Chapter 1373 The British Conspiracy (Second update, please subscribe)
Noon on March 3, Persian Gulf.
The Persian Gulf was as calm as usual on this day, but now it was the center of the world's storm.
The naval battle a few days ago has profoundly changed the world.
Of course, this also made the Russian fleet in the Persian Gulf a target of public criticism and a thorn in the eyes of the British.
However, the fleet commander General Makarov was well aware of the power of the British, so on the day of the conflict, he ordered the fleet to leave the Persian port and sail directly into Kuwait.
Kuwait...that is the royal territory of the Ming Empire.
The port of Kuwait is nothing more than a naval anchorage. It is not a formal naval base at all. There are no necessary base facilities such as docks, canals, shipyards, ordnance processing, etc. There is only a simple lighthouse standing abruptly on the tip of the cape at one end of the port.
A huge breakwater extends from one side of the coast, blocking the waves of the Persian Gulf from the port. The port is always calm and as flat as a mirror.
At this time, the Russian fleet, led by the dreadnought-class battleships Sevastopol and Petropavlovsk, was quietly moored at its berth.
Under normal circumstances, the arrival of the friendly fleet would be just fine, but now…what does the existence of this fleet mean?
Governor Zhang Guoren did not realize the danger of the Russian warship's visit at first. After all, Russian warships had sailed here to refuel before.
But soon, after learning what the Russians had done in the Persian Gulf, Zhang Guoren understood why they came here.
"These bastards, they want to drag us into this!"
Indeed, this is what the Russians thought. They not only wanted to seek refuge here, but also wanted to involve the Ming Dynasty in this incident.
Standing on the balcony of the Governor's Palace, Zhang Guoren gazed at the Russian... No, it should be the seven warships of the Roman Empire Navy at sea - although the two battleships as big as hills looked very spectacular, in Zhang Guoren's view, they were nothing more than deaf ears - decorations.
“Are there any new instructions from home?”
Once again, Zhang Guoren asked.
What was he asking about? How to deal with the Russian ships, should they be driven out? Or should they be kept here as guests?
Staying here will bring trouble!
"The country still requires us to treat the friendly navy with courtesy. Russia is now negotiating with the Empire on the sale of warships."
What is the so-called sale?
It was just a trick. To put it bluntly, the Roman Empire sold the ships trapped in Kuwait to the Ming Empire. Then what happened? The Ming Empire sent some naval officers and soldiers to drive the ships back to Rome, and finally, they bought them back.
In this way, the Russian dreadnoughts that were blocked in the harbor could leave Kuwait openly, and the dead chess piece would become a live one.
"Courtesy? Don't they know there's a British fleet in the Persian Gulf?"
The British fleet is in the Persian Gulf. To be more precise, it is just dozens of nautical miles away, waiting eagerly to capture the Russian fleet in one swoop!
"Sir, this is the Empire's territory. Unless the British want to go to war with the Empire, they will never open fire. Negotiations... they should negotiate further!"
Just as Tagawa, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Governor-General's Office, said this,
General Fisher, who had been cruising outside the empire's territorial waters, was staring at the distant coastline through a telescope. He and his fleet had been cruising here for the past few days.
The Russian fleet...can't always hide in Ming's ports!
"Commander, urgent message from London!"
Captain Jellicoe personally walked up to Fisher with the telegram and whispered as he handed it to him.
"London demands that we take every possible measure to eliminate the Russian squadron today..."
All measures?
To deal with the Russian squadron...
These words burst into Fisher's eyes and he laughed.
"London wants to drag everyone down with it!"
"What?"
"Germany has mobilized, France has mobilized, and so has Russia, but no one has declared war yet. Now, as long as we bombard the Russian fleet hiding in Kuwait Port, then declaring war is inevitable, and the whole world will be involved..."
As a soldier, Fisher was concerned about the politicians in London.
"Aren't the Russians hiding here to drag the Ming Dynasty into the water?"
Jellico thought for a moment and said.
"But even if we drag the Ming into this, what about the Americans? If the Americans stay out of it, it will still be extremely disadvantageous to us."
"Americans... let Ming consider this issue! Now implement the order!"
Although the telegram was thin, it was of great importance in Fisher's hands. It was a telegram that determined the fate of the world.
Fisher said, gently folding the telegram and putting it in his pocket.
"Start shelling after you get within 6 nautical miles!"
"Your Mightiness……"
Jellico, who originally wanted to remind the audience that the Russian fleet was in the Ming port, said this when the words came to his lips.
"Yes, sir!"
Then Fisher's fleet once again entered the territorial waters of the Ming Empire. In the past few days, Fisher had commanded the fleet to enter the territorial waters of the empire many times, and then sailed in and out again. This was completely in line with international law - the right of innocent passage in peacetime.
Everyone has become accustomed to this, including Lieutenant General Makarov, commander of the Russian fleet, who is on the battleship Sevastopol.
"Sir, the British are coming again!"
"Again," said Lieutenant General Makarov.
"Let them be. The British are just waiting for us to get out. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is negotiating with the Ming Dynasty about selling warships. Once the agreement is reached, we can leave here."
For the Russian sailors trapped in the port of Kuwait, their only hope is that the two countries can reach an agreement, otherwise they will be trapped on the warships and in the port of this friendly country.
"This is the port of the Ming Empire. The British... unless they want to go to war with the Ming Empire, they will never attack us."
Putting down the telescope, Makarov didn't even look at the British warships. To some extent, he even hoped that Fisher could fire. This was also the purpose of his coming here - to provoke a war between Ming Dynasty and Britain.
If the British opened fire...it would be a double blessing!
The lookout, who had been keeping a close eye on the British fleet, cried out in surprise.
"Oh my God, the British are pointing their guns at us!"
Just as Makarov turned his head in surprise, a dazzling flash of light appeared from the shadow of a ship in the distance.
The dreadnought finally fought its first battle since its invention, and used its first salvo to tell the world how powerful cannons and battleships were...
The old group is down, so I created a new book club group: 739209015. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.
(End of this chapter)
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