"Report to the chief, the formation of the Matsue is 37 nautical miles away from us, and now it has accelerated to 17 knots, and it is coming with all its might."

"Ordered the cruiser "Jingyue" to lead its subordinate detachment and cover the retreat of the logistics supply ships in the direction of the continental shelf, which is not a battle in which they can participate. ”

"Yes, sir."

"The course was adjusted to 11 degrees north-northwest and the speed was 14 knots, sailing in the formation of the "Songjiang", merging together as soon as possible, and preparing to deal with the bad situation. ”

"Yes, head 11 degrees north-northwest."

The enemy's aggressive attempt to occupy the waters near the entrance to the Pacific side of the Strait of Magellan in order to catch the fish that slipped through the net was already very obvious.

The enemy was too strong, and Major General Li Siyuan was ready to lead the formation to avoid the edge for the time being, and wait until he joined the "Songjiang" formation before making plans, so the speed of the formation was one section higher than that of the opponent, and he just didn't want to take a picture too early.

The rough sea

A powerful battleship can control the surrounding nearly 100 square kilometers of sea area, and the so-called blocking the entrance to the Strait of Magellan is only a general concept, which refers to the control of the surrounding nearly 10,000 square kilometers of sea area, which has a lot of room for maneuver.

Sitting in the command position of the commander of the battleship "Three Marinda" in the center, Rear Admiral Li Siyuan could clearly overlook all the surrounding situations, and about 10 kilometers to the left side of the battleship formation, there was a battlecruiser flying the British rice flag that was particularly conspicuous, as if the focus of the audience's attention, which made people very uncomfortable to watch.

The German and French cruisers that followed behind had a displacement of six or seven thousand tons, like two little heels.

This British battleship is almost twice the size of the "Three Marinda", which is the lead ship of the "Lion" class battlecruiser that Britain began to build in 1906 in the shipbuilding frenzy, the "Lion", with a displacement of up to 35,700 tons (the early model and the later model are quite different, and the situation is similar to the "Metropolis" class battleship, which is skipped here and will not be detailed), and the wealthy British built as many as 9 ships in one batch.

The ship is equipped with 42 boilers, 70,000 horsepower, and has a maximum speed of 26 knots, and the maximum speed has been 28 knots.

The main naval gun adopts the MKV type 13.5-inch 45-caliber main gun (343 mm), a total of 4 twin main turrets, and 12 single-mounted 6-inch caliber secondary guns (152 mm), which is the world's top technical level.

This is the most powerful first-class battlecruiser led by the former British Secretary of the Navy, Sir Fisher, during his tenure, and one of the signatures of the British Royal Navy.

The Ocean Empire's proud high-speed, heavily armoured, long-range artillery technology is a younger brother in front of the British Royal Navy, a battle cruiser that brings together the world's top technology today.

Why did the British send such a powerful battlecruiser to watch the battle?

Without it, one is the long voyage, and the other is to show force to the warring parties, like a lion looking around the territory, reminding the two rebels of the Ocean Empire and the United States;

Your uncle is your uncle, and you will still be your uncle in a few decades!

Okay, neither the Ocean Empire nor the United States have any intention of challenging the global hegemony of the British Royal Navy, and the dense anchorage of the native fleet in the British Pusmouth Bay makes people despair and fear at a glance.

That is, the reckless goods of the German Empire, which had an iron head, would "bang" into it, and as a result, it would be repaired so that it could not take care of itself......

"Report to the commander, the rear of the US Navy's Atlantic Fleet has increased to 15 knots and is catching up at high speed."

"Keep watching, report as you go."

"Yes, sir."

Rear Admiral Li Siyuan frowned, and he had a bad premonition in his heart that there were already US high-speed cruisers following the formation closely in the waters near the left, like hungry wolves peeking on the side, constantly sending relevant location information to the US fleet.

This situation

Major General Li Siyuan thought of a possibility, but it took time to confirm......

More than an hour later

In the evening, around 17:20.

The navigation staff officer reported that four battleships and one cruiser of the U.S. Great White Fleet were approaching in the left front, at a distance of 23.6 kilometers and 17 degrees northwest and west, and were swooping down at a high speed of 16.5 knots.

Sure enough, it was a well-planned hunt.

Li Siyuan knew in his heart that the situation of the navies of the enemy and us formed a picture in his mind, which was vivid;

If the US Great White Fleet does not change its course and the two sides head head-on, it will enter a range of 18 kilometers in 10 minutes.

In the dangerous situation of welcoming wolves at the front door and tigers entering the back door, the Royal Navy Expeditionary Strike Formation should immediately turn to evade.

The formation of ships is different from that of automobiles, which stops when you brake and accelerates when you click the accelerator, and the acceleration and deceleration of battleships of tens of thousands of tons require a process, which contains a crisis.

A large turn will inevitably undergo a process of drastic deceleration and then slow acceleration, and the Atlantic Fleet, which is in hot pursuit in the rear, may further close the distance and form a situation of heavy encirclement.

