Downing Street, Prime Minister's House, Prime Minister Asquith's office. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

The secretary handed over the coffee and then withdrew, leaving only Prime Minister Asquith, Secretary of the Navy Winston Churchill, and Grand Fleet Commander John Anderson in the office. Admiral Jericho and Chief of Staff David? Lieutenant General Betty.

"What the hell happened last night?" Prime Minister Asquith asked. Although, his voice remained calm. However, those who knew him well could feel that this was the reason why he tried to suppress his anger. Originally, Chief Asquith was very pessimistic about the future war situation, but at this juncture, the Royal Navy actually suffered heavy losses, and this naturally made him unacceptable.

"General, this is due to our negligence. We didn't expect the Germans to send submarines into Scapa Bay for a sneak attack. We have already begun to install anti-submarine nets in the important waterways of Scapa Bay, and it is absolutely impossible for German submarines to enter Scapa Bay again. "John? Admiral Jericho said.

However, such an answer obviously does not satisfy Prime Minister Asquith. After all, under the sneak attack of German submarines, they have already paid an extremely heavy price.

"Will the five battleships that were damaged be able to catch up with our decisive battle with the Germans?" Prime Minister Asquith asked.

"Your Excellency, if the decisive battle takes place in three months' time, all five battleships will be able to catch up. If it had been carried out in a month's time, neither the War-Weary nor the Warrior would have been able to participate. If the decisive battle takes place in the near future, I am afraid that the five battleships will not be able to catch up. "John? Admiral Jericho replied stiffly.

Suddenly, Prime Minister Asquith's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Originally, the Royal Navy's chances of winning were very small, and this time it lost five more battleships, which would undoubtedly make the Royal Navy's chances of winning even smaller. It can even be said that there is no chance of winning. Such a result naturally made Prime Minister Asquith unacceptable. Although, when the Germans offered harsh conditions and refused to negotiate peace with Britain, Prime Minister Asquith guessed that this would be the outcome. However, there was still a hint of luck in his heart. That is, the Royal Navy was able to play an extraordinary role in naval battles and help the British Empire win a brilliant victory, just like the Battle of Trafalgar commanded by Field Marshal Nelson.

But now, the German Navy has shattered all his hopes with practical actions. Such a contrast naturally made Prime Minister Asquith a little unacceptable.

"What are the chances of the Royal Navy winning if we had a decisive battle with the Germans in the near future?" Prime Minister Asquith asked.

"Your Excellency, the odds will be very, very small. Now the advantage occupied by the Germans is simply too great. In the event of a decisive battle in the near future, even with the addition of the Agincourt, Canada, and Ireland, we would have only 24 battleships. In number, the same number of battleships as the Germans. However, in terms of combat power, it is much worse. The performance of the battleships of the Germans, through those previous battles, we have already learned. I have to admit that their single-ship performance is far stronger than ours. So, our odds are slim. "John? Admiral Jericho said.

"What do you think, Lord Churchill?" Prime Minister Asquith looked at Churchill.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, judging from the current situation, the possibility of a decisive battle between the Germans and us in the near future is very high. They won't let go of such a good opportunity. Churchill said.

"That said, are we going to lose this time?" Prime Minister Asquith couldn't help but close his eyes in pain.

Everyone was silent. Obviously, they all think that this time it is estimated that there is no chance of winning.

"Your Excellency, I have a way to turn our defeat into victory." Churchill said suddenly.

"Oh? What's the solution? Prime Minister Asquith hurriedly asked, his expression as if he had seen the last straw.

"Since our decisive battle with the Germans is already inevitable. Then, I ask the Grand Fleet to destroy as many German battleships as possible in a decisive battle with the Germans. The more you sink, the better. Even if all the battleships of the Great Fleet were sunk, more than 80 percent of the capital ships of the Germans would have been sunk. Churchill said.

John? Admiral Jericho and David? Lieutenant General Betty and the two of them suddenly shuddered. From Churchill's words, they heard how cruel the future naval battles would be. If the combat mission assigned by Churchill is to be completed, then, in the future naval battle, the Grand Fleet is very likely to be completely annihilated in a decisive battle with the Germans. Of course, can the Germans also inflict large losses, this John? Admiral Jericho and David? Lieutenant General Betty, there is no guarantee.

"Churchill, why is that?" Prime Minister Asquith asked. He couldn't figure out why Churchill would say that.

"Your Excellency, if the Grand Fleet can sink as many German capital ships as possible, then our dreadnoughts will be able to come in handy for the next battle. Even if all of our capital ships are lost, we still have dozens of former dreadnoughts, and we still have enough strength to fight another decisive battle with the Germans. And we'll take advantage of it.

No matter how bad it is, the German Navy, which has suffered heavy losses, will not be able to continue the blockade of us. We can obtain the resources we urgently need from North America and India, so that our follow-up capital ship construction program can be carried out smoothly. In two more years, we will have enough capital ships to compete with the Germans for sea supremacy. I believe that the sea power of the future will still belong to us. Churchill said.

After hearing this plan, Prime Minister Asquith couldn't help but nod. Although, this plan was very cruel, to make all the warships of the Grand Fleet go and fight the Germans. However, listening to Churchill's introduction, it seems that there is also a good chance of winning! If you can win, it will be the best. Even if it will be a big loss, in the eyes of Prime Minister Asquith, it will be worth it.

John? Admiral Jericho and David? Lieutenant General Betty and the two were bloodless. Obviously, they were also shocked by Churchill's crazy battle plan. This is clearly to let them sacrifice themselves and strive for favorable conditions for subsequent operations! But at this time, can they still refuse?

John? Admiral Jericho took a deep breath, and then said, "Your Excellency the Prime Minister, Your Excellency the Minister of the Navy, the Grand Fleet will do its best to achieve this strategic goal!" ”