Endless sky.

An infinite stretch of the ocean.

If it weren't for the chromatic aberration and floating white clouds of distorted light between Rayleigh scattering and water refraction, the horizon connecting the two to the other side of the world would have been almost forgotten, and would have been engulfed by the grand "infinity".

In this blue sea and sky, there is a series of large and small emerald-like islands.

Solomon Islands. This jewel of the Southern Ocean makes every traveler who passes through this sea area express their heartfelt admiration, and are overwhelmed by the power that has shaped this fairyland. The elves, who have an almost paranoid pursuit of the beauty of nature, are even more deeply trapped in it, and even spend a lot of money to settle here.

Brunhill does not deny the partial validity of this statement, but she is more aware of the reasons why Alfheim values the area, building a large number of facilities, such as electronic surveillance and listening equipment, airstrips, military ports, dockyards, military barracks, submarine caves...... It's not for beautiful scenery.

The Solomon Islands deviates from the existing main commercial shipping routes and is located in a huge triangle with Charlemagne's colony. In wartime, the Defence Force's naval and air forces could easily cut off Charlemagne's mainland from overseas colonies and prevent Charlemagne from obtaining overseas resources.

Historically, it has been aviation warships and submarines that carry out such sabotage missions in the strategic planning of the Defense Forces, and in the near future, more "regular" forces will join the sequence of this combat system.

Looking out at the dock in the distance, Brunhill cast a complicated glance at the large surface ship that was taking shape, and for a moment a trance-like sensation swept through his body.

The Ship Design Committee of the Navy, the Wehrmacht Navy, is a nest of big-ship gunners, and the portraits of five monster warships with six 406mm guns and four twin 800mm guns can be seen everywhere. Other than that, it's all ridiculous heresy.

But just as an idealist must face reality, for big-ship and artillery fanatics and naval engineers, the Supreme Commander and the budget are a lingering nightmare. Li Lin's attitude has always been clear: What kind of fuss is there with 46 big roots for bombing wood ships? Those of you who like to speculate blindly about whether you have something or not, and who are counting on a miracle day and night, will all let me go to Africa to be a commander! The Air Force and Army, which are grabbing the budget together, have a clear-cut stand: The future war is our business, and the Navy has no chance to show its face. Just cut the submarine in half and make room for us to expand our army......

Compelled by the form, the engineers were forced to change their thinking, and while pondering, someone somehow copied an economics book and immediately got an inspiration from the first page – the apocalypse called "Diminishing Marginal Utility."

The so-called diminishing marginal utility refers to the fact that the utility of a unit of resource input to the output of a product is constantly decreasing in production, in short, the less money is spent on the same item. The higher the benefit per penny, and conversely, the more money spent, the lower the benefit per unit of money. For shipbuilding, the significance is that large ships may not be cost-effective.

After being inspired, the naval engineers suddenly discovered that there was still a lot to be done in the framework set by the Supreme Commander.

The Navy's current strategic policy is "a navy that carries out sabotage missions". But it wasn't always the case, as domestic demand increased and the colony deepened. Alfheim also had to maintain its own trade lanes and overseas colonies, which inevitably clashed with the maritime interests of other countries, in which submarines and air warships could not play a role. In addition, even if it is a pure sabotage fleet, it is difficult to guarantee that it will encounter an unarmed merchant fleet without an escort, and once it encounters an escort fleet. It is necessary to deal with the annoying sheepdogs before you can let go of the hunting of merchant ships like sheep.

Considering the above needs, the conclusion is clear. The Defence Force needed not only raid ships that could hunt merchant ships, but also "cruiser killers" who could kill frigates that escorted merchant ships and could defeat enemy cruiser groups in the battle for islands.

There is nothing wrong with the idea itself. But when the engineers implemented it, they still couldn't help but carry private goods. The first "cruiser killer", designed with the design code name "O-class large cruiser", its design indicators are: standard displacement of 31,652 tons, maximum speed of 33.5 knots, equipped with 6 380mm main guns (3 twin guns), 8 105mm anti-aircraft guns, 8 730 close defense guns, 20 20mm anti-aircraft guns, and 2 6 533mm torpedo launchers. Its armor belt is 190mm thick in the engine room and ammunition depot parts, and 100mm thick in the rest of the parts, which can withstand direct shelling from naval guns of caliber below 210mm.

