things would not be something he could decide now. It was because of this decision that thousands of soldiers of the British Far East Fleet died in the Pacific.

In Berlin, Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II and German Admiral Tirpitz also discussed the return of the Japanese fleet.

"Your Majesty, with the return of the Japanese fleet to Japan, this time the war between China and Japan is likely to begin. Then there is a full-scale war between China and the Pacific Alliance. Even Britain and France could join it. Although China is much stronger than before, I am afraid that it will still be unbearable to face the world's five powerful countries alone. If Britain and France do not join, China may still be able to win. But if Britain and France join, China is likely to lose. Especially in the navy, the threat posed by the British to the rest of the world was simply too great. Tirpitz said worriedly.

"When the time comes, we can help them. The High Seas Fleet can conduct an exercise in the North Sea. However, I hope that the Admiralty will control the scale and not overstimulate the British. We'd better have Britain send some of their navy to the Far East to fight China, but at the same time, we wouldn't let China lose the war and let them lose both. In this case, it is very good for the German Empire! Kaiser Wilhelm II said. There have never been real friends between countries and countries. If China wins the war, it will become the only power in the Far East, and even in the world, it will probably be the leading power, and Germany will have to think about its own interests.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Tirpitz said. Although it is a bit immoral to do so, there is no way around it. Spending as much of the strength of the British navy as possible in the Far East would reduce the pressure on Germany. For Germany to defeat Britain, it was very necessary to expand Germany's living space. It is precisely for this purpose that Germany will go all out to support China and challenge British interests in the Far East.

Japan's allies, the United States and Russia, also began to prepare for war. The West Coast Fleet of the United States has been mobilized. Although the United States originally wanted to drag their 'Maine-class' and 'Illinois-class' battleships into service before going to war, I am afraid that this time will not be able to wait. However, fortunately, their West Coast Fleet can still occupy a certain advantage over the Chinese Pacific Fleet.

Russia also began to mobilize, but they would not be able to send troops to the Far East until after spring.

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