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Text Chapter 573: Chasing and taking advantage of others

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    Strait of Malacca, off the coast of Riau Province, Sumatra Island.

    The light cruiser Colombo has removed its awning and raised five 152mm gun barrels.  On the deck, Major Jennings raised his telescope and locked on the Chinese Navy's ocean-going hydrographic survey ship Nanhai anchored in the middle of the strait near Sumatra Island.  In the past, it would not be a big deal even if a naval hydrographic survey ship passed a fleet, let alone a naval hydrographic survey ship. But now he looked at the Nanhai and stamped his feet: "Damn it! Is this the Yangtze River? You actually came here."  Teson! Send a signal. This is an international shipping waterway. You have been parked here for too long and must leave as soon as possible!"

    The Royal Navy, which has been operating across the seven seas for many years, knows very well what a marine hydrographic survey ship is!  To put it simply, it means surveying hydrology and spying on waterways, but it would be nice if it were that simple.  In fact, when performing tasks in some sea areas where disputes are not wanted, oceanographic survey ships are the vanguard of the navy.  The British Empire was able to traverse the world's oceans because of its huge maritime survey fleet.  But what drove him and the British sailors crazy was that the Nanhai research ship ordered from the United States was obviously a giant, with a standard displacement of 5,700 tons and a full load of 7,000 tons. It looked like a steel hill from a distance.  On the rear deck it looked at, there were all kinds of motorboats and seaplanes, and there were two 76mm self-defense naval guns in front

    The waving flags were like a mud cow entering the sea, and the Nanhai was obviously unwilling to leave.

    Because there is a newly discovered giant oil field on the beach not far to the starboard side, and the gas dispersing pipes next to the drilling well are still spitting fire outwards.  The roaring flames were tens of meters long, which showed how strong the gas pressure was in the oil field.  under current technical conditions.  Measuring gas flow is the most important method for calculating oil field reserves. The more intense the flames, the more excited the survey team members will be.  Judging from the eruption data for half a month, its reserves may be more than the 600 million tons originally predicted!  It is likely to reach 700 million or more!

    No matter where it is placed, this is a strategic discovery!  Nowadays, the amount of oil used in the country is increasing, and domestic oil fields are all in remote areas of the northwest. Not only are transportation difficult, but they also rely too much on railways, so everyone knew what they had found after the discovery.  In the simple wooden house, Ma Kui was also secretly nervous.  Because this survey was of great importance, he never left the survey team from the beginning to the end. To ensure safety, many veterans from the Marine Corps and National Guard were recruited to take off their military uniforms and disguise themselves as staff, plus locally hired  More than three hundred Chinese workers.  It's impossible not to attract attention.

    "Look? The British cruiser is signaling again, asking the Nanhai to leave." Weng Wenhao pointed to the sea with an anxious look on his face: "The muzzles of the guns are turned around. It seems that there is really trouble."

    "The Dutch soldiers have moved too!" someone shouted from the side.

    Everyone turned to look, and in the distance there were police whistles coming from among the more than 100 Dutch soldiers who had arrived a few days ago. It was obvious that after seeing the flag of the British cruiser on the sea, they were also preparing to forcibly expel them.

    "We can't leave! Such a large oil field is considered a national strategic level in the world!" In the crowd, Li Zhongkui, currently a geology professor at Nanjing Central University, stood up.  He was also the technical expert of this survey team, and he was the one who located the last oil well when the black oil erupted.  He had a premonition that the oil field might be very large, and he was the first Chinese scholar to believe that the oil field reserves might far exceed expectations.  Moreover, he also believed that there should be new oil fields around the purchased land, so he firmly disagreed with the retreat. On the contrary, he suggested that oil exploration should continue in the surrounding areas.

    ? said: "If we leave, our country will lose the opportunity to rise! If we don't leave, not only should we not leave, but we should continue to explore for oil in the surrounding areas. Since we have sold all this land, we have the right to explore for mineral deposits and oil here!"

    "The navy must have been sent from China! We are now the center of the national game, so we would rather die than leave!"

    When Weng Wenhao and Li Zhongkui said this, everyone said they would never leave. Even the Chinese workers who had lived and ate with the survey team for more than half a year expressed their refusal to leave.  "Damn it! The Dutch have been bullying us Chinese for hundreds of years! I think Lan Fang was killed by them inciting the natives back then! Anyway, Liang Zi has already been married, why not kill the few He Lan soldiers over there first?  !¡±

    Ma Kui became even more anxious after hearing everyone's words.  He was not afraid of the Dutch, but worried about the sea. You must know that this place is hundreds of kilometers away from Palembang, and all supplies must be provided by the navy. If the Nanhai leaves under pressure, they will definitely not be able to hold on for a long time.

