What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 587 Choice
In fact, Britain still has considerable counter-strike capability, including all 12 Exocet land-based mobile launch systems airlifted from the south. If all of them were deployed, they could inflict significant damage on the fast fleet.

However, having lost air superiority, these mobile units became disposable. After the Lossiemouth base retreated, they quickly withdrew and, along with the remaining force of approximately 1.8 men, hid in the vast forests of the Cairngorms Mountains, waiting to launch a surprise counterattack.

从下午15时20分开始，无比号的508毫米舰炮就够到了洛西茅斯基地，4枚接近2吨的炮弹以每分钟2轮的速度不断砸下，每一次都伴随着惊天巨响。

The numerous V1 and Swift attacks only destroyed the runway, vehicles, and other supplies, but the 508mm heavy artillery was slowly hammering at the base's permanent buildings, even shocking the underground fortifications.

After half an hour of shelling, Saint Vincent, Hood, and four German battleships were within range. Starting at 15:50, all the forward turrets of the seven battleships joined the firing sequence.

The naval guns, ranging from 283mm to 508mm, provided almost continuous, uninterrupted fire. The heavy shells made a sound like a train whistle as they pierced the air, sending chills down the spines of the soldiers who remained in their concealed positions to observe.

In just 20 minutes, over a thousand shells were unleashed on Lossiemouth Air Base, completely leveling this largest air force base in the north. Even the underground ammunition depot, designed to withstand nuclear explosions, showed signs of collapse and was on the verge of collapse.

Through the records of the counter-battery radar, some veterans began to calculate the error range of the shells. They eventually found that during the nearly one-hour shelling, the maximum probability error of the shell's dispersion circle was no more than 250 meters, and in most cases, it was within 100 meters!
This would be almost impossible with unguided conventional artillery shells!
The suspected 20-inch naval gun firing from 75 kilometers first made the coalition forces realize that a new type of warship, previously unseen, was also involved in the battle, and then they were shocked by the incredible accuracy of this weapon.

This is almost at the level of early anti-ship missiles. Coupled with the large number of shells and the difficulty of interception, even a pure artillery battle could pose a serious threat to modern warships.

Although many anti-ship missiles have now exceeded 100 kilometers, due to the limitations of current electronic guidance technology and the curvature of the Earth, unless there is an early warning aircraft to help, the combat range that warships can be confident of is only about 50 to 75 kilometers on their own.

Fortunately, Johnson carefully examined the map and found that even after the fast fleet docked, there were no conspicuous military bases within the range of the super cannons.

In fact, he didn't quite understand the fast fleet's move to rush to port. From a tactical point of view, as long as a ring of land-based anti-ship missiles were laid in ambush, the battleships would be easy prey.

Although he didn't understand, Johnson couldn't let this opportunity pass and planned a counterattack:

As night falls, a group of aircraft carrying 120 anti-ship missiles will make a low-altitude breakthrough, coordinating with 24 hidden Exocet missiles to launch an attempt to first wipe out the mysterious fast fleet!
The enemy will be hiding in the bay, and there are special operations teams hidden near the shore that can provide laser positioning guidance. Even if they use gliding bombs, they can hit a lot of targets!

At 16:15 PM, the soldiers on the shore reported that they could see a smoke screen slowly approaching on the sea surface, like a cloud in the evening sky. However, the thunderous roar of the ship's guns did not stop. But the target at this time was not Lossiemouth, which had long been reduced to ruins.

The fast fleet is conducting indiscriminate attacks on a vast area further back. Logically, such bombardment poses no threat to the hidden troops, but Tang Wen clearly has his own plans:
The Cairngorms Mountains have a suitable hiding area of ​​about 5000 square kilometers, while the area within range of naval artillery is about 2500 square kilometers.

He directly divided the map into nearly 1100 grids of 2.3 square kilometers each, and then each of the seven battleships was assigned about 160 grids. They took turns calling out each grid in turn, and it took just over an hour to complete one grid.

The occupation mission only required ships to be 20 kilometers from the shore. The seven battleships approached directly to within about 10 kilometers, then dispersed and spread out to unleash their full firepower.

Each grid is roughly 1.5 kilometers by 1.5 kilometers in size. Regardless of the caliber, he believes that even the sound alone would be enough to knock someone unconscious at such close range.

By sheer brute force, they managed to suppress all the restless forces that dared not raise their heads, allowing Tang Wen to calmly monitor the progress of the occupation and complete the mission—as well as negotiate with Wilson.

In order to flexibly handle communication via encrypted satellite phone line and temporarily gain the same access to information as Blair, the latter naturally knew how terrible the fast fleet was doing in the north, and couldn't wait to lay out his conditions:

"250 tons of gold? And you want the mighty Third Fleet to play along with your act?"

Schmidt (Tang Wen) stared at Wilson with a half-smile, while the latter appeared calm on the surface but was actually swallowing hard.

The usual tactic is to quote a low price first and then raise it. This time, he has already been quite unprincipled, quoting only a price slightly lower than the bottom line. He shouldn't be ejected from the torpedo tube again, right?
In fact, Blair's negotiating terms have not yet been unanimously agreed upon by cabinet members; some have even proposed paying $20 billion in currency bonds.

