The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 966 A big gamble
The Admiralty Building on Whitehall Street, London, April 14, 1885.

First Lord of the Navy Hugh Childs' fingertips slowly traced across the Pacific Ocean chart, moving back and forth between the two key points of Port Moresby and Oahu.

"Gentlemen, the Empire's bargaining chips in the Pacific are no longer sufficient."

His voice was deep and hoarse, as if it had been forced out by twenty years of tobacco use. In the office, the firelight from the fireplace illuminated the faces of the three high-ranking naval officers, but it couldn't dispel the gloomy atmosphere.

First Lord of the Navy Admiral Arthur Hood stood beside him, his uniform crisp and his chest adorned with medals, his eyes still sharp. His fingers tapped heavily on the spot on Oahu, his voice cold and hard:
"If we abandon the Battle of Oahu, it will be tantamount to abandoning the strategic initiative in the entire Pacific. The Pacific Fleet of the United States East Coast will eventually be forced to withdraw to the Atlantic, at which point the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's fleet will completely control the Pacific shipping lanes, and Australia will become an isolated island."

Hugh Childs was silent for a moment: "But if Port Moresby is lost, Australia will..."

Third First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir William Graham, adjusted his gold-rimmed spectacles. Behind the lenses, his gaze was calm and restrained, but his fingers trembled slightly.
"But if we recall the six new battleships of Fisher's fleet to Port Moresby, the Battle of Oahu cannot proceed. The strategic intention of the Eastern Union is clear—they hope to force the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's East Pacific Fleet to abandon the Battle of Culunca Bay through the Second Battle of Oahu, thereby saving the situation of the Nicaragua Canal."

Czardes' fingers trembled slightly as he stared at the nautical chart, as if he could see the future battle situation from the lines and markings.

Sir William Graham continued his analysis: "If the US Pacific Fleet withdraws to the Atlantic, what will Mexico choose? Once the US Western Fleet passes through the canal into the Caribbean, both Mexico's east and west coasts will be exposed to its guns. At that point, Mexico will inevitably side with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!"

Admiral Hood scoffed: "What does Mexico's defection mean? It means the strategic balance of the entire North American theater has been broken! The Eastern Federation will be attacked from both sides, while we—the Royal Navy—will face the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Pacific Fleet alone!"

Sir Graham took a deep breath and said slowly, "Therefore, we must take a gamble."

Czardes looked up abruptly: "What are we betting on?"

"I'm betting that Port Moresby won't fall before we capture Oahu," Admiral Hood's voice was firm and ruthless. "I'm betting that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's navy won't be able to break through Port Moresby's defenses in a short time!"

Cairdes' fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, his brow furrowed. "But what if... what if Port Moresby falls first?"

Admiral Hood walked to the wall and unfurled a huge map of Port Moresby's defenses: "Port Moresby is no ordinary port; its defenses have been meticulously constructed over a decade. There are 48 10-inch fortified guns, a minefield, and coastal fortifications extending more than five kilometers in depth. In addition, the Australian fleet has six Duncan-class battleships, whose 305mm rapid-fire guns are sufficient to form a powerful fire barrier."

Sir Graham added, "Moreover, the terrain of Port Moresby meant it couldn't be captured quickly. It wasn't a port on a small island, but on the vast island of New Guinea, surrounded by rolling hills that could accommodate a large defensive force. So the ANZACs deployed a full corps there!"

Cairdes stared at the defense map, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly asked, "What if the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom sends out 'Qianlong'-class battleships? Can the Duncan-class's 305mm guns penetrate the 'Qianlong's' main armor belt?"

Sir Graham shook his head: "No. The Duncan-class's speed and firepower come at the cost of armor. Before its 305mm guns can penetrate the 'Dragon's' main armor belt, the 'Dragon's' 280mm guns will send it to the bottom of the sea first."

Cairdes' face darkened: "What about the 48 10-inch shore guns? Can they repel the 'Submarine' class?"

Admiral Hood said in a deep voice, "It can be damaged, but it's difficult to sink. Even a 12-inch naval gun would have difficulty sinking the 'Qianlong' with a single shot, and the power of a 10-inch shore gun is even more limited. However..."

Çaldis slammed his fist on the table, interrupting, "How can the Royal Navy risk losing six battleships?!"

Sir Graham and Admiral Hood exchanged a glance, both understanding the First Lord of the Admiralty's thoughts—he was running low on funds, couldn't afford to lose, but still wanted to play!

Graham then said slowly, "Your Excellency, we are not without a choice."

"What choice?"

Hood said, "We can withdraw the fleet to Brisbane."

Cairdes was taken aback: "Give up Port Moresby?"

“No, not abandonment,” Sir Graham explained. “The coastal guns, mines, and army of Port Moresby are sufficient to defend the port. Leaving the fleet in the port would only make it a sitting duck. If the fleet retreats to Brisbane, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s navy will not dare to make any rash moves, because they cannot be sure when and where our main fleet will appear.”