    Just when he was anxious, the Nanhai also played a series of semaphores.  "Look!" Weng Wenhao shouted immediately, pointing to the waving flagpole and translating: "This is a Chinese naval survey ship, conducting an international waterway survey mission. Please leave immediately! Leave immediately!"

    "Haha The navy won't leave! If the navy doesn't leave, we can't leave either!"

    After learning that the Nanhai would not leave, Ma Kui simply gritted his teeth and handed out the self-defense guns.  Because it is located in the Dutch colony, it is difficult to travelStandard rifles, so they are all shotguns and **** made in the United States.  But even if the firepower cannot be compared with the regular army, the escort composed of veterans is not comparable to the Dutch soldiers who have not experienced the war. They quickly dispersed to find cover to prevent attacks from the Dutch soldiers from the sea and far away.

    The strange movements of the survey team also attracted the attention of the Dutch soldiers, and the piercing police whistle became more and more shrill.

    The atmosphere in the oil field area was tense, and Colonel Jennings was also angry.  He has had enough of this cat and mouse game and is determined to give the Nanhai some color!  "Warning bombardment 1,000 yards ahead!" The majestic overlord of the Seven Seas has been exposed to the scorching sun for more than half a month.  The British sailors, who had already been filled with resentment, breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the order. It was better to fight than to be exposed to the sun, so they immediately fired a warning bomb 1,000 yards in front of the Nanhai.

    The booming sound of shelling was so harsh that even Ma Kui and others on the beach were startled. They turned to look at a column of water rising in front of the Nanhai. The smoke was making people nervous.  "Quick! Prepare to fight." As soon as the Colombo opened fire, the Nanhai, which was ready to go, also turned its 76mm naval gun towards the opponent, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

    "Damn it, do you still want to resist? This is Malacca! Keep firing warning shots."

    Seeing that the other party refused to leave, Major Jennings tried to reverse the muzzle confrontation.  He sneered repeatedly and was about to give the other party a few hard blows.  But just as the second round of shells was fired, there was a sudden shout from behind: "God. It's a Chinese heavy cruiser! Look, he is rushing towards us."

    ?While shouting urgently.  Everyone followed the lookout's fingers and saw the heavy cruiser Taiwan Island rushing straight from the east with two destroyers. The muzzles moving up and down and the billowing smoke were obviously ready for war!

    "Damn, full rudder. Engine room, full speed. It's too narrow here. We will be used as targets, leave! Get x and y gun positions ready for battle, torpedoes, torpedoes ready" Colombo  There was chaos on board.  Anyone with a little bit of knowledge can understand.  The light cruiser is completely unable to fight against the heavy cruiser, not to mention the current speed is only 6 knots. If it does not get rid of it quickly, I am afraid that the Colombo will not be able to hold on for a few minutes.

    What¡¯s more important is that I just fired a warning shot!  The Nanhai may have known that it was a warning, but the Taiwan Island may have mistaken it for an attack. Therefore, if we did not break away quickly, it would be terrible if the opponent mistakenly thought it was an attack and chose to fire.  Jennings doesn¡¯t dare to gamble his life!  Therefore, the Colombo immediately increased its speed, and its bow speeded westward toward the Indian Ocean in an attempt to get away.  10 knots, 17 knots, 25 knots The small water tube boiler showed excellent acceleration performance, and soon the Colombo reached 27 knots.  But this speed obviously did not reassure Major Jennings and everyone else, because they discovered that the heavy cruiser Taiwan Island actually maintained a speed of 29 knots!  There are only two possibilities to maintain such a high speed in a reef-dense area like the Strait of Malacca!  The Taiwan Island was driven away deliberately, or maybe it was a misunderstanding

    The sight of the Taiwan Island rushing through the wind and waves scared the merchant ships sailing around and turned their rudders to avoid it. Two Changfeng-class destroyers even drove straight into the middle of the Nanhai and Colombo at a high speed of 31 knots.  This ocean-going destroyer, which had its power pack modified and replaced with three twin 120mm naval guns, began to slow down after drawing two huge white tracks on the sea, slowly approaching the Nanhai.  However, the heavy cruiser Taiwan Island was like an enraged bull, aiming at the stern of the Colombo and chasing after it.

    You can¡¯t imagine that the design speed is 29 knots.  In fact, the Colombo, which could only run 27 knots due to a long period of lack of maintenance, was being chased at 29 knots by the Taiwanese island class 20 kilometers behind. Even the most daring sailors began to pray.

