The Rise of the Empire

Chapter 2644: Confrontation Escalation One



Aberdeen Old Mariners Club. Thomas came here again, and now he feels more and more that he likes to stay here to deal with some things. Although it is not as comfortable and magnificent as the commander of the Royal Navy in London, Thomas can interact with some of his own When colleagues do some things, they can reminisce with their old friends. According to his words, if he simply talks about his contribution to the British Empire, then he has done much more in this club than in the Royal Navy Command. Even better, because with the end of the war, the Royal Navy has been in shock.

"What's the matter? Duff." Thomas asked, looking at the former Royal Navy lieutenant who was a little nervous.

"One of our transport ships was sunk by an American submarine in the Wright Bay area. There were thousands of tons of cargo on it, including more than 200 various engines and hundreds of tons of ammunition. The Americans started on us. "Duff said, wiping the sweat off his head.

"I know, this is the day before yesterday, and this is why I called you here." Thomas said.

"This is a danger signal, isn't it? The patience of the Americans has come to an end. They may have to implement an unrestricted submarine warfare similar to the Germans. Not only Japan, but our transportation in the Far East is at risk." Duff Said.

"It's not necessarily. According to the information I got from other channels, the US government is not aware of this. It is very likely to be a mistake. If the Americans really decide to do it, then our losses will not be so small." Thomas said.

In fact, Thomas' analysis is also very reasonable, and there are indeed many incidents of misfire during the war. And it's not just the British who transported the Japanese, the French, Spanish, and Italian merchant ships are also running this route. The previous behavior of American submarines was very gentlemanly. In the face of the merchant ships that placed orders, they first verified the international and issued a warning before launching an offensive. Even if the Americans really want to launch unrestricted submarine warfare, they will definitely warn other countries first, and they will not kill them as soon as they come up.

"Then our attitude towards the Japanese will change because of the American attack?" Duff asked.

"Until the British Empire can use its own strength to stabilize the situation in the entire Southern Subcontinent and Burma, we and the Japanese will not fall out." Thomas' words revealed a kind of helplessness. After all, the Japanese bayonet is the key to maintaining the stability of the South Asian subcontinent. Britain has lost the entire Africa. If India is lost again, then the entire empire will really fall apart. Dominations like Canada and Australia might find another backing. Therefore, even if they know that they have been kidnapped by the Japanese, the United Kingdom Still can only bite the bullet and go on.

"Don't worry, although Americans have strong national and industrial capabilities, the swords in their hands are not sharp, and they dare not take drastic measures against us." Thomas comforted.

"Well, what do you want me to do this time?" Duff asked.

"The Japanese are going to buy new warships, but they are not ordering from us, but from Italians. It is not convenient for us to send official personnel directly, so there are some things you need to do." Thomas said.

"Buy a battleship? Let me think, are you planning to buy the Caraggiono-class battleship that the Italians are building? This is a good battleship, but the construction period may be very tight, and the price will definitely not be cheap. More important The thing is, the attitudes of the Germans and Americans are likely to lead to the abortion of this transaction. "Although Admiral Duff is no longer considered a soldier, his business is still very familiar.

"The Caraggiono-class battleship will not be considered for the time being. This project is too big, and it is easy to attract many attentions. We are doing some old ship business this time. We know the Italians’ Pisa-class armored cruisers and Saint George-class armors. Cruiser? The Japanese plan to buy these two classes of warships." Thomas said.

"Are the Japanese stupid? The combat effectiveness of these two levels of armored cruisers is not even as good as that of the original battlecruisers. Although the 8-inch armor belt is good for patrols, in the Far East now, cruisers of this level are on the battlefield. What do the Japanese spend money to buy this kind of stuff? By the way, the speed of this class of cruisers is also very slow. It can't even keep up with the Japanese main fleet." Duff said.

"Although the armored cruisers of Italy are outdated, it is a good choice if they are placed in the Pacific to break the mission. Don’t forget that the Americans do not have a fast battleship now, and the German fast battleships also need repairs. The light cruiser can't beat, the capital ship can't catch up, don't you think this is very suitable for armored cruisers?" Thomas said.

"If Japan wants to buy it, just talk to the Italians directly, why bother with us?" Duff asked.

"Because these warships need to be improved, the Italian armored cruisers have very small tonnage, but they have strong combat effectiveness and are very suitable for fighting in the calm Mediterranean Sea. They are not suitable for long-distance break-through operations in the Pacific. Therefore, they must be improved. The replacement of coal boilers with oil-fired boilers and the maintenance of steam turbines, you know, when serving in the pizza class, the Italians chose the British power system. Now, the Japanese can only choose us~www.novelhall.com ~ Thomaston paused and then said: "Of course, this is only the first step. We also need to understand the shipbuilding industry of the Italian Navy. The Fury-class battleship we are going to sell in the future may have to pass through Italy. After all, the current British Empire no longer has the ability to outfit such a warship. "

"However, it still depends on the attitude of the Italians and the attitude of the Germans." Duff said.

"Yes, so the first deal we have done now is just an old cruiser, and you are just an employee employed by Japan, and have nothing to do with the imperial government." Thomas said.

"Even if everything goes smoothly, it will take at least 3 months for an armored cruiser to complete the improvement. Will the Japanese have time?" Duff asked.

"It must be too late. I have to say that Betty did a very good job, even better than all of us did during the war. He used subtle tactics to play the Americans between applause. Although because of the absolute power gap, the final battle was The result ended with both sides leaving the field at the same time, but it gave the Japanese fleet valuable time."

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