What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 593 The Art of Paper Mounting
The two nuclear submarines were pure bad luck.

The Allied forces once considered requesting their participation in the war, but due to the disparity in strength, they remained hesitant and ultimately ordered them to follow the Third Fleet and wait for an opportunity.

Thanks to their superior stealth capabilities, the two submarines were able to close to within 10 kilometers of the Third Fleet without being detected.

In fact, many of the ships in the Third Fleet are already noisy when sailing at high speeds, which almost eliminates their shipborne anti-submarine capabilities.

When the sonic oscillation chamber formed by V1 radiates infrasound powerful enough to kill any living organism in the ocean, even the most audacious submarine has no time to escape.

Tang Wen was only slightly better off with sonic attacks on the surface of the sea, but below the surface, it was all quiet infrasound!
Almost everyone on board the submarine felt dizzy and extremely nauseous at the same time. The submarine's hull was also rapidly fatigued by the repeated vibrations of the sound waves, and the internal fastening structure began to loosen. Then, under the pressure of the deep sea, it further misaligned, forming a vicious cycle that got worse and worse.

The intricate piping systems were the first to collapse under this unexpected shock, with the power, energy, and critical oxygen production systems all reporting alarms.

For the crew, it was like the end of the world had come suddenly. They only had time to deal with the reactor according to emergency procedures and execute the order to surface before they lost their ability to move.

The crew of the Indulgence were all killed shortly after it surfaced; only one person managed to open the hatch, but he too could not hold on.

The Los Angeles-class Key West was unable to surface in time, but the situation was slightly better because the infrasound attenuated significantly due to the greater distance. Nearly half of the crew made it to V1 and left before some people, despite internal bleeding, gradually initiated the emergency surfacing procedure.

The survivors were rescued and quickly treated when the planes that were clearing the battlefield found them.

The first crew members to recover recounted how they were almost completely destroyed in just a few minutes, a story later corroborated by Johnson and others who boarded the Key West.
Although the submarine appears to be in relatively good condition, removing the anechoic tiles reveals numerous cracks on the hull, along with a large number of broken and loose internal pipes, and all visible screws and rivets are loose and misaligned.

A nuclear submarine that had not suffered any external damage was reduced to an irreparable pile of scrap metal, and the same was true for the Unwearied.

Even the crew members who survived actually suffered severe internal organ damage, and whether they could recover was unknown.

After carefully inspecting the condition of the two submarines, Johnson's gaze towards Bandt turned hostile:
Despite the fact that this war cost tens of billions of dollars, the cost of building, training, commissioning, and maintaining the combat capability of a nuclear submarine is no less than $50 billion, which immediately caused the coalition's expenditure to surge by 50%.

Moreover, this loss is difficult to report. If it is made public, it would be too shameful to have a nuclear submarine sunk. If it is not made public, it would be difficult to pin the blame on Dai Ying. The loss can only be borne by himself.

It appears that the empire's funds were spent, but in reality, Johnson's prestige was damaged.

Why has the Imperial Navy been losing ships and warships ever since it got this new leader? Is this leader any good?

Not only his subordinates are questioning him, but other members of parliament are also questioning him, which will put Johnson in a difficult position.

However, Band was even more upset at this moment. The empire was huge, with dozens of Los Angeles-class submarines alone, and new ships were constantly being commissioned. The number of nuclear submarines that Britain had could be counted on one hand. Losing one would be a tragedy that would make him cry for two years.

However, he knew that Johnson was probably not a good person to talk to at this point, and was about to offer to give up Game 3 when Johnson spoke first:
"The Imperial Navy lost a main nuclear submarine to support the British, and we need to receive a battleship and an aircraft carrier as compensation."

"This is impossible!"

Bander's eyes instantly reddened, but Johnson calmly asked:

"Please don't be anxious. We also want to know why all the warships captured by the British from the Third Fleet were warships designed by the Royal Navy?"

……

The design style and cannon caliber of the four warships could not be faked. The Allied forces discovered their identity was problematic in the early hours of the 26th, but at that time everyone was busy preventing the British from taking over the warships and did not have time to make a move.

On the afternoon of the 26th local time, after it was discovered that the wreckage of other sunken ships of the Third Fleet had disappeared, these four intact warships became the coveted target of everyone.

In particular, the Malta-class aircraft carrier was seen by all countries as having great potential and still being usable as a main aircraft carrier. The British were the first to question whether it was really captured, and demanded that the British tell the truth and hand it over to the Allied forces for trusteeship. Before clarifying whether there was a conspiracy, it was to be dragged to Dunkirk and handed over to a "third-party trusteeship".

At this point, Prism Building also jumped in, unusually supporting the Flying Chicken, also believing that there were problems with these four warships and that they must be transferred to a safe port "under joint supervision", and supporting towing them to Dunkirk.

This is certainly not because Prism Building and the Chicken have some kind of shady deal; rather, it's because the President is extremely angry, incredibly angry, and hysterically demanding that this be done.

The impact of the gold freighter sinking is greater than imagined.