    "God, it's just a warning shot. Is it worth holding on to it like this?"

    "Yellow-skinned monkey must be crazy!"

    "There is a reef ahead, hide in it."

    The pursuit of more than ten minutes made Colonel Jennings's face turn black with anger, but the Taiwan Island's delay in firing also showed that the other party was just an expulsion operation. When had the majestic British Empire been expelled?  !  So he slapped away the first mate who was about to hide on the reef and ordered him to turn around.  On a warship, the captain is the authority and God. No matter how reluctant the sailors are, they can only turn the helm and turn around.

    The Navy is accustomed to calling cruisers cats because cats rely on their dexterity rather than brute strength in battle. Therefore, the battlecruiser was hailed as the "perfect cat" when it was first born.  Obviously, even if there is no war, Jennings cannot keep the Colombo under the guns of the heavy cruiser for a long time. He must find a way to get rid of the opportunity to close the distance and enter the torpedo range, and this is the only way he can defeat the heavy cruiser.  patrol method.

    Therefore, the Colombo actively slowed down and turned its bow to the right in an attempt to maneuver towards the Malayan Peninsula to escape pursuit, using the advantage of shallow waters along the coast to close the distance and threaten its unknown opponents.  The officers of the Royal Navy of the British Empire are indeed a group of naval personnel with the highest quality in the world. They know that a mere five 152ml45 naval guns will never be able to face the impact of nine 210mml55 naval guns.  But what surprised him was thatAt this time, the Taiwan Island actually began to slow down, and the bow of the ship also deflected towards the Malayan Peninsula, trying to insert directly in front of the bow of the Colombo to block the route.

    Based on the speed and the width of the strait, the Navigation Commander quickly came to a bad conclusion. If the Colombo could not increase to 30 knots, it would inevitably be cut across by the Taiwan Island, and the two ships might eventually collide!  Jennings didn't want to collide. With a gap of 8,000 tons of steel, there was no advantage in collision, so he could only continue to head eastward.  This is a good idea. If you go directly east, you can use your dexterity to avoid the opponent, and secondly, you have the opportunity to quickly return to the Singapore base.  However, Taiwan Island also unexpectedly gave up the diagonal insertion, and instead continued to turn and complete a 180¡ã turn, slowing down and entering the inner line of the Sumatra Island side.

    ?If you look down from the sky.  The two cruisers completed several turns in just a few dozen minutes of pursuit, and the white tracks on the stern of the ship formed a spectacular scenery.  But this beautiful scenery was something Jennings refused to see because the Colombo was squeezed to the outside of Sumatra!  That is to say.  Unless the heavy cruiser chasing him was blasted away, he would not be able to support the Dutch army on the shore.

    This is a bad result.

    Jennings did not think that his skills were inferior to his opponent, because he was completely passive in responding to the challenge, and found that his opponent was chasing the ship from the west to the west, so his opponent had enough time to complete the inside cut before he made a move.

    We can¡¯t start a war, right?

    Both ships began to slow down on the sea, and the chase between the cats ended with the Colombo being driven out of the interior of Sumatra Island.  Soon the Taiwan Island arrived on the coast of Riau Province where the survey team was camping, and used its huge body and nine 210mm naval guns to hold up a protective umbrella.  The arrival of the heavy cruiser and destroyer Taiwan Island made Nanhai, Ma Kui and others cheer, and the Dutch soldiers in the distance immediately retreated.  No matter how stupid you are, you will know this unless you are declaring war.  Otherwise it would be impossible to complete the deportation.

    Declaring war, is it possible?  At least Bernard completely rejected this possibility.

    The United States and France stood idly by, perhaps secretly praying for a second Boer.  The Netherlands is completely unreliable, and Japan, which could have been borrowed, temporarily withdrew from the world competition due to the earthquake.  The British Empire was suddenly isolated!  Faced with this situation, Downing Street also went against the norm and demanded that the Chinese navy must withdraw from the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca within a time limit, otherwise the Chinese government will bear the consequences.

    The ultimatum is tough, but it makes many politicians who study Britain shake their heads.  Because they carefully discovered that Downing Street used "limited time" instead of "immediately".  This is subtle. Time-limited withdrawal and immediate withdrawal are completely different concepts, which means at least at this moment of vacuum in the Far East.  The British Navy can't come up with many good ideas against the Jiashen Task Force.

    However, the Navy Ministry still did not dare to be careless. After determining that the Japanese Navy was unable to do so, it immediately transferred two Beiyang Fleet joint force-class ships and two repaired Anhai-class ships to Hainan Island in the name of exercises.  While the Nanyang Sea was bustling with excitement and China and Britain were competing with each other over the giant oil fields in Sumatra, Nagata Tetsuzan had also arrived in Nanjing.

