The British Far East Fleet was miserable and miserable. They were also the losers in the Malacca naval battle. Naturally, the life of the Japanese Navy would not be easy.
Most of the naval wealth accumulated in the thirty years of the Meiji Restoration was buried. The No. 1 naval power in East Asia has directly become a joke.
For the newly emerging Japanese nationalism, the defeat of the Malacca naval battle is obviously unacceptable.
With the news of the defeat, the slogan of "Tianzhu the thieves" resounded throughout the Japanese archipelago.
Once known as the "navy of the nation's hope", it became a national sinner that everyone spurned overnight. The extremes of the island country are vividly reflected here.
In the Tiangong Palace, since the news of the defeat of the Malacca naval battle came, the Meiji Emperor held a series of imperial conferences.
Don't be nervous, there is a price to pay for speculative failure. The defeat at the Battle of Malacca directly put Japan in a dangerous situation.
Prime Minister Katsura: "The search and rescue ships have returned one after another. We have also lost two search and rescue ships due to the encounter with the Spanish Navy, and the remaining warships may not be able to return.
Combined with the battle report published by Austria, it can basically be determined that General Ito Yuheng was killed.
According to the information from Cam Ranh Bay, the British Far East Fleet also suffered heavy losses, and the main ships of more than 10,000 tons could not be found in the port.
The situation in the Far East has been completely corrupted, and we will all face maritime threats from the enemy for a long time to come. "
Regardless of whether Ito Yuheng was killed in battle, he must be "killed", otherwise there is no way to explain to the people in the country.
Ordinary people don't care why they are defeated, they are defeated on the battlefield anyway, that is, they are incompetent, trash, and thieves of the country.
Only by dying on the battlefield can a little bit of everyone's grievances be alleviated, but the title of "trash" is still indispensable.
Relatively speaking, whether Ito Yuheng died in battle is only a small question. The biggest problem at the moment is the erosion of the situation in the Far East.
As an island country, losing control of the sea is undoubtedly fatal. In particular, the Russo-Japanese War is unfolding fiercely.
Once the Shinra Navy moves eastward, not only the Japanese army on the front line will be destroyed, but even the Japanese archipelago will be in danger.
Ito Hirobumi: "The results of the Malacca naval battle have proved the strength gap between us and the top powers.
Closing these gaps would not be possible without decades of effort. However, what we lack most right now is time.
The situation in Europe is equally tense, the Holy Roman Empire is now attacking from all sides, and the British are already exhausted.
The Royal Navy is not omnipotent. In a short period of time, the British may not be able to deploy enough warships to reinforce the Far East.
As for the other allies in the alliance, everyone knows very well that the United States has some strength, and the rest are not as good as us.
Although the Washington government also sent troops, their binding force on the states was very limited, but the western states were anti-war now.
It may not be realistic to expect them to send troops to support us for a while, but for now we can only rely on ourselves.
The imperial navy has been severely damaged, and the enemy can blockade the Sea of Japan at any time. There is no military attack at all, and the only way to find a breakthrough is diplomacy. "
It's not that Ito Hirobumi is cowardly, it's really impossible to fight now. If the navy can't stand it, Japan will be reduced to an island.
Once the sea transportation is cut off, the Japanese army on the front line will soon be defeated because of the loss of logistical supplies. At that time, the Shinra Navy only needs to send the Russian army in the Far East to the island.
The only thing that can be expected now is that the Shinra Navy was also severely damaged in the naval battle of Malacca, and was unable to advance eastward in a short period of time.
It's just that this probability is too small. According to the information sent back, the enemy will not fight them head-on at all, but just hang them and let the air force act as the main force of the attack.
Foreign Minister Kaoru Inoue: "Ito-kun, it is also difficult to make a breakthrough in diplomacy, and it can even be said that it is impossible.
Relations between the Empire and the Vienna government have never been better.
Franz the Great was too prejudiced against the Empire, despite our constant efforts to fix it. No matter how hard we try, it is useless.
Over the years, the Austrians have troubled the Empire more than once. If we hadn't dealt with it properly, the conflict would have erupted long ago.
In addition, our hatred with Spain and Russia is also a major obstacle.
They are all important members of the Continental Alliance, and now it is too late to get down, and it is impossible for us to retreat. "
Being able to bend and stretch is an important factor in Japan's rise, but when it comes to strongman politics, this trick will not work.
