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Volume 4 Leviathan 166 Rurik

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    "Pacific Fleet? Gunnery Chief?" O'Neil.  Bunji asked on his face: "Then why are you not on your warship? Didn't you just say that the 'Rurik' had just completed her maiden voyage?" "I am such an unlucky man!" Alyosha's face  He showed an annoyed expression: "Appendicitis broke out the night before the ship's maiden voyage. The pain was excruciating. As a result, I had to miss the maiden voyage." "Nothing, you are on the long journey to Vladivostok.  , enough time to familiarize yourself with your position!" O'Neil.  Bunji smiled and patted the Russian officer on the shoulder. At this time, he was filled with joy and looked at everyone with pleasure.  "I hope the captain has not replaced himself with a new gunnery commander!" Alyosha shrugged. At this time, another officer called his name and ran over. He could only nod apologetically to Bunji and leave.  opened.  O'Neil.  Bunji turned around, looked at Ivanovna hesitantly, and asked in a low voice: "Dear Ivanna, what did you just say that I was yours?" Ivanovna lowered her head, her face white.  He bit his lower lip with his teeth and remained silent. His golden hair looked transparent under the sunlight.  Just O'Neil.  When Bunji felt desperate, he suddenly heard the soft voice of the other party: "Fianc¨¦! O'Neil, if you are willing too!" "Yes, yes, of course I am willing!" O'Neil.  Bunji replied excitedly, his thin face unique to lowlanders flushed with excitement, and he stammered: "I just, just can't believe that I deserve such happiness!" "Why don't you deserve it?"  What? O'Neil, as soon as you got the news about me, you traveled halfway around the world to see me. Any woman would be moved by you. Am I not a woman?" Bunji looked at the lover in front of him, dreaming.  Said: "Wonderful, wonderful Ivanovna!" London, No. 10 Downing Street.  "This is a provocation and a major threat to the British Empire. I ask for additional funding in Parliament to build a new type of armored cruiser!" First Lord of the Admiralty William Palmer shouted loudly to the Prime Minister, the Marquess of Salisbury.  .  "Please calm down, please calm down!" Balfour on the side smiled and comforted: "The British Empire is so vast, we can see new threats every day, but I think the biggest threat to the empire is those who are specialized in  Backbenchers with bad ideas." Balfour's joke aroused the memories of the First Lord of the Admiralty and the Prime Minister, and they couldn't help but nodded heavily.  Seeing that the First Lord of the Admiralty was almost out of breath, Balfour laughed in a low voice: "The purpose of your request to build a new armored cruiser is to deal with the Russian 'Rurik' class cruiser, right? He is really right  Is the empire such a big threat? " "Yes!" The Navy Minister's face became serious: "The displacement of the 'Rurik' exceeds 10,000 tons, which is already larger than most of the battleships we have.  Large. He is equipped with 4 203mm main guns, 16 152mm rapid-fire guns, and is paved with homogeneous armor at the waterline that is enough to deal with 203mm cannons. None of our cruisers can fight against him; and his largest  The speed is a full 18 knots, which is faster than any of our battleships. Moreover, this kind of battleship can carry up to 2,000 tons of coal, which is enough for it to sail 10,000 nautical miles without stopping at a port. The Russians are also equipped with sails to save coal.  The purpose of deploying the 'Rurik' in Vladivostok on the east coast of the Pacific is simply too obvious." After hearing the words of the Admiralty Minister, Balfour and the Marquis of Salisbury looked pale.  They became solemn. As senior British politicians, although they had never been naval admirals, they knew very well that due to natural geographical defects, the Russian ocean fleet was forced to be divided into three parts-Pacific Fleet, Baltic Fleet,  Black Sea Fleet.  Since the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea are actually two inland seas, they can only be connected to the Mediterranean and the North Sea through two narrow straits. However, these two straits are not controlled by the Russians. Therefore, once a war breaks out, the two fleets will often  Being blocked in the inland sea, it is impossible to go far out to the ocean, let alone gather the entire navy to form a large fleet to fight the enemy in a decisive battle to gain control of the sea.  Therefore, the three fleets of the Russian Navy have also formed their own unique style. The main task of the Baltic Fleet is to control the Baltic Sea and protect St. Petersburg. Since the waves in the Baltic Sea are much lower than those in the North Sea and other oceans, and there are a large number of islands, reefs, and peninsulas along the coast; so generally  The warships of the Baltic Fleet have relatively low freeboards and place more emphasis on minesweeping, landing, and anti-landing operations; the main opponents of the Black Sea Fleet are the Turks and the powerful British Mediterranean Fleet. Its purpose is to defeat the Turkish fleet and attack Istanbul or prevent the British fleet from entering the Black Sea.  Then protect your own military port and serve as a fleet to contain the enemy fleet.  