Intramuros Manila

It is a castle covering just over one square kilometer, and during the Spanish rule, it belonged to the Spanish governor and a group of nobles and dignitaries, and was strictly forbidden to non-whites.

This is very similar to the city of Mancheng in the northern continent.

In this castle, there are seven historic Catholic churches alone, and walking on the mottled and old stone pavements makes you feel like you wander the streets of Madrid, and the buildings are full of the imprints of the rings of time.

Today, it is a place for the emerging nobility and high society of the Ocean Empire.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Shangri-La has a palace here, which is a 16th-century Spanish-style building, which is not very large, but has a cave inside, and it is quite comfortable to live in.

In the study

The fragrance of coffee was wafting, and Li Siyuan looked handsome in a light Tang suit, discussing world affairs with two admirals who were also teachers and friends.

More than ten years together, formed a deep friendship.

"Jensen, if you decide, then I recommend you to serve in the Indian Ocean Fleet, this time there will be no three or five years to come back, you have to think about it."

"Thank you, Your Highness, there is no banquet in the world, and it has always been my dream to be the commander of the formation, and I have made up my mind."

"Well, to be honest, I'm really reluctant to let you go!" The corners of Li Siyuan's eyebrows showed a hint of melancholy.

Looking back

The first time I met Rear Admiral Jensen Adenauer was still an aspiring lieutenant admiral, 11 years have passed in a blink of an eye, Li Siyuan has walked from a teenager to a young man, experienced circumnavigation around the world, visited London and other major diplomatic missions, Rear Admiral Jensen Adenauer has always been by his side, and the two have condensed a deep friendship like a teacher and a friend.

It is impossible to go to the Indian Ocean Fleet for any battles, and there is nothing to show for it, there is the fleet of nursing homes.

Rear Admiral Jensen Adenauer went to serve as the captain of the ship formation, that is, to make up for the shortcomings of his resume, and his greatest task was probably to accompany the Russian expeditionary fleet from South Africa to the Arabian Sea.

Since the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War

The main force of the Tsarist Pacific Fleet has always been blocked in Port Arthur, and once it came out, it was violently beaten by the combined fleet of the Fuso State.

The ship's guns were removed to strengthen the Arthur fortress, and the fleet sailors were also strengthened to fight in the fortress batteries, and the remaining warships of the Pacific Fleet almost became a fleet, losing face.

Tsar Nicholas II was furious about this, and in June 1904, he finally decided to send reinforcements from the powerful Baltic Fleet, which was named the Second Pacific Fleet, after a long voyage of 30,000 kilometers to the Far East.

As is customary

When such a powerful foreign naval fleet passes through territorial waters, the host country will generally send ships to accompany it, which is both a warning and a demonstration of strength, which is the usual practice of the navies of various powers.

Li Siyuangui was the crown prince, and he was not able to arrange Rear Admiral Jensen-Adenauer to serve as a formation commander in the Pacific Fleet.

Why?

The Royal Navy is a place where seniority and merit are emphasized, and 20 years ago, a group of veterans who relied on seagull cruisers to beat the Royal Dutch Fleet were now in their prime, bombarding Nagasaki, deterring Tokyo Bay, and slaughtering the entire Fuso Combined Fleet in the Battle of Makiko.

Since then, it has been one of the world's naval powers

These fierce generals are now among the commodore and rear admirals, and the good ones are already lieutenant generals or higher positions, which are the golden age of 40~50 years old.

Compared to them, Major General Jensen Adenauer is a big cut behind.

Therefore, the elite and strong generals of the Pacific Fleet will be gathered, and the six main battleships must have at least the resume of the commander of the sub-fleet, and the commander of the competing ship formation must have at least the meritorious service of participating in the First East Indies naval battle.

Even the commander of the cruiser formation must have a good record, otherwise it will be difficult to convince the public.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's possession of the battleship "Sanmarinda" and the command of the ship formation were only exceptional.

There is only one prince in the Ocean Empire, and his status is extremely noble, which is a gap that others can't catch up.

If Rear Admiral Jensen Adenauer were the commander of the ship formation in the Pacific Fleet, he would definitely blow up the nest immediately, even if it was a cruiser formation or a destroyer formation, why?

The qualifications are too shallow, and he has no meritorious deeds, let alone the qualifications that have led the ship formation, and there are a lot of senior naval officers who are stronger than him, of course, it is difficult to convince the public.

Major General Jensen Adenauer was born into a famous family, and his father, Count Conrad Adenauer, was one of the leaders of the House of Lords and served as Chief of Staff of the Army for a long time, but so what?

Not to mention anything else, these senior officers of the Pacific Fleet are all nobles, only the difference between high and low titles, and the chief of staff of the army is not good in the Royal Navy, which did not prevent the admirals from lifting the prestige of the table.

"Brother Chengen, after I leave, Your Highness will only have you as an old man by his side, and there are fewer people who can discuss, please help me do more." Major General Jensen Adenauer's face was full of embarrassment.

