In the Arthur fortress, all the shore defense guns were pointed at the sea. Although, at this moment, the main forces of the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy have left the waters off Arthur, leaving only a few destroyers here to monitor. But the defenders of the fortress still did not dare to be careless.

"Your Highness, the main forces of the navy of little Japan have left. All 12 of their battleships have joined the encirclement and suppression of our broken fleet. General Cheng, I'm afraid they're going to be under a lot of pressure now. Admiral Sa Zhen said with some concern.

Only two battle cruisers were the main force of the Broken Friendship Fleet, and the other light cruisers and destroyers posed no threat to those battleships at all. Except, of course, lightning strikes. But how could a battleship, protected by many cruisers and destroyers, be struck by lightning so easily? On the other hand, the main guns of the battleships were enough to pose a mortal threat to the light cruisers and destroyers of the broken fleet. Even the old 40-caliber 305 number main gun can withstand the weak dealers of many light cruisers and destroyers.

Wu Haoxuan nodded: "Yes, the blow of the broken fleet to the Japanese sea transportation lines has made them unbearable. In this case, they can only change the battle plan and put the destruction of our broken fleet in the first place. ”

Originally, the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy was planned to destroy the Chinese Navy in the shortest possible time, but the Broken Fleet already posed a serious threat to Japan. If this threat is not addressed, Japan as a whole will pay an unimaginable price.

"In addition, although the British and French have relented a little, their fleets are still looking for our broken fleet in the East China Sea, and then sending a message to the Japanese. On several occasions, our fleet was almost ambushed by the Japanese. Admiral Sa Zhenbing said. Although, the Chinese Navy's broken fleet is much faster than the Japanese Navy. But. The Japanese Combined Fleet had an absolute superiority in the number of warships, making it easy for them to set up ambushes and ambush the Imperial Navy's broken fleet. Now, the situation of the broken fleet is not very good.

At present, there are two choices before the Broken Diplomatic Relations Fleet, one is to continue to carry out the operation of breaking diplomatic relations. Since the main forces of the Japanese navy are concentrated in the East China Sea, the detachment will go to other seas, and it can also launch a strike at the Japanese sea transportation lines. However, if we do so, I am afraid that the war will be further prolonged, and even the Japanese, who have suffered heavy losses, will be embarrassed and angry, and will directly attack the coast of China. This is a bit more than worth the loss. Another option is to return to the fortress of Arthur and carry out the second step of the battle plan.

After a moment's hesitation. Wu Haoxuan finally made up his mind: "Order the broken fleet to return to the military port, now it's time to close the net." ”

Admiral Sa Zhenbing nodded: "Indeed, now the Japanese Navy has been completely held by our nose. As long as the broken fleet returned to Arthur, the main forces of the combined fleet of the Japanese would definitely follow. The strategy we will prepare in the future can also be implemented. ”

"Are the submarine forces and the lightning strike formations ready?" Wu Haoxuan asked. The 12 'Squid-class' submarines of the submarine force, as well as the 12 'A-class' destroyers of the lightning strike formation, will be the first wave of forces to strike at the main force of the Japanese Navy. Wu Haoxuan also hoped that in this way, the main force of the Japanese Navy's combined fleet could be severely damaged, and then a favorable opportunity would be created for the decisive battle of the fleets of the two sides.

"Your Highness. Both the submarine forces and the lightning strike formations have long been ready to go to sea for combat at any time. Admiral Sa Zhenbing said.

"That's good. Ordered the broken fleet to return, prepare to close the net, and fought a decisive battle with Little Japan. Wu Haoxuan said.

"Yes, Your Highness." Admiral Sa Zhen nodded, his expression becoming agitated. Soon, the Imperial Navy and the Japanese Navy will have a final showdown. Whether the Imperial Navy can avenge the deaths in the First Sino-Japanese Naval Battle this time depends on this blow.

In the name of the commander of the Imperial Navy's fleet, Admiral Sa Zhen sent a telegram to the Broken Fleet, asking them to follow the predetermined plan. It's time to return home and prepare for the final battle with the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy.

At the same time, the Japanese had long been overwhelmed by the Chinese Navy's broken fleet. A large number of merchant ships and transport ships were sunk by the broken fleet, which greatly affected the economy and people's livelihood in Japan. The inability to bring back resources from overseas has greatly affected Japan's industry, and it has almost come to a standstill. The products produced could not be shipped, and there was a huge backlog of products in the warehouses, and the factories in Japan were miserable. It is foreseeable that a large number of factories will go bankrupt in the future. Even after the end of the war, the damage caused to Japan by the war is still difficult to estimate. More importantly, a large number of transport ships and merchant ships transporting grain were either sunk or did not dare to return home, which caused a huge gap in Japan's domestic food supply. The rising price of food has made life even more difficult for ordinary Japanese. This also makes these Japanese people have more complaints about the government.

