In the early morning of February 7, 1899, a long whistle was heard from the port of Yokosuka in Tokyo Bay from the sea fog. Then two huge warships gradually sailed out of the morning mist. The British-style bridges and Victorian livery reveal the identity of the two ships. These two battleships were the new armored cruisers Asahi and Hatsugumo, which were tailor-made for the Japanese Navy by the British Armstrong Shipyard.

"I didn't expect that after 3 years, the Imperial Navy would have such a powerful warship again." Inoue said with some intoxication.

"Yes, these two ships are the most powerful ships the Imperial Navy has ever had, but if they were in place in 1894, they could help the Empire achieve victory and save the Empire. But now, I have to say, this class of battleships is behind the times. Akiyama Mayuki on the side said with a gloomy expression.

Inoue Ryoshin was also lonely when he heard it, because he knew that what Akiyama Mayuki said was the truth. Although these two battleships were the most powerful warships that the Japanese Navy had ever had, they were the product of a compromise between Britain and the Beiyang. Not only in terms of quantity and tonnage, but even in terms of weapons, strict restrictions were made, and in the face of the new armored cruisers of the Beiyang and Russians, the 8-inch main guns on the Japanese warships were weak! In other words, apart from concentrating the absolute superiority of the projection to sweep the deck, the Japanese Navy could not do anything to the Russian Navy at all. On the whole, the two new armored cruisers of the Japanese Navy are not much stronger than the armored cruisers of the Sea of Azov that the Russians are rotten about!

"This is something that cannot be helped, since the defeat of the Empire in 1895. The development of the navy has been seriously restricted, not only in terms of funds and personnel, but also under external pressure, and it is not easy to have these two warships today, which is still obtained after the Prime Minister and the British bargained for half a day. Inoue said quietly.

"But the gap between us and the Beiyang Fleet has reached an irreparable level, and dominating East Asia will probably always be a dream. Once Beiyang took charge of the whole country. I'm afraid that the dragon in the Far East is really going to wake up! In 1894, the savings of decades since the Meiji Restoration were exhausted with the efforts of just a few provinces. If the whole country awakens, it will reign in the Far East! Akiyama said.

"It's not something we can think about right now. The Far East was too far away for Japan before the Russians were driven out, and historically. Following the strong is not necessarily a way, just like the envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty back then, learning from the merits of the other party. Inoue Yoshishin pondered for a long time and said, he has vaguely realized that Japan has no chance to defeat the powerful country in the west, or that Japan has no chance in the first place, it is just the arrogant fantasy of some people.

"How can you say that? You are a vice admiral of the Japanese Navy, and you and I are shouldering the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the Japanese Navy! Akiyama said in surprise.

"Akiyama-kun, don't indulge in the arrogant babbling of some people, what is the result of trying to challenge the Japanese of the Central Empire? Toyota Hideyoshi folded North Korea. Didn't Hirofumi Ito, Saigo and others end up being scapegoats? How can Japan today challenge him again? On the basis or on the timing? None of us won while the dragon was at a loss. And now, Japan is on the verge of extinction, and he is about to be reborn. In this case, following the strong is not a solution. Inoue said sincerely. Well, don't say these nonsense words. Let's think about the coming war, what our navy must do. ”

"In fact, the Japanese Navy's operational plan is a passive plan, and it is difficult for us to carry out a certain task purely according to our own wishes, for the simple reason that in the overall situation, the Japanese Navy has no ability to inflict serious damage on the behemoth of the Russian Far East Fleet. Even if we had a chance to run into the Russian Navy's armored cruisers of the Sea of Azov, the greatest result would be to damage them, but not be able to sink them. Inoue said. …,

"And we still lack the ability to ensure the security of important ports, although the Beiyang Fleet is strong, but they will not divide their forces at will, the battleship formation in the Beiyang will definitely be used to deal with the Russian battleships in the port of Muroran, and it will also be accompanied by 2 or 3 armored cruisers, so that even with the addition of the foreign fleet, the Beiyang fleet can be used to cover the lines of communication at most 2, and this is still not enough for the vast sea area. Not to mention, nominally we are allies, but in reality Beiyang may not care about the life or death of the Japanese fleet. Akiyama Shinyuki's face became extremely ugly.

