"I have received instructions from the Cabinet that the Emperor and the Prime Minister agree that our navy can act cheaply, and that we will provide cover, and that the army and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will cooperate, and that we will give the Russians a false illusion of peace and make them let their guard down, and when their last fleet comes to the Far East, we will launch a surprise attack and seize the sea supremacy of the Far East in one fell swoop!" In a navy-owned conference room in the port of Nagasaki, the commander of Japan's Combined Fleet, Heihachiro Togo, formally conveyed the high-level authorization to his officials, and this also meant that the countdown to war had begun. www.biquge.info The plan developed by the Japanese Navy for the ambush of the Russian fleet has entered the implementation stage.

"The Russian fleet will depart from the Baltic in mid-April and enter the Far East approximately in June. The British had already stated that they would refuse the passage of the Russian fleet through the Suez Canal, so the Russian fleet would have to make a detour to South Africa. And the French and Germans were to provide port support to Russia. The last Russian supply was probably in Cam Ranh Bay, a French colony in Indochina. Here they will have access to coal, fresh water. However, it may be difficult to maintain the battleship thoroughly. "Mayuki Akiyama, who has become the first staff officer of the Combined Fleet, began to brief everyone present on the basic situation of the Russian fleet.

"The commander of the Russian fleet is Vice Admiral Makanov, who is one of the few officers in the Russian Navy who is capable and experienced in actual combat, and this person should not be underestimated. The Russian fleet as a whole was also very large, consisting of 8 capital ships, 4 light cruisers, 12 destroyers, and 6 auxiliary ships of various kinds. Four of these capital ships are the latest Borodino-class battleships, and their firepower and protection are similar to those of Rurik-2 battleships, but they are slower and have high combat effectiveness. In addition, there are 2 armored cruisers ordered from the United States, the latter can be seen as a simplified version of the German Mainz-class armored cruisers, and the combat effectiveness cannot be underestimated, and finally there are two slightly older battleships, which are not very threatening. ”

"If it were just such a fleet, we would have eighty percent chance of defeating them, and in June, our last capital ship would be in place, and we would have 14 capital ships, four of which were the most powerful battleships of our time, and even the British Royal Navy did not have such a huge battleship. Not to mention that we also have a huge numerical advantage in auxiliary warships and destroyers, and as long as the intelligence is correct, we will not fail if we can catch them. The commander of the First Fleet on the side, Sotaro Misu, said confidently.

"If that's all there is to it, it's really big that we don't have mental calculations. But we must note that there are other forces in the Far East, and their actions are likely to make the Russians more powerful or aware of our plans, which is a war that will determine the fortunes of the country, and cannot be careless in the slightest. The French were indifferent to this, and even hoped that Russia would be defeated, and then turn their attention back to Europe to contain Germany, and the British were our allies. And in the Far East there are the Germans and the Americans, the former is not friendly to us, the latter is our irreconcilable enemy! Heihachiro Togo said with a little dissatisfaction.

"Germans? Their forces are simply not enough to project into the Far East, the Imperial fleet is an invincible presence in the Far East, as long as we pack up the Russians, the next ones will be the Germans, as for the Americans, will they act? Uemura Hikoyuki frowned slightly. Germany had no interest in the Far East, they valued commercial interests more, and although they were not friendly with Japan, the possibility of direct participation in the war was almost zero. But it's not the same with the United States, which has the motivation to expand, and the energy, and more importantly, the Americans have just recently strengthened their Far Eastern Fleet, where they now have 5 warships on a permanent basis! This worries the Japanese very much.

"Will the American fleet participate in this war?" Hikonojo Uemura asked after pondering for a moment.

"They will not directly participate in this war, but they will intervene in this war, according to the information we have received, there are a large number of Russians in the stations of the US Far East Fleet, combined with the information we have received in Europe, the United States will provide Russia with a number of warships before the war, the exact number is unknown. And it is quite possible that these warships will join Makanov's fleet and go to the Far East together, so that the scale of the enemy we need to face is not certain! ”

"Now we need to face two main problems, one is the size of the Russian and American fleets after the convergence, and the other is the problem of how to deceive the Russian reconnaissance fleet. The former determines our ambush strategy, while the latter determines whether the Russians will be fooled or not! Akiyama said.

"I suggest that it is better to discuss the second issue now, the first question needs sufficient intelligence to determine, but the second question depends entirely on our decision, whether we do it or not, we must fight, settle down early, and prepare early." Hikonojo Uemura, who has not spoken, said.

"Naturally, it's better in the Taiwan Strait or the Bass Strait. This is the only way for the Russians to enter the East China Sea, and the sea area here is so small that we can definitely block them. Sotaro Misu said.

"In that case, we need to deploy the fleet in the Philippines or Okinawa. Not to mention whether these two places can support the supply and maintenance of nearly 100 warships of various types up and down our combined fleet, simply concentrating the fleet here will make the Russians vigilant, Makanov is not a mediocre person, and I am afraid that our intentions will be exposed. Akiyama Mayuki thought for a moment and said. Sotaro Misu chose the easiest way, and it was naturally very laborious to find the Russian fleet in the South China Sea, more than 4 million square kilometers, and it was useless to find a fleet without aircraft.

But the problem is that the Japanese can think of the most favorable environment for themselves, and the Russians can think of the same. If Makanov finds out in advance, then the situation will develop in an unpredictable direction, for example, Makanov will stay in Cam Ranh Bay and not leave, what can you do? With the extension of the Trans-Siberian Railway step by step, time is on the side of the Russians, and the longer it drags on, the more prepared the Russians will be, so Japan cannot afford to delay.

And an even more important question is, what if the Russian fleet passes through the Taiwan Strait or the Bass Strait at night? How long are these two straits? If the Russian fleet could move at a speed of 15 knots, it could have slipped through in one night, and then what about the Japanese fleet? Go back and chase again? Can you catch up? Where to chase? If the Russians were to completely throw away the two old ships, the Japanese would not be able to catch up at all! If the Russian fleet arrives at Arthur and then huddles together, the consequences will be unimaginable!

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