The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 1023 Royal Navy, Strike First!

In the misty London morning, a Rolls-Royce slowly pulled up in front of 10 Downing Street. The door opened, and a gleaming leather shoe stepped onto the cobblestones, followed by another, then an ebony cane, and finally a face with a cigar in his mouth and a furrowed brow—39-year-old Winston Churchill, briefcase in hand, strode toward the Prime Minister's residence.

In the foyer, several clerks were conversing in hushed tones. Upon Churchill's entrance, they nodded in greeting. Churchill casually removed his bowler hat, flashed them a standard English smile, and then headed straight for the Cabinet meeting room. Pushing open the door, he was greeted by the strong aroma of cigars and the bitter scent of coffee.

The conference table was already full of people—Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith, Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George, Secretary of War Lord Horatio Kitchener, Secretary of State for the Colonies Lewis Harcourt, and Secretary of State for India Lord Crewe. All eyes were on the late First Lord of the Admiralty.

Prime Minister Asquith frowned, about to complain about the always-late fat man, when Churchill slammed his briefcase heavily on the table.

“Prime Minister, gentlemen,” his voice was low and urgent, “just an hour ago, Sir Sir Fisher, First Sea Lord, reported to me something quite unusual—”

He looked around to make sure everyone's attention was on him.

"All of the United States aircraft carriers have disappeared from the Royal Navy's surveillance range."

The air in the conference room froze instantly.

“Ten Enterprise-class destroyers, eight hundred carrier-based aircraft—” Churchill said, his voice barely audible, as if squeezed out from between his teeth, “Tell me, what is MacArthur planning?”

Prime Minister Asquith's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his fingers tapped unconsciously on the table.

Do you think they're preparing for war?

Churchill sneered: "Luo Yaoguo is about to die, and the Pacific world is about to enter a power vacuum. MacArthur has been waiting for this moment for twenty-four years."

Foreign Secretary Sir Grey immediately proposed: "We should send someone to Paris right away to coordinate our position with the French. If the Americans are really going to take action, we need to ensure that the French are on our side, and perhaps we can work together to stop the war."

Colonial Secretary Harcourt scoffed: "The French are trying to stop the war? They're probably preparing for it now! The Germans have 200,000 troops stationed in Alsace-Lorraine and the Vosges Mountains, and the French dream of reclaiming their lost territories."

War Secretary Kitchener suddenly spoke up: "If the Americans really were to take action, where would they target? The Nicaragua Canal? Canada? Or would they attack the British mainland directly?"

Churchill pulled a document from his briefcase and slammed it open on the table.

“Sir Fisher’s operational analysis.” He pointed to the red circle on the map, “The Americans’ most likely target is Scapa Flow.”

There was an uproar in the conference room.

“Scapa Flow?” Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd George jumped to his feet. “That’s the home port of the Home Fleet! What if it’s attacked?”

“The Royal Navy will lose control of the North Atlantic,” Churchill interrupted him coldly. “And once we lose control of the sea, the Germans will pounce like sharks that have smelled blood.”

Churchill then pulled another document from his briefcase, which bore the top-secret seal of the Admiralty.

“This is Sir Fisher’s suggestion.” His voice was calm and resolute. “The Home Fleet must act immediately.”

He pointed to several key points on the map:

"First, our four Hood-class, four Prince of Wales-class, and four King Charles-class submarines should immediately head south to the English Channel to join the French in blockading the Channel and deterring Germany." Churchill's finger traced the map. "The French Storm multi-purpose attack aircraft pose a very significant threat to the German Navy!"

"Second, our six large aircraft carriers have been concealed in the waters off the Faroe Islands." He pointed north, "to avoid US reconnaissance and preserve our counterattack capabilities."

"Third, deploy additional Short seaplanes to conduct 24-hour patrols over the waters north of Scotland and south of Iceland." Churchill's voice grew serious. "The Americans can't just vanish into thin air; their aircraft carriers must be hiding somewhere. If we discover them quietly approaching the British coastline, then we'll send in the carriers and give them a surprise attack!"

"Finally, 24 K-class submarines were laid in ambush at the North Sea exit." He tapped his fingers heavily on the table. "If the Germans dare to take advantage of the situation, let them taste the torpedoes."

Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd George's face turned ashen: "A sudden attack on the U.S. fleet on the high seas? That's tantamount to declaring war on the United States!"

“No,” Churchill sneered, “this is preemptive self-defense.”

Prime Minister Asquith took a deep breath and glanced at each cabinet member.

"Gentlemen, please vote."

"Raise your hand if you support Fisher's plan."

Churchill was the first to raise his hand. Lord Kitchener followed closely behind.

Sir Grey hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his arm.

Lloyd George and Harcourt exchanged a glance and ultimately chose to abstain.

Asquith closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, his voice firm:
"Order the Scapa Flow Fleet—to launch an immediate attack!"