No matter how low and small, how to show goodwill, Franz just pretended not to see. Whenever I get the chance, I wear small shoes for Japan.
In a sense, the Japanese navy was forced to go south simply and neatly.
There are a bunch of enemies in the Continental Alliance. If you don't mix with the British, who should you let the Japanese mix with
It is a pity that the British boss declined too fast, and before Japan really rose, it was already waning.
Influenced by the narrow thinking of the volcanic island nation, the Japanese are particularly prone to extremes, even at the top of the government.
The defeat of a naval battle in Malacca made the Japanese government lose confidence in the Ocean Alliance winning the war.
To know that there are many members of the Ocean Alliance, it is not so pessimistic. In the eyes of other member states, even if the Ocean Alliance cannot win the war, it is not difficult to end the war decently.
Everyone is not fools. If they really want to lose 100%, who will continue to play with the British
Politics is the most realistic. Politicians first consider their interests. Once they find that something cannot be done, the covenant is a piece of waste paper.
After sighing, Ito Hirobumi said slowly: "It's not so serious, the first thing the Vienna government has to consider is interests.
Regardless of whether Russia and Austria are still allies, as long as the Holy Roman Empire won the war, the situation has fundamentally changed.
Without a common enemy, only interests and conflicts remain between Russia and Austria.
There are natural strategic contradictions between the world leader and the world number two, especially since they still have a long border, and there are even more hidden contradictions.
With the greed of the Tsarist government, they never gave up any opportunity for expansion. I personally speculate that India will become the focus of conflict between Russia and Austria after the war.
If the Russians took half of India, would the Holy Roman Empire tolerate them taking the Far East
Either end up fighting a battle in person, or support an agent. But as long as the Vienna government is scruples, it is impossible to attack its allies just after defeating the British.
If the Far Eastern Empire is not a weapon, it will not be able to support it at all. Against this backdrop, empire was their only option.
Of course, unlike the British, the Holy Roman Empire itself is the world's largest army power, and the demand for the empire is not so great, and our expectations need to be lower. "
It can be seen that Ito Bowen's heart is also uncertain. Speculation is always speculation. Eastern and Western thinking patterns are different, and no one knows the plans of the Vienna government.
It is not difficult to act as a thug, and the thugs who are sent to the door do not need to be in vain. The problem is that there are two types of thugs: one is long-term raised, and the other is one-time cannon fodder.
What Japan needs is to be the former and get support for a long time; not to be the latter and become a toilet paper that is thrown away when it runs out.
…
After the violent explosion, a raging fire ignited below, and the flames released endless enthusiasm, warming the cold winter.
It's just that for the people of London below, they would rather not have this special warmth. Even this winter, it is extremely cold.
After many days of fighting, the British Air Force has seen through the true purpose of the Shinra Air Force and no longer blindly launched into the air to intercept.
In order to preserve the viable force, the British Air Force took the lead in conducting a strategic transfer and retreated to the Scottish area that the Shinra Air Force could not cover.
Without the protection of the Air Force, the sky of London was completely reduced to the world of the Shinra Air Force, and the pattern of bombing has gradually changed.
After the explosion, it can form a layer of flame to sputter around, emit a high temperature of about 1000 ° C, and can stick to other objects for a long time to burn "napalm bombs", which quickly stood out from many bombs and became a god. A favorite of the Luo Air Force.
Especially in places with severe smog such as London, the flames generated by the explosion of the "napalm bomb" also have the function of guiding the target.
The only regret is that the smoke from the burning building is too large, which will also affect the pilot's line of sight.
But this is a small problem. Don't worry about where there is smoke. Throwing bombs where there is no smoke can be regarded as an alternative carpet bombing.
The original space-time "napalm bomb" did not shine in World War I. The main reason was the lack of raw materials, which required the use of a large amount of natural rubber.
However, the production capacity of natural rubber as a strategic resource is limited, and it is still several years, and it is not possible to increase the production capacity in a short time.
The production capacity is insufficient and there are many places to be used. Naturally, there is no way to take out too much natural rubber to make bombs.
It is different now. Driven by the butterfly effect, the automobile industry and electric power industry broke out ahead of schedule, and the natural rubber market has long been opened.