    In the small garden of the Presidential Palace, Li Yuanhong entertained Ijuin Hikoyoshi and Nagata Tetsuzan who had just arrived with extra enthusiasm.  The old fox lowered his eyebrows and drooped his eyes with a miserable expression. He patted his thigh as if the earthquake was at his home: "Hey! God is merciless, God is merciless! The earthquake in Qinghai, Gansu, my country, the year before last year, killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people, and left millions homeless. I thought that this kind of earthquake would occur at least once every few hundred years. But I didn¡¯t expect I wonder if His Majesty the Emperor is well?"

    Ijuin Hikoyoshi bent down and bowed, and after saluting, he said: "Thank you, President, for your concern. His Majesty the Emperor was blessed by the gods and luckily escaped the earthquake."

    "That's good, that's good." Li Yuanhong said a few words in succession before looking at Yang Qiu who was accompanying him.  The latter also said "sadly": "The whole country is also very concerned about your country's suffering this time. I wonder what the situation is now? If you have any difficulties, just say so. Although we had some differences before, after all, we are only in the same boat. As a person,  As a leading country in Asia, we are willing to provide all necessary assistance to your country to help your country survive the disaster."

    Asia's leading country If he could spit, Nagata Tieshan would like to spit out the foam and fly over, looking at Yang Qiu coldly and sizing it up secretly.  No matter how he was, or how many Japanese people suffered sleepless nights, he had to admit that Yang Qiu had a very strong personal charm.  He is tall and has a majestic appearance. He may have been in a high position all year round. Even sitting there, he gives people a calmness like a mountain.  Especially those eyes, which seem to penetrate people's hearts every time they shoot.

    "This is His Excellency Nagata Tieshan, right? If you two need anything, just ask. The Red Cross Society of my country has already done the rescue work in Japan." Yang Qiu stared at Nagata Tieshan before turning his head with a smile.

    "On behalf of His Majesty the Emperor and the Crown Prince, Nagata thanked the President and Vice President for their kindness. In addition to informing our neighbors about the Kanto earthquake, Nagata also brought a message from His Majesty the Emperor. He personally supports your country."We have acquired the oil fields in Sumatra, and hope that your country can protect our property in East Asia and prevent it from being plundered by Europe and the United States.  Our government is also willing to issue a formal statement on this matter!  "

    Yang Qiu and Li Yuanhong looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes!  Japan actually supports China in acquiring oil fields in Sumatra, and is it prepared to issue a public statement?  !  The two of them immediately became alert.  If it is not ironic, it can only mean that Japan is terrible!  He was actually determined to come up with this condition in exchange for a buffer period for post-disaster recovery.  Be aware of this statement if issued.  The relationship between Japan and Britain will probably deteriorate a lot, and Japan will suddenly be placed in the position of defender of Asia's interests.

    What a good idea!  Yang Qiu looked into Nagata Tieshan's eyes.  Suddenly asked: "Your Excellency Nagata, it is said that Emperor Taisho is not feeling well. Crown Prince Hirohito is now the regent, right?"

    "His Majesty the Emperor is only suffering from a minor illness and will be able to return to Tokyo soon." Although Nagata Tetsuzan deliberately avoided the issue of Hirohito's regency, Yang Qiu was secretly interested in Hirohito.  The Japanese cabinet would definitely not dare to make such a statement, and only he has the right!  But even if Hirohito grew up, it would take only a few years to erase the damage caused by the earthquake.  So Yang Qiu said: "You two can go back and tell Emperor Taisho that our country is not interested in war. As for North Korea some things that have happened in your country in recent days may cause turmoil, so please prepare in advance.  "

    The expressions of Ijuin Hikokichi and Nagata Tieshan changed slightly, since Yang Qiu said so.  They must have evidence of the massacre of Koreans in the country.  He quickly said: "Your Excellency, Vice President, these are just misunderstandings. Our country has arrested those who gathered to cause trouble."

    "Really? That's really great." Yang Qiu glanced at Li Yuanhong and smiled slightly: "I heard that your country lost thousands of ships in this earthquake. I guess they must be in urgent need of replacement. Well, why not let our country  How about building a batch of 2,000-ton seagoing ships for you to make up for the losses?"