However, Blair insisted that Wilson should talk first, and that he and the war report should persuade the other cabinet members who were not clear-headed.

250 tons of gold is a considerable amount, accounting for one-third of the UK's total reserves. Removing it would greatly reduce the resilience of the monetary system, resulting in more than just financial losses.

Wilson hoped to achieve a figure below 300 tons, but Schmidt's reaction was rather ominous.

Tang Wen, of course, understood the principles of business, and manipulated Schmidt to immediately rebuke the other party:

"Do you think the great Third Fleet is some kind of merchant fleet? We are swords forged in iron and blood, warriors who bring vengeance from the coldest lands with raging flames. You are insulting the great Emperor!"
And you actually think you can get a soldier to abandon his honor and surrender to you with a mere 250 tons of gold…

Wilson's eyelids twitched, and as he desperately tried to think of something to remedy the situation, Schmidt shouted:
"We must add more money. Not an ounce less of the 600 tons of gold, 500 tons of military sales fees, and 100 tons as reputational damages for the Third Fleet!"

"Your Excellency, this is impossible!"

"Stop talking nonsense. The Emperor knows your reserves are definitely more than this. We've already been merciful enough!"

Wilson was shocked to hear this. Could it be that these crazy Hans were here to drain the British government dry?
Thinking of this, he couldn't resist any longer and simply brought up the empire:

"To be honest, Your Majesty, Prism Building only requested the transfer of 200 tons of gold reserves. 250 tons of gold is already an extra amount the United Kingdom is willing to pay to avoid war. Moreover, the secret agreement requires the consent of the entire cabinet, and unreasonable requests will not be approved!"

"..."

Tang Wen was impressed by how the Federal Reserve absorbed global gold reserves through continuous interest rate hikes during this period, and he did not doubt what Wilson said, but he was also somewhat conflicted at this time.

Although he didn't really need the gold, the thought of it ending up in the hands of the empire if he didn't take it made him feel uneasy.

Making money or losing doesn't matter; what matters most is preventing the empire from making money!

Man, your Empire card play was very effective!

After a moment of uncertain hesitation, Schmidt waved his hand, and a magical sailor brought over paper and pen, quickly wrote a few lines, and handed them out.

Wilson took a look and found that it was a price list, divided into medium win, large win, and extra-large win, with prices corresponding to 280 tons, 350 tons, and 420 tons of gold, respectively.

The middle victory was the withdrawal of the Third Fleet, with no spoils and no clear win or loss;
The major victory was that the Third Fleet suffered a setback and retreated, abandoning prisoners, leaving behind three battleships and one heavy aircraft carrier, totaling 220,000 tons of lightly damaged warships that needed repair;
The biggest win would be a complete rout of the Third Fleet, with all the warships packed up and left behind. If you add another 100 tons of gold, you could also capture a captain.

The detailed list, resembling a menu, left Wilson speechless, and he even doubted whether the person in front of him was still Hans!
However... this China win is really cost-effective. Four warships with a displacement of 220,000 tons, wouldn't that mean an average displacement of over 50,000 tons, plus an aircraft carrier?
An aircraft carrier of over 5 tons?!

"Wait, why isn't there a small win? Wouldn't a small win be cheaper?" Wilson noticed the key point, but Schmidt said:
"A small victory would mean plundering the entire Sugonan region with naval guns and V1 missiles, then leaving once we've run out of ammunition. All we ask for is 200 tons of gold. Want to give it a try?"

"No no no."

Wilson shook his head frantically:
What a joke! This is like getting beaten up for nothing and then having to pay up. It's not a small win, it's a complete loss.

While rationally speaking, a 280-ton gold bet with British pound is already quite good, the big win package seems really attractive!

He wanted to try bargaining again, but Schmidt raised his hand and spoke first:

"The reason there is less gold is that the British have chosen to stand on our side, which is also quantified as 250 tons of gold. We understand the Prism Building's control over you, but the Emperor will tell you that you will get more by standing on our side."

You can choose to accept, but you cannot bargain.

"Paying homage to the Emperor... We need some time to discuss this, but it won't be long."

Wilson gave a slight, respectful bow, then hurriedly left the U-boat again.

……

The Empire had been watching Britain's move to transfer its gold reserves, but hadn't given it much thought.

Firstly, it's normal to transfer gold as a precautionary measure; a significant amount was transferred to Canada during the last major war. Secondly, the Prism Building mistakenly believed it was gold being paid to the Federal Reserve.

As for the British, they couldn't keep this batch of gold anyway. If they gave it to the Empire, they would have to fight to the bitter end. If they gave it to the Third Fleet and bought a big win, they could hold their own against giving the US Federal Reserve gold—in short, it wouldn't stay.

And so, without saying a word, they continued to move Ying onto the ship, and the IAA not only did not stop them but also tacitly provided support.

Whether it's 350 tons or 400 tons of gold, it's not much. If you just consider the volume, one truck could carry it away. However, because the density is so high, it actually takes more than a dozen special escort vehicles to move it little by little.