Brigadier General Geng Chengen said with his hands in fists; "Brother Jensen, please rest assured, foolish brother can save it, and he must be cautious in his words and deeds."

"The naval battle between Japan and Russia is really a battle of fate, if it really fights, it must be a cannon fire, His Royal Highness is the body of ten thousand gold, the country is related, you must not personally wade into danger to watch the battle, I will not be here next year, please Your Highness consider the people, and you must not come to the front line of the battlefield." Major General Jensen-Adenauer stood up, threw himself to the ground, and exhorted earnestly in his words.

Li Siyuan's brows furrowed slightly, and then he said with a smile; "Jensen, you're too worried, no navy will send battleships to watch the battle, I may not be able to catch up with this excitement!"

"That's good, I'm afraid that His Highness can't help but take a look with his own eyes. The soldiers are in danger, and the swords and guns have no eyes......"

"You...... When did you become such a mother-in-law, this is not your character. Li Siyuan helped Major General Jensen-Adenauer up with both hands, took his hand to the map, and pointed to the map and said; Jensen, the large-scale arrival of the Russian Baltic Fleet, with a range of more than 30,000 kilometers, is unprecedented in terms of scale, and you are also a person who will witness this event that will be remembered in the annals of history, what do you think? ”

His question distorted Major General Jensen-Adenauer's thoughts, and he stood in front of the map with a frown, and after thinking about it, he said; "Tsarist Russia is not optimistic, Your Highness."

"I would like to hear from above."

Maj. Gen. Jensen Adenauer pointed his finger on the map;

"Your Highness, please see;

From the Baltic Sea through the Mediterranean, the Russian fleet traveled south along the coast of West Africa, and only German Southwest Africa (present-day Namibia) could provide repairs and supply ports along the way.

Continuing on to southern Africa, after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, which was the territory of the British, they would not be allowed to stay too long.

I will lead a formation of ships to wait here and sail with them until we reach the Arabian Sea.

The Russian fleet traveled along the coast of East Africa through the Strait of Mozambique and north to Dar es Salaam in German East Africa before there were decent ports to dock and replenish, each of which was a long voyage.

Leaving Dar es Salaam and continuing north into the Arabian Sea, the Eurasian line around the Indian subcontinent and across the Strait of Malacca to the French Indochina Peninsula would allow the Russian fleet to recuperate and resupply again.

Such a long voyage consisted of only three decent logistical supply ports, which meant that the Russian fleet had to overcome unimaginable difficulties, which was a severe test for the officers and men of the fleet than a long ordeal.

The ocean-going assault was unprecedented, and it was followed by a bloody battle at sea on an unprecedented scale, and with the combat effectiveness and command art displayed by the officers and men of the current Tsarist fleet, the prospects were not optimistic.

My opinion is to be cautious and bearish. ”

The ocean-going market is a huge test for any naval power, and it is difficult for the British navy, the most powerful navy in the world today, to allow the fleet to sail around the world on its own, and it needs the support of port bases all over the world.

Take the British-made Mikasa-class battleship as an example, with a displacement of 15,000 tons, a design coal loading of 960 tons, a normal coal loading of 1,200 tons, and a maximum of 1,490 tons.

Based on the calculation of 170 tons of coal per day when driving at 15 knots, the normal coal loading capacity is only enough for 7 days, and the maximum coal loading capacity cannot last 9 days.

In addition to carrying coal, there must be a lot of fresh water to keep the boiler running, so it was a huge challenge for the navies of the great powers in the early 20th century to sail around half the world, and Britain and France, as the world's oldest colonial powers, overcame this challenge with their port bases around the world.

Therefore, the real ocean-going navy in today's era is only Britain and France, and the others can only be called regional naval powers at best.

The same is true of Tsarist Russia, usually the Baltic Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet are operating at their own doorsteps, and the supply is very convenient, and this entire 30,000-kilometer voyage around most of the world is equivalent to releasing a satellite.

Li Siyuan cupped his hands together, held his chin with one hand and thought about it for a while, and said; "Jensen, intelligence from the Baltic Sea;

Tsarist Russia transferred 38 main battleships this time, including the third ship "Duke Suvorov" and the fourth ship "Eagle" of the "Borodino-class" battleships under construction, a total of 5 powerful battleships.

The two cutting-edge battleships are expected to be delivered in September this year, which means that there is another month of preparation time, and the earliest departure time for the Second Pacific Fleet will be sometime in October this year.

Overall

The naval strength of Tsarist Russia is three times that of Fuso, and the "Borodino-class" battleships are strong on paper, except that the firepower of rapid-fire guns is slightly inferior, and the gunpower of the main ship is even higher than that of the combined fleet of Fuso.

The decisive battle at sea relies on the big ships and huge guns.

In wargame deduction

The strength of the Fusang fleet and the Tsarist fleet is between the best, the key is that the commander in front of the enemy commands, any accident may lead to the defeat of a decisive battle related to the fortunes of the country, and the victory rate of the Fuso fleet is not high! ”