The Emperor of Japan, having issued an edict to go to war against the Chinese Empire, has been waiting for news of victory. But this time, the Japanese Navy did not defeat the Chinese Navy as easily as it did in the First Sino-Japanese War. On the contrary, Japan's sea transportation lines were attacked by the Chinese Navy's broken fleet, and the losses were heavy, making the whole of Japan miserable. As a result, Emperor Meiji could not sit still either, and summoned Prime Minister Saionji Konobu and Navy Minister Minoru Saito, and Navy Commander Togo Heihachiro.

Emperor Meiji's face is now getting paler and paler, and he looks like his life is imminent. The Minister of the Interior, Hara Kei, was waiting on the side.

"Gentlemen, when will the navy be able to win the victory over the navy of China?" Emperor Meiji asked straight to the point. For Japan, the navy is undoubtedly the most important, and it is an important guarantee for ensuring their national security. Only if the navy wins, will they be able to free themselves and continue the attack on other fronts. If the navy fails, then no matter how strong the army is. But if the logistical supply is cut off, it will be difficult to support it alone.

"Your Majesty, the Navy is now doing its best to hunt down the Chinese Broken Fleet. The main forces of the Combined Fleet have been dispatched, and the British allies have provided us with intelligence support. Presumably, soon, he will be able to wipe out the broken fleet of the Shina people. Admiral Minoru Saito said.

The three commanders of the Japanese Navy absolutely did not expect that this naval battle would be so difficult. Originally, they thought that with the strength of the Japanese Navy, they could easily defeat the Chinese Navy.

"Why is the war fought like this? The strength of the Imperial Navy is enough to rank among the top in the world. Will it be so difficult to deal with a Chinese navy that has already broken its backbone? Emperor Meiji frowned, very puzzled.

"Your Majesty, our naval strength is indeed stronger than that of the Chinese navy. The number of capital ships of our Navy alone is much larger than that of the China Navy. However, the warships of the China Navy are all the latest cutting-edge warships with excellent performance. The warships of the Imperial Navy are all old ships that have been in service for a long time. Even the 'Katori-class' battleships are old ships that have been in service for five or six years. In addition, judging by the design performance, the warships of the China people are much ahead of ours. Our capital ship can only be regarded as a former dreadnought now, and the battleship of the Shina people is a new type of dreadnought. Heihachiro Togo, the head of the military command department, said.

"Will the gap be that big?" Emperor Meiji was a little incredulous.

"Your Majesty, the dreadnought has greatly improved its performance compared to the previous dreadnought. It can be said that the former dreadnoughts are simply not a few opponents of dreadnoughts. At present, Western countries are desperately building dreadnoughts, and if the Japanese Empire wants to continue to maintain our naval superiority, it must also build more dreadnoughts. The 'Hanoi-class' battleships, which are now under construction, are quasi-dreadnoughts. The Navy plans to build real dreadnoughts of the next rank. We don't have enough money, though. Minoru Saito took the opportunity to cry poor.

Emperor Meiji looked at Prime Minister Saionji Kotochi.

"Your Majesty, the Empire's finances are under great pressure right now. However, if we can defeat the Shina this time, we will be able to obtain a large amount of war reparations from the Shina. At that time, a part of these war reparations can be allocated to the navy for the construction of dreadnoughts. Xiyuan Temple Gongwang said. His meaning was very clear: if the navy wanted to build new warships, then it would have to rely on them to win the battle first. If you win the war, you can plunder a lot of wealth from China, and the navy will not be able to build new warships at all. If you lose, then there will be nothing left.

Emperor Meiji nodded, and obtaining war reparations from China was indeed the best way to develop. Wasn't it because Japan defeated the Manchus in the First Sino-Japanese War and received a war indemnity of 230 million taels of silver? When converted into pounds, that was almost 60 million pounds, or 1.2 billion yen, which was six times Japan's fiscal revenue at the time.

"Saito-kun, Togo-kun, try to defeat the Shina people. As long as we defeat the Shina people, we will be able to receive a large amount of war reparations, and we will be able to have everything we want. Emperor Meiji said solemnly. Such thinking is undoubtedly bandit thinking. However, almost all of Japan, from Emperor Meiji to ordinary people, has formed such a mindset.

"Hey!" Minoru Saito and Heihachiro Togo nodded their heads one after another. (To be continued.) )

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