Inside the meeting hall of the Palais de Paris, heavy red curtains blocked out the morning light, leaving only a few brass chandeliers casting dim, yellowish shadows. Around the long table, five members of the Supreme Council sat, their shadows stretching across the wall like revolutionary beasts about to pounce on their prey.

The chairman of the Supreme Council, Jules Gade, sat at the head of the table, with a telegram spread out in front of him. The key information was circled in red: "Luo Yaoguo is critically ill, and the power transfer of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is imminent."

“Gentlemen,” Jules Gader’s voice was deep and firm, “the Pacific world is about to close its doors and deal with its power vacuum. What does that mean?”

Military Council member Joseph Joffre slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly: "Mr. Chairman, this means that the German Empire and the United States of America will have no more scruples! Wilhelm II and MacArthur will pounce on us like hungry wolves!"

Naval Councillor Louis Laperel added with a sneer: "The peace in Europe that the British have painstakingly maintained for twenty-four years is about to end, but this is also a rare opportunity for us."

International Council member Edward Varyan strode to the huge map on the wall and pointed his finger heavily at the demilitarized zone in northeastern France: "For twenty-four years, this land has been like a dagger stuck in our hearts! Now, it's time to pull it out!"

Jules Gader surveyed the crowd, then slowly stood up: "That's right. We must take the demilitarized zone, and then fight a counter-revolutionary war with a revolutionary war—that's our answer!"

Xiafei immediately unfolded the battle map: "My orders are as follows—"

"First, immediately deploy troops to occupy the demilitarized zone. The 1st and 3rd Red Banner Armies must advance into the demilitarized zone within 24 hours, with engineering units following immediately. They must establish defensive fortifications as quickly as possible along the Belgian border and west of the Vosges Mountains—the Germans think that buffer zone is their safe haven? No, it will become our springboard for attack!"
"Second, armored units will immediately move into combat positions. The 1st 'Iron' Panzer Division and the 3rd 'Red Guard' Panzer Division will be deployed to the Franco-Belgian border—400 'Thunder' heavy tanks will immediately complete combat readiness checks, and I believe their 75mm main guns will be able to tear through the German defenses."

"Third, the air strike force of the Republic of France is fully ready—80 'Storm-3' bombers have been deployed to Dunkirk, with a combat radius of up to 800 kilometers, enough to cover the entire Rhine industrial area. The 60 'Lightning' torpedo bombers at Marseille are also ready to strike at any time!"

"Fourth, the submarine force will immediately enter the ocean, ready to launch commerce raiding operations at any time. Our 12 'Red Star' class submarines will sail to the Atlantic Ocean for combat patrols starting today, 8 'Red Ocean' class large submarines will blockade the North Sea exit, and 6 'Submersible' class light submarines will quietly approach Corsica. As soon as the war begins, they will tear apart the enemy's maritime lifelines like a pack of wolves."

After Joffre finished outlining the military arrangements, he turned his gaze to Jules Guede. The leaders of the French Republic immediately added: "Fifth, I suggest we coordinate our actions with our Russian friends immediately. Mr. Vaillant, send a telegram to the embassy in Moscow immediately, instructing Max to meet with Ulyanov. We must establish a 'united front against the German revolution'."

Defense Industry Council member Kashiwa added, "I recommend that all defense factories must switch to three-shift production, with monthly tank production increased to 150 vehicles and aircraft to 200."

Jules Gader nodded. “These six points together constitute our ‘Red Dawn Project’!” His gaze swept over each council member: “Vote, gentlemen.”

Five hands were raised at the same time, like five sharp swords drawn from their sheaths.

A bright red Renault sedan slowly drove through the Spassky Gate of the Kremlin, its wheels crunching over the snow. Inside, Friedrich Max, the French ambassador to Moscow, was clutching a document marked "Top Secret."

“Drive faster,” he told the driver. “Ulyanov is waiting for us.”

The car pulled up in front of the Senate building, and Max strode up the steps. The guards at the entrance recognized him and immediately stood at attention and saluted.

In the conference room on the third floor, Vladimir Ulyanov was studying a map of Europe. Seeing Max enter, he looked up, his eyes behind his glasses flashing with a sharp light.

“Max,” Ulyanov’s voice was calm and firm, “is France preparing to act?”

Max nodded and handed over the documents: "The German Empire is about to launch a war, we can't wait any longer."

Ulyanov took the document and quickly scanned its contents. A moment later, he walked to the window and gazed at the falling snowflakes outside.

“Tell Gade,” he turned, “we’ve been waiting for this day. We will fight alongside our French friends.”

Max's lips curled into a slight smile: "Long live the revolution."

"Long live the revolution," Ulyanov responded softly.

Outside the window, the snow in Moscow was falling heavier and heavier, as if trying to turn the whole world white.

(End of this chapter)