Rasputin of the East

＜ Episode 66 >

Adriatic Sea, near Venice.

“Report damage!”

“Range finder broken! Fire on the deck!”

“Introduce the Conservative Team! communicator! Call the British Navy bastards right now! Enemy fleet in normal operation! Extremely dangerous! Request assistance immediately!”

It is the pride of the empire, and living is the priority.

“Damn British bastards!”

what? Is it okay to just walk and pick up the flag and come out? I should have put the child on this boat somehow.

I don’t know if it’s the friendship between the Anglo-Japanese alliance or the plague, but the British guy who offered to entrust the Japanese navy with the task of taking over the battleships of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. promised

“Admiral! You have to run away…”

“How? They’re faster than us!”

“If you give orders right now, the battlecruisers (armored cruisers Kurama-class and Tsukuma-class are classified as battlecruisers in Japan) can escape!”

“There may be, but if you do, you will be annihilated!”

The Tegetov-class and Tsukuma-class have only a 0.2 knot difference in speed, and battleships slower than 2 knots are not promising at all. Fortunately, the Kurama class has a 0.9 knot difference, so there is a chance that it will somehow escape.

But is that all? In front of me are four Tegetov-class ships. They alone have enough power to annihilate them, but where are all the Radetzky-class that are said to be anchored?

“The Italian Navy has been contacted! Now the battleships of the Royal Italian Navy are moving!”

“How long do you think it will take?”

“That’s… a few hours…”

“I will only come after I win or lose.”

For now, the latter probability is overwhelmingly high.

“Is this our grave?”

I wish I could leave it as a sase-gu.

Looking at it objectively, the power ratio is 3 to 2. Considering the Freedreadnought-class enemy that may come out in addition to that, it’s almost like losing.

“Show me the samurai spirit of the Empire that will not surrender even if defeated by those white men! Close the distance with the enemy fleet! Approaching within range of the 10-inch gun!”

To put it bluntly, that was the only way the Japanese Navy survived.

Using all available firearms, inflict a single powerful blow to the enemy ship, inflicting a critical hit and running away.

“Tenno Heika Banzai!”

***

Austro-Hungarian Navy’s flagship Tegetov 1st ship Viribus Unitis. bridge.

“Admiral, they are approaching.”

“Right.”

Admiral Horti Miklosi stared at the enemy fleet.

“The trap is useless.”

“Would you like to call me now?”

“No, there’s a chance they’ll run away. And firepower is enough.”

Currently, the battleships of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were not speeding up to specifications.

The reason was simple. It was not properly maintained, and there were some damaged equipment. It was never perfect.

The communist revolt was not shunned by Trieste. The SMS Habsburg captain Horti Miklosi, who had learned of this in advance, mobilized the military police to arrest or kill the instigators, but it took a lot of blood to put down the already broken sailor rebellion.

Horti, who killed all the instigators at the end of the gunfight, heard the news of the Japanese navy approaching from Captain Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp, the captain of the SM U-14, who returned to Trieste just in time. He won the support of the sailors through his speech and was promoted to admiral, and he managed to sortie just in time, but it was difficult to see that the fleet was in perfect condition in many ways.

“It would have been better if Ammunition Depot 4 hadn’t been blown away.”

“It is a miracle enough that the fuel depot survived all the chaos. Admiral.”

Not an official admiral, he was officially just a commander.

The problem is that, in the chain of command, the superiors were slaughtered at the beginning of the rebellion. Even among fellow captains, there were battleships that temporarily promoted captains, etc.

Even with the current flagship, Horti himself was the captain and admiral at the same time.

“Don’t let them close the distance, the top priority is to catch the enemy Kurama-class armored cruisers, those who are likely to escape.”

It wasn’t a threat, it was an instruction to catch the fast one first, even a seemingly arrogant instruction, but at the same time, it was a word that could be said because it had an overwhelming advantage.

– Kwak!

A shock reached the hull with gunfire.

“It’s a slow shot!”

“You monkeys, you have pretty good shooting skills. Artillery!”

“Yes!”

“I look forward to the collaboration within the next three rounds!”

“…… I will do my best!”

At that moment, several water columns were seen soaring around an enemy Kurama-class armored cruiser. It had been threatened by the 2nd ship Tegetov.

