"Liu Sha, I want you to lead the fleet overseas this time. What do you think?" Vézé stared at Liu Sha, the new commander of the navy. His tone was not very gentle.
Liu Sha interpreted Wei Ze's displeasure as his dissatisfaction with him jumping up and down recently, which was understandable. If Liu Sha's subordinates encountered a problem, instead of thinking about it, he would insist on his own opinion. Liu Sha would probably not be very happy. However, Liu Sha's personality was not one to be afraid of trouble. After listening to Vézé's question, Liu Sha immediately replied, "Commander-in-chief, are we going to Romania?"
"Four warships. Do you really think we can fight our way into the Black Sea with these four warships?" Vézé frowned and said.
Liu Sha hurriedly explained, "Commander-in-chief, I shouldn't interfere too much in foreign affairs. But since you're personally teaching us, it's impossible for me not to think about it. "
Vézé's secretary almost laughed out loud. If he used a less kind explanation, Liu Sha might think that all of this was Vézé's responsibility. However, the secretary did not dare to really laugh out loud. His duty was to be a good secretary for Vézé, not to criticize the officials here. When he was selected into the candidate list of Vézé's secretaries, the secretary was clearly informed during the review that there were indeed secretaries like Zuo Zongtang among Vézé's secretaries who retired honorably in the end. It was not that no one was fired for speaking nonsense. Controlling one's mouth was one of the basic qualities of Vézé's secretaries.
Therefore, the secretary continued to do his work as if nothing had happened. Vézé acted as if he did not hear the meaning behind the secretary's words and said, "Since you said that, I admit that you listened to those lessons. But you only have an understanding, not a professional. Just like the navy, people who are not in the navy know that our warships are powerful, but they don't know the internal workings of the navy. As the saying goes, amateurs watch the show, while experts know the workings. If you don't specialize in this, you must be an amateur in those aspects. It's like someone who is not in the navy running to you to talk about the navy's problems. You don't have to ask him any big questions, just ask him about rivets, and he'll immediately be at a loss. "
Liu Sha couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. "Commander-in-chief, you're an expert. Rivets are a big deal, not a small matter. "
Even though the Chinese Navy had been around for decades, Vézé was still an expert in the navy. He smiled and said, "Now that we're in the field of welding, riveting is no longer a big deal."
It was a fitting metaphor. Liu Sha wasn't willing to accept being called a layman, but he still accepted Vézé's words. "Commander-in-chief, what is the purpose of our fleet's visit?"
"Since you've listened to the course, I'm sure you remember what it said. The important pillar of a global country's currency and trade system is a global fleet. If I remember correctly, you've used the content of the course in this way before, haven't you? "Vézé asked.
Liu Sha kind of understood what Vézé meant, but he was still not sure what Vézé meant. Liu Sha asked tentatively, "Commander-in-chief, does this matter have nothing to do with Romania?"
Vézé shook his head. "Even if it's related to Romania, it's a long-term connection. The purpose of your fleet's visit is to let the world see that China's large fleet has the ability to project global power. Without global military power, there's no global currency influence. What you need to do is to let the world see our military power. There's no need to think too much about other things. "
After thinking about what Vézé meant, Liu Sha asked again, "Are we going to provoke the British?"
Vézé waved his hand this time. "Liu Sha, this operation is for you to lead the supply fleet into the South and North Atlantic Oceans. You'll visit South America, North America, and Europe. The United Kingdom is only one of the countries bordering the North and South Atlantic Oceans. Among the countries that you're going to visit, the United Kingdom's territory in the North and South Atlantic Oceans is not the largest one. "
Seeing Liu Sha's thoughtful expression, Vézé added, "The United Kingdom's importance is not that high."
"Commander-in-chief, I can understand what you're saying. But it's not very acceptable. "Liu Sha spoke the truth.
Vézé also tried to raise Liu Sha's level. He said, "Liu Sha, we, China, do not exist to oppose the United Kingdom. We have our own global strategy, and we have our own way of leading the world. Letting you lead the fleet is just a part of this global strategy. If we only exist as the opposite of the United Kingdom, don't you think that China is too degrading? "
The United Kingdom had existed as the opposite of China for too long. Liu Sha's rationality could not completely overwhelm the mindset that had been formed for 20 or 30 years. No matter how clear Vézé's words were, Liu Sha could only reluctantly say, "Commander-in-chief, I will do my best in this mission."
The navy dispatched four main warships. Two of them were the latest 22,000 ton battleships, and the 14,000 ton "old battleship" was almost classified as a "heavy cruiser". The new battleship was based on the idea of armor boxes and the increasing application of welding technology as support. The 14,000 ton old battleship was a transitional product of China's level of technology for the war with the United Kingdom Navy. Therefore, the two types of warships were very similar in appearance, but there were major differences inside.
At this time, the four warships were gathered in the Indian Ocean. After Liu Sha and Vézé finished talking, they immediately made preparations for the fleet's visit. China's diplomatic system also began to get busy, preparing for the first visit of the Chinese Navy to the countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The initial invitation came from Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. All three countries needed new warships to support their prestige in South America. The outstanding performance of the Chinese Navy in recent years made these three countries very interested in buying Chinese Navy equipment. After learning the news of the Chinese Navy's visit, all three countries welcomed it.
