Admiralty Building, London, England. Sir John Jericho, Lord of the Admiralty, was preparing to have afternoon tea to relieve the fatigue of his morning's work. But at this time, his secretary walked in anxiously.

"Your Excellency, an urgent telegram from the Far East." The secretary said.

"Urgent telegrams from the Far East?" John Jericho was stunned for a moment, and immediately grabbed the telegram and flipped through it. Now, the main force of the Royal Navy is in the Far East. This is a matter of British supremacy. The Royal Navy could not afford to have a problem. Therefore, Sir John Jerichow was very concerned about the Royal Navy and the news coming from the Far East.

The contents of the telegram were sent from the British Embassy in China, and the military attaché at the embassy claimed that the latest information they had received was that the main force of the Chinese Navy's Pacific Fleet had left the military port and was not clear.

"Damn, what happened yesterday afternoon, why did you only report it today." Sir John Jerichow was dissatisfied.

Now, he can't care about going to afternoon tea anymore. Grabbing the telegram, he got into the car and went to the Prime Minister's Office to report the incident to Prime Minister David Lloyd George. In normal times, this is nothing more than a trivial matter. But now, that's a big deal. What if the main forces of the Chinese Navy are rushing for the main forces of the Royal Navy? That's a problem.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the main force of the Pacific Fleet of the Chinese Navy has disappeared, and according to our speculation, it is likely to go south." Sir John Jericho said.

David Lloyd George couldn't help frowning: "Do you mean that those yellow-skinned monkeys actually had the audacity to go to the main force of the Royal Navy?" Do they think they can deal with the main forces of the Royal Navy? ”

"Your Excellency, the strength of the Chinese Navy is not weak. In addition, the Royal Navy rushed thousands of miles to the Far East. The Chinese, on the other hand, wait for work. So, if it's really going to war. The Royal Navy will not necessarily win. Sir John Jericho said truthfully.

"So, what do you mean?" David Lloyd George asked. Obviously, he also realized the importance of the matter. If the main fleet of the Royal Navy had something to do with three lengths and two shortcomings, then the British Empire would probably have to step back from the throne of world hegemony ahead of schedule.

"If you can, it's better to order the fleet to return." Sir John Jericho said.

"Return? No, it's not telling the world. Is the British Empire afraid of the Chinese? In that case, where will we put our faces? The Royal Navy of the British Empire has always regarded the world's seas as its own territory, and the seas of the Far East are no different! David Lloyd George shook his head and rejected Sir John Jericho's suggestion. Even so, this advice may be the most correct.

Sometimes, the face of the country is very important. Especially for an old power like the British Empire, the honor of the country is very important. The whole world knew that the main forces of the Royal Navy of the British Empire were going to the Far East to demonstrate to the Imperial Chinese Navy. If you return halfway. The British Empire is probably considered to be afraid of the Chinese Empire, and thus become the laughing stock of the whole world.

"Your Excellency, the safety of the Royal Navy is very important, and we cannot joke about that." Sir John Jericho emphasised.

"Sir Jericho, perhaps, the Chinese have no intention of going to war with us? The departure of the main force of their Pacific Fleet does not prove that they are headed for the Royal Navy. The Chinese are not fools, they know the strength of the Royal Navy. They want to win at a small cost, which is almost impossible. So. As long as the Chinese are not stupid, they will not go to war directly with us. After all, a war between our two countries did not benefit them at all, but allowed the Americans on the other side of the ocean to pick up a big bargain. Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour said.

David Lloyd George nodded repeatedly: "That's right, the Foreign Secretary's analysis makes sense. Chinese are not fools. There will be no war with us at this juncture. Not only are we their opponents, but the Americans are also their opponents. ”

John Jellicoe nodded, "Well, maybe I'm too worried. But we have to be prepared. Otherwise, the main force of the Royal Navy will miss something. You can imagine the consequences. ”

"Let the Royal Navy be vigilant, and at the same time, avoid conflict with the Chinese Empire as much as possible." David Lloyd George said. The Chinese Empire demonstrated its formidable strength through the war against Soviet Russia. After careful consideration, the British Empire decided not to provoke the Chinese Empire. Anyway, Xiangjiang originally belonged to the Chinese Empire, and he had promised to return Xiangjiang to them before. The British Empire did not suffer except for a little bad face. Therefore, David Lloyd George also advocated not further exacerbating the conflict.

