BXBX NOVEL Chapter 195: Facing the enemy
Of course they know the importance of sea power to the British Empire. It can be said that the reason why the British Empire has been able to become the world\'s hegemon for hundreds of years is entirely because of the control of sea power. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the UK to dominate the world with its hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of territory and tens of millions of people.
"Your Excellency, since the German navy is stronger than we expected. So I suggest that we must be fully prepared before fighting the Germans. Our \'Queen Elizabeth-class\' battleship has not yet been completed. Although the shipyard has accelerated , but it is estimated that they will not be fully commissioned until the end of the year or even the beginning of next year. As for the "Revenge-class" battleship, according to the scheduled construction period, I am afraid that it will have to wait until the end of next year. Therefore, I hope that the cabinet can increase investment and speed up the construction of the "Revenge-class" battleship. The speed of construction, and strive to be able to enter service early next year. In this case, we will have ten battleships equipped with 381mm main guns. When facing the German navy, we will have a greater chance of winning." John Jellicoe Admiral suggested.
Churchill nodded. With the German navy very powerful, it is undoubtedly the best way to further enhance its own strength.
"I will explain this to Your Excellency the Prime Minister. It should be possible to win the support of the cabinet. No matter what, the British Empire must be fully prepared to face such a powerful enemy this time." Churchill said.
At this time, the secretary knocked on the door and came in to report: "Your Excellency, Your Excellency the Prime Minister asked you to come over immediately."
"It should be the sinking of the battlecruiser \'Lion\'. I will explain to His Excellency the Prime Minister. You should hurry back to Scapa Flow tomorrow morning. However, I hope you can find a way to deal with the Germans as soon as possible. Broke the fleet. The sea transportation lines of the British Empire must not be cut off. Otherwise, the consequences will be very serious." Churchill said with a serious face.
Britain is extremely dependent on sea transportation. Once the sea transportation line is cut off, a large amount of industrial raw materials cannot be shipped to the UK, and even food cannot be shipped in. In that case, it will not only seriously weaken Britain\'s war potential, but even cause national turmoil. At that time, let alone defeating Germany, even if the UK wants to continue the war, it may be very difficult. Once the support and help of Britain are lost, it is impossible to defeat the ferocious Germans only by relying on the French and Russians.
After Admiral John Jellicoe and Lieutenant General David Beatty left, Churchill immediately drove to the Prime Minister\'s Office in Downing Street to explain the sinking of the battlecruiser \'Lion\' to Prime Minister Asquith.
When Churchill arrived, he found that the meeting room was full of people. The important ministers of the cabinet have all gathered here. Obviously, everyone is very concerned about the loss of the Navy this afternoon.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, ministers, good evening!" After Churchill took the initiative to say hello, he went to sit down in his seat.
Prime Minister Asquith nodded: "Winston, has the navy failed to encircle and suppress the German break-through fleet?"
"Your Excellency, to be precise, it is a temporary failure." Churchill did not deny this.
"How can we do that? If the safety of our sea transportation lines cannot be guaranteed, a large amount of supplies will not be able to be transported back to the UK. At that time, there will be big problems." The Secretary of the Interior McKenna said dissatisfied.
"Yes, Winston. The sea transportation line must not be cut off. Our domestic food reserves can last up to three months. After three months, the people will be hungry. At that time, society will appear Unrest. Maybe we will all be thrown out by the angry people." Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd George also said.
"Gentlemen, I do not deny that the current situation has indeed become very unfavorable to us. However, this is only temporary. The Royal Navy is trying to find a way to deal with the German challenge. Please believe in the Royal Navy, we will be defeated soon The German fleet will ensure the safety of the sea transportation line." Churchill assured.
"Winston, did the Navy lose a battlecruiser this afternoon? What\'s going on?" Prime Minister Asquith asked directly without going around in circles.
"Yes, Your Excellency. During the battle this afternoon, the battlecruiser \'Lion\' unfortunately sank. This is indeed a sad thing. To be honest, the Royal Navy did not expect it. We are currently For the most powerful battlecruiser, it was so easy to be sunk by the Germans. And the Germans sank our battlecruiser, which is almost the same tonnage and combat power as ours. Moreover, this is still in the second In the event of a one-on-one battle, the battlecruiser \'Lion\' was sunk. In order to avoid greater losses, the \'Royal Princess\' was evacuated directly." Churchill narrated to everyone with a sad face.
"What? How could it be like this?"
"God! How can the German warships be so powerful. In the situation of two against one, isn\'t our ship of the same level completely invincible to the Germans?"
"This battle seems to be very bad for us! Can the Royal Navy really defeat the Germans?"
A group of senior cabinet members all exclaimed. Although they learned about the sinking of the battlecruiser \'Lion\', they didn\'t know the exact process. Hearing what Churchill said now, I immediately felt extremely bad.
"Winston, can\'t the Royal Navy deal with the Germans?" Prime Minister Asquith frowned tightly. This is undoubtedly a great blow to him.
"Your Excellency, the Royal Navy is trying to find a way. However, we need more support. The Royal Navy hopes that both the \'Queen Elizabeth-class\' battleships and the \'Revenge-class\' battleships will be able to enter service early next year. In this way, we will have more Great chance of winning. The Germans will not give us too long." Churchill said.
In the face of a strong enemy, the British cabinet passed the navy\'s request without any doubts. Add a large budget so that the two powerful battleships can be put into service as soon as possible.