George V was impatient and waved his hand. The ministers always insisted on their own words. Every command meeting was as noisy as the vegetable market, and everyone was quiet.
"If we really exchange the two American colonies for what Americans call six dreaded battleships, 12 armored battleships, 12 cruisers, 21 destroyers, 15 submarines and 4o transport ships to form a fleet, how long will it take for this fleet to form our fighting capacity? What are the odds of winning the German navy against it?"
Ministers, look at me. Let me look at you. It is more appropriate to ask the Secretary of the Navy this question, but Lord Hill is still in Plymouth Port, so everyone will look at the presence of several naval generals.
"According to our naval experience, if skilled sailors receive this fleet, it will take three months to form combat effectiveness; It will take 12 months to recruit sailors who lack naval experience again! After the officers and sailors are familiar with the performance of the ship, it is not a problem for this fleet to destroy the German Atlantic assault fleet. Together with our newly developed hydrophone and depth charge, it can break through the German submarine blockade, but this fleet does not yet have the main confrontation strength of the German high seas fleet, especially the presence of the German aircraft carrier. "An elderly vice admiral answered on behalf of the Admiralty.
"German aircraft carrier …" George V became dizzy as soon as he heard the word. Other cabinet ministers present seemed to feel the same way.
"There is one thing I have to wake you up. According to our Admiralty, it is speculated that the German navy captured our warships in the North Sea naval battle. Several ships have been repaired and joined the German naval battle sequence, and the strength of the German navy is increasing." It is even more frustrating for everyone to wake up with kindness.
"It is said that the Americans are going to sell us those 12 armored battleships, all of which traveled around the world seven years ago. The US Navy is trying to eliminate them. Even with the best British sailors, I still doubt how effective this fleet can be. What’s more important is that it takes 50 million pounds to build such a fleet according to our own years!"
The minister who disagree turned his attention to that navy general.
On behalf of the navy, it’s still the lieutenant general. "It’s true that the quotations of American warships are surprisingly high, and all the 12 armored battleships in that fleet have participated in the global voyage of the Great White Fleet. The single-ship capability of the German battleship is rooted in the confrontation of the German battleship, but the strength of the other six dreaded ships is still good, including the water equipment in recent years with a 10-door 12-inch main gun, a displacement of 210,000 tons in Florida and the equipment with 12 12-inch main guns. With a displacement of 260,000 tons, Wyoming-class battleships and other cruisers and destroyers are also worthy of water in the last 10 years. First, the total tonnage and strength of the US Navy are second only to Germany in the world. They currently have nearly 30 battleships and a large number of cruisers and destroyers, and their shipbuilding strength cannot be underestimated. "
"At present, most of our large and medium-sized shipyards have been attacked and shelled by the German navy. There are two Elizabeth-class battleships under construction. Fortunately, even if they can be completed and put into service, it will take one to two years. Now our annual shipbuilding capacity has dropped to one-fifth before the war, and the remaining warships are mainly small and medium-sized shipyards. It is almost a valuable thing for us! We have a total of 100,000 tons of warship water in the whole month, 60,000 tons in September, and 20,000 tons in the first month! If this situation continues, I’m afraid it will take us 10 years to build such a fleet if the Germans are willing to give us so much! "
Everyone is silent. The situation in Britain has really reached a very bad point.
"Don’t forget that one of our two most powerful allies, Russia and France, has gone to the German camp, and the other is preparing to surrender to the Germans. Germany will soon try to deal with us! Either do whatever it takes to strengthen our country’s military strength or accept German conditions to demolish large and medium-sized shipyards, warships and freighters, and all of them will be ordered from Germany in the future. At that time, the price will be decided by the Germans, and perhaps their offer will be even more ruthless than that of the Americans! We don’t have gold in cash. We still have to rebuild our national strength. I think it is better for colonies and Americans to exchange warships and other strategic materials! "
The Chancellor of the Exchequer seems not to stop until he sells his ancestors’ real estate, but it seems that more and more ministers opposed to buying American warships have wavered after he has finished his explanation.
"That’s all right! Now let’s discuss the specific implementation details of this matter before the colony is exchanged for American warships! " George V’s right hand is holding his head, and his head seems to be heavy.