According to the assumptions of the designers and the Naval Staff, the strategy for the use of large cruisers of the O-class should be the same as that of the enemy cruisers, which are the targets of their hunting: scattered over the vast sea, sailing alone, or forming small formations with light cruisers and destroyers, taking on the task of detachment and sentinel duty, protecting the country's sea transportation lines, and destroying enemy cruisers and privateers engaged in breaking engagements or escorting missions at sea.

It should be said that this kind of "faster than me is not as strong as me, stronger than me is not as fast as me" tactics and design ideas are in line with actual needs, with tall design indicators, O-class large cruisers crush a sail battleship can be said to be no suspense. However, it was precisely because of this performance index, or the 30,000-ton hull and 380mm main gun, that this design was shot by the Supreme Commander. The draft design was rejected with the phrase "380 Bombardment Wooden Ship? Is this the latest method of losing the pattern?" The draft design was dismissed, and its three-year construction cycle also made the Navy feel that it was too long, and if something happened during the period, the Navy would face the dilemma of having no ships available. As a result, the O-class large cruiser was stillborn.

Later, it tried the P-class pocket battleship project with a displacement of 23,700 tons, a maximum speed of 33 knots, and six 280mm guns, a displacement of 46,900 tons, a maximum speed of 34 knots, two three-pack 280mm main guns in the bow, a 197-meter-long flight deck on the upper deck, two electromagnetic catapults, 80 attack aircraft, and 90 MDS, with a displacement of 27,000 tons and a maximum speed of 34 knots. "Large Cruiser Plan B" with 3 3 305mm guns in pair...... and so on, but they were all forced to abandon because of one kind or another. In the end, Li Lin, who had lost patience with the Navy's ship design committee, personally gave instructions on the indicators for the new warships, and the turmoil came to an end.

With a full load displacement of 10,000 tons, a main gun caliber of 155mm, and a maximum speed of more than 30 knots - around the snail shell set by Li Lin, the engineers went into it to study how to do a good job in this dojo. Ultimately. The scheme codenamed "K-class cruiser" was released, and it was passed by the way. After the New Year, when the Solomon Base shipyard begins to cut the first steel plates, the future of the cruiser will be presented in the following form: the waterline is 182.22 meters long, the standard displacement is 9767 tons, it is equipped with five 3 155mm main guns, the broadside armor is 100mm thick, and the top speed is 32.5 knots. In order to fit five turrets into the hull, the K-class cruisers built bow turret groups in a zigzag pattern. That is, the No. 2 and No. 1 turrets are knapsack designs, with the muzzles pointing to the bow and the lower mounting position of the No. 3 turret pointing to the stern.

There is no doubt that this is the highest-performance large surface combat ship since the emergence of the navy in the world, and its firepower, speed, and protection are far ahead of foreign counterparts, and it can be competent in both sabotage and fleet engagement. On the basis of this type of ship, the ship design committee also proposed a displacement of 11000 tons. The maximum speed is 35.5 knots, and all four 210mm guns are installed in the bow. The "Reconnaissance Aviation Cruiser Program," which is equipped with four three-pack 533mm torpedo launchers and eight maritime reconnaissance aircraft, is still under consideration, and there is a high chance that it will be successful. As a sign of pride and in honor of the first class of large surface ships, the Defence Navy awarded the lead ship of this type a name of special significance - the Königsberg.

In the languages of humans and orcs today. "Königsberg" is already a dead word, and only a few words from ancient texts have been shed about one of the first cities built by the elves, the Elector Friedrich III in the halls of Königsberg Castle, who wore the crown on his head in the hall of Königsberg Castle and later crowned his wife. By this "coronation of Königsberg". The Kingdom of Gilmania began to enter the peak of its glory, and in this sense, "Königsberg" is one of the words that best evokes fond memories of the elves' past.

But from the moment the kingdom collapsed, the term was associated with "humiliation." Not to mention the ancient legends of the Holocaust, only about 10 buildings from the era of the Kingdom of Gilmania remain in the city now renamed Kaliningrad. Of the 34 temples of yesteryear, only 4 have survived, the old city gates are still sandwiched between the thick city walls, even the magic of the barbarian priests has not been able to destroy them, the old concert hall (Stadthall) is still there, and the old market district is now the central market of Kaliningrad. For the elves who died in the siege of the orc armies, there was not a single grave or monument to them. In the countryside around the city, about 300 towns and villages that used to be vibrant have long been completely abandoned, and the once "land of fish and rice" has completely disappeared into the dust of history.