The Holy Roman Empire alone consumes millions of tons of natural rubber every year. If there is a market, there will be production, and the production capacity of natural rubber will also explode.
When the war broke out, the economy shifted to wartime mode. It was not a problem for the Holy Roman Empire to squeeze out tens of thousands of tons of natural rubber and use it to make bombs.
Then, there is the current raging fire. Unlike the previous bombing sound, the visual impact of the current raging fire is much greater.
More and more British people are disgusted with this. Even Edward VII himself delivered a radio speech, calling on everyone to take up arms to defend their homeland and the country, but the anti-war voices were getting louder and louder.
Especially after the Air Force gave up air defense, it was severely criticized by all walks of life. For a time, the Campbell cabinet seemed to be a sinner in Britain.
Campbell, after all, is not Churchill, his personal integrity is much higher, and he cannot ignore public opinion.
After taking a puff of cigar smoke, Prime Minister Campbell asked: "When will the Air Force be able to fight again?"
"Sorry, Your Excellency. In the previous battle, the air force has been damaged. In a short time, we do not have the ability to fight again."
It can be seen that Prime Minister Campbell's expectations have dropped a lot, and he no longer requires the Air Force to defeat the enemy, but only to "go to battle".
It's a pity that reality is cruel, just such a small request, Air Force Minister Attilio refused.
There is no way, it is really impossible to fight now. In the past month, the British Air Force lost thousands of fighters and more than 800 pilots.
Although Britain's aviation industry is second only to the Holy Roman Empire, it is still impossible to replenish thousands of fighters within a month.
In particular, the domestic factories were also heavily bombed by the enemy, which delayed the progress.
If the aircraft is not replenished in time, the pilot replenishment speed is even slower. You can't train for ten days and a half months before you send it to the battlefield, right
Interior Minister Azevedo: "The political pressure is very great, and the people are already very disgusted with the inaction of the Air Force. If we don't do something..."
"Sir, we're on the move. We hit Paris a fortnight ago; last week we hit Madrid; yesterday we even hit Norden.
The Imperial Air Force has launched a counterattack against the enemy with the greatest strength, but this still cannot change the gap in strength between the two sides.
We need more pilots, more advanced fighters, and it will take time. Until these problems are resolved, the Air Force should not be in a decisive battle with the enemy.
No one can guarantee that the enemy will not forcibly launch a landing, and the Air Force must retain a certain amount of strength to give the enemy a fatal blow at a critical moment. "
Although unwilling to accept it, everyone has to admit that Attilio has a point, the Royal Navy has been unable to guarantee the security of the English Channel.
The Battle of Malacca has proven that the air force can slaughter the navy in near sea combat.
If there is no air force, once the enemy initiates a forced landing, Britain will not be able to intercept it.
Once the enemy is successfully landed, there is no need to say anything, and the next battle will not be able to be fought at all. Expecting lobster soldiers to defend the British Isles is hard to believe.
Foreign Secretary Adam: "Don't worry too much about the pilots. The Foreign Office has reached an agreement with allies.
In the next six months, 1,000 pilots will be introduced from various countries, and 300 pilots will arrive next week.
In addition, the 200 fighter jets we purchased from the United States will arrive next week.
If the performance can meet the requirements, there will be a steady stream of fighters in the future, which will be delivered from the Americas.
Although these cannot completely solve the Air Force's predicament, it is still possible to relieve the pressure. "
There is a rare piece of good news. The wrinkles between everyone's foreheads finally showed signs of melting. Only the finance minister Asquith's face was still gloomy and terrifying.
"It's not that simple, I don't know if you have noticed that the price of industrial raw materials has risen again recently.
The factory that took the order has sent a representative to the Logistics Department to request renegotiation of the price, and the report has reached the Ministry of Finance.
I sent someone to check. Since the outbreak of the war, domestic prices have generally risen.
In particular, industrial raw materials related to strategic materials have increased rapidly, and some raw materials have even been out of stock.
Because of the war, the routes in the Far East have been completely interrupted; the routes in the Indian Ocean have also been extended by more than 10,000 nautical miles; although the routes in the Americas have little impact, the frequency of accidents on merchant ships has increased significantly.
This is just the beginning, we will have more problems to come, the Royal Navy needs to escort the merchant ships…”