"Since Churchill is in Washington, we can entrust him to negotiate with Americans to strive for as many interests as possible in our country. Moreover, he is from the navy and just goes to inspect the situation of those American warships on the spot. Once the terms of the transaction are negotiated between the two sides, Churchill should also actively lobby US lawmakers to get the US Congress to approve the transaction as soon as possible!"
At this time, the ministers finally regarded Churchill as an important person. When the British fleet failed, these people impeached Churchill, the secretary of the navy, who was very active.
"I think Jamaica alone is enough for 1 billion pounds. It’s a land rich in mineral resources!" The Minister of Trade and Industry seems to be quite knowledgeable about the value of the colonies.
"If we must exchange warships between Trinidad and Tobago, I think the United States should also give a batch of military supplies. Our sixth army is still short of 400,000 rifles, 2,000 machine guns, 1,000 cannons, 100 million bombs, 1,000 shells and a lot of steel. It is best for the Americans to give us 1,000 planes and cars and help us bring in a lot of fuel." kitchener, the minister of the sixth army, finally seized the opportunity to join in and wanted a piece of the action.
"We can also use American technology and industrial strength to jointly create weapons that can effectively deal with German aircraft and armored vehicles, and those ships should be equipped with weapons against German submarines before they are sold to us!"
It was as if George V was in the familiar vegetable market again, and it was not until nightfall that these people discussed a purchase list, which Churchill also negotiated based on the Americans.
George V felt dizzy. At this time, the British Empire was like a pig lying on a chopping board, while the United States was sharpening its knife. The butcher explained the benefits of being killed to the pig like a priest before killing the pig, and the pig was forced to wait until it was killed. This is such a strange world.
It’s hard to make it to the end of the meeting, but Hill’s urgent report was handed over to the king. He rubbed his temples in great pain. If the British and French fleets were badly beaten in the British harbor, the Germans would laugh in their sleep, but they would not stop the French fleet from leaving. Sooner or later, those French warships would come back and pour shells on British land. George V carefully considered that after all, this matter was born at this juncture of the armistice negotiations between Germany and France, and an order could lead to serious consequences.
When George V reported to Plymouth Harbor, Hill was staring blankly at the fireworks display in the harbor. Now it is unclear who fired the first shot. After the explosion of the French destroyer, he always fought on a British battleship carrying commandos. They tried to occupy the French battleship exhibition. At first, it sounded like rifles, guns and guns, and soon they joined the battle. At this time, the sailors of the two countries were strained, and then many warships were stuck in the harbor.
There is no room for the main guns and torpedoes of the warships of the two countries to swing at a distance of hundreds of meters to tens of meters. The size and caliber of auxiliary guns and machine guns become the main characters in the battle. One by one, or a string of red highlights crisscross the warships. These shells and shells are not fatal to large warships, but the warships of the two countries are constantly flashing fire, which still worries Hill. The warships of the two countries have lost their queues and battle positions, dazzling artillery and searchlights. Warships are constantly touching the metal and rubbing out the knives and forks. Because the warships of both sides are mixed together, the cannons in the British fortress in the port can count the searchlights and beams anxiously, and the soldiers who fell into the water swept back and forth over and over again, while they swam desperately to a safer place. The water surface of the port was stirred and boiled with all kinds of things.
Hill glanced at the king and held it in his hand.
The newspaper said that the French fleet problem should be solved peacefully before the French government announced its surrender. If the French ship takes the lead, it will fight back!
"The communication officer reported to the king that the French fleet had forcibly left the port, which not only knocked over several patrol boats in our country, but also took the lead in firing at our warships. Our fleet fought back in self-defense! Please ask our government to announce this news as soon as possible! " Although this reason is far-fetched, it’s already happened. Hill wants a wicked person to complain first.
"Yes!"
"And ordered our warships to retreat from the fortress guns and torpedoes to shoot at the French!" Hill closed his eyes and listened quietly to the Harbour Symphony. From the day Britain will fight alone, and the so-called Allies will no longer exist.
In a high school near Plymouth harbor, two German airship watched the noisy harbor silently as spectators. At present, the ceiling of the aircraft has not reached their height, and the German airship crew can still carry on this leisure for a long time.
