Chapter 2644 Confrontation Escalation One

Aberdeen Old Sailors Club. Thomas came here again, and now, he feels more and more that he likes to stay here to deal with some things. Although this place is not as comfortable and magnificent as the Royal Navy Commander in London, here Thomas can be with some of his former friends. Colleagues do some things, and they can catch up with old friends. According to him, if it is purely about the contribution to the British Empire, then what he does in this club is far more important than what he does in the Royal Navy Command. Much the better, as the Royal Navy was in a state of shock as the war ended.

"What's the matter? Duff." Thomas asked, looking at the nervous ex-vice admiral of the Royal Navy.

"One of our transport ships was sunk by an American submarine in the Wright Gulf area. There were thousands of tons of cargo on it, including more than 200 various engines and hundreds of tons of ammunition. The Americans attacked us. said Duff, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"I know, this happened the day before yesterday, and that's why I called you here," Thomas said.

"Isn't this a dangerous signal? The patience of the Americans has run out. They may want to implement unlimited submarine warfare similar to the Germans. Not only Japan, but even our transportation in the Far East are in danger." Duff Said.

"Not necessarily. According to the information I got from other sources, the US government is not aware of this. It is very likely that it was a mistaken attack. If the Americans really decide to do something, then our loss will not be so small." Thomas said.

In fact, Thomas' analysis is also very reasonable. There are indeed many misfires in the war. Moreover, it is not only the British who are transporting the Japanese, but the merchant ships of the French, Spaniards, and Italians are also running this route. The behavior of the American submarines before was still very gentlemanly. Facing the single merchant ship, they first verified the international status and issued a warning before launching an attack. Even if the Americans really want to launch unrestricted submarine warfare, they will definitely warn other countries first, and they will not start killing as soon as they come up.

"So will our attitude toward the Japanese change because of the American attack?" Duff asked.

"Until the British Empire can use its own strength to stabilize the situation in the entire southern subcontinent and Burma, we will not fall out with the Japanese." Thomas' words revealed a sense of helplessness. After all, the Japanese bayonet is the key to maintaining the stability of the South Asian subcontinent. Britain has already lost the whole of Africa. If it loses India again, then the entire empire will really fall apart. Dominions like Canada and Australia may also find other backers. Therefore, even if they know that they have been kidnapped by the Japanese, Britain Still can only bite the bullet and go on.

"Don't worry, although the Americans have great national power and industrial capabilities, the swords in their hands are not sharp, and they dare not take too drastic measures against us." Thomas comforted.

"Okay, so what do you want me to do this time?" Duff asked.

"The Japanese are going to buy new warships, but they are not ordering from us, but from the Italians. It is not convenient for us to send official personnel directly, so there are some things that you need to do." Thomas said.

"Buy a battleship? Let me think about it, are you going to buy the Caraggiono-class battleship that the Italians are building? This is also a good battleship, but the construction schedule may be very tight, and the price will definitely not be cheap. More importantly What’s more, the attitude of the Germans and Americans is likely to cause the deal to fail.” Although Admiral Duff is no longer a soldier, he is still very familiar with the business.

"The Caraggiono-class battleship will not be considered for the time being. This project is too big, and it is easy to attract the attention of many parties. We are doing some old ship business this time. We know the Italian Pisa-class armored cruiser and St. George-class armored cruiser. Cruisers? The Japanese are going to buy these two classes of warships," Thomas said.

"Are the Japanese stupid? The combat effectiveness of these two classes of armored cruisers is not even as good as that of the first-generation battlecruisers. Although the 8-inch armor belt is considered good in armored cruisers, in the Far East, cruisers of this class are on the battlefield. What are the Japanese spending money on to buy such a thing that has been killed in seconds? By the way, by the way, the speed of this class of cruisers is also very slow. It can’t even keep up with the main Japanese fleet,” Duff said.

"Although the Italian armored cruiser is outdated, it is a good choice if it is placed in the Pacific Ocean to perform the mission of breaking diplomatic relations. Don't forget that the Americans don't have a single fast battleship now, and the German fast battleship also needs maintenance. .Light cruisers can't fight, capital ships can't catch up, don't you think this is very suitable for armored cruisers?" Thomas said.

"If the Japanese want to buy, they can just talk to the Italians directly. Why should they have a relationship with us?" Duff asked.

"Because these warships need to be improved, the Italian armored cruisers have a small tonnage, but they are very powerful. They are very suitable for operations in the calm Mediterranean Sea, and are not suitable for long-distance breaking engagement operations in the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, improvements must be made. The replacement of coal boilers with oil-fired boilers, and the maintenance of steam turbines, you know, when the Pisa class was in service, the Italians chose the British power system. Now, the Japanese can only choose us.”

Thomas paused and continued: "Of course, this is only the first step. We still need to understand the shipbuilding industry of the Italian Navy. The Fury-class battleship we plan to sell in the future may have to pass through Italy. After all, the current British Empire has no ability Outfitting such a battleship."

"However, it still depends on the attitude of the Italians and the attitude of the Germans," Duff said.

"That's right, so the first transaction we're making now is just an old cruiser, and you're just a person employed by Japan, and has nothing to do with the imperial government," Thomas said.

"Even if everything goes well, it will take at least three months for an armored cruiser to be improved. Will the Japanese have time?" Duff asked.

"It must be too late. I have to say that Betty did a very good job, even better than all of us did during the war. He used exquisite tactics to play with the Americans. Although because of the absolute strength gap, the last battle The result ended with both sides leaving the field at the same time, but it bought precious time for the Japanese fleet."

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