"Mr. Blair, we need an explanation!"

Kazimirz and Rams entered the reception hall together. Blair, leaning back in his chair with a surprised look on his face, saw the two men and laughed:

"Gentlemen, the Third Fleet has been completely defeated. There is nothing to be so nervous about."

Kazimirz continued shouting, "The Third Fleet has been defeated, but the conspiracy against the Empire is not over yet!"

Blair's face immediately turned cold:

"Did these two gentlemen meet with me during afternoon tea to reprimand the British cabinet?"

Kazimirz froze. Regardless of the difference in their social status, he could only suppress his anger and ask:

“You must truthfully disclose the secret treaty between you and the Lost Empire, otherwise this will lead to a serious crisis of trust.”

Blair showed no weakness:
"Ha, I have no idea what you're talking about. Go to Tang Ning Street and ask anyone. Who doesn't hate the Lost Empire to the bone? We've lost hundreds of billions of dollars in profits because of it. Anyone who dares to do that will be drowned in spit."

"Then what is this?"

Rams, with a grim face, handed over two stacks of reports: one was an investigation report on the disappearance and sinking of the gold freighter, and the other was the identification results of the warship carrying the British "captures".

"The cargo ship carrying gold not only had its whereabouts exposed but also disappeared, while the British obtained an intact Y-series warship. There must be a conspiracy involved!"

Blair calmly took the report and carefully read through it, only speaking casually when the two men became impatient:
“Mr. Rams, you must remember that I told you last night not to leave port yet, and to be careful of the Lost Empire’s submarines.”

Rams: "..."

Kazimirz cast an inquiring glance at him, and he could only nod slowly.

This is indeed true, but at that time the Empire was afraid that Britain would renege on its promise, so it insisted that the cargo ship depart first.

The situation suddenly became awkward, as Kazimirz had no idea about this.

Blair immediately pressed his advantage:
"Look, we kindly advised you that the gold was safely stored in the port, so how could it possibly escape? Why are you in such a hurry to transport it away? It's impossible for Dai Ying to back out."

Rams and Kazimirz were speechless, but being intelligent, they couldn't possibly believe there was nothing fishy going on. Rams pressed on with his question:
"Then why did the cargo ship sink just two hours after leaving the port? This can only be due to an intelligence leak!"

To everyone's surprise, Blair gave him a disdainful look: "You are the person who commands the generals in Prism Building. Please think about it carefully. During the war, the Strait of England was completely closed to navigation, and military transport ships were out in groups. It would be strange if a cargo ship sailing out alone in the middle of the night was not spotted by submarines!"

The two were now completely speechless; they were 100% certain that Dai Ying was up to no good.
Because if everything seems reasonable, then it must be fake!

However, Blair's methods were too cunning, and it was difficult to find any evidence against him immediately. Kazimirz could only shift his focus and ask:

"What about the warships in the harbor? Don't tell me you don't know. Those four warships are not only designed in the British style, but their gun calibers, internal layout, and even various markings belong to the Royal Navy!"

"I do know a little about this... Have you heard the audio of Teren trying to persuade those four warships to surrender?"

Kazimirz frowned slightly: "No."

Blair immediately felt reassured. After instructing his secretary Robin, General Miles quickly arrived with several technical experts and replayed the audio in front of everyone:
"This is the Royal Navy Home Fleet... Thank you... for helping to break the hostage situation... Please give my regards to Captain Philg... Robert... as compensation to the King."

After the audio finished playing, Blair looked at the two of them proudly and said:
"Did you hear that? This is a gift from another Royal Navy squadron that was taken hostage by the Third Fleet. After we rescued them and freed them, they presented it to the Queen!"
If Hans could secretly rebuild a lost empire, why can't a citizen of England rebuild the Royal Navy?

This explanation was utterly shocking. Neither of them could believe that Blair would be so shameless as to say such a thing so brazenly. Kazimirz immediately spoke up to refute that the audio recording was insufficient as evidence.

At this point, Miles calmly stepped forward to explain:
"Please listen again. They mentioned Robert. Do you remember him? The captain of the Colbert!"

The names Robert and Colbert quickly evoked memories; the Gulf of Aden naval battle was only a little over a year ago, and there was still no result!

Seeing the doubt on their faces, Miles immediately added:
"Two forces emerged during the Gulf of Aden: the Fourth Squadron of the Combined Fleet represented by the Akizuki, and another Royal Navy represented by Colbert. Since they both exist, the existence of a second Royal Navy is also reasonable!"

Robert's HMS Colbert was even able to shield allies from torpedoes, so what's so strange about the Royal Navy gifting the Royal Navy several warships?
Who knows, maybe one day Halsey and the Bull will return from the storm and bring Lexington back to you!

His explanation was well-reasoned, logically consistent, and left Kazimirz speechless, unable to refute it.

Blair then interjected at just the right moment:
"We only got a few old battleships and outdated aircraft carriers. Their technology level is not even as good as the Invincible-class. It's just that the Royal Navy has no ships available and has no choice but to temporarily fill the gap."