Only the Pacific Fleet faces the vast Pacific Ocean and is basically unlikely to be blocked, and the nearby large shipsBoth the Shun and Japanese fleets are very weak, so the actual enemy of the Pacific Fleet is the British Empire's navy. In view of the huge power gap between the two sides, the strategic purpose of the Russian Pacific Fleet is not to defeat the British main fleet and seize control of the sea, but to dispatch ships with high speed and strong endurance.  The cruise squadron attacked the British merchant fleet around the world, bombarded its colonies, and cut off the lifeline necessary for the survival of the British Empire.  The "Rurik" is a special warship built under the guidance of this idea. Its firepower and armor are enough to overwhelm the British high-speed cruiser fleet; and its speed is enough to avoid the enemy's main fleet; originally, due to Russia's  There are no overseas colonies that serve as coaling stations, and the lack of fuel limits the range of activities of the raiding ships. However, the huge coal bunker and spare sails of the "Rurik" solve this problem to a considerable extent.  The Pacific Fleet with the "Rurik" virtually posed a huge threat to the British colonies and merchant fleets throughout the Far East.  "Palmer, I think you are right!" The Marquis of Salisbury nodded: "We should prove to the Russians that any provocation to the maritime security of the British Empire is unacceptable. After today's meeting, I  I will talk to Mr. Gladstone in the club. I believe that he will work with me in the interests of the British Empire." "Haha!" Belfort suddenly laughed.  The Marquis of Salisbury turned his head seriously: "Belfort, what are you laughing at?" "Nothing, Your Excellency Prime Minister, it's just that I remembered a joke in a French newspaper: 'If we build a missile with short endurance and powerful firepower,  Capital ships will be understood as a threat to the British mainland; if we build cruisers with strong endurance and speed, they will be understood to attack British merchant ships and colonies all over the world. It seems that we are still old on this issue.  The neighbors know us better!¡± Hearing Balfour¡¯s joke, the Lord Admiralty and the Marquess of Salisbury laughed. As a true British gentleman, he should maintain a true sense of humor no matter what the situation.  There is no doubt that Belfort achieved this.  "Actually, I think why not look at the growth of the Russian Pacific Fleet from another angle. In a sense, this is also a good thing!" "What do you mean? Balfour." The Marquis of Salisbury was keen.  I felt that there was a profound meaning in Belfort's words.  "Your Excellency Prime Minister, the strength of the Russian Pacific Fleet is certainly a threat to the interests of the British Empire in the Far East, but it is a more direct threat to the Chinese, especially in connection with the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In the near future, China  People are about to face a more powerful and greedy neighbor. You must know that on the Chinese territory, there is an ice-free port that the Russians have longed for for centuries. If I were a Chinese general, I would not be indifferent to these.  "You're right, Balfour!" The Marquis of Salisbury laughed and glanced at the Lord of the Navy: "Palmer, what do you think? Kill two birds with one stone. We can kill two annoying people at once."  "Of course, this is a very good idea!" The Navy Minister was much more realistic: "It is true that there is a high possibility of conflict between China and the Russians in the north, but this does not mean that there will definitely be a war.  . And besides China, North Korea also has immovable ports suitable for warships. If the Chinese and Russians are wise enough, they can reach a compromise at the expense of North Korea. As for the Chinese, they can get compensation in the south, as far as I know.  "We know that the Indochina Peninsula is much more economically profitable than the Siberian wilderness." "If we sit back and do nothing, things are likely to develop in the direction you said. But as far as I know, in any case.  There are very few people with clear minds in the country, and most people will be blinded by immediate or personal interests and ignore the huge dangers in the future. On this issue, I believe that Russia and China will be no exception.  , As long as we provide certain inducement, I believe that things will develop as we hope." At this point, Balfour whispered: "For example, we can propose that the British Empire provide China with a special amount to build railways.  Or the loan to purchase the heavy artillery produced by the Armstrong factory, what do you two think? " "This is a good idea!" The Marquis of Salisbury nodded: "But how can you guarantee that the Chinese will not use these heavy artillery against them?  What about the fortress in Yangon? You must know that the Chinese had a fierce battle with us in Myanmar just a few years ago. "It's very simple. If the Japanese take action in Korea, the Chinese will definitely not use these weapons."  We cannot control when the Russians take action against the enemy in the south, but we can control the Japanese. Moreover, the French have common interests with us in this matter. They have large loans to the Russian government.  Have a great impact??!  "
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