"You're right, if the Beiyang Fleet divides its forces again, I'm afraid that the Russian fleet cruising outside will not be able to form an absolute superiority, which is intolerable to Beiyang, so I feel that a certain proposal in Beiyang can still be considered" Inoue Yoshixin said instantly: "If the Beiyang Fleet uses Japanese ports as its forward base, then the Beiyang Naval Division must bear the responsibility of protecting the base, and we have obtained at least one safe base." ”

"And then? How can we better contain the Russian Navy's reinforcements in Hokkaido and elsewhere? Akiyama asked, although the brigade Inoue Yoshikate was very dissatisfied with his method, but it had no choice now.

"It depends on what the Russians do, if the Russians start to concentrate the main force of the fleet with the port of Muroran, then the strength of the broken fleet outside will not be very strong. We can move freely without fear of being attacked by a strong Russian fleet. But if the Russian fleet had left only three battleships and mines to defend the harbor, and had deployed a large number of armored cruisers in the Vladivostok or Karutsu Straits, the Japanese navy would have faced a rather dire situation. Inoue said.

"Yes, the Kamatsu Strait will definitely be blocked by the Russians with mines, so that the North Ocean will lose the most convenient access to the Sea of Japan, and the Russian fleet will be able to move freely between the Sea of Japan and the western Pacific. If the Russian fleet leaves 2 or 3 armored cruisers to cooperate with the main fleet, then the remaining 6 or so cruisers will be used to break up diplomatic relations and deal with us. Once the two sides fought, the combined fleet was not optimistic. Akiyama Shinyuki nodded and said. He still has a clear understanding of the situation.

"So for this situation, we have two options, the first option is to be conservative at the beginning of the war, and let the Russian fleet focus on the North Ocean. And then when the North Ocean and the Russian Far Eastern Fleets are entangled, we will act again. After finishing speaking, Inoue Ryoshin looked at Akiyama and said.

"This will not work, if we do not act, Beiyang can detain our ammunition and parts, so we must go to sea. And the people did not allow a fleet of millions of pounds to do nothing. Akiyama said with a sigh.

"In this case, there is only the second way, we cooperate with the Beiyang Fleet to act, as their reconnaissance force or support fleet, in short, in the face of those Russian armored cruisers equipped with 11-inch and 12-inch naval guns, we cannot fight them at the first time." Inoue Yoshishin said the second way. Looking at Mayuki Akiyama, whose face had turned iron-blue, Inoue Yoshishin couldn't help but sigh: "This fleet pins the hopes of the Japanese Navy, and we can't consume it in vain." What I value more than the so-called fame is survival and development. ”

"In that case, I'm afraid we will be indirectly under the command of the Beiyang Fleet." Akiyama Mayuki said frustratedly, but still acquiesced to Inoue's words.

"But it's not safe to do that." Inoue continued. "We need to requisition a group of camouflaged notification ships to search for enemy transports and fleets, and they will be our eyes and ears." …,

"This is not enough, we need to convert some of the ships with fast speed, good trial properties and long range into camouflaged assault ships. We have too few warships, and the tasks that can be accomplished with cheap assault ships do not need to put precious capital ships in danger. We should focus on destroying the Russian Far East Fleet together with the Beiyang Fleet, and if the Russian Far East Fleet is destroyed or blockaded, the Army will have the opportunity to make a down payment on the homeland of Honshu Island, or even cross the Kamatsu Strait to recover Hokkaido. Akiyama said.

"By the way, what if the Russian fleet abandons the attack on the Beiyang shipping line and concentrates its forces on the Japanese sea transportation line?" Mayuki Akiyama asked suddenly. This is definitely not alarmist, although the purpose of the Russians' operation this time is to clear the northeast of the country, but once it is found that it is impossible to do, Russia is likely to focus on the war against Japan, and if so, it is difficult to say whether Beiyang will do its best!

"In that case, we have no choice but to do our best to obey the destiny of heaven! In fact, the outcome of this war does not depend on Japan at all, but on the outcome of the tripartite game between Britain, Beiyang and Russia! Isn't it sad? Inoue said a little miserably.

"So you think that Japan has never been able to control its own destiny, even when the great power to the west is at its weakest, it still cannot defeat him? Until now, Japan's existence has depended on the charity of a certain powerful faction in that country? "Mayuki Akiyama is surprisingly calm.

"I don't want to admit it, but that's the way it is, and we can't ignore reality. It's not just me, it's some of the top brass who have realized it. Inoue said.

"In this case, we need to establish closer ties with the Beiyang side, and establish cooperative relations in many aspects such as communications, ports and supplies. We must use the navy of the Beiyang system to fight the Russians. Otherwise, it may be true that even if the Russians can't take advantage of the Northeast as you say, they can still wipe out all the elites that Japan has worked so hard to accumulate for several years. "Mayuki Akiyama finally accepted reality.

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