Königsberg, the sentimental name of the loss of his homeland is almost self-evident to a warship. At present, that land has not become the subject of sovereign territorial disputes, and Alfheim will not sacrifice a weapon of mass murder "since ancient times" for some time to come. But Königsberg is undoubtedly a thorn stuck between elves and orcs, and sooner or later at some point in the future will stir up sensitive nerves on both sides and turn into a potential conflict.

Even later, there are now a handful of radicals in the country clamoring for the "reclaim of all the territory of the former kingdom", including Königsberg, Memel and other Bruzi regions controlled by the principality. If it were not for the consuls taking measures to prevent the spread of the poison, they were afraid that the efforts of the years would have been in vain, and the time that had been running so far would have been reversed to the miserable past.

Things must be carried out in order and step by step, and the rapid progress is not only ugly, but also easy to attract hatred. Charlemagne is a good specimen in this regard, and only a fool with a bad head would follow the path of a loser.

However, many people are deceived by the illusion of appearance, believing that Charlemagne is only in a little trouble, far from the point of exhaustion, but is trapped in various problems and is unable to move forward. The world situation will slowly ease up amid confrontation and stalemate, and the days of peace will continue for a long time.

It is not a problem to cure this "disease of peace", and soon Charlemagne will wake people up.

"The progress of the Royal Charlemagne Naval Mobile Force is even faster than we imagined, in addition to the four airship carriers Béarne, Xapeuy, Clemenceau, and St. Paul, which were completed at the end of last year, and recently joined the Pallewe and Charles, and they have been put into high-intensity training almost immediately after they were formed, which is really difficult for them. ”

"Are there six large air carriers? Whether it is an attack or air defense and self-defense will increase the chances of victory? ”

took the report in Li Lin's hand and flipped through it, Brunhill nodded slightly.

She refers to the special war games of Operation Scapa Bay held in the Royal Charlemagne Navy building three months ago, with Tourville himself as commander of the "Red Army" (mock Charlemagne) and First Fleet commander Vice Admiral Abraham Duqueina as commander of the "Blue Army" (mock Albion Army). The Red Army was discovered by reconnaissance units in the process of approaching the enemy's base, and although Tourville quickly sent an attack team to sink and damage more than 40% of the enemy's warships, the counterattack of the enemy also caused the Red Army's four large airboat carriers to sink three and severely damage one, and the mobile force was equivalent to the total annihilation.

At this time, the entry into service of the Palleway and the Charles alleviated Tourville's predicament: the air strike force and the mobile air defense force were strengthened, and the three Mistral-class ships with a top-heavy, slower speed and less carrying capacity - the Mistral, the Tonel and the Dixmed - did not have to risk a long journey, and could be diverted to attack the Normandy and Brittany areas. At this point, the last bit of opposition within Charlemagne's navy has also been eliminated, and from this point of view, without the addition of those two large carriers, whether the surprise attack on Scapa Bay can be carried out as scheduled will be questionable.

However, the Partleway and the Shire were joined three months ago, and if the formation and training of the carrier attack team had not begun until then, it would not have been able to catch up with the scheduled time for the start of the war in Kazuki. Therefore, as early as last year, the work of training flight teams and ground crews for its air corps was in full swing at the land bases.

It can be said that Charlemagne has prepared for the war that is about to begin, and his depth and detail are breathtaking, and from a tactical point of view, it is a perfect example.

"It's just a tactical process, and from a strategic point of view, this is a kick in the door to the abyss...... Now that they're all set, we're almost ready for the party. ”

"Are you going to leave for home?"

"That's right, everything that needs to be done is almost done, there is no need to continue to stay here, besides, during my absence, some guys rely on their cleverness and seem to have restless behavior......"

Gently lifting the bangs on the forehead - against the backdrop of outstanding appearance, such an ordinary movement is particularly beautiful.

"I am allowed to give advice, but I will not be allowed to resist, even if I am a doppelganger. ”

Faced with a relaxed tone that seemed to be playful, Brunhill didn't feel anything wrong, as if it was a matter of course. (To be continued......)