If allies still have concerns, they can take their time to examine these dilapidated old ships when they are sent to the shipyard for upgrades. Isn't the inspection inside the dry dock more thorough than from the outside?

"Yes, yes, Britain has always been a staunch ally of the Empire. There's nothing to argue about with a few outdated warships. Prism Building personnel can freely board and inspect these ships in the future; we would certainly welcome them!"

Miles and Blair, working in tandem, were trying to entangle the two of them. Even Kazimirz, unable to openly sever ties at this point, rolled his eyes and said:
"The Imperial Navy lost a nuclear submarine. These young men sacrificed themselves for their allies. Shouldn't you compensate them?"

"Yes, of course!"

Blair immediately patted his chest and said:

"HMS Key West and HMS Inexhaustible are both excellent. All compensation payments will be included in the total loan amount, with British funds covering the costs. In addition, the Royal Navy is willing to purchase a nuclear submarine from the Empire to fill the gap in HMS Inexhaustible's staffing!"

After hearing this, Kazimirz's expression finally softened a bit—in fact, Prism Building didn't want the ship at all; it was just the President's request.

The reason why Britain and the Chicken want to fight over ships is that they can't build them themselves, and the Empire wouldn't even consider them.

Let alone the 508mm HMS Incomparable, even the HMS Malta wouldn't stand a chance.

Johnson's demands for the division of ships were merely a way to appease the president: with such heavy losses, spoils of war would at least make things a little better.

In reality, even if the Imperial Navy acquires ships, it will simply discard them. It would be a real joke if the world's number one navy needed to fill its fleet with captured warships. The military-industrial complex would be the first to disagree.

Even gold isn't a big deal; what the Empire is really concerned about is whether the British are secretly making deals with the Lost Empire.

Although Miles's meddling made them somewhat suspicious, it was still not enough to dispel their suspicions.

Blair finally spoke up when the time was right:
"Where can the Royal Navy afford to maintain so many ships? In fact, we wish we didn't have them, but we have to fill the gaps in the fleet lost by HMS Ark Royal, right? Besides, we lost too many destroyers, so we'll use HMS Incomparable to fill in for them."

The Hood is already outdated. When the time comes, we'll all witness the dismantling of its weapons and leave the shell as a museum. The final G3—whichever ally can afford to maintain it can just take it away!
The Royal Navy is already tightening its belt to maintain just one battleship and one aircraft carrier, and will not expand its fleet for the next ten years!
We're also trying to raise money; otherwise, when will we be able to pay off the loan?

Kazimirz: "What you mean by making money is..."

Blair: "The cost of the war must be shared equally! We are fighting hard and suffering huge losses on the front lines, while those who are clearly on the front lines but refuse to fight are enjoying peace. This is not allowed!"

Kazimirz pondered this for a moment, then asked incredulously:

"You mean you want money from Hans, on the grounds that the Allied forces are protecting Hans from the High Seas Fleet?"

"exactly!"

Blair said with a smile:
"Don't think that Hans and the Lost Empire are from the same source. The people are on the side of justice. How could they allow the Third Fleet to bring war back? The Allied Forces will always stand on their side to protect Hans. If they don't contribute, are they not even willing to share the military expenses?"

I propose that Hans should bear at least 40% of the costs of this operation!

Everyone present was stunned, except for Miles and Robin, who were inwardly wryly smiling:

Nothing in this world is perfect, and Blair had no other choice!
Faced with pressure from the Third Fleet, Britain couldn't withstand the pressure and could only rely on the US Federal Reserve;
When faced with pressure from allies, if the British cannot withstand it, they will have no choice but to offend the lost empire.

What is a paperhanger? They patch up leaks wherever they occur, but they can't truly solve the problem once and for all!
Knowing full well that paying Hans for negotiations would anger the Third Fleet, this was the only way to clear their name or, in other words, to state their position:

See, if we do this, the Lost Empire will definitely hate us to death. Even secret allies will turn into enemies. Are you relieved now?

Although it was shameless, it did give Kazimirz and Rams, who had come to demand an explanation, a substantial response, and they were able to give an explanation to their own people.

Even if they still suspected that Dai Ying had a secret agreement, the conjugate father and son were not real father and son, so it was already good enough if they could superficially support and take sides.

Kazimirz had successfully forced Blair to distance himself, made the Royal Navy back down, and even brought arms sales to the Empire. He had basically managed to get by on all fronts.

As for the Federal Reserve? That's outside his responsibilities. You should know that according to the contract, there is no dispute about this matter, and forcing a dispute would only make him look bad.

Kazimirz, who was barely satisfied with his gains, immediately softened his expression. After boasting about the deep friendship and unbreakable strategic trust between the two sides, he also offered his own carrot:

"I personally think the Royal Navy's decision to retain one aircraft carrier and one battleship in active service is reasonable. There is no controversy as long as HMS Hood is disposed of properly. As for G3... British ammunition is not easy to replenish, so let's just compensate our Swedish ally who suffered the most losses!"

(End of this chapter)