If it does not sharply turn to evade, then it will inevitably collide head-on with the US Great White Fleet and a fierce naval battle will break out.

Li Siyuan silently calculated the distance from the battleship formation of "Songjiang", and ordered in a deep voice; "Keeping the course and speed constant, the first level of combat readiness."

"Yes, level 1 combat readiness."

"It's 17:23, and in 5 minutes the left rudder 35-degree formation turns as a whole, and the starboard side meets the enemy, preparing for the tactical shelling of the "Manguyan". ”

"Yes, 5 minutes the left rudder turned 35 degrees, ready for the tactical shelling of the "Mangugu". ”

British battlecruiser "Lion".

The large command tower is a three-story suite, the outermost of which is the bridge station, combat command, fleet communications, nautical observation, and the captain's central command seat.

Behind it is a large chart room.

Now on the chart table is a large wooden board, covered with a snow-white tablecloth, and all kinds of delicate afternoon tea pastries and biscuits are placed, and around it, seven or eight officers sit in a circle along the bulkhead, leisurely enjoying English afternoon tea.

The highest rank was a British gentleman wearing the Royal Admiral's crown and scepter insignia, his general's uniform was straight without a trace of wrinkles, his leather shoes were shiny, his tall and thin body was gray, the combination of the English style of the hat and the hooked nose, coupled with the arrogant smile looming at the corner of his lips, the image of Rear Admiral Sherman with the title of Earl was in line with most people's imagination of the British, typical of the British aristocracy.

"The people of the United States have laid down an interesting game, making this one-sided and boring war finally a little interesting, and I am very much looking forward to their performance." Major General Sherman said reservedly.

"Your Excellency Lord, which side do you favor more?"

"There is no suspense in the comparison of strength, the only advantage of the foreign navy is an average speed of 22 knots, see if they can take advantage of this advantage to fight on the periphery, take advantage of the advantage and slip away." As a veteran admiral, Rear Admiral Sherman was obviously not optimistic about this battle, and he took a sip of coffee with an elegant demeanor, and continued;

"For a competent naval commander, never think of today's battle as the last battle, because there is still tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the sun will still rise.

Ship formations are a valuable asset of the country, and it is the greatest foolishness to make a hard bar knowing that it is invincible.

Naval commanders must learn how to deal with the enemy and judge the situation.

"Wise choice" is easy to say, but for those countries that do not have a naval base, it is always the wrong decision at the wrong time that buries the entire fleet.

The land power countries will never learn this, maybe it is their fate, right? ”

"Do you mean Tsarist Russia?"

"Unfortunately, while I don't want to embarrass my allies, it's true." Major General Sherman's words caused a chuckle.

Among the allies of the Anglo-French-Russian Entente, the British daily scolding France and stepping on Russia is a routine operation, and all kinds of dislike, all kinds of contempt, and the means of showing off their superiority are endless.

The quintessential joke in the UK is;

The president of the United States has a hundred security advisers, one of whom is a German agent, who exactly is being investigated.

The French general had a hundred lovers, one of whom had syphilis, and who exactly it was, is being investigated.

The Ministry of War of Tsarist Russia has a hundred military advisers, one of whom understands military affairs, and who exactly it is, is being investigated.

"Your Excellency, do you think the performance of the Mi Navy is up to par?"

"You have a good question, Mr. Colonel." Major General Sherman unhurriedly crossed Erlang's legs, just as he drank afternoon tea in his family's castle outside Manchester, graceful and calm.

But he suddenly grinned, and suddenly let all the aura disperse.

He said with a smile;

"I beg your pardon gentlemen;

I tried to restrain my emotions to make a more professional judgment, but unfortunately I couldn't hold back, sorry!

It must be admitted that President Roosevelt was a president who loved the Navy and fully supported its construction, and during his tenure he made outstanding contributions to building the world's third-largest naval power.

The reason why the word "superficial" is specifically mentioned is because the British did not interrupt the self-amusement of these Americans out of politeness, which now seems to be a mistake.

Dreams are meant to wake up after all, the difference is whether you sleep until you wake up naturally, or if you are kicked off the bed by someone......"

Speaking of which

Major General Sherman laughed irrepressibly, and all the British officers around him burst into laughter, and they all poked at this laugh.

"Hehehe...

On the question of whether the United States Navy is qualified, objectively speaking, they have indeed done a good job, showing the profound heritage of the industrial country, and the warships they have built are also remarkable, which is not without people's eyes.

But that's about it, there's still a long way to go to grow into a full-fledged global navy.

In my opinion

In today's world, only Britain, France, and the Ocean Empire can be called global navies, and the German High Seas Fleet and Fuso Fleet can only be called regional navies.

米国人...... Well, aside, they kicked the iron plate this time. ”

"Your Excellency Lord is right, the performance of the foreign navy and Fuso is impressive, both are known for their strong discipline, excellent training, and excellent artillery fighting skills, and of the two, the foreign navy is superior."

