What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 555 The Third Fleet
"I almost forgot about Iceland."

Watching the fiery meteor plummet into the sea from the night sky, Tang Wen's lips twitched slightly:

The original goal was to bring England along, but who knew that we would encounter the Empire first.

How old are you!

But thinking about it, it's actually quite normal. As a true empire that maintains a global military presence, it would be strange if we didn't encounter it.

At 4 a.m., two EP3 anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft and one S2 reconnaissance aircraft took off from Grindavik base. As soon as they turned on their detectors, they detected a dense array of reflected signals underwater.

There was no way around it; even though the U-boats tried their best to maintain distance, the sheer number of hundreds of them was still hard to ignore.

From the perspective of the aerial listening device, it looked as if a large area of ​​the sea was boiling.

However, these audacious reconnaissance planes were shot down by gnats from the surfacing submarine in an instant, and then... there was no further response from the Grindavik base.

But this already means that Prism Tower definitely knew about it, and the satellites may have already changed their orbits to conduct overhead reconnaissance, making it not difficult for them to spot the convoy to the north:
After all, with hundreds of ships gathered together, the heat emitted by the engines alone is extremely dazzling, and a satellite could tell the problem at a glance.

Although Tang Wen did not think it was necessary to adjust the departure time, he still ordered the fleet to disperse to avoid being wiped out in one fell swoop.

As it approached 6 a.m., Tang Wen looked down from the air through a Gnat aircraft at the massive fleet that stretched over an area of ​​tens of square kilometers. The ships of all sizes on the shimmering sea looked like dark clouds that seemed ready to devour everything.

As dawn approached, he grew increasingly nervous, so he decided to change the fleet's paint scheme before the reconnaissance planes came overhead:
The menacing, nation-destroying fleet was instantly transformed, its overall color scheme changed to a festive red, incorporating Christmas-themed decorations and even undergoing significant changes in appearance.

The icy steel railings turned a color similar to sled railings, and even the whistles were mixed with the sounds of camel bells and the faint laughter of Santa Claus.

However, Tang Wen felt a chill after trying it once. Heaven knows what was going on with that eerie laughter from the old man climbing over the wall in the air.

The Christmas special paint scheme can be applied to the entire fleet at once. The originally dark and cold sea surface is suddenly filled with a bright red color, while the occasional camel bells and laughter add a touch of eeriness to the atmosphere.

"Commander, you should rest."

Jean Bart brought over a cup of sticky, coffee-colored liquid, and Tang Wen immediately smelled an overpoweringly sweet aroma in the air—it was hot chocolate.

If you drank this stuff in China, 99% of people wouldn't be able to open their mouths. Even a sip would require drinking several liters of water to recover. But in extremely cold weather, a few sips can instantly warm you up and make you feel cozy.

Tang Wen took a small sip and gave her a wry smile:
"I can't sleep now. I feel the air around me, and I suspect that the engines of hundreds of ships are running at the same time, creating convection currents. There is a rumbling sound everywhere."

"You can go back to China to rest first; it's nighttime there now."

"Um...that won't do."

Tang Wen glanced at his phone and could already imagine the General Staff desperately trying to get people back to work overtime.

He could even deduce the scene:

Old Zhang had just finished get off work with his bag, and on his way home he was probably thinking about whether to buy an apple. He had just gotten home and sat down to eat when a phone call made him rush downstairs, get into a Jeep that had come to an abrupt stop, and drive off.

At this moment, it is estimated that dozens of staff officers are crammed into a heated, enclosed room in the capital, anxiously awaiting information from foreign intelligence stations amidst the swirling smoke, and then rapidly analyzing and deducing its meaning.

If we go back now, there will probably be navy personnel waiting at the villa's entrance, and we'll have a lot of problems!
On the contrary, the Prism Tower and Downing Street are right at work hours, so this time it's Beijing's Zha Jiang Mian (noodles with soybean paste) restaurants that are packed with orders.

"Then you should also take a short rest. You can't be distracted during a big battle."

Jean Bart, looking worried, carried the sofa over and pressed Tang Wen's head onto his lap before gently massaging his temples.

However, just as the latter was about to fall asleep, Lütjens hurriedly walked in, glanced at the situation, and sent the intelligence directly through the communication panel.

A few seconds later, Tang Wen sat up. Lütjens told him that the escorting gnats of the submarines at the front had spotted an anti-submarine aircraft and were about to shoot it down, but the aircraft simply waved its wings to indicate that it was harmless and even dragged a long white cloth out of the hatch.

The “spineless” plane then identified itself on the radio as Admiral John Band, the Secretary of State for Naval Affairs, and demanded to negotiate with the fleet commander.

"Negotiations at this moment? Is he joking?" Tang Wen muttered, then lay back down, closed his eyes, changed his position, and gave Lütjens an order:

"Don't shoot them down yet. Tell them that the Third Fleet of the High Seas is going to avenge Scapa Flow and announce the return of the High Seas Fleet in William Harbor!"

……

Three hours ago

Thanks to the coordination mechanism, John Band was the first to know the news, but by the time he arrived at the residence of Prime Minister Tony Blair, the latter had already washed up and was waiting for him.

Blair spoke first after seeing Band:
"I have spoken with President Jefferson and the key members of the treaty by phone, and they have agreed to provide full assistance. The Empire is prepared to transfer fighter jets from various locations, including the Ferghana and Selenium, to support the homeland."

After hearing this, Band immediately asked:

"Have the air forces of Hans and Italy been redeployed?"

Blair gave him a meaningful look:

Do you think Hans might actually launch a pincer attack?

"If such a bizarre thing can happen, what else is impossible? Besides, even if Hans is unaware of it, he would probably be happy to see it happen. At most, he would just say he would never send any support."

"Besides, we don't dare to ask them for support. Right now, the best-case scenario is that Hans just stays put and does nothing."

Blair stated the facts before asking seriously:

"Tell me, does the United Kingdom have the capability to destroy this fleet?"

"This is impossible."

Band immediately shook his head:

"Do you know what those hundred submarines mean? In fact, we have a nuclear submarine patrolling around them, but it doesn't dare to show its face at all. There are just too many of them. Even if each submarine launches an aircraft, it can form a formation of hundreds of planes, and they're not even afraid of anti-submarine aircraft!"
But I have already ordered the Royal Ark fleet to head north, at least to gather more intelligence and ascertain the enemy's movements.

"So, is there any danger to the mainland?"

Band: "They are no match for the power of the convention, which has been proven."

Blair pressed further: "If support isn't provided in time, will the homeland be threatened?"

Band remained silent for a long time before stammering out a reply:
"The Royal Navy will defend its honor, but... I suggest the Royal Family prepare for a relocation."

Upon hearing this answer, Blair was not disappointed; instead, he showed a look of "I knew it."

Don't forget that Blair was the leader of the Labour Party, whose main goal was to continuously cut all unnecessary expenditures (especially military spending), so Blair was well aware of the extent of the decline in British military capabilities.

As for support... it sounded good on the phone, but Blair knew that with the death of the polar bear, old Europe would be the next target for the Empire's bloodshed.

They certainly won't stand idly by, but they definitely won't rush to rescue us; they'll act at the "appropriate time."

As for the hairy chicken?

They vowed to take revenge, but it seems they are currently making every effort to mobilize troops to the border, fearing another blitzkrieg!

and so……

"General Band, the United Kingdom does not need war, we need peace! We must make contact with the Lost Empire and must not be drawn into the flames of war!"

(End of this chapter)