The British Foreign Office soon received the news. The British Foreign Office was shocked. The staff of the China Department of the British Foreign Office, who was responsible for China's research, nervously discussed the meaning of this action.
"Is China going to play hard and forcibly send the navy to the Black Sea to solve the Romanian problem?" The deputy director who proposed the opinion sounded very skeptical. The Romanian problem was not a problem for the experienced British. There were too many ways to solve the problem. The military solution was undoubtedly the most costly and least effective one.
After proposing such a direction, the discussion in the China Department of the British Foreign Office became more utilitarian.
"Which countries is China going to unite with?"
"Will China directly break into the Suez Canal?"
These days, Britain was a little worried that this matter was not a trick played by the China. If the China fleet broke into the Black Sea once, China would certainly continue to make more demands in the future. However, the intelligence obtained gradually showed that this matter really had nothing to do with China. It was completely the result of some European countries working behind the scenes. But the British did not feel relieved.
"I think their purpose is probably to increase China's influence on the Atlantic coastal countries by sending new warships to visit various countries." Someone put forward a more reliable explanation, and this explanation was quickly accepted by the other British colleagues. This was a more reliable explanation. No matter what the reason was, at least China decided to use this opportunity to expand their influence in Europe.
The wind was blowing! Dark clouds began to gather.
The Black Sea coast was a place with a mild climate, but this was only a relative situation. Several huge ships were parked on the sea, and not far away, a warship flying the Romanian flag was nearby monitoring. This confrontation had lasted for more than half a month. The size of a warship of more than a thousand tons was nothing compared to the size of a ship of several thousand tons. However, the China civilian ships really had no choice. After all, the other party had cannons on their ships, and the Chinese fleet did not want to lose any of their own ships when they forcibly left.
Earlier, there were three warships monitoring at sea, but it was very expensive to burn coal for warships, and Romania was not a place rich in coal. The two warships left after monitoring for a few days.
Now that the wind and waves were getting stronger, the China fleet began to use short-range radio communication.
"If the wind and waves get stronger, should we take advantage of the dark to escape?" A ship suggested.
"We think so!"
"What if they open fire?"
The other ships were very supportive of the idea of escaping. Their disapproval was not because of the escape, but because of the possible losses that might occur. On the surface, the China ships were quiet, and there were no signs of communication with each other at all. However, the discussion of intelligence was going on unknowingly.
The wind and waves were getting stronger, and not only were the waves getting bigger, but the dark clouds were also gathering. The Black Sea was not called the Black Sea for nothing. When the dark clouds covered the sky, the seawater looked as black as ink. Suddenly, a strong white light lit up the sea, and a moment later, the rumbling of thunder could be heard. As if waiting for this signal, a heavy downpour poured down from the clouds in the sky towards the surface of the sea.
At this time, how could the China ships not respond? The boiler room was immediately instructed to start a fire.
The wind and rain did not stop, and it was getting stronger. The ship was shaking more violently, and under such circumstances, the sailors of the China fleet were preparing to set sail.
Under the extremely dim conditions, the observation post on the China ship was carefully observing the Romanian warships. As the saying goes, when the moon is dark and the wind is strong, it is time to commit murder and arson. If the Romanian warships suddenly attacked the China ship at this time, it would be hard to explain.
Obviously, the Romanian warships were also trying to avoid danger in this storm. After all, it was a ship of more than a thousand tons, and its ability to resist the wind and waves was far inferior to a ship of five or six thousand tons.
After a while, the China fleet was surprised to find that the Romanian warships were nowhere to be seen in the heavy rain. With such terrible weather, and the fact that it was almost night time, the visibility on the sea was extremely low, and it was impossible to see clearly.
Faced with such a good opportunity, the China ship quickly exchanged information. "Start heading south!"
The steam engine pushed the propeller with all its strength. The China ship was now in the air, and the ship began to move south.
Before dawn, the China ship arrived at the north mouth of the Bosporus Strait. At this time, the storm had stopped. The China ship immediately sent a telegram to the China side. "We have broken away from the Romanian control, and are now preparing to enter the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosporus Strait. Please pay attention to this matter. "
The Osman Turkish personnel in the Bosporus Strait did not stop the China ship from sailing. When the ship sailed out of the Black Sea and into the Mediterranean Sea, everyone felt that the heavy burden that had been weighing on their hearts for the past few days had been cast aside. Those who lived on the sea knew enough about the navy, and it was impossible for the Romanian navy to come to the Mediterranean Sea. Even for a country like Romania, it was impossible for other countries to fall out with China for Romania.
Two days later, the China ship passed through the Suez Canal and arrived at Port Sudan.
After going through so many things, everyone was eager to get off the ship as soon as possible to regain their composure. However, the personnel who came to greet them were gloomy, and they did not show any signs of welcoming their compatriots. After asking about all the details of their escape, the personnel's face became even uglier.
"What happened?" Zhong Danian asked.
The personnel shook his head helplessly. "A ship of the Romanian Navy sank, and many people on board are missing. They insist that you used a ship to sink their warship! "
"Bullsh * t!" Zhong Danian was furious.
The personnel waved his hand. "Our ship did not show any signs of damage. How could it be us who hit it? Besides, their warship was hit by a civilian ship. Only the Romanians could come up with such a reason! "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