Enemy armored cruisers struggled to survive by avoiding dishes, but the limitations were clear as they had already been caught. After a while, the flames went out.

The ammunition depot exploded in a 12-inch storm that far exceeded its defensible firepower, and the enemy ship was seen shattering into pieces.

“Destroy 1 enemy Kurama-class armored cruiser!”

“Good start.”

Horti, who drew attention from the burning and drifting enemy ships, felt another gunfire.

The 12-inch heatwave that the giant of steel vomited exploded on the opponent with malice.

– Whoa, whoa, whoa!

The bombardment hit another armored cruiser with a flash of light.

As both Kurama-class began to burn and sink, Horti took the time to target.

“Ham… Admiral! Enemies are charging!”

“Change the target, the enemy Satsuma-class lead ship, blow it away.”

After a while, the bombardment flew. A 12-inch shell exploded on Satsuma’s bridge, which he had the courage to charge, saying that he could not be defeated by just sitting.

“Admiral, there is a problem with turret number two. The transmitter is in trouble.”

“The loading of turret 3 is not keeping pace.”

“Is it a tannery again?”

“It seems to be a problem with the sailors.”

“ha.”

It’s a mess. Just as he sighed, the shells dropped.

– Kwak!

“It’s a slow shot!”

“The more they shoot, the more accurate they get, gunnery!”

“We are doing our best!”

“Admiral! St Stephen’s Engine Room Damaged! Fall behind!”

“shit. Artillery!”

The sound of answering something was drowned out by gunfire. Water pillars erected by 12-inch shells soared around the enemy battleships.

“Narrow!”

“Keep shooting!”

As time went on, the enemy ships burned one by one. The team was well-behaved as there was no damage except for St Stephen’s back due to shock flooding and engine problems.

But Horti’s face was not bright.

“The sun is setting.”

It took more time than expected.

“Communicate with the 2nd Battleship Squadron to narrow the siege, there is a high probability that they will try to break through our border line by force.”

“All right.”

***

Negotiations were originally done by pushing and pulling, and I decided now was the time to push.

So, after dinner at Buckingham Palace, I left all the luggage at Buckingham Palace, and I mainly toured the British factories, especially the engine companies.

“Welcome to Napier & Son! Your foe!”

“Thank you.”

The purpose was simple. Securing technology, and earning if you can use it.

There is a Renault engine to be imported from France, but the Renault engine is not universal, and there is a high possibility that the quantity is not enough to be used for bombers.

“This is a mockup of the 450 horsepower engine we are currently designing. Named Ryan, this engine can be mounted on single-engine fighters…”

As an added bonus, it was also intended to wear out the children of the British side.

“Even if it gets a little heavier or bigger, can you enhance the output even more? They said it was a 16-cylinder, but it was increased to about 24-cylinder.”

“Then, wouldn’t it be big enough to be difficult to mount on an aircraft? The output is definitely increased, but the engine is too long left and right.”

“What would happen if we changed the shape of the engine or the arrangement of the cylinders?”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds…”

That’s right, there’s no way I can rub against the best engineers of this era with what I’ve been hearing around. Technically, it was not easy to advance the time by 10 years.

When I expressed my regret, the person who was guiding was rather embarrassed.

“Maybe, maybe I can!”

“Didn’t I just say it wasn’t easy?”

“We can show the finished product in a few years. Enough is possible!”

Well, I was just in a hurry. Because I have very big hands.

Currently, Russia’s aviation industry is almost monopolized by me. The Russian Army and Navy also have aircraft, but they are far fewer than those of the Interior Ministry. I don’t know if the air budget was cut to give the Interior Ministry a budget, or if we were ignorantly making a lot of aircraft.

Anyway, how much is that even if you are in charge of supplying fighter engines alone? As it is an opportunity of a lifetime, it is understandable that that person is desperate.

After a while, as soon as I left the office, people were waiting.

“The Count.”

“Oh, good to see you again, Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

“It’s been a lot of fun in the past.”

It was only a few days when it was said that it was dignified, but it seems difficult to say that it was only a few days from the opponent’s point of view.

“Can you interpret your visit to me as a sign that the British Empire’s cabinet has reached a consensus?”

“In terms of having to negotiate with the Count first, yes, yes.”