    The number of damage caused by the earthquake has not yet been calculated, but the damage to ships is indeed serious.  Although they are mainly fishing boats and offshore ferries, hundreds of cargo ships of various types have also been lost, so a large number of replacements are really needed.  The problem is that this supplement should have been provided by national shipyards.  This can also promote the recovery of domestic industry. If orders are given to China, the recovery time of domestic manufacturing will be extended.  So Ijuin Hikokichi quickly shook his head: "Your Excellency, Vice President, our country has the ability to replenish cargo ships by itself."

    "Really?" Yang Qiu looked at him, then turned to look at Nagata Tieshan, who understood the meaning of this look very well.  If he doesn't agree to this condition, Yang Qiu will definitely make public what he knows about the massacre of Koreans!  Other countries are not afraid, but what about North Korea?  If North Korea takes advantage of this situation to launch an offensive southward, the National Defense Forces will inevitably be involved.  Japan must not be drawn into the war now.  Otherwise, there is no need to sit here.  So he took a deep breath, stood up and said, "Thank you, Vice President. Nagata is very willing to facilitate this matter."

    "Thank you, Mr. Nagata. Let's order 80 ships at 800,000 yuan per ship."

    500000!  80 ships!  Ijuin Hikoyoshi jumped up directly, this is naked blackmail!  The international quotation for a 2,000-ton offshore freighter is only US$300,000, which is about 600,000 yuan. If you directly quote 800,000 yuan, isn't it taking advantage of the situation?  Nagata Tieshan even directly stated that he needed post-disaster reconstruction and did not have that much money, so he could only order 12 ships.  Twelve ships are definitely not feasible. Considering the actual situation in Japan, after some bargaining, the two agreed to order 44 ships within three years at a price of 650,000 in exchange for Yang Qiu not publicizing the news of the massacre of Koreans, and said that this was already Japan's  limit.

    Shipbuilding is an extremely profitable industry these days. Even if a 2,000-ton cargo ship is quoted according to the United States, each ship has a profit of nearly 100,000 yuan.  Labor costs were lower in the Republic of China, so 44 ships could bring huge profits to the new domestic shipyards. These orders were later handed over to second-tier shipyards such as Hankou, Zhejiang, and Dalian, which not only helped private shipyards grow rapidly, but also exercised their manufacturing capabilities.  .  As for the recovery of Japan's shipping industry, Yang Qiu is not worried. A 2,000-ton boat is not enough to even travel to Southeast Asia.

    As for North Koreathey are just bargaining chips in exchange for tens of millions of orders.

    This is probably the gloomiest period in Japan¡¯s diplomatic history. The earthquake has made the whole of Japan unable to hold its head high.  At the press conference held at the Nanjing Presidential Palace after the talks, Ijuin Hikoyoshi finally lowered his head and read out the Japanese Emperor's statement supporting China's acquisition of the Sumatra oil fields. He also announced that in order to better serve disaster relief, he would order 44 offshore cargo ships from China in one fell swoop.  .  After winning a big contract and gaining support from Japan on the oil field issue, the Chinese government also reaffirmed the friendship between China and Japan and provided Japan with 1 million yuan in cash and 1,000 tons of rice in aid. As for the medical team and medicines proposed by Japan, they were labeled as Chinese  He refused on the grounds of constant disasters and lack of demand.

    ? 1,000 tons of rice is a drop in the bucket for post-disaster Japan. As for 1 million yuan in cash In addition to buying products from the Republic of China, where else can it be used?

    After receiving support from Japan, Yang Qiu, in the name of Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese National Defense Forces, submitted a petition to the Netherlands andThe U.S. government issued a warning, demanding an immediate end to the disruption of normal exploration activities by China Southwest Mining Company and an immediate stop to harassment of oil field workers!  He also stated that the country and the military should not intervene in normal trade disputes and should resolve them through commercial means.

    At the same time, Yang Qiu also announced that he would immediately set off to visit the United Kingdom to solve the problem of the giant oil field in Sumatra.

    After all this was done, he called Jacob.

    *******

    PS: Sorry, it¡¯s the last weekend before the new year, all kinds of shopping and cleaningso the condition is very poor.

    ?Another note: The internal navy numbers and call codes in Chapter 570 have been changed. I didn¡¯t think of using the auspicious beast at the time. In addition, the aircraft carriers were also changed to the Beihai (Lake Baiga) class, namely the North Sea and the Balkhash.

    The internal numbers of the Navy are as follows: battleship Dragon, aircraft carrier Phoenix, battlecruiser Qilin, heavy cruiser Jiao, light cruiser Qiao, destroyer Jiao, submarine Jiao, frigate (reconnaissance ship) Jiao, torpedo boat Jiao, landing ship Jiao, supply ship Jiao, etc

    (To be continued)

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