When the information about the fierce conflict between the British and French fleets reached Falkenhayn and Chentian, they were holding a grand dinner in the 3rd Regiment. Not only the senior generals who came to participate in the German-French negotiations, but also many meritorious soldiers from the 3rd Regiment were lucky enough to attend the dinner, so all the people at the dinner were wearing medals of honor symbolizing meritorious service. The scene was spectacular.
"God, the face of the French negotiator must be very interesting!" Chen Tian raised his glass in his hand. "We should drink to the friendship between Britain and France!"
"By the way, the indestructible friendship between Britain and France cheers!" German generals raised their glasses with smiles.
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Chapter 12 France surrendered
German generals sat quietly on one side of the long negotiating table, and there was still a quarter of an hour before the next day’s negotiations. The chair opposite was still the same.
Chen Tian and others were not upset because of this, but they were looking forward to seeing what expressions the French representatives came into the venue with. According to the information from the German airship, after a fierce battle in the middle of the night, 21 French warships finally left Plymouth, and most of them were dragging smoke, but the British did not take advantage of it. Two armored battleships were hit hard, one cruiser was sunk, one destroyer was sunk, two torpedo boats and patrol boats were disabled, and 12 port fortresses were also lost.
"It seems that the two allies fought evenly. The British navy finally fought an unbeaten naval battle and the French gave a good breath for their ancestors!" It’s not loud, but it’s enough for every German to hear a faint snicker or two in a quiet venue.
Falkenhayn smiled slightly. He disdained to laugh at the two groups of losers. "This matter is very beneficial to our negotiations. No matter what the purpose of the British fleet is, the French fleet exchanged fire. They suspected that this increased the French surrender determination."
"I heard that the Americans are going to sell a fleet to the British!" Chen Tian said flatly.
Falkenhayn is also very dull, and the sound pressure is relatively low. "The Prince’s Temple is well informed. I also got the news early! Our foreign minister will meet with the American ambassador this afternoon. It seems that Americans have taken the initiative to talk about business with us! "
"Selling arms to the warring parties is their strength! I want to sell the fleet to the British and I am afraid that we will find a balance in Germany! " In this era, when natural things are seen from thousands of miles away from Wan Li, Chen Tian and Falkenhayn are extremely concerned about all kinds of intelligence. Falkenhayn is the chief of staff, but most of them rely on themselves in the external intelligence network
"I don’t like that politics in this country is politics, but they like to use businessmen’s means in politics. If their British business is done, then they will almost sell half of the active warships to Britain. It is almost different to go to war directly to help the British! Ken is so bloody, it seems that they are very reluctant to let Germany dominate the whole of Europe! " Falkenhayn frowned. Although he was not very good at naval warfare, he knew that half of the US Navy should not be underestimated.
"The Chief of Staff is not worried that a new fleet will not be completed in a day or two. In my opinion, the Americans sent that fleet to our navy as a target and asked us to board the British soil as soon as possible. Those warships can’t get up. Now Germany can be intimidated without a big white fleet!" Although Chen Tian says so, it is an indisputable fact that the industrial strength of the United States has become the world’s number one since the end of the century. Once they make a lot of wealth in the war, they will inevitably become Germany’s number one enemy in time. Perhaps the future world pattern is to unify Europe and America.
Five minutes before the negotiations, the French delegation car finally appeared.
When the last French representative entered the meeting place, it happened to be at 10 o’clock on the afternoon of November 20, 1914. As people imagined, this group of people looked depressed and the eyes of French generals dimmed a lot.
"I’m very sorry that we were delayed by something. I hope you can understand!"
Fu Xu was in high spirits, but it was a sleepless night. I couldn’t help but worry about whether the old man over 60 could hold on. Look at other French representatives. Almost all of them looked tired, even Messi, who was the most active yesterday, was no exception. It seems that the French delegation almost missed the negotiation until recently, but it was a very disrespectful thing for the German delegation to leave and stop the negotiation.
"Your delegation is very punctual, so let’s do it now!" Falkenhayn said calmly, "Yesterday, on behalf of the Kaiser, we asked your government whether it was willing to accept it? Please tell me yes or no! "