“That’s probably not what I was talking about.”

“The British Empire is in such a difficult state to say.”

Britain’s pride was horribly trampled on. By the invasion of the British mainland, which had never been trampled even by Napoleon.

“And, what we desperately need in the British Empire now…”

“Sir, since when did we become such a relationship that the British Empire had to take care of it? During the Russo-Japanese War, which country bought all the government bonds of the Japanese Empire?”

“that……”

“This is the first prerequisite for negotiations. We demand a realistic adjustment of the Russian Empire’s debt of about 27 billion rubles to the British Empire and the French Republic.”

***

England, London, War Castle.

“It’s the Alps!”

“Damn it, this area has been destroyed by a handful of Austrians after several Italian attacks. How are you going to break through there?”

“Already the Austro-Hungarian army has collapsed. Do you think they will have the ability to defend the defense line in the midst of a red flag on Schinbrunn Gong and fighting between pro-government and rebel forces across Austria?”

The Austrian-Hungarian Imperial Army’s General Staff was burned down in the arson, and it is unknown whether many of the generals were dead or alive. The imperial family literally stripped themselves and fled, and the supply line to the front was cut off.

The mission is to simply walk and plant a flag in the yard where information has come in that deserters have come one after another and the unit organization itself has been disrupted. At least that’s what the General Staff thought.

“Literally, it is clear information that they have already lost all significant battle formations in the civil war! All you need to do is walk and plant the flag!”

“It sounds like something I heard from Som.”

“Listen, the war will end sooner or later. Does anyone know that?”

there was no way

The Ottomans and Austria-Hungary will fall, and Germany will know that it is meaningless to endure anyway, and will be active in negotiations as the communist revolution broke out in front of them.

The public opinion on salt fields in the Russian Empire is considerable, and there is not enough room for anything to be gained.

However, France and Britain are still countries worthy of a fight, but if France can regain Alsace-Lorraine, there is a high possibility of negotiating on an appropriate line.

No, in fact, even Britain had to enter the negotiating table. Taking advantage of the break in the coastal blockade, German blockade breakers and battlecruisers broke through the unfinished North Sea minefields, shooting shells at British coastal cities, capturing merchant ships, and destroying trade.

Naturally, the British were terrified, and upon confirming the departure of the German flotilla, they immediately counterattacked with Queen Elizabeth-class battlecruisers and battlecruisers, and sank two battlecruisers in two close encounters. raised

read at https://readwn.com

Meanwhile, a bad news came from the Mediterranean.

“The Japanese fleet was devastated after a battle with the Austro-Hungarian navy, and because of its slow speed, they could not escape and lost all their battleships and armored cruisers, you bastards.”

If the Japanese Navy had heard that sound, it would have been a fierce protest. I faced 4 enemy dreadnought-class battleships with 4 full-dreadnought-class battleships and 4 armored cruisers.

“The naval rebellion in Trieste was put down too simply.”

In fact, the communist revolution in Vienna was also close to an accident, far from a meticulous plan. He destroyed the fleet and raised morale.

As a result, unlike the army, where units disappear without a single battle, the Austrian-Hungarian navy was unexpectedly well organized.

“The problem is this. If this goes on, the Serbian army will enter Trieste, and even if the navy resists fiercely, there is a clear limit as long as supplies in Vienna are cut off. In that case, it would be good if the fleet sank, and if it surrendered…”

read at https://readwn.com

Many of the dreadnought-class battleships that are still in good condition are again handed over to Russia. At least four dreadnought-class battleships remain in Trieste.

Even if the Serbian army rushes in, if the Austrian-Hungarian Empire resists and is thwarted, in all probability, the Russian army will move, and then Russia may advance into the Adriatic Sea.

“Before that, we must obtain the surrender of Austria-Hungary. For that to happen, we have to break through the Alps.”

The symbol of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s surrender to Britain overturns public opinion and somehow tilts the board.

In addition, the next is the soft belly of Bayern and Germany, so it is possible to raise a huge major without much effort.

Like it or not, Britain had no choice but to prepare for the invasion of the Alps by making radical proposals, such as promising to give Italy all the territory it would acquire from Austria in the future, as Britain had no choice but to extend its hand to Italy to contain Russia.

Not because I want to, but because I have to succeed.