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister, I will send a telegram to Admiral Louis Mountbatten." Sir John Jericho said.

"Besides, let's have the Japanese navy's fleet go out of the harbor as well. The two sides can meet in the Bass Strait. In this case, it can be regarded as a response. Arthur Balfour suggested.

Japan was an ally of the British, and the addition of the four Kii-class battleships and the Hiei battlecruiser would make their navy even stronger. The Chinese Empire may not really dare to come to them for trouble.

"That's a good idea." David Lloyd George agreed.

When the Pacific Fleet of the Chinese Navy left Hong Kong, the British were all in a rage, and the main force of the royal navy was even more frightened and almost returned. This was undoubtedly a disgrace for the British Empire. It can also be seen from this that the current British Empire is no longer the powerful world hegemon it was at the beginning.

At the time of Sir John Jericho's telegram to Singapore, the main force of the Royal Navy was preparing to leave Singapore. According to the plan, after leaving Singapore, the fleet will enter the South China Sea, then enter the western Pacific Ocean through the Bass Strait, and arrive in Japan along the Okinawa Islands for an official visit to Japan.

However, as the fleet was about to leave, an urgent telegram arrived from the Governor's House in the Straits Settlements. When Admiral Louis Mountbatten read the telegram, the smile on his face disappeared cleanly, replaced by a serious face.

"Your Excellency, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? The Chief of Staff of the Fleet asked.

Louis Mountbatten shook his head: "The main force of the Chinese Pacific Fleet has left port, and its whereabouts are unknown. The Admiralty asked us to be vigilant and avoid being ambushed by the Chinese. In addition, they have informed the Japanese Navy that they have rushed to the Bass Strait to join us. ”

"Oh God! Do the Chinese really want to go to war with us? Could it be that they think they are going to eat us? The Chief of Staff of the Fleet looked angry.

"The Chinese should not be so arrogant. After all, they are not sure of victory. Louis Mountbatten shook his head.

"Order the fleet, raise the alert from now on. A reconnaissance formation of light cruisers and destroyers advanced twenty nautical miles in front of the fleet. If you notice anything unusual, report it immediately. In addition, all the main guns were stripped of their armor and the shells were loaded, preparing for the worst. Admiral Louis Mountbatten ordered.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander." The Chief of Staff of the Fleet nodded. It's always good to be prepared and prepared. If the Chinese really dared to defy the world's condemnation, the British Navy would not be caught off guard.

After leaving Singapore, the British Royal Navy stepped up its intelligence reconnaissance of nearby waters to avoid falling into the trap of the Chinese Navy. At the same time, the speed of the fleet slowed down. The Japanese navy had made a voyage farther than them in the Bass Strait, and if it had been too fast, it would have missed the rendezvous time.

As soon as the British Navy left Singapore, the destroyers of the Imperial Navy's South Sea Fleet followed, reporting to the command a steady stream of British naval positions and other information. The appearance of the British Navy as if it were facing a great enemy made the officers and men of the Imperial Navy very happy. Clearly, they were treating the philosophical Britons as clowns.

"Your Excellency Commander, the Chinese destroyers have been following us, do you want to expel them." The Chief of Staff of the Fleet asked.

"This is the sphere of influence of the Chinese, and if we expel them, I am afraid it will cause conflict." Forget it. Anyway, they're just spying on us, and they don't pose much of a threat to us. Admiral Louis Mountbatten shook his head.

Admiral Louis Mountbatten was a very cautious man, or Sir John Jericho would not have strongly nominated him for the post of commander of the fleet. There is undoubtedly nothing wrong with being so cautious.

The reaction of the British also reached the battleship Fuxi, the flagship of the Pacific Fleet of the Imperial Navy.

"It seems that the British have become suspicious because they know that we have left Hong Kong. Now that their speed has slowed down, let's stop waiting for them in the Bass Strait. Let's go straight to the South China Sea. Marshal Cheng Biguang, commander of the Pacific Fleet, ordered.

"Yes, Marshal." Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Liu Guanxiong, nodded.

"Let the South Sea Fleet send destroyers and light cruisers to keep an eye on the British, but you can't let them go. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let them go. Marshal Cheng Biguang advised.

"Marshal, don't worry, there shouldn't be anything wrong with the Nanyang Fleet." Liu Guanxiong said with a smile. (To be continued.) )

PS: The thirty-seventh is here, ask for a monthly pass and a reward!