While the reports were being moved, Blair and the others received updated battle reports and discussed which side to favor, and this time Bender was particularly active:
“350 tons of gold is certainly a lot, but from a purely economic perspective, I don’t think it’s a bad deal.”

What excites him is an aircraft carrier of at least 5 tons. Reaching this tonnage would be quite promising, even with a structure based on World War II standards. It would be at least an armored carrier, and with only minor modifications, it could be equipped with jet-powered carrier-based aircraft.

If the Harrier is still used as the carrier-based aircraft, its massive tonnage is more than enough to make up for the lack of technology. Once training is completed and it is put into combat, it will definitely be a good choice!
Moreover, such a large platform is more than capable of operating large jet aircraft. After the Midway was refitted, it could even operate F-14s. It doesn't seem impossible to modify the Tornado and use it on a new aircraft carrier.
The other three battleships were also not bad. In fact, the commissioning of three mixed warships (including aviation cruisers) by the Tokyo Navy has sparked a new round of thinking on naval warfare tactics.
There must be a reason why the University of Tokyo does things this way; it must have some special advantages!

At least for now, it's clear that the hybrid aviation battleship is large and powerful. Whether it can withstand a direct confrontation is uncertain, but it's certainly a formidable asset in daily use.
A single warship can easily suppress second- or third-rate fleets when it goes out alone. It has long reach, ample firepower, and a long field of vision, making it an all-around fighter. It seems to be very useful in localized or low-intensity situations.

For Britain, which has numerous overseas interests to protect, this is simply a dream ship; even a single battleship would suffice—except for being too expensive.

Britain has long been unable to build large warships, otherwise, despite having a wealth of technology, it would have been forced to choose to build small, invincible warships.

But at this moment, Band saw an opportunity:
If the Royal Navy makes peace with the Third Fleet, it will be "forced" to take over a heavy aircraft carrier and three battleships, increasing its tonnage by 20 tons.

This collection of warships alone is already quite expensive; 350 tons of gold is less than $40 billion, and even if you were to build them properly, you still couldn't build a proper 20-ton warship!
If they choose to side with the Empire, not only will they have to send out gold, but they will also have to continue paying off debts. Wouldn't that mean the Royal Navy will have less funding?

So he cleverly shifted the focus:

If we consider a portion of these 350 tons of gold as funds for the Royal Navy's post-war replenishment, then this amount is not only not much, but even slightly insufficient; the Lost Empire is actually quite generous!

The Emperor is genuinely helping us; he truly treats Dai Ying as one of his own!

To put it another way, if the Lost Empire were backed by a hen, could we have secured such favorable terms?

After some back and forth, the others nodded in agreement. By this calculation, the Third Fleet couldn't even be considered extortion; at most, it was a "forced transaction," and one where they didn't lose much.

Furthermore, Band also reached an agreement with Tren: if the Royal Navy received the warships of the Third Fleet, a certain percentage of the Royal Navy's equipment budget would be allocated to the Royal Air Force for the next five years, and Tren was thus won over.

News from the north continues to arrive: the ruthless fast fleet has used thousands of shells to turn half a mountain range upside down, and three Exocet launchers have already been destroyed in time, turning into pieces on the spot!
At 17 p.m., the sky had completely darkened, and Wilson boarded the U-boat again to inquire about the gold delivery method.

Schmidt's answer was that once the ship was out to sea, it could sail and then the crew could leave. After that, there was no need to worry about it, and once the gold was obtained, the promise would naturally stand.

At the same time, Band began preparing his "counter-offensive" forces.

空军可以较为隐蔽的调集26架鹞式和4架狂风、以及4架猎谜、6架MR2“沙克尔顿”反潜机。

The "Shackleton" is an old machine that has been in service since the 50s. It was originally scheduled to be retired by the end of the year, but it had to be urgently restarted due to the large number of lost "Misty" machines.

Fortunately, these old propellers are quite robust and can continue to fly with simple maintenance. The purpose of deploying these 10 anti-submarine aircraft is to have them carry torpedoes to participate in attacks—at least to make a big splash.

The Royal Navy also managed to squeeze out 14 Harriers, which, together with the remaining shore-based anti-submarine forces, was barely enough.

A total of 54 aircraft were dispersed to different bases for various reasons and entered the maintenance phase through Terren's micromanagement.

Meanwhile, Johnson's planned counterattack was underway, with large-scale mobilizations everywhere making it impossible to detect the subtle changes in the Royal Air Force.

At 18 p.m., Johnson officially decided to launch a surprise attack around 23 p.m. to coordinate with the reinforcements that were still arriving.

This time, Prism Building did not want to drag things out any longer. It shouted the slogan "End everything by Christmas" and transferred all the remaining dozens of aircraft stationed in Hans to the area, and replenished their ammunition.

The overworked Wayne had recovered somewhat by this time. Although he was still unable to continue his command duties, he still ordered the bomber group led by Brigadier General Thomas to continue loading missiles and split into two groups to launch a simultaneous attack on the fast fleet and the slow fleet, relying on low-altitude penetration to catch them off guard!
(End of this chapter)