"After observing the Battle of Hawaii, Lord Roth of the North American Fleet praised the precision gunnery of the foreign navy, and thought that it had basically reached the level of the Royal Navy's artillery bombardment, which I think is an authoritative statement."

"That's right, that's a recognized assessment, and thankfully, they're all allies and close associates of ours."

"Hahaha...... Don't forget, they are also students of the British Royal Navy, and this includes the United States. ”

"Oh...... It seems that the two students in the Western Pacific are much better than this idiot in the Eastern Pacific, to be honest, the people of the United States have no advantages except for sending each other records, maybe he dozed off in class, right? ”

"Don't be so mean Harry, these black-nailed Cowboys have 1/10 of the Anclus-Saxon blood, and the Pirates of the Caribbean have these guys, although they are insignificant."

"God, when it comes to blood, these American cowboys are simply a model of moral degradation, and there are too many inferior peoples of Central and Southern Europe mixed in the bloodline, can you believe it? There are blacks and French, oh...... By the way, and the Italians. Sorry gentlemen, I don't admit that they have 1/10 Anglo-Saxon ancestry. ”

Although the word "mongrel" is not uttered, it is extremely insulting.

As soon as this statement came out

The British officers, who had always been reserved, all cracked their mouths and laughed wildly, and an invisible sense of superiority permeated the cabin, which made these British officers very comfortable.

"Oh, the ...... The naval formations of the foreign countries have turned sharply, what are they doing here? ”

A cry of surprise interrupted the officers' laughter, and they stood up and looked out with a drastic expression......

I saw that the battleship "Sanmarinda" took the lead in turning, drawing a beautiful arc on the clear blue sea, and the battleship "Melbourne", the battleship "Qingdao", and the two heavy cruisers "White Tiger" and "Suzaku" behind him turned in turn, just like a five-toothed nail rake crossing the sea, leaving behind five snow-white tracks with almost equal arcs.

The 5 battleships steered with precision, angle, speed, attitude and power to control just right, as if measured with a ruler.

The officers on the British battlecruiser "Lion" are all experts, of course, they know the goods!

This operation alone won a full house, and they knew that it would take at least 30 years of hard work to have such a brilliant performance.

"Oh, sell ga...... Now I believe that these foreign naval officers are paranoid, otherwise it would not have been possible to explain all this. ”

"Seconded."

"Ditto."

What is the use of accurate and excellent ship maneuvering skills in naval warfare?

It can complete the formation change in less time than the opponent's fleet, seize the advantageous position, and play 1~2 rounds or even three more rounds of artillery bombardment.

The negative teaching material is the Tsarist Russian fleet in the Battle of Vladivostok, when the battle was about to change, the Tsarist fleet caused great chaos between its own fleet, and it was not adjusted for more than half an hour, and it was given to the other side precious fighters in vain.

The Combined Fleet of the Fuso Navy firmly grasped this opportunity and won an unprecedented victory.

It can tear open gaps in relative motion and create fighter planes, such as the classic "scissor kill" in the Hawaiian naval battle, which is steady and ruthless, causing great chaos in the US fleet.

To do this, accurate gunnery and excellent ship handling skills are indispensable.

Excellent ship handling skills are easy blades in naval warfare, while poor ship handling skills are like a herd of wild boars running around, and the difference between the two is unreasonable.

The British naval officers were all knowledgeable experts, and in addition to admiring, they observed the four huge battleships and a cruiser of the US Navy's Great White Fleet at the end of the line of sight, one after another floating on the sea, and the tall chimneys were billowing smoke, and they were rushing towards them at high speed......

The distance between the two sides has approached within 18 kilometers, and the "Three Marinda" warship formation has begun to mobilize the main turret when it turns, and after the formation of the "one" line, the turrets point to the starboard side in unison and begin to fine-tune aiming.

From a distance, this is a standard "T" prefix, but the distance between the two is a bit far, around 17.5 kilometers.

The international mainstream 40 times caliber 305 mm guns generally have a firing range between 14.5 and 15 kilometers, what the hell is 17.5 kilometers?

This...... Is it to be shelled at ultra-long ranges?

What a surprise!

The British officers spoke highly of the accurate gunnery of the Royal Navy of the Ocean Empire, but the movements of the "Three Marinda" ship formations still surprised them and was completely unexpected.

------Off topic------

This chapter is more than 4,400 words, and there is no charge for less than 1,000 words.

The dialogue between the British is not a word count, but a communication of the general prejudice of the British against Americans in the early 20th century, and sets the stage for the plausibility of the subsequent plot. In addition, it is also a hole to fill in the hole, about the Argentine government's discriminatory wool tax, Citi immediately entered the war to fill the hole of related conspiracy theories. I hereby explain and ask for monthly passes and recommended tickets, thank you friends for your support.

I would like to thank enthusiastic readers and friends for their generous rewards, I am a writer with Buddha nature on the street, rarely ask for a monthly pass, and never ask for a reward. But I am really grateful to the readers and friends who have enthusiastically supported me from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your companionship along the way, and thank you sincerely.

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