Admiral Hood added, "Moreover, Brisbane is close enough to Port Moresby that our fleet can quickly reinforce it should the main Taiping Heavenly Kingdom navy appear." Childers remained silent for a long time, then finally nodded slowly, "Alright, that's settled. The fleet will retreat to Brisbane, but Port Moresby must be defended to the death!"

His voice carried a hint of resentment, but more so, a sense of helplessness. The Royal Navy, once the ruler of the seven seas, was now forced to retreat step by step in the Pacific.

Because he really didn't have enough chips left.

Compared to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's navy, the British Royal Navy's advantage was actually a stock advantage, accumulated over many years! However, with the losses in previous major wars, Britain's stock advantage had almost disappeared.

What's even more frightening is that naval technology has advanced too rapidly in the past two years! This has made the tactical value of older battleships and armored cruisers increasingly diminished. If the "Admiral" class ships that were bullying the German army at Dunkirk were to come to the Pacific, a single "Hailong" (a type of warship), no, a single "Hailong," would be enough to wipe out the entire "Admiral" class!

Therefore, in the Pacific Ocean today, the truly effective vessels are those few "new and cutting-edge" ships.
Although the six Duncan-class ships cannot compare to the Majestic-class, Dreadnought-class, or Invincible-class, they are still usable. If they were to be sailed back to Europe, they could still bully the Germans, which is extremely valuable!

Luo Yaoguo stood in front of the sand table, his fingers lightly tapping on the model of Pearl Harbor. His gaze was cold, and his voice was deep: "Huang Chengzhong's main force of the East Pacific Fleet must remain in Pearl Harbor."

Naval Minister Wang Yan frowned: "Prime Minister, if the fleet stays in port, the Anglo-American combined fleet may lay mines off Oahu to block our way out."

Luo Yaoguo sneered: "Let them lay their traps. We have minesweepers, submarines, four 'Hailong II' class destroyers, and two 'Jingyuan' class destroyers. As long as the fleet is still in Pearl Harbor, the Anglo-American combined fleet will not dare to stray far! They must be constantly on guard against us going to sea!"

Wang Yan hesitated and said, "But what if the British and American fleets launch a full-scale attack on Oahu?"

Luo Yaoguo slammed his hand on the edge of the sand table: "Then let them attack! As long as the East Pacific Fleet is still in Pearl Harbor, they won't dare to launch a full-scale attack! They'll have to divide their forces to defend against us! That's our bargaining chip!"

His gaze swept over everyone in the operations room, his tone brimming with arrogance:
"Tell Jiangnan Shipyard and Dalian Shipyard that the twelve 'Qianlong' class ships must be completed on time! The construction progress of the 'Yinglong' class must also be accelerated. Its 2.8-ton standard displacement and 360mm main gun are the guarantee for our final victory! The future of the Pacific Ocean will surely belong to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!"

There was not a trace of hesitation in his voice, as if victory was already in his grasp.

Because he has enough chips in his hand! And there will be more and more to come—the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is now the world's largest industrial nation, with crude steel production exceeding 1100 million tons last year.
March 1885, 4, early morning.

Inside Pearl Harbor, Admiral Huang Chengzhong, a former child soldier of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and a graduate of the first class of the Shanghai Naval Academy, stood on the bridge of the flagship "Shanxi" of the "Hailong II" battleship. Through his binoculars, he could see the dark silhouettes of ships already appearing on the distant horizon.

“报告提督！飞艇侦察确认，英美联合舰队正在逼近瓦胡岛！”通讯官的声音急促，“主力舰14艘，包括2艘无畏级、2艘无敌级、2艘纳尔逊勋爵级、8艘宪法改，另有10艘装甲巡洋舰、22艘驱逐舰！25艘运输舰”

Huang Chengzhong's fingers tightened slightly, but there was no fear on his face.

"Issue the order—" His voice was as cold and hard as iron, "The entire fleet, attack!"

"Admiral!" the adjutant exclaimed in alarm. "The enemy outnumbers us. Should we wait a little longer?"

"Wait for what?" Huang Chengzhong sneered. "Wait for them to surround Oahu? Wait for them to lay mines at the gates of Pearl Harbor?"

He turned abruptly, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Order the four Hailong II-class destroyers, namely the 'Shanxi,' 'Henan,' 'Shaanxi,' and 'Gansu,' the two Jingyuan-class destroyers, the 'Jingyuan' and 'Laiyuan,' as well as all cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats, minelayers, and submarines, to set sail!"

"We'll rely on the coastal defense batteries on Oahu to have a go at the British and Americans! Even if we can't win, we can always retreat back to Pearl Harbor. Don't forget, Pearl Harbor has the naval shipyard of our Eastern Pacific Fleet, which has the capacity to repair four battleships under 3 tons at the same time!"

An hour later, the main force of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Eastern Pacific Fleet sailed out of Pearl Harbor in a grand procession. Four Hailong II-class battleships lined up in column, their 32 280mm main guns gleaming menacingly in the sunlight. Two Jingyuan-class armored cruisers followed closely behind, their 210mm main guns already loaded.

Meanwhile, along the coastline of Oahu, the muzzles of 210mm and 240mm coastal defense guns slowly rose, aiming at enemy ships in the distance.

(End of this chapter)