Chapter 1019 I Have to Fight

"The enemy is going to transport a batch of troops and supplies to London on the 6th, with only two cruisers and two frigates escorting him. Is this information accurate?"

Commander of the British Navy Don Reed put down the document in his hand and asked.

When he saw the news, his first feeling was that it was false information. It was so false and completely unreasonable.

In the past, it was difficult for them to obtain information about the Chinese army's actions, but the information obtained this time was too detailed. Moreover, the situation shown in the information is not normal.

How is it possible to transport an army of five thousand without arranging two or three battleships and a few cruisers to escort it, unless the senior leaders of the Dahua Navy are all mentally drained.

This is obviously impossible. Although the previous performance of the Dahua Navy's top brass was not amazing, it was still quite satisfactory and there were no obvious mentally retarded actions.

When things go wrong, there must be a monster.

"It should be accurate. Originally, they had a two-thousand-ton battleship participating in the escort, but due to a temporary failure, it could only be repaired in Ceuta. And the arrogant Chinese people did not want to delay the original mission because of this accident. action plan, so be prepared to operate without battleships."

"How did you get all this information?"

Tang Ruide was very cautious and asked in detail.

However, in order to ensure that they are not fooled, Dahua has also done a lot of work in this regard.

They first deliberately damaged the engine of a battleship, and then gave the battleship's soldiers a day off to go to the city.

While drinking at the bar, he 'accidentally' leaked the news.

In terms of authenticity, it's quite realistic.

Except for a few core high-level officers, other ordinary soldiers were completely unaware.

In addition, Dahua has also worked hard in other aspects to make the whole incident look reasonable.

This made Great Britain's spies in Ceuta very sure that this information was true.

Otherwise, they will not send it back to China.

This is information that will affect major domestic decisions and cannot be overemphasized.

After asking clearly, Tang Ruide and other navy bosses fell into deep thought.

On the surface, this information is basically certain to be true and reliable.

The next thing to consider is how to use this information.

There were actually only two options before them.

One is to risk one's life in one blow, and the other is to continue to eke out an ignoble existence.

A single blow at the risk of one's life could wipe out the entire army and ruin ten years of hard work. But continuing to live an ignoble life is just a slow death.

"I think we should take this opportunity to teach the enemy a lesson and teach the enemy a painful lesson."

Harrell, the captain of the Jersey, proposed an attack.

They put a lot of effort into building this fleet. But now he can only huddle in the port like a turtle, which makes him very frustrated.

"Harel, calm down. A rash attack may annihilate our entire army and ruin all our efforts over the years. It is not easy to build our fleet. It is the last hope of Great Britain and we cannot take risks easily."

Thomas, the captain of another battleship, said.

"So, we will keep hiding until the British Isles are occupied by the enemy before we attack?"

Harrel scoffed.

"What I'm saying is we need to be cautious."

"How can we be cautious and continue to be a coward? The opportunity is fleeting."

...

There was a debate in the command room, but after some debate, the majority supported Harrell.

Because they are not stupid, they know that good opportunities like this rarely appear. If they miss this one, it will be difficult to have a dominant naval battle in the future.

Although, hiding now can avoid the annihilation of the entire army and speed up the development of the navy.

However, the Chinese navy is also developing, and this gap will always exist. If they don't fight because of the gap, then their navy will never have a chance to fight.

It is undoubtedly a foolish dream to expect to catch up with or surpass Dahua based on development alone.

Another important reason is that the Army now has a very strong opinion on the Navy.

Because the construction of the navy costs a lot of money, the navy's treatment is much better than that of the army. But when faced with war, the navy hid and was of no use.

The army, which usually receives much worse treatment, is now going to fight the Chinese army.

The Army did not rebel because of this, which is considered good. It is normal to feel a little resentful.

During this period of time, Tang Ruide and other senior naval officials have been under great pressure from the army and the nobles. This is also an important reason why they tend to attack.

If they win, it will be infinitely wonderful. They can become heroes of Great Britain and get more funds in the future.

Even if they lose the battle, they still have an explanation for the country. It proved that they were not cowardly and afraid of death, but that they really couldn't defeat him.

It was very bad for Great Britain, but it was also a relief for their navy.

"Everyone, we have no choice. This war must be fought. Not only must it be fought, but it must also be won. The situation in Europe is very bad now, and we need a big victory to boost morale."

Tang Ruide made the final decision. Other people with different opinions could only shut up at this time, put aside their differences, and then work together to figure out how to solve the problem.

Fight this problem.

Although the Chinese army escorted only two cruisers and two frigates, their total tonnage reached 5,000 tons.

As for the British Navy, there are actually only five pure iron-clad battleships in total, and the artillery on them is not advantageous against Dahua's armored cruisers.

Its total tonnage is about 7,500 tons, which does not hold much advantage.

Although they still have a huge formation and a large number of semi-armored auxiliary battleships.

However, the combat effectiveness of these semi-ironclad ships is actually about the same as that of the Chinese army's transport ships.

These warships have slightly stronger firepower and a longer range than Dahua's transport ships. Dahua's transport ships have thicker armor and stronger protection.

Generally speaking, the strength of both sides should be calculated as 60% to 40%, with the British Navy accounting for 60%.

However, there is another very important advantage for the British navy, and that is their relatively low value.

Their loss from sinking a semi-ironclad ship was far less than the Chinese army's loss from sinking a transport ship, because the transport ship contained a large number of soldiers and supplies.

Not only can it eliminate Dahua's effective forces, but it can also undermine Dahua's overall strategy on the European continent, which is of great significance.

For the British Navy, which is at an absolute disadvantage in terms of overall strength, being able to fight a 50-50 battle is a God-given opportunity.

Coupled with various practical benefits, symbolic meanings, etc., this battle is inevitable.