Yang Yonglin doesn't like to be disturbed by others when he thinks about problems, but now Yang Yonglin finds that he has fallen into a dead end. So Yang Yonglin opened the door and walked out.

"We re-inspected the captured battleship, and this battleship, or auxiliary cruiser, was well suited to the battle as a high-speed protective cruiser. The entire battleship has basically been refitted, and it only needs to add some protection in some key parts, and at the same time it is equipped with enough crew, then it is a very good ship. The crew is not a problem, we have sunk a cruiser, and we can send these people to this ship. As for the rest of the stoker or something, you can find it in the port of San Diego. Jericho said.

"I need some specific plans now, such as how the battleship should be changed, and what level can be achieved after improvement?" Yang Yonglin said calmly.

"The protection of the power compartment and ammunition compartment is enough, there is an outer layer of 3-inch armor plates and a coal bunker in the middle, plus the internal flat armor, which can basically resist the attack of artillery below 6 inches The power compartment can also ensure that 8-inch guns are placed at a long distance or at a certain angle to enter the ammunition depot. In addition, the protection of the helm compartment needs to be strengthened. If we could, we would like to cover as large an area as possible with a layer of 2 to 3-inch armor plates, although it will not protect against armor-piercing shells, but the American high-explosive shells, like ours, are very sensitive to picric acid charges, so that the explosion can be limited to the hull. and reduce damage to the hull. Scheer said.

"We also have new rangefinders, firing bells and some other equipment that have just arrived, and if we have time to install them on these ships, then it will definitely improve the combat effectiveness of these ships." Jericho continued.

"But how to solve the problem of artillery? The ships are full of American guns, and the shells and medicine kits are not common to ours, and the battleship without shells is just a disposable, so it is impossible to dismantle the original guns on this battleship first, and then reinstall the original guns that have traveled thousands of miles to this auxiliary warship, right? And time doesn't allow either. Yang Yonglin didn't have much hope for this captured battleship.

"General Yang. Don't forget, this is a transport ship, and it carries a lot of supplies on it. This includes a large number of shells, and our requirements are not high, at most it is a battle. After the First World War, I'm afraid the number of winners and losers will be revealed. Either we ended up organizing the expansion of the Americans, or the fleet was no longer able to save Cuba, and we should think about evacuating, so in either case, the battleship was just a disposable. Scheer sighed and said, he was already aware of the difficulty of the situation. The war cannot be dragged on for a long time, and the fighting must be ended as soon as possible, otherwise. From an economic point of view alone, the Spanish labor expedition will inevitably bring down Spain, which is not strong in the first place!

"IMHO, even if the Americans do not look for us for a decisive battle, we need to take the initiative, after this time the battleship has been replenished and repaired. It will have to fight a decisive battle with the American fleet, and I am afraid that it will be difficult for Spain to provide a full range of supplies for the fleet again, to transport a large amount of supplies from Europe here, and then to supply the entire fleet, which is already close to the limit of Spain, at most one more. If we are unable to inflict heavy damage on the American fleet in two major wars, then Spain will have to consider another way to end the war. At that point, we may be undefeated and defeated. A Spanish officer said.

"It's not so pessimistic, General Seveira's fleet has almost no losses, as long as it is simple maintenance and replenishment of consumed supplies, so we can at least fight with all our might." Siperel was more optimistic, as several engagements had proven the quality superiority of his fleet. …,

"It's definitely going to be a fight, but what about after this one? As long as the American battlefleet was not seriously damaged, the whole situation would gradually deteriorate, regardless of the situation of our fleet. Unless we can inflict heavy losses on our opponents in this battle. But in the face of a large number of combat ships of the opposing side, this chance is slim! Jericho said after a moment of silence.

"The best weapon to sink a battleship is torpedoes, but our torpedo boats are not suitable for ocean-going operations, and are extremely vulnerable to the attack of a large number of cruisers, and once we run out of these consumables, it will be too difficult for us to win with naval guns alone, unless the Americans are dizzy, and after a decisive battle, they will fight again with us when the escort battleships cannot be replenished." Cippel pouted and said with some.

"Yes, if the U.S. Navy is forced to engage in a decisive battle with the Spanish fleet in a situation where it is not well prepared, then the tide of the war could change radically." Yang Yonglin muttered to himself. "Guys go back first, I have some things to take care of." Suddenly figured out something, Yang Yonglin dismissed everyone and returned to the cabin by himself.

If the war situation is transparent, then naturally, no matter how the Spanish side calculates, the Americans can win as long as they hold their breath, but what if the Americans misestimate the economic and national strength of Spain? What if at this time some news makes the Americans feel that it is not beneficial, or even more dangerous, to drag it out? In that case, the U.S. Navy would have to choose to end the war as soon as possible, and in this way, the Spanish Navy would have a chance.

As for what kind of information will make the US government feel such a sense of crisis? There are only two kinds, one is that foreign countries may want to intervene, but this probability is too small, and the European powers will at most only take sides of the two sides in the Spanish-American War, and will not make excessive military performance, after all, the European powers will not completely fight the United States for the islands in the Caribbean Sea. Then another sense of crisis comes from the strengthening of the Spanish fleet! Yang Yonglin knew very well that the plan to reorganize the navy that began as early as 1900 had already made the Spanish government a little unbearable, and the current war attrition has made this already declining frontier power feel powerless. Therefore, Yang Yonglin understands very well that it is no longer possible to buy new warships!

But all this Americans may not know about it, and the rumors of buying new ships, or even starting negotiations, do not mean that Spain will really put real money in the hands of a certain country! What Yang Yonglin wants is this news, and the pressure on the Americans after this news spreads! In the art of war, the truth is false, and the virtual is real. Get the most out of the virtual and the real, so that the other party can make strategic miscalculations, which can lead to mistakes!

And what does the US Navy need to do after getting this news? It is estimated that Roosevelt, who was already a little worried, could not wait for the Navy to completely destroy the Spanish fleet in the shortest possible time, right? And what is the definition of total annihilation? If not all of them were destroyed and sunk, then the remaining Spanish warships were completely expelled from the Caribbean, and what was the best way to drive them out? That was to destroy Santiago, the only foothold of the Spanish fleet! And this brings an opportunity to Yang Yonglin!

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