Chapter 902: Shadow of the Mediterranean 3

Prince Ruprecht did not know when the Japanese fleet would arrive in the Mediterranean, nor what price the British would pay for Japan's large-scale participation in the war. However, the prince knew that if the Japanese fleet arrived in the Mediterranean, then If you take some action, it will be too late!

What? What do you think will happen if the Japanese fleet comes to the North Sea? Although the prince does not know the performance of Japan's new battleships, and although the Japanese navy is indeed relatively nimble now, even if they really come to the North Sea, the prince does not think it will have much impact on the situation.

First of all, the scale of the Japanese fleet coming over will not be very large. Four battleships will reach the sky, right? Secondly, if a battleship comes, then it will naturally have to act together with the Grand Fleet, and the prince has no intention of letting the High Seas Fleet and the Grand Fleet meet. If they do, he will just get out of the way. Regardless of whether the Japanese fleet comes or not, the German fleet now does not have the ability to compete with the large fleet. And if the battle patrol comes, even if the lion princess and her like have learned from the past, they will come over with just a few more cannon fodder. The prince does not mind letting the orangutan brothers hang in the North Sea.

Of course, this is just the prince's current estimate. We will tell you what the actual situation will be at that time...

Therefore, relatively speaking, the prince is more worried about the Japanese fleet dealing with Su Xiong in the Indian Ocean, or entering the Mediterranean to deal with Count Spee with the French. Now, in order to create a better situation in the Mediterranean before the Japanese fleet takes action, the prince thinks he should do something.

"I think it makes little sense to keep the main force of the Austro-Hungarian fleet in the Adriatic Sea, which has an area of ​​only 130,000 square kilometers and is surrounded by land on three sides. The core of the fleet's use lies in concentration! So I hope that His Majesty the Kaiser and the German General Staff You can ask the Austrian Emperor for the other two Combined Forces-class battleships to leave the Aria Sea at the appropriate time, rendezvous with Count Spee's fleet, and then use Istanbul as a base to operate in the Mediterranean and Black Sea areas." At the meeting on the second day, , the prince put forward his own opinions from the beginning.

"The Spey fleet with 6 super-fearless ships can definitely take more proactive actions and compete with the French at the right time. And I have a hunch that the negotiations between the British and the Japanese may have reached the final stage. At the critical moment, they will soon reach an agreement, and then the Japanese fleet will come to the Mediterranean." Regarding the negotiations between Britain and Japan, the prince really didn't know, but what did he say? A kind lie. In order to let the Kaiser make a decision as soon as possible, the prince did not mind telling a lie.

"Well, you told us that it is not very useful. If you have a chance, you can talk to His Majesty Fritz about this matter. After all, this is the navy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and what you say will probably have a greater effect. Better." Little Maoqi said with some embarrassment.

"The German government always has to express its stance. In short, it's best to do this as soon as possible." The prince no longer paid attention to Little Moltke. What should he say about this matter? As for Earl Spee, the prince can only help him so far. As for what to do next, he can only rely on tricks.

“But currently the Japanese Navy is confronting the U.S. Navy in Kaiser Wilhelm’s Territory,

Both sides have dispatched battleship formations. The Japanese should not be able to take care of the Indian Ocean or the Mediterranean, right? "Tirpitz said. As for the German Pacific colonies, the U.S. government is also bound to win. Although the United States obtained a batch after the outbreak of the war, most of the key islands were occupied by Japan, and the German colonies on Guinea Island Colonies are something that both the United States and Japan want to fight for. However, the two sides are like two cats that have grabbed a fish. One is pulling the fish's head and the other is pulling the fish's tail. Neither one wants to give up.

However, the current situation is that both sides do not want to give up and do not want to really fight. They both believe that they cannot lose in terms of momentum and have decided to continue the confrontation like this. Under the guidance of this politically correct thinking, both sides have refused to give in. Until now , the confrontation has been going on for three months, and based on visual inspection, if nothing unexpected happens, the confrontation may continue...

I would like to ask if the U.S. government has any idea of ​​​​fighting Japan? If the current president is still Theodore Roosevelt, then it is still possible, but the current president is William Howard Taft. This is a rule-abiding person with limited abilities and limited responsibilities. Therefore, the prince believes that there will be no war between the United States and Japan. And according to American habits, they will not fight a war with an unclear future. After all, if a war breaks out with Japan, there may be a direct conflict between the United States, Britain, France and Russia. This cost is a bit high and full of uncertainties.

"The possibility of a direct war between the United States and Japan is not high. This kind of confrontation is a potential for Japan, but it is not a sufficient condition for it not to interfere in the European battlefield. It would be better for us to do something early." The prince shook his head said.

"In addition, if the main fleet in the Mediterranean cannot open up the situation, I hope Count Spee can be more proactive in the Black Sea. For example, sweep the ports along the Black Sea coast, or conduct an offensive mine laying of the Sevastopol Fortress."

"The submarine force in the Mediterranean also needs to be strengthened. In addition to offshore small submarines, we can also deploy large ocean-going submarines," the prince said.

"Is the purpose of deploying ocean-going submarines to go to the Atlantic Ocean? But how to put it, the Strait of Gibraltar is too narrow and it will be difficult for us to pass this blockade." Admiral von Boll said.

"No, it's not as difficult as we thought. The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and the salt content and temperature in the two waters are different. The cline layer is relatively chaotic. Whether it is underwater listening devices or other detection equipment, The effect here will be very low. Moreover, the water depth of the Strait of Gibraltar is relatively large, and the advantage of the large diving depth of ocean-going submarines can be brought into play. In short, we cannot retreat because of some difficulties." The prince said with some displeasure.

In fact, compared with operations in the North Sea and the Indian Ocean, the Allied fleet's response in the Mediterranean was somewhat passive. But there is nothing that can be done about it. Although there is a large fleet in the North Sea, generally speaking, the logistics and maintenance can keep up with the base, and the combat sea area is wider than in the Mediterranean. The fleets of the two sides are almost facing each other across the Aegean Sea. Much better. In the Indian Ocean, since there is no particularly big threat, after the Thomas fleet leaves, the Su Xiong fleet can move sideways again, so it doesn't matter if the action is more aggressive.

But the Mediterranean fleet is not good enough. Who can I ask to explain the situation when I encounter the opponent's gun muzzle when I go out? The French fleet was based in Port Said and Alexandria and patrolled near Crete all day long, which made Count Spey dare not move even if he wanted to. Therefore, until the situation is unclear, the prince does